1 year of ecopreneurship. Candy store vibes.

2023, in 1 word:?candy store.

Before we dive in.

I am building?Wildya ?&?Wild Business Mates ?transparently.

First, you can see if this road would be for you.

Second, so that you have a blueprint of how to start & to get to your first paying/donating supporters.

So here are my 3 challenges & victories of the 1st year of being an ecopreneur.

?? 3 Challenges:

1. Candy store vibes

Not sure if you have ever been in a massive candy store as a child. But if you have a sweet tooth like me, you probably got overwhelmed by all the options. What candy should I eat??

I had the same feeling with ecopreneurship this year.?

The biodiversity crisis can be tackled in many ways + there are incredible biodiversity heroes out there. So I wanted to meet them all, help them with their ideas, or launch projects together to tackle this crisis.?

The only problem: limited time.?

So in 2023, it was challenging to find the right balance between exploration & execution.??

?? How I will try to overcome it:?

In 2024, I have to focus more on execution. If I don't, I can't keep supporting the biodiversity movement because I need to look for a job again. Operationally, this means that I will block my mornings again to ensure that every day, the majority of my time is focused on execution.

2. Burning money

Even though 90% of my time goes into Wildya, I didn't make the desired progress in 2023 to start charging people for our app.

That meant that Wildya was burning cash the entire year. So far, I have spent around 7 000€ on Wildya & made 50€.?

So, you can imagine how freaked out I was in 2023 to see my money disappearing.

Fortunately, Wild Business Mates is already working, so I can cover Wildya's costs by providing business consulting to biodiversity businesses & NGOs.?

?? How I will try to overcome it:?

In 2024, I will have to get Wildya to the stage where it provides so much value that companies & people are comfortable paying for our app. I will also apply for grants, accelerators, and competitions & seek angel investors who believe in our mission.

3. Mental health challenges

Every entrepreneur writes about it, yet I still underestimated the mental health challenges that come with creating your own company.?

2023 was probably the happiest of my life.?

But as much as you feel the heights, you also experience the lows much more.?

I constantly had the feeling of disappointing someone.?

My family, you here on Linkedin, Wildya, clients, friends, etc. Someone was always coming short.

So, if you are currently having a hard time mentally, I recommend reaching a solid base level before starting to go all in on your nature venture.?

EXCEPT if your mental health challenges are coming from your current job.?

?

?? How I will try to overcome it:?

Luckily, mental health is the field I am working in, so daily, I am exposed to ways how I can increase my mental fitness. + I only have a financial runway for 1 more year like this. So, by default, we will see by the end of the year if I can stay an ecopreneur.?

?? 3 Victories:

1. People

The biggest win that has already made this journey worth it is the incredible people I met here on digital coffees and events.?

If we chatted in 2023, I can assure you you left a mark on me, whether it was through comments, personal messages, calls & co.?

You all reassured me that humanity is not lost.?

That there are plenty of people who are kind, caring, and working to make this world wilder.?

Eco-anxiety can feel immensely alienating. In 2023, you helped me massively to transform it into action.?

?? What I learned:?

Be yourself. Not because everyone will like or agree with you, but you will find your people. No need to wear a mask anymore. You will find those who share your passions and work on the same crazy stuff.?

2. Learning explosion?

I was very privileged that in my former jobs, I always had the opportunity to learn & experiment.?

Yet this was nothing to the sheer amount I learned in the past year.?

When you start a company, you have to do everything: admin, product, marketing, finance, communication, customer service, IT & co.?

As much as I thought I had the skills to get Wildya off the ground, I quickly learned how many gaps I still had.?

Every day, you learn something new.?

?? What I learned:?

Fall in love with the journey & with learning/unlearning. Leave your ego behind when you are creating something. Go in with an attitude like you would know nothing. Because that will probably be the case, as you find out when you actually start building.?

3. Building something

I call myself a biodiversity builder because:

a) I still don't see myself as a biodiversity expert?

b) I want to build solutions that actively tackle the biodiversity crisis

I definitely made progress in this regard in 2023.?

I built a wild community of likeminded here on Linkedin

I built guides, playlists, content that make it easier for people to understand biodiversity?

We built the Wildya app

We built the eco-allies community

I built a consulting company that helps other ecopreneurs to boost biodiversity.?

Now all of those things we & I built are far from perfect. But they are a start. The first step is always the hardest.?

Now, it is not in my head anymore; I have real people's feedback on what I need to improve.?

To me, that makes all the difference.?

?? What I learned:?

Start building today. You learn faster while building; you feel better about getting the idea out of your head, you will see what works, etc. I was refraining myself from building for a long time because I thought I needed to study more or watch others. Looking back, I would now recommend everyone to start building as soon as you can. You will learn on the go.??

And that's 12 months.?

Massive thank you again to you & everyone who keeps on supporting my crazy journey for a wilder world. Let's make 2024 the wildest year!

In January, we will launch an eco-anxiety quiz that will help you and others to reflect on your eco-anxiety and how strongly it affects you. Like this, we hope to make this topic more accessible to everyone.

+ We build the foundation to make 2024 a game-changer for Wildya.?

P.S. I tend to talk about work too much and not reveal much about my personal life. So once a month, at the bottom of this reflection, I will share something, let's call it, unique about me.?

I am a massive sweet tooth. I don't smoke, don't drink, don't take any other drugs, but sugar ohhhh sugar.?

Sugar got me.?

I need it after every meal.?

?? My 3 favorite sugar friends:?

1. Dark Chocolate Spread by JARDIN BIO
2. Ben & Jerry's Vegan Chocolate Brownie Ice Cream
3. PERú PURO GmbH Chocolate?

?? Let me know in the comments what your challenges were this year and how you overcame them. Through this, we can crowdsource solutions for our obstacles. Or just tell me about your favourite candy ??

#ecopreneur #impact #startup #nature #biodiversity