You keep going. There WILL be times where you feel like giving up and calling it quits. Resilience is hearing that nagging voice telling you to quit but not listening to it. Not giving in.
As a small business expert, Austin James gets small businesses unstuck.
He gets small business owners growing again who have not yet reached their full potential. As a small business expert, Austin has discovered the formula to get business owners unstuck. He focuses on marketing and sales, innovative strategies, and finding overlooked opportunities, hidden assets (both tangible and intangible), and underperforming areas of a business that no one else recognizes.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Austin James: Well, I started my business over a year ago during COVID but I was actually doing personal finance coaching. I was a certified personal finance consultant and certified financial education instructor through the NFEC. I really enjoyed it and was able to help over 40 clients get on their feet financially again. Before long, I ran into my first entrepreneur client and the real solution to her problem was just that she needed more income. Period. But I figured, instead of telling her that, why not show her? I was already studying business strategies and a lot of our meetings were shifting to those kinds of discussions anyways. So I dove into consulting and loved doing business consulting more than anything else I was doing!
Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? Did you ever consider giving up?
Austin James: Oh most definitely. NUMEROUS times. I had even hit such mental and emotional depths that I considered doing things to myself that I had never considered in my life. Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. I was stuck. I was staring at my office wall constantly, depressed because I felt like a complete failure and that went on for weeks until I hired my first business mentor. He gave me tips and strategies to help at least get out of the rut I was in. I think that contributed to my current profession as well. I want to help others get out of being stuck.
What are the most common mistakes you see entrepreneurs make and what would you suggest they do?
Austin James: When I started, I ignored having a niche and my pricing structure was all over the place! Best advice? Do your research and do some internal digging too to find who your ideal client actually is. Once you do, you’ll be able to find, for starters, the right pricing structure to cover your business but also not be out of the realm of possibility for your clients.
Resilience is critical in critical times like the ones we are going through now. How would you define resilience?
Austin James: You keep going. There WILL be times where you feel like giving up and calling it quits. Resilience is hearing that nagging voice telling you to quit but not listening to it. Not giving in.
In your opinion, what makes your company stand out from the competition?
Austin James: One that persistently tries to be preeminent. They’ve got a solid, unique selling proposition. They date their business but love their clients and it shows in their marketing efforts and their value additions to the market.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success?
Austin James: Persistence, Drive and Empathy.
What is Servant Leadership? The Rising Trend in Modern Business
What have you learned about personal branding that you wish you had known earlier in your career?
Austin James: I wish I would’ve understood the value from day one. Most get marketing and branding mixed up. Your brand is truly your reputation in perpetuity as one major influencer once said.
How would you define “leadership”?
Austin James: The one who spearheads the company but also empowers everyone behind him to achieve excellence as well.
What Is Leadership Today? Situational Tools to Help Enhance Your Power
What advice would you give to our younger readers that want to become entrepreneurs?
Austin James: Date your business but love your client/market. If you do that, everything you do will be in their best interests and your business is growing dramatically on the reciprocal.
What’s your favorite “life lesson” quote and how has it affected your life?
Austin James: “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
The same goes for business. The unexamined business is not worth growing.
This interview was originally published ValiantCEO.