Being an entrepreneur is no small task. You wake up, thinking of your business, how you can grow, how you can succeed; there is no “off-switch.” Your life and your business start to coincide, and you aren’t fully present in either area of your life. Yet, does it have to be so non-stop?
For Kabrina Ashley, she has reached a point in her consulting and coaching career to be sustainable without being “on the clock” day in and day out. Being a single mom of five, Kabrina knew that to maintain a career while not sacrificing her role as a present mother, she had to find a way to build her brand, business, and entrepreneurial goals sustainably. She formed her consulting agency to help aspiring entrepreneurs find their voice and brand, as well as established a coaching platform to share her own personal strategies that she has learned throughout her business journey.
With a background in training Disney Cast Members, Kabrina developed a passion for helping people find their potential through sharing their stories. “What message are you bringing to the world, and how can you sustain that in the long term?” is how Kabrina challenges her clients to dive deeper into what they want not only for their business but also for themselves. She believes finding your story is more than just telling stories just to tell them. Rather, it is an opportunity to take all the facets of oneself and mold them into the unique message you bring to the world that aligns with your purpose. Not only has Kabrina helped hundreds of clients discover how to tell their stories so that their ideal clients come back again and again, but she has also coached, mentored, and inspired thousands of individuals as a speaker. As she discovers more about herself and her goals for her business, Kabrina seeks to share her experiences to further encourage other entrepreneurs in their own ventures. These three major lessons have helped her move her business in a sustainable direction and can guide you on the same path.
Look Beyond What You See
One of the first major areas Kabrina focuses on with her clients is to look beyond the short term. “I try to help my clients build systems around what they do now, to help build sustainability in the future.” Finding your voice in the digital world can be difficult. The internet has opened a wide variety of options to share your personal ideas, brand, and business – giving you the opportunity to share your personality through your business. Starting by looking at who you are deep down – your likes, dislikes, those things that excite you – before your business enters the picture can assist you in carrying your business through the long term. This helps you stay true to yourself and gives you the ability to tell stories that may not directly relate to the work that you do. One of the first exercises Kabrina takes her clients through is how to tell genuine and authentic stories that allow ideal clients to get a peak behind the curtain of who her client truly is and closes the loop for them on how that experience relates to their business and how it makes the business owner the perfect person to solve the problem the audience has.
Dig A Little Deeper
The second lesson that Kabrina shares with her clients is to dig deeply to establish community. Some of the most difficult times in an entrepreneur’s journey can be handling the slow periods. “When we create community, we create a safe place for our potential clients to tell us what they are struggling with. This gives us, as the entrepreneur, the ability to do what we are best at and solve that problem for them.” Kabrina has learned through her own experiences that establishing a community of clients as well as peers around you is what helps you get into a flow, find the courage to take the next big step in your business, and create the life you started your business for in the first place. So often we forget why we started this whole endeavor and other people on the path with us who can hear our story, repeat it back to us, and tell us their stories that we can relate to create immeasurable growth. The more your business can move forward without you being directly hands-on, the closer you can be to establishing a consistent, positive outcome.
Lean Into Authenticity
The final tip Kabrina shares with her clients is to tell your story, even if it’s uncomfortable, and to lean into authenticity. For some, being free in your communication with your audience doesn’t come naturally. However, Kabrina believes that storytelling is a muscle you can exercise and strengthen to better express yourself and your business vision. When your story and authenticity meet, you have a magical combination that allows your audience to put themselves into your story and see themselves in it creating the know, like, and trust that you need to sell well. “Storytelling can come through tiny tweaks in order to share a better version of your business, your products, and your services that doesn’t come across as a scummy sales pitch, but authentically wanting to help the people that you aim to serve.” Being able to push yourself out of your comfort zone helps you establish more confidence in your personal story and brand, and helps your business grow to be more attractive to your audience.
Moving Forward
As Kabrina grows her consulting platform, she seeks to help overlooked entrepreneurs who are the best-kept secret establish sustainable systems to help their businesses’ flourish. Understanding that success can come in many different forms, Kabrina hopes to continue to expand her clientele, as well as her LinkedIn professional influencer coaching and corporate training. If you are interested in learning more about Kabrina and her entrepreneurial journey, as well as her company’s services, be sure to check out her website Kabrina Ashley.
