This story is about…
Name: Kirsty Spraggon
Location: Los Angeles
Company: Konnection Global
Industry: Personal Development
What motivated you to start your business?
I felt with every inch of my being that this is what I am here to do. I’ve had success in real estate and as a speaker and author, but there was still a niggling feeling that the work I was really here for was to develop a talk show.
Tell us about your business…
Essentially, my online talk show is really about how “when we share our stories, we heal ourselves and we heal others.” I started interviewing family and friends in my parents’ home 2 years ago, and now I have a studio in Los Angeles.
What were the first few steps you took to get your business up and running?
I have always been a big believer of “Just do it.” Don’t wait till you have a network offer, a publishing deal, or someone offering you the opportunity. I just started filming. I roped my little brother, who was studying production at the time, and some university friends of his into filming for me. I found some incredible friends whom I knew had powerful stories, and that day was my first day on camera as an interviewer. The moment that day finished, I knew why I had been guided to do this and it all made sense. There was no turning back after that. We started editing the content and researching platforms to get it online. It has been a very steep learning curve and I have developed many skills that I didn’t have 12 months ago as an interviewer, producer and creator. The early work is not perfect, but you have to start somewhere.
What has been the most effective way of raising awareness of your business and getting new customers?
Through relationships – whether they are online or off. Word of mouth has been the key to my success. When people care about you they want to see you succeed, and if you create something of value they will help you share the message.
What have been your biggest challenges so far with running your business?
If I were to sum up my toughest times, firstly I would say that Sir Edmund Hillary said it best: “It’s not the mountains we conquer, but ourselves.” It really has been about conquering myself emotionally and mentally. The hardest times are when you wonder: “Can I do this?” “Am I good enough?” “How?” Building a TV show seems to be such an overwhelming, humongous goal some days. There are days when these questions don’t really bother me at all and then there are days when the fear can be paralyzing and leave me in the fetal position.
Moving to another country has had its own challenges, but the biggest has been being lonely. Being so far away from all of the people who support you and help you through tough times has been hard. However, now 12 months later, I have some wonderful support networks in the U.S.
How did you overcome these challenges?
I have a “Go-To Tool Kit” when I need to unslump and get out of the funk.
Top Tips For Unslumping Yourself…
1. Talking to yourself. Yes, weird I know, but it really helps to acknowledge what you are feeling and then to ask yourself “why?” Such as, “I feel afraid…why? What am I afraid of?” Gather all the facts; try to talk to your rational self. A lot of the time, writing things out for clarity can help.
2. Take action. I always find it helps to do something to feel in-action. It can give you back your confidence, help you get clarity, and help you find a solution to the initial problem and just feel less overwhelmed because you’re working on it.
3. Talk it through with a few trusted friends or colleagues. I know it can be really hard to reach out when you are stuck in the slump and you just want to crawl into a cave. Try though, as it often helps to bring some perspective to the situation especially if you are catastrophizing and worrying unnecessarily.
4. Remember: “This too shall pass.” Fear doesn’t usually hang around more than a few days if you work through it by acknowledging your feelings and finding what you need to help you move forward.
5. Allow yourself to sit with fear because sometimes it’s necessary. It could be an alarm or warning sign for us to be aware of something. Don’t pressure yourself to “get over and on with it.” Sometimes it is healthy to acknowledge the fear and be okay with where you are and what you are feeling in that moment.
6. Be gentle with yourself. Take a break and change your environment. Take a walk in the park, visit a cafe with your laptop, head to the beach or get a massage. Now is not the time to beat yourself up.
7. Embrace it! I have so embraced pain and discomfort as part of the journey to success that it is like seeing an opponent in a fight approaching. I can plan for it, be prepared and figure out how to deal with it. Wrestling with fear can still feel painful but when you’re prepared you can almost laugh at it and know that it will pass as long as you work through it.
In my experience, it’s when we step up and get comfortable feeling uncomfortable that life-changing experiences occur. We grow stronger and richer for it, as the quotation from the book The Prophet says: “Your pain is the breaking shell that encloses understanding.”
What do you love about running your own business?
The freedom to do what I LOVE each and every day is so powerful: to sit in pajamas till 6pm; to do business with clients I love; to work 16 hour days for a week and then not at all; to work from Australia, Maui or home in L.A; to be a creator and collaborate with other like minded people. I am totally, madly in love with my work and in love with loving my own business.
What advice would you give to other business owners?
It is not impossible but it is not easy. The journey of growing your own business for me has been the greatest personal growth journey of my life. Sitting with pain and discomfort. Learning, growing, stretching every single day. Moving through the fear and the feeling of not being good enough is a process. We can all get through it. but it is not easy. It takes courage to look at yourself.
How do you keep motivated through difficult times?
The times I get stuck I don’t usually loose my motivation so much as I loose my mojo or flow, my focus on the “why,” or clarity of the big picture. I can get stuck in a slump or most likely some kind of fear has come up disguised as a lack of motivation. I have been through it enough times that I now recognize it and instead of trying to push myself, I now say, “Ok, what do you need right now?” Sometimes the answer is: “Give me a break! and back off.” I trust that this will pass and I will have my motivation back when I work through the blockage. So I sit with it. I ask myself questions and I listen to what I need. In this way, I have found it passes more quickly than when I’m trying to push myself to work when I am not ready.
What’s your favourite quote?
“Many people think I am disciplined, I think they mistake obsession for discipline.”
{Pavarotti}
Who inspires you?
People helping others. It blows my mind sometimes how many good people there are out there in the world trying to teach, share, heal others and make a difference.
Do you have a business philosophy?
Focus on the why not the how. Focus on your dream and purpose, not the money. The money comes later.
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