I had already laid the foundation of my business when in came the pillars that sustain it: the wonderful group of women who form my team. I couldn’t be prouder of them.
Some were friends long before we became business partners. Some became friends during our business journey. We all hold each other up in those times of need. If I had to choose one thing about this business which I love the most, it’s that we’re in the business of helping other people. We do this by recommending the products we use every day, and we do this when we empower the people who work alongside us in this path that leads us to better and healthier lives. However I would love to choose a second most favourite thing about this business: you cannot do it alone. And as Simon Sinek – major crush on him btw – says in his talk about the marines, being an individualist only leads to ostracism. You have to be willing to help others in order to reach your goal. In other words, you have to become a team.
Me being an Enneagram type 2 (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, do yourself a big favour and go take the test) also known as The Helper, I’m in my element when caring for other people. And here I am helping people become better versions of themselves, growing their business of making other people happier and healthier, so there’s a huge element of self-satisfaction. My chest puffs up!
I guess the biggest challenge is having to adapt to the different rythms and styles of the members of my team. Luckily, I learned to be flexible and easily adaptable when I was very little as me and my parents were moving every 6 months. When I was 5 I started travelling by myself (of course, always safely supervised by an air hostess), which made me very self-reliable and independent. I have always been curious and analytical of people and their psyches, which led me to read a lot about psychology. Life is one big sociological study for me, people fascinate me. I enjoy finding out their motivations behind their words or actions, and interacting with that and becoming a problem solver is perhaps what makes me able to connect with them and help them reach their goals. But you have to go further than that, because you can only help someone as much as they will allow you to. People first need to believe that they can change, and that they are worthy of the help you are offering.
I’ll tell you a little story. When I was a kid, one of my neighbours used to pay me compliments very often. She and her mum would tell me nice things such as “you look very nice today” or “I really like your outfit”. It made me feel warm inside. I guess at one point, out of repetition, I started mimicking it and realised that I could make other people feel good as well. And people were grateful for that, and would do something nice in return. And it went all around! This is how if you give love, you will attract love. Which is why empowering women is something that makes me feel so empowered. I empower the women in my team, and they help themselves. In turn, they will go on to empower someone else. It’s a beautiful thing to witness.
I feel that so many of the things I’ve been interested in in life have led me to be where I am. It all comes together here and now, with this job I’m grateful for every day.
