Katie Nowikow is a writer, holistic health coach and Desire Map Faciliator. She’s an avid reader in the self-transformation genre and loves helping women to live authentically by embracing their emotional self and health. Katie resides currently in Fort Myers, Florida with her son and husband, she loves zumba, movies, books, and food! Read our interview with the lovely Katie below…
What motivated and inspired you to start your own business?
It’s funny because for most of my life I never thought I wanted to be self-employed, but I always was staying hidden in my comfort zone. Since then, I realized life is too short for all that. Initially it was after reading Life 101 by the late Peter McWilliams. I wanted to be a writer and I wanted to not have anyone else telling me where to be or what to do with my time. The other motivator for me was realizing I was bouncing from one unfulfilling job to another and always dreading Mondays and thinking, “There’s just got to be more…” With a new found inspiration, I embraced my creative mind and my rebel heart it all changed. I want to do what I want, not have to ask someone else for my own time and now as a parent, I especially find it important to be able to put my family first.
Entrepreneurship, well, It’s not for everyone but it’s definitely for me.
Tell us about your business.
If there’s one thing I’m learning about being an entrepreneur, it’s that your business is always growing and evolving like anything else in your life. I told my husband this weekend, “I want to write, speak, run workshops, host amazing retreats. And well, I want to talk about shit that matters!” You see, I’d been chasing my tail running and building a business based on so many pieces of advice from all the experts and from my own impatient force that I totally lost sight of what I actually set out to do all those years ago after reading Life 101, which is to inspire, to provide comfort and to pay forward all the gifts I’ve been given by giving gifts of inspiration, comfort and hope to others. And I’m at another pivotal point of my business phasing over from nutrition to focus more solely on my passion of self-transformation and emotional health for women’s enlightenment and empowerment. Don’t get me wrong, nutrition matters, of course, but often, if you dig deep and talk about the shit that really matters, the nutrition piece, becomes much more clear and easy to handle.
Are you currently running any promos/contests/giveaways that you would like our readers to know about?
I’m running a Level 1 Desire Map Coaching package which consists of 4 coaching sessions to learn about the Desire Map Theory and begin to discover your Core Desired Feelings and how these play into the big life areas and this is at a reduce price of $190 for all 4 sessions! People can contact me directly to book their Discovery Calls at www.katienowikow.com and mention the deal from this article/blog to claim their coaching package. And I do book free discovery calls for each person to be sure we’re a good fit before working together. This is a great way to get your feet wet, and get to work with me to see how we connect and then you can decide to go all in for the full coaching!
Where is your business based?
I’m an online service business so most of my coaching is done via Skype or the phone. However, I do run some workshops locally in Ft. Myers, FL and surrounding areas. I plan to do a traveling series of in person “Let’s talk about shit that matters – Desire Map” workshops and if you want to see me in your area – contact me and see when I’ll be in town or let me now so I can put you on the map! You can email me directly at knowikow721@gmail.com.
What were the first few steps you took to get your business up and running?
Patience and a strong sense of self. You have to know what you’re doing, why and you have to be strong enough in your sense of self to stick it out. To keep saying what you are going to do and to have the patience to make it happen, through the ups and downs, through the missteps, the detours, the failures and the success.
What has been the most effective way of raising awareness of your business and getting new customers?
Building quality connections and relationships. Entrepreneurs can become very isolated, especially when you have an online business. There’s something to be said to work with people who share common grounds and promoting one another. It’s great to get referrals – most of us like to work with someone we hear about from a friend or someone we know. It’s also getting comfortable at telling people “Yes, I can help you with that, and this is what I do.” Self-promotion is hard especially in a culture where we’re raised to think sales are bad, being too confident means your arrogant, but really, we all have gifts to share and it’s a bigger disservice to keep these gifts hidden. It’s not like I can help everyone – and I won’t say that I can – but for those I CAN help – well I need to let them know I’m here because we all benefit when we get the help we need.
What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Patience and staying true to my vision and what I’m really doing this for. Taking roles or opportunities because I’d get a client or paid opportunity even though it wasn’t always what I wanted.
How did you overcome these challenges?
You know that movie, Sweet Home Alabama? At the end where her husband tells her something like, “What’s with you southern girls, you can’t make the right decision till you tried all the wrong ones?” Well, that’s me in life sometimes. But as she replies, “At least I’m fighting for what I want!” Which is also me. Challenges are just the hard lessons to keep us on path with what we really need to be doing. The way I see it, is when a challenge comes around, if we change directions, it’s not really a failure it’s a push in the direction we need to be headed. I do believe challenges arise when we’re either going to have a breakthrough or we are not serving our truest purpose. Because if we’re swimming against the current of our soul, well, then it’s going to be challenging and when we’re finally facing our fears and doubts, the waters are rough and choppy – both of which are challenging in our own ways. And truth be told, if we’re swimming against the current, we may be swimming away from the rough and choppy waters of our own fears exhausting yourself fighting the current. Either way you go, eventually you’ll learn, you’ll grown, and you’ll get there. The way through this: surrender. Surrender to be who you are, to ask for the things you want, and to keep going after it.
How do you keep motivated through difficult times?
I find in many life cases, the solutions we seek are often tied to problems and problems are tied to solutions. So just as I seek ways to feel less isolated as an entrepreneur I also find too much interaction and information can lead to information overload. I’m a highly sensitive person so everyone’s choices, paths, decisions, opinions of what is right or wrong in business, well it gets to me. There are times where I just have to get away from the social media, from all the buzzing of ideas and energy and get grounded in myself again.
How did you distinguish yourself from your competitors?
You know, I think I’m finally understanding what it means to just be me and to stay focused on the why of what I’m after and doing with my goal. To find ways to empower people to make their worlds better so they can make our entire world better. That for me is bigger than worrying if I’m different enough or not. Truth is, we’re all different. And I don’t think of other coaches as competition – if they’re out to improve people’s health, life, wealth, relationships, or whatever, then as far as I’m concerned we’re colleagues. And hey, you may just the person who I can refer people to when I’m unable to help them with a current challenge or need. And these competitors will be mentors for me, or perhaps people I’ll one day collaborate with on a really amazing endeavor. Competition implies there’s not enough for everyone. And I believe there is enough for everyone. Especially when we work together not against one another. One of my favorite thoughts came from Messages from the Universe, via Mike Dooley. It read:
It’s true, Katie, the early bird gets the worm.
So does the late bird and the bird in-between. Because, by design, there are always more than enough worms.
In fact, the only bird that doesn’t get a worm is the bird that doesn’t go out to get one.
Oh, to be alive…
The Universe
What is the best advice you have received recently?
If it’s not a “hell yes” then it’s a no. Why go into business for yourself in this ever challenging game if you’re only kind of excited about what you can do with your professional path? It’s no easy road to be self-employed. You better damn well do what you love because this is one hell of a commitment.
What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs?
You don’t have to be perfect you just have to be present. You don’t even have to have it all figured out. Don’t be afraid to say who you are, what you do, and what you want. This is key in building your business. Don’t over analyze the how it’ll work. I know so many people who have made such random things work in their life simply by persistence of staying on course.
What is your favorite business tool or resource?
Google docs and Weebly – seriously I know WordPress is like the bomb and industry standard but I go into major meltdown mode at even the mention of WP. So I have really come to love my Weebly site – it’s easy – it’s user friendly and functional and do pretty much everything I need it to do. I also love a good pen and paper – there’s just something about pen and paper that makes me happy.
What social media outlets do you use? List them below.
Website www.katienowikow.com
Personal Facebook www.facebook.com/katie.mae.1690
Professional Facebook www.facebook.com/kathleen.vogelnowikow
What is a good article or book you have read recently?
I have to pick just one?? Seriously – I love to read! I’m listening to the audio book “Profit First” and love it – recommend it to anyone in business for themselves. I’m currently reading “Eat Pray Love Made Me Do It” and I love it!!
What are you currently learning about for your business or looking for help with?
Everything and everything! It’s never ending the learning and needing help. It’s just the way it is – and that can be the same in a job as well – I can speak to that with my current day job. But I’m learning about getting visible in my business so I can share with the world who I am and what I do!
For help – I’m always looking to connect with fellow entrepreneurs with a common goal who think we could collaborate on a cool project together or that may need a referral partner down the road. But let me be clear in saying, I don’t just randomly refer people to the next person just cause they are gonna do the same for me. I mean actual quality connections – like “Dude, I feel like you’re my soul sister” kind of newly discovered, I don’t know how I lived life before we met, kind of soulpreneur BFF. Because that’s what makes the world go round – we’re in this together.
What are your goals for the next few months and how are you striving to achieve them?
- Stay sane
- Remember to unplug and be present and fully enjoy my time off
- Get out there and mingle – get seen
- Do a few amazing free webinars for folks
- Launch my 1:1 coaching at the start of the new year
- How: persistence and help when I need it!