Mirelli is very excited to partner with Jenn Aubert, award-winning author and entrepreneur who is on a similar mission to train and empower women entrepreneurs. Here’s a glimpse into her story…
The Journey to Becoming an Entrepreneur: The Jenn Aubert Story
Guestblog:
Business – like life – has no neat and tidy path. No one wakes up and brightly declares, “Today I will build my own business and call myself an entrepreneur.” Usually there are several small steps and circumstances in one’s life that leads someone to launch a business.
Unlike most people I know, I’ve always known deep in my gut that I wanted to own my own business. This feeling has lingered ever since I was a kid. The trouble was I never knew exactly what that business would be. Oddly I was never interested in studying business in school but thoroughly enjoyed spending my free time reading books on different facets of business, marketing and leadership and attending workshops and lectures. Although self-studied, I knew that one day the “big idea” would eventually appear. But it didn’t.
I spent years doing what I can only describe as flirting with different business ideas and trying them on to see if they fit. I became an acupuncturist and started my own clinic. I was a mindset coach for women entrepreneurs. I played around with several other business ideas that didn’t even make it out of my idea’s book. I was feeling uninspired and watching the years pass without fulfilling my purpose.
The road winds. It makes sense only after the fact.
I realized that I was pushing and struggling incredibly hard to figure out my big idea. I was forcing inspiration to deliver on demand. I was trying to create a business out of my background and expertise but every idea just didn’t feel right. I felt exhausted and dismayed and decided to simply stop.
I might have stopped the struggle but I traded it in for something much more powerful – surrender.
I was never keen on that word as it sounded like giving up. I wasn’t about to give up, that’s for sure, but what I was going to do was stop the struggle and allow the inspiration – the muse – the opportunity to show up.
Instead of pushing a boulder up a hill I decided to step aside for awhile and just listen to the stories of others. I spent a year interviewing over 100 women entrepreneurs and business owners to understand what made them unique and successful and the role models in their lives who influenced them. I researched. I networked. I asked for help. I interviewed. I analyzed. I wrote. And, I wrote some more. I spent months outside myself and inside the lives of others. I absorbed all their beautiful wisdom and their tough words of advice. It was humbling and inspiring.
And then my muse arrived one Fall afternoon while relaxing and reading a magazine. I always knew who I wanted to help, that wasn’t the problem, but the how had eluded me for years. What I realized in interviewing others is that I wanted to build an online education marketplace and community for women starting out in business (and a few years in as well). This virtual hub for education and connection was often missing in my own life and the lives of the women I know. I felt like I had surpassed the hardest part of my journey which was the beginning. I was ready to proceed.
Quieting the mind and mental chatter can produce amazing and unexpected results if you’re open to this challenge. If you’re finding that things are just too tough, too complicated or you’re feeling like you are struggling against an invisible but ever present boulder, I hope you find the peace and direction that comes with taking a mental break that comes with surrender.
Who is Jenn Aubert?
Jenn Aubert is an author and entrepreneur. Her first book Women Entrepreneur Revolution: Ready! Set! Launch! (Balboa Press, 2014) explores the mindset, motivation and behaviors of successful female entrepreneurs and the role models in their lives who have influenced them. She is also the Co-founder and CEO of LearnSavvy, an online education platform and community for women business owners. Personally, she adores inspirational quotes, all things French (yes, that does include wine), Deepak Chopra and a comfy pair of ballet flats. She has recently relocated to Portland, OR with her husband and adorable son and is spending her free time exploring everything this new city has to offer.
You can follow her adventures at: www.jennaubert.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennaubertbiz#
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jennaubert
Thank you, Jenn, for sharing.
If you would like to inspire others with your journey to becoming an entrepreneur, please let me know. We would love to have you as a Mirelli contributor. Email us at Info@Mirellietc.com.
Nice story. I’m almost 60 years old and just finding my groove and the confidence to truly reach for my dreams. It’s never too late to become who you could have been.
Hello Jenn,
I’m reading your post and feeling prickles in the back of my neck. Over the past week I’ve been creating a talk I’ll be giving at Westminster College School of Entrepreneurship, in March – and my talk in parts is almost verbatim phrases and thoughts you shared in your article.
The entrepreneurial journey with all it’s twists and turns, hills and dales, trials and tribulations is one that many women embark on and find themselves lost! I loved reading about your journey and the place you’ve presently arrived, both metaphorically and geographically!
Pleasure to meet you online Jenn.
Warmly,
Deborah
Deborah, thanks for stopping by. We all love Jenn’s story here at Mirelli. She is the type of woman we want to model after and support! I bet your talk at Westminster will be awesome. If you are ever interested in sharing your story with us, we’d love to have a blog post from you.
Sincerely,
Trina
Founder/CEO Mirelli Entrepreneur Training for Women