We recently connected with Hanna Nuss and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Hanna, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.
I started everything I am doing now simply talking into the audio recorder on my phone at the time. I figured if I could consistently do that then I might be able to start a podcast. So I showed up for three months recording daily and researching nightly. At that point I didn’t know how to “do a podcast” but I wasn’t wasting time researching while not also in practice. I knew I wanted to write that never flowed as easily as words. So after three months of recording audio that I would never use, I finally learned how to “do” a podcast. From there I was documenting my journey from being lost in life to what I hoped would be a purpose. My podcast went from trying to inspire to trying to survive this messy and broken part of my life. The only thing I had figured out at that point was how to publish a podcast but that was enough of a focus point. I continued just following my creative flow. By year two with almost 400 recorded episodes, I finally fit into a category. Personal journal podcast fit what I was doing but I didn’t know that would be a thing when I started. This became a part of my story. I got better at doing and figuring out as I went. I studied entrepreneurship exclusively and realized this was the only way to learn business, by doing. Three years ago I started a podcast on my phone, one year ago I published my first book, and this year I opened my first shop/coaching aimed at getting entrepreneurs out of ideas and into execution. I had a ton of great ideas that were wasted away on pen and paper. I moved out of fear of staying stuck forever and never looked back. If you move once every time after that gets easier.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Hanna Nuss. I help dreamers do.
Hanna spent years settling for plan b after not “making it” as a college athlete. That trajectory set everything up as less than. Nothing seemed to help, changing jobs, getting raises, or having the “perfect life” on Instagram. She always felt like something she left on the court was supposed to be a part of her life. So she started searching for what passion looked like after athletics. At thirty Hanna started a podcast to document the journey from passionless, burnt out, and broken to finding fullness. Hanna only knew that she wanted people to know the whole story, not the cliff notes version of the lows before the highs so she shows up five days a week recording where she is at what she has found on her journey. Hanna had an overwhelm of ideas but a lack of aligned action. After finally taking action and starting a podcast her intuition led her to where she is now. An author, speaker, podcaster, guide, and shop owner. As a guide, Hanna is not motivating or pushing people toward their dreams she is prompting and celebrating them to help them tap back into their ability to self-guide. Putting people in a better position to continue “doing” their dreams long after the prompts are gone. Hanna believes in the power of each person. Taping back into that power through immersive do, reflect, prompt series of courses Hanna has seen significant shifts in the humans she works with. There was a point where we were all sure of ourselves and our next step. Hanna works to get people back to that place so they can live the life of their dreams.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
When I wanted to open my first shop there was a $5,000 remodel price tag to open the doors staring me in the face. I had left corporate America about two years before this moment and the thought of putting on dress pants, polishing up a business plan, and bowing to dot points on a piece of paper again to learn about my “worth” from someone who didn’t know me felt like a depreciatingly painful experience for my new business. So I looked at every other option possible. Since I didn’t have the constantly recommended “just borrow it from family & friends.” I thought I was done for. Dream done.
Right, when I was about to write off this being possible I stumbled upon a KIVA loan. This was an option somewhere between crowdfunding and a traditional bank loan and proved to be the perfect option for someone like me who wasn’t willing to subject her idea to traditional banking options.
Any advice for managing a team?
When it comes to managing a team the most important thing is breaking it all down so everyone can onboard with who you are and where you are going. The language I use with my team is the same as the language I use when talking with media. This is not a conversation we keep in the office with higher-ups EVERYONE knows what we are doing and where we are going. ALWAYS.
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Image Credits
Marcy Bergman Photography