I had the pleasure of speaking with Sarah Gurnsey from Live Lively & Now You Can recently. Sarah has been interviewing women in business and gaining a range of insights to share with her audience. We discuss my back story, working in alignment with passion, being introverted as an entrepreneur, and networking.
Sarah from Now You Can & Live Lively
At Now You Can, Sarah strives to provide education and new perspectives to help women live and work in ways that serve us and light us up. Check out Now You Can on Instagram, and the Live Lively website for beautifully curated stationery.
Let’s dive into the interview:
Sarah: Let us know your journey to your current business! Plus the story you would like to share (as mentioned in your DM)
Ashleigh: I was fortunate to find a subject that I enjoyed at school, graphic design, that sparked a career option for me. I also did digital and photography, both subjects that I enjoyed and that contributed at the beginning of my journey. When I left high school I studied a Bachelor of Design at AUT. Although I’ve always been a socially anxious introvert, uni is where I started to feel myself develop. I went along to design industry events whenever I could to be exposed to this new world and soak it all in. I didn’t realise that web design was for me really until I chose a digital pathway in my final year of uni and at graduation was offered a web design internship at an agency. I learnt Shopify and WordPress on the job where things started to click for me. I ended up landing a full time role there continuing to create designs and build websites.
Everything changed in one day. I got a phone call out of the blue from my boss saying that there was no work anymore, the company had liquidated. No notice, just ‘come get your things and off you go’. I fumbled around applying for jobs for a little while, plus it was Christmas time so I gave myself a break. I came to the conclusion that I could be my own boss someday when I felt ready with years of work experience, or I could do it now. That’s when Glow Creative was born. I’ve been working in and on my business for over two years now. It’s been a heck of a journey with plenty of ups and downs. I have no regrets because it is completely aligned with me.
Sarah: What are your beliefs around the importance of working in alignment with your passions?
Ashleigh: I don’t think there’s any other way to live but intentionally. So if you’re not following your passions, that’s okay if it is for a calculated and temporary reason. Otherwise, why not? We all know that people regret the things they didn’t even try more than the things they failed at. It is important to work in alignment with our passions because work takes a significant portion of our lives. If we don’t enjoy our work, we’re really just living for the weekend and I don’t think that’s okay. We need to question the norm. To live a truly magical life takes courage. When we work in alignment with our passions, working isn’t a drag. Work/life balance can become irrelevant because it’s all one big beautiful experience. We feel certain that we’re on the right path which gives us a happier outlook on everything. If everyone in the world was working in alignment with their passions, the world would be a better place.
Sarah: How did you manage to turn losing your job into such a positive opportunity?
Ashleigh: It was a rough ride when the company I worked for liquidated. I learned A LOT of what not to do. I was able to take the failures of my ex-boss and take them as learnings. That’s the biggest lesson, that failure = learning. Working with a fantastic close-knit team also gave me the encouragement I needed. Many of the old team have gone onto self-employment.
Ashleigh from Glow Creative
Sarah: You speak openly about being introverted, do you believe there are some key strengths that come from this?
Ashleigh: There certainly are. Introverts are simply people who recharge by spending quiet time alone (while extroverts recharge socially). Introverts offer a deeper level of thought and attention to detail. The strength comes from leaning into those traits and working with them rather than against.
Sarah: I’d love to discuss about introverted entrepreneurs! You’re an extremely creative person, and I’d love to know more about your story of understanding your strengths as an introvert and how you utilise these to your advantage in business or take it as an opportunity to expand yourself?
Ashleigh: I love self-development, personality tests, new experiences, and learning opportunities. I feel this has given me a head-start to life in the sense that I have put the time into finding my strengths and quirks. As an introvert, I know that I need regular downtime away from new things and social interaction. That’s not a problem, that’s why I chose a job where I can work alone on my computer. But I also have the freedom to go out during the day and do things like networking. It can be harder for introverts to keep moving because we love our comfort zones, but with the right balance we can do great things. I’ve discovered it’s about having patience and being okay with slow progress. It isn’t a race.
Sarah: Also, your thoughts on the importance of networking as I see this is a bit of a focus for you at the moment?
Ashleigh: Yes, my new year’s resolution was to network more. Not only am I naturally wired toward sticking to myself, but I’m living in a new city this year. I don’t have friends and family nearby anymore. Networking is for business connections and creating friendships. It helps my mental health as well. I’ve gone through a bit of stress and anxiety yet I’ve found socialising keeps me in high spirits. Making friends as an adult can be hard, but I’ve made a few in Christchurch simply because I took the leap even though I was nervous. It’s important to network (or if you don’t like that word, make authentic connections) because sharing ups and downs with others gives you perspective. You never know what opportunities you can give and receive.
Thank you for interviewing me, Sarah.
