"Define your target audience from the beginning" with Kenya Adams

Photo credit: Kenya Adams

Kenya Adams is here to change the way women use public restrooms. She is the CEO and inventor of the PantyBuddy. She started her business in March of 2020 and used the COVID-19 quarantine period to focus on perfecting her invention and getting it manufactured. Kenya is a woman who is always on the go but was forced to stop and be still during that time. Finding herself in quarantine, she discovered that it was time to manifest her innovative idea and started her dream of entrepreneurship.

Can you tell our readers about your background? 

I am a wife and a busy mom of three boys. I am always on the go whether traveling across the country or across town, but I really despise nasty public restrooms. I don't typically consider myself to be a germaphobe, but whenever I use a public restroom, I become completely obsessed with avoiding germs. I do not want to make any contact with the toilet or anything else in there. I want to get in and get out as safely as possible, but I often find that I am struggling to do so. Over the years, I have often wished I had an extra hand to help me in the restroom.

What inspired you to start your business? 

I was inspired to invent the PantyBuddy out of personal necessity. I was traveling for work a lot which required me to be in and out of airport and airplane restrooms. I was having a hard time keeping it all together in those small spaces and started looking for something to help me out. I created the PantyBuddy to be that solution.

Where is your business based?

My business is based in Tennessee, and we are an eCommerce business that is available online.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I used the COVID-19 quarantine time to get my business started. My invention is an idea that went undeveloped for several years because I was always too busy to figure out how to make my invention a reality. When the country shut down, I was suddenly gifted with time. Time to gather my thoughts, time to find a mentor, time to design my logo, time to write my business plan, time to conduct market research, time to find a manufacturer, and time to launch my product to the world.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business? 

Social media has been very effective in raising awareness about the PantyBuddy. It has helped educate my target audience about the PantyBuddy and teach them about the usefulness of the product. 

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them? 

My biggest challenge has been launching a product that is dependent on the use of public restrooms during a time when people are still very cautious about being out in public places.  

That challenge is slowly being overcome as people return to normal activities. Plus, ladies are purchasing their PantyBuddy in anticipation of being able to be very social soon.

How do you stay focused?

I stay focused by keeping my goals in front of me, literally. I have a large dry erase board where I list my monthly tasks out in 3-month intervals. This helps me to have a clear vision of my goals and the steps I need to take to accomplish them.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition? 

PantyBuddy is an invention that is new to the market. There is no direct competition because there is nothing out there like it. The PantyBuddy is a public restroom kit for women that functions as a fashionable wristlet. PantyBuddy is the ideal travel companion for using public restrooms, whether you are traveling across town, across the country, or across the world. It improves personal hygiene in public restrooms and ensures that you are never without the essentials to quickly get in and out of small, cramped, and germ-filled public facilities. It comes with an emergency supply of toilet paper, toilet seat covers, and our patent-pending panty protecting strap. 

The panty protecting strap wraps around the crotch of underwear and garments and enables the user to easily pull everything away from gross surfaces when using public toilets. The PantyBuddy is perfect for those women who use public restrooms whether in corporate offices, airports, airplanes, concert venues, or even gas stations. It makes sure that women always have the essentials regardless of the conditions found in the restroom.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business? 

Networking with women’s groups has been my most effective marketing strategy. I am a member of several professional women’s organizations and use those connections to get the word out about PantyBuddy.  

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs? 

Define your target audience from the beginning and everything you do needs to cater to your target audience.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favorite app right now is Clubhouse. It is a great way to network with people from all industries. I have used the app to learn from mom-and-pop shops to millionaires. My favorite book right now is Uncloned Marketing by Audria Richmond. It is a no-nonsense, non-traditional guide to marketing.  

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Canva Pro is my favorite business tool. It allows me to quickly develop visual content and gives everything a professional look.

Who is your business role model? Why? 

Lori Greiner is my business role model because she is the product queen! She is my ideal Shark Tank partner.

How do you balance work and life? 

As an entrepreneur, there are often many long nights and I work hard every day to make my business a success. I spend time with my family to take a break from work. Whether it is playing a board game or just sitting to talk over dinner for an hour, it is important to me to take the time to strike a balance. 

What’s your favorite way to decompress? 

My favorite way to decompress is to take a walk. Nothing beats a good walk around the neighborhood to clear my mind.

What do you have planned for the next six months? 

Over the next 6 months, I am focused on increasing my marketing efforts around the PantyBuddy. 

I will be intentional about seeking out publicity and media attention for the product.

How can our readers connect with you? 

Follow us on social media:

Instagram: @pantybuddy

Twitter: @pantybuddy

Facebook: @pantybuddy

TikTok: @pantybuddy

Website: pantybuddy.com

Email: info@pantybuddy.com 

"Write a book. It will make you an expert in your field and will open doors," with Khristee Rich

Photo Credit: Ken Rich

Khristee Rich is a holistic health expert, researcher, and writer who advocates for women's health and wellness. With over twenty years as a researcher and seventeen years as a holistic expert, she empowers women to heal their mind, body, and spirit using the sacred medicine of the Earth and to overcome trauma, so that they become healthy, joyful, confident women and make the impact they desire in their lives. She also specializes in holistic childbirth. She is currently writing a three-book series on childbirth around the world through a holistic perspective.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

Khristee: I never imagined that I would become an entrepreneur. I always wanted to be an actress. I wanted to be a famous actress on Broadway or on a sitcom like I Love Lucy with Lucille Ball. I loved to perform and make people laugh. But I developed a debilitating, chronic illness in college and I was too sick to continue on that path, even though I tried… It wasn’t until many years later, that I had the vision of becoming an entrepreneur. It was completely inspired. It was not something I planned or even dreamed of. I turned my hobby into my business. 

In 2008, during the height of the recession, I was downsized and suddenly, I went from being a workaholic, always working, to someone who had all free time in the beautiful summertime. I went swimming at the pool during the day. I even took a water aerobics class outside in the sun while listening to the Beach Boys. I thought that was hysterical. My former co-workers were in the office stressing away and I was doing something fun outside every day. I went to the beach. I went out for tea in the afternoon. It was so much fun.

Through my joy, I saw my world as comedy and started writing sketch comedy skits. It was all I wanted to do all day. After months of writing comedy all day, I was inspired to create a comedy business. That is how my business began. It actually started off as a comedy business, not a health and wellness business. I wanted to heal the community through laughter during the recession.

What inspired you to start your business?

Khristee:  After months of writing comedy and laughing all day, I realized I still needed an income. They say “if you love your job you will never work a day in your life” so I decided to turn my hobby into a business. I became an LLC. It was now official. I didn’t know anything about business, but writing comedy was all I wanted to do, so I knew it would lead to something great.

Where is your business based?

Khristee: My business is based in Ridgefield, Connecticut, but all of my services are virtual now, so I can work with anyone anywhere in the world. For a while, my business was bi-coastal when I lived in California.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

Khristee:  First, I decided on a business name. I wanted to be remembered by being unique. Since it was sketch comedy, I had to tie it into the performance. I thought about the musical, Gypsy. There was a song that was a showstopper called, “You Gotta Have A Gimmick.” It was about developing a gimmick to stand out from the rest of the crowd. I decided to be called The Dancing Curtain because we would end all of our shows with a dancing curtain call. I envisioned myself and the other actors dancing as we took our final bow. The audience would be up on their feet dancing and feeling good; that feeling would continue for them after the show and they would be eager to come again. I wanted the show to create joy, so this felt right.

After deciding on a business name, I did research and registered my business with the state and became an LLC.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?  

Khristee: I love publicity. I started my business by writing press releases and being interviewed by the media and now after trying many other ways, I have returned to publicity. I believe it is the best approach for raising awareness for my business, my books, and the topics I teach. I have been a guest on many podcasts. I have been a guest blogger and I have written articles for online magazines and print magazines. My big dream is to be interviewed on TV.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Khristee: My biggest challenge was overcoming my chronic illness. I had a debilitating chronic illness for 15 years which was misdiagnosed. 

It was such a challenging time. I had been healthy all of my life so it was very surprising when I became ill and couldn’t get better. I went to doctor after doctor and they couldn’t find anything wrong with me. They labeled me as depressed, but I knew that there was something physically wrong with me. They labeled me as stressed, but that didn’t fit either. I had been through stress and never got that sick before.

I realized that I had to become my health advocate. I went to the best doctors in Connecticut and New York City. I asked tough questions. I requested more tests. My blood didn’t find any abnormalities. Doctors began to think that I was a hypochondriac. They didn’t take me seriously. This was so hard to take.

I changed my diet. I took supplements and vitamins. I went to yoga class. I studied Reiki and shamanism to try to heal. This helped me a little bit, but I didn’t get back to my old self. I knew there had to be a reason why I got sick, a root cause, why a girl who had always been healthy was suddenly so ill.

Finally, after fifteen years of struggling, I found a doctor who was willing to do further testing. He discovered the root cause. I had extremely high levels of heavy metals in my blood. Both lead and mercury. The highest he had ever seen. 

He recommended that I do chelation therapy in New York City. He predicted it would take a full year of chelation therapy, if not longer since my levels were so high.
I was so shocked that I had heavy metals, but I was relieved that he did the further testing and found out the reasoning 

I went home and immediately started researching heavy metals and chelation therapy. But I found out that chelation therapy is controversial. It is the only therapy that modern medicine recommends for heavy metals, but it can cause paralysis, brain damage, and even death. 

At this time, I had been a healer for many years, so I decided to heal myself and do it naturally.

I went online and learned that there was natural food and supplements that I could take to extract the heavy metals out of my blood without any side effects. I took them for a month and at the end of the month, my blood was checked and my levels were zero. My health had been restored! 100% naturally and in only one month. 

That was my biggest challenge. I overcame my illness a year after starting my business.  

How do you stay focused?

Khristee: My business is my passion. I am very driven. I have big dreams. I have always been resilient. I know that my books and my services are meant to empower and heal women around the world.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

Khristee: Well, in the beginning it was through my name and “my gimmick”. Then, I stopped doing comedy and became a health and wellness business when I began adding personal Reiki and shamanism healing sessions. I helped women to overcome chronic illness and chronic conditions. I had so much empathy for others who had been in my shoes and were told that there was nothing else they could do to help them. I wanted to empower them that no matter what their doctors had said that they could improve and do it naturally. Helping people overcome chronic illnesses and chronic conditionally naturally was my niche. Then in 2019, I began interviewing and writing my book, so transitioned into becoming an expert in holistic childbirth. I have taken all of my knowledge and skills as a holistic healer and holistic health expert and funneled it into helping mothers to heal naturally and have empowered childbirth experiences.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Khristee: Write a book. It will make you an expert in your field and will open doors. Write a book, write a book, write a book!

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

Khristee:  That’s a tough one. I have so many apps and so many books! I would say Otter is my favorite app since it has made interviewing for my book series so much easier. It transcribes and records.
Right now, I am reading so many books on childbirth for my book series on childbirth around the world, so I would have to say Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin is my favorite book right now. The book describes honestly what childbirth is like and takes away the fear. It shows how natural it is to give birth at home and the spiritual connection women feel while giving birth.
My favorite blog is Tiny Buddha. It is so positive and inspiring. I love the stories that people share and the inspirational quotes that they all contain. One of my stories was featured on Tiny Buddha recently. I was so delighted.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Khristee: Again, I love Otter. Without it as a tool, I would probably not be as far along with writing my books. Another resource that has become invaluable is Zoom. That is how I do my interviews and my virtual healing sessions and workshops. It has made it easy to have an online business with a personal touch.

Who is your business role model? Why?  

Khristee:  I have had many role models, but I don’t have one now. I don’t want to look up to anyone right now. I want to empower myself to know that I have the answers inside; I can trust myself and that I am always guided.

How do you balance work and life?  

Khristee:  I think balance is doing the things you love to do and knowing when to take breaks. I love to travel; I have a morning routine to center me which is really important to me. I enjoy spending time with my loved ones, going for drives, reading fiction, and writing which allows me to delve into my imagination and get lost in another world. 

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Khristee:  I love to meditate, walk in nature, listen to music, dance, lie on my hammock in the summer or take a warm bath in the winter.

I think it is very important for entrepreneurs to decompress. We live in a hustle culture and as an entrepreneur we can work 24/7. We have to try to balance ourselves and our lives and realize that there is more to life than working all the time.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

Khristee:  I am writing book one of my three-book series on childbirth around the world and I will be launching a digital course based on book one for moms and moms-to-be.

I am very excited for the next few months. I have a very strong feeling that I will be signing with a traditional publisher within six months and of course, when the book comes out there will be a book tour.
It’s fun to see how my business has come full circle from healing through comedy to helping people to heal mind, body, and spirit by working with me 1:1 to healing through storytelling in my book series and doing book tours as a speaker on the stage.

How can our readers connect with you?

Khristee:  Readers can connect with me on Instagram @khristeerich or https://www.instagram.com/khristeerich, Facebook: The Dancing Curtain or https://www.facebook.com/thedancingcurtain, YouTube: Dancing Curtain, through email at khristee@thedancingcurtain.com and my Web site www.thedancingcurtain.com You can also join my list and receive a free gift at https://www.thedancingcurtain.com/free-health-gift

I would love to connect with you!

“Know your value and success will follow” with Alli Hill

Alli Hill is a writer, speaker, blogger, and influencer in freelancing. The founder and director of FreelanceSpeak and a five-star Fiverr Top Seller, Alli coaches aspiring freelancers and solopreneurs in the art of personal branding, marketing, and solo business operations. Her extensive client portfolio includes Fortune 500 and Inc 5000 companies, SMEs in tech, e-commerce, finance, and marketing, and international boutique brands.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I knew I wanted to be a writer by the time I turned 4 (childhood dreams DO come true!). Throughout school I took initiative to hone my skills: writing for the school paper and yearbook, entering writing competitions (and winning!), doing a one-story internship with the local city newspaper, etc. In college, I fell into some paid event marketing work on a gig basis, working with some popular Fortune 100 brands that needed brand ambassadors for events.

I graduated with my Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications, but I never felt like any of the jobs I found in my field suited me. So, I created my own, and I’ve never been happier.

What inspired you to start your business?

Looking back, I feel like freelance writing (and now coaching and influencing) has been in the stars for me all along. I knew I wanted to write, but came to believe I needed to work for someone else first so I could learn, grow, and build credibility. I thought that getting experience through an employer would be a low-risk way to build on my skills. But I am very much a DIY-er. I’ve always carved my own path, taught myself things, and done things my way. I realized that seeking a a traditional, ready-made career with a salary and schedule determined by someone else didn’t allow me to be true to myself. That was my A-ha! moment.

Oddly enough, my last boss approached me one day to enroll me in a content marketing course. That was really the catalyst that showed me new potential for a freelance writing career. Once that ball started rolling, it only picked up speed. Within a few months, I had replaced my full-time income with all my writing side work and decided to hand in my notice.

Where is your business based?

I work from home in Georgia (USA) in a small town nestled in the Blue Ridge mountains.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

Quitting the safely net of my day job was a big leap. Before I felt confident in making that jump, I focused on getting clients. I didn’t have a website or a brand, so to speak, but I did create a few writing samples so I could show clients what I was capable of. I landed a pretty big name for my first assignment, then collected a few more clients from that. I would work on writing after I put in 8-9 hours at my day job, and I did this for several months to see how sustainable it would be.

Some days, I would stay up until midnight or later to balance both jobs (and being a mom to two children under 2 years of age). Eventually I started getting so much work I had to make a choice. It was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever made.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Two things have worked wonders for me as a writer: Fiverr and referrals.

In my first couple of years, I was doing a lot of pitching. I had signed up for some weekly newsletters that would share companies looking for freelance writers. But pitching is hard work, and you could send 100 pitches with no work to show for it. I had also taken some low-paying clients as I was ramping up my business just to build some credibility. But I knew my writing was worth more, so I created a Fiverr Seller profile (an online marketplace for freelancers) so I could set my own rates and take more control over my work.

To date, I’ve had more than 2,000 Fiverr orders from clients in 30+ countries. This was also a big win in building up my portfolio of popular brands and clients in a range of industries. It’s helped me land more clients on and off Fiverr, and I’ve gotten tons of referrals from both sides of this coin.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Learning to say no to work was a big challenge, especially in my first few years of business. I was so focused on growing my client base and keeping a full schedule that it was hard to break away and take time off. Even on vacation.

Now, I value my time so much more and am more particular about the projects I take.

How do you stay focused?

Being more ruthless about my time has helped me to not feel so overwhelmed. I take more breaks, I take a walk every morning to clear my head and get some sunshine, and I don’t overload my schedule like I used to.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

In truth, I don’t, at least consciously. When I first started freelancing, especially in a competitive marketplace like Fiverr, I thought I really needed to “sell” my services. But now, I’m just transparent and honest with clients that reach out to me. I tell them what they get and what they can expect from my process. I’m not a hard seller.

If they want to negotiate on price or ask for more than I can give, I simply tell them we might not be a good fit for each other. They either appreciate the honesty and decide to work with me, or they move on.

Know your value, and success will follow.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Reviews, hands down. People trust them. But hiring a great freelancer can be hit or miss. You never know what you’re getting. That’s why I leaned heavily on getting good reviews early in my freelance career. I feel like my reviews on Fiverr sell for me.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Ask for help. Find a mentor, take a course, figure out what you don’t know. Be honest about the skills and knowledge you lack, then take initiative to fill in those gaps. When you make learning an everyday goal, you’ll move lightyears ahead of those who don’t.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

I’ve recently jumped on the Wordle trend, where you try to guess a five-letter word in six attempts. It’s my morning brain booster, and naturally I’m a lover of words.

Lunden Souza’s Self-Love and Sweat blog is truly inspiring. She is a fitness and life coach, which has nothing to do with freelancing, but her tips help me make positive changes in my life that carry over to my career.

I grew up a bookworm and I read all kinds of books. One of my favorite books to date is House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski. The creativity of the story, not to mention the typography in the book, have me hooked for life.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Networking is one of the single most important business “tools” that people don’t advantage of enough. I treat everyone I meet as a potential follower, client, or mentee. You never know who you’re going to inspire, and you never know who is in their network that you might be able to help.

Who is your business role model? Why?

My dad owned a business (and is now retired). I learned so much about the lifestyle and demands of a business owner starting at an early age and knew I wanted the same for myself. He made a comfortable living. He built up a strong referral network and spent very little on marketing. Most importantly, he was always available to take off work to join me on school field trips or events.

I copied a lot of his moves: starting small, not spending money until you need to, not relying on too many employees that will put you in a bind if they quit, being meticulous about expense tracking – all things that have helped me tremendously. I didn’t have to learn some of business’s toughest lessons the hard way because of him.

How do you balance work and life?

Since I work from home, those lines are usually blurred. But I’m a lot better at work/life balance than I was a few years ago. I set boundaries with my clients and with my family. For instance, I don’t reply to business emails on the weekend – If I do it once, then clients start expecting me to do it all the time. And it gives them the invitation to not respect my boundaries because I haven’t respected them.

Same story at home – my kids know that when my hand are flying across the keyboard, they need to hold their questions unless they’re hurt or sick.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

I treasure my four-day work week. It feels so good going to bed on Thursday night knowing I have a three-day weekend ahead of me. It’s refreshing, rejuvenating, and gives me more time to work on my passion projects.

And in the rare event where I just can’t make a four-day work week work, I try to treat myself in other ways, like a longer morning walk or a family adventure on the weekend.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

I am currently developing the FreelanceSpeak podcast, where I’ll be sharing my insights on all things freelancing, personal branding, and business growth.

I am also updating FreelanceSpeak.com with a fresh new look and to make space for my new coaching services. With the new website, I will also be bringing over my writing services (currently under a separate brand and website) so that clients can hire me directly and freelance mentees and connect with me all in one place.

How can our readers connect with you?

I’m a huge fan of networking and invite anyone to reach out and connect. You can learn more about me and my journey at FreelanceSpeak.com, which is the home of my blog and other resources for freelancers, and will soon be the home of my writing services, too. Let’s see how we can help each other!

Website: http://www.freelancespeak.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alli-hill/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freelancespeak

"Listen to your peers for advice, but then create something that works for you" Johanna Kitzman

Photo Credit: Joelle Julian

Johanna is the owner and founder of Studio Freyja, a luxury photography studio located in San Diego that focuses on maternity, newborn, and family portraits. With a minimalistic, timeless, and personalized approach, Johanna has captured countless important family memories in the 8 years she’s been in business. While she started her business in Minnesota, she moved herself and Studio Freyja to San Diego in 2016 and started from scratch again. Since then she’s been able to build up her business again to a profitable company that has seen growth year after year.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I was born and raised in Sweden and moved to Minnesota to attend college in 2007. That’s where I met my husband and since then I’ve lived in the states. Being so far away from family really made me treasure the few family albums I had brought with me from home. Leafing through them brought back memories of family time, even as far back as when I was a little toddler and spent time with my grandparents.

What inspired you to start your business?

Unfortunately, I, just like many people, didn’t realize how much work goes into professional photography. So when my husband and I got married in 2012 we thought $1000 for a wedding photographer was a TON of money (spoiler alert, it’s not!). Needless to say, our photographer ended up not being very professional, and instead of being able to relive our wedding day through our wedding album, I spent a year having to fight to even get any pictures from our day as our photographer just completely disappeared.

The few photographs we finally received were not ones I’m thrilled to share. So many important moments were missed and lost. I decided that no one else should ever have to go through that same experience. So I picked up a camera and taught myself everything I needed to know, and slowly but surely I built up my experience and my business where I could ensure families had their most important moments captured and documented. Since then I’m also a huge advocate for encouraging other photographers to charge a profitable rate. What we do is important, and we deserve to be compensated accurately for it. 

Where is your business based?

I am based in San Diego with a studio located in La Mesa. However, I travel back to Minnesota for shoots as well as go to other places. I love to travel and love when the opportunity to combine my passions for photography and travel coincides. 

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

When I first started photography I spent a lot of time watching YouTube videos on posing and editing. I taught myself the ins and outs of my camera and studied the law of light. I then practiced under another photographer who specializes in Newborns to learn the proper posing techniques so that I knew what I was doing was safe for the babies. I also spent several years second shooting for other photographers before I took on my first weddings. As photographers, it is our responsibility to ensure that we can provide what our clients need. Everyone has a phone nowadays with great cameras on it. So we have to ensure that what we do is more than just taking snapshots. These have to be portraits that last for generations, that they are proud to display around their homes, and we have to be able to show up at any occasion and know that regardless of environment, light, or location we can produce quality portraits for our families will cherish.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Great customer service and SEO. The majority of my clients are repeat clients, clients who were referred by past clients, and people who found me on Google. But nothing beats a repeat client and a referred client. These are warm leads that have either already fallen in love with you or they heard such great things about you from their friend that they’re ready to book you before you’ve even spoken to them. Nothing beats word-of-mouth marketing.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

The hardest part about running a photography business is that there is a photographer every which way you turn. It is very easy to get stuck comparing yourself to everyone around you, and not just losing confidence in yourself, but also losing your creativity and integrity with it. It’s never easy to stand out from a crowd, but when you’re running a business that’s already not looked upon as a professional job, it’s so important to find your own lane. When I started photography I thought I had to do exactly what everyone else was doing. More props. Brighter colors. Crazy edits! But as I went down that rabbit hole I lost myself, I lost my sense of purpose for why I was doing this, to begin with, and I lost my identity in my art.

To me, photography is very personal. Not only to those families who we photograph, but to us as the photographer as well. This is my art and my personality. When I realized this I went back to the basics. I looked at what truly spoke to me, and it was natural light and color, minimalistic setups, and portraits that focused solely on the subject(s) I was photographing. Whenever I feel like I’m sliding down the slippery slope of comparing myself to others, I write down my reasons for why I shoot the way I do.  And it helps me find my focus again and keep going down my own lane.

How do you balance work and life?

This is tough. Because as a small business owner you’re constantly working. There’s not a moment that goes by when I’m not working. And it’s especially hard when so much can be done from my phone; answering inquiries, answering phone calls, posting on social media, etc. But the whole essence behind my business is quality family time and memories. So I make sure that I live by that rule too. While I constantly have my phone with me (more than I should probably) I do try to make sure that I’m only in front of my computer editing, doing website updates, market research, etc. from 9-5 Monday to Friday.

I try to limit shooting on the weekends to just one day, Saturday or Sunday. And if I do end up working a full weekend day, I give myself a day off during the week to just relax. I can’t run a successful business on an empty cup. Unless I give myself the grace I won’t be able to provide my clients with the service they’ve come to expect.

At first, when I set these boundaries I was worried that I would lose out on shoots because I wasn’t offering all weekend days. But turns out, people will book you anyways because of the value you’ve conveyed. So if they want to have me photograph their newborn pictures, maternity photos, etc. then they make time in their calendars to fit in a weekday evening shoot.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

I’m all about community over competition and actually run a Mastermind Group with other photographers from my area. There are enough people out there who want pictures that we’ll all have enough to work with. To me, it’s important that we set a consistent standard for photography where people get used to paying profitable prices for their portraits. So we are very transparent with each other and what we offer etc. The way we differentiate ourselves from each other then comes down to slight differences in our style, and then our personalities. Our clients hire us as much from our images as our personalities.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Listen to your peers for advice, but then create something that works for you. Don’t copy someone else’s strategies, systems, and branding because it won’t work for you. Surround yourself with people who are working towards the same goals as you are; let them support you when you need it, and be the support they need. And lastly, charge what you’re worth! Make sure to really understand what you need to make a profit. Don’t just focus on the direct expenses, but calculate in fees, taxes, retirement, and your personal finances. Not only do you have to make money to cover the expenses of the business, but you need to be able to pay yourself a salary that will cover your personal expenses and give you room to add to savings and retirement.

How do you stay focused?

I have a CRM system I use to keep track of each client and wherein the planning process they are. I also have an accountability partner that I meet with every two weeks where we set up our goals and go over accomplishments. And I give myself time to not be focused. We can’t be focused 24/7 - nobody is. And we have to recognize that we can’t be 100% every day. So if I have days when I feel like my focus isn’t where it needs to be, I give myself grace and allow myself to step away from the computer, run errands, read a book, etc. Because I know I’d rather do something for myself, than waste time doing half-hearted work “just because you’re supposed to”. This way when I come back to work I’ve been inspired again and can focus the way I need to.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Travel, Hiking, Ocean, and Dog Cuddles. I love going for hikes around San Diego or heading out to hear and smell the ocean. It gives me peace of mind and renewed energy. I always feel refreshed and inspired when I come back. I also love traveling and my husband and I try to plan one big trip once a year to get away and explore new areas of the world. But mostly, cuddling with my English Bulldog is my go-to activity when I’m feeling stressed or overwhelmed.

How can our readers connect with you?

You can follow along on my business journey and see all the pretty pictures on my Instagram, Facebook and Website. I’m an open book and love helping and inspiring other women to go after their dreams. I always say, I may not have the answer, but together we can toss ideas around and sometimes when you have an issue, just talking it through with some can spark ideas for solutions!

"Don't do it for the money" with Mary Lyons

Photo Credit: Bold Entity

Financial advisor Mary Lyons is recognized as being part of the top 1 percent nationwide in her industry, and her popular podcast, The BIG Wealth Podcast, recently ranked in Apple’s top 100 charts. Mary’s success as a financial advisor led her to launch Benchmark Income Group™ in 2020. Despite opening during the height of the pandemic, the company has thrived, exceeding $1 million in revenue during the first seven months. Mary teaches her ideas and methods at national conferences, consults with the industry’s best, and trains advisors in top firms across the United States.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I've been a financial advisor for over 16 years. I work in a predominantly male industry, where the average financial advisor is a 51-year-old white man. I am much younger than that and female! I started work in a traditional environment, where I was frequently the only woman, or one of two women, in the company that I was working for. About two years ago, I launched my own company. Our company is 94 percent women, so we look exactly the opposite of the rest of the industry.

What inspired you to start your business?

What inspired me to start my business, I think, like any entrepreneur, is that I saw the way things were being done was inefficient and ineffective, and I felt motivated to do it better. I think that most of the country is pursuing financial advice that's designed to keep them from being broke but isn't designed to make them truly wealthy. I want people to be truly wealthy. Because if you have capital, you have freedom to spend your time doing whatever you want, and that means that you have the ability to pursue your purpose, as opposed to just working a job that you don't really love. I really want people to have the freedom to live a life that they're excited about every day, as opposed to working a job they don't like, saving up money, knowing their lifestyle is going to be less than what they've been living, and retiring when they’re old enough that they may not really be able to enjoy it. To me, there's nothing exciting about that. What really inspired me to do this is that I think there are alternatives that allow people to retire earlier, with more predictability in terms of their income, and allow them to do more things that they truly enjoy along the way.

Where is your business based?

We’re based in Dallas, Texas, but we do business all over the country.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I think this was a long time coming. I have been an advisor for a long time. I was in management with the company I worked with before and then moved into ownership, and then ended up selling that business and continuing to work in the industry. At some point, I just really wanted to have the freedom to build a company the way I felt that it should be built, to focus on putting people before profit and knowing that if we make sound choices with our clients, and really help them live a better life, that we get that back in certificates of appreciation. That's how we get paid. We make people happy. We help people have a better life. And then we all benefit from that. There is a Zig Ziglar quote I love: “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.” I just hit a point where I felt morally compelled to launch a company that did financial planning in a different way that was focused on giving people the freedom to live whatever life they want, as opposed to a conventional life.

A conventional life requires a conventional financial plan. But if you want a life that's unconventional, your finances need to be unconventional as well. You have to look at the world in a different way. Most entrepreneurs see a need then jump in to fill it, and I think that's exactly what we've done. We spent a couple of months really figuring out who our clients are, what they look like, and building a brand around that. Then we made sure that from a legal and tax perspective, we had all our T's crossed, and our I’s dotted, and then we jumped into it. Even though our company technically is a startup, the primary advisors in our company have been doing this for more than 30 years combined. There's a lot of experience both in mentorship, management, ownership, and financial practice.

In our first year, we brought in more than 100 clients, and we managed over 100 million in assets.

I think that the reason launched the company is because when you look at most financial plans, they're inefficient. On average, we find that simply by changing the distribution strategies for income, even if nothing changes about rate of return, with no changes to cash flow, we can potentially increase what our clients can spend. That ranges anywhere from 30 to 70 percent more income because we're taking a holistic approach to finances. We look at insurance and investments. When the insurance component is structured properly and in the correct ratios, it actually changes what people can spend when they retire because it either acts as a buffer for investment volatility or as a permission slip to spend the other assets more aggressively. First, we want to focus on giving our clients an easy button. Then for people who want to lean into the creation of income streams, we help them with the analysis and the structure of the acquisition of income-producing assets. This can frequently supercharge the whole plan and allows for people to retire at much earlier ages or with more income potential than they were going to have. We find that our clients are fanatical about the work that we're doing because they see it changing their lives in very dramatic ways.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Right now, I think that the people who are the loudest are often perceived to be the most credible, so we have spent a lot of time focusing on helping people have the paradigm shift from doing things the conventional way to looking at different, better, newer ways that they can accomplish the same goals and then surpass them. Specifically, I think social media has been the best thing that we have done because it gives people the opportunity to get to know who we are at a human level, and it allows them to develop a sense of perceived intimacy before they ever have the first conversation with us. That creates a space of safety so that people feel comfortable reaching out to talk about their money, which sometimes is exciting, but sometimes is scary. When they feel like they can talk to us, it opens the conversation in a very different way. Social media has really allowed us to make that intimate connection with our potential clients.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Time management, and I'm still working on it!

How do you stay focused?

The way I stay focused is attachment to purpose. What am I really trying to do? I'm trying to change the trajectory of my clients’ lives. I really want them to have better and more exciting lives, better relationships with their kids, with their family, with their spouses, and to be excited about the things they're doing. I want them to feel like they have a permission slip to live an exciting life. Staying tied into that purpose and knowing how we're impacting people's lives is what gets me up every day. The money's nice, but it's really the impact that drives me through the times where the work is hard.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

Most of the competition is just busy gathering assets and taking fees for the management of those assets. They just have conversations about “Here's a rate of return. Here's a better rate of return,” and people are making the decision to work with them out of the hope of a different outcome. We actually take the time to really get to know our clients, to understand what their dreams are, to understand what they really want from their lives, and then we help them understand that money is just a tool that is meant to help them build a life that they're excited about. We are changing the wealth paradigm. We are moving away from focusing on net worth and an eventual retirement toward having a better life today, knowing that we've got income taken care of for the future, and that makes a huge difference in the quality of life that people are living. The money is just the means to the end.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

I would come back to social media — social media and client referrals. For me, it's been about making sure that we do our business so well that our clients tell all their friends and family about us. Then, we have a presence on social media so that when that happens, those referrals can validate us and get to know us before they ever come in.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Don't do it for the money. If you're doing it for the money, it's really hard to keep going. Do it for the purpose. Make sure that you are really bought into the purpose because it's a lot of work being an entrepreneur. Sometimes I think people believe it's going to be easier than working a nine-to-five job, and I would say it's not at all. It's actually harder because you don't have the same boundaries. If you are tied into the personal purpose of what you're doing, you'll be successful. If you're just doing it for the money, the likelihood of you actually achieving success is pretty low.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favorite app is WHOOP. It analyzes everything from sleep to athletic performance and has completely changed my habits so that I have better recoveries overnight and more energy on a daily basis to devote to the things that are important to me.

My favorite book, hands down, is Resilience by Eric Greitens because every page has a life lesson on it that can make your life better.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Other humans are 100 percent my favorite business resource. I have a limited skill set, as we all do, so leaning on other people and finding people that have skill sets that I don't is absolutely key.

Who is your business role model? Why?

I would say it's probably Oprah. That woman has overcome so much, and she has leaned into her power and managed to still be approachable to the common person. To be that powerful and to still feel approachable is huge. To overcome the things that she's overcome in her lifetime, between her experiences as a child, prejudices, and everything else, she is an amazing human to be able to do as much as she has.

How do you balance work and life?

I don't think there's such a thing as work-life balance. I think it's more about work-life fit. You just do what you need to do. If you love what you're doing at work, you lean into that. If you love what you're doing at home, you lean into that. You just find a way to make it all fit. If there are things that take you away from your work or your life that aren't productive, hire someone else to do those things. I work really hard and have a limited amount of time with my kids during evenings and weekends. I don't want to do chores during that time, so I’ve built my life in a way that someone else handles cooking, cleaning, and maintenance, so that my time with my kids is really about them, and my time with my spouse is really about him. Hiring out for the things that aren't productive makes it a lot easier to get everything sandwiched in there.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

I like painting. It gets me into a state of flow and uses a totally different part of my brain. I also really like reading. It doesn't matter if it's fiction or nonfiction; just being able to escape for a little while and imagine the world differently is very helpful. I learn empathy from fiction and usable skills from nonfiction.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

I'm writing a book and building a mastermind group. I think Knowledge without action isn’t worth much. I am focused on building a space for people to learn, collaborate, and implement change.

How can our readers connect with you?

Instagram: @thewealthwoman | @benchmarkincome

Facebook: @thewealthwoman | @benchmarkincome

LinkedIn: @TheWealthWoman | @benchmarkincome

Website: www.wealthwoman.com | www.benchmarkincome.com

Podcast: The BIG Wealth Podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-big-wealth-podcast/id1551046548)

Mary Lyons is a Registered Representative and Investment Advisor Representative of and offers securities through OneAmerica Securities, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor, Member FINRA, SIPC. Benchmark Income Group and Wealth Woman, Inc. are not affiliates of OneAmerica Securities and are not broker-dealers or Registered Investment Advisors.

Provided content is for overview and informational purposes only and is not intended and should not be relied upon as individualized tax, legal, fiduciary, or investment advice. Investing involves risk which includes potential loss of principal.