Thoughts of endless possibilities make many mental health professionals excited about entrepreneurship and being their own boss! All you can see is creative freedom and the masses of people you will help. You couldn’t imagine a dull moment or a day of giving up. Well, believe me being a Counselor Entrepreneur is a mixed bag.
Let’s take a look:
- Great joy when networking and marketing plans are successful.
- Days of pulling out your hair when the technology you are using for important business FAILS!
- Awesome accomplishments of client healing and progress.
- Slow days when you wonder if people have forgotten your business phone number.
- Learning how to balance work and family life.
- Much much more!
That’s right, it is a roller coaster ride!
As I was looking at a discussion online, I took notice of Takiya Paicely, LCSW, DCC. When I saw her blog title, “The Other Side of Entrepreneurship“, I knew I had to read it. After I read it, I knew I had to talk to her. I really liked the realness of her words in that blog post. So I asked if she would be willing to talk a bit more about the behind the scenes issues of being a counselor entrepreneur and how she pushes through in positive ways. In case you were wondering, we are using Skype. Even this seemingly harmless interview took us on a roller coaster ride. Thank goodness for iMovie editing tools… making technology speed bumps a lot less scary. 🙂
So how has your experience been as a Counselor Entrepreneur? What are some of the ways that you push through it all and keep moving forward?
Takiya Paicely is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and certified as a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). She has a passion for helping others and integrating technology into health and wellness. Find out more about Takiya, her blog, and online therapy practice at http://www.onlinecounselingindiana.com and http://ramblingsofanonlinetherapist.blogspot.com.
I read a great piece of advice the other day by a fellow entrepreneur who recommended starting a business gratitude journal – what an awesome idea! It keeps you focused on the positives while you’re going up and down that roller coaster. 😉
Lorraine that is a great idea! On our hardest days, a gratitude journal can remind us of all the wonderful things that go into being an entrepreneur. Yes, there is a lot of hard work but the rewards are great.
Lorraine, this is an awesome idea!
Thanks for this post! I’m definitely going through this right now! Its certainly a journey, and for a recovering perfectionist its been a tough one. I appreciate knowing that I’m not alone on this journey.
Thank you for the interview. I have been feeling the exact same way! But, this is my calling and I am not giving up!
So true – hard to follow our own advice at time. It’s not a smooth ride to success!
Takiya, it’s interesting to see that entrepreneurship has similar challenges & joys regardless of what your niche is. Thanks for sharing.
That is so true Orissa. I think the ups and downs of entrepreneurship are universal. Even though we may have different areas of focus, we are still working to build a legacy. Building a legacy can be one tough job!
I do agree that counselor must have a passion for what they do which is also shown by the way how they present themselves via technology. I also agree that we will have our good days and bad days. As long as we keep on trying, something will work out for the best. I started to create a mission statement along with my purpose for being a entrepreneur. Counselor also must invest in themselves in order to see a return on their investment (themselves).
I like how you said we must invest in ourselves as well. This is essential!! What we put in will manifest itself in the results.
This video accurately reflects my thoughts/feelings as I embark on this new journey called “PRIVATE PRACTICE.” Thanks for posting this information. It helps us see that we are not alone on this roller coaster
This ride gets crazy at times! But it is definitely worth it!
GREAT INTERVIEW SWEETIE!!! IM SO PROUD MY FACE HURTS….MY BUDDY GREG WATCHED TOO…HES QUITE IMPRESSED W MY BABY….IM 2 PROUD OF YOU! MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS YOUR LIFE… YOU LOOK REAL GOOD ON CAMERA TOOO! LOVE YOU!:-)
Thank you so much!!