In this introspective episode, Kimberly Spencer, CEO of Crown Yourself Enterprises, LLC, shares how she is an award-winning high-performance coach, and her effective methods of overcoming self-limits.
You’ll learn:
– Role of struggle in the life of an entrepreneur
– Why we spend so much time doing so many things that don’t move the needle of success
– The one thing that separates success from failure in entrepreneurs
Episode Transcript
Scott Ritzheimer
Hello, hello and welcome. Welcome once again to the secrets of the high demand coach and I am here with yet another high demand coach. And that is the one and only miss Kimberly Spencer, Kimberly has been obsessed with stories of women who go from rags to riches from fear to success, and vice versa. And she always asked what separates those who cave into their circumstances, from those who are able to climb to the top. And I hope that we get to share this. I don’t know how we’re gonna fit it all in in such a short period of time. But it has just been such an amazing story about how she got to where she is and how she’s helped so many people. So you’re really I’d love to before we talk about what you do are some of the advice that you’d love to share with the audience. I’d love to just take a step back and talk about your story. You know, what were you doing before coaching and how did that ultimately lead to? Helping others?
Kimberly Spencer
Yeah, so I’ve been career hopping for a while. I started out as a screenwriter in Hollywood straight out of high school. I actually dropped out of college two weeks before I was supposed to start with to, to not sponsor shifts to that word that were to. I’m completely blanking on that word of sponsorships, scholarships, scholarships there. Thank you. There. It’s the COVID brain. Scholarships, yes. And I went straight into into Hollywood, and I was helping a whole bunch of agencies doing post production work, scriptwriting and I went straight into that field in that industry because it was an industry I’ve always wanted to be in. I thought that that was like my jam. I thought that that was my forever industry because it was the only industry that I had seen modeled where you could be making the income and the impact that you deserve. Even though I’ve seen my parents grow a business from nothing to a multi, multi million dollar a year annual business. I I saw and identified with the struggle because I was I was in the stroller when my mom was pushing me around, like passing out flyers. So I remember those times when we were struggling and when we would be told that, you know, oh, we can’t go out to dinner because we can’t afford it and things like that. So I really was blessed to grow up with this, like entrepreneurial hustle inside of me. I mean, I was in my bio, I say that I was my first venture was selling bags of glitter water at five split testing price points for five cents or $50. So I was always very, I had that hustler mindset started out in screenwriting, I needed a bridge job to support myself. I found Pilates at the same time. And within a year I grown to be the most fully booked, highest paid youngest instructor at the studio. I was freelancing. And it was interesting because at the time I found Pilates through struggle I found it through it was a one form of exercise that I found really allowed me to connect with my body after being bulimic for 10 years. And when I found it, I started teaching it because I just knew I had to share it with the world. The Pilates was really my first business as I was putting, connecting and getting connected in Hollywood. I got ended up getting my first feature film, written produced. I wrote it with the director and it changed three lives. And when people see it, they’re like, really that’s like, it’s about motocross and, and there’s a lot of drugs and a lot of stacks. And people are like that’s that a did you really you wrote that and be like it really saved three lives. And I said yes, because the story is one that we can all identify with. The story is a story of a young kid who wants to fit in with a cool crowd. We’ve all had that experience. It’s a human story. And in screenwriting, one of the things you learn is there’s really only about seven basic human stories. And if you divert from those seven stories, the film doesn’t succeed. Like there’s a reason why the films that flop completely flop. And it’s probably because in some way they’ve tried to divert in the model, it’s made the story so successful that humans naturally resonate with. And so simultaneously, The film premiered at the film festival, I met the premiere, red carpet and everything. And I’m like, I’m only 90% fulfilled. And this was like, lifelong dream at 23. And simultaneously, I was coaching and teaching Pilates. And over the course of the four years that my film was in post production and post production and all that process. I worked with hundreds of people’s bodies. And I started to see this pattern that it wasn’t whether somebody ate something or like it was crap food, or whether they were like really super healthy, whether they exercise twice a day, every day or they exercise like twice a week. What mattered when I saw results was their mindset of how they thought about it. And so it got me really interested in the mindset I got, because of my Pilates background. I got an opportunity to come on as a consultant first Word Up, jumped on that opportunity. I’ve always been very audacious when like a career opportunity presents itself. And I saw the product. I said, I don’t want to just be a consultant. I want to be a partner. I came on as president of that company took that product to market for two years, got it featured in the big New York Times Square Bill Barrow boards, and now national magazines and pitch it to the first round of Shark Tank auditions. And then my business partner said he wanted to buy me out. And I was so rushed. I was devastated. And I ended up signing the buyout agreement three weeks before I got married, ran off on my honeymoon, and I was like, I don’t know what to do. When I get back. I have no job. And I and I’m also like, certifiably unemployable. I am on an entrepreneur at heart. And my husband and I were brainstorming like you do on your honeymoon. And I was like, Well, I love how I love storytelling. I love writing. I love filming, I love all of these aspects. But like, everything didn’t fully fulfill me and I leapt off the couch, probably after way too many Italian espressos. And I said, Crown yourself and my husband’s like, what’s that I said, I don’t know. But that’s the name of my company. And I had to figure it out. I didn’t have the wherewithal and the knowledge to start working with a coach early on in my business to get me the clarity. So for a year and a half of my business, I’ve been coaching for six years, but for that first year and a half, I made 100 bucks. Like that’s it. And it was because I was doing what I see my clients do, which is called productive procrastination, where they’re doing all the things except for the one thing that really moves the needle. And there’s really only a few things that actually moved the needle when it comes to business. And then I found out I was pregnant. And I realized that the person that I become doing all the productive procrastination was exactly the person that I had overcome before, but in a different form, I’d overcome her. In my battle with bulimia, I totally transformed my my relationship with my body with no psychological or medical intervention. I knew it was a mindset piece, when it came to my business, I call it business bulimia or financial bulimia, where you receive money in and then suddenly there’s just talk goes out to those. And that that was the process that in the cycle that I was stuck in. And I knew I had a nine month deadline to sort this out because I had a child on the way. And that was when I got certified in NLP timeline therapy, hypnosis, I started racking up certifications, I’m going on certification number 13, and somatic attachment therapy over the course of seven years. And I’ve just been transforming lives ever since. And it’s been an amazing journey.
Scott Ritzheimer
Wow, well, so many different themes to run on. But one of the ones that came up is just your use of the word struggle again, and again and again, right and, and you’re going back to this idea of story plots, there is no story if there is no struggle. But in the same time, if the story ends in struggle, that’s not a great story, either, right? And so tell us a little bit what your opinion is like, what is the role of struggle? And let’s focus on business for a second. And maybe we’ll chase a bunny trail here in a second. But what’s the role of struggle in creating success in business?
Kimberly Spencer
I love that question. Scott, I think that most people have a, we have, everything is relational, right. And we have a relationship with struggle and challenges. And our society has not really like over the over the past few 100 years, not really embraced this idea of initiations. And I personally feel that and have seen consistently, that when you set a goal, suddenly struggle challenge. Basically, the universe is like, you really want this, like, I’m not testing you. But like just making sure like you have to go through an initiation, to become the person who’s able to have be, do all the things that you want to be doing hat. And those responsibilities, that power of of, you know, whether it’s increased wealth, increased support with your having a larger team, it comes with great responsibility. And you have to be able to respond in the moment. So there’s initiation, the challenges, the struggles, those are, those are little mini initiations to allow you to transform your thinking, your perspective, and embrace a new way of figuring out how to solve this, because it’s an opportunity for you to grow.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah. In your TEDx talk, I got a chance to watch before we were on and one of the things you talked about how you didn’t respect the the princesses who lose a shoe and Yeah, and so it made me think of, you know, like, there’s a Disney being of American life in general, but very much so recently, there’s been a Disney thing of entrepreneurism, right it’s it’s this kind of up into the right sipping lattes on the beach, you know, whatever. It may be a pajama Yeah. Yeah, and I think, you know, one that’s just patently false. But two, I think what it’s done is it makes it feel like if there’s a struggle, it’s wrong. Right. And I think a lot of people kind of reach a false finish line, they give up early because it’s like, well, if I’m struggling, then it’s wrong. So what would you say to someone who’s in that mode of like, Hey, this is a lot harder than I ever thought it would be. What would you say to them?
Kimberly Spencer
During your initiation? Do you really want it? Like, do you want the Disney version of the business? Which is what a lot of people do you market to like? I mean, I was just having a conversation with a colleague the other day about the marketing for this very large coaching program that was like, Do you want to work from your home in your pajamas, and I said, genuinely, I think the idea is very tantalizing of this perception that we you can work from home in your pajamas, and you have to do very little work. And I’m not saying that it has to be hustle 24/7, either. I think that there is a balance in the extremes. And when you can, when you’re marketed this idea that it’s going to be just easy laid back, you’re gonna face fear, you’re gonna face the greatest fear that most people have, which is the fear of rejection. I mean, it’s a biological fear that we have, and putting yourself out there as a business owner, you’re gonna get rejected, because the only way that you actually have a business instead of a hobby is when other people’s cash needs your products and services. Yeah, and if you’re not focusing on if you’re in the starting phase, and you’re focusing on anything else, like so many new coaches I see get focused on building their website and having all their funnels be perfect. And I’m like, your funnel will be perfect when your audience has said that it’s working, when the data truly proves that your funnel is actually converting people, if it if you can have what you think in your mind is going to be the perfect funnel. But when you put it out into the world, if it’s not received, that funnel ain’t perfect, you’re going to be tweaking it. And so everything, I think, we have this need for certainty. I mean, Tony Robbins talks about the six human needs, we have this need, for some sort of fixed point, edit, that we want to have that like this is when our business makes it if if the website’s perfect, then this, this will happen. And and what I’ve come to find is that we need to treat our businesses like an ever evolving product, it’s changing with the needs of your customers, you’re in a co creative process, with how your customer needs to receive their content, how your customer needs to be coached, even, like I was listening to a great podcast, James Wedmore, his podcast with the coach who’s actually very near to me, and Dripping Springs, who coaches volleyball, Michael Caine. And he’s won like massive amounts of championships. And he’s the discipline that he used to coach around 20 years ago, it’s very different than how he coaches discipline, there’s still discipline, but there’s a little bit more availability for emotions and life experiences and a little bit more compassionate for us to discipline. But you still got to do the work, you still got to show up. And there are days that for many entrepreneurs, that there’s a perception like, Oh, it’s just not aligned. Like if things aren’t working out, then it’s just, it’s not aligned. And I’m like, no, maybe you need to realign yourself to that future version of you who shows up regardless whether you have all your ducks in a row, who chooses to show up like for me right now, like where you’re literally signing the papers to our new house. And so I like I don’t have a perfect backdrop, I forgot the word scholarships. I’m okay with that. Because I know that the imperfections also make you human and relatable, which is also a huge piece in marketing. And when you can have the courage to show up vulnerably I mean, I had one of my clients who said, Kim, you have typos in your email. Like, sometimes I do. Yeah, I because I write fast. I’d rather get the content out imperfectly and have it serve, then have it like be everything perfect. Now, of course, I’m always learning growing, trying to better myself, I don’t want to send it out with typos. But sometimes occasionally, there’s one or two or a misspelled word, that’s okay. And she said, I so admire that because every time you send out an email, I get so much value from it. And it also gave her permission to respond faster and not have this like weight of fear of like, oh my gosh, what if they think that I’m an idiot or that I’m not smart because I forget words or I you know, misspell something. And for me personally, I’ve just adopted the belief in my business like I’m more than happy but to have a someone correct me and say, Oh, you might have misspelled this. And great what we have actually built into our company as far as a customer service model is that when you have a great when you present with us, present us a growth opportunity where we get to grow and learn and develop, we reward we give a force to anyone who finds it finds a typo or who, because then that means that they’re engaged, that means that they’re reading it. And that also means that they care enough to choose to send that that note, and that to me to create a community that cares, that is instilling the core value that I have at the foundation of my company, which is grow or die. Yeah. And thus, they’re allowing me to practice that value. And they’re also showcasing that value that they care enough to choose to help me grow as I’m also helping them grow. It’s collaborative.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, yeah, there’s just so much wisdom in that. And I think the one thing that I want to kind of pull out is how the struggle doesn’t stop and it changes, right? And our comfortability and confidence in it can change dramatically, right? And so folks that are in struggle, and it’s like, it’s killing them, that’s not what we’re talking about, right? Like, that’s not a place that you want to stay. But you also don’t graduate from it, if you want all your ducks in a row, don’t start a business, right? If, in fact, you know, it’s like, and if you want authenticity, right, then then you just have to take everything that comes with it. And I think that’s where we all get an opportunity to show up. Right. So I love that I think, especially for like the solopreneurs, who are listening or those who, whose tendency is to value perfection over progress, just send out an email with some typos in it, right, watch what happens.
Kimberly Spencer
Like you dont have to intentionally put a typo in. But try it and see what happens.
Scott Ritzheimer
But its like get to where you’re moving at the speed where you’re, you’re focusing as much on the value, right as you are on the process where you’re where you’re focusing on the listener, the reader, right, your audience, as much as you are the words that you’re saying, or the typos in them, I think that’s where we really get to step up and, and create impact and create change.
Kimberly Spencer
The greatest differentiator that I’ve seen with all of my clients, as far as their success and the speed of their success of which they want, it’s the speed of implementation. It’s the speed of I got an idea, I’m putting the funnel together, it’s perfectly imperfect, I’m gonna put it out, go to put it out there. Okay, here’s the response back from the audience, okay, we tweaked this, we tweak this, tweak this, it’s implementing, it’s not having everything perfect. And so it doesn’t mean strive for perfection. But perfection means constantly perfecting, like, yes, you made a diamond is constantly how many cuts have to be cut to create a, quote unquote, perfect diamond. It’s, it’s a lot. And sometimes you don’t always have it. So it’s, it’s just being able to make those consistent cuts to that like big dirty rock of your business. And to make it shiny and bright. But it comes with that, you got to hold it up to the light, you got to test it, you got to see how the light reflects and and so how the same is true with your business. You got to hold it up to the light of the customers opinions.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah yes. It’s so true. Yeah. Because we can sit in our, our office and think that we know everything about what they’re looking for. But yes, until it gets out into the wild, you really don’t know. So I love that. Okay, question for you here. What would you say is the biggest secret that you wish wasn’t a secret at all? What would you say is that one thing you wish everybody listening today knew.
Kimberly Spencer
It really comes down to radical ownership, like that radical ownership, to the point where when something goes wrong in your business, when something goes well, quote, unquote, wrong, or you face a challenge, or a struggle, asking yourself, How did I create this? Like, that’s? That’s a challenging question to sit with, if you’re in the middle of a struggle, and you want to blame everybody, but it’s also challenging to grow from that space. So asking two questions, how did I create this? Like, what did I think what was I projecting out into the world? What beliefs do I have that I need to maybe work through because your environment is giving you data? It’s giving you the information back as to what you’re projecting out subconsciously? And so when you see something going off or wrong, or a challenge being presented, how is this? Like, what did I do to create this? What was I thinking? What was I believing? What was I feeling what was I putting out into the world? And how is this the best thing that ever happened to me? Like, and it’s a hard question I had to ask myself that question a lot with in 2021, because I lost three family members, to family friends, moved countries and had a baby. And in that year, we still grew 36%. And it’s because I fully attribute it to asking that question of like, how is this the best thing that ever happened to me? How did I? How did I create this and not from a place of self blame? I want to be very clear about that. It is not self blame and self blame is not ownership. Ownership is in place coming from a place of acceptance coming from a place of looking at what is and then that acceptance is what allows you to move forward into the Marathon of creating your business. Yeah, you can’t start your business shutting yourself. You can’t shoulda coulda woulda you’re not actually in the race.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, that is so good. There’s, there’s this question that pops up, I’ve found for folks kind of in their entrepreneurial journey, they, they’ve added a few people, they feel like finally, this is going to be wonderful. And what you find is the defining question becomes what’s wrong with these people? Right. And I absolutely love your question of saying, Hey, how did I create this? And yeah, if you if you were listening to anything today, that question, if you just start asking yourself that question, when you bump into those challenges, it is going to completely shape the world. And then just to repeat, because it’s so important is self blame is not ownership. I think for so many people, you know, it can just turn into that in the name of you know, owning your mistake, but it’s not at all that is so so that’s so good.
Kimberly Spencer
Ownership is flat emotionally, and you’ll feel it in your body. Because your body is the domain of emotions, like ownership is flat, it’s a place of acceptance, self blame includes shame and guilt, which is a negative, slower emotion, you’ll feel it physically in your body. And so you’ll know if you’re actually in a place of ownership and acceptance, because you’ll feel emotionally you won’t feel the shame and guilt. But you also won’t feel like the anger, the rage, the motivate those motivating emotions, either. It’s more from that place of peace and acceptance.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, that is so good. All right. So I want to shift gears just slightly. We’ve talked a lot about you know, how you help entrepreneurs and leaders and how you help them change the story. But I’d love to have you jump in the ring with us, right? Take off your coach, consultant advisor hat, put on your CEO hat and talk to us a little bit, what’s the next stage of growth look like for you and your business? And what challenge Do you think you’ll have to overcome to get there?
Kimberly Spencer
Well, our growth, we just recently launched a second business, which is a podcast marketing agency, where we get our clients booked on guest podcast appearances. And that just launched literally in November of last year of 2022. And so we’re looking to scale that to our first 1000 customers. And that’s, that’s the big growth phase, while a lot still having the coaching piece be active. But I mean, our main goal is simplifying because we we have chosen to slow down a little bit with the coaching in order to speed up in a in a much bigger way with the agency. And so both so I’m taking on less coaching clients, but for a higher price. And I am also working with my team and developing that team. And my next big challenge is actually bringing on a sales team, which I’m very excited about.
Scott Ritzheimer
That’s awesome. Very, very cool. Well, thank you for sharing. Now I know there’s some folks listening today and it just like point after point after point is resonating with them. So how can folks connect with you find more about what you do and your work?
Kimberly Spencer
Yeah, if you love this conversation, and you want to dive deeper, then just head on over to crownyourself.com and hit the button that says work with me. And if you want to get yourself booked on as a guest podcast and use that to leverage your business as I have done for my coaching business. We generated over 170,000 in new business revenue just from guests podcasting alone. So if you want to learn how to do that, head on over to communicationqueens.com
Scott Ritzheimer
Awesome. So crownyourself.com and communicationqueens.com. Fantastic. Well, Kimberly, thank you so much for being on the show. It’s just an absolute pleasure having you here is such a fun conversation and such a deep and rich conversation as well. For those of you who are listening, I hope you got as much out of this as I did, and I cannot wait to see you next time. Take care.
Contact Kimberly Spencer
Kimberly Spencer is an award-winning high-performance coach, Amazon best-selling author, TEDx speaker, and the founder of CrownYourself.com, helping visionary leaders transform their self- limiting stories, build their empire, stand out fearlessly, and make the income and the impact they deserve.
Want to learn more about Kimberly’s work at Crown Yourself Enterprises, LLC? Check out her website at https://crownyourself.com
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