We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rianna Hijlkema a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Rianna, thanks for joining us today. Can you walk us through some of the key steps that allowed you move beyond an idea and actually launch?

I’ve often wondered what it would be like to wake up one day and realize I made money while I was sleeping. And as I was designing the 50th custom sleep plan template, I decided that there must be a way to provide cost-effective solutions to my clients. So, I created a landing page where I sold a DIY template that sleep consultants could buy and edit themselves.

The first month, my clients kept reaching out to me for custom design even though I redirected them to my DIY template. Then, one Friday morning, I remember it very well as I woke up in my apartment in Mexico there was a message of my bank that $58 USD had been transferred at 2am from Europe.

It was an incredible feeling and it tasted for more. That’s how my template shop came alive: an affordable option for sleep consultants and a way for me to help more people in a shorter amount of time. I’m still doing a little dance every sale, as I’m grateful for the trust I received from this community.

Rianna, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a serial entrepreneur, digital nomad, full-time traveler, and happily married to my soulmate. I’ve lived and worked in 45+ countries on five continents. Born in the Netherlands, but a true global citizen since 2011.

When I was growing up, they told me “pick one thing and stick with it”. I tried, but then decided that that wasn’t the path for me. I refused (and still do) to settle for a single passion, a single job and even a single country. Instead I embraced all of my interests, unlocked my full potential and am now running multiple businesses, while living a nomadic lifestyle… It’s been an amazing journey so far…

One of my goals is to help sleep consultants create a business that they not only love, but are proud of. By doing so, they’ll be able to provide even greater value to the families they serve, and achieve the success they’ve dreamed of.

Starting a business can be an exciting and daunting experience, especially if it’s a brand new venture. You have the skills and certification to help others. However, running a business requires a different set of skills and knowledge. That’s why it’s important to not only have a passion for helping, but also a love for your own business.

When you love your business, it’s easier to stay motivated and committed to making it a success. Even when faced with challenges or setbacks, your love for your business will drive you to push through and find solutions. You’ll be more likely to invest time and energy into growing and developing your business, even when it feels like an uphill battle.

Loving your business is about more than just making money. It’s about creating something meaningful and impactful, both for yourself and for the people you help.

When I made the transition from a full-time teacher to becoming a sleep consultant while still teaching part-time, I knew that I was moving closer to the life I had always desired. And now, as a brand & design expert, I help other women become successful entrepreneurs, enabling them to create a business (and life!) they truly love.

I believe that the most important thing you can do to make an impact in the world is to find out what you’re good at (and what makes you happy!), and do more of that!

I’m currently writing a book about the struggles we all experience in life and how they can push us away from the life of our dreams. In the book, I explain how to move from a reported on life towards a created life. A life that makes you feel empowered & truly alive! Because that’s what I aim for!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE having the freedom to make decisions, set my own goals, and make an impact while achieving a work-life balance that suits me. I’ve been living a nomadic life for the past 12 years – following the sun, living from 1 backpack, and not staying anywhere longer than a couple of weeks (might not be your idea of extraordinary.. haha.. but it is mine!). I wake up excited every morning!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Stop copying what everyone else is doing and take a moment to figure out what feels aligned with you. We’ve all been there, – we see successful entrepreneurs doing their thing and we think that must be the way to success. However, the success they attained might not be yours if it’s not aligned with who you are. So it’s really about figuring out what works for you and then doing more of that.

On the other hand, when you stumble upon something that’s working, don’t rush to change it. This can be a real challenge for creative types like me who always have new ideas popping up. But focus is everything. Instead of constantly chasing the next shiny thing, stick to what’s already proven to be effective. Success often comes from honing and perfecting what’s already in front of you.

So it all boils down to understanding yourself, finding what clicks uniquely for you, and having the discipline to stick with it. Ultimately, your commitment and staying true to your path can lead to some pretty amazing outcomes.

Don’t be intimidated by those who seem to be doing everything from the start, most of them end up completely drained, feeling overwhelmed and quit after a couple of months. The key here is that it’s not about putting more on your plate. It’s about removing things from your plate. It’s the person that commits to 1 thing for 12 months, that will outwork every other person that tries to do 5 things at once.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

Yes, so starting a sleep consulting business can be exciting and overwhelming in the same time. And in the past 3 years I’ve seen so many Sleep Consultants struggle and eventually fail.

Why?

They invest all of their time in creating a website, picking the right colors for their logo, making beautiful Instagram posts, ending up 6-12 months later, feeling exhausted, drained, and without any energy (nor excitement!) to do the thing they became a sleep consultant for: helping families and generating a decent income.

So a couple of months ago I decided to create an offer where sleep consultants can hire a professional (me!) who is not only a designer but also familiar within the field of sleep consulting, to build their business & brand, so that they can save time and focus on the most important thing: creating clients.

Now the challenge is, that most sleep consultants don’t have the money to invest in such a service. And I totally get it, cause I’ve been right where they are. So I decided to do something very unique. Or ‘insane’ as my business coach calls it.

I build their entire business & brand in 30 days, for… nothing! Yup, it’s the real deal. They pay nothing – zero, nada. I’ve got the expenses covered. Then, once they start creating clients, 50% of their earnings will serve as my payment until an agreed upon amount is reached. Which means that I only succeed if they do.

So, why on Earth am I offering this completely insane opportunity?

Because I’m on a mission, just like them. We, as Sleep Consultant have the power to (literally!) change lives. I want us to reach more families, debunk the sleep myths, and make a massive impact – not just for others, but for ourselves too. And not being able to invest upfront is a crucial problem. I get it, been there myself. And I know they need help right now (not when they’re already swimming in cash and have figured it all out!). That’s why I created this risk-free opportunity for sleep consultants, and I trust that I attract the right people that see this as an opportunity and not something to take advantage of (so far, so good!) I love taking these type of risks for the benefit of others, let’s talk again and see how this experiment went.. ;-)

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sleepconsultantdesign.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riannahijlkema/
• Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/rianna.hijlkema
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/riannahijlkema/