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

Ilona, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think it takes to be successful?

First of all, I think the most important thing is to believe in yourself. I know it can sound cheesy and we’ve all heard it before, but when you think about it, hard work, discipline, actions, prospection, and passion won’t get you anywhere if you don’t believe in yourself and your project, because it won’t be sustainable. You need to feel this sensation inside of you so deeply that nothing can blow that flame away. You can work hard every day and put all the actions in place, but if you don’t believe, first, people won’t believe in you and you won’t be convincing. Then, at the first obstacle, you’ll give up because your mindset, the way you believe in yourself, and your confidence aren’t strong enough. That’s why building your mindset and a strong foundation is fundamental, it helps you handle any situation. The more you believe in something, the more you convince yourself that you can only win and succeed, the more chances you have to get there. We are what we think, right? Visualize yourself successful and believe in yourself first.

However, hard work and consistency are also crucial. You can’t expect to be successful if you don’t put in the work and actions. You need to sit down and think, study hard, build a solid and concrete business plan with precise goals and each step to get there. And then, work for it. Once you know where you are, where you want to be, and how to get there, then work hard for it, no matter what. Successful entrepreneurs are such a small percentage of the population, even though so many try. But they stop when it gets too difficult or when they don’t get results. In contrast, hard work always pays off. If it doesn’t work for you and a situation repeats, then you need to learn a lesson from it, analyze your actions, adjust them, and keep going. So many successful people got rejected for years, but they kept believing in their project, never gave up, worked hard, and finally succeeded.

It took me a long time to understand this, and I’m still learning. For example, during my first year of having my business, looking for clients and learning, I was working every day, day and night, even on weekends. I wasn’t taking any holidays. Today, I realize the importance of taking breaks and I’ve found my own balance. I think it’s crucial to take breaks to avoid burnout, extremes are never good, of course. But back then, I was working a lot, very hard, and of course, if I’m here today, it’s because of that.

I started as a graphic designer in a communication agency, underpaid, working a lot. Then, I quit and worked for a social media manager who was paying even less than what I was making before and treating me badly, but I stayed because I was learning, gaining experience, building my portfolio, and most of the skills I have today are thanks to those years of hard work and learning. Until the day I decided to start my own business. What made me shift my mindset? I realized the person I was working for was making $10K per month while she was paying me $300 per month for doing most of the work. And that’s when I thought, “If she can do it, I can do it too, and even better.”

Looking back, it took me a lot of courage to take this decision. It wasn’t easy, and my personal life wasn’t easy either, but I believed. I knew I could do it. I believed so much in myself, I couldn’t explain to people how or when, but I knew I was going to make it. I started investing thousands of dollars in myself, courses, coaches, seminars, books.

To succeed, you need to invest in yourself. I know it’s not always easy. I’ve been there. I invested 100% of my bank account, but I knew it was going to work out. And it did. I started getting my own clients, and little by little, I reached a point where people would come to me to get my services, and I could even refuse clients if the project wasn’t right for me.

And I know I’m where I am today because I believed in myself, never gave up no matter what, and took a coach who played a big role in this transformation.

We tend to think we can do it all by ourselves. Sometimes it’s true, but if you surround yourself with competent people who will teach you and push you, you have all the keys in your hands.

Lastly, another thing I think is important to master in order to succeed is to let go. Let go of situations or people that don’t benefit you. I’ve let go of people in my life who were dragging me down, and once it was done, new opportunities opened their doors to me. Focus your energy on what you can control, and also, don’t stay in your comfort zone. You build your mindset, skills, and business in discomfort. Do the things that scare you, challenge yourself, and be uncomfortable to create new opportunities.

I think success is not just something to achieve or something you can simply get, and it’s definitely not just about money. Making a lot of money but living a sad life, never feeling happy, or working in a job you dislike is not success. In reality, success is a state of mind. You can make a little bit of money and still be successful. It’s is about being proud of who you are, what you do, and being aligned with your values while working in an ethical way.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Ilona Aubert, and I’m a social media manager and graphic designer based in Mauritius Island.

After earning my degree in graphic design in France in 2020, I returned to Mauritius, where I grew up. I gained experience working in various communication agencies before joining a social media manager who became my mentor for a year. During this time, I discovered my true passion for social media.

After completing additional trainings and coachings, I officially started my own business at the age of 24, marking the beginning of an exciting new adventure.

Since then, I’ve helped more than 25 businesses with social media management, graphic design, branding, content creation, strategy, and video editing. I also created a free guide on how to build a magnetic online brand in 10 days, sell Canva templates, and I’m currently considering offering coaching to teach others how to achieve results on social media and become fully autonomous.

In essence, my job is to save my clients time and allow them to focus on their business, while I take care of everything for them, enhancing their online visibility with professional designs and visuals.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I would say the quality of my work has been a key factor in building my reputation. Working in a communication agency taught me a lot: working hard for long periods, paying attention to detail, working under pressure, staying organized, respecting tight deadlines, and always delivering work of the highest quality. This strict environment made me highly reactive, and I always strive to finish my work ahead of deadlines. I check my work multiple times before sending it, ensuring that the quality is always the best I can achieve (perfection doesn’t exist, and that’s something I had to work on, sometimes, less is more).

Another factor that has helped is my background in graphic design. Many of my clients have mentioned that the quality of my visuals caught their attention before anything else. While I don’t claim to be the perfect or most amazing designer, not all social media managers have graphic design skills, and I see this as one of my greatest strengths.

Lastly, I believe my mindset and energy play an important role. Even though I work with people all around the world, clear communication and strong relationships with my clients are crucial. I always ensure I’m in the right state of mind for meetings, telling myself that it’s going to be fun, while still maintaining professionalism and boundaries. As always, it’s about finding the right balance.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

This is a very personal story, but I built my business while going through a breakup with my boyfriend. It was incredibly difficult for me because I had to let go of someone I deeply loved. However, sometimes losing people can be the best thing that happens to you. Releasing those blockages opens up new doors and opportunities, both in work and, more importantly, for personal growth. It was a chance to work on myself, learn valuable lessons, and use the time alone to reconnect with who I am and rebuild my foundation even stronger than before.

During this challenging time, I also had to deal with the stress of not having enough money to live on, as I was just starting out. But I worked hard, dedicating all my time and energy to my business. I invested the little money I had in trainings and coaching, and I never gave up. I believed in myself and kept going until I succeeded. It took time, resilience, discipline, and focus. But I truly believe that if you want to change your life, you have to take the right actions and go for it, no matter what!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://aubertilona.wixsite.com/links
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ilona.aubert/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilona-aubert-20ab12162