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KHARISMA MAGAZINE { PREMIER ISSUE 2018 }
Yes, they have the business building skills, but they don’ t have the ability to really work with the clients and have those transformations that, obviously, the clients need if they’ re going to come back to them or they’ re going to refer people to them. That’ s the work that I’ m doing today, along with my not for profit, and it’ s exciting. I think it’ s always exciting to look back and see,“ Okay, well, this is where I started off, and –,”
Kharisma: Yeah, the journey, the evolution.
Jessica: Exactly, and exactly. I think for everyone who’ s listening who’ s like,“ Oh, my gosh, I don’ t even know where I’ m going to be in three months’ time,” I really didn’ t know either when I first started out. I think it’ s important that you just really be where you’ re at, and you take the first step, and then you take the next step that you know to do after that, and you will really be guided in the right direction.
Kharisma: Now, going back, you said you – and I know this is important, but I want to hear your perspective on why you decided to get the support of a coach.
Jessica: Well, I think, ultimately, you don’ t know what you don’ t know, and, like I shared before, I didn’ t grow up with parents who were entrepreneurs. I didn’ t know anyone growing up who was an entrepreneur. It wasn’ t around me at all. I had no other friends who were trying to be entrepreneurs who were in that circle. I hired a coach because I really needed support and guidance about my next steps and what I was going to do to get support and to be able to go to the next level.
I hear this a lot, and I’ m sure you do as well, that people will say,“ Well, I don’ t have that much money,” or,“ Shouldn’ t I be putting the money towards actually starting a business?” For me, having a coach – I know, without a doubt, if I hadn’ t had gone down that path, I would have gotten stuck in so many ways that I probably wouldn’ t have even progressed. I wouldn’ t have been able to fulfill this dream of mine. I think it’ s so important that we don’ t try and do things by ourselves and that we get support if we need to.
Kharisma: Yes, and it is important. The thing is that, as entrepreneurs, as people in general, we’ re always— or should always— be really trying to live our best lives and evolve and do unto things to take us to the next level because you never arrive.
Jessica: No.
Kharisma: You never arrive at a place and say,“ You know what, I’ m good. I don’ t need any more support. I don’ t need any more knowledge.” We’ re always evolving as an individual, as a woman, as a woman entrepreneur. For those men out there who are listening to this as well and reading this in our magazine, you never arrive at a place that you don’ t need help, you don’ t need support, you don’ t need guidance. Really working with a mentor and a coach is really important, especially when you want to build a successful and thriving business.
Jessica: Totally, totally. Ever since I started my business – I actually have two coaches at the moment coaching me at two different things, and I think if you need help in a certain area, then why wouldn’ t you get a coach? I’ ve also seen first – hand people who have stopped learning and growing. It’ s like they took a program or they were working with coach, and then they’ re like,“ Oh, yeah, I’ m just going to take a break for a while.”
Sure, you shouldn’ t just work with a coach for the sake of it, but if you stop learning and growing, what does that do for your personal life? What does it do for your business? You’ re either learning or growing, or – what’ s the saying? – you’ re dying. You need to constantly be learning and growing and challenging yourself. Otherwise, I don’ t know, life’ s a bit boring.
Kharisma: Exactly. Talk a little bit about how right now – what I want to do is also the comparison or the contrast between back then, before you were really doing the blog coaching and you started to attract these clients online versus what you’ re doing today to really promote yourself, market your business, market who you are. Start with what you were doing back then to let people know about you and how you can help them.
Jessica: Back then, I was blogging a lot. I was probably blogging five days – when I had my blog, I was blogging five days a week. When I started coaching, I probably wasn’ t blogging as much. It was probably a handful of times a week. How I was getting clients, it was all very organically. It was through using my blog, posting on social media. I wasn’ t doing any paid for of advertising. I brought my list up to around about 2,000 people, organically using social media, blogging, joint ventures, partnering with other people. It totally worked. If you’ re consistent, then you can definitely get clients that way. It was all very organic the way I was getting clients in the beginning.
Kharisma: Today, what are you doing that’ s different that’ s bringing clients into your business and also marketing who you are and letting people know about you and how you can help them?
Jessica: I’ m still blogging. I still blog about once a week on my website, and I really look to create long posts that are full of valuable content. I do a lot more interviews than I was doing back then. I also run Facebook ads, which is a great way to put your marketing on autopilot. Joint ventures, so looking at who has a complementary market to myself. Okay, I’ m going to promote their product offering in May, and then Sally’ s going to promote my launch in July— strategic partnerships