Vic
Hi Zoe, could you please tell us about your business?
Zoe
Sure. I’m the founder of Simple Life Strategies - a blog that helps people to find and do work that they love. I’m essentially a career strategist and my flagship program (The find a new career in 30 days program) takes people through a strategic process to change careers as quickly and easily as possible.
Vic
what inspired to want to teach people how to find their dream career?
Zoe
Well, after having gone through the process myself, I was naturally inspired to help others achieve what I had achieved. You know, we’re at work for almost two thirds of our lives, so it’s super important to love what you do. Add in a sense of purpose and meaning to your work too, and then you really hit the jackpot.
Zoe
Also - it really bothers me to see people wasting their lives doing something they hated. And I felt compelled to do something about it
Zoe
*hate
Vic
amen sister! Do you mainly help folks in traditional “job” oriented industries or do entrepreneurs also have a place in your teachigns?
Zoe
I designed my program to help people looking to find their dream job whatever and wherever that may be…so typically people end up either finding a traditional job on the job market, but also some decide to start up their own business or entrepreneurial pursuit. Some even create their own role entirely! Things have changed so much in the workforce that you can do that these days 🙂 Multiple careers are also trending right now - with some people looking to find happiness from two career paths instead of one. The traditional 9-5 is fast becoming a thing of the past.
Vic
Yes, and good riddance to the 9-5! What have you found to be the biggest challenge in starting and growing your business?
Zoe
Mindset is a big one. You really have to believe in your vision in order to create the business of your dreams. You also have to be tenacious and keep going because business is a long term game. You have to be OK with things taking years, not days. Persistence is the key. Small steps each day get you there..there are no overnight successes. I guess overall, I actually enjoy the challenge of creating a business although it can be tempting to try and do everything yourself at first…if you want your business to grow, you have to eventually learn to let go and outsource your weaknesses.
Vic
on that note, could you please talk about your team, how you hire, and challenges around this area of your business?
Zoe
Because I’ve set my business up in a way so that it delivers revenue passively, I don’t have a need for a large team. 80% of my day to day business runs on autopilot so I like to keep things lean. In terms of hiring, it’s super important to find people who are not only capable of the job (and come with good references of course) but who also share your company values. The exciting thing about globalisation is also that my team work virtually from countries all over the world. They love working location-independently as it gives them the freedom to work from wherever they please! I’m more interested in productivity than the no. of hours worked.
Vic
Have you faced challenges trying to scale your business without involving more team members?
Zoe
Not really. I can still keep the team lean and scale using automated marketing methods 🙂 Obviously there comes a time where you need to expand, but overall I don’t have any desires to ever have a large team and I still expect to be running a multimillion dollar company. The notion that you need a large team to have a profitable business no longer applies - especially with the rate that technology is progressing and the blue sky opportunities that are out there. I believe at one point Instagram had grossed over $100m with only 13 employees!
Vic
Running lean and not worrying about payroll sounds enticing indeed! Speaking of tech, what are some of your most indispensable tools?
Zoe
For me webinars a big part of my business so Ever Webinar is a must have. Also as I run an online course, Zippy Courses has been a great way to host and manage my students. Facebook advertising is directly responsible for the most growth in my business over the last year so this has definitely been invaluable - especially the power editor tool. Then of course the online business basics like wordpress, mailchimp and vimeo for hosting my course videos. Ah so many tools!
Vic
What is your long term vision for both the business and for yourself, personally?
Zoe
My long term vision is to help as many people worldwide as possible, to stop wasting their lives and to find their true passion and purpose in life though their work. I truly believe that there is no better cause then to devote your life to something that you’re 100% passionate about, that’s meaningful and of service to others and that fulfills all of your emotional, financial & spiritual needs. This I believe, is the purpose of life and I feel blessed to be in a position to be able to dedicate my life and business to this cause. In terms of my personal goals (aside from the above, which is something of a combination of both business and personal), I’m about to welcome our first family member into the world in May, so I’m excited to grow my family as-well as my business. I also look forward to continue to create the lifestyle business of my dreams with a global family where we’ll be working out of different countries throughout the year. Life is so exciting and I can’t wait for the adventures of 2017 to unfold!
Vic
thanks Zoe, exciting times ahead! Where can people find you online?
Zoe
you can find me at www.simplelifestrategies.com 🙂