After overcoming breast cancer, Jenny Knox started her business with a desire to reach her potential. Burnt out running a home nursing agency for years on end, Jenny decided it was time to move on to something less exhausting and less stressful.
She is now an independent skincare consultant for Rodan + Fields, a skincare company developed by two dermatologists in the United States. After reaping the benefits of using the products, she was happy to start her own business marketing and selling them. Jenny has fallen in love with running her own business. She has the ability to work her own hours along with having a life outside of the business while being a single mum.
After regaining her health and vitality, Jenny’s mission with her business is to help people feel better in their own skin. She especially hopes to impact those who have recently gone through a traumatic life event by helping them build a self-care regimen – in her case, through skincare.
“I am busy, challenged, and certainly outside of my comfort zone a lot of the time, but most of all I have the zest back in my life.”
This is what Jenny has to say about running her own business:
“I love what I do. I work my own hours and have a life outside the business. What I am enjoying most is the personal development. I am busy, challenged, and certainly outside of my comfort zone a lot of the time, but most of all I have got the zest back in my life, and am relieved to find that my brain is still capable of functioning properly again.”
Jenny’s Advice for Those Thinking About Starting a Business:
- Make sure the business is right for YOU
- Have clear motives for why you are going into this business – It is better to know your WHY as you dip your foot in the water, not making circles in the middle of a large lake and then asking WHY.
- Consider if your vision, values, and beliefs align with the business – misalignment may lead to some conflict and tension that prohibits the business from growing
- Establish a budget to evaluate if your business is viable
3 Pieces of Advice Jenny Wishes She’d Been Given When She Started
- Before you begin, plan for growth. Have systems and strategies in place so you can experience growth as something to be celebrated, not overwhelmed by.
- Get a good business mentor – someone to keep you on track, to hold you accountable and to support you through the challenging times. Their advice and counsel are imperative for any business owner, new or established.
- Include “your other life” in your business plan. If you don’t, it is likely that an important part of your life could be neglected. It is so important to retain a healthy work-life balance.
How Being a HerBusiness Member has Helped Jenny:
“Being a Premium Member of HerBusiness ticks all the boxes that would have completely changed my previous business experience from an exhausted, stressful one to a happier, more life balanced and successful one that encouraged healthy growth. A business that I owned and not one that owned me.”
This post was authored by Allison Mullin. Allison is currently completing a journal internship at HerBusiness. She studies editing, writing, and media at Florida State University in the United States.
