Confessions of an Entrepreneur is a series of events run by Leaders in Heels that showcases stories of entrepreneurs who have gone through hardships and difficulties of launching and growing their business. Some were wildly successful, while others failed. You’ll get to hear both sides of the story for a change!
Our first event is on Tuesday April 12 at 6:30pm, and we have four amazing entrepreneurs telling their stories on the night. Sound interesting? Purchase your tickets here!
We are a brand created by women, for women, to support you to follow your passion and boost your confidence.
To give you a taste, we’ve asked each of our speakers a series of questions about themselves, and a teaser of what they’ll be sharing on the night. We’ve previously interviewed Elyse Daniels of Exodus Wear, Yifat Shirben of ILoveThisBox.com.au who is now an entrepreneurial marketer, and Ben Wong of Academy Xi.
Our final speaker for the event is Sasha Peakall, a “Biz Overwhelm Buster Coach” and Facebook Ads Strategist for Type A Biz Chicks and recovering perfectionists.
In 2014 she left behind a comfortable life and comfortable Marketing Management job for an Australian tour company and moved to Laos with her partner to manage a school building project, consult for Fair Trade Laos and pursue adventures in business in an undeveloped country.
Briefly describe what you do during the week.
Call me a workaholic but I spend most of my time at my computer writing blog posts, refining my sales funnel, tweaking Facebook Ads and interacting in my Facebook Group for Type A Biz Chicks. I love my work, it feels like half science and half art, two things that absolutely fascinate me. So work never feels like a chore (though I must admit some things can be a bit tedious, like getting on top of the latest social media trend!).
When I’m not cooped up in my home office I love to roam free in the outdoors. I try to go for a long walk or bicycle ride daily, it’s my daily therapy! It helps me work my through challenges and just give my mind some room to breath and be fully present in the moment!
Why do you love doing what you’re doing?
As a self confessed Type A Biz Chick and perfectionist in recovery I know how hard it can be to get ahead when your Type A tendencies and perfectionism keep holding you back from taking action (because you tell yourself it won’t be perfect or it will fail).
What I love about what I do is that I get to support other Type A Biz Chicks on a daily basis. I help them get past being so “Type A”, take the leap to take imperfect action and make smart decisions about their marketing priorities and use of time.
It lights me up when I hear the chicks I’ve worked with had a major breakthrough, or they just feel so supported and understood when dealing with business challenges.
There are so many different aspects that go into creating a successful business and I just love the process of discovery, experimenting and creativity that goes into every hour of my work.
What will your confession be about… without spilling the beans?
In 2014 I moved to Laos. I told myself I moved to Laos to be with my husband. I told myself I moved to Laos to run my non-profit to improve education and employment opportunities in rural villages.
But, the reality of why I moved to Laos will surprise many. I seemed to have it all, a god job, with great pay, amazing travel perks and a good lifestyle. Even so, that just wasn’t enough to stop me from moving to Laos, the least developed country in South East Asia.
Like-minded people were hard to come by. A good coffee was hard to come by. Fast wi-fi was non-existent. Running water came out of my taps… sometimes.
My year and a half in Laos taught me more about achieving business success then studying at TAFE, then trying and failing at starting up many businesses in the past. It taught me more than I learned in my years in marketing management and consulting and more then I learned in the countless business coaching courses I enrolled in.
I’ve lived in China and travelled 25+ countries. But it was from the Lao people, the most laid-back culture I’ve ever come across (some would say the most lazy culture), that I discovered surprising secrets of success that all biz chicks can learn from!
How did you grow as a result of it?
You can’t move to such an undeveloped country as Laos and return unchanged! Laos was a challenge to live in, to say the least. It tested my resilience, my tolerance and my stress levels! I discovered skills, talents and strengths I never knew I had and I uncovered the weaknesses and self-saboteurs that were holding me back.
Not only did it change my approach to life and business, it profoundly changed my understanding of people and mindset – which really comes in handy when you run a coaching business!
And most of all, living in Laos has made me so much more appreciative of everything I have, the opportunities I have available to me, my ability to as a women be a leader in business and my community. These were all things I took for granted until I experienced what the alternative really felt like!
