Monday 26 January 2015

MUMS IN BUSINESS: THE FIFTH ELEMENT LIFE

I stumble upon Sarah via my favourite social media, Instagram. I am honest enough and shallow enough to admit her hair and her smile sucked me into her page. Then I discovered her business ethos and stunning mandala rings, and I became a true fan. Sarah is a perfect example of a mother who has grown her business organically. Sarah's Facebook page, Instagram account and Website are all amazing. Please visit Sarah and give her some extra love.



1. Tell the readers a little about yourself, can you share a bit on yourself and your background?
I don't like to carry a million labels to define who I am, so I always say I'm a woman who wanders the path of her spirit. I have a background in the fashion design industry, and lead that life path until my mid 20's when I feel pregnant and my whole life changed for the better. I left work, embarked on my most important role as a mum and spent a year rediscovering who I really was. I blogged my journey of spiritual discovery, and developed a really organic online presence which led my down this current path utilising my design background, creativity and spirituality. I now live on the Sunshine Coast, with my little family and am building my business to a point where it can fund my philanthropic dreams of starting an animal sanctuary on some acreage here - A place where people can come and dwell, learn about living off the land, work with the animals and help me rehabilitate them and educate the future generations about respecting all life forms and how to truly connect with one another and the planet. 

2. What inspires you?
My son, nature, my kindred sisterhood. I have some incredible customers, friends and soul sisters and they always keep me creating and inspired in my work and life. My son is my biggest source of inspiration - he has taught me so much about myself and he makes me want to be a better version of myself, everyday.

3. How did you begin your business?
I had the idea during my pregnancy to make mandala rings. At the time, I didn't even know why - it was more an aesthetic thing. When I was literally 9 months pregnant, I just designed these 20 symbolic designs in just over 24 hours. They just came so organically, I was definitely being guided by something other than myself (I didn't even know how to use photoshop or any digital programs very well to make them). After that, it took me a good year to understand them, develop my prototypes and hoan in on my vision and offerings. I am someone who is abundant in ideas, but not necessarily good on the follow through, so It took me a while to really focus in on delivering a small, concise offering and really hustling to get that out into the world. Just after my sons 1st birthday, I launched my new baby - The Fifth Element Life store (had been blogging under this name for 8 months) and I've been loving the journey ever since.

4. How do you balance life and running a business?
It is a daily challenge. One thing I owe my productivity to in that first year was changing my diet and doing allot of self care. I am always mindful that my son comes first, and the business second. Sometimes I get lost in the business as it now demands so much more of my attention, however I am lucky enough to have a partner who has been able to take on more of the household duties while I build the business (this kind of happened by default, but everything happens for a reason). Right now, I'm having to make some big decisions because I know in myself that things are out of balance, so my priority now is to hire my first staff member (!!!!) so I can get back to the self care and be a more present mum and partner. Every nap time, every spare moment in the last 2 years has been spent working on my own personal development or my business and now it has had that solid foundation work, I can let go and get back into enjoying the life I have created.

5. What direction do you see yourself and your company heading?
I see us moving into a commercial space this year, where I have a small team of amazing people who will do the day to day running of The Fifth Element Life. I'll be able to be part-time at home with my son, and the rest working towards building my brand and creating more products, offerings and gifts for the world. As it grows, a percentage I will be putting aside to save for the purchase of the property to then start the sanctuary (as mentioned above). I see me always having a work day that looks different, switching in from mama, entrepreneur, creative, spiritual and philanthropic being day in and day out. 

6. What advise would you give someone else wanting to start/run their own business?
Start small. Work with the resources you have. I started my business with $1000 of my tax money that I got back from my previous working year before having my son. We had to make it work. Do plenty of inner and outer hustle. I believe the more you work on yourself and your inner harmony, the more that comes out into your business world. The minute you notice that things are not working in any aspect of your life, learn from it and focus on bringing back that balance. 


Grow organically, listen to where the signs are taking you - follow your intuition. If it doesn't feel right, don't do it. I have never done anything purely for the money, it has always come from a place of wanting to make a difference in some way to anothers life, so understanding your 'why' you want to do this business is a really good place to start and build it around that.




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