How Hayley made her dreams a reality (and you can too)
Have you ever had a career or personal dream that both excited and scared you a little bit? Maybe it’s something you’ve thought about for months or even years, but you keep it a secret because you’re worried what people might say, or that it might all end in failure?
Hayley Stoner had that dream. To start a side business in graphic design and pave the way towards leaving her job and going freelance. And also to write and produce her own music, which had long been a personal passion.
“I was struggling with my current job. I was at the point of despair and did not know which direction to go in. I felt there was no light at the end of the tunnel and I would never get out of my job.”
Back in September, Hayley signed up for coaching and together we started working on figuring out what Hayley’s values were, her unique strengths, and what fears might have been holding her back from getting started. She discovered opportunities to express her musical creativity more often, and began researching different industries that interested her.
It wasn’t always easy to keep going, and some days were harder than others. “I was at the end of my tether before some sessions, especially after a stressful day at work, but after speaking with Juliette I always came away feeling some much happier and motivated.”
As time went on we got laser focused and started to look at what her business niche could be, what services to offer, and where to find those ideal clients. With the support, clarity and accountability of working with a coach, Hayley kept believing and has managed to turn both her business dream and creative dream into a reality.
“I have become more determined to get where I want to be. I still have wobbles, but manage to pick myself up and keep going. I have one client already and hoping to build more. I can help other design companies keep on top of their workload by taking freelance projects, and start-up businesses can also benefit from my expertise in logo and branding design.”
What has been the biggest and most unexpected outcome for Hayley is how quickly her musical ambitions have become a reality too.
“My passion for music made me want to design for the music industry, which I would still love to do. However, back in January I decided to start making my own music. I have created my first track in the house/club genre and I have produced my own lyrics and worked with a professional vocalist. So I am now a freelance graphic designer and a music producer /DJ! Which is completely mad as it is not what I expected to happen, but I am extremely glad it did and can finally say I am proud of myself after years of not being valued in many different jobs.”
“I intend for my husband and I to work together making music and DJ’ing and will have our own record label. I can now combine my design passion for music, as I can create all my and my husband's track release covers, social medial advertising and the record label logo."
Hayley didn’t expect her story to turn out quite like this, but what it really shows is what’s possible when you make ROOM in your life for your dreams and passions. When you allow them some light and air, instead of keeping them hidden away in a dusty corner, they can come alive!
If you want to learn more about Hayley’s design services, you can find her at www.hayleystoner.design and connect with her on LinkedIn.
And how about you? Feeling inspired by Hayley's story? Want to explore what your personal version of success looks like, beyond your CV? It all starts with an introductory 15min career breakthrough call. Learn more about my coaching programme here.
My 3 favourite work podcasts
Have you got addicted to podcasts yet?
I TOTALLY have over the last two years, and I’ll tell you why. It’s because they have allowed me to fill my brain with the best and most up to date career, business and life advice, wherever I am. Whether I’m cooking a meal at home, riding the bus into town, or going for a run around the park.
And whilst binging on the latest Netflix series can be fun and relaxing, it's not directly feeding your brain with the knowledge it needs to navigate that tricky situation at work or reduce your stress levels.
I’ve tried and tested quite a few recently, to whittle them down to the ones that really add value to my life or my work, and now I couldn’t be without them. They have helped me come up with many new creative ideas, grow my business, and navigate all kinds of personal challenges too.
So I thought I’d introduce you to some of my favourite podcasts, some for work and some for wellbeing and good mental health, and see if you’d like to join me in making listening to podcasts a regular habit of yours too.
So here are my current top 3 work and business podcasts:
This new podcast sprang to life last year and actually made it to #1 on the podcast chart. It’s hosted by organisational psychologist Adam Grant, and he chats to all kinds of fascinating people doing unusual jobs, in order to understand some of the science behind, in his own words, ‘making work not suck’. Some of my favourite episodes have been ‘Faking your emotions at work’, ‘A world without bosses’, and ‘Become friends with your rivals’. This show is always guaranteed to bring fresh ideas and make you think differently about the world of work.
Janet is a former journalist turned online PR and marketing expert for small business owners. What I love about Janet is that she’s very straight talking, and gets down to brass tacks straightaway! Her podcast episodes are always highly practical, and she isn’t afraid to say what doesn’t work or where you might be going wrong. If you want to learn about the basics of marketing your business online and making more sales, this is a great starting point and I learned loads from her when I was a newbie business owner.
Uncomplicated Your Business with Racheal Cook
For those of you who are a little further along your business journey, but feeling overwhelmed or like you’re not hitting your goals, Racheal is a godsend. She’s incredibly relatable and inspiring at the same time, running her six figure business from the basement of her home in Richmond, Virginia and has managed to do all this whilst only working 25hrs a week, retiring her husband from his job and raising their 3 kids! I just love her simple, actionable and effective advice on productivity, goal setting, streamlining, increasing your income, leadership and loads more.
So those are my current top 3 favourite work podcasts. What about you? Do you have a recommendation? Let me know in the comments below if there’s a show you think we should all be checking out!
Next week, I’ll share 3 favourite podcasts for wellbeing and good mental health.
Should you tell your boss about your side business?
I was chatting with a client recently about a dilemma she had.
She was starting to put the wheels in motion for a potential career change, but felt guilty about not sharing her plans with her boss whom she has a great relationship with.
She was particularly worried about her boss finding out about her new business by accident, or through someone else rather than her.
So we hatched a plan to help her manage this tricky transition and stay on good terms.
And when the time came to have 'the chat', her boss was actually incredibly supportive and could fully see how the new skills that my client was learning could be of benefit to her current role.
So here are my top tips for keeping your boss happy when you are starting a side business:
Check your contract, just to make sure that you are in fact allowed to take on work outside of your current job, and whether there are any clauses about the type of work or clients you can have.
Just remember that there is a lot of prep work needed when setting up a business e.g doing a course or re-training if required, building your website, networking, marketing etc, so until you're actually earning money then it's technically just a hobby and you won't need to legally disclose it to your boss if you don't want to.
However, when you are ready to start taking on clients and getting paid, then it's probably best to get ahead of the curve and have 'the chat'. You can keep it low key, say it's a side project for now and emphasise that you are learning lots of new skills which will be of benefit to your current job. Your employer just needs to know that you are still fully committed to him/her, and don't need to know every little detail about your future business plans.
It might take longer than you expect to build up a client base and start replacing your salary, so it's always worth keeping your boss and colleagues happy in the meantime. Just keep doing your job well, don't 'blur the lines' by talking about your business when you're at work, and you should be absolutely fine.
Are you in a similar situation? Or have been through this in the past? What questions do you have? What tips can you share? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
