Sometimes, we plan all we want but life takes us in a different direction. That’s what happened for me and that’s certainly what happened with today’s very special interviewee, Bansi Patel.
In an interview with Mahevash Muses, business and life coach Bansi Patel talks about her non-linear career path, her accidental success as an Amazon author, and how she assists creative entrepreneurs to overcome their limiting beliefs. Over to Bansi.
From Chartered Accountant to business and life coach, your career path has been anything but linear. How did this transition happen?
How did I end up as a business and life coach? Well, that’s a long story. I became a Chartered accountant in January 2016, and within 3 short months, I realized it was not for me. It was a very difficult phase for me not only mentally but also financially, spiritually and physically. I was broke by all means. But it’s when we hit rock bottom that we often find our purpose and path.
I realized I was made for something big, something non-conventional, but at that time had no freaking clue what I was going to do with my newfound realization. If not CA then what?
I starting exploring things, reading books and immersed myself into self-help and personal development. It was during this time when I first stumbled upon life coaching. I studied it obsessively and even went in debt to get certified as a Life Coach. Sometimes, you have to follow what your heart feels is right.
There is no logical reason why I was doing what I was doing, I was simply following my intuition. I wrote about my journey of finding my purpose in my first book ‘Mingling with the Universe‘ which by the way, I had no plans of even writing in the first place! It was simply inspiration flowing through me and I wrote it straight in one single day. I had no resources now to find a publisher or a literary agent, so again I did what I always do: I turned to Google. I Googled “How to self-publish a book?” and then self-published it.
I put out that book not to get any validation, but to share my journey and my message. And guess what? It became a best-seller! I then started coaching people for free and started building an online coaching business along with working full-time. At the same time, I kept educating myself on this whole online business thing and started becoming an expert in online business and life/mindset coaching.
I didn’t choose this path to earn money, it was just my soul’s calling. I hated living a life with no purpose. Sometimes, well actually, most of the times I felt like a MISFIT. People around me did not understand what I was up to. But even then I kept going.
My side hustle became my passion and now it is my life path. I am still doing a part-time job as a Chartered accountant and have no shame in it. It serves as the capital for my business. I am lucky enough to have a white collar job, but even if I did not have a secure job, I would have waited tables, done anything I could, to fuel my passion.
You recently conducted a 5-day extravaganza on branding as an Artist/Writer/Passionista. Could you let us in on the core message of this podcast?
Oh yes. I am a podcaster. I love podcasting, it just lights me up. Through my ‘Youniverseway’ Podcast, I help artists, creatives, and passionistas to unlock their potential, deal with resistance, create and put their art out there, and market and build their brands soulfully even if it feels like sticking a fork in the eye. Social media and creating an online business can be very overwhelming. I help to reduce the overwhelm by sharing the proven strategies, tools, resources and teachings for turning your passion into a paycheck.
I conducted this 5-day extravaganza on branding because many people talk about branding for entrepreneurs but not many people talk about branding for artists, creative entrepreneurs, and passionistas who are doing their soul work. There is a lot of difference between both from a branding perspective. You definitely need to take that free extravaganza. You can find the same here.
What is the most common hurdle creative entrepreneurs face and how do you help them overcome it?
Most of my clients face 3 most common hurdles:
1. I don’t know what my purpose is, I don’t know where to start!
2. How can I make money doing what I love?
3. I am not a techie, how will I build an online business and a life of freedom?
Let’s look at all of them one by one:
1. I don’t know what my purpose/passion is
I often tell my clients and followers that your passion is not going to come to you while you are sleeping. You need to EXPLORE several options to see what lights you up. After finding your thing, you should be 200% committed to that passion/purpose/path, because it is not going to be easy. And you start where everyone starts, that is, start before you are ready. Everyone starts from a place of confusion, chaos and not knowing what is there in store for them. You don’t need to know the whole path, you just need to know the next step.
2. How can I make money doing what I love?
I do money mindset coaching in this area because people have a lot of blocks and limiting beliefs around money. And I assume my clients are here for the long haul, not for a get-rich-quick scheme.
3. I am not a techie to build an online business
Well, you’ve got support all along the way, you don’t have to do everything by yourself. There is this automation-delegation-deletion formula I use to help my clients get over this hurdle.
Most people quit their 9 to 5 to get away from the daily grind. But when they start their own business, they work so hard they burn out. How can they avoid this fate?
Yes, it’s so true. Many people leave their jobs with a vision to have FREEDOM, flexibility in their schedule and even location independence. But during the first few years of starting their business, they burn out because of a lack of intentional planning and not setting boundaries.
I think a business should be intentional, organized as well as profitable. Having proper SOP (Standard Operating Procedures) and systems from the very beginning is very important to avoid burnout. Infusing automation and delegating things which are not your zone of genius is a huge time saver.
Also setting boundaries around your time and energy is a must, which means having the courage to say “NO” more often. For example, if you are not working on weekends, it should be made very clear to your team and clients that you are not available on weekends. Treat your business like a 6-figure business from the start and you will make smarter decisions and avoid burnout.
If you are an artist, an entrepreneur, or both, and are in need of some creative guidance, reach out to business and life coach Bansi Patel at http://www.youniverseway.com/.
Okay, this girl seems to have found her dream job. #Goals.
Totally! I am sure she can help you find yours too. Check out her website, shoot her an email, and let me know how it goes? Good luck, Tai.