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KHARISMA MAGAZINE { PREMIER ISSUE 2018 }
Are you living it ?” I would say those nine out of ten people would probably not be . And , you know , it ’ s not something that people would think up in a weekend , but people don ’ t often take time out to get really clear on what their ideal life looks like to them . To them , it may be that they work a great 9 – 5 ( o ’ clock ) job and then they switch off at the end of the day and they go home and they spend time with their family . For other people , that may include nothing to do with a 9 – 5 job ; they might want to just do their own thing , create their own artwork , write books , travel the world , hang out at swimming pools all day .
So , it ’ s really just about getting clear on exactly what you want your life to look like , and then going after it . And that ’ s what I really think the freedom aspect is : It ’ s the freedom to do what you want , when you want , with whom you want .
Kharisma : And you were able to have that freedom , and also marry the adventure in travel , which was pretty awesome ! And to have a successful business , but still yet enjoy the life that you want , which is pretty awesome . For many of us , you know , venturing out there and doing something that we really love , but at the same time , it should be something that we love , because , as you mentioned in your book , it becomes play , and because you ’ re loving it and you ’ re enjoying it at the same time and you ’ re making money and you ’ re , you know , making a difference in people ’ s lives , so – which is pretty good .
Now , I know you refer to – I guess some people would know it as passion – as a “ Sweet-Spot ”, which I think is a pretty cool way of describing it . So how does one go about building an online business from scratch based on their sweet-spot ?
Natalie : First off , the “ sweet – spot ”, for those who ’ ve never heard of it , it ’ s got nothing to do with a sweet store , although there are a few similarities . It ’ s all about you loving to do what you are good at , and what people are willing to pay you for — and that , the inflection right there , is called your sweet – spot . So I think a lot of people get really hung up on stuff when they say , “ You know , I ’ m really not expert enough , I don ’ t actually have a specific skill – set ” but , every single person in this world knows something that somebody else is not as knowledgeable about yet , or can do something that other people aren ’ t good at doing yet . And that is head – value — and that ’ s something ! And that ’ s what I really try to talk about in the book , about a couple of ways that you can make money doing what you love , and that is one of them : It ’ s being in line with your sweet-spot . So for example , if you are great at cooking French meals and you always do that and you hold parties at your place but you just think that it ’ s something that comes naturally to you , but other people may be commenting all the time saying , “ I just don ’ t know how you create these great recipes and these incredible meals ! Teach me how to do it !” or “ How do you do it ?”
And that should be a sign to you that you have something that they potentially don ’ t and you know , you can monetize that . I know that the word may sound a bit meh to some people , but that ’ s the value right there : People who are no good at French cooking , who desire to learn how to do that , you can share your gifts with them and teach them , whether it ’ s through creating a cooking book , series of cooking videos or a program that helps them to become ‘ Being At Home With French Chef ’, so that ’ s what happens when you can align your sweet – spot with your business idea . You can create some pretty amazing magic , I think .
Kharisma : I also love how you describe the three key traits of successful entrepreneurs . And those three key traits are ; Responding Positively and Learning From All Mistakes , which I think is very important , because as we know , as entrepreneurs , there will be challenges , and we will make mistakes , and how we respond to these things happening is very key ; and also Taking Personal Initiative , which is also important ; but then your last point was Having Great Perseverance , which I always say to people , or entrepreneurs , and women entrepreneurs , perseverance is so important because there are days and times that you will be challenged on all fronts and if you ’ re really passionate about what you love and want to see it successful , you have to have that tenacity and that perseverance to sort of stride through the good times and the bad times , so I really love those three key areas that you mentioned .
And you also said , “ What this tells you is the road is hard , long and bumpy . You and the business necessarily become inseparable . To preserve your mental health , you have to absolutely love your work , then your work becomes your play , and you never tire of it .” You also said , “ The lifestyle part of me is having enough discipline to not overwork . Be sure to set boundaries for yourself and your family . So that they respect and expect that you have to work but live up to your commitment . That ’ s when it ’ s time to play ; and you will play !”