Interview: Sarajane Case

Can you start by telling the readers a little about yourself?

I'm a writer, speaker and podcaster based in Asheville, NC. I work primarily with female identifying people who want to organize their lives so that they have more time to do the things they want to be doing instead of what they feel like they have to do. I also work as a mentor for folks who are stating their business for the first time or starting a new branch of being self-employed through passive income or pivoting industries. I'm the creator of Enneagram & Coffee and the host of both The Enneagram & Coffee Podcast as well as Brave Radio! Finally, I'm a wife to an incredible human and a stepmom to my favorite 7 year old! 

So I found out about you through your new Instagram, Enneagram & Coffee. But it turns out you are way more than an Instagram account (as are we all!) can you tell me a little about how you got started doing what you do?

Yes! When I was a little girl I once said that I wanted to have every job in the world and I feel like I've come very close. My journey as an entrepreneur started in college back in 2007 and has been every winding since then. From wedding photography to boudoir to commercial photography to marketing to business coaching to where we are now. My journey has been one of trying, learning, pivoting and doing better! Enneagram & Coffee is the latest edition of that evolution.

Enneagram & Coffee seems to have exploded. Were you expecting that?  And has it opened new doors for you?

I definitely didn't expect that at all! I was mainly thinking it would be friends and current clients following along. I remember being so excited when it hit 500 followers and only a couple of days later we'd hit 100k! I was mind blown. It has definitely opened up new opportunities and exposure that I hadn't anticipated. But, I am loving every minute of it!

“The most important relationship is the relationship you have to yourself. Know yourself in and out and trust that what you desire desires you.”

What has been the hardest part about running your own business? The most rewarding?

The hardest part of running my own business in the beginning was learning that I was my own feedback both positive and negative. I had to quickly build the habit of telling myself I did a good job and rewarding myself for a job well done. Otherwise, all of my feedback would be negative and I would lose motivation. At this point the hardest part for me is finding ways to move through my limiting beliefs and continuously expanding my ideas of what is possible and what I'm capable of. 

The most rewarding piece of running my own business is definitely the freedom and flexibility as well as the ability to always create and innovate! I love creative expression more than almost anything and my business is such a beautiful outlet for that! 

Do you have any advice for other female entrepreneurs? 

Definitely don't try to do things the way that everyone else is doing them. Understand your own sources of motivation, procrastination and limitation and develop a schedule, systems and offerings that support you as an individual! It can be really easy to want to re-create someone else's success but, you have to find your own path that works for you long-term!

We are never really done growing up. What do you hope to do in the future?

My biggest goal is to write a book this year and to do more speaking engagements! I wrote down recently that I'd love for most of my work to be writing, podcasting and speaking! *fingers crossed*

What gets you out of bed in the morning?

The insatiable desire I have to create and share something new everyday! 

Do you have advice for girls growing up today? 

The most important relationship is the relationship you have to yourself. Know yourself in and out and trust that what you desire desires you. When you learn how to listen and support yourself you can do anything! You can be a great partner, a great business owner, a great student, etc. Because working with yourself makes you more gracious, more productive and much more likely to find quick access points to what you need and desire from life! 

Do you have any female figures that you look up to? (real or fiction)

Definitely Elizabeth Gilbert! She is such a force of wisdom, kindness, true joy and creative magnetism! 

Why do you think it is important to tell our stories?

By sharing our stories we show others that they are not alone, that they will make it through and that there is something on the other side of difficulty. We have the opportunity to ease someone else's burden when we take the time to share what we've learned and how messy the journey was as we learned it!

What is something in life that you are most proud of?

I am the most proud of showing up everyday on purpose. I wake up in the morning committed to being a great business owner, being present in my marriage, being an intentional parent, and having a healthy relationship to myself. I have a lot of accomplishments that I could list I guess, but it's the showing up each day and choosing to participate that I feel is worth celebration. 

A Few Favorites

Book:
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

Band/Song/Music Genre:
Fleetwood Mac! 

Quote:
"If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much." -Jim Rohn

What is your life motto?

Meet yourself with a care-giving mentality not the mentality of a disciplinarian. Love yourself through growth instead of punishing yourself for not being someone else.