I’ve always had the entrepreneurial spirit. I was born with it. Surprisingly it didn’t spawn from a desire to make heaps of money (although that’s always good!), for me it was more about creating and leading.

I’m a natural leader (read: control freak) as I love managing money, systems and people, in my own messy way. I always had a knack for organising events and problem solving. It’s only in hindsight that I can see that my business urges came from my creative side. As I was growing up I never considered myself the creative type because I thought being creative meant being good at art, design or music (which I absolutely wasn’t). I can’t draw, paint, knit, sew, sculpt or really even design anything visual at all, and even though I played guitar and piano, music didn’t come naturally to me.

I didn’t realise that the part of me that loved planning, organising and problem solving was my creative side. When I get in the flow of my own creativity, I am no different to the painter who ‘channels’ an incredible work of art. True creativity flows through us and feels effortless.

So I knew that I was in love with all things business, and I was confident that I had the skills I needed to succeed however I didn’t have a solid or consistent business idea (but I was only 12!).

I got my first good idea when I was 14 and started my first business, selling beaded necklaces and bracelets that I had made by repurposing old beaded necklaces from thrift shops. Like many businesses, it began as a hobby, then my friends became interested, then I took it to the public. I had my one-of-a-kind pieces in 2 retail stores and I would have a stall at school during lunchtime too.

I made a decent income from this business but not really enough, even for a teenager living at home, so of course I had to get a part time job. My first exposure to the world of working for someone else confirmed to me that I was not cut out for it. Even as a teenager, I knew that this world of slaving to someone else’s failed systems and getting paid a few bucks an hour just wasn’t for me.

I was motivated to work for myself but I didn’t see how I could make enough money. So, like most of us, I had no choice but to participate in the ‘real world’ so that I could earn an income and survive. I kept experimenting with my different creative projects on the side. Here’s a list of everything I’ve ever done to earn money (that didn’t involve a regular job):

Selling jewelery, making and selling zines, making badges, re-selling retro stuff at markets, making and selling natural skin care, aromatherapy, stage management for seasonal festivals, booking music gigs, playing live music and busking.

The problem with all of these things is that they didn’t feel easy or there wasn’t enough opportunity to make money. For example, I loved stage management and event booking but I wasn’t qualified and there wasn’t really much work available that I could fit in amongst my ‘regular’ work commitments.

So for the next 10 years I played along in jobs that I sort-of enjoyed but mostly hated. I agonised over how inefficiently the companies that I worked for operated. Wasting money on unnecessary items and staff, and wasting time on laborious systems and procedures. I couldn’t believe the way they treated their employees either. Forcing them to record what they did every minute of the day, threatening them with pay cuts and having so many pointless admin procedures that their workload was nearly doubled!

My problem-solving brain went bananas. My control freak went out of control. I could see all of these flaws yet I was powerless to fix them and even worse, I had to jump through ridiculous hoops everyday at work just to get my tasks done. It was then that I decided that I needed to be the boss, I needed to do things right, I needed to work for myself.

I looked back over everything that I’d tried to generate my own income in the past that had failed, and I was determined to find something that I could do that I would LOVE but that would provide me with the income I required.

The answer had been staring me in the face. I took my love of helping others, personal development and spirituality and decided to become a counselor/healer/meditation teacher. The relief I felt when I made this decision is not something that I can easily describe. I just knew that it was right. And 5 years later I’ve created the business of my dreams!

For me, the need to be an entrepreneur was compulsive. I honestly don’t think that I could have survived and been happy in my previous life. I knew that I was capable of more. All I had to do was feel it out. By using my natural talents, gifts and loves, I was (finally) able to love my job.

What are your creative talents?