We celebrated the first birthday of my company Unynk last Tuesday! I’d like to bring you with me on the first year of my journey as an entrepreneur. Actually, I feel an obligation to do so. Because I hope to inspire more people to start doing what they really want to do.
This journey started from a place where I felt like I could work differently. Previously, I was working for a boss who told me what to do and when to do it. And actually, I was doing a lot of things I think other people can do much better. So I didn’t feel like I was adding any real value to the work. Sometimes the tasks were very specific, which didn’t give me freedom to do it my way. Sometimes the tasks weren’t specific at all, but when tried to do them, many times I got the feeling or got told that I didn’t do them ‘the right way’. This made me feel super insecure, even about the things I know I am good at. It even got to the point that I was told I wasn’t proactive enough. Everyone who knows me, knows that that word doesn’t describe me at all, under relatively normal circumstances. But not when I am not feeling respected, appreciated and welcome. I decided I wanted to do it differently. I wanted to do work I like to do. I wanted to do work in which I actually add value.
So I started my own company. To be able to use my qualities to do cool things, with my time planning being more flexible. It felt like an experiment, a try-out. I didn’t know exactly what my core-activity would be or who my audience was. I wrote a blog and started telling people what my plan was; using my qualities and skills to do work where I felt like I was adding value. I was super insecure about this choice, but I felt like there was no other option for me. I felt like this was the only way for me to make a real difference in the world and make myself happy as well. And it slowly started to work.
This was definitely not a journey without struggles. I got pulled back many times. I pulled myself back many times. Mostly because I felt like I wasn’t doing things like I was ‘supposed to do them’. I felt like people expected something else from me. Or people telling me that I was too young and inexperienced to start my own company.
But somehow, with much help and support of the people around me, I kept going. I kept believing somewhere deep down that I didn’t do anything wrong, just different. Maybe even better. And if I didn´t believe in it myself anymore, the people around me would make sure I kept going. Everything that didn’t go as planned, made more clear to me that I really have to follow my heart. That the things I am passionate about, the things that resonate with me, are the things that make me able to make the biggest difference. While I might not be choosing the easy, big road but the narrow, winding path, and it isn´t always without struggle, it is definitely worth it.
I started with doing a lot of hospitality work, did some workshops on professional work attitude and worked a lot at after school clubs and day-care. And I started making money. Not much, but definitely enough to live my life.
And slowly but steady, I was beginning to believe this could work. I was beginning to see it was already working. So I dared to start new projects. I started the workshop working with different generations in the workplace, which makes impact by actually bringing the different generations together and let them exchange their experiences and learn from each other. (A next workshop is planned on the 24th of March. Want to join? Let me know! More information will follow soon on my website and my social media)
So there is more than enough reason to celebrate the first year of my company, and the fact that I reached my first goals, together with the people who supported me to get this far.
My goal for next year will be to work on projects even more in line with my renewed vision;
To support people to add value and to joyfully develop and learn
I want to do this while using my skills in facilitating, coaching, supporting and seeing patterns and missing links with my fresh perspective. I would love to do more workshops, coaching and speaking in public. And most importantly; to keep enjoying this adventure!
I am proudly celebrating this milestone, to make sure I show myself and others what I have reached last year and what my plans are for the new year. And I am planning on making this a yearly tradition.
I want to shout from the rooftops that I am not too young or inexperienced to start my own company. I am brave enough to follow my heart!