When confusion derails your success what do you do? Some suffer in silence or spend years searching for solutions. Yet others seek the services of Lynn Scheurell who describes herself as a creative catalyst for business people. Lynn recently took a ‘time-out’ to share her story with us. By the way, if you’re interested, there is a link for Lynn’s free e-course at the end of this interview.
What kind of business do you have? What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
Lynn: I coach entrepreneurs to get really clear about the type of business they want to create and the business model (products & programs) to support having their business reflect their unique gifts, skills, talents, experience and expertise. I help people understand how to take action, to grow their business through organization and systems while paying attention to what matters – their spirit. After two decades spent in corporations and non-profits, I am able to help people get to their next level quickly, and usually, with dramatic results.
I’ve always loved entrepreneurial business – it’s just in my blood. I was always creating or innovating solutions to make “it� work better, find a solution, help people to get what they needed. My interest has always been to help people get more of what they want in their life, to realize their potential, to create their own opportunities and change the world for the better. It’s simply my purpose.
When did you start your business?
Lynn: 1998. I started out as a feng shui practitioner, realized that I was advising and mentoring people on a lot more than their environment, and began to blend my unique gifts, skills and experiences into being the “catalyst� I am today.
How did you decide what kind of business to start and what if any personal challenges inspired you to earn extra income in your spare time?
Lynn: My business found me, because it was born out of conventional employment just not working for me. I went with my strengths long before it was popular. In fact, other people named my business and told me what my strengths were because I couldn’t see them; intuition for me is like breathing and I just didn’t know other people don’t do what I do naturally, so I didn’t value it.
How long did it take before your business became profitable?
Lynn: About 7 years. It started out a bit rough, because my teachers and mentors encouraged me to do what I do for free to build confidence. Then when I finally started charging, it was for a pittance and I kept relying on jobs, not realizing that what you put your attention on, expands. So I didn’t have enough attention on my business to really get it off the ground for a long time; then, it took a couple of years to stabilize that.
Were there any challenges that you experienced along the way that appeared to be more difficult because you are a woman?
Lynn: I took a lot of responsibility for other people, and stopped my growth to help a lot of other people before helping myself. I also think my situation was even more complicated by being unconventional which made it challenging to define what I did for people. Yet, it was that very quality that people talked about… “I can’t explain it but you HAVE to work with her!” I think that was part of it. One scenario that comes to mind is that we women are socialized to take responsibility for what goes wrong, regardless of whether it’s within our control or not.
Did you need to have a certain mindset to achieve success?
Lynn: I have always been positive, enthusiastic, optimistic and knew that my success was up to me. I also knew that my spirit was dragging me to places that just wasn’t comfortable but necessary for my growth. And I just couldn’t give up.
Have you noticed certain advantages to being an entrepreneur because you are a woman?
Lynn: As a woman, people are able to let their guard down a little more – people expect women to be more accepting and are, therefore, more open. I don’t know if that comes from women being nurturers or healers, or maybe it’s just my own experience, but that really helps to create change in my line of work.
Is it more difficult for women to get financing for businesses? If so why and are there any solutions?
Lynn: I have financed my business primarily through credit cards. In my very first retail business (I’ve had several entrepreneurial businesses), I did take a line of credit with my mom as the co-signer – it took me YEARS to pay it back (that was long before my current business). I have personally sacrificed a lot to get to where I am, including cashing in my IRA, and selling my small stock portfolio. If I were to do it over again, I would spend more time researching grant options and SBA loans to launch and grow my business. I wouldn’t recommend that people do what I did, although for me, I’m happy to report that it’s all worked out.
Did you have a mentor to help you get started?
Lynn: Unfortunately, this is probably the largest source of disappointment for me in my growth path – I always wanted a mentor. I couldn’t find someone who would meet me where I was (vs. where they’d been), and who would challenge me to go beyond where I knew I could go on my own. This is the motivation for me to do what I do with my clients – I believe that I fill that mentor role for at least some of my clients.
Approximately how much money did you invest before your business became profitable?
Lynn: Probably at least $200,000, between training, education, systems development. But if you count how much I lost through making bad decisions (including investing in “partners� who didn’t deliver), not charging enough, and not maximizing my opportunities soon enough (especially when I knew what the market wanted but I wasn’t prepared or confident enough at the time), it’s exponentially more.
What resources were most helpful to you when you were starting your business?
Lynn: Through the local small business association offices, I connected with women’s entrepreneurial training (eventually, I became a trainer). I also took classes from the Learning Annex, teleclasses, associations (like Coachville way back– with Thomas Leonard), read books (too numerous to mention). More recently, I’ve attended networking events and specific trainings on topics of interest to me with guru-types to glean more information (if not for me, then for my clients’ benefit).
What ways have you found to be most effective in marketing your product or service to get sales?
Lynn: Personal networking through events, trade shows, groups. Internet marketing, including article marketing, social networking, and being the “guru� of life purpose on SelfGrowth.com (the internet’s #1 resource for personal growth information). Developing a “viral� movie that’s now making it’s way around the Net and on online video sites like YouTube.com. Also, I’ve become more visible through word of mouth.
What tips can you give others who want to embrace their dream but, don’t have the confidence or feel they don’t have what it takes to succeed?
Lynn: Get into action. Just do it. It sounds cliché but what you focus on, expands. Keep doing something to keep your dream moving. And then call me for an energy infusion!
How do you manage juggling the responsibilities of being a entrepreneur?
Lynn: The balancing act that I have is to be the cutting-edge, “alternative� entrepreneur that I am AND have a life. It’s very easy for me to work 18 hours a day because it doesn’t feel like work to me – my days blend together easily. Somehow, I have managed to create a circle of amazing friends but, to their dismay, I work a lot. When they tell me it’s time to get out and go, I rationalize that I work a lot of time anyway so I try to make time to do things with them. And I recently took up belly dancing to keep me focused on moving my body (since the whole gym/working out thing doesn’t work for me – I have to trick myself into being physical by having fun!).
Register for a free e-course on the 5 keys to creating positive change at www.geeniforchange.com.
Learn more about creating a personalized business model for your business at www.productfunnelsecrets.com.
Thanks for stopping by. Let us know what’s on your mind. If you have an interesting story we want to know about it. Or, a reply or comment would be appreciated.
All the best,
Michelle Anton & Michelle Price
This entry was posted on Monday, October 1st, 2007 at 4:11 am and is filed under Starting a Business, Growing a Business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.Leave a Reply
