We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sara Neves a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Sara thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your business and how did you resolve those issues?
At some point in our lives as business owners, we tend to compare our paths to someone else’s. With social media and other entrepreneurs sharing their wins, it can feel like we’re always behind – they have a nurture sequence, they’re making 6 figures, they’re always active on social media, they have more followers, they’re launching products, they’re launching courses, they’re hiring a team. It gets better with time, but, from time to time, I have to remind myself things like:
“Don’t compare yourself to others. Don’t compare your 2nd year with someone’s 7th year. Everyone has a different path. I have to focus on mine. Direction is more important than speed. Faster isn’t always better. Many people are going nowhere fast.”
And here’s the thing, I haven’t seen any business owner show up on social media to say things like:
“Things are not going well with my business. I’m not receiving any leads. I don’t have any clients at the moment. My income has decreased drastically in the last month. This course launch is going terribly”.
Thankfully, there are some entrepreneurs who, when things start going well, and they are in a better place and feel more confident, will go on social media and say “Hey, things are going well now, but the last months have not been easy, there was a decrease in leads, clients, and income.” or “I had this course launch that might have seemed very successful on the outside, but I had to invest a lot more money, time, and energy, than I expected”.
It’s so important that there are entrepreneurs who share the ups and downs and are really honest, especially about the struggles they had to go through.
If you think about it, most business owners want to appear successful, want to show people that they’ve made the right decision and that everything is going well and that they are accomplishing great things. But, deep down, from experience, we all know that EVERYTHING in life is a balance of ups and downs, pros and cons.
Running my own business is one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life, but I know that, even if I learn from my mistakes and evolve and create processes and systems that make my life and work easier, there will always be challenges to overcome.
I believe this is one of the most important topics that more business owners should address – how business is never 100% easy and how people tend to share mostly the wins.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Sure! My name is Sara Neves and I’m the founder of the Unicorn Designer Studio.
I call myself a Unicorn Designer because I can both Design and Code.
Before Unicorn Designer, I worked for a startup, an agency, and the biggest airline company in Portugal.
Now, I help women entrepreneurs with online businesses create a brand identity that makes them look premium and a website that turns visitors into clients.
I live in the center of Portugal, but I have clients from all over the world.
Have you ever had to pivot?
At university, I remember telling my friends I wanted a 9-5. Only after trying it out, did I realize I would not accomplish all my dreams and goals this way.
I worked for different companies (startup, small local business, design agency, and the biggest airline company in Portugal), and this all in just 3 years. And now you’re probably asking yourself ‘why didn’t you stay for long?’. Well, every time I felt something was missing – either because I wasn’t fulfilled with the work I was doing, I wasn’t motivated, I felt like I didn’t belong, I wanted to be closer to my family, I felt like my work was not being valued – every time I felt it was not for me anymore I would come home and search for a new job opportunity that was more aligned with what I wanted. Sometimes you need to try things to understand they’re not for you.
All those experiences led me to understand that, maybe, the right thing for me was to run my own business. Now, two and half years have passed and I still feel I’m on the right path.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
As I’ve said before, business is never 100% easy. The feast and famine cycle is a real thing that happens to more people than we think – again because few people share this kind of experience.
The first book I read about being a freelancer was “How to be a graphic designer without losing your soul” and there was this quote that stuck with me “If you could give someone starting up a new studio one piece of advice, what would that be? Be patient and eat healthily.”
There are so many simple yet so effective quotes that live in the back of my mind and it’s so important that they stay there. Another one: “Slowly is the fastest way to get to where you want to be”.
When I decided to start my own business I allowed myself to try and see if it worked for 2 years. Of course, it’s important to mention, that I had the financial security to do this. That’s why I quit my job even though I didn’t have a single client or any idea how to get one. I knew that I needed time, I knew I needed focus, and I knew I couldn’t do it correctly if I had a 9-5 at the same time. I knew I had enough knowledge in the design and development area but I had ZERO knowledge in the business area.
During the first month, I focused on building my business brand, website, and portfolio. In the second month, I invested $2,000 in B-school – an online course on how to start your online business – another great decision! Without it, and my amazing mentor Joana Galvao, I would not be where I am today.
All this to say, give yourself time, “be patient and eat healthily”.
PS. If you ever need a confidence boost, DM on insta @unicorn.designer . I’m more than happy to send you an inspirational quote. 
Contact Info:
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Website: unicorndesignerstudio.com
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Instagram: instagram.com/unicorn.
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