Client Case Study Amber Dalgleish - When I Grow Up

Client Case Study Amber Dalgleish - When I Grow Up Um, do you know that Ive coached hundreds of women since I started offering dream career guidance in 2008? And that these women are freakin rock stars, leaving soul-sucking jobs and traveling the world and launching creative, grown-up businesses and simply doing work that fits their lifestyle goals? Well ya do now and youll hear their stories firsthand in my  Client Case Studies series!  Im beyond thrilled to have you meet Amber of Create Revelry today! A Discover Your Dream Business alum from the summer who then went right into my 90 Day Business Launch program, she officially put out her (super gorgeous) shingle just last month. She lays so much wisdom down here that Id be surprised if you didnt get at least 2 or more a-ha moments by the time you read her last answer. Enjoy! Why did you decide to work with me? Ive been a fan girl of yours since 2008 and have been obsessed with everything you put out. Ive known for a long time that I wanted to work with you, but I was never in the right life/financial situation to make it happen. The stars seemed to align this year and after working through Discover Your Dream Business this summer, I knew I needed to keep the momentum going. I also definitely needed external accountability and a HUGE commitment (like a trip to NYC and investing those dollar bills) to make sure that I would look a total fool if I flaked out and didnt show up. What were you doing work-wise when we started working together and what are you doing now? When we started working together through Discover Your Dream Business this past summer, I was on the tail end of my maternity leave. I had been at the same company for 7 years working in the funeral industry as a graphic designer, and was trying to start the ball rolling on my biz before I had to return to work. I then continued on to the 90 Day Business Launch program with my One Perfect Day at the end of October and my return to work date at the end of November. However, after the dreadfulness of going back to work hit me, along with some soul searching, a supportive husband, a looong email and our first coaching session, I decided that I was not going to go back to work and quit the next day! Right now I am doing the Mom thing, and working on building my business where I I help non-traditional party throwers design and execute a hand-crafted celebration that feels unique and special and looks AH-MAZING! What was your biggest takeaway from our work together? You said something once during one of our calls during Discover Your Dream Business that Ive never heard you say before and it really really stuck with me. It was something along the lines of it being okay to feel scared and to have a kind of internal struggle or resistance about starting your dream business because along the way, youre becoming a whole new person. This isnt just a change in job title or a shift in your career. Youre growing into a new person. A person who is in charge, who makes her own decisions (all the decisions!), who needs to set up a new routine, who needs to say no to things that dont serve her and yes to those that do. Growing like this takes time, so at the beginning, youre not going to feel comfortable or completely confident because youve never been this person before. You just need to trust this new you, allow yourself to be a beginner, and remember why youre doing this for yourself in the first place. Think of someone who is currently in the shoes you wore when we first started working together. What advice do you have for her? Every little bit counts. I used to get stressed out thinking about all the hours I would need to set aside to get this business started, and how was I going to have time for everything else? By breaking things down into baby steps, and realizing that working on my biz for even 30 minutes every day still counts as working on my business. Its a lot more productive than burn out, and a heck of a lot more productive than procrastination. Breaking things into chunks also helps with that overwhelming feeling of being a beginner and having to build something from scratch. Tasks are less daunting if you know you only have to work on them for a half hour and then you get to check something off your list. Is there anything thats been a game-changer for you when it comes to your business that you can share? Wed love a good resource or a mindset/productivity tip! Obviously, working with you has been my biggest game changer. Other than that, Ive found it helpful keeping in touch with my Discover Your Dream Business buddies. We have a FB group, and are all familiar with what each other is working on and the thoughts/intention behind it. Its a super great support system that can be used as a sounding board, resource, think-tank where I can go to put something out there to like minded ladies and get honest, unbiased feedback and constructive criticism, but to also celebrate those wins and provide them with the same support. I would also recommend looking into what your local small business centre has to offer. Since completing 90 Day Business Launch, Ive signed up for a few workshops and its a great (free!) way to learn a little bit more about the more practical/serious/boring parts of running a business. During Discover Your Dream Business and 90 Day Business Launch I had to suspend my disbelief (a lot). I often found that I was putting a lot of pressure on myself and just generally overthinking every single thing, and thus procrastinating. I discovered that I could take the pressure off by just pretending what I was working on was no big deal. Like, for example, coming up with my branding and logo. I was agonizing over my colours and fonts and imagery and was I sending the right vibe? Once I thought, how would I approach this if it was a work assignment, or a a client or school project, or if I was giving advice to a friend? Everything seemed to be a little bit easier when I was looking at it through an external lens. Whats on the horizon for your business? Wed love to hear about any upcoming offerings or goals!   I just launched my website at the beginning of February! I havent landed any clients yet and since my biz is going to target locals, Im really trying to focus on spreading the word right now. Ive signed up for a few networking events, and Im also reaching out to any people I know, as well as local businesses and party vendors who I think are a good match and share a similar target market. One of my goals for this year is to have a booth at my local wedding show this fall, and to have a few clients under my belt by then so I have some testimonials and fresh work to show off. Where can we find you and your work? Website: createrevelry.com, Instagram: @create.revelry, Facebook: CreateRevelry Want to grab one of my limited 90 Day Business Launch spots for the spring?  Sign up here  and check your Inbox on Wednesday! Apps open early and exclusively for that list before I go public with it next Monday if there are any spots left, that is. Just 4 available!