Boss Girl: Interview with Find Your Balance owner Elaine Morley

Hi guys, today I'm introducing what will hopefully be the first in a series interviews. I have alway been fascinated by business and inspired by women who work hard to make a name for themselves. 

I recently had the opportunity to interview an old teacher of mine from when I used to take business studies. 

She recently took the plunge and left her secure full time job as a marketing teacher to open her own Reiki Practice, where she helps people to feel their very best and relax. 

I had my very own session performed by Elaine before asking her some questions about how she got started and what advice she would give someone starting out on their own business venture. 

Leave any comments below with what you thought of the interview, I hope it inspires anyone out there with their own goals and dreams.

How did you get your idea for this business & why did you choose it?

Knowing myself that within teaching, it wasn't fulfilling me like it used it. I had Reiki myself for about 12-13 years. I probably started Reiki just as I started teaching, but teaching was just my main passion at that time. So it's almost like I started the journey with both together.I remember saying to my own Reiki Therapist a few years ago "I wish I had a job just like you." and that conversation kept coming back to me. She's very much like "You'll know when you're ready." and I did. As soon as I made the decision, that was it and everything seemed to fall into place.I had a vision, a goal and I also didn't want to have any regrets. I also lost a couple sisters in the past few years so it really does make you look at your life differently and think that they were quite young when they passed over. So I think that was a big change as well. You know when you lose someone you do sit and think "Gosh, is this what I want to continue doing." So that's when I decided "No, I'm gonna give it a go." I don't look back. 

What did you do before you started your business? Degree, career...etc.

Marketing became my speciality at college, but initially I was in management when I was younger. I actually left school and did lots of different jobs, always very people focused/customer service roles. Then I worked for Boots and I worked my way up into management for Boots Opticians. Then circumstances changed there and I had the opportunity to go back into education. So I returned to education after I had done the management side of things.

I originally started on my access level 3 course and I was going onto huddersfield university, I was studying english and history degree. Then I ended up having my daughter Millie and doing my HND in Business. When I did that, I was also going to do my top up because at that time it was all about learning but I also had a family as well. So I had to fit things around it, so I didn't actually go off to university and have that lovely social life and that experience.

The top up year didn't fit in with my childcare arrangements, so I did some teaching while waiting to see if it fits in. I used to do afternoon and evening classes to fit in with family. So that's what I did because I was originally doing my business qualification because I wanted to go into human resources. I wanted to do something revolved around training and helping people and passing my skills on. But it all changed and I ended up staying in teaching and did my certificate in teaching

So you basically did your teaching qualification while you were teaching? 

Yes. So I did that and that's when I became a permanent member of staff. 

How long had you been contemplating your own business before you jumped in?

For years. I'm teaching people business studies and how to market. Especially with the second years, overtime they went off to university and I was a little bit envious thinking, "they're going off on a new journey now." and i'm just going back to what I was doing.

It's nice for a certain amount of time and I did get quite attached to the students. If I saw them in their first year I felt like I could never leave them. But then I felt that detachment with the last lot of students I had. It was nothing personal or anything but it didn't bother me as much that I wasn't going to be moving into the second year with them, whereas with everyone else it did. So that's one of the indications where I thought it was time. 

But I never had an idea of what I wanted to do a business in, I didn't have a product and at the time I didn't think I had a service. But that comes with confidence. I've always put my Reiki Therapist on a pedestal, and I know that you can't compare yourself to that. But I was thinking I could never be as good as her. I did that as a young person as well, always thinking you know I could never be as good as "them". But you're only as good as when you practice. So all the advice I was passing onto students I felt like I needed to take a bit of that myself. 

What's been the biggest hurdle for you?

The biggest hurdle is the reduction in finance and the security. As I don't get a pension, I'd have to pay into a private pension. Also this year everything that has been made has been put back into the business. So I haven't taken anything from the business and that has been a bit of a constraint on the family. But it's with the view that it's not always going to be like that.  

I've made sacrifices financially. That was hard because you know, you like your holidays and things like that and I had to say no a bit more to the children. But I do think they have come out from it better because they value things better now. I'm starting to introduce things again and I've been open a year and finances are better then before. They are starting to benefit from that, but I still say no a lot more now. 

What is the biggest mistake you've made as a business owner?

Now I have made some mistakes in regards to marketing. I have some advertising going on in the hospital where I paid to go on all notice boards and I paid a lot of money. However, although it's been two years, I know I haven't had one client from that. Not one. It was a big outlay. But I was able to do it in four stage payments. At the time my decision was if I don't do it someone else will do it because they were only putting one person in who offered Reiki. So that's how I made my decision. I suppose that's been the biggest waste of money. 

But I don't see it as a mistake, I see it as a learning curve. I wouldn't have known, I might have been sitting here thinking "Now if I'd have advertised in the hospital I might have got more people in." I would have regretted it if I didn't do it at the time, I know I would have. I go a lot with my gut instincts now. I do use that a lot. If i feel as though I'm constantly going to be questioning myself, i'll just do it. 

What advice would you give someone starting out:

1. If you're starting out you've got to be prepared to make sacrifices. You've got to be prepared to put hours in as well.
2. Do your research. Creating a business plan helps you to build the information you need to have the right foundations to start with. It gives you some direction and it prompts you to ask yourself questions (there's lots of templates online).
3. Try and have some financial back up. Do not depend on any of the money you make in the first couple of years as it should ideally be reinvested in the business for marketing, purchasing new products, signage, website, app etc . You should be aiming to grow the business at least for 3 years before you reap the benefits. Try and live off savings and be prepared to really tighten your belt on spending.
4. Be positive - every penny counts, every conversation counts. It may not give you an immediate sale but you may find that person seeks you out at a later date.
5. Network- get out and about as much as you can, talking about what you do.
6. If something doesn’t work- be positive- you are still learning and will continue to do so.
7. Ask for help when you need it - family and friends will want to help.
8. You can’t fail if you don’t try.