Excessively Obsessed by Natasha Oakley

Modern and practical business lessons from Natasha Oakley, co-founder of Monday Swimwear and The Pilates Class Do you have an idea for a business, but no clue where to start? Is there a product or service you're sure you could sell, if only you knew how to file the paperwork or fund the company or build the marketing plan? Do you have an inkling that you'll want to start a business one day - and you can't stop wondering if you have what it takes? Then you have come to the right place. In this empowering guide, Natasha gives an honest account of the blood, sweat and tears that goes into creating a successful business, from registering your company and opening a bank account, all the way to building your team and scaling for growth. Removing the glamour of #hustleculture and the illusion of how easy it might look on social media, Natasha will detail how she bartered jobs and co-founded Monday Swimwear in her living room with her best friend and grew that business (and others) to a multi-million dollar empire. And she will explain how, no matter what your idea, if you are Excessively Obsessed with it, you can do the same. In her book, she will show readers how to: - Harness your idea to create a viable business that has longevity - Know when to leave your job, how to fund your start-up and whether you need a business partner - Generate and grow a huge following - Build contacts when no one knows who you are - Rise above pressures of social media to use it powerfully and with purpose - Create work/life balance to avoid burnout and take care of yourself Excessively Obsessed is for anyone who has ever wondered: should I start my own business? (Spoiler alert: There's no right answer!) And whether you decide to get started tomorrow or give it more time, you'll close this book with a reignited sense of passion and purpose in your career. Through her own story, Natasha will inspire readers to tap into their own unique potential, because when you find your calling, it's worth becoming obsessed.

I was born in an 'old' English county called Middlesex. You won't find it on any modern map - it's been swallowed up by Greater London and at the swish of a bureaucratic pen it disappeared. Nevertheless, I had a perfectly happy childhood there with two parents who love me and a younger brother I still like! Painfully shy, books were my passion and my first career ambition was to be an author -- mainly, I think, because I didn't fancy leaving home. Everyone seems to have one teacher who's inspired them more than any other. I met mine when I was thirteen and his name was Frank Richards, our drama teacher. He introduced me to theatre and at fourteen I walked on stage for the first time in a play he'd written. It was the beginning of a new passion. After a three-year classical theatre training at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London, I started my career in professional theatre under my Equity name of Jessica Dean. In 1991 I married my husband and we decided to start our family. I must have harboured some kind of daft idea that I would have a baby, put it in a papoose and carry on pretty much as before. Not surprisingly it didn't quite work out that way. I hadn't realised quite how powerful mother-love is. I had five children in six years, working only very briefly during this time. I'm blessed with an easy, happy marriage and five great children, but when illness touched our lives I started to reassess my future. It was the start of my writing career. My second submission to Mills & Boon was accepted in December 2003. I now live in Bedfordshire with my husband and my children. I love antique fairs, collect kitchenalia, paint in watercolour, and am a signer for the deaf (BSL). My house is in a constant state of disarray but I make great cakes, write books and no one seems to mind.

Excessively Obsessed

Find Your Passion, Build Your Business, Learn Your Limits, Love Your Life