4 Valuable Tips for Starting a Business + What is Seasonal Wellness & Why I Use It As My Foundation

Welcome back to The Latest :)

I am sitting at the tail-end of one of the more hectic times before our move, and I’m super excited for some ease to set in. On the exhale of a BIG sigh, but of course, I won’t be completely exhaling until we are all moved in next month- which I’m also looking forward to more than anything. I’m currently at the airport heading to Sedona, AZ for a short family trip so this blog may be on the shorter side. So without further or due, let’s get into the topics I have for this week!

We’ll be talking about valuable tips for starting a business and seasonal wellness + why I infuse this practice into my business foundation. I wanted to combine these two topics because as much as they seem like two totally separate things, they truly go hand in hand for me. I’ve started 2 businesses in my life and although they are both still developing and going through ebbs and flows between process development and execution, I’m constantly learning. So let’s start with the tips!

• Start a business plan! I’ll try not to sound like my dad here, but a business plan is absolutely necessary (yes, no matter what your business idea is), because it will truly lead you to understanding every aspect of what a business is, which is essentially a machine that will need regular maintenance, future planning, and strategic evolution. If your business doesn’t shape-shift with the times, your industry, and yourself/your values as time goes by, it is more likely to fail. What a business plan allows you to do is it allows you to think thoroughly on the basics of how your business will run- considering growth, unintentional stagnation all the way to how many employees you’ll have, who will do what, where you will source X, and what you will do to keep your business in motion. Start HERE.

• Begin an online note tool (accessible remotely) to write down ideas as they come to you. This is probably one of my favorite tips because I’m definitely one of those people who get lightning strike insights at the most random times during the day. I’m a believer that everything happens for a reason, so to leave these thoughts behind feels like a disservice to myself and the roots of my business. If you have an iPhone, open up your notes app and create a note with your business name then “minddump” or “brainstorm”. Create your first bullet, and add to it every time you get an insight, get inspired by something, or start to uncover more opportunity that lies within your idea. I promise you, having this list at your fingertips will always benefit your process.

• Be realistic with your time, but not too realistic. Having your own business is going to look ‘unrealistic’ in the beginning. It’s the very reason people tell you it’s a ‘harder path’. Me? I think having a life that is truly fulfilling, one that doesn’t feel like work but instead a life that is in complete alignment with your soul, is definitely WORTH it. No matter the sacrifices. So this tip goes without saying that you need to be willing to sacrifice something- but I promise, it won’t feel like a sacrifice if the end game is one that looks like the ultimate dream life to you. It all comes down to how you feel at your heart’s core. To address the first part of this tip, it is so important to remember (at all times) that you are only one person. Even through this process to building a self fulfilling lifestyle, you shouldn’t also feel bogged down by your dwindling free time, or feel like you’re starting to lose aspects of your life that you deeply enjoy. Be realistic about the time you CAN put into building your business that makes you feel like you’re getting somewhere- but do not sacrifice so much to the point where it’s not fun anymore.

• Define the systems that will get your business rolling (AKA- how will you be making money?) and INVEST. Speaking of sacrifices, I can say with confidence that you will have to spend at least some money on your business when getting started. It’s just the way of the world. Automation tools, CRM platforms, website, etc- all of it costs something, and it really depends on how far you want to take it with your investments at first to see the results quicker. There is definitely something to be said for investing more to see more results- this is a fact. But as you’re just getting started you can’t expect to have everything in order with the funds to follow. You may have to do a few free trials before you make a final assessment on what will work best- and I highly recommend doing this to figure out what will truly be worth investing in for you. BUT, understand what is priority. Ask yourself: will this investment directly impact my sales, marketing efforts, and customer/client retention? If it’s a yes, there’s a good chance you’re making a good investment (or course, if the bank account can also provide)

I hope these tips make sense, are helpful for you along your process, and give you a good starting ground for initiating your business! If any of these tips were of great help to you- let me know in the comments! Let’s tread onward into the second half of the blog- all about seasonal wellness in business.

What is seasonal wellness and why do I use it as a foundation for my business?

As some of you may already know, I launched my first business ever in 2020 called Brilliant Pit. This business idea culminated over time, and it still is in the making of what it will eventually be. I knew from the beginning that I would need to be patient with this idea, let it transform over time, and it definitely has.

The mission of Brilliant Pit is to provide guidance on living in seasonal alignment through wellness practices, nourishing your body with your current environment’s growth, and ultimately find fulfillment in the present. (YES, including winter.)

Growing up in NH, I was always facinated by the changing seasons. It was my favorite part about living where I did. Everything in nature reflected so vividly and definitively a certain time of the year. I remember feeling proud to be someone who LOVED winter (since it was so uncommon), and all the seasons for that matter. It wasn’t until later in life that my true admiration for my environment started to come out in certain ways- nature photography being probably the biggest + the main driver for the conception of Essence, the urge to meditate and journal in nature, and undertaking the study of herbalism, just to name a few.

I started to notice a common belief that I’ve unknowingly held over my the course of my lifetime; which was the idea that the closer I become to my core being, my core human spirit, the more clarity I gain in life. On being on this earth and following a passion. It all became much easier to digest, easier

to grasp and actualize. This process of becoming closer to my spirit, my soul, all revolved around living in the present moment, which was not innately easy for me to do. But it felt like the key. The ways in which I learned to BE present (in the way it worked for me) was through understanding seasonal food based on location and time, herbal medicine and which herbs support certain ailments that coincide with certain times of year, studying astrology- the micro “seasons” within each major season and the ancient symbolism associated with these certain times- and then of course, studying the seasons through philosophical observation.

As you may notice, all of these presence practices coincide with one thing- the acknowledgment of the major cycles within life. The growth and the dying, the ebbs and the flows, and the signification of historical practices identifying patterns associated with certain conditions of nature; the seasons.

The reason why seasonal wellness has become a foundational element of not only Brilliant Pit, but Essence Presents Production as well, is because I believe in the cycles of growth. I don’t believe in one way of being and sustaining. I believe that the human condition is one of a cyclical nature where we should be encouraged to follow the natural rhythms of our environments and feel no judgment from society for living through say a wave of winter in our lives, in our businesses, and what we do. It feels written in the stars for me to follow this idea, uncover the roots, and live the experience more and more- all while sharing it with you.

I hope this blog was super helpful for you, and I can’t wait to write on another topic mid-month. Thanks for reading!

With utmost gratitude,

Liz