Blog

This week we have the absolute pleasure of interviewing one of our favorite photographers & soulful creators,  Catherine Just. We met Catherine last year through an online business program and have been inspired by her energy and soulful presence online.  Catherine runs an online photography business that focuses on eCourses, Retreats and mentoring for women. She explores ways to live a more Soul*Full and deeply connected life.

1. What gave you the drive/motivation/inspiration to take the leap and start your own business?

First off, I don’t really work that well in the corporate environment. I just don’t believe in that type of structure for myself and so working within it felt in authentic and caged in. I needed more elbow room to be fully myself. I can work for small businesses as an assistant but that too makes me feel cramped in. One of my Super Conditions ( which is a term Dyana Valentine coined ) is personal freedom. I need and thrive in an environment where I feel free. Free to create, free to innovate, free to think outside the box and free to use all of my resources to help others. At first all I really wanted to do was create my art and show it in galleries. It’s expanded beyond my wildest dreams and continues to do so.

2.  What is the single most important thing you do in your business that adds to your success?

I take action. Fear thoughts come up and I see them and listen to what information they might want to share with me, and then I take another action. I don’t allow myself to get bogged down with beliefs that I am not enough. Yes, those thoughts are there. So I seek out ecourses, teachers, mentors and community to learn what I need to learn, get support when I need it, shift my perception from lacking to abundance and take the next action. I don’t wait until it’s perfect. I learn as I go. I remain teachable. ( this is more than one thing, sorry! )

 3. What do you find the biggest challenge of being a solorprenuer?

Taking time to visit with my friends! Seriously. I will work and work and work because I am so inspired by what I do and new ideas are falling out of the sky all the time! At the end of the day I have to remember how I want to FEEL in my life and my business and take actions that support those feelings rather than getting swept up and consumed by the creative process all the time. When I am working I lose track of time and it’s often hard for me to create my own boundaries around work, family, friends, etc.

4. What have you learned from your customers that has helped to improve your business?

Learning what my customers want has been invaluable. If I only create what I feel like creating I am speaking to a very small audience of one ( ME )! But when I actually ask people what they would like to learn, an entire universe opens up because I am able to use my gifts to help them even more directly. I’ve learned that a lot of people want to feel more confident with how to use their cameras. My mission was to skip that completely – however I would be doing a huge disservice to many people by avoiding the technical side of photography. I’m currently creating a downloadable self paced eCourse to help entrepreneurs create better more engaging and soul*full photographs so that their websites, blogs and social media leverages their messages even more.

 5. What is on your stop doing list this year?

Stop limiting the possibilities of what I can do.

 6. What advice would you like to offer someone just starting their own business?

Surround yourself with mentors, like minded people, online eCourses, and a support team that carries pompoms around with them and really is invested in your success. It all helps. Times get tough in every business – but you don’t have to suffer though it. Don’t allow fear to keep you from shining your brightest light. The world needs you and needs your message. You are valuable and your thoughts are not always true! Especially those negative ones. Shift your perspective that it IS possible and remember to plug into the space of knowing who you really are. Tiny steps are just as important as big ones and you deserve to create your dream business. Find experts in their field to become part of your team. Don’t do it alone. Allow people to help you do what you do best, by allowing them to support you with their gifts. Learn to ask for more help than you think you deserve.

Once again a big thanks to Catherine for all her inspiration she has shared with us today! Don’t forget to check out Catherine’s site here.

As always if you enjoyed this post please share it on facebook, send out a tweet or email it to a friend. We appreciate your support!

~ Susan and Kat

Photo by Catherine Just