“Invest in yourself and that will invest in your business.” - Eleshia Harris
Being an entrepreneur is a full-time commitment. As an entrepreneur, you can't expect everything to go smoothly all the time. In fact, there will be numerous challenges along the way.
Learning how to take care of your well-being, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and being able to balance work and life can be your formula for success. Entrepreneurship is not for everyone because it takes vision, commitment, and strategy to differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack without alienating your authentic self.
In Episode 308, I am joined by my friend, coach, and project manager, Eleshia Harris. She is a holistic business growth strategist, wellness coach, and the founder of Eleshia Lifestyle. We talk about her journey as a contract employee, how a health crisis made her step out of her comfort zone, and how she combined her passion and her skills to create a successful business.
Entrepreneurial growth requires a dose of courage, sustained effort, and some friendly encouragement and support. Listen to this episode and be inspired by Eleshia’s story of leaving her job to focus on the important things in life and learn why wellness is the first step toward thriving in business.
Thriving Points:
Resources Mentioned:
Get to Know the Guest:
Eleshia Harris is a Holistic Business Growth Strategist and Wellness Coach who helps Female Business Owners get clear on their goals and desires and implement them without overwhelm and procrastination. She is also the founder of Eleshia Lifestyle and the podcast The Eleshia Show.
Connect with Eleshia:
A Team Dklutr Production
“Invest in yourself and that will invest in your business.” - Eleshia Harris
Being an entrepreneur is a full-time commitment. As an entrepreneur, you can't expect everything to go smoothly all the time. In fact, there will be numerous challenges along the way.
Learning how to take care of your well-being, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and being able to balance work and life can be your formula for success. Entrepreneurship is not for everyone because it takes vision, commitment, and strategy to differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack without alienating your authentic self.
In Episode 308, I am joined by my friend, coach, and project manager, Eleshia Harris. She is a holistic business growth strategist, wellness coach, and the founder of Eleshia Lifestyle. We talk about her journey as a contract employee, how a health crisis made her step out of her comfort zone, and how she combined her passion and her skills to create a successful business.
Entrepreneurial growth requires a dose of courage, sustained effort, and some friendly encouragement and support. Listen to this episode and be inspired by Eleshia’s story of leaving her job to focus on the important things in life and learn why wellness is the first step toward thriving in business.
Thriving Points:
Resources Mentioned:
Get to Know the Guest:
Eleshia Harris is a Holistic Business Growth Strategist and Wellness Coach who helps Female Business Owners get clear on their goals and desires and implement them without overwhelm and procrastination. She is also the founder of Eleshia Lifestyle and the podcast The Eleshia Show.
Connect with Eleshia:
A Team Dklutr Production
Nikki Rogers: Your business is an asset that can support a thriving life. I believe this, and I'm committed to making this a reality for every entrepreneur and business owner who listens to this podcast. The Women Thriving in Business Podcast was created with you in mind, whether you were thinking about entrepreneurship or you're a business veteran, this podcast has inspiration, information, and advice you can use to thrive in business.
Women Thriving in Business features candid, unscripted conversations with entrepreneurs, business experts, authors, and academics who will contribute to your business success. I seek out and talk with business leaders who have built, grown, and thrive in business. My name is Nikki Rogers, transformation coach, author, and the host of the Women Thriving in Business Podcast. I work with women entrepreneurs to develop the mindset, strategies, and connections necessary to thrive in business. Join me and your fellow Thrivers each week on this journey of discovery and success.
Welcome Thrivers to this week's episode of Women Thriving in Business Podcast. My guest today is my friend, my coach, my project manager, Eleshia Harris, who is the Holistic Business Growth strategist and Wellness Coach and Founder of Eleshia Lifestyle. So welcome, Eleshia.
Eleshia Harris: Hi, Nikki. I am so excited to be here. Thank you so much for asking me to be on your podcast. I'm so excited.
Nikki Rogers: Definitely. It has been a long time coming. You are one of the Reasons and impetuses and catalysts for me actually getting this podcast up and running, so definitely had to have you on as a guest. Eleshia, tell us about your business and what started you on your entrepreneurial journey?
Eleshia Harris: Sure. So as Nikki said, I am a Holistic and Business Growth strategist, and I'm also a Wellness Coach, and my business is all about helping female business owners get really clear on their desires and their goals and to implement them without procrastination or overwhelm. And the reason why this is so important to me is because I know how it can be in that state of overwhelm when you just have so many things that need to be done and you don't even know where to start. I was really in that place before I left corporate. I was in that place where I just couldn't establish where I wanted to go next because I'm a multi-passionate person. I love to learn, so I have a lot of qualifications because I love to learn. I love the learning process, so I had to get to a place where I started to look after myself as well because I was getting to that place where I was burning out. We all know that burnout is real, so from that perspective, I decided that it was time to leave my corporate job and really focus on my own wellbeing and build my brand to really help others focus on their wellbeing as well as their business. My ethos is to invest in yourself and that will invest in your business because without the investment that you give to your wellbeing, you have no business.
Nikki Rogers: I love that, invest in yourself and then invest in your business. I love that. So talk to us, Eleshia. You talked about being in corporate and feeling overwhelmed. What really made you say, not only that you wanted to leave the corporate rat race, but really take on the endeavor of building a business? What moved you from like, okay, now I'm an employee. I don't really like that but now I really want to take on building a business?
Eleshia Harris: I'm glad you asked that. So basically what happened was I was a contractor. I had been contracting for over 15 years for investment banking, and they wanted to make me a permanent member of staff, and I was okay with that. I went through the whole interview process and then it came down to getting my offer letter and I realized that they wanted me to take a 50% pay cut. And then it transpired, Nikki, that my peers were only being asked to take 25, and they really wouldn't give me a reason as to why.
When you give a company your all and that happens, it's time to either find a new job or actually look at your own passions, and that's what really was the catalyst. I had been going through my own fertility issues as well. I really wanted to try for a baby. I had experienced a miscarriage at work, and this was just the calling. This was the calling that I needed to actually stop me from taking that permanent role and looking after myself to then ultimately have my baby girl and to build my own brand. It was a big pill to swallow because, at first, I was angry. I've never had a job that I wanted, but at the same time I knew it was the universe telling me, Eleshia, you need to step out of your comfort zone and start to consider what you want for yourself and for your business going forward.
So I took the leap of faith and left my role in November. I think it was November the 30th, and within four months I was pregnant naturally. The doctors had told me that that wasn't possible, that I would have to have fertility treatment and have an operation, but I got really quiet and did a lot of research on what needed to be done in order for me to then naturally conceive.
Just to give you a little bit of background, I've always loved wellness. So I've always studied wellness. That was my hobby whilst I was working over the last 20 years. I made sure that I devote as much information as I could. So as I said earlier on, that's what I love to do. But when the doctors told me that I wouldn't be able to conceive a child naturally, I was like, that's not an option. I need to find a way. And yes, so I have my baby girl and I'm building my business and I'm building my brand around her, and I absolutely love that I get to see her grow up, I get to spend time with my husband and my brother who I'm a carer for, who's on the autism spectrum and I get to serve my amazing clients like yourself around everything. I feel like I've got the best of both worlds. So that's one of the things that I really try and help my clients with as well.
Nikki Rogers: Great. Backing up a bit to the impetus was, it sounds like there were a couple of things that converged in putting you out into the sphere. One was a health crisis, and then also a diagnosis, we can say. And then the second one was around not being appreciated and valued at your work and that combined with the timing. That's what pushed you out. If you think about what you thought then versus now, as far as possibilities, what would you say to people who are on that precipice? They're feeling like things are piling up on what they do know. So let's say that they're still in corporate America and working at a job that they're not necessarily being fulfilled at, but they're scared to make that leap. So can you talk to us a bit about, how you were feeling, how you were being at that moment where you're like, I need to go? And what advice do you have for people to make the decision and be intentional about the life they're leading?
Eleshia Harris: That's a great question. For me, I had an amazing mentor when I first started contracting and he said to me, Eleshia, whatever you do, make sure that you have at least three months worth of revenue, three months worth of money in your bank account to ensure that if you lost your contract or if you want it to move onto a new contract that you were okay. Now, whilst I was in that headspace of maybe I'm going to take this permanent role, I always have in the back of my mind that at some point I wanted to be an entrepreneur, I wanted to do my own thing. So I made sure that I had the finances to ensure that I could do that.
So I would always say to people, and it's sometimes really hard Nikki because you want to leave this job but you're financially bound to this job. So I would always say to people, make sure that you start to think about saving something. Even if it's not possible to save huge amounts of chunks, start with at least 5% or 10%, and work upwards. So you have some safety net, and then also change your mindset about the job that you're doing. I always called my job, my funding job, because I knew there was going to be something else that I was reaching and I was trying to aspire to. So the days when I was feeling down and underappreciated, I would be like, I'm still on this track, this is my fun thing job, this is going to help me pay the mortgage and make sure that I'm okay but I know there's a bigger dream out there for me. There are bigger desires, there are bigger goals out there for me. So when I made that decision that I wasn't going to take the permanent role, I was okay because I had that financial stability. So if you're in that headspace where you want to leave your job, then I would really suggest that you plan out. You have a strategy to your exit strategy, I'd like to call that as well, that you have those thoughts in your mind and sometimes, you have those faults and you put those thoughts down on paper so you can actually see it. You can see it and you start to think about your exit strategy. Don't just leave and then think that something's going to turn up because yes, you might be lucky that it does. However, it might be something that you don't want to do. So then you end up being in that cycle where you're still not happy. You know me, Nikki. You know I love a plan. So plan, plan for it.
Nikki Rogers: I love the idea of thinking of your job as almost your investor. You should always be your first investor in your business, and I love the idea of thinking of your 9 to 5 as the investor in your business. I think that totally shifts your mindset, not only about going to work, but also how you can leverage the salary that you're getting, and so you start your own business. This idea of planning, I always preach to people to have some savings when you're going to start your business so that to your point, you don't have to take every client that comes along. That you actually can spend some time, if you're not already building your business while you're employed that when you come out here on your own that you have some runway, so that you're not just, again as you said, in that loop or just chasing whatever comes along. You can afford to be discerning about the clients that you pick.
Eleshia Harris: Yes.
Nikki Rogers: And then discernment is key.
Eleshia Harris: It is.
Nikki Rogers: You don't want to just create another hamster wheel.
Eleshia Harris: Because you're never going to be happy then, and then you start to resent the job or you give up. After three to six months you're like, this is not working for me and I need to find something else. And realistically, it's just that you haven't set your foundations. So I'm really a big believer in setting those foundations first, so you have good systems and procedures in place so you know where you're going. As you said, you have that safety net.
Nikki Rogers: We talk a lot about vision, and it's your vision for your life and then your business should support that vision for your life. I think a lot of entrepreneurs would be business owners. They create a business that then takes over their lives.
Eleshia Harris: Yes, and this is the whole reason why, as I said, at the beginning, you have to invest in your wellbeing first because the business comes in, it takes over your life, you don't see your husband, you don't see your children or your partner then you start to resent the business, and then your wellbeing starts to go down. And then the next thing you know, you've burned out. And then there was no business because you haven't put your systems and your structures in place, so it can't run without you.
Nikki Rogers: So that's just the job, that's not a business.
Eleshia Harris: Exactly that.
Nikki Rogers: So Eleshia, can you talk to us a bit about some of the challenges that you face as you were starting your business?
Eleshia Harris: Yes, sure. So time in the beginning, when I was building my business was interesting, and it was because of the fact that I was trying to juggle it all again. I had gone back into that mindset of corporate and I had a young baby, and I was juggling home life. It wasn't until I started to put some structure in with regards to my working days that my business started to really grow. So I was doing work at the beginning when my daughter was really young, I was trying to fit in work when she was napping and early in the mornings, sometimes. It just didn't work for me. So it was only when I was, Eleshia, you know what you need to do, you know how to structure your days to get the best out of you. That's when the business started to grow. So I work condensed hours. I work two days a week at present, and those are long days. But I know then my work is done and I have a virtual assistant who helps me on the days that I don't work. She's helping to build my business whilst I spend time with my child, and it works for me.
Nikki Rogers: That's great, Eleshia. As we think back to the previous times, how we used to work pre-pandemic and then post-pandemic, how has that time management shifted for you, if it all? What is different now about managing that challenge of time?
Eleshia Harris: So what's different is, and again, that's a great question, is the fact that the pandemic made me very still. Well, it made us all very still. I had the breathing space to actually think about how I structure my days and how my business was going to work going forward. Luckily, I had already made a decision that I was going to build my business more online so that really helped. But then also because of the pandemic and the fact that everybody was at home as well, Nikki, I had to make sure that my schedule was my schedule, because my husband's at home, my brother's at home, my child is at home now because nurseries closed. So I had to make sure that the time that I bail out for myself to work was sacred, and was protected. I've just continued that but it made me get very super clear. I'm very guarded about that time because otherwise, we were all just there. We were all just there all the time.
Nikki Rogers: There was no time. It was morning, day, we're all still here. There's no rhythm.
Eleshia Harris: Those first couple of months, as you said, there was no rhythm. It was just, you were there, oh you're there? Okay. You're working there? Okay, I'll go and work in the bedroom. When Elessandra's awake, okay I'll go up. Some days, Nikki, I would find upstairs on the landing working just to get away from the people in my house. We made it work and we're here to tell the tale.
Nikki Rogers: Right. Yes, still standing.
Eleshia Harris: Still standing.
Nikki Rogers: So Eleshia, what would you say is your greatest accomplishment or the thing you're most proud of relative to your business today?
Eleshia Harris: So you talked about me inspiring you. I was totally inspired by you putting this podcast together in the timeframe that we did that I decided that I'm going to put one out to, and I am so happy that I did because it was in my mind for two years. I was too scared to do it. I was too scared to let everybody hear my views and my thought process because I didn't want to get judged. You gave me that spark, you gave me that encouragement to do it. So from that perspective, that's one of the things that I'm really, really, really proud of. That people get to hear me and I get to be seen, and I'm enjoying that very much.
Nikki Rogers: That is amazing. And the podcast is amazing, we'll share all the details on that later here but I think you've done great things with the podcast. I know you surprise yourself just by the reach. You're in how many countries?
Eleshia Harris: Thirty-four to date and yes, it's just amazing. It is amazing that I've been able to do that, but I will say it's because I have collaborated with people and we also have to remember as business owners that that is key for us, especially as it can be really lonely sometimes. Running your business, sometimes collaborating, and just building a community is key for our success as well.
Nikki Rogers: Love it. So Eleshia, talk to us a bit about how you work with your clients? What are the results that clients are looking to achieve when they come to work with you?
Eleshia Harris: So when clients come to me, they are usually coming to me from a business or a well-being perspective, and that's what I love about having experience in the two because sometimes clients come to me from a business perspective. And when we start to do our planning and our strategy work, we look at the whole holistic picture so I don't just look at business. I look to see where the business growth is going to fit in with what you already have on your plate, let's say. Because there's no point in trying to build your business and your brand if you don't have the time to do it, or you're having to sacrifice time with your partner, your family, or your health to do it.
So I like to take a whole holistic picture of where we are going to fit everything in and then create a plan for you. And we don't just look at business, we look at what are the things that you really enjoy to do? Are you moving? What are you doing to nurture yourself? What are you doing for your self-care? So we look at all aspects of your life because I want you to win, I want you to get the best out of your business growth, but I want it to be from a perspective that you're not having to burn the candle at both ends. So we look at everything and then we implement.
I don't just coach, I like to implement as well. I like to help you implement as well. So for some of my clients, they think I'm a little bit pushy because when I wouldn't, I don't think they would call it pushy, I think they would say I'm assertive because if you tell me that you want to do something, we're going to do it. I'm going to make sure that you get it done because if you said it out loud, it is a desire or a goal, right? So I'm going to help you get there. Let's take one of my clients, for example, she said she wanted to create a membership and she also wanted to create a course, and she wanted to do it within three months. In her head she was like, I can't do it. But when we broke down the steps that needed to be done, we got it done, and we got the membership. All of the spaces that she wanted to book, we were able to book because we changed her mindset. And then we did that from, as I said, from a well-being perspective as well to give her the time and the energy to be able to reach her goals.
Nikki Rogers: I think that's great, Eleshia. Honestly, I've told you often that you are me for me. So for clients and even friends, if you tell me you want to be something then I'm going to be assertive and remind you and push you to do that thing, and I appreciate you being that way with me as we work together because you helped me get pushed past my blind spots, push past my stopping points. And you're like, no, we're going to get this done, and here's a plan for us to do it, so I love that.
Eleshia Harris: And Nikki, do you know why I celebrate all of my clients all the time, because it is a testament to the work that we do together, that you get to see that. I'm so passionate that I was speaking to a friend of mine the other day and she was saying to me, you get more lit up when your clients text or email you about their wins than some of your wins. And I'm like, but they are my wins. We've worked on those together and I want to see them thrive as much as I want to see my business thrive because it's intertwined.
So thank you for sharing that with me. I'm truly blessed that we found each other because we help each other. We help each other's growth, and that is truly important to me especially where we are in this world right now. We're having to rely on zoom calls and so forth to be able to reach our clients. The fact that I have an international community is everything to me. I speak to somebody from a different country nearly every day. I wouldn't have been able to do that if I was building my brand pre-2020, because I wouldn't have had the fort to be trying to reach people in Spain and in the US, and further afield.
Nikki Rogers: Yes, I think that's the silver lining of the pandemic. So yes, we would have never met each other had it not been for that. And so, that is my gift from the pandemic. I think you touched on something that I think, for the two of us in particular, I think we push each other, and so we celebrate each other, and then we also push each other. So when you and I are setting goals and each of us will be like, I think you can aim a little bit higher, or I think you can shorten that timeline.
So I really appreciate that. It's rare that you get, not only coaching but cheerleading, but also the true camaraderie of when you win, I win and we're all going to win together, and dream bigger like quit playing small. So I really appreciate our relationship from that aspect.
Eleshia Harris: Me too, me too because it's important, Nikki. It's important, especially as you know the other day, I heard the stats about female business owners in the UK and just being one-fifth and I'm like, there were so many women out there that have amazing ideas that just don't always have the confidence to fulfill those ideas. But wouldn't it be great if they had cheerleaders and coaches who would push them to go out there and get those dreams? I'm all for all of that. That is my mission. That is my mission in life, is to make sure that I can help as many female business owners to really recognize their potential, but also do it in a way that they look after their well-being.
Nikki Rogers: I love it. Well, Eleshia, we could talk all day, but let's get to two questions I ask every guest. One is what are two songs that are on your power playlist and why?
Eleshia Harris: Yes, sure. So I just changed out my power playlist, and I put on I've Got the Power by Snap! because it was one of the songs that I remembered from my childhood. And it just kept on coming up and I was like, this needs to be on my list. So I have just done a summer school and that's part of the playlist, and it just lights me up. But then also, I'm a Big Sean fan. I secretly have a crush on him, and my husband knows. He's got a song called Voices in My Head/ Stick to the Plan, and whenever I am getting in that place where I don't believe in myself, I play that because it is just the voices in your head, and I've usually got a plan. So it's just getting back to that plan and riding the wave. So those are my two favorites.
Nikki Rogers: Great songs. I'm looking forward to adding those to my power playlist.
Eleshia Harris: Oh, you have to share that with me as well.
Nikki Rogers: I will do, I will do. I'm creating a playlist for the podcast, so everyone will get to hear it. So what is one book that has really influenced how you think about business?
Eleshia Harris: The Secret was the book that really opened my eyes to me being able to manifest what I wanted, and that was the start of me recognizing that I could have all of the desires and dreams that I wanted and then go for them. So I read that back in 2007 and I started my limited company in 2008, and that just really cemented for me that I could do this. So I would read this book over and over again on the train on the way to work. I would read it at lunchtime just to keep me in my happy positive place, and then I bought the DVD and I bought an audible as well. But the goals that I set, I was able to achieve them within 18 months of reading that book, so it works.
Nikki Rogers: Thanks Eleshia for sharing with us about The Secret. Where can people find you, if listeners want to reach out or learn more about you, where can they connect?
Eleshia Harris: So firstly, they can find me via my podcast, The Eleshia Show and I can't believe that I'm on my 20th episode this week. It has gone so quickly. And then also my website, which is eleshialifestyle.com, and I also hang out on Instagram and my handle is eleshia_lifestyle.
Nikki Rogers: Great, we'll add all of that information to the show notes. Before we wrap up, are there any programs or events that you have coming up?
Eleshia Harris: Yes. So I've just wrapped up the Summer School Implementation Program, and it was a four-week program just to help people really get clear on their desires and goals and to implement them over the summer. And I will be running another program starting mid-September, and you can add yourself to the waitlist on my website.
Nikki Rogers: Great. Thanks, Eleshia. And if you all really want to get some stuff done, I highly recommend you to sign up for what will be a Fall School or Autumn School and get some dose of Eleshia in your life. Well, Eleshia, it has been an absolute pleasure and delight having you on the show today. I'm just so grateful that you took the time and said yes, and continue to be a light and inspiration to me.
Eleshia Harris: Thank you so much for having me, Nikki. I was always coming on your podcast. I love the work that we do together, and I am so excited to see what other projects that we get to work on with each other over the course of next year.
Nikki Rogers: Great. Well, thank you so much. Take care, Eleshia.
Eleshia Harris: Thanks Nikki, you too.
Nikki Rogers: Bye-bye.
Thank you for listening to this week's episode of Women Thriving in Business Podcasts. If you like this episode, share it with a friend. You can also join us on social media to share your feedback and comments. We'd love to hear from you. Be sure to like, review and subscribe on iTunes so you never miss an episode. Until next week, keep thriving.