A Nouvelle Nomad with Bridget John
- October 17, 2024
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Table of Contents
We started the conversation with a very powerful question: how do you feel about being stuck? I could say a very typical coaching question 😬
She has been in this situation before, during the pandemic. Bridget finds herself in between stages again. At the time we recorded this episode, she was back in Australia to get her Visa for the UK sorted.
She is going through that challenging process, which is the immigration one!! No matter the country, no matter your status, it is always a lengthy and stressful process.
Bridget does not feel comfortable because she is not in control of the timeline, so she feels stuck.
Navigating career challenges across the world
Bridget moved most of her work online 7 years ago, and she is now able to bring her business with her wherever she goes.
She doesn’t need to sit in the same office every day.
Bridget has her own business and also does consulting. She has opened pop up shops and showrooms in Australia and Morocco.
She defines those years as a bit of a rollercoaster, especially because of covid disruption.
The entrepreneur mindset
She talks about the differences between entrepreneurship and employed work in the same industry.
She was working in big corporate brands in marketing and retail.
Big brands means big teams, big budgets, people to work with and rolling up big projects.
“Once you have worked in big corporate and you have worked at big projects, it is difficult to translate this into your solopreneur business, where the funds you will use to put things in place, projects are yours.
It is very different to have a big structure to support what you are doing and finding yourself solo to run the business. “You can hire freelancers and contractors, but sometimes they are not at the level you were used to when working in corporate”.
A different strategy
Bridget kept contracting with big corporations as a side project. For two main reasons: having a second stream of income and keeping connections.
In the first couple of years of running her business, Bridget was focusing on narrowing in to what she wanted and could do with her resources and network.
It is so important to do this exercise to learn what you want to do or can do.
Also, when this is defined, you are flexible to shift from what is not working to what could instead.
What is really possible versus what I really like to do.
Getting involved in other business groups, other entrepreneurs, with the same mindset, knowing the challenges that this way of working implies, it helps.
You are not alone, you have a network of like-minded people who are on the same page, you have support.
Find communities that speak the same language, know what you are talking about.
Say yes to things
Through business owners, Bridget also met new friends. Especially when living in a different country and across cultures.
You find your tribe, every time and at different stages of life.
Bridget has built new communities in every place she has lived.
Bridget finds it easier to socialize and build both social and professional relationships when she is abroad. Building connections in new places.
She did this when she moved to the UK in her 20s, when she went to Morocco with her business, but also when she moved to France with her corporate job.
She says it is very different when she is back home.
She feels more adventurous when she is abroad.
“Talking to random people you would have never talked to when back home”, a beautiful way to expand your acquaintances.
“You put yourself out there more, it is a necessity. You have to. You say yes to drinks with new people, new business meetings, you going on adventures.
She says this has been the most beautiful part of living abroad.
This also fosters personal growth, and what are called soft skills.
Career change as a need of big change in own life
Why did Bridget decide to change careers?
Bridget wanted to travel more, have more freedom related to location and flexibility.
She wanted a location independent job.
So genuinely, the main reason for Bridget was to build a business around a different lifestyle that she wanted to live.
She had a great job, but needed something different.
After being in the retail business for 15 years, she felt the need for a change. To create something that was more in line with what matters to her.
Expectation on what your career or business needs to be
It was interesting to see how things have then played out.
She practiced a lot of mental gymnastics when she found herself stuck in Australia during the pandemic.
Those expectations change a lot when you are forced to reflect.
A corporate career has certain needs that don’t necessarily mean the same in your business. Or you need a certain amount of money based on your past salary. You put a lot of pressure on yourself.
“Inside a big company, it is easy to grow, you can achieve a lot by working with big teams. There’s also a structure to support your career. Once you are in a small company, the needs are different. Not every brand needs to scale big. Once you take the pressure off from the example you had in corporate you become more realistic about your project.
We would not be a good business owners if we were hard on ourself. We constantly reinvent ourselves.
So why expect so much for ourselves? ”
Challenging thing of reinvention is constantly reinventing oneself.
The biggest learning
Not all businesses are meant to scale. A couple of times, I have heavily invested in businesses that I probably shouldn’t have.
Having additional expenses, like hiring staff to scale the business, are not necessarily fulfilling. Scaling up hasn’t made her more happy and hasn’t allowed her to make more money.
There’s a beauty to keeping things small.
“A comfortable level I can work for myself”. Bridget adores her retail business where she can travel, live where she wants, personally visit suppliers.
Flexibility as a strategy
Bridget is preparing for another move and has the ability to shrink her business to a manageable level, allowing her to do more contracting and consulting work aside and work with clients remotely.
Freedom a big value of Bridget that has been used as a compass.
Coaching, mentoring and other type of support
Bridget attended a few community based mentoring programs on entrepreneurship. She picked the topics she needed to develop and then loved the community she got to engage with.
She finds it very beneficial to be with people that are building things and projects like herself. Good energy, learning from other people who had different paths are all pluses.
Be responsible for your own education
Nowadays, there’s an abundance of education available online. So it’s up to us to search for the one that is valuable. It is definitely time-consuming, but sometimes, being part of a community, you can tap into those resources and ask for advice or find the right tip.
This is one of the reasons why I am working on a new project I want you to hear about. A community, a co-working space, and a learning space all under the same roof. So that all those people like you, that have a dream, an idea, or a seed for a new project won’t feel alone and will have a community to tap into. Like minded people that work side by side to their new business idea or career path, with a dedicated learning space.
It will be by invitation, and will host monthly meetings online.
If you are interested, or know someone who could benefit from this project, sign up here to get notified when I open the doors of the Reinvention Lab.
Sliding door moment
The pandemic changed hugely the trajectory of Bridget’s plans.
She was visiting her family in Australia when she got stuck during the lockdowns. From a 2 weeks’ holiday idea she ended up staying 4 years and had to put on hold her Morocco project.
While she was in Melbourne during Covid she met her partner. They spent those tough times together on different projects and recently planned their next move to the UK.
FIND BRIDGET ONLINE
To connect with Bridget John and learn more about her work, visit her on the following platforms:
Founder – Nouvelle Nomad
Marrakech | Melbourne
Brand Consulting
Strategy, Advisory & Projects – For Adventurous Brands
Resources and Inspiration
- Do you want to brainstorm about your Reinvention idea, or learn how Coaching skills can help you develop your project?
You can book a free introductory Coaching session here.
- Are you curious about Reinvention? Go download my free GUIDE: Your first steps
You will see how easy it is to take your first steps by looking at :
a.How you perceive CHANGE
b.Your values and your personality.
c.What are you ready to put in place tomorrow
- If you are ready to move forward and would like guidance and/or peers to work with: check out the Reinvention Revolution Program
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I can’t wait to hear your unique story of reinvention, and share it with the community. Listeners will be inspired, will learn and find other people’s experiences relatable and encouraging.
