My Goal is To Make My first Million, With Two Soon-To-Launch Businesses

Johanne Holman left the corporate life to launch her own business, wait, not just one but two! Her first goal is to a make her first million by 5^th May 2019 (her birthday). And we are here to follow her journey! 

It all started after a beautiful week away in Sunny Barbados, when Johanne Holman returned to work knowing that it was time, time for her to go alone, time to make ‘her’ a business. But on handing in her notice, her wonderful employer, not wanting her to leave, offered her the opportunity to withhold her salary, but on a four-day week, in order to give her some well-needed time with her family. To keep a long story short, Johanne, of course, accepted his offer, and continued to work for a further 9 months on this basis.

It was when business needed to be changed, and her employer had to ask for the day he’d given her back, that she knew it was ‘now’, now was the time to make the change and to follow her heart and do what she actually wanted. 

Johanne’s employer request was that final little nudge she needed, to make her take the action 

You are an entrepreneur of two soon-to-launch businesses, can you tell us what businesses you will launch?

Now this is a story I love to tell, as my business ‘Dumforter’ has been formed to bring a product that was invented through the innocent eyes of my Children to life. Nearly 9 years ago now my beautiful Son Harrison, questioned why his Sister Jessica, had to have that and that (a Dummy AND a Comforter), why couldn’t she just have one? So Harrison and I sat down, created a name, started the design process and the idea of ‘Dumforter’ was born. But, like so many good ideas, it sadly got placed on a shelf, until about 3 years ago, when I decided to pick it up once and for all, and make it my job to make it happen, and here we are just a week away now from launching the product at Kind und Jugend, one of the biggest International Tradeshows for Babies and Toddlers, I am literally so excited.

And my business ‘Inspiring Ladies’ has been created to inspire Ladies – Mums in particular, to create and live the life of their dreams. Having spent most of my Son’s 17 years and my Daughter’s 11 years at work, I dread do think how many precious moments I have potentially missed out on, and I’ve come to realise this year, that it actually doesn’t need to be that way. I’m making it my mission through my 7-steps to clarity coaching programme (where I have put my past 10 years of learning into 7 simple weeks of learning) in order to help Ladies realise their talent, create their vision and start to live a life they love, potentially the life of their dreams.

How can we follow your journey to launching the two businesses?

The best place to find me and follow me on my journey to launching these two business is on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/johanne_holman/ as it’s here I like to share my real stories, good and bad, on both me and my family, business and personal. I have always been a very open person, if somebody has something to ask, they can ask, and I’ll happily share my story. I truly believe that all that happens in our lives, happens for a reason, I believe that each challenge is an opportunity to get closer to our true potential and deliver our life purpose. I have actually written my first ever blog this week, which I have linked below. I’m not perfect, I’m real. Becoming a Business Owner twice over this year, is a dream come true to me, and one that could not have happened if I hadn’t taken that leap of faith to leave the Corporate World at the turn of the year.

Do you already have customers/clients? How did that go?

The principal answer to that question is I don’t. I know who they are and where to find them, but it’s just a few weeks too early to start reaching out. In fact, I have literally only just started sharing my story and highlighting that I have these businesses coming over the past few days, it’s such an exciting, yet nerve-racking time for me. 

Finding Customers doesn’t scare me at all, I have spent my life (25+ years) in Sales and Marketing in the Hospitality Industry, finding and converting Clients, so this part is actually probably going to be one of the easiest parts of my business (naturally I have everything crossed whilst I’m typing this by the way! ).

I am not your typical sales person – never have been, never will be, my Customers will always be my friends, I’m not pushy, I’m just honest and I’m me, and fortunately, most people tend to buy into that. I managed to secure an appointment for Dumforter with the Lead Buyers of two separate major High Street Retailers, one of which I am actually meeting again next week, I didn’t have to push my way through the door, the doors very easily opened – How? Why? Sadly there was no rocket science involved, I genuinely believe it was my honest, gentle, creative nature, that helped make me stand out… I absolutely to do things differently, it’s important to be able to stand out!

You are building your own businesses, would you say that will free you from the 9-5 life? Would you say it will be much different than working in a corporate organisation?

I will absolutely be free from the 9-5, right at the very top of my vision board of all my big dreams and visions are my three core why’s in capital letters ‘FAMILY. FREEDOM. HAPPINESS’. I want to create a business for me, my family and all future employees that allows everyone to live these values. Corporate life can be so restrictive and damaging to people’s lives and well-being, that I wouldn’t want to be another employer that fits that mould. I love to be individual and creative, and I want my businesses to reflect that, so I will be doing everything I can to ensure my values are truly embedded deep into the core of the business for all to enjoy. 

What are your goals currently? As in vision and mission?

My first goal is to a make my first million by 5^th May 2019 (my birthday). Having led a very humble life, being raised by a very giving, hard-working, all-sacrificing single Mum, I want to be able to give back.

I want to be able to demonstrate to the world, that a small idea, can become a big dream, so anything and everything is worth following ‘say yes to everything, give it a shot, what have you got to lose?’. 

I am also keen, through Dumforter, to volunteer with my two children, to help protect and raise awareness for each of the beautiful animals I have included in my first collection. The first collection is called ‘Dumforter in the wild’ so my first animals to support will be Pandas, Elephants, Giraffes, Tigers and Zebras… and I’ll probably, truth be known, be petrified of them all!

But what’s really important to me in all this, is to be able to demonstrate that with a clear vision, passion and a whole lot of determination, it actually doesn’t matter where you started, or what cards you’ve been dealt along the way, anything is possible! You can live a life you love!

We all have our good days and bad days. What is your typical bad day and typical good day look like? And how do you stay motivated all the time?

A bad day, is when I feel out of control. Integrity is a very important part of my being, to deliver what I say I’m going to deliver, and on-time, is paramount, but with working with different time zones and having the manufacturing operations of Dumforter in China, this really does prove to be a little challenging at times. My bad days, generally only happen, when I haven’t started them in the ‘good way’ that I generally like to do.

My good days are amazing, when I get my morning routine right. A good morning routine is so critical, and literally does set me up for the whole day. I like to get-up, do my work-out, write my gratitude journal, review the day’s business goals and objectives that I’d written the night before, shower, breakfast and then get started. If I get my morning routine right, the rest of the day just seems to flow, if I don’t … ‘grouchy’ comes to mind.

Tell us about your proudest achievement?

I have many moments of feeling proud, thanks to my dance school stage shows and exams throughout my early years, but I guess my proudest achievement to-date is winning Sales Newcomer of the Year Award when I was working in the Hospitality Industry, as I was up against hundreds of people, it was an industry-wide National Award, and so for me to have that moment on stage collecting the award, will stay with me for a very long time.

However, to make a success of Dumforter, and be inspiring ladies all over the world to follow their dreams, that will most definitely be my proudest achievement. Why? Because my beautiful Mum who has put so much of her life into the ensuring the success of her girls, my ‘making it’, will have made all her struggles worthwhile, so to make my Mum proud, will far exceed anything else I could ever possible have done or could do.

What have been some of your failures, and what have you learned from them?

If only my personal life was as simple as my work-life…

Unfortunately, most of my failures have primarily been in my personal life, somehow, I’ve always managed to get my work-life just right. I’ve unfortunately been married and divorced twice, which was always something I wasn’t proud of, but actually it’s probably the making of me. Being raised by a Single Mum, I always felt I needed a man, yet actually, what my Mum was here to teach me, I now believe, is that I actually didn’t. So having spent my entire life trying to please them, at the total detriment of my hearts desires, I now realise that actually, I was raised by my Mum to be a strong independent woman, and here she is, she’s just taken 46 years to arrive!