October Featured Woman Entrepreneur: Loretta Morrison, Golden Key Coaching
1. What is your personal story about being an entrepreneur?
Hello...I wanted to tell you a little bit about myself so you would know who you are working with and what lead me to where I am today on my journey. Specifically, how discovering my Life Purpose lead me to You.
Many years ago I was told I should work in a helping profession which sounded absolutely terrifying to me. The professions that automatically came to my mind were nurse, social worker, PSW, or some other profession along this line. All these professions terrified me due to my huge fear of hospitals. As you can see these all relate back to a hospital in some way. So, I spent many years trying to figure out what helping profession really I was meant for.
In the meantime, I worked in many different professions, military, office work, corporations and many more. Enjoying what I did but not really having my hair thrown back on a daily basis. One summer I heard of Life Coaching. At the time, it didn't mean much to me and the gal I heard about it from really couldn't tell me much about it either, (she of course was on her own journey).
As the Christmas season approached, I found myself with the overwhelming need to figure out just what I really should be doing with my life. So much so I was having anxiety attacks, not sleeping, not eating and totally consumed with this thought alone, "What is my Life Purpose?" I started doing lots of research on the internet, conducting interviews with all the right people, talking to friends and relatives. Only to discover that I am supposed to be a Life Coach. I became certified in March 2009.
During my search I also learned that I have been helping people all my life. Friends, family, and strangers I met at work, at the bus stop, while shopping, almost everywhere I went. People would just open up to me about whatever was on their mind. I would offer solutions or suggestions for them and happily on their way they would go.
As I started to create my business and began coaching, I had trouble figuring out who I exactly wanted to coach. I took a good look at all my clients and the other people I helped in the past to figure out what I had done for all of them. It always came down to what all my clients wanted to do with their lives, their Life Purpose. Thus, I am a Life Purpose Specialist.
Another really odd thing started to happen during this process. My friends seeing that I was building a business and doing just that, wanted to know my secret. Soon, I had clients who also wanted to know how to build their business and get clients in a steady manner. I am also a Business Coach, who helps small businesses create business and steadily get more clients.
Through out this whole process I discovered a lot about myself; mostly how much working with YOU opens my heart and fills it with complete joy and fulfillment, each time a Life Purpose is found or new client arrives. The joy on my client's faces is immeasurable.
Through out this whole process I discovered a lot about myself; mostly how much working with YOU opens my heart and fills it with complete joy and fulfillment, each time a Life Purpose is found or new client arrives. The joy on my client's faces is immeasurable.
Since the start of my discovery and journey, I have made a commitment to YOU. To help you create successful lives in business and life.
2. What was the biggest barrier you had to over-come? How did you over-come it?
Moving forward with my life, and business after the break-up of my marriage.
I got really clear about what I wanted in my business and life, set a plan and I work towards it everyday. It is challenging at times but I keep revisiting my goals to ensure I am on track and keep my focus.
3. Would you call yourself an Authentic Entrepreneur? Why?
Yes, I am an Authentic Entrepreneur. Simply put, I believe in me, my message and my clients. I am true to myself and to my clients.
4. What are some tools you use every day to help keep you Sane and Satisfied?
The tools I use: meditation, learning, reading, and quite time for myself.
5. When you wake up in the morning, what’s the first thought that comes to mind?
Who can I help today!
6. Describe a time when you were distressed and dissatisfied. What triggered these feelings? How did you turn them around? And how do you prevent those feelings from coming back?
Everyone feels distress and dissatisfied at certain times of their lives. It comes from living life and it is just part of life. It is what we do with these situations that make you the person you are today. Will you lie down and take it or will you stand up and find the positivity and lessons in it? I tend to find the lessons in all of life’s situations.
Things happen for a reason. What are reasons and lessons for you?
September Featured Woman Entrepreneur: Noreen Blanluet, Be Amazing Today
1. What is your personal story about being an entrepreneur?
I worked for companies after graduating from Uni, for about 5 years. I always fancied working for myself because I’m just not very good with being told what to do by someone else! But I didn’t know what I could go into, until I did a reiki course and then Indian head massage, and I realized that if I pursued that I could potentially set up a business and make a living out of it.
Initially, I did courses and learnt new skills alongside my corporate day job. Eventually I took the plunge and quit, and set up as a complementary therapist – although during the first few years I took a few part-time jobs to tide me over the lean times.
As I learnt more and developed and grew as a person I moved towards healing, life coaching, and finally now into business coaching/consultancy. I am now working full-time on my own business too.
2. What was the biggest barrier you had to over-come? How did you over-come it?
The biggest barrier was fear. (Still is.) The main fear was that I wouldn’t make enough money to sustain myself, so for a long time I worked part-time for someone else and part-time for myself. This enabled me to have a regular income which acted as my safety net – until the day that I just couldn’t bear to work for someone else any more, and it was time for me to make the leap into full-time self-employment!
I still have the other fears: that no-one is going to want or need what I’m selling (even though they do); that other people can do it better or cheaper or both so people won’t want to buy from me (even though they do); that what I do with people doesn’t really change their lives and isn’t value for money (even thought it does/is). These fears will always be there – I think they are what keep me pushing myself to stay on top of my game, and overdeliver, and be excellent. So in a way they’re good. The way to overcome them is to just keep doing it. Just ship (to quote Seth Godin). Be as good as you can be. And trust.
3. Would you call yourself an Authentic Entrepreneur? Why?
I would, yes. To me an authentic entrepreneur is someone who expresses who they are in their business; it means honesty, transparency, not putting up a front. being who you are even (especially!) if that doesn’t fit into the traditional corporate/business mold. It also means self-knowledge and acceptance, and being able to share that.
The corporate world expects us to operate like machines, being 100% productive 9 to 5, 5 days out of 7. It rarely acknowledges that some days we work at 30% and other days we’re on fire and deliver 200%. That some people work best in the morning while others are late owls. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that coordinating every individual’s needs is beyond the capacity of a multi-employee organization.
That’s what’s so precious to me about being an entrepreneur. I can manage myself, and my day, to play to my own strengths. I recognize what I’m not good at and/or don’t enjoy, and I can find other people who like doing that sort of thing to do it for me. I can spend my time focusing on what I’m great at, so that I can become excellent at it. I can accept that I have average days, and “on fire” days, and that on the whole they average out to what I expect of myself to be 100%. I’m accountable to myself and I know I’m meeting my standards.
In summary, I think the crux is that by living and working as who-I-am, with my particular set of strengths, weaknesses, quirks, likes and dislikes, I stay in the flow and I experience joy on a daily basis. I wouldn’t be a Joyful Entrepreneur if I wasn’t an Authentic Entrepreneur first.
4. What are some tools you use every day to help keep you Sane and Satisfied?
Hah, I can go on… and on… about these! For some reason I’m passionate about tools and systems and love sharing them. People don’t ask me very often though, so you’ve just opened the floodgates. Tee hee.
First of all: lists!
And my diary. (Which is really a glorified list of appointments.) I write everything down, which frees up mental space, and I don’t need to stress about remembering places to be and people to see, because it’s all in the diary (which is a paper diary – I am very paper-based with my organization tools.) For the past few years, every year I have bought an expensive and beautiful diary from Paperblanks (www.paperblanks.com). Their tagline is: “the journal as functional art” – which is exactly why I spend more, once a year, to buy a gorgeous book which will bring me joy every time I use it, several times a day, every day of the year.
I don’t tend to write task lists into my diary, because they are so fluid, and it would get too messy. I usually have a to-do list on a sheet of paper (sitting on my desk or slipped into my diary when I head out). My to-do lists can get pretty long so often they’re split into categories: admin, clients to contact, things to write, etc. Apparently you shouldn’t have more than 9 items on a to-do list, otherwise your brain freezes in panic, so subdividing my to-do means I can have 9 items in each category (and that is how I fool my brain!)
I could probably be better at setting priorities and deadlines next to my tasks, because I know I tend to tackle the ones that seem easy or more pleasurable first. From a business point of view, I should be tackling the income-generating ones first, and then finding some sort of hierarchy of urgency/importance, while somehow balancing with fun, enjoyable ones. Work in progress for me.
Finally, I’d say the last tool I want to mention for now is water. Drinking water, because making sure you are hydrated means you feel better mood-wise and are more productive. But also showers and baths – they are my time to let my brain freewheel and when I most often get genius ideas and harebrained schemes. I usually have to grab a pen and paper and jot them down as soon as I get out of the bathroom before my ideas disappear into the ether again! I know for some people it’s driving, or going for a run, but for me it’s water.
5. When you wake up in the morning, what’s the first thought that comes to mind?
What time is it and where’s the cat?
6. Describe a time when you were distressed and dissatisfied. What triggered these feelings? How did you turn them around? And how do you prevent those feelings from coming back?
I have been having those times regularly for the past 4 or 5 years – well since being self-employed actually. They happen about two or three times a year. It’s not major drama, but more of a feeling of being stuck, not making any headway, not having a clear sense of direction, and general vague frustration and dissatisfaction.
I have learnt, with hindsight, that these feelings tend to be a sign that I am at the verge of a new breakthrough. It’s still really frustrating because until the epiphany has happened, you have no idea what is about to come through. Mostly it’s just about being patient, and trusting, and knowing that eventually it will pass and things will resolve of their own accord.
Occasionally I get too impatient to put up with the wait and I will turn to one of two or three people I regularly call on to shed some light. They’re women entrepreneurs too, friends I can have a good moan to and they’ll sympathize and share their own experiences and renew my belief that yes, everything is unfolding the way it should, and all I ever need to do is trust.
You can find Noreen hanging out at any of these happenin spots:
Be Amazing Today Blog
Twitter: twitter.com/beamazingtoday
Facebook: Be Amazing Today
Linkedin: uk.linkedin.com/in/beamazingtoday
You can also contact her at noreen@beamazingtoday.co.uk
August Featured Woman Entrepreneur: Kristi Bennit, Seattle VA
1. What is your personal story about being an entrepreneur?
About 4 years ago I had a choice to make. Place my newborn baby in daycare or find a way to work from home. As a new mother it was nerve racking to work away from my son. As a single mother it was imperative that I work. The world is full of catch 22’s just like this one. Thankfully I was handed the opportunity to work from home and build a business. It was a dream that thanks to the help of friends, family and a few trusting clients became a reality. I love what I do and that I have the opportunity to watch my son grow.
2. What was the biggest barrier you had to over-come? How did you over-come it?
There are many barriers to being an Entrepreneur. My biggest one and one that I still struggle with is networking. I’ve always been a behind the scenes kind of gal. But as a business owner, you can’t hide in the shadow. If you aren’t out talking to people and networking, you aren’t bringing in business. I started going to small networking events and listening. I’d talk to a few people, but it wasn’t a comfortable environment for me. Then I sat down at a Le Tip meeting. These people showed me what true networking was about. It wasn’t so much the volume of business they could generate for each other, it was that every person they came into contact with was valuable. I took a lot from that one meeting and though I may not share my business foundations with everyone I meet, I do talk to a lot more people and have opened up to the opportunities around me.
3. Would you call yourself an Authentic Entrepreneur? Why?
Yes and No. I follow a plan for my business that is my own, but what I do is not unique. My philosophy on business is shared by hundreds of business owners around the world. The staple programs that I use in my business are available around the world, most for free. All of this is not authentic. What is Authentic is my approach to clients, colleagues and curious minds. I’m not afraid to share my story and inspire others to chase theirs.
An Authentic Entrepreneur is someone who has a brilliant business, that helps those around them, and that doesn’t push themselves in another’s way. Being authentic isn’t just about the business philosophy; it’s about the means by which you run your business. Knowing your path, having a plan, building on that plan and being yourself while you do it is the only way to be authentic.
4. What are some tools you use every day to help keep you Sane and Satisfied?
Every day I take time to write and use my imagination. Every day I take time to look at the avenues ahead of me. Every day I check my calendar (It’s the only way I can remember what’s happening, when, with whom, and why.). There are a hundred different little things to be done in a single day, but if you don’t take time for the things you love you aren’t going to be happy, satisfied or sane.
5. When you wake up in the morning, what’s the first thought that comes to mind?
My morning routine consists of coffee, schedule, and then family. Yes, every single day I wake up going, where’s the coffee. It’s my ritual and though the caffeine has little effect on my productivity it’s a symbol for me. It means I’m awake and moving forward. Checking my schedule gives me the direction of the day, that too is a ritual, but one that I require more and more frequently. (Age is a terrible thing some days.) The lat part of my morning ritual is to check on my son. Where is he? What is he doing? How long will he likely do that task? The longer he does his 1st morning task, the longer I have to check email, write out my to do list, work on the larger items or the tight deadlines.
6. Describe a time when you were distressed and dissatisfied. What triggered these feelings? How did you turn them around? And how do you prevent those feelings from coming back?
Business is a stressful endeavor no matter how you organize it. You will always find obstacles in your way, stress around the corner and exciting opportunities to be explored. The best way to avoid the feelings of distress and dissatisfaction is to stay on top of the game. Know your direction and have a plan for how you want to get from here to there. I don’t know how many times I’ve started to stress out before realizing there was no need. Having a positive outlook helps, but a plan and an inquisitive mind are the only essentials to staying out of the dark. I have modified my business focus several times in the last few years and each time found myself happier and more satisfied than I had been leading up to the change. Don’t fear change, just plan for it.
