Kasia Bosne's at Rawmantic Chocolate focuses on best quality and nutrition
BASED IN: NEW YORK
What is your background? Do you think you can learn entrepreneurship in a classroom or do you believe that you learn by getting your hands dirty?
As a first generation immigrant from Poland I came to US with a big vision. I think education is extremely important, but not nearly enough to prepare a fresh college graduate to be successful entrepreneur. Experience and hard work is what always prevails. The old saying goes practice makes perfect. The process of uncovering what you are meant to do, that is finding career direction, is a journey. It starts with discovering the essential "you": the person who truly resides behind the facades, defenses, and stresses of everyday life. Once unmasked, your journey continues with specific career exploration and identification of a career that allows you to make good use of your talents.
If I have learned anything from my own work experience in a fashion industry is how much I needed to think out of the box, pay attention to customers needs and follow the market demands. Giving people what they want. Nobody is interested in learning from you if they're not also being inspired, transformed by you.
When I opened Boutiqueon57 women’s luxury overstock shopping paradise in NYC I knew I would have to get my hands on business right away. I made several mistakes, but they always ended up to be the best lesson for me to reevaluate, pick myself up, and imply necessary changes and get back on the “horse”. I love what I do, and I am very involved in every aspect of my business. This is the only way to truly understand it, and grow with it.
What is the best part about being self-employed. What is the worst/scariest part?
Best part of self-employed is making your own schedule. Even though my work hours are long with a great team around I can work out of anywhere in the world.
The worst part is definitely stress. I love challenges and tend to overschedule things by overcommitting. There is never enough time for anything. In moments like this I like to surround myself with like-minded courageous and brave people. I always look for lessons in everything.
What steps are crucial to take before starting your own business?
1.It’s crucial to study the market demands, competition, and think things through.
2. Professional guidance and financial planning is always helpful.
3. How can you be of service to your clients, which solutions can you provide to solve problems.
4. Finding great attorney, accountant and bookkeeper that can structure, and maintain your business properly.
5. Create catchy easy to pronounce business name.
6. Be ready
What part of your personality helped in your journey and what did you have to work on?
Each of us has particular talents that, when expressed or exercised, make the world a better place. Most likely you enjoy doing these things, and you find that people respond well to you when you do them. I never take no for an answer and always search for ways to figure things out. I have a very strong work ethic, perseverance and focus.
I definitely need to work on my patient skills.
How important is it to make sure you are living a healthy and balanced life?
For me everything starts and ends with a balance. I am a very busy girl, and I need a lot of energy to keep up with everything I have booked on my calendar. Living well, eating healthy, exercising is essential to preserve the sanity while keeping energy. Even though I don’t always like to start my day with high intensity workout I love the results and energy it gives me. I work long active hours and it wouldn’t be possible to function normally at such a high paced demanded environment if I weren’t cautious about my diet and physical activity. I pack my own lunches, juices, and self made snacks (rawmanticchooclate) and plan to organize everything ahead to save time, aggravation, and be more efficient at work. I was so inspired by this that I spent a lot of time studying nutrition and mastering healthy cooking. I developed and manufactured highly nutritious energy protein bar and raw chocolates. Now I can’t have any excuses not to stay fit and healthy.
What is so important about setting boundaries for yourself? Do you think that every entrepreneur should have daily / monthly goals?
The worst thing we can do is to look for acceptance of our dreams or ideas from others. Imagine yourself of being a superwoman or superman focusing on your superpower. What would that be? Where do you start? Going to work each day is like going into battle. Often, only against yourself and your own ideas about what you have to be or do or have before you can be or do or have the stuff you really want. Sometimes, you won't feel like it. Preparation is vital and its then when opportunity meets you with rewards.
Having a vision, a dream its like identifying yourself and claiming a spot in this world. For me examining my values is very important to decide on setting the boundaries. I still have to learn to say no to some trivial tasks that impose themselves unproductively. Exercising every day is not negotiable. It’s a must.
I plan each day with old fashion index card where I write all assignments, and tasks prioritizing them from top down. I feel incredibly accomplished when the list gets all checks. To succeed as an entrepreneur you need to precisely define yourself. Be honest with yourself; write down what you want from the month (financially and in other areas). Write down some ways to get it. And then move on. Be strategic about your energy. You and you alone have to take responsibility for making your dream work.