Towards the end of a decade’s long academic career, Sharn Rocco developed a research and teaching interest in the transformative potential of meditation and mindfulness practice.
Intense workloads, disenchantment with structural and philosophical changes in the University sector and a chance encounter with a Tibetan meditation master prompted Sharn to resign to become the founder and facilitator of Mindful Works.
At Mindful Works, Sharn brings skills and understandings accrued from years of designing curriculum. She facilitates learning for large and small groups in education, health, corporate and community settings.
Sharn is dedicated to bringing mindfulness to life wherever you are. She is constantly inspired by witnessing how people from all walks of life are able to make changes that positively improve how they experience and respond to daily life.
Who’s your favourite entrepreneur and why?
Just one? That’s a hard call. Right now, I’d have to say, Brene Brown. Why? She is willing to show-up and speak up from a place of being fully and authentically herself, to draw personal and public attention to inequities, injustices and ways of being that no longer serve us well while offering practical strategies and living proof that change is possible. Her courageous commitment to walking her talk, making her knowledge and understanding accessible across myriad demographic boundaries is inspiring individual and hopefully, societal change
What do you enjoy most about running your own business?
The challenges and opportunities to do what I do do well, in my own way, in my own time, on my own terms.
What three pieces of advice do you wish you’d been given when you started?
- Figure out your strengths and weakness. Play to your strengths and seek advice and support to strengthen your weaknesses.
- Value yourself and your expertise. Selling yourself is not the same as selling your soul.
- Join HerBusiness and make the learning portal and Content Sells podcast your ‘go to’ whenever you’re unsure how best to proceed.
What advice would YOU give someone thinking about starting a business?
Know your purpose – not just for business but how your business will make a difference to you and your capacity to live a meaningful, fulfilling life. Choose something you feel passionate about, that energizes you, that will maintain your interest and inspire you to take the risks involved in learning and succeeding. Trust yourself, trust the process, find trusted mentors. Play the long game. Make time to reflect, learn and renew – yourself and your business. Be open to change. Join HerBusiness and make the learning portal and Content Sells podcast your ‘go to’ whenever you’re unsure how best to proceed.
What skills and knowledge areas would you recommend those starting out in business get acquainted with quickly?
- Planning.
- Finances – tracking income, expenditure and profit margins.
- Content marketing.
- Online technologies.
What does your IDEAL business look like? Even if you’re not there yet, what would it look like if your business was ideal?
My IDEAL business is successfully helping leaders in small and medium sized businesses (at least 50% repeat clients) to create and maintain inclusive, joyful and productive workplace cultures. My main focus would be design and delivery of mindfulness-based professional development – online and face-to-face. Business income would allow me to work 40 weeks of the year, 30-35 hours per week from multiple locations, employ a full-time assistant and outsource tasks that were not within mine or the assistant’s areas of expertise.
What problem does being a Member of the HerBusiness Network solve for you and your business? And, how?
The number one problem that being a member of HerBusiness solves for me is isolation. Knowing that there are experts and others who have walked and are on the path of business development, willing to offer advice, support and encouragement along the way is invaluable.
Learn more about Sharn Rocco and Mindful Works.
