Meet Zandra Bonick

We were lucky to catch up with Zandra Bonick recently and have shared our conversation below.

Zandra, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

Growing up in Sweden, I was fortunate to have a strong social support system with free education and other resources. However, my mom had me at 17 and became a single parent when I was just 3. She worked multiple jobs to make ends meet, often mending her own clothes because she couldn’t afford to buy for both of us. Watching her resilience and determination at such a young age taught me that anything is possible with hard work.

I’ve always been driven, from excelling in school to taking the leap to live abroad. While the journey has sometimes been lonely and challenging, I’ve always believed things would work out. But nothing tested my resilience more than a health scare I faced two weeks postpartum. I met specialist after specialist, all unsure of what was wrong, and they told me they hadn’t seen anything like my case before. On top of this uncertainty, I was waking up every two hours to feed my son, unsure how I would take care of him while dealing with my own health crisis. That experience pushed me to a level of strength I hadn’t experienced before.

After that health scare, I decided to start my business. It was a reminder that life is short, and I wanted to build something meaningful—something my son would be proud of and something that would light me up too. Today, I draw my resilience from him. Becoming a mom shifts your perspective; it’s no longer just about you—you have to be stronger for someone else too.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m Zandra, and I grew up in a tiny town on the Swedish west coast, always knowing I wanted to explore the world and do something bigger. Over the years, I’ve lived in Southern Spain, Reykjavik, Iceland, London, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and now, I’ve settled in Chicago with my husband and son.

Most of my career has been in luxury hotels, including roles at EDITION Hotels and The Ritz-Carlton, where I served as Senior Assistant Director of Finance. I studied Hospitality Management at Les Roches, which fueled my passion for creating exceptional experiences. However, when the pandemic hit and my hotel closed, I lost my job. This pivot turned into an opportunity to pursue my passion for helping small entrepreneurs take control of their finances.

I offer services ranging from bookkeeping to money management and business consulting. What makes my approach special is that I look at the bigger picture—I start with the lifestyle and goals my clients want to achieve and work backwards to ensure their business supports that vision. It’s not just about maximizing profit; it’s about building a sustainable business that allows entrepreneurs to thrive personally and professionally. Self-care, outsourcing, and building systems that serve them are all critical pieces of the puzzle. I always dig deeper into what my clients want and uncover the ‘why’ behind those goals. For instance, many entrepreneurs come to me wanting to make more money, but in reality, their real goal is to create a lifestyle that money can support.

Right now, I’m developing a new product inspired by my background in luxury hospitality. It’s focused on bringing 5-star service principles into the digital world, helping entrepreneurs deliver exceptional client experiences. As most of us know, attracting new clients is often the most expensive and time-consuming part of business. By building strong relationships and offering high-quality service, you can not only retain clients but turn them into raving fans who refer others. And the best part? It makes running your business more enjoyable, knowing you’re truly delivering value.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Looking back, three key qualities that helped me start my business—especially during one of the toughest periods of my life—were the ability to ask for help, determination, and resilience. When I was facing postpartum depression and a serious health scare, starting a business felt impossible at times, but I knew that giving up wasn’t an option. I made plenty of mistakes, but I kept going, and asking for help when I needed it was crucial.

For those early in their journey, my advice is to focus on small wins and track the metrics that truly motivate you. When I started, I went into debt, and there were days when it felt like I was moving backward. But when I zoomed out, I realized that I was on a positive trajectory overall. Beating yourself up over every setback isn’t motivating in the long run. You need to learn to celebrate your progress, even if it’s small.

Another important lesson I’ve learned is to take care of your body and mind. If I’m not in a good headspace or physically well, I don’t make the best decisions, and I’m not as intuitive or creative. How you do this is personal—whether it’s working out, meditating, or just taking breaks—but it’s essential. Lastly, don’t hesitate to curate your environment. Unfollow people on social media who don’t uplift you and surround yourself with those who support your growth.

We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?

I love this question because it’s something I’ve thought a lot about, especially since a leadership training I attended in Berlin while working in London. As part of the program, we had to send a survey to our direct reports, peers, and supervisors, with over 80 questions evaluating different skills. The results highlighted our top 10 strengths and our lowest 10 areas.

At first, I wanted so badly to focus on improving my weaknesses, but a conversation with a senior HR leader shifted my perspective. She explained that my bottom 10 scores would likely never be areas where I excel, so instead of stressing about them, I should double down on my strengths—my “zone of genius”—and build a team or outsource the rest.

For example, one of my lowest scores was in handling situations where plans keep changing. I’ve tried to improve in this area, but when I focus too much on it, I end up feeling stressed, irritable, and far from my best self. Over time, I’ve learned that trying to become well-rounded in everything can lead to burnout. Instead, I’ve created focused pockets of time in my day where I control my schedule and lean into my strengths. Not only do I get more done, but I also show up as a happier, more productive version of myself.

I believe we owe it to ourselves, our families, and our clients to show up at our best, and that means embracing what we’re naturally great at and finding support for the rest. Going all in on our strengths allows us to bring our highest value to the table, while also creating the space for others to shine in areas where we may not excel.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bonick.co/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zandrabonick/