As an Online Business Manager and Private Coach, Innovative Woman Ann Strout provides Implementation and Coaching services for the heart-centered ladypreneur.
How and why did you start your business?
I started my business back in 2002 after my son was born. Having my first child, I wanted to be home with him, but I had a strong desire to start my own business too. At the time, I knew nothing about working online and fell into a virtual job.
In that job, I was connected with a couple of fellow employees that ran virtual assistant businesses from their home.
I had no idea how I was going to make this work, but I wasted no time educating myself. I started out with placing bids on Guru to just gain some experience and see how this would work for me.
Very quickly, my workload was more than I could handle alone and so I used my degree in HR and entrepreneurship and put those skills to the test. I built my own team of VAs and rapidly moved out of working ‘in’ the business to working ‘on’ it.
I had my ah-ha moment when I looked at my sales numbers and I was closing at a 98% rate on all of my sales call and I wasn’t selling at all!
Through this journey, my passion for coaching and helping other businesses learn to do what I had done, became too strong to ignore!
I built out my coaching business and started helping women entrepreneurs find their ideal clients, enroll them consistently into their programs and learn how to close their sales calls without selling or scripting a sales pitch.
Today, I offer my coaching to those who are struggling to find clients they love, fill their programs consistently and close more sales calls without having to be salesy. I also have an extra bonus on the side – my implementation team! For clients who need support to implement all they learn coaching with me, just have to turn to my team and get everything they need all under one roof!
What has been your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it
Well, it hasn’t been just one thing.
My main challenges were really defining what I wanted to offer, who I wanted to serve and removing blocks that were holding me back.
These seem to be the very struggles my ideal clients have.
How do you define SUCCESS?
I define success by having an abundance of wealth in all areas of my life, not just financially.
For me, it was VERY important that I was providing value to my clients and truly helping them. I am not happy unless I am helping others transform their lives.
To have success, you have to mentally, emotionally be happy, healthy, confident and stable. Only then can you create that success on the exterior.
If there was one thing you wish you knew before you began, what would that be?
I wish I knew more about clarity and community.
When I was getting started, I thought I was supposed to just do what everyone else was doing. I never considered what I wanted because it didn’t match what others were doing.
To top this off, I didn’t have community or support. I was at it alone and didn’t know how or where to find support that I needed to make this happen for me. This resulted in years of struggle, lack, overwhelm and difficult ventures.
What makes you an innovative woman?
I am an innovative women because I am fresh, hip, super strategic and I do NOTHING that doesn’t feel right to me. If it doesn’t resonate with the core of my being, I turn it away.
I am very authentic and I have a reputation of outstanding ambition and high inspiration. I am always creating new ways to support my clients and at all costs, different.
To find out more about Ann visit www.annmstrout.com, or connect with her on Facebook or Twitter.