Q 1. Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business. Please include what your business is all about, in which city you are located and if you have offices in multiple locations/ cities.
Ans: I am a psychotherapist and yoga instructor based in the San Francisco Bay Area. I have offices in Oakland and San Mateo and see clients who are recovering from traumatic experiences including accidents, violence and abuse. I integrate many healing modalities into my practice, including EMDR and yoga, and I encourage clients to process through physical movement as well as through talk. I also teach internationally about integrating yoga and trauma treatment.
Q 2. Kindly give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
Ans: I studied psychology and interpersonal relationships at UCLA and went on to complete two graduate programs in trauma and resilience at Harvard University. I have worked in many therapeutic settings, including group homes, specialty schools, non-profits and private practice. I am a licensed psychotherapist in the state of California and am certified through Yoga work’s rigorous yoga teacher certification process.
Q 3. What inspired you to (start a new business venture) or (to make significant changes in an existing business)? How did the idea for your business come about?
Ans: My business came about because, as I learned from the fields of psychology, counseling and yoga, I saw how clearly their healing intentions integrated. Studying both concurrently made it easy to bridge the two fields, so now work with individuals who want to integrate both practices and teach others to do the same!
Q 4. What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
Ans: 1. Get clear on the purpose of your business – why do you do what you do?
2. Get support for the aspects of your business that are less familiar to you.
3. Don’t be afraid to tell people who you are and why you do what you do. Offer for them to become involved!
Q 5. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: Perseverance, Creativity & Passion.
Q 6. How many hours do you work a day on average?
Ans: 8-10.
Q 7. To what do you most attribute your success?
Ans: Curiosity.
Q 8. How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Ans: I have profiles online through psychology today, as well as through good therapy and google places. My best marketing is word of mouth from colleagues and clients.
Q 9. Where did your organizations funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
Ans: No investors, I used a bonus I received at a clinic to support my leap into full time private practice and teaching.
Q 10. What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Ans: Do something you love, if you love it you’ll stick through the challenging aspects and come out stronger.
Q 11. Where you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
Ans: Continuing to teach at an international level, certifying teachers on yoga fro trauma and writing another book.
Q 12. Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
Ans: Marie Forleo. She spreads positivity and practical tips for success for small business owners through her website and her TV series MarieTV. She’s on fire!
Q 13. How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
Ans: If I feel like I am bashing my head against a wall I let if go, put it down. It is more about the feeling of struggle than the time frame for me.
Q 14. What motivates you?
Ans: Seeing other people succeed.
Q 15. What are your ideals?
Ans: I believe that people are inherently good and that most of the social challenges we deal with are the result fears, trauma and seeing other people as competitors rather than partners.
Q 16. How do you generate new ideas?
Ans: Get silly.
Q 17. How do you define success?
Ans: Doing what you love & getting paid for it.
Q 18. How do you build a successful customer base?
Ans: As my 100 year old grandma says, “be kind to people.”
Q 19. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
Ans: Freedom to be creative and generate new things.
Q 20. What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
Ans: Hearing a heartfelt “thank you” from a struggling teen-ager. Teaching workshops to people who are truly excited to share the information I am providing.
Q 21. What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
Ans: tolerance of uncertainty.
Q 22. In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur.
Ans: Evolving.
Q 23. If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?
Ans: I actually haven’t thought of this. I would ask for help sooner and not be so afraid of being judged.
Q 24. What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?
Ans: Whenever I create something new I feel fear stepping into what is new and awkward for me. I try to remember that I have done it before, and that I can continue to move from fear into familiarity over time.
Q 25. How did you decide on the location for your business?
Ans: Close to home.
Q 26. Do you believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: No, I think we all have to find our own way, while listening and learning from each other.
Q 27. If you could talk to one person from history, who would it be and why?
Ans: Patanjali – no one actually knows if s/he existed as one person, was male, female or a group of people, but it is the name attributed to the Yoga Sutras, written around 400 CE, a book that deeply influences my work.
Q 28. Who has been your greatest inspiration?
Ans: My yoga teachers.
Q 29. What book has inspired you the most? (OR what is your favorite book?)
Ans: Emmanuel’s Book II The Choice for Love.
Q 30. What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve made?
Ans: As a therapist I’ve made the mistake of thinking I can fix things for other people. I can help, but I can’t do their work.
Q 31. How can you prevent mistakes or do damage control?
Ans: Have a practice (and people) that helps you see your own patterns to build awareness of and perspective on your behavior.
Q 32. What are your hobbies? What do you do in your non-work time?
Ans: I love to travel and get lost in other cultures. I also run ultra-marathons and love to get lost in nature. So I guess if you tell me to get lost I will take that as a compliment.
Q 33. What makes you happy?
Ans: Simple things – good coffee, visiting a new place, hanging out with my mom, telling stupid jokes with my running buddies. Love me some nature.
Q 34. What sacrifices have you had to make to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: I have had to sacrifice the sense of stability that comes with having someone else take care of the bigger picture.
Q 35. If you were conducting this interview, what question would you ask?
Ans: I would ask the million dollar question – what would you do?? I’d invest, buy a house on Maui and keep doing what I’m doing.
Company : Lisa Danylchuk, LMFT.
Address: Lisa Danylchuk, LMFT 445 Bellevue Suite 104C Oakalnd, CA 94610
Email: Lisa@HowWeCanHeal.com
Phone: (510) 214-3520
Website: http://howwecanheal.com/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/lisadanylchukmft
