Her Business….
By LaTasha West
Chatting
with the CEO in Pajamas series seeks to provide information and real world
advice. Over the next few weeks I will share interviews that I have done with
ladies who are running their own businesses and doing so successfully. These women are wives, mothers and business
owners willing to share a small piece of their journey with you.
I hope this series encourages, motivates and inspires you to
believe.
This week I chat with Summer
Alexander, CEO of Summer Alexander
Research
Here is what Summer has to say:
LaTasha:
Summer, how long have you been in business now?
Summer:
2 years!!
LaTasha:
What, if anything would you change about your journey in business?
Summer:
Honestly there isn’t anything I would change
– even the months with no clients, the days I felt like giving up and the many,
many tears I shed. I’ve come to understand that every little thing I’ve
experienced has been a necessary step on the path to get me to exactly where I
am today.
LaTasha:
What was the biggest misconception that you had about working for yourself?
Summer:
That I would have more time! While I do have flexibility with my time, I am
always in CEO mode. When I worked a job, at the end of the work day once I
walked out the door I didn’t think about it again. With my business there
always seems to be more to do, another idea to implement, one more email to
send, etc…
LaTasha:
Were you born an entrepreneur or did you become one? Explain.
Summer:
I was definitely born to be an entrepreneur but didn’t always know it. I had a
“good job” working with people I loved and making “good money” but I found
myself unhappy – restless even. I didn’t know why. After 7 years I was
downsized and found myself unemployed for the first time since I started
working at 16 years old. Initially I loved the freedom of not punching a clock
but there was always this inner nudge pushing me to do more. Turns out that
nudge was trying to tell me I had so much more work to do in the world but not
for someone else.
LaTasha:
If you taught a class on entrepreneurship what would you name the class and
why?
Summer:
I teach a few however, my newest class is my favorite: “Master Your Mindset,
Money & Marketing to Create a Successful Business” I’ve learned from personal
experience how mindset (lack of confidence, comparison to others),
mismanagement of money (failure to track revenues and expenses, not setting
financial goals) and failure to consistently market your business are all
roadblocks which if not addressed prevent success in business.
If you want to
learn more about Summer or her business Summer Alexander Research visit:
Website
www.summeralexanderresearch.com
https://www.facebook.com/SummerAlexanderResearch
Twitter handle
https:// twitter.com/SummersResearch
________________
Her Business….
By LaTasha West
Beyonce
said it, and I am inclined to agree, Girls run the world!
Chatting with the CEO in Pajamas series seeks to provide
information and real world advice. Over the next few weeks I will share
interviews that I have done with ladies who are running their own businesses and
doing so successfully. These women are
wives, mothers and business owners willing to share a
small piece of their journey with you.
I hope this series encourages, motivates and inspires you to
believe.
This week I chat with Adrienne
Adams, Business Coach & President of It’s Not Enough to Dream.
Let’s jump in:
LaTasha:
How old were you when you started your first business? Tell me about it.
Adrienne: I
actually was not a child entrepreneur.
Selling lemonade and candy didn’t interest me at all. Becoming a
business owner didn’t have much appeal until I graduated from college in my
early twenties. I had decided to be a
stay-at-home mom, but I still wanted to have some income earning
potential. I briefly ran a home day
care. It didn’t work out. But that was the first time that I wrapped my
mind around being able to do something where I could serve other people, make
money and still be able to place the needs of my family first. It took a while to find the right fit.
LaTasha:
Have you made any costly business mistakes? If so please share.
Adrienne: Well,
I try to stay away from terms like “failures” and “mistakes.” If a toddler falls while learning to walk,
they didn’t make a mistake. They didn’t
fail. It’s just a part of learning and
perfecting the process.
With
that said, yes, I’ve had several times where I’ve had things not work out as
planned while I was learning and perfecting different business processes.
I
remember spending a nice amount of money on a business system that didn’t quite
work out the way that we envisioned. We
spent weeks and weeks waiting for our contractor to develop it and took time to
pay for it and we don’t even use it today.
When everything was said and done, it wasn’t the tool that we were
looking for. Some things you can only
learn from trial and error. And sometimes
it takes experiencing things that you don’t
want to get clearer on what you do
want.
LaTasha:
Do you believe social media has helped your business grow? Please explain.
Adrienne: Absolutely. Right now, we have chapters in four different
cities. We were able to connect with
women for our group and launch new chapters using social media exclusively.
LaTasha:
What has been your proudest moment in business to date?
Adrienne: The
day when our payroll company sent a direct deposit to my bank account. And then I got the check stub at the
office. I felt so legit.
All
of us entrepreneurs have essentially the same dream. To earn a living helping people in the way
that makes us feel warm and fuzzy.
And
for so long, we’re doing the work. But
the earn a living part is missing. We want real businesses, not the kind where
we break even or just make a couple of dollars.
We want paydays and check stubs.
So the moment when it all came together was
most definitely a proud, dream-come-true kind of moment for me.
LaTasha:
What advice would you give to someone considering making the jump in to
entrepreneurship?
Adrienne: People
have to understand that entrepreneurship is hard work. Everyone wants to skip to the end where they
are sitting on an island sipping a cold drink and the money is in the
bank. That doesn’t come right away. It takes time to learn and build and get into
the flow of how things operate.
I’ve
seen business owners get frustrated and quit because they have to work through
the middle. Companies aren’t built
overnight. Entrepreneurs should set
daily goals and celebrate all of their progress.
It’s
also very important to be true to yourself and do something that you really
want to do and that you do well. That’s how your business ends up being a blessing
to your customer.
Adrienne’s
Business
It’s Not Enough to Dream Women’s Circle encourages women
to reach their next level in faith and
entrepreneurship. Through fellowship, networking and tips
to succeed from founder and President
Adrienne Adams, women learn how to stop dreaming and
start putting action in place to achieve their
goals. Adrienne’s favorite motto is “If you can do all
things through Christ, act like it!” and she encourages women to move beyond
fear and live their purpose.
If you
want to learn more about Adrienne or her business “It’s Not Enough to Dream”,
visit:
Website
www.itsnotenoughtodream.com
www.facebook.com/pages/ItsNotEnoughtoDreamMagazine
www.facebook.com/adrienneadamsdreamcoach
Twitter
handle https://twitter.com/mrsdreamcoach
LaTasha West is an
entrepreneur, speaker and certified small business development coach. To learn
more visit www.latashawest.com.
__________
LET ME UPGRADE YOU
After
years of driving the same old car it’s finally time to go ahead and buy you something
new and shiny. You know what you want, what you can pay and head off to the
dealership. After looking around, there it is-the perfect car, in the perfect
color and it fits right in your budget. On your trip to the finance office, the dealer
wants to show you one last car. He then shows you the perfect car, in the
perfect color but this one has leather seats with warmers, a built in GPS, it
comes with satellite radio and it even has talk to text. This is one so much
better and you are smiling from ear to ear. Then he tells you the price, this
one is a whopping $3000.00 more than the first car, but it’s so nice and it
will only be $35.00 more dollars onto your monthly payments. You bite the
bullet, get it and roll off the lot feeling like a million bucks.
What just happened?
You had a plan, you knew what you wanted and what you could pay but somehow
things went differently. Guess what- You
were upgraded!
This is a strategy that you should also practice in your
business. Many people will come to you with preconceived ideas that know
exactly what they want/need, however this not necessarily true. Clients or potential clients may believe that
they know exactly what they want without having explored all of the options.
It’s part of your job to make sure that they are aware of all of the choices
available to them.
Price will not always be the deciding factor, explain the
value, and show the benefits. When
preparing your price points always have more than one category or level of
service to offer. I suggest 3 levels minimum: Silver, Gold and Platinum (or any
names that you deem fit).
The most effective way to determine how you can upgrade your
clients is to listen to what their needs are.
You can learn clients’ needs using a variety of methods. Two methods
that I find helpful are: 1. Schedule a consultation or discovery session 2.
Have the client to complete a predesigned questionnaire. Once you know what
they are looking for, you can pitch the most fitting package that you offer.
Explain how you can solve their problem or cater to the pain
point that they have. Benefit and value are what secures clients, be sure to
upgrade your client’s as necessary.
Are you in need of help organizing
your thoughts on business or formulating your business
strategy? LaTasha West is an entrepreneur, speaker and certified small business
development coach. To learn more visit www.latashawest.com.
_____________
Are you hanging out in the right places?
You’ve
joined several Facebook and LinkedIn groups, you are following hundreds of
people on twitter, and your inbox is full of invitations to networking events, so
why isn’t your phone ringing?
The key to successful networking and business building is connecting
with the right people. It is not so much about the quantity as it is about the
quality that makes the difference. As a budding business owner you should know
who you are trying to talk to, who do you need to get in front of in order to
get your package in the correct hands?
If you are new to business or if your business has been open for some
time yet you are not making quality connections, you may need to rethink how
you are spending your time and resources.
When networking for business you should have a goal. Setting
a goal, allows you to develop your strategy. Once you have a goal and strategy,
you can then implement a plan. Before you conduct any networking make sure the
activity lines up with your plan. Ask yourself does it make sense for you to
spend your energy on that particular form of networking.
If you are promoting women’s workout gear, a room full of
men is most likely not your target audience.
The same thought process applies to networking both on and offline. Your
audience may not be on Facebook, blogging could be a better way to reach your
crowd. Review the results from your networking efforts; have you made any
legitimate business relationships? If you answered no, it’s time to change your
platform.
8 steps to taking an active role in your networking:
1. Know who you are trying to reach
2. Be strategic with your networking efforts
3. Set a goal
4. Develop a plan to reach the right people
5. Implement the plan
6. Make connections with the right people
7. Cultivate relationships
8. Grow your business
__________________________
Entrepreneurship is oh so sexy! (but it ain’t easy)
I sign
my own checks and I love how that feels. In this rough economy many people are
finding creative ways to make ends meet and entrepreneurship is all the
rave. Ask any entrepreneur if their job
is easy and you will continuously hear NO! You will probably hear that this is
the hardest task that they have ever taken on.
They have stayed up many nights wondering how in the world they were
going to get things done, how they were going to make that light bill payment,
second guessing if they made the right choice, and the list goes on. That
sounds terrible right? Well ask them if they would trade entrepreneurship for a
steady paycheck again and you will again continuously hear NO!
You know why? Entrepreneurship is sexy! There is something
about putting all those broken pieces to together to make a complete puzzle
that makes you feel like a million bucks. Add to that the joy of unlimited
income potential, flexible scheduling and the ability to be as creative as you
want you have a winning combination.
If you are considering taking the plunge, know that starting
a business requires a lot of work and even more guts. Entrepreneurship is not
for the weak.
I know you are
probably thinking that doesn’t sound so sexy to me, well look at it like this:
Yesterday I decided I was going to take a trip to visit my
family, yes midweek- I did not have to call up a boss or manager. I got in my
car, grabbed my phone and laptop and I was on the road to visit my family.
I decided I wanted to earn more money- I developed a new
income stream to offer to current and future clients and I gave myself a raise!
I needed more challenging work- I designed a new program
coaching program which allows me to push myself and my clients further in
business.
The list continues. Over the last couple of years, I have
realized that not only do most entrepreneurs love being in control of their own
destiny, they would not trade it if given then choice. Making your own path is
sexier than any other job that I can think of, how about you?
LaTasha West is an entrepreneur, speaker and certified small business development coach. To learn more visit www.latashawest.com.
