Hi, there!  I’m Jonna, part of The BareVitality team and today we are going to take you behind the scenes of starting & running a business.. we thought it would be a fun idea to interview Claudia and talk a little bit about being a young entrepreneur. So, keep reading and see what it takes to run a business, from Claudia’s point of view!

1. How old were you & what was your first step when you decided to take the leap of starting your own business? Tell us more, what preparations you needed to do for all it to happen?

I actually registered BareVitality as a business when I was 20 years old, just about to turn 21! I had to actually just then look that up and can’t believe it- crazy!!! It initially was just a blog as a hobby where I mostly shared recipes and a bit of health & fitness advice. I was working as a PT (personal trainer) at the time. I then started the physical side of BareVitality when I was 22 years old. I had just moved out of Sydney with a boyfriend at the time and honestly didn’t really think about it much. I had just left a job where I was running group and private sessions and felt it was pretty easy, so when I moved I just used the blog name and advertised under BareVitality for PT and Group Training. After that the story went; relationship ended, I moved back to Balmain, Sydney where I had grown up and then just used the same template I had and started advertising Outdoor Training in Balmain. There has been no point in where I really had a plan or business goals in mind. I was just doing what I loved and naturally as my interests grew, so did my business.

2. What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learnt in starting and running your business? If you could do anything different, what & why?

Do what you do best and outsource the rest! I have the tendency to want to do EVERYTHING. Realistically however I am not strong in everything and I learnt my business would succeed so much more if I solely focused on what I love and I am best at! By wanting to do everything, it’s a sure way to get run down and the quality of your work suffers. I now don’t do any of the roles I least enjoy, because I spend way too much time procrastinating about them rather than just smashing what I do best.

I probably wouldn’t do anything different as every situation that did not turn out as expected was a fantastic learning opportunity that made me a stronger person and business owner.

3. Walk us through a typical day of yours. How do you prioritise your tasks?

Everyday is SO different. My calendar depends on events, staff availability and current projects. Typically however an ordinary day would look like this;

5.15am – wake up, get ready and head to The BareVitalty Studio

6-10.30am – Clients in the studio, usually with a quick coffee and breakfast break in between.

11am- Emails, social media, business admin

12pm- Home for lunch and a nap (swear by the naps)

2pm – More emails, social media, business admin

3pm – Take my dog for a little walk. Use this time to meditate in the park and reset before back to clients.

4.30-8pm – Clients in The BareVitality Studio.

8.15pm – Dinner, TV and chats with my husband.

9.30pm – Off to sleep

 

Then somedays I have events, meeting or morning/ evenings off which change up the routine.

 

I have become quite ruthless with prioritising. Time is energy and I know I have to keep the balance for not only my body to run efficiently but also my business. I prioritise urgent emails then don’t take the rest too seriously or forward onwards. I consider carefully who I collaborate with. I make my health the first priority and not others expectations.

4. What do you worry the most when it comes to running your business and how do you cope with it?

There is a lot of unknown in running a business. No set paycheck for the month, no set hours, no assurance on any level. This is what also makes it an adventure. I know I am good at what I do and I love it so much… the rest is just living the passion and riding the highs and lows.

5. As a business owner, it must not be easy to stop working.. How do you find a work-life balance & have you discovered how to avoid a burn out? What is the secret?

Boundaries!! I don’t answer messages on weekends at all. I avoid my phone in the evenings. I employ staff members who I can trust 100% and know they have things handled when I’m not on the floor. Burnout is always a fine line for me. I certainly haven’t mastered it yet as I do push that line often. I do however value other parts of my life even more than my work, so I make sure the time and space is there to enjoy and nurture these other areas.

6. Tell us the pros and cons of being an entrepreneur?

• Pros = creative freedom, flexibility, so many soul-filling hours, everything is in my hands to take in whatever direct I please, relationships built, exposure to extreme personal and business growth.

 

• Cons = long hours, under-paid, need to be contactable most the time, you are provided with obstacles every week, being the face responsible for everything.

7. And the last but not the least, tell us something that I haven’t asked that you think is important and you want to share with all aspiring future business owners!

If your passionate about something, give it a go on the side. If it really lifts off then you can cut back your other hours and start making it a real thing. Worst come to worst, it was a soul-filling project and life experience but didn’t send you in debt and jobless. A big mistake many new business owners make is jumping in 100%, too early.

Also, don’t do it alone. If it is a sole run business at least connect to other like-minded peeps in business for support and inspiration.

 

If you are running a business, just starting out or thinking about it, connect with me online! Tag @claudiabeyer_barevitality in your latest ventures so we can support each other in doing what we love.

 

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running a business