Turn the BEST of Your Career into Your Own Business with Lori Smith (Ep 10)

Want to take the best of your career and use it as the foundation of your own business?

Then you’re going to love this open and honest conversation I have with corporate leader turned consulting business owner Lori Smith.

Lori Smith had over 20 years of experience working as a senior leader at Wyndham. She created a unique role in the company that combined her finance background with her six sigma efficiency skills. She used her natural relationship-building savvy to corral stakeholders around common strategic priorities.

And then she was laid off. She found herself at a crossroads.

When she and I started to work together on her business strategy and plan, her initial question was, “Do I find another corporate job or take the leap and start my own business?”

We worked on clarifying the value she offered, and this question got transformed into a better question, “How do I take the parts of my career that I loved and build a business around that?”

Lori and I get real as we talk about:

• Why she needed to look at her life goals, not just career when determining if she should start a business
• How to deal with the naysayers who question your decision to start a business
• Why grief is a necessary part of the business build process and how it’s the key to getting to clarity on your niche and superpowers
• Why trusting yourself is the most critical thing you need for success
• How her business goals for being a fully present mom have been met and exceeded

Where to dive in:

[8:36] How do people move out of one functional area and see how they can apply their skills to other roles?

[12:00] Tune into Betsy and Lori's conversations about leaving Wyndham and how her skills would transfer to a different career.

[16:05] Hear why Lori knew that recreating her old career was not the answer.

[18:00] It's hard to get people to change their perception of you. Hear why Lori had to practice her "What I do" statement and why she had to learn how to convey this with confidence.

[21:21] There is a grieving process when you leave corporate. Hear what you have to let go of to gain clarity.

[25:00] What are the things you're afraid you're going to lose when leaving corporate? How do they shape what you want to do going forward?

[29:13] Hear what Lori sees when leaders don't go through the grieving process and the consequences.

[31:45] Hear why working on the right things create results.

[34:22] If you could go back in time and talk to Lori when she leaves corporate, what would you say?

[36:04] Hear a big takeaway from Lori about jumping into consulting and coaching business ownership.

Next steps:

• Allow yourself to go through the grieving process when leaving corporate. Acceptance will give you clarity.
• Give yourself the space to figure out what you want from your business so you start right. 
• Get the mentorship and guidance you need when starting your business.

About my guest: Lori Smith has a passion for helping senior teams get aligned around strategic priorities that will actually increase profits and grow the business. She combines her 20 years of experience in complex, matrix organizations, financial acumen, project management, process improvement and natural relationship building skills to help her clients achieve their growth goals faster and with harmony among stakeholders. You can find out more about Lori at her website at LoriSmithConsulting.com. You can also get her free stakeholder alignment tool on her website.

About me: The Enough Already podcast is hosted by Betsy Jordyn. My marketing agency and mentoring firm helps consulting and coaching business owners clarify their brand messaging and positioning, create a website presence that position them as sought-after experts, land clients with ease and integrity and take their place as thought leaders and influencers in their niche. Our mission is to help consultants and coaches monetize their best-at strengths and authentic passions to make a bigger difference in the world. Check out our marketing agency services, mentoring programs and courses at https://www.betsyjordyn.com 

Links:

Download our FREE guide to kickstarting your entrepreneurial journey and building a business that makes money and a difference: https://www.betsyjordyn.com/opt-in

Learn more about our Brand Messaging & Positioning program: https://www.betsyjordyn.com/messaging-positioning

Schedule a consult call to talk about creating your consulting and coaching brand and profitable business: https://www.betsyjordyn.com/schedule

Related Blog, Video or Podcast Episode:

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How to Embrace Your True Business Calling with Josh & Kristy Groce

How to Take the Courageous Leap into Full-Time Consulting with Bill Carl Johnson