Quarantine Proposition: Founder Says Launch Your Digital Business Now
Sarah Saffari, founder of CEOwned, says now may be the best time to take a risk on an online business.
“Jump and learn how to fly.”
That is Sarah Saffari’s advice to anyone feeling trapped and stuck in a job or remote work. The founder of CEOwned, an online business consultancy, knows from personal experience how to succeed during a quarantine.
“Sarah Saffari, founder of CEOwned, says now may be the best time to take a risk on an online business. #startup #entrepreneur”
For the last five months, the Canada-based Saffari has been working to help online business owners scale and succeed in their businesses from Medellin, Colombia, where she was traveling when COVID-19 restrictions hit. Not able to emerge from quarantine and return home, she is succeeding in place.
“You can choose to resist and be in a position of struggle with the unknown,” says Saffari, “or you can become comfortable with uncertainty.”
““You can choose to resist and be in a position of struggle with the unknown,” says Saffari, “or you can become comfortable with uncertainty.” #covid19 #carpethechaos”
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Born in Iran, Saffari moved to Vancouver, Canada with her family when she was two. She earned her undergraduate degree in health science from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia in 2014, intending to be a doctor or physical therapist. After not getting accepted into graduate school, she traveled for a month.
Traveling to Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Columbia, Saffari says, “I’m not a Spanish speaker, but am conversational, and I was always intrigued by the culture, the people and the warmth.”
“I had no idea what I wanted to do,” says Saffari, but she had worked as a personal trainer on the side throughout college. She met a couple in Panama who were successfully traveling and working in an online business.
She was intrigued “by the idea of remote work where you have the freedom to work when you want, where you want.” But she returned to Vancouver and in 2015 she went to work in a corporate job as a personal trainer, but it was not what she wanted.
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“I got stuck in a job making the most money I had ever seen, worked the most I ever had—from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. I had all this wealth, but no time to do anything,“ Saffari says. She was unhappy.
“I grew up poor and my idea of happiness was connected to wealth.” She knew she needed to make a change, says Sarah, whose 2017 TEDx talk has nearly 14,000 views.
So she built a fitness business online and it eventually led to her launching CEOwned in 2019.
“We help online service-based businesses grow and scale their companies,” she explains of her hundreds of clients that include interior designers, business coaches, relationship coaches and more.
Offering clients a series of sessions with specific skillset coaches, including experts in mindset, copywriting, sales, messaging and soon a spiritual coach, Saffari says entrepreneurs receive marketing training and back end training for their online companies.
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The majority of her clients are women she says, as they market to women and as a result of the workforce shift to remote, many women—including mothers and single parents—are looking to make a business successful on their own terms.
“As a result of the workforce shift to remote, many women—including mothers and single parents—are looking to make a business successful on their own terms. #startup #womeninbusiness #workingparent”
According to new research by WerkLabs, a division of The Mom Project, “there is a 70 percent increase of women reporting they conduct at least half of their work on a mobile device compared to pre-pandemic work. The study shows an 80 percent increase in mobile device use for work during the pandemic, compared to 30 percent for non-moms.”
The Mom Project reports, “According to reports, more than 50% of working parents are without childcare, and 1 in 5 said either they or their partner are considering leaving the workforce to care for their children. A LinkedIn poll further highlights those concerns with 64 percent of respondents saying they have considered leaving the workforce voluntarily due to the increasing strain from COVID-19.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in July fell to 10.2%. While that is an improvement, millions are out of work, or working reduced hours.
“According to @BLS_gov, the #unemployment rate in July fell to 10.2%. While that is an improvement, millions are out of work, or working reduced hours. #covid19 #workforce #onlinebusiness”
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USA Today reports, “If the outbreak isn't better contained in the coming weeks, we could see additional shutdowns that force more companies to lay off employees. Therefore, while it's possible that we'll see another improvement on the unemployment front in August, we should also brace for the fact that we might take a step backward.”
This might be the time to launch an online business, Saffari says.
“You can see the beauty in a potentially negative situation,” says Saffari. “What I like to think is we are responsible for wiring our own brain.”
““You can see the beauty in a potentially negative situation,” says Saffari. “What I like to think is we are responsible for wiring our own brain.” #covid19 #innovation #carpethechaos”
Because of massive layoffs, furloughs and unemployment as a result of the pandemic, Saffari says many are rethinking their careers and their possibilities. “We talk with a lot of people who are on the fence,” she says. “They talk about the unknown and timing.”
“Because of massive #layoffs, furloughs and #unemployment as a result of the pandemic, Saffari says many are rethinking their careers and their possibilities. #careerchange”
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Her advice? “I think there’s never, ever going to be a right time, never the level of certainty you may need. If your goal is financial and location freedom, come to grips that there is no right time.”
Saffari says that these challenging times present the possibility to confront how you see yourself in your current situation and how you envision the future.
“Saffari says that these challenging times present the possibility to confront how you see yourself in your current situation and how you envision the #future. #covid19 #goals #careerchange”
“Do you want to work in corporate and live a life fulfilling someone else’s dream?” Saffari asks. “It is a massive risk but the risk of not doing it is much higher.”
Adapting to challenges is part of an entrepreneur’s mindset and Saffari has done just that as she is succeeding while quarantining.
““Do you want to work in corporate and live a life fulfilling someone else’s dream?” Saffari asks. “It is a massive risk but the risk of not doing it is much higher.” #onlinebusiness #femaleentrepreneur #startup”
“I think quarantining comes in different phases,” Saffari says. “The first was a two-day quarantine,” then when it expanded, she needed to change her mindset, “I signed up for a meditation course and started a new hobby.” She bought a keyboard and starting playing piano.
Saffari says she finds it satisfying to help people achieve their online business dreams. “The biggest thing is to help people build this lifestyle,” she says. “To show people who want that freedom to work on their own schedule. The best way of teaching someone else is to do it yourself first.”
