I had the pleasure of meeting Christine at a networking session I attended and then getting to know her better when she attended a workshop I was running. I knew immediately that she was a woman on a missing to follow her passion and determined to build a business and help others.
I've been watching her relatively new business develop and grow and she was kind enough to give me an insight into her business, challenges and rise on the path to success. The cover photo was taken at her launch last year.
Q Tell us briefly about your business and how long you have been doing it
A My business is sleep. I am working with adult individuals and sleep deprived parents and their babies alike. I pride myself of always delivering a bespoke service looking at the whole picture and not just one piece of the puzzle. My official launch was in August 2015.
Q Why did you choose to work for yourself?
A There were different factors contributing to my decision to leave my government job and become an entrepreneur. I wasn't happy in my previous job anymore, but most of all the passing away of my then 23 year old cousin gave me the kick I needed to take the one life I have and build something amazing with it. The second the idea crept into my mind my heart was sold and I just knew that I could never go back.
Q What type of business structure did you register in Luxembourg?
A I have an 'entreprise individuelle en nom propre' and I am also working as a freelance.
Q What was your greatest challenge to getting started and if you overcame it, how did you do so?
A I was quite fortunate enough that the unusual type of business I have and the fact that I left my job as a teacher to become an entrepreneur raised interest and I was featured in various media. However, after the first wave of excitement died of I had a couple of rough months but now I am recovering and referrals are starting to come in and I have just gained so much more experience. I have new partners, like the paediatricians in Val-Ste-Croix ,where I have office hours now, and am also more confident than before.
Q What is your greatest challenge now and what will you do to overcome it?
A It is still hard. I don't have a salary yet, every income I have is being invested or set aside for tax and vat and insurance. So sometimes it is just plain scary. But I know that that is a sort of right of passage and that my persistence will pay off....it already is! So surrounding myself with like-minded people is key!
Q What is the best thing about working for yourself?
A Recently I was asked by a former colleague if I didn't miss holidays. I just laughed because for me every day is a kind of holiday because I love my job so much. I am actually happy when Monday comes around because i can finally reach all of those people who weren't working over the weekend.
Q You’ve been very successful with your publicity, both in writing for publications like Huffington Post and numerous interviews, to what do you attribute that?
A You just have to be bold and be ready to get out there. You can't help anyone if they don't know you exist and the worst that can happen when asking to be published is that you'll hear a 'no'. So what? Try again!
Q What is your favourite type of marketing and why?
A I love social media. It is a great way to communicate and you can use images, video and text. And it is free (mostly). So I am bit of a geek in social media marketing strategy and I am convinced it has helped me a lot. A lot of my clients have first heard about me via Facebook.
Q What is the most important or significant piece of advice you have to people starting as you have?
A Make sure your heart and soul is in it and make sure you have people who will support you, scratch you off the floor when you are having a bad day and wallow in self-pity and cheer for you when you succeed. Stay away from people who 'just don't get it' and don't let the sentence 'but can you make a living from it' get to you. Having said that make sure your idea is actually feasible and has potential. As an entrepreneur the sky is the limit if you work hard and don't give up! How amazing is that?
Name: Christine Hansen
Name of Business: Sleep Like A Boss & Sleep Like A Baby: By Christine Hansen
Title or Role: Founder
Website: www.bychristinehansen.com | www.sleeplikeaboss.com | www.sleeplikeababy.lu
Facebook: /sleeplikeababy.lu or /sleeplikeaboss
