A simple switch to an organic lifestyle led to a major career change for entrepreneur Sonia Magliocchi. After finding few high quality organic skin care products on the market, she decided to create her luxurious high quality brand called AMICA Organics also loved and encouraged by her own friends.
Sonia continued to work full time while pursuing AMICA Organics and decided to work in the digital marketing industry to learn new skills and to help promote her products online. This led to a drastic career change and eventually her second business, Digital Marketing Specialists.
“That I am pursing something I absolutely love (digital marketing), providing excellent results for my clients that positively impact their sales and profits, my work is 95% online and I can work from anywhere even when travelling and I’m learning every day,” says Sonia on what she enjoys the most about running her business.
Sonia’s favourite entrepreneur:
“I find myself really inspired by entrepreneurs that built successful businesses, have multiple streams of income, have a natural and down to earth voice and have a philanthropist purpose or message that improves our lives in some deep and meaningful way. Oprah, Michele Bridges, Suzi Dafnis, Anita Roddick, Janine Allis come to mind.”
Advice from Sonia:
What three pieces of advice do you wish you’d been given when you started?
- Understand before you launch the business how long it will take to generate an ROI with your marketing budget. If I understood this from the beginning, I would have made different business and financial decisions.
- Choose and work with a mentor who understands the market you are in and to help you make the right decisions about marketing and distribution channels.
- Have a business and financial plan for both your business and personal life goals to help ensure the business can support your personal life goals.
What advice would you give someone thinking about starting a business?
“Expect the highs and the lows in running a business. And during the low, despite how hard it might be, don’t stay emotionally attached to the situation. It is only temporary. Having a positive state of mind and staying focused on finding and working through a solution is critical to the speed in which you can move yourself out of the low periods.”
Sonia on HerBusiness:
“Running a start-up can be lonely and I find HerBusiness really supportive and educational. I’m really impressed with the depth of content available in the podcasts and webinars. There is a good sense of familiarity and sense of belonging too – something I picked up very quickly being apart of the closed Facebook Group with HerBusiness.
This post was co-authored by Christy Flom. Christy is completing a journalism internship at HerBusiness. She studies Communications at the University of Michigan in the United States.
