In Conversation With Nathalie Sanga On Sharing Some Pro Business Tips

Being an entrepreneur is not less than a hectic job. please tell us about your everyday schedule looks like?

The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is to get my body moving with a quick workout to clear my mind and rev up my engine!

Second thing is that I make myself a big cup of tea and breakfast, and write in my gratitude journal. I feel that starting my day on a high note sets me up for a good day, or at the same time better manage my tough ones.

I then take a look at my to-do list for the day and try to see how to navigate through them during the day. Although I'd love to get done with all 1,000 things popping into my head, I prioritize and accept that I can only do my best and that tomorrow is another day (easier said than done… but I try!)

Then my days are filled with emails and calls with my wonderful team at the social media agency (Pink Lemonade Media), and also strategy sessions with the agency clients as well as coaching clients.

My stomach rules my life (because I love food beyond words can explain) so lunch and dinner time is very important to me, and I try to share that time with friends or family to get a good break-in, a time where I don't think about business and just be present at the moment. I think it really brings me back to reality when I get too lost in my work (or in my head) at times, knowing what truly matters is the love, support, and the quality time you share with the people that you love and care for.

I unwind in the evening with a stroll near the port or curled up on the sofa. I usually reward myself with a little something sweet at the end of a busy day, you know to celebrate milestones and to keep the motivation up!!

To run a successful business one has to go through many challenges. What are some of the challenges you go through daily?

Maintaining balance in terms of switching off is a daily challenge for me. I have to remember to take time out for myself and recoup because I am not a machine. But I am the type of person that when I am in the zone nothing can stop me! So I really do have to pace myself sometimes! I do understand that we only have one body and we have to take care of it, so I try my best to eat well, workout, and rest… But resting both my mind and body, switching off completely (shutting down all the little voices in your head haha), now that is something I have to make a conscious decision to do! Let's just say I am living and learning this one particular one!

What are some of the major takeaways for someone attending your teaching session for the first time?

The number one takes away from my teaching sessions, live events, pre-recorded lessons, and online workshops is CLARITY & CONFIDENCE.

I love solving puzzles, and providing business solutions feels just like putting different pieces of the puzzle to make a pretty picture. So I like to break down strategy recommendations into simple bite-size pieces of advice so that the attendants have a way forward that is crystal clear. I think having an easy to follow step-by-step allows people to stay focused and breaks down the milestones into smaller chunks that feel more manageable.

When people feel like their challenges are more manageable, they feel empowered, motivated, and confident to do and achieve more!

At times when there is tough competition in the market for every single niche, how do you plan to keep up with growing industry standards and demands?

They say the only thing constant is change, which is the same in business. You have to be agile and flexible to meet the current trends and of course needs of your market.

I try to stay in contact with my audience to be current with their needs and pivot and tweak where necessary to ensure their needs are met. I also am a firm believer in learning and growing myself so that I have more to offer and share with my niche. Because no one enjoys recycled content that is outdated or misses the mark, right?

Instead of seeing it as competing with other bosses, I see it as becoming the go-to person within my specific sub-niche and serving my particular audience, and providing solutions for their challenges, and by doing so I think it will help me stay relevant and will help me to stand out for who I am and what I do, regardless of what others are doing.

What are your thoughts on 'women supporting women businesses'? Does one think collaboration is the key to growth?

Competition comes from the fear that when one person succeeds, the chance of another person's success is out the window. But nowadays we know that that is a lie we were led to believe, and the ultimate truth is that there are space and opportunity for everyone!

Maybe over the years, there was a tendency for women to be catty and fight for limited posts in the corporate world. These negative tendencies also spilled over as many women took up the entrepreneurial route. But as you become an entrepreneur you realize all that you don't know and all that you just simply cannot manage on your own… that you need HELP! Help and support in the form of people like mentors, teachers, coaches, biz besties, or even a community of strangers online who form a friendship through shared experiences. You realize it does take a village!!

What I find interesting is that women are different from men, where we have multiple passions, skills, and know-how that we want to share with the world. A woman is multi-faceted, strong, and possesses her own brand of unique "superpowers". And I feel that collaborating with other women helps you bring that out of you! As women collaborate with other women, we give each other the opportunity and courage to do things differently, and thrive!

It genuinely makes me happy to cheer for other women doing big things, because it gives me hope that I might one day reach my "impossible" dreams too.

For this reason, I think that collaboration is the smoothest and efficient way to bring everyone together and forward! And true collaboration starts with celebrating others' wins, supporting and encouraging each other by putting our heads and hearts together! I honestly think this is the new way of doing business and working together as a woman.

What is one strong piece of recommendation you'd wish to offer to the coming-of-age entrepreneurs reading this interview?

I would love to share the advice I wish I had been told starting… that is "needing help doesn't make you weak or incapable".

I spent so many years as Project Manager in Japan being a one-man-show juggling so many things alone (and took pride in it too). But as a business newbie and solopreneur, I realized that there were so many new hats I had to wear in my own business and I thought I HAD TO do it all on my own or I would not be considered as a true entrepreneur! But the fact of the matter is that it's okay to not know everything, it's okay to outsource, it's okay to get support, it's okay to lean on others. Because at the end of the day, you focus on your zone of genius and your passion makes you the best version of yourself, which helps you build the best version of your business and be profitable.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 08, 2020 07:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).