The British economy is still struggling to recover from the pandemic, according to the latest data. The economy is 0.5% smaller than it was before the pandemic, and experts say that the main reasons for this are the lingering effects of the pandemic and the tighter post-Brexit immigration rules.

The ongoing skills shortage is a major challenge for businesses, but it is also an opportunity for those who are proactive. Here are our top tips for businesses facing labor challenges in 2023.

UK industries with skills shortages

To begin, it is important to identify the industries in the UK that are most affected by the skills shortage. A recent study found that the country’s biggest shortfalls are in a variety of sectors, including:

• Transport and logistics: This sector is facing a shortage of skilled drivers, warehouse workers, and customs agents.
• Hospitality: This sector is facing a shortage of skilled chefs, waiters, and hotel staff.
• Manufacturing and construction: These sectors are facing a shortage of skilled engineers, carpenters, and electricians.

Invest in your workforce for long-term success

Recruiting top talent is a time-sensitive process, as there is only a limited pool of qualified candidates available. A recruitment agency can help you find the right people quickly and efficiently.

Recruitment agencies have wider referral networks as a third party, allowing them to identify candidates with the necessary work experience. They also focus on different industries, so you can locate an agency that meets your specific requirements.

Recruitment agencies can help you find new talent with the core skills to help your company reach its goals.

Invest in your workforce to boost your business
Often, the skills you need are already present in your workforce, but they may not be fully utilized. By upskilling your employees, you can give them the skills they need to take on new challenges and responsibilities.

Upskilling your workforce can be a great way to improve your business and the skills of your employees. By following these tips, you can make the upskilling process a success.

Organizations with more resources may even pay for their employees to enroll in external training programs offered by universities or colleges. This personalized investment in your workforce can build loyalty and even provide a valuable public relations opportunity.

Utilise Apprenticeship to train and upskill your workforce
Apprenticeships can be a long-term solution to skills shortages. They can help employers reach a wider talent pool and offer prospective employees a strong, high-quality alternative to the traditional university degree.

A multi-pronged approach to recruitment that includes building relationships with educational institutions can help businesses find top talent at the source.

Boost your marketing reach and visibility
A strong marketing strategy can make your company more attractive to prospective employees. This is because it can help to increase brand awareness and generate interest in your company. You can partner with local educational institutions, promote your job openings on social media and in the local press, and track your results to improve your marketing strategy and attract future employees.

Sources 

GDP – data tables – Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)  

Immigration – Winckworth Sherwood LLP (wslaw.co.uk) 

UK employers struggle with worst labour shortage since 1997 | Business | The Guardian 

The post Overcoming Skills Gaps: A Guide for Businesses appeared first on CEO Medium.

Fauteux firmly believes in the responsibility of leaders to contribute to the preservation of our world. In his words, “I believe that everyone in a leadership position has the responsibility to ensure we are protecting nature and acting sustainably. Without it, little of what we do or achieve holds significance or meaning. After all, we have to ensure that we have a place where others following in our footsteps have the opportunity to achieve their own goals.”

Fauteux’s educational background includes a bachelor’s degree earned in 1995 from Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada. He also pursued further education, completing a Management Certificate from the American Management Association of International in 1999 as well as an Indigenous Studies Certificate from the University of Alberta in 2017. 

In this capacity as Senior Director of P3 at EQUANS Services, he’s responsible for managing the strategic delivery operations of multiple P3 contracts in both Canada and the United States. His areas of oversight encompass transit, healthcare, transportation, and cultural infrastructure. 

What does your day-to-day generally look like given your position?

Contract, Vendor, and Client Management are the activities that take up most of my day.  Making sure we are delivering on our commitments and serving our clients in the best, most sustainable way we can.

What initially inspired you to get into the field you’re in?

Leadership has always been the thing that I’ve gravitated to normally and environmentalism and sustainability are things that mean a lot to me personally. So being able to lead and contribute in those important areas has been great.

What do you think makes a great leader?

I generally subscribe to servant leadership so listening is where everything starts.  As a generalist, I believe strongly in putting the right people in the right places and then making sure you can support success, help them grow, and clear barriers for them. I also believe strongly that what gets measured, gets done so I am a big proponent of having accountability systems in place to track success.

What is the biggest misconception about your industry?

The biggest misconception is that environmentalism and sustainability are only for environmentalists and that simply is not true. Everything we build, operate, occupy, use, etc. can be better more sustainable, and less harmful to the environment around us.  Keeping this in mind, ALL of us are responsible for this, not just the environmentalists.

What do you believe your future career is going to look like five years from now?

I imagine that I will be leading sustainably in whatever industry needs me. 

The post Our Interview With Brad Fauteux, senior director of P3 Management at EQUANS appeared first on CEO Medium.

Here are four key areas to focus on, which can help anyone to develop their own effective leadership style and to inspire bold leadership culture in their organisations.

SELF: Developing Conscious Identity

Bold leadership culture starts with being kind to yourself, recognising your true self in your work, and engaging your entire purpose in what you bring as a leader. But there is no leadership without learning.

To truly understand our strengths and limitations as leaders, we need to develop our conscious identity, and this requires constant learning. If we can commit to this evolutionary framework, we can learn to expand our ability to take risks, and perform at the top of our game.

When faced with challenges or in critical transition moments, we need to ask ourselves important questions: What are the beliefs that drive our behaviours? What can I live without and what are the habits that are getting in the way of being my best self?  Who am I being whilst I’m on that path? When we reflect and find different perspectives and question how we can be better, we can develop more self-awareness, understand the impact we have in our communities and un-tap our potential to create bold leadership culture. This self-awareness will allow us to lead by example to delegate, motivate, inspire, and confront the challenges we face head-on.

But we cannot do it alone!

OTHER: Creating Relationship Agility  

Building a culture of bold leadership depends heavily on flexing our trust muscles and empowering others to be their best, reflective, learning selves as well. Creating relationship agility means co-creating with other people, learning how to show our humanness, being approachable and practising authenticity in our relationships.

This does not happen in isolation. We work with other people every day and these people are all different and bring different things to the equation. They have different ideas, approaches, weaknesses and strengths, and bold leadership culture means navigating these and using them to optimise results. We must be ready to find different ways of doing things together, as a team, and should avoid imposing our way exclusively.

We can’t know everything, be everywhere or do everything on our own, so bold leadership culture also means trusting that other people’s greatness is part of the equation and having the ability to let go of some of the control to work together.

This letting go requires trust, vulnerability, and intimacy. If we surround ourselves with trusted people who can call each other fourth, we can grow through our relationships, and success becomes unequivocally tied to other people, our interactions and collaborations.

UNIVERSE: Unlocking Collective Intelligence

Bold leadership culture involves learning how to listen to basic patterns of thought and behaviour within the workplace and noticing what the organisation needs and how to contribute to those needs.

If we listen to work culture, the environment, what’s happening in the organisation, and the patterns that are informing us we can better understand what’s needed in the hive. Unlocking this collective intelligence is also about speaking up, noticing what is needed and delivering, to honour shared consciousness and the role it has in informing decision-making.

We also need to be aware of our impact in a wider, global sense. How are we a part of the world around us? What is our contribution? How are we shaping culture? How are we building the future? What is the bigger picture?

Bold leadership culture means recognising everything that concerns us and everything that shapes the world. If we can think more universally and be actively part of a whole, our engagement will become less about self-preservation and so less self-defensive. Instead, we can become empowered and proactive with a greater sense of shared purpose, accountability, and positivity for the world.

LEGACY: Demonstrating Purposeful Achievement

A bold leadership culture requires us to think about our legacy and the impact we want to create.

If we create a platform for meaningful, value-based work and entrepreneurial passion rather than just simply executing tasks, a culture of bold leadership can be established. Values of intimacy, compassion, and getting to know our teams enough to understand individuals’ values and potentials, are essential foundations in the building of a bold leadership culture.

Leadership models that appreciate these individual values and strengths in the workplace will allow for more meaningful work and enable teams to be engaged and motivated to contribute.

If we are to leave the legacy we wish for, we have to act in the present and be aware that everything matters. How are we honouring our purpose right now? Am I fulfilling my purpose in life? Am I in the right place to do that? What difference can I make in the world? What is the best impact I can make? What will my legacy be? Am I working from a place of self-preservation or a place of growth, togetherness and optimism?

If we can stand up, and take risks based on our values and purpose, we can dare to swim upstream and create cultures of bold leadership, which will make the world and our organisations better places.

Zana Goic Petricevic is an internationally certified leadership coach and consultant. She is the founder of Bold Leadership Culture, and the author of Bold Reinvented: Next level leading with Courage, Consciousness and Conviction.

The post Four Steps To Creating A Bold Leadership Culture appeared first on CEO Medium.

With her strong talent for graphic and website design, she created a powerful business. She Is Brand is a creative studio that specializes in branding and rebranding businesses starting at the fundament.

They offer the tools necessary to build a sustainable and scalable business. When she’s not helping businesses with their branding needs, you’ll find She is Brand hosting a private Facebook group. It’s a safe space for business owners and future business owners to share their knowledge, trouble, and experiences.

What do you want people to know about you and your business?

I am a godly creative woman and was created to be a resource for those around me. Within my business, I build sustainable and scalable brands for entrepreneurs who are on the rise or ready to go to the next tier. I also provide tools for entrepreneurs who are stuck in their business journey and ready to propel forward.

Why did you create She is Brand? Did you have a purpose behind the company or something you strive toward?

She Is Brand was created from my love to creatively help others. Our goal is to help you establish a brand that can last 5+ years. Our niche in branding design results in luxurious brand identity for each of our clients. We don’t want to just create; we always want to help you surpass.

Our current top-selling resource is The Perfect Meeting Journal. It’s designed specifically to help the admin, business owner, school teacher, business coach and more to keep track of their daily meeting notes. This is just an overview of what we do to be a resource. We have a lot more resources, and as we grow the list will continue.

Tell us more about She is Brand. How does the process work when somebody hires you?

She Is Brand uniquely helps build the substructure of your brand before we begin the design process. For all our clients, we provide a general consultation to address your brand and the issues you’re facing. This offers you profitable solutions to help you better scale your business.

If you’re interested in the full branding experience, we then take you through a deeper development process that will allow you to reach clarity and confidence in delivering your brand. After the development process, we then start designing.

For our website clients, we make sure they have a solid foundation. We send over our website checklist for them, and have them send us their brand files so we can begin working.

We also provide other services such as consulting, social media management and social media coaching. Our services are priced per project and we offer reasonable payment plans for our clients to easily take care of their investment.

What message can you send out, to step forward with a new business and grow your confidence as an owner?

Everything you put out is really about confidence and perspective. If you see yourself and think like you’re a successful entrepreneur, you’ll operate your business like a successful entrepreneur.

I know a portion of business owners, including myself at times struggle with just showing up (imposter syndrome). In order to effectively accomplish your goal ahead, you must dismantle the thoughts of self-doubt and replace them with powerful and positive ones.

You may not do everything right. Instead, memorize how to quickly dust your shoulders off and implement a new change and continue to soar. The more you grow as an individual, the more your business will grow in strategy and revenue. Keep learning, it will carry you far.

Was there a major challenge you went through while building your business? Or was it a series of smaller challenges?

The major challenge I dealt with while working on brand creation was the thoughts of not being secure enough or equal to my competitors. In order for me to fully operate in my lane, I had to step out of my own head and be myself, regardless of what others thought or supposed.

Being an entrepreneur and/or a woman of influence, there will be people who love you and people who are annoyed by you. As long as you’re putting your best foot forward and keeping your focus on the goal, you will constantly win the race!

Comparison is a killer for the creative mind and soul. You won’t be able to operate to the best of your ability if you’re perpetually trying to measure up to the next person. There are more than a billion people in the world, you’re going to reach the multitude you’re called to.

How do you handle the financial aspect of your business?

I began my company on a leap of faith and prayer. Within two months, I was generating 2x the income I made when I had a job. Two years and a month later, our company revenue is continuously growing. Being a Christian, I stand strong on Deuteronomy 8:18 and Romans 13:8, so I prefer not to accept any funding. Plus, my business is service-based and people are always in need of a proficient design.

Where do you see She is Brand in the future? Do you have any specific goals?

She Is Brand values will always remain the same. My future goal is to build an agency of designers who are as passionate about branding and marketing as I am, without the hassle of feeling like it’s a steady job. My goal is for us to be a resource for every entrepreneur and future entrepreneur who is ready to take their brand to the next level.

What advice can you give new business owners?

When embarking on something of your own and making a living through it, be the solution not the trouble! Solutions will sell faster than anything, but you cannot be a solution with a copy and paste business. You have to know what makes your brand unique, therefore you can attract your dream clientele.

Don’t try to rush into it because everyone is doing it, your well-thought-out strategic plan will carry you through more than you just winging it. Whatever you’re destined to become will happen, as long as you stay the course and keep pressing, even if you don’t see a million sales when you first launch.

Anything else you’d like us to know?

For the year 2020, we are offering 30% off of our Fempreneur Branding Package which is designed to help female entrepreneurs start or elevate their businesses. Check out our work via social media or on our website if you’re ready to trust a professional to guide you through your branding process and book a call today!

Company Name: She Is Brand

Email Address: akela@sheisbrand.com

Website URL: www.sheisbrand.com

Instagram Handle: @sheisakela

Join Facebook group

The post Let Akela Hankins’ Creativity Launch Your Brand with a New Look appeared first on CEO Medium.

While she started to follow a traditional path after graduating, thinking she’d go to nursing school, she realized her love was tied to creativity. Going into the hair styling field, she found herself right at home and a natural fit. Not only did she thrive as she advanced in her career, her work was later showcased in magazines, Fashion weeks (both in Australia and New York) and on the broadcast television show, The Voice Australia.

Her specialty lies in creating intricate, detailed, bridal hair designs, and her diligence paid off. She became well-known for that very talent—enough so that people hoped for the opportunity to train with her. Because she felt it was best to train stylists 1 on 1, in person, the idea of an online learning platform didn’t sit well with her at first. In fact, it took some convincing before she put the idea in motion.

While she’s always focused on wanting to help others thrive, she was torn between the best way to help potential students. She wanted to share her heart, knowledge, talent, and ideas, but would it translate via video the way it would in person?

Hair Boss University was born from her desire to help as many stylists as possible learn the ins and outs of the bridal hairstyle business, both the hair portion and the business side. She decided if she was going to invest in an online platform to reach more people, she’d only do it with the highest quality production she could afford. There was also a learning curve when it came to important business details, like what was involved in buying the rights to the video content, who owned the content, making sure there was proper lighting in the studio, and more. Then there was the matter of coming up with enough money to finance the production.

Not only was she stretched financially trying to bring her idea to life, but she was a new mother as well and felt pulled in multiple directions. The family has always been a priority in her life, and the idea that others can follow in her footsteps and enjoy a business they love, while still having time to spend with their family fuels her.

Cara Clyne has revolutionized the way that bridal hair design and the bridal hair business can be learned, via her Hair Boss University. This vital program helps students not only learn about the many details of bridal hair design but also helps them understand how to grow a solid business out of their passion.

Cara went into the venture hoping it would be worth the time and money invested. She was relieved and thrilled when people joined her program. While she thought only a handful of people might sign up, she was blown away when over 150 signed on to the very first time she launched her program, just for the opportunity to learn from her.

For Cara, giving back and helping others thrive and build their own businesses makes it all worthwhile. She loves the hair community—and the ability to share her knowledge with people worldwide has been a dream come true.

If you’d like to learn more about Cara’s Hair Boss University, you can find her at HairBossUniversity.co or CaraClyne.co 

The post Cara Clyne is Helping Stylists Build Stronger Businesses with Hair Boss University appeared first on CEO Medium.

Her clients have given her the prestigious title of “The Olivia Pope Events”. Now that most live events are pivoting to an online/virtual format during the pandemic, Melissa’s expertise in online event planning is a hot commodity. According to Melissa, she enjoys and takes great pride in her event planning process.“Honestly, providing clients with a great experience during the event process is truly why I love my business.” 

In addition to Live And Online Event Planning Services, Melissa and her company Rescue Event Planning also provides several course offerings on various topics related to event planning and entrepreneurship. She gives “Mompreneurs” the tools and services to balance career, business ownership, and management with family. Melissa has spoken to several events such as Facebook Boost events, conducted workshops at universities and small businesses. Rescue Event Planning has been featured in several publications and podcasts; Event Planner Association podcast, Rent My Wedding Magazine 2019  and 2020, Morgan State University, iHeart radio, CEO Blog Nation, BET Influencer, Event Planner Expo 2020, and recently named Best Planner of the East 2020. 

She provides entrepreneurs with special tools to combat what she calls “FWD” (Fear, Worry, Doubt) obstacles to break through and become successful owners. She also provides potential professional event planners and every day novices with the tools to create epic events on their own. This includes offering an event planning template, tips & tricks not just for live events, but also for the new world online event formats, and business planning and social media management services.

Tell us about who you are and what you do.

Melissa Jakes, CEO + Founder of Rescue Event Planning, a Washington DC-based boutique event planning firm to influencers, organizations, and corporations. During her career, she has been the right-hand event guru behind some of the most epic weddings, conferences, summits, event productions, baby showers, birthday parties, and other amazing events.

Tell us how you created this brand and what was the sole idea behind it.

In 2015, My husband pushed me to start my business, while I was already doing event planning for free. He saw the vision of how my talent could blossom into a successful business. The sole idea was to produce epic, flawless and successful events. Since 2015, we have grown quickly starting with 3 to 4 events a year and increasing to over 30 events a year. 

Go in detail and tell us about how your brand works. You may keep this from the audience’s perspective.

We help entrepreneurs build their business through hosting live and now virtual events. We handle all of the backend work of the events and ensure each client’s brand is represented in a fabulous way that increases their sales and brand recognition.  

What is your giveaway idea through this interview? Highlight something that may interest the readers on a one to one basis.

Remember that starting and running a business is not easy and I’ve been an entrepreneur for 6 years and I am still learning how to do it and do it afraid. I also provide entrepreneurs with special tools to combat what I call “FWD” (Fear, Worry, Doubt) obstacles, in order to break through and become successful owners. I provide potential professional event planners and every day novices with the tools to create epic events on their own. This includes offering an event planning template, tips & tricks not just for live events, but also for the new world online event formats, business planning, and social media management services. 

Explain the challenges you went through while you were working on brand creation. What are the challenges you go through on an everyday basis?

Working 9 to 5, raising a daughter, being a wife, building a business, and studying to get my master’s degree was not the easiest thing to do, however, it was the push I needed to continue to create a successful brand and gain clientele. I was told that I would never get to 6 figures running an event planning business but I am proof that that is a false statement and I am currently making my way to 7 figures. 

How do you manage your finances through the services you offer. Any fundings etc received?

During the Pandemic, we had to pivot from in-person events to virtual events for current clients and to gain new ones. In the beginning, most people did not think virtual events were going to last, however around May, there was a massive increase of virtual event inquiries and Rescue has been busy helping non-profits, small businesses, and entrepreneurs host their virtual event with ease while still bringing in income during a global pandemic. 

Tell us your future vision about the brand. How far do you want to take it? What is your dream about taking it to the next level?

Rescue ™ Event Planning is now publicly trademarked and will continue to grow and work on major productions, we want to be the event planning firm in the DMV area and soon the east coast. The next level for Rescue ™ Event Planning is to be able to employ full-time event planners to manage various contracts across the region.

What message would you like to give to anybody who has a plan of creating something of their own and making a living through it?

The main reasons I have gone this far is due to having faith in God, strategic planning every year with a business coach, and joining a community that will support you in your journey and encourages you to keep pushing. 

Get in touch with Rescue Event Planning on

Facebook: @rescueeventplanning

Instagram: rescue_events

Website: rescueeventplanning.com

The post Melissa Jakes, CEO & Founder of Rescue Event Planning on Building Businesses through Events appeared first on CEO Medium.

Tell us about who you are and what you do. 

As a Certified Director of Operations, Kalish partners with online businesses to alleviate overwhelm by providing strategic planning, operations, and launch project management. She is basically her clients’ right-hand who helps to get them out of the day-to-day of their business, in their zone of genius, and holds them accountable to execute their vision. She serves both product-based and service-oriented businesses that want to make an impact online. 

Tell us how you created this brand and what was the sole idea behind it. 

In the last 6 years, Kalish has learned the importance of self-preservation and the ability to connect with and understand herself enough to continuously listen to that inner voice that guides us all towards our life’s purpose.

Kalish believes that most people start businesses in order to take back the power of the trajectory of their success, solve problems for the greater good of their clients or customers, and hopefully have the ability to get back their time and freedom. When she became an entrepreneur, she initially lost all control of those things without the structure of a corporate job. She learned to be responsible for her own success which led her to work countless hours of the day and night. She missed out on sharing time with her family and friends. Additionally, her mental and physical health took their fair share of neglect, as well. But, she cherishes the journey and has since gained much of her strength and confidence that is required for true growth. 

As she closed the doors to her firstborn business (read more about the POSE Box) at the peak of the pandemic of 2020 with sadness, she reflected and identified many wins and losses. Truth be told, owning this company was an expensive lesson. But, it pushed her to go outside of her comfort zone and learn essential skills. This has allowed her to relate to her clients on a deeper level with her strategic planning and operations management company. I truly understand the array of emotions one can experience as a business owner and can now help them stay encouraged and focused on their vision. 

In her early days of entrepreneurship, she spent countless hours consuming YouTube content, DIYing everything in her startup, and at one point even became a website developer (in her mind, lol). She eventually felt the need to organize all of this knowledge and create a valued service-based business. In her pursuit, she came across a podcast and was introduced to Natalie Gingrich, Business Operations Guru and founder of The Ops Authority. Natalie had just opened applications for her signature program, the Director of Operations certification. It was the mentorship and training Kalish needed in order to step into the role she knew she deserved. 

Go in detail and tell us about how your brand works. You may keep this from the audience’s perspective. 

For the business owner who is ready to scale! Kalish is your key to unlocking: 

– Organization 

– Systems + Processes for Scale 

– Real-time Data with Real-time Recommendations

– Strategic Steps Towards Growth 

As your next Director of Ops or Project Manager, Kalish will help you streamline your current processes, give you back your time and energy, and create a strategic plan for your business growth. Even in a crowded market, she will help you find strength in your story and help strengthen your business foundation so that you can scale with ease. Kalish is here to help you improve your systems and processes and give you usable data to make the big decisions in your business. Plus, she’s the perfect coach to help you strategically move past any roadblocks and stay focused on the steps to take to move forward. Think of her as your secret weapon in strategy, systems, and mindset with a side of being your personal cheerleader. Your success is everything to Kalish! No matter what success means to you, she is the one to help you achieve it. 

What is your giveaway idea through this interview? Highlight something that may interest the readers on a one to one basis. 

CEO Planning Session – $2500

Words like “systems”, “audits”, “workflows”, “processes” and “checklists” can overwhelm a CEO who is a true visionary. But, the reason behind planning CEO time to check in with your business is to access what is working and what areas need improvement. Doing so will save you a lot of time, frustration and make you more money in the long run. That’s the “official” reason but the real reason is that she wants to help you scale your business and automate the processes that will truly allow you to enjoy your life, and reap the benefits of ”being your own boss” 

That’s why she created the CEO Planning Session in the first place. 

Kalish says “with the new year upon us, you can go from all-over-the-place to alignment in just 2 hours. 

In our work together, we’ll: 

✔ 4-hour VIP Day session 

✔ Craft a 1-year long strategic plan for your product or service-based business. 

✔ Utilize a licensed planning strategy Strategic Mapping Model ™ – which is incredible for you because it’s tried and true, plus it builds on the foundation of your mission, vision, and values. 

✔ Identify and prioritize strategic goals – we’ll take a deep dive into auditing and refining 7 key areas of your business.

✔ Establish business foundations and professional priorities – This is where that alignment work comes in! 

✔ Set key performance metrics – How else can you track success without understanding the data specific to your business goals?” 

Explain the challenges you went through while you were working on brand creation. What are the challenges you go through on an everyday basis? 

The road, or rollercoaster, has been full of ups and downs. In year 3, Kalish is finally experiencing a dose of sustainability. The main struggle she’s dealt with was ambiguity. Social media and technology have been a gateway for distraction. Comparison crept in and the thoughts of just wanting to play it safe and “get a real job” often showed up. She would sometimes get pulled away from her passion or the reason why she started in the first place. 

As she’s transitioned into consulting full time this year, she’s building a firm foundation of the impact she will offer to the world. Kalish is grateful for the experience and she feels prepared for what is to come, especially as we advance to the “new normal.” 

It is so important for us, not only as business owners but human beings, to make space in our lives to truly experience life. Our minds become so obsessed with grinding to reach our goals and making a lot of money that we may fall out of balance, losing our true selves. Business is just a small part of our lives. If we hone into all our greatness, money comes with ease when you are in full authenticity of yourself. When we get frazzled or unsure of which step to take, she believes that with stillness brings clarity. We must slow down and learn to congratulate ourselves for every step we take, and then find ways to be fully present and plant seeds for a fruitful future. Kalish feels that 2020 has forced many of us to do just this. 

Kalish also plans to launch a podcast in the near future to help spread the message to be proactively present in business and in life. Stay tuned!

How do you manage your finances through the services you offer? Any fundings etc received? 

No – bootstrapped! 

Tell us your future vision about the brand. How far do you want to take it? What is your dream about taking it to the next level? 

KMN Consulting partners with online businesses to alleviate overwhelm by providing strategic planning, management of their processes and projects, and increase their visibility through digital marketing. KMN Consulting is the bridge between the front end (marketing: branding) and back office (ops: supply chain) of its client’s businesses. KMN Consulting offers 1:1 business coaching and strategy sessions to their clients who aspire to launch their next big vision so that they can create wealth and live a life that they are proud of. 

Kalish’s long-term goal of her Podcast is to incorporate health, wellness, mindset, and spirituality into entrepreneurship.

What message would you like to give to anybody who has a plan of creating something of their own and making a living through it? 

“Focus on the goal, work in the detail” 

Kalish knows that it can get really overwhelming to start your own business. Fear and self-doubt are debilitating and inevitable but on the other side of that is a version of yourself that you must keep working towards every day while still appreciating the journey. Always ask for help, even if it’s scary. When she had no clue how to solve a problem she faced in entrepreneurship, she boldly reached out to women in business who had reached great success for advice and they freely gave it. There is power in the community! Kalish says to join a mastermind group, or connect with people who are doing the same things that you are so that you won’t have to feel alone or lost. If you do have the investment, hire a business coach who can teach you the ropes in your own way or outsource a specialist like a virtual assistant who handles tasks that take away from your highest operating energy.

Get in touch with KMN Consulting on :

Website: kalishnesbitt.com 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/kalishnesbitt

The post “Kalish Nesbitt: Systems and strategies to scale your business from vision to reality” appeared first on CEO Medium.

Who you are and what you do?

My name is Amanda McNaughton, though today most know me as Amanda Mary. I am a 32-year-old photographer and entrepreneur based out of Nelson, BC. My greatest passion in life is helping people to be, and feel, seen. So, after a decade working as a freelance photographer, I founded Amanda Mary Creative for fellow creatives, makers, designers, side-hustlers, start-ups, entrepreneurs, and businesses who are ready to build a business that loves them back! My business is about so much more than creating gorgeous photos. Each session is carefully crafted to help my clients elevate their message, spark a connection with the right people, and help them uncover the confidence they need to reach that next level. Think of me as your very own, and incredible tenacious, brand cheerleader. 

How did you create your brand? What was the idea, or inspiration behind it?

Amanda Mary Creative was conceived during a moment of blunt honesty. 

I started my photography journey in 2004, under the red, muted lights of my high school’s darkroom with the dream of becoming a wildlife photographer. After obtaining a BFA in Photographic Study from Toronto’s acclaimed Ryerson University, an internship with Canadian Geographic, and countless freelance assignments over the course of a decade, I realized that I wasn’t actively chasing the dream I so adamantly proclaimed I wanted. It wasn’t the steep competition that was holding me back… it was me. Determined, dedicated, “I can make anything happen if I work hard enough” me. So I decided to “find my why” Simon Sinek style, to uncover what my true passion was. And goodness did I! From the moment I discovered my “why”  I let my aspiration of becoming a wildlife photographer go (happily might I add!) in favor of something even greater. I turned my focus to others and started to build a brand dedicated to helping them succeed.

How does your brand work?

I truly believe that if you want to be it, you need to see it. Photography offers creatives, makers, entrepreneurs, and businesses an incredible opportunity to build confidence in their brand. Confidence in both their right people and confidence in themselves! I offer a variety of services, each tailored to the unique needs of my clients. While the exact process may differ between brand, interior, and my new Ship & Shoot sessions, my approach is always the same: to deliver outstanding results, cultivate a culture of confidence, create wildly successful clients, support a community mindset (community over the competition every dang day!), to operate with transparency, and be bold. These core values shape how Amanda Mary Creative exists in the world, and how I, as it’s founder, approach every opportunity. 

What advice would you like to share with our readers?

I love hats, and a good wool one is certainly a wardrobe staple. But that doesn’t mean you have to wear all of them! The expectations we put on today’s ‘preneurs to envision, create, manage, market, and sustain a business is unbearable. Instead of trying to DIY every damn thing, remember that your time has incredible value. Every moment spent outside your zone of genius (aka. your unique intersection of passion and talent) is one less moment (or likely more!) you get to spend refining your skills and doing what you love. I learnt this the hard way in building my own website. After months of hard work, I was left with something passable. If I had outsourced that work I would have a website that works for me, and the weeks I spend trying to learn complex back-end-coding could have been much better invested. If coding, brand design, photography, marketing, social media, or bookkeeping aren’t “your thing,” do yourself a favour and outsource it! It’s so damn worth it. Trust me.

What are some of the challenges you went through while building your business? What are the challenges you go through on an everyday basis?

Ironically, confidence. I’m an enneagram one, which makes me a critical perfectionist. So I completely understand how hard it is to leap out on your own! The truth is, you will never feel 100% “ready” to chase those goals. And even when you do manage to take that leap, thoughts of self-doubt will always creep in. The good news is, we all feel it, so at least we are in good company!

On a day-to-day basis, I spend a lot of time educating others about the value of professional photography. There are a lot of misconceptions out there and misguided opinions often feel disheartening. Photography is a thriving industry without any real regulation. With the influx of digital, photography has become a complex world with a wide range of skills and experience. By building honest dialogue around fair credit, market value, copyright law, and the incredible advantage an established expert bring to the table, I hope to help build a strong and supportive community that is empowered to make the right choice when it comes to the needs of their unique brand and business. 

How do you manage your finances through the services you offer? Did you receive any funding?

Until recently, whenever finances came up I would run the other way. “I’m a creative,” I would say, “I don’t do numbers.” Cue constant anxiety! But when I decided to take Amanda Mary Creative full-time last year, I knew I’d have to tackle my fear of spreadsheets. Through a local community program, I drafted a business plan, budget, and made cash-flow predictions for the next two years. It wasn’t easy, but knowing the numbers is a key aspect of building a sustainable (not-to-mention profitable) business. Today, I know how many clients I need to take on to meet my financial needs on both a personal and business level. Knowing this enables me to book the right number of sessions and ensures I don’t overcommit my time and energy. If I want wildly successful clients, I need to be 100% there for each and every one of them! As an added bonus, this community program also provided start-up funding to help take the weight off of my shoulders for my first 48 weeks. 

What is your vision for the future? 

Some big plans are already in place for 2021!  An exciting brand and website refresh with the talented ladies at The Coast Kit are heading your way this spring. (If you are looking to create a strong brand, website, or social presence check them out! And if you want to DIY with one of their templates, be sure to use my code “AMANDAMARY15” for a little bonus) With it, I’ll also be launching my new Ship & Shoot product photography service. This means you don’t need to be a Kootenay local to work with me! Now, more than ever, it’s critical for businesses to have a strong online presence. Ship & Shoot will allow me to work with brands across the globe so that I can help them communicate with confidence and create the right impact.

I’m on a mission to help others thrive. In the next five years, I hope to stand as an example of what is possible when you toss fear, competition, and perfectionism to the wind, choosing instead to believe in yourself and the unique zone of genius you offer.

What would you say to someone who is thinking about creating something of their own, and making a living at it?

Do it! Failure isn’t something to be afraid of, never trying to become the person you dream of becoming is. So give yourself permission to try, permission to grow, and permission to fall (just get back up!). And if fear is taking up too much brain space, remember the words of the ever-iconic Moira Rose, “worry, is but undernourished enthusiasm.”

Company name: Amanda Mary Creative

Email Address: hello@amandamarycreative.com

Website: amandamarycreative.com

Instagram: @amandamarycreative 

The post See It, Be It. An Interview with Amanda Mary Creative appeared first on CEO Medium.

Can you tell us about your background? Education played an important role in your life. Can you tell us more?

I live in northeast Italy in a lovely, picturesque old town called Asolo. My love for personal development began in high school, where I was trained as a kindergarten teacher. Over the years, I became obsessed with human sciences and decided to study how to help not only kids but also adults. Five years later, I graduated from the University of Padua with a degree in educational sciences and adult learning.

After that, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do in life. I was insecure about my abilities and not excited about what I’d been experiencing in the job world. After abruptly quitting a full-time job because of my boss’ “bad manners”, I read an article in a local newspaper. I discovered CIMBA, an American business school and Consortium of 36 American Universities located in Italy. It changed my life.

I began working there in 2001. At that time, I didn’t know English very well. I was first employed in junior roles. After 3 years, I became the executive education director of the school, managing training programs for companies and executives. At CIMBA I also had the opportunity to enroll in a Master of Business Administration (MBA) program, accredited by the University of Kansas. I completed the Program in the USA in 2005.

In 2007, CIMBA offered me the possibility of becoming a coach. I happily accepted and I was trained by Results Coaching System, now Neuroleadership Institute, in London, UK. In 2007 I became a leadership trainer and executive coach.

I gained my ICF accreditation in 2009 as an Associate Certified Coach and then in 2017 as a Professional Certified Coach.

What do you do today? And where has your path led?

I work with people and companies globally. I have about 2.000 hours of coaching practice — working mainly with executives and entrepreneurs. I’ve delivered 300+ training and facilitation programs for executives, in the USA, Europe, and the Middle East.

In March of 2019, after 18 years, I quit my full-time job in CIMBA and started my new venture. My big goal was not to be a freelancer, but rather a digital entrepreneur. I wanted to stop selling my time and performance. Instead, I wanted to develop online training and coaching programs to help business people develop their leadership traits and soft skills.

In the past year, I still collaborated with CIMBA Italy as a leadership trainer, MBA coach, and lead coach trainer in an ICF coach training program. My passion for coaching led me to also become an ICF mentor coach, helping coaches get their ICF accreditation.

Recently I developed two online courses in English for Udemy and one in Italian for Life Learning. I also created my online school on Teachable. I’m currently working on my Signature Program. It’s to help people develop the ability to face uncertainty while building effective relationships with others. You do this by using theatrical improvisational basic rules.

Years ago I took a few improvisation courses at The Second City School in Chicago. I was shocked by how many commonalities there are between coaching, leadership development, and improvisation. I’m now developing a training approach that combines these 3 dimensions.

How did you come about building your business?

I loved my job at CIMBA as a leadership trainer, coach, and executive education director. In fact, I remained in that position for almost 18 years, constantly learning new things and having the amazing opportunity to work with brilliant executives, entrepreneurs, companies, along with MBA participants from all around the world.

I loved the fact that the leadership program at CIMBA is based on neuroscience and solid academic research. This gave me the possibility to get to know international experts and scientists personally when they came to CIMBA to teach. On the other hand, at a certain point, I realized it was time for me to give space to my need to become an entrepreneur. I needed to go out of my comfort zone.

Years ago my MBA made me realize my calling wasn’t about becoming an executive in the corporate world. Rather, my calling was to be an entrepreneur. It was definitely time to answer that call.

I didn’t know anything about building an online business, or the e-marketing world. I didn’t even know how to make a basic video using my Mac. I had to learn — and I’m still learning — step by step. It requires a lot of time, energy, and persistence, but I love it!

How did you go about building your business?

I create online self-paced courses. I sell these courses on marketplaces like Udemy and Skillshare. I also have my online school hosted by Teachable, where my training programs are integrated with individual coaching support. This helps my students implement what they learn in their everyday life.

The topics are all related to developing emotional intelligence and people skills, with the main focus on job situations.

At the moment, by choice, I’m not offering in-company training or group teaching. My intent is to focus on and build my online venture.

As I said, building an online venture based on online courses from zero requires a lot of effort in terms of learning and testing new things. A high level of resilience is required. You don’t see immediate results.

Still, you need to trust and keep going. You have to take those actions every day to build results. I consider myself and my business “a work in progress”. I’m very happy to have 28,000+ students on my two courses on Udemy. Also, seeing my online school on Teachable finally live and my signature program taking shape is really satisfying. Step by step, my dream had become a reality. In August 2020, I published my first book on Amazon, “Improvise and Succeed “ and it was a great satisfaction for me”.

The Web is an amazing tool to reach the entire world with a single click. Still, connecting genuinely with people is key, and it takes time to build the relationship. I realized that what has been working for me until now as a leadership trainer and coach is not necessarily taking me to the next level.

To build an online community and grow my business, I needed to get super clear about the problem. I needed to see the required personal transformation/solution my audience was looking for, then clearly show them how I can help. Saying “take this course to develop your soft skills” is not specific enough!

Also, even more important, as Simon Sinek said, people buy “your why”. It’s essential to connect and feel my life purpose is honored through my business. In other words, what are my strengths? How do they make me unique? How can I help others using my superpower? So the key question is “How am I unique, and how can I help?”

I’m a good mediator and conflict manager, thanks also to my life challenges and my extensive training in coaching, leadership, and personal development. That’s how I can help others. Also, when I was a child I was a stutterer. Speaking in public was certainly not what I envisioned as a job for my future.

Thanks to my determination and all the support I searched for and found along the way, I’ve been able to overcome my challenges. At this point, public speaking, surprisingly, has become an important component of what I do. I want to use all the things I learned to help others achieve their dreams and fulfill their potential.

What skills and attributes make you as successful as you are?

I’m a good active listener and get along well with people. Also, my coaching skills, persistence, and self-motivation have been extremely helpful. Lastly, resilience, determination, and “whatever it takes” attitude have been an important force in my growth.

How do you feel about marketing in business? What is it about to you?

To reach people globally, you need to market your business. There’s no way around that. But, the time invested means gaining freedom, no 9–6 schedule, and making a difference on a global level.

Follow katiuscia Baggio on:

www.facebook.com/katibaggio

www.katiusciabaggio.com

www.instagram.com/katiusciabaggio

www.linkedin.com/in/katiusciabaggio

Author of Improvise and Succeed: 8 Steps to Learn How to Manage Uncertainty, Build Positive Relationships, and Live Well

Courses:

https://www.udemy.com/course/effective-feedback-to-shine-at-work-and-in-life/?referralCode=EB0458782FCCD03641A3

https://www.udemy.com/course/develop-your-listening-skills-to-shine-at-work-and-in-life/?referralCode=9695BACCEAB4C45CCBB8

www.katiusciabaggio.teachable.com

https://lifelearning.it/corso-online/corso-online-comunicare-con-persone-difficili-come-creare-relazioni-funzionali/?ref=8871

The post Katiuscia Baggio Has Combined Her Interest In Human Sciences With Education To Build A Business She Loves appeared first on CEO Medium.

Today, she specializes in helping independent professionals become in-demand service providers.

Renowned for her relentless pursuit of excellence and delivery of quality services, she strongly focuses on results and has a no-bs approach to business strategy. As a driven coach, she loves teaching entrepreneurs how to create profitable businesses while excelling in their industries. She does this by helping them master their systems, mindset, and marketing.

Tell us a little bit about your business and what inspired you.

“I started Shannon Bain Digital to help service-based business owners create more visibility and profitability online. Having started in the midst of the 2020 pandemic, I could see a lot of business owners struggling to transition their operations in the most effective way possible and I knew I could help them adapt (or ‘pivot’) easier,” she says.

“There was also an emerging number of aspiring entrepreneurs, people who were looking to start a business around their passions that needed guidance and clarity about how they could make it work.”

How does your brand work? 

 I help them master their systems mindset and marketing. There are three main areas that business owners were struggling with:

1. Systems: The way they were operating their business on a day-to-day basis, often limiting them in the amount of income and IMPACT they could make
2. Mindset: Clarity of their purpose and values, their ability to push through adversity and stay focused & motivated
3. Marketing: How they were creating brand awareness, generating leads, and making sales

These three areas are now my signature trio. I’ve got a growing number of clients crediting transformational results due to this method.

“We have seen how mastering these areas work time and time again for clients who want to systemize, start-up, or scale their business.”

“Most clients come to me because they need a marketing strategy or a new website. What they leave with is a whole new perspective on ways they can show up to their audience online, eliminate the things they are struggling with the most, and drive better results in less time.

What is your philosophy?

Our philosophy is to pursue constant, never-ending, consistent improvement. This method resonates through all that we do, with most clients gaining a long-term ’virtual’ business partnership with our team”

What was your biggest challenge when starting?  

My biggest struggle was overcoming the fear of being judged by others. I had to overcome my inner critic and make the decision to put myself out there from the beginning.

I was obsessed with mastering my business and associated my identity with it, and that’s scary for most people. We don’t want to put our hearts, minds, and identities all into something because we fear doing poorly or messing up. 

Before I started my business, I put a number of limitations on myself. Going beyond this meant letting go of things that were keeping me within my defined limits.

There are two ways you can live:

1. Devote your life to staying within your comfort zone or, 
2. Devote your life to freeing yourself from the limits you put on yourself

I seized the opportunity as the right business idea came to me at exactly the right time, but I also made the decision that I wanted it MORE than I feared it. And that the pain of not taking action, not growing, was way worse than the pain of pushing my boundaries.

Do you have a giveaway idea or thought for our readers?

I’d love to offer a free 30-minute coaching session to any service provider who resonates with my method. I’d love to help you achieve your business goals. 

Just book via shannonbaindigital.com/book-now. You can also find a number of free resources available on my website.

What’s your future vision for your brand? What’s your next level dream?

Shannon Bain Digital has big plans for the next 12 months, with team expansion, additional services for agency clients, and online courses to complement our coaching programs. (Launching in May 2020)

Do you have a message for those who are creating something of their own and hope to make a living through it?  

My message to anyone who has a vision of making it on their own, starting a business, or pursuing their passions is to remember that while it may seem like you will never make enough progress to get ahead, the steps you take together, while small, will compound into something great over time. 

And even if you fail 1000 times, you will be 1000 steps ahead of those that never tried at all.

Follow Shannon Bain Digital on Instagram

The post Shannon Bain Digital Can Help you Master Your Systems, Mindset, and Marketing appeared first on CEO Medium.