On Wednesday, April 25, we’re launching our professional development series at Make Lemonade (326 Adelaide St. W) for those making the leap into self-employment. At Small Business Self-Care, you’ll hear from a powerhouse panel of industry leaders and take part in breakout sessions designed to help you streamline your business with a smart strategy.

Meet Nicole O. Salmon. She’s a leadership and lifestyle coach, author and speaker. As a certified life skills coach and a personality dimensions level III trainer, her reflective coaching techniques, coupled with her one-to-one and group facilitation sessions, have led scores of professionals and organizations alike to a place of lasting success and efficiency. At our workshop, she’ll guide you through understanding your strengths in business and knowing when to outsource.

SDTC: What is the major issue that most of your clients face?

NS: Clarity. The majority of the women I work with come to me because something has caused them to doubt themselves and their abilities, they’ve lost sight of their goals, or they lack a clear plan. This clarity cocktail is usually chased with a bit of self-discovery. Seasons, stages and ages usually cause most of us to revisit the big W2: Who am I and Why am I here? I’m their Clarity Curator. I help my client realign with who she is at her core so she can live and lead from a place of authenticity.

What do you see as being the biggest mental roadblock to entrepreneurial success?

Staying in your lane. The ability to stay mentally aligned with who you are at your core is essential. The moment your mind becomes disillusioned with dialogue like, “I want to be like her,” or you start to think so outside the box that it takes you out of your core alignment and assignment, it will detour you professionally and literally drain the life out of you.

Every entrepreneur knows just how much stamina is required to run a business. It requires being the CEO of your work and your worth.

What questions should women entrepreneurs ask themselves before embarking on a new project/business idea?

Am I only chasing the cash, or do I feel a clear sense of conviction/calling? Money is great, necessary, and I pray you an abundance of it in your business, but conviction/calling is what anchors you during the very turbulent tides of entrepreneurship.

Does my business plan align with my life plan? I’ve had to regularly push myself out of running my business like when I worked in someone else’s 9 to 5. Yes, there are some great frameworks that you can carry over into your business, but as an entrepreneur, I’d encourage you to embrace the autonomy to make your business work for you. After all, you’ve already invested enough years, talent and energy working for someone else.

Do I have a solid understanding of my temperament and work style? Every entrepreneur should be able to identify their key strengths and know how to tap into them and use them to leverage their purpose. This includes knowing things like your stress triggers, growth areas, and what character pitfalls have previously robbed you of your purpose and progress.

What are some tips that have helped you hone your focus and establish a plan for success?

Solitude and prayer: White noise helps me work, but silence helps me reflect and create. I pray about EVERYTHING. What I do requires much more that I am capable of achieving on my own.

Think out loud: I have a HUGE whiteboard wall at home. I spill everything out on the canvass. This helps me to connect the dots and see the synergy between one idea to the next. Sticky notes everywhere!

Speak out loud: I can be found walking around the house with my voice recorder repeating ideas over and over again until I get it just right. Playing back my ideas helps me fine-tune them.

I also work with a number of coaches from different disciplines and reach across regularly to other entrepreneurs for ideation and support.

What do you love most about what you do?

Providing women with self-management tools and then watching them use them on their own! It’s not my goal to create lifers; I love watching women launch and release and then I get to do it all over again with someone new! The process is inspiring.

What is your advice to women who may be considering a major career pivot?

A leap is not for everyone. Get to know yourself. Try on many things before you commit to see how it fits. Evaluate: Have you gotten everything you need out of your current season before you step into a new one? Make sure the worst thing about the new thing is still inspiring.

What do you wish you had known when you were first starting out in your career?

Even when you have the purest of intentions, someone won’t like you or what you’re doing. You won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, and that’s perfectly okay.

Register for Small Business Self-Care here.