In this entrepreneurial episode, Chanel Rose, Director of Business Development of Pivot To Profits, shares how she helps her clients make the leap, start their own business, and take it full time.
You will discover:
– What you can and should do before you go full-time as a founder
– How to know when it’s time to start your own business
– Why you don’t have to go full-time to be a successful entrepreneur
Episode Transcript
Scott Ritzheimer
Hello, hello and welcome. Welcome once again to the secrets of the high demand coach podcast. And here with us today is a yet another high demand coach. But today we have the one and only Chanel Rose who has over 15 years of experience in business development, philanthropy and procurement of government contracts. She proudly owns an international consulting firm renowned for crafting growth and success strategies, holding certifications in project management and leadership development from Northwestern University and business analytics from Harvard University, her expertise is unmatched in 2023 she secured over $750,000 in government contracts, showcasing her prowess in boosting business revenue. She’s here with us today. Chanel, welcome to the show. So excited to have you here. I’m wondering. I’ve heard you talk a lot as I was getting ready for the episode about, you know, when it’s time to start a business, there’s a lot of folks I’ve found that they’re just kind of sitting there. They’re sitting there. They’re sitting there. The frustrations there, but they just don’t know if they’re ready. How do you know when it’s time to start a business?
Chanel Rose
You know, the short answer is, we, if you keep thinking about it, so if you’re waking up in the middle of the night, or every time you get frustrated, and that’s a solution, and you feel like there’s an out, and that sign is related to business, that’s when you need to just say, Yes.
Scott Ritzheimer
I love that. There’s, there’s this stage I found, like, when you look at any successful founder story, there’s a stage that precedes that story of just that, right? They’re frustrated by something they’re dissatisfied by, you know, what feels like the status quo and and and a lot of people can relate to that, but they’re not necessarily founders, right? There’s some folks who are just frustrated but that they’re not really supposed to start the entrepreneurial journey, and others are. But I love that you when you look at it, most folks who really make the leap and succeed, they can’t escape it. It’s almost not an option for them. Would you agree?
Chanel Rose
Oh, absolutely. I can share really quickly about me and how I pivoted into full time entrepreneurship. I was on medical leave in a pandemic, and I got fired. Um, it was at that point I decided either I am going to do this and take control of my own finances, take control of my own future and religious own, my own journey, or I’m going to just consistently stay in this cycle of, you know, wondering about, am I going to have a job? Are things going to work out? So absolutely, I feel like the people who make it often are like, pivoting from the ground up. They know that, like, basically, not necessarily financial rock bottom, but they know that, like, this is not the best of what the world has to offer, and I deserve it and go after it.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, so true. So we tend to use language around starting a business that’s actually a little abstract and vague, right? One of the most common ones is take the leap. What does take the leap mean? And so I think one of the challenges that I see folks do is because that’s so ambiguous. You know, if they start their business, does that mean that they’re full time from day one? Are there things that you can do before you go full time? So my question for you is, if you’re going to start a business, do you have to go full time immediately?
Chanel Rose
You never have to go full time. My favorite group of people are the working millionaires. Most people who are financially successful have a job. You don’t ever have to go full time. A great example is my clients who are government contractors, who own these multi million dollar government contracting agencies, and get up and go to work every day. You don’t have to be all in on your business with your time and efforts. You can buy a business, for example. You can buy a manufacturing company. You can buy a plumbing company. The answer is, no, You never have to be full time. You can, um, frankly, I would never recommend people just doing what I did right, like it was a total trust fall, let your job be your first investor. Right? Like leverage, the time and successful, consistent income that you have to get where you need to be in your business. You don’t have to take on that risk initially.
Scott Ritzheimer
Oh, I love that. Let your job be your first. Investors. Fantastic, fantastic advice, because there’s this equal but opposite extreme, right? We talked at the beginning of the show, the person who’s like, they’re sitting there, they’re not they’re not doing it, they’re not doing it. They’re not doing is ready, aim, aim, aim, aim, aim. And then we have, you know, another common scenario, which is ready fire, you know. And we forget to aim. We forget to do it. And what I love about this, this approach, is it really is the best of both worlds. You don’t have to go full time all the way, because the intensity dials up very quickly when you go full time. It’s a big deal. So let me ask you, what, what do you do with the space in between and and how do you navigate the frustration that still exists knowing that this is really where you want to go?
Chanel Rose
Oh, okay, so my advice to people who are like, I hate my job. I want to start my business, it starts showing up as your best version of yourself. Any shortcomings, any negativity that you have as an employee, is going to show up as an employer, as a business owner, if you are avoiding of conflict, if you are bad at paying bills, if you are reluctant to advocate for yourself, that’s going to show up in your business. So the first step, I would say, is get excellent, just strive every single day to be the best version of yourself. Yeah, that boss may not be great, and that’s okay, but that shouldn’t negatively impact your work output. That that’s like overwhelmingly, the thing I think that people miss is that a business doesn’t solve your problems, it can just amplify them.
Scott Ritzheimer
Wow, again, there’s there’s just so much behind that. So I love that what you about habits you express as an employee will show up as an employer. It’s so true. And one thing that folks don’t realize, both outside the entrepreneurial world and inside, is just how personal the journey is, right? And so I love that you’re saying, hey, take this time to get right with you, because it’ll do a couple things. One, if you just start showing up as the best version of yourself, it might be that you were the problem as an employee in the first place, and you might be able to stay there for a long time, right? Let’s just be honest. But second, second is, it’s, it’s momentum, right when you get when you’re trying to create something from nothing, momentum is everything. And if you go into that with bad work habits, or you go into it expecting someone else to kind of carry the baton for you, or to be the stimulus to move, if you expect someone else to set a performance standard, it’s not going to work. Would you agree?
Chanel Rose
Absolutely. Um, I think that especially when you’re transitioning from being the person who receives the instructions to giving the instructions, there’s a clear difference in that approach I can share. I remember in my business, I got employees right away, and sometimes they would do things I didn’t like, and I just wouldn’t want to give them feedback, or the only time I would reach out to them is if I needed to give them off the negative feedback. And it started to pinpoint the fact that I just wasn’t as good a communicator as I thought I was. And in order for me to fix that was I created systems inside of my business that was a feedback loop. So those huddles that you hate are actually a form of insulation and protection and risk mitigation for your business, right? Those update emails that make it on your nerves are actually are a form of kindness, and you start to begin to see why corporations are so successful. It might seem tedious and monotonous to you, but they also are a great way to not only just create culture, but keep everyone on the same page.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, yeah, I love that. So let’s, let’s talk sales for a moment, or revenue more generally. So we’ve got, they’ve taken the lead, they’ve they’ve started the their business, they’ve hung their shingle, they’ve got their product or service that they’re trying to get out there. And, you know, it’s like, day one, you come to the reality of, Oh, I’ve got to sell this thing. It’s not if you build it, they will come, you know, we actually have to do some work here. What are some of the more common mistakes that you see new entrepreneurs making when trying to sell their product or service?
Chanel Rose
Oh, okay, um, let’s do it. Number one is, they don’t promote. They don’t sell. So they think they’re like, what’s called on an idea high they’re so excited about it, they don’t they talk to all the wrong people who are not their target customer, and they make one giant post about their business, and then never again. They expect for like, the cart to open and the money to flow in. That’s not how it works at all. They don’t create relationships. That’s the second thing, sales is relationships. You have to be relevant and relatable. And people think that social media is just about talking at people. It’s about being relevant. You post because you want to remind people that you’re there, that you provide resources and information. And I would say, like the last thing is that in sales, people sell what they want versus what people need, and so they are way too emotionally attached to the fact that they spent all this money, time, effort and energy on a sales page, a website, a product that nobody wants, or at least their top audience doesn’t want. And the last one is that people sell wrong. So they sell using language and cadence and even colors that are in direct opposition of their target customer. So a quick example of that is, if you’re analytical, they want details, and they are big on first impressions and consistency versus somebody who is a relationship buyer. They want an unlimited amount of testimonials, an unlimited amount of relatability. Analytical people don’t care. They want proven strategies. They don’t have to relate to it, but too often, people are selling to the wrong type, using the wrong language for their desired customer.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yes, it’s so true, and it’s nuances like that that that make it so hard, because you could kind of stack everything right up to that point and then blow it right. There, but nobody’s there, like looking over your shoulder, saying, Hey, you messed up just this one part. You don’t have to change everything. So there’s so much learning that has to happen in this process. One of the temptations that I see is folks, especially with the technology that’s available now, is trying to automate all of that right, just right out of the gate. I don’t have time for all the conversations. I’m just going to automate some of them. But they haven’t necessarily proven that the content that they’re using matches their, their their audience. How do you how do you really find that fit? What’s the best way to do that, and where does automation fall in that?
Chanel Rose
Oh, so when my clients we do everything. Like to call from scratch. So in the beginning, we are doing market research. I’m having them do interviews directly with their ideal client profile. I help them create, like really good, strong habits for automation, because they often are informed consumers. So what does even mean to automate? What are you automating? You’re just automating steps, you aren’t automating the work. And so I try to reinforce the fact that automations are supplemental. They are not systematic. So you can’t decide that you’re going to systemize your sales when there’s no people in place, right? You can’t. It’s just, it’s just not going to work. And so to answer that, we quickly move from scratch into okay, we can automate emails. We can automate reminders for those appointments. We can automate steps in the process. But when you take yourself out of the business, you take the client out of focus, and that just can’t happen.
Scott Ritzheimer
It’s so true. It’s so true. So Chanel, there’s a question I like to ask all my guests. I’m going to fire it your way. Very interested to see what you’d say. What do you think’s the biggest secret that you wish wasn’t a secret at all? What’s that one thing you wish everybody watching or listening today knew?
Chanel Rose
Sales is simple. It’s simple. It’s all about just being relatable and being honest. I think that people feel like sales is that use car salesman thing, and even used car salesman are not used car salesman anymore, right? Like that is just a frame of reference. If you do the work, the sales will come. It’s just a matter of owning your responsibility as a business owner. You have to be the salesperson. And I think if people tell people starting a business is sales. You want to start that business. Do you want to sell? Right? If that was the framework, it would demystify a lot of people and save a lot of heartbreak.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yes, yeah, that’s so true. Starting a business is sales. You want to sell. I love that. It’s so so true, so poignant and and so simple. I mean, it really is that simple and that hard all at the same time. I think one of the things that’s interesting is, is that simple in the English language means two very different things, right? It can mean simple to understand and it can mean simple to do, right? So there’s a big difference between simple and easy. And I think you absolutely nailed it there with with that point. Chanel, there’s folks that are listening. They’re just resonating with every word they’ve they’ve finally found that, that kick that they needed to go and jump in and they they feel like they’ve got someone who can really help lead the way. How can they find more about you and the work that you do?
Chanel Rose
Oh, I’m on LinkedIn. I’m on every social media platform, so I always say Chanel, like the designer and rose like the follower on LinkedIn, I’m Chanel Rose on all the other platforms. So threads, Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok. I’m hello, Chanel Rose. Um, those are the best ways to find me. I am always in the DMS. So that’s honestly, social media is where you find me best.
Scott Ritzheimer
Fantastic, fantastic. We’ll get those links in the show notes. Check it out, connect with her on your favorite social media platform, and you’ll find a ton of great content there and an amazing person behind all of it, Chanel. Thank you so much for being on the show. Just a privilege and honor having you here today, and for those of you watching and listening, you know your time and attention mean the world to us. I hope you got as much out of this conversation as I know I did, and I cannot wait to see you next time. Take care.
Contact Chanel Rose
Chanel Rose has over 15 years of experience in business development, philanthropy, and procurement of government contracts. She proudly owns an international consulting firm renowned for crafting growth and success strategies. Holding certifications in Project Management and Leadership Development from Northwestern University and Business Analytics from Harvard University, her expertise is unmatched. In 2023 alone, she secured over $750,000 in government contracts, showcasing her prowess in boosting business revenue.
Want to learn more about Chanel Rose’s work at Pivot To Profit? Connect with her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/chanelrose/ and/or Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/hellochanelrose/
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