Vicky Shilling created The Flourishing Pantry, an award-winning health & wellness brand
Hi I’m Vicky. I’m a coach helping wellness entrepreneurs find the confidence, clarity and belief they need to create the business they’re dreaming of.
Through one-to-one coaching, I help my clients get clear on what they want for their wellness business, build engaged audiences for the content and services they offer, overcome the fears and mindsets that have been holding them back and support them in building a wellness business that is rewarding, inspiring and sustainable.
What motivated you to become an entrepreneur? Is having your own business something you always wanted?
Being an entrepreneur wasn’t something I always wanted. I was always very academic and believed that I would climb the ranks in the music industry (my first career) and make it to a CEO or Managing Director of an orchestra or music venue.
After hitting 30 I slowly began to realise that the music industry was no longer my passion and the life and job that I thought I aspired to wasn’t what I wanted. I discovered the world of health and wellness through blogging and social media and became hooked. I wanted to get involved and I was inspired by how many people were going it alone. I was convinced I could do the same which is where my entrepreneurial journey began.
As a result I feel I’ve fallen into being an entrepreneur somewhat. I was terrified of the word ‘entrepreneur’ for a long time – I thought I needed to have invented something like the Dyson vacuum in order to use the title! I’ve slowly learned to embrace it, and all that being entrepreneurial means.
How did you come up with your business idea? What inspired you?
My business idea has been constantly evolving and has only really taken shape in the last year. It’s involved a lot of exploration, soul searching and experimenting. And failing. A lot of failing!
I started my blog The Flourishing Pantry while I was still working full-time in music, with no idea of what it would become. It started as a personal journey exploring diet and health, and has grown into a hub for healthy eating and living tips for entrepreneurs. It’s now been nominated and won numerous awards, including Best Health & Fitness Blog 2019 at the latest awards in Ireland, where I’m based.
I love creating recipes and writing blog posts about healthy living. But somehow becoming a Health Coach or a Nutritionist never appealed. I didn’t know how to turn what I was doing into a business.
It was only when I started to really listen to the audience that I had grown and the questions I was getting asked that I realised what my business should be. I wasn’t being asked healthy living advice. I was being asked things like how to start a blog, how to work with brands, how to use Pinterest, how I drive traffic to my website. These were all questions coming from my community and they were the people I loved helping and supporting.
So my business has been inspired by my community. I now coach wellness entrepreneurs – both existing and budding ones, to build their own wellness businesses. I took a coaching course and this has hugely elevated the 1:1 coaching services I offer, combined with the resources and knowledge I have built through growing my own blog. It’s the perfect combination, suddenly everything has clicked.
Do you have a fixed work routine? Is it important to have one? Any tips for our readers?
I don’t have a fixed routine but I do follow a few basic principles for a work day.
I always write a daily to-do list the night before so I know what I’m working on. I use The Imperfect Life Planner to make sure I’m on track with my weekly, monthly and yearly goals.
I always give myself a dedicated lunch break and ensure I get outside the house (I work from home) to stretch my legs and get fresh air. Sometimes that’s when the best ideas come!
I start the day with 10-15 minutes meditation (I use free ones available on Insight Timer) and also try and get to the gym for a class first thing too before hitting the desk. I find I work a lot better and I’m more positive if I do that and I don’t have time for excuses if I get exercise done in the mornings!
In terms of tips for work routine I would say do what works for you and experiment with different things. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution – some people like planning things in 15 minute blocks, some go with the flow. There’s no ‘right’ way of doing it.
What do you think is the biggest obstacle for female founders? How can we overcome it?
Ourselves. Of course there are plenty of statistics and unavoidable truths about living in a patriarchy. But I truly believe we are our own worst enemies when it comes to putting obstacles in our way.
The more I coach wellness entrepreneurs, the more I realise that the biggest blocks are the ones in our own minds that stop us playing big and going for it. Working on our mindset, really digging into the beliefs we have, the internal dialogue we are constantly having with ourselves and finding more positive ways to set ourselves up mentally is far more powerful than blaming other people or the system we find ourselves in.
What are some pros and cons of having (OR not having) entrepreneurial parents?
I didn’t have entrepreneurial parents and that does come with pros and cons.
The pros are that I was encouraged to get a good education, that my parents supported me through university. I was taught the value of loyalty to a company and hard-work. I learned a lot from working for other people for 10 years before I became an entrepreneur and I am grateful for that grounding.
The cons are that it has taken me a long time to work on the mindset you need as an entrepreneur. Having been brought up by parents employed by others, I am very risk averse and that’s not always helpful when going it alone! Naturally your parents want you to be protected, safe and secure and that can often come in the form of full-time employment where there’s a regular pay-cheque at the end of the month. But it doesn’t necessarily leave you completely fulfilled.