I grew up being told that you need to work hard to make money.
My father worked 16 hours a day 6 days a week in his little pharmacy. He inherited the pharmacy from his father and it wasn’t his choice of career. His father left him with a mortgage to pay off when he passed away, before I was born. He was left with a small pharmacy and debts. He worked hard to provide my brother and I with everything we needed. That didn’t mean that we had loads of toys and gadgets. We were given a good standard of education. We were given a good quality of food. We were taught manners and etiquette.
When I was 9, I was sent to the UK. I went to a boarding school called Summerhill School, which is a well-known alternative school in the UK. It was a unique school founded by A.S. Neil (if you are into education, google him!) where lessons are non-compulsory and both adults and children have equal status. I will be honest, I didn’t attend my lessons until I was 14, and the only lesson I really attended and enjoyed was Mathematics.
Some said we were well off because my parents could afford to send both my brother and I to a boarding school in the UK. The reality was that we weren’t living a luxury life. We never went on a family vacation. As children we were given a maximum of 3 tops and bottoms to alternate everyday. We only had what we needed. The great thing is that it taught me the lesson of how to make my own money as a child. My first enterprise was a shop in my shared room at 11, where I sold Japanese instant noodles and snacks to kids in the school! I expanded to selling chocolate bars and other snacks and made a decent profit I would sell ice cream during summer and toasties during winter. I loved selling stuff.
When I left Summerhill School at 16 with minimal GCSEs, I decided to move to London to study Media & Photography at college. But I also wanted and needed to work so that I could start earning money. I worked in the evenings at a restaurant during my 3 years at college and was able to pay my rent, bills and all my expenses from my wage. Working in the restaurant was very physical, but I enjoyed the social interaction with my colleagues and customers. I loved offering the best service to the customers. It was rewarding and good service meant good tips! When I finished college at 19, I wanted to further my study at university but I couldn’t afford the fees because I was still classed as an overseas student, so I decided to get a full-time job.
I started off as an Office Junior and soon I got noticed for my ability to speak my native Japanese and got a job in one of the largest global advisory firms. My career really took off from there. I was head hunted to work for their competitor and I eventually asked for funding to study for an accounting qualification. For the next 3 years, I studied and worked full-time. But I found that my health suffered with all the drinking and smoking as I was constantly stressed out and exhausted all the time. This reflected in my relationship with my ex and my friends. I wasn’t happy with my life and I would spend all my wages on alcohol, cigarettes and expensive dinners in fancy restaurants or bars. When I finished my accounting qualification, I moved to a small investment firm on the outskirts of London to escape central London’s frenzy.
I began practicing Yoga a lot around that time and noticed the change in me – physically, mentally and emotionally. I enrolled on to a Yoga teacher training course in February 2013. But I was still a mess (physically & emotionally) and I was in a really rocky relationship for the third time. I wasn’t in a state to continue the training so I decided to postpone it.
Later that year I left the highly competitive world of the private sector and started working for the Mayor of London. The work was not challenging but I actually got to finish work by 5.30 (!). I finally had an opportunity to slow down and had time to reflect on my life. That’s when I decided to restart the Yoga teacher training. And so my journey to an entrepreneurship resumed. Yoga helped me stay positive and it really opened up some new possibilities for me – in an unexpected way! I now run my own business which has been my dream since I was little. I may not be a six-figure business owner (YET) and my life is no way near perfect (I’m still paying off my debts, I’m still renting and I’m still working 2.5 days in my 9-5…) but I am the happiest I’ve ever been!
Why am I telling you all this? Because I want to let you know that you can become who you want to be regardless of your background, upbringing, education, qualification, career, gender or nationality.
I’ve never studied properly at school since I left Japan. My academic record is embarrassing. I haven’t even studied English properly! I don’t have a bachelor’s degree or PhD. I didn’t have a career that got me a six-figure salary. I’m not from a wealthy family. And yes I guess I’m a “foreigner” in the UK too…
But that’s ok. Your past or current circumstances shouldn’t stop you from doing something you really love whether it’s starting your own business or going back to school and studying something you’ve always wanted. Or going for that dream job.
You may not be where you want to be in your life & your business yet but if you implement these tips, I promise you that you WILL get to where you want to be and live the life you really desire.
- Stop blaming others, your past or current situation for not having what you want in your life.
- Not enough experience? Don’t have the skills? Start learning new skills (I strongly suggest learning new things everyday) and offer your services for free to gain more experience.
- In debt? Start taking action to make more money.
- Everyone else is doing what you want to do? Brainstorm your unique selling point. Ask someone you know will be honest what they think you are good at or your unique ability. Sometimes people around you know better than yourself!Take action everyday to get one step closer to your goal. This week I’ve set up my Pinterest account and implemented strategies to increase my website traffic and grow my mail list. I am also registered for a Marketing Summit at which I will no doubt learn some new strategies on how to grow my business. What action can you take to get to where you want to be? Your background, education, experience, skills etc. shouldn’t stop you from starting something completely new.Learn from the best but don’t just copy them. Make sure you make it your own and that works for you and your business. This is something I learned recently as I started working with my third coach last month. I do encourage people to hire a coach when starting (or growing) your business, but I’ve made the mistake in the past of just following exactly what my coach told me to do each time. Some strategies worked and some didn’t. The thing is, most coaches teach you what worked for them and tell you to implement the same strategies – which is all good but remember each business is unique and what works for others may not work for you.
This is why I am determined to learn every strategy out there, test them out and identify what I believe works and what doesn’t. That way I can make sure I select and teach my clients the strategies that are really suited to them and their business objectives.
You can find more on Risa by visiting her website here
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