Julia's Story

You would imagine that corporate success would translate to entrepreneurial success but as I discovered to my cost that is simply not the case.  Running your own business requires a whole different set skills, most of which are never addressed in the corporate world.  And if you are not careful you can soon trade the hamster wheel of corporate life for the hamster wheel of your own business, where you work for the worst boss ever, yourself.

In the corporate world I was an “intrepreneur” responsible for the creation, launch and subsequent management of a multi million dollar business that grew rapidly to become the global market leader in its field.  Then out of the blue the company I worked for decided to sell the division I had taken over a decade to create and I found myself without a JOB.

I went into business for myself because I became unemployable. Maybe you can relate to that.  I didn’t want to get back on the corporate treadmill again and spend 15 hours a day away from home.  I wanted to enjoy my life and have time to spend with my horses. Having run my own business division local employers were in awe of my skill set, but not so much that they would hire me!.  I spent well over a year applying for jobs but to no avail. And you know the most demotivating thing was that virtually no company responded to my job applications, and if I could get an appointment I was informed I was over qualified. I’ve got two A4 lever arch files of job applications that I received no replies on.  It is the impact that this had on my self-esteem that was unexpected and profound. Every time I got no response my belief in myself and my self-esteem went down and rapidly my confidence became eroded.

So I started my own business, but I wasn’t sure what to do and I certainly didn’t have a success mindset.  I failed to commit to anything in those early days and bumbled from one thing to another – project management, digital marketing and social media planning, horse training – and I even got involved in networking marketing. I felt the more I tried the better my opportunity for success.  What a flawed strategy that was.  All these many activities just ensured that I had no focus and more importantly potential clients had no idea that I stood for.  I knew things were bad when one day at a trade show someone asked me “Which hat are you wearing today”.  My clients were confused. I was confused.  I had no clarity or direction.

No big surprise I was hemorrhaging my redundancy money plus some.  I got into massive debt investing in training programme after training programme, that I thought would provide the magic pill to my success. I was literally tearing my hair out wondering how I could get out of this mess.  I just couldn’t understand it.  I had been a successful corporate woman, how come I couldn’t be successful in my own business. Finally

I made an all-or-nothing decision to do whatever it took to make my business work.

I  moved house and took a massive leap of faith.  I got off the “guru train” and decided to invest big time in ONE mentor (or as my friends say I bet on one horse!).  Trust me if you’re investing in loads of different gurus, chasing bright, shiny objects, or trying to implement 5 different systems at once, you’re going to fail. I know, I tried it and all it created for me was chaos and confusion as everyone had a different idea.  Worst still I now realise that I did not have any business groundwork in place, so I couldn’t leverage the knowledge I gained anyway.

I invested in everything this mentor had to offer, which meant getting my butt to live training, even though it was not convenient (nor could I afford it).  During the first year I travelled to the US six times!. But deep down I also knew that if I didn’t stay connected to this community of powerful women then my business would surely implode and I would be back to trying to find a JOB, something I also knew was doomed to failure. What a catch 22 I was in!!.

My mentor saw all the things I couldn’t see about my own business by providing a new perspective.  And the realisation was that I had not completed the essential groundwork needed for business success and my business was not Joined Up.  My niche was non-existent, my products were high value and low price, my success mindset was depleted, I was not connected to my business mission and I had no business systems in place.  I reflect back on this now with embarrassment. How could I have over-looked such basic business fundamentals, and yet this is what I see happening for my clients time and time again.  Sometimes what we need is another perspective.  A Tonto to complement your Lone Ranger.

When I got home I took action and dramatically shifted my business and most importantly my mindset.  I put into place all the strategies, tactics and systems I learnt and just like a steam ship my business began turning.  It was slow at first but soon I gained momentum and I was powering off into a new destination and on the path to creating another six figure plus business.

And you know what this time that six figure business is all mine.  I’m now building a business of my own, not for someone else and it feels great.  Sure it is hard but the rewards are more than worth as I get to work with great women entrepreneurs, just like you. People who are committed to being successful no matter what…..and it feels good.

Plus I have the time, energy and money to invest in my passion which is rescuing abused and abandoned horses.  Nothing is more rewarding that seeing the transformation of a horse that is  frightened, scared and terrified of what is happening around him grow in confidence and become empowered to step forward into their magnificence.  And this is the transformation I offer my clients.  I help business owners to find their own courage to step into the spotlight, grab the reins and become the leader of their business.

My horses have been instrumental in teaching me some of my best business lessons as they show me how I need to show up to BE a leader of my business.  You see to me you can have all the best strategies and tactics in the world to DO business but it is who you BE that determines your level of success.  I’d wager that 80% of business success relies on how you show up in your business because only if you show up as authentic and genuine will clients be magnetised to you and attracted by your presence.

You can read about my horse coaches and if you join me on an in person coaching session you may well find yourself stepping out of your comfort zone and learning too some insightful lessons from them, as they have taught me the secrets to being an IMPACTFUL leader, both in business and in life.

I really hope that you will let me be your guide on this journey of building your business success.  Rest assured that if right now you are feeling overwhelmed, confused and frustrated as success is simply eluding you, fear no more.  I’m here to guide you step by step on how to create a profitable, business that aligns and connects with your inner brilliance and provides you will clarity and certainty because

Clarity + Certainty gives you Opportunity + Choice .

And that’s what I want for each of you.