And the inspiration keeps coming…
Mar Solano Yoga Educator & Founder of Manifesto & Dreadnut Coffee Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
I started Manifesto about 20-years ago because I didn’t like the clothes in the stores and I wanted to dress in my own way. Suddenly I was designing for my friends and family as well! It was super exciting because I could do whatever I wanted, so I did! Shows, costume designs for dance, music videos, and since I was against the “fashion” business all our shows were different, we use all kinds of people for modeling, dancers, actors, musicians, and more! Then I move to Puerto Viejo and the excitement grew! I ask for a loan to the Bank and open a store in front of the beach!
For me, the exciting part is to be able to follow my heart! I didn’t know back then how important it was what I was doing. Most of the time people thought I was kind of crazy, so I thought I was just doing another crazy thing! But now that I see people stuck in lives they don’t like or that have wanted to change their lifestyles for years and haven’t, I realize that I wasn’t that crazy!
The scary part for me was the finances, I had millions of ideas but I wasn’t thinking about money. I found out very soon that living in a beautiful beach town and having a small business in a country made for big corporations wasn’t going to be easy. So I went even crazier and open a little coffee shop.
It’s been 8 years since I opened “DreadNut coffee and more...” and it has grown and it works really well! It was made with love and people notice. We use mostly organic, natural products and we try to keep the cultural roots of this fast-growing tourist town. I think even though is hard to make it in a highly consuming society and fast food industry, that the people are changing and consciousness is growing and now more people want real things made with love! Today there is a casita in front of the beach with a Manifesto boutique on one side and a Dreadnut coffee on the other!
Facebook: MANIFESTO.CR E: mar_506@yahoo.com
Mikela Milington Yoga Educator & Founder of Miks Bliss Vancouver, BC, Canada
Stepping into the field of entrepreneurship is a wild ride. I don’t think the fear ever disappears - I think we face fears constantly along the way but that’s what’s so beautiful about it. It’s an investment in ourselves and our growth, pushing boundaries and facing self doubt head on ... constantly. We face a fear, we shift, it opens doors, and another fear comes into play. But it’s always getting us where we need to be and the only road block is ourselves. So the fear of self doubt is always a big one for me. Self talk and writing and reminding myself of my worth, my creations, my intention helps me work through this. It’s extremely exciting when the work gets seen, heard, acknowledged, but more so in the sense of how it reaches people. How others connect with what I do and share. How it builds community. I love nothing more than sharing it with everyone.
@mikmill www.miksbliss.com
Emily Posselius Yoga Educator, Life Coach & Founder of Empowered Living Movement San Francisco, CA
In truth, there is an exquisite entanglement between what frightens me and what excites me as an entrepreneur. When I first started my business, The Empowered Living Movement, it reminded me of that same precipice of standing at the edge of an airplane before my first time skydiving, or the next in line to a roller coaster ride at Six Flags, or packing up my bags to move to a new city. A healthy amount of fear to me can be an indicator that I’m about to evolve into a new level of joy, challenge, and connection. Cutting ties with the corporate job and also with the steady income of a startup job, both brought a fear and excitement that gave wing to my creative and entrepreneurial fuel.
As a life coach, I believe so much of creating a vibrant life for yourself is to address engrained beliefs that are no longer true (or never were), no longer relevant, or not actually yours. As an entrepreneur, there were so many engrained beliefs about work and success that I have worked to unwind and still try to sneak in occasionally. For example, one of the most beautiful parts of owning my own business is the freedom to be able to create a personal model of success. That requires addressing old beliefs about what work is “supposed” to look like on the outside (hours in the day, productivity levels, etc) and getting more clear about success from inside: where I want to put my effort and attention and in what way.
When I left my tech job over 3 years ago and entered into the wild unknown of really owning my own business, experience, and even more so -- my choices, a dear friend assured me that as soon as I started looking, I’d find others on a less conventional path, paving their own direction and lifestyle. I couldn’t agree more looking back, and find that one of the most exciting aspects of this change has been the growth of a community of support, alignment, and inspiration.
@empoweredyogi www.empoweredlivingmovement.com
Talia Gutin Yoga Educator, Life Coach & Founder Dature Life Austin, TX
The scariest part about being an entrepreneur is the uncertainty of the process - there are little knowns and almost no guarantees. If I'm "successful" one month, the next month might unfold differently and vise versa. Sometimes it can also feel like I'm throwing spaghetti against a wall - and I never know what will stick. By staying open, trusting, and resilient, I manage the frustration and fear that comes with being in a world of unknowns.
And the most exciting part about being an entrepreneur? I get to be in the drivers seat of my life and career and, to me, few things feel more important. I get to choose how much work I put in, what my schedule looks like, where I invest my time, and why. I'm the one calling the shots and I get to choose how I respond to each moment. This freedom feels empowering, inspiring, and daring.
@talia_gutin @datura.life www.taliagutin.com
Miriam Castillo - Yoga Educator, Artist & Founder of Miriam Castillo Design New York, NY & Valladolid, Mexico
So I will say for me the scariest part have been those moments where you loose track of the main goal and get a feeling of been lost or not knowing exactly what you are doing but then it all starts to get shape and fall in track. It requieres a lot of patience because plans always take longer than we expect to become a reality. The exciting part are those moments of freedom, knowing that destiny is made by each decision and it's consequences, so there is a sense of power in every single action.There is always a sense of uncertainty with the plans we make in life so we simple need to hope for the best without always expecting to succeed. It's scary but at the same time exciting, there is a thin line that divides that feeling. There is always small victories and failures which are the flavor of the adventure.
@miriamcastilloart @miriamcastillodesign www.miriamcastillo.com
