Making a Business Work with Local in Mind

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.
with Alexi Boyd from Boyd Office Management Services
Date: 19 September 2017

We too often leave ourselves last on the list of priorities as a small business owner. Family, clients and even our employees are treated as more important than ourselves and it means we can end up unwell or worse still, unable to work for a long period of time.

But it IS important to self-care as a business owner; for without us often there is no business, no income and for those employees, no wage!

So how DO we look after ourselves when everything else seems more important? Here to help us today is Kerri Alexander a local Naturopath and Herbalist who’s come on the show to share her expertise with us to help us self care and build long term strategies for business health!

Welcome to the show Kerri Alexander!

Topics we’ll be covering:

1. Broadly, your small business journey and what led you to start your own business?

I have always wanted to help and nurture people, to not only help them feel better but for them to be the very best that they can be. To be strong and healthy and vibrant. I always wanted to be a naturopath, but I had no idea that I could actually go to college and formally study to do so. I thought it was just something that had to be learnt through books, experience and the pearls of women’s wisdom handed down through the generations. Anyway by the time I was about halfway through my first degree, I had developed pretty bad IBS, food intolerances, had terrible headaches and anxiety as well so I took myself off to see a naturopath. It was the best thing I ever did for myself and I found myself on a path towards healing and self-discovery. At about the same time I found that Nature Care College were having an open day, so off I went and from the moment I walked in I knew that I had finally come home. This was what I wanted to be doing and sharing with the world. Not only had I experienced the incredible changes and healing that can happen when working with a naturopath, but now I could learn all of those beautiful tools and do the same for others. Once I graduated I began practicing and have been in practice ever since. Now I work from my gorgeous little home clinic in Hornsby so that not only can my patients can take a much needed break from the busyness of the world, but so that I can also be mum and work around my family.

1. The importance of good nutrition, regular exercise and self-care when working for yourself.

I know that we hear it all the time but we really are what we eat. Hippocrates wrote “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” and if you really think about it that delicious bowl of organic muesli with chia seeds, coconut yoghurt or organic yoghurt with rockmelon or whatever fruit you chose this morning will be broken down into their macro and micronutrients of proteins, complex carbohydrates, vitamin, minerals and probiotics and transported and then incorporated into every cell in your body. So if your breakfast was either nothing or a cappuccino and a muffin, you’re probably not putting yourself in the best position that you can to begin your day.

The best way and one of the simplest ways to care for yourself is to eat fresh, wholesome unprocessed foods so that you can give your body all the nutrients that you need to perform at your best. My best rule of thumb is that if your great grandmother wouldn’t recognise it as food, then you shouldn’t be eating it! And healthy eating doesn’t have to be complicated at all. It can be eggs and avocado on toast, or homemade salad with some organic chicken and balsamic dressing. Make it easy and pack yourself lunch and snacks before you head out to work. Take a thermos with a ready made herbal tea so that you can sip on it through the day. Integrate herbal medicines into your daily eating with simple things like drinking nourishing herbal teas and eating the herbs that are growing in your garden. Be sure to feed yourself, if your body and mind don’t have enough fuel then you can’t be at your best, nor can you be of service to your customers

Regular exercise is essential for coping with the stress of running a small business, not only does it increase physical stamina and strength but also improves how we cope mentally and emotionally with the stress. Meditation, even if it’s only 10 minutes a day, is another excellent way to care for ourselves as small business owners and it brings clarity, focus and compassion to our day.

Regular time out can be a challenge for small business owners but is essential. Boundaries and creating time outside of work to look after yourself, to defrag and just enjoy life is extremely important. It’s really easy to get caught in the the mindset of continual overwork, but all that happens is that we become less and less productive. Time out actually increases productivity.

The key for long term success in both small business and life is ongoing self-care. Remember you are the most important asset that your business has! Exercise regularly, meditate or do yoga, eat wholesome foods and use herbs and nutrients to support your mind and body and make sure that you take regular time out to do things outside of your business. Connect with family, friends and nature. Have fun and laugh.

1. Need a boost? Here are some fantastic remedies that can help support you through the highs and lows of running a small business.

Taking care of your nervous system, brain and adrenal glands would be my best advice when running your own business. The demands and hours are long, and the body and mind need support. So my favourite herbal medicines, foods, nutrients and tips for taking care of your nervous system are would be

• Drink herbal teas that have skullcap, oats, lemon balm, chamomile and nettle in them
• Use the ginsengs, but carefully and best under the advice of a herbalist
• Take either a multivitamin or B vitamins daily
• Take magnesium daily
• Include oats in your diet
• Eat well and regularly
• Exercise

My favourites for taking care of your adrenal glands would be

• Drink licorice, rosehip or tulsi tea
• Take B vitamins daily, especially B5 and B6
• Take vitamin C daily
• Take magnesium daily
• Take regular time out
• Get a good 8 hours sleep
• Meditate
• Do yoga

My favourites for taking care of your brain would be

• Use gingko or bacopa
• Take B vitamins daily
• Meditate daily
• Do yoga

KTA Blurb:

I support, empower and guide you to be the best and most vibrant version of yourself. We all want to live the best, fullest, happiest and most delicious lives that we can, but often times we are overwhelmed or frustrated by not being able to find the right balance or advice that best suits us or our lifestyles. This is where traditional naturopathic practice and complementary healthcare is truly strong, because the holistic viewpoint allows for needs of each person to be considered and adjusted for. That is why each prescription is different, because each person has unique physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs, and that is the exquisite beauty and complexity of what we, as naturopaths, do. I see the process as creating a unique and supportive structure around each person, almost like a piece of installation art, using the tools of herbal medicine, nutritional supplements, whole foods, flower essences, exercise, yoga and meditation. So whether you suffer from digestive issues, hormonal or menstrual difficulties or you feel stressed out, overwhelmed, anxious or depressed I will support and empower you to reconnect with your body so that you can take control of your health and wellbeing on every level.