My dear friend and fellow masterminder, Laura Lilly, has over 10 years of experience working with non profit organizations. After working for a traditional consulting firm for the past eight years serving mid-sized nonprofits (like YMCAs, independent schools, hospitals, and retirement communities), she started her own company, Spring, to offer consulting services to startup and small nonprofits. Listen as Laura shares her journey and advice for gaining fast momentum as a new business.
Mission: The best entrepreneurial ventures blend your WHY for you and your WHY for the world. With Spring, Laura has done just that. She paired her desire to create an online business and have flexibility to stay home with her young family, with the desire to help smaller nonprofits get the resources and momentum they need to make the impact they envision.
Mindset: Inspired to make the year ahead one of joy, Laura became much more intentional with where she spent her time and energy. While at a yoga class, she heard the lyrics, “Be strong, be kind, be brave. Know that it’s alright to be afraid.” Adopting those lyrics as her mantra, she found the courage to do more big and scary things to create more meaningful success.
Marketing: Interviewing prospective clients has been the most eye-opening activity that Laura has done within the business. Gaining a true understanding of the pains, needs and even the exact words that her customers are using, is propelling Spring forward much faster.
Momentum: At the time of this interview, Spring was only 1 month old but already experiencing so much momentum. Laura shares the even in that short time, the biggest momentum to date has been the overwhelmingly positive feedback that she’s received from those within the nonprofit industry.
Masterminds: Laura and I have been masterminding together for several months. I love how she relates our mastermind to the feeling of having co-founders. We truly have all been in the trenches together for both the big decisions and the small details. She shares the courage and bravery that having a mastermind has provided.
Mastermind Challenge: So many entrepreneurs rack their brains trying to figure out what their clients want and need. As Laura has shown, you just need to ASK. Send out a survey using a platform like Survey Monkey or Google Forms. Even better, invite a few of them out for coffee or lunch. You’ll be surprised how forthcoming they are with information that not only helps YOU, but helps you better serve THEM.
We’re all in this together! Share your photos with the hashtag #mastermindchallenge
Learn more at MastermindYourLaunch.com
Jenn Newton of Mugs on Milton shares the story of how this quaint little coffee shop became the best kept secret of downtown Alpharetta. Mugs on Milton is a locally owned and operated coffee shop and bakery with locations in Alpharetta and Crabapple/Milton. With core values of Great Coffee and Great Food, this neighborhood coffee shop quickly became the go-to meetup spot for locals.
Mission: Prior to opening Mugs in Milton, Jenn worked in downtown Alpharetta with a marketing agency. She knew she business ownership was in her future, but didn't know exactly what business. With her eyes open to new opportunities, Jenn saw a need for a coffee shop, even thought she isn't a coffee drinker... The idea lingered in her mind and began to gain momentum.
Knowing a talented baker, she sat down her friend and now business partner Gretchen Smith to create a vision for what would eventually become Mugs on Milton. Once they realized just how aligned they were in their visions, they took the leap and opened just two months later!
Mindset: With no experience in the coffee industry, there was a learning curve to getting going. Jenn and Gretchen addressed this by aligning with vendors that allowed them to execute their vision thanks to the experience and knowledge of a bigger community.
Marketing: Coming from a marketing background, you could assume that Jenn created an elaborate marketing campaign to get the word out about Mugs. Not the case at all. Mugs on Milton grew organically with no paid advertising and not even a sign outside the shop for several months! It became the best kept secret of downtown Alpharetta and something that happy customers would want to share.
Momentum: Two to three months into the launch, Jenn and Gretchen realized that the volume was growing so fast that they needed to bring on additional staff. This happened well before their projected 6-9 month time frame for expansion. Hiring new employees brought its own challenges as they had to determine what tasks their new hires should take over and how to maintain the high standards of the Mugs customer experience.
Masterminds: Being a downtown Alpharetta business owner means you are immediately brought into a community of business owners excited to watch you thrive. Jenn shares that in the early days, neighboring businesses like Sis & Moon's helped to spread the word, give advice or simply offer encouragement. How beautiful to know that just steps outside your door is someone who knows exactly what you're going through and wants to see you succeed.
Mastermind Challenge: I love how Jen talks about those early days and the people who thought she and Gretchen were just silly girls. Her quote, "I've never been a silly girl". LOVE it!
How often do we enter a new challenge and allow our inexperience in one area to bring down our confidence. I love how Jen stood strong and resilient in those moments. I challenge you to look at the areas of your life or career where you are venturing into new and unchartered territory. Are you being timid or allowing others' opinions to define you? Are you keeping your head held high with the knowledge that you will soon master this new challenge? I hope it's the latter.
We're all in this together! Share your photos and posts with the hashtag #mastermindchallenge
Learn more at MastermindYourLaunch.com
Don Friedman has spent the last 13 years creating and producing “first-of-its-kind”, buyside investor-focused finance conferences, webinars and roadshows as well as running a conference company.
Don founded Joint Venture Events Group in May 2014 by creating a unique conference format which immediately catapulted the firm to the top of investment professionals’ “must-attend” events list with “best-in-breed” programs such as Investing in Liquid Alternatives and Investing in MLPs.
Don is a lifelong “Wildcat” having received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from the University of Arizona. Don is also an avid runner, with three marathons to his credit and has skydived once. He and his wife and two daughters live in Milton, GA.
Mission: In mall, ran into is freshman year college roommate who shared with Don an opportunity to create events for the financial industry. With a background in finance and day-trading, Don jumped aboard, learned quickly and has never looked back.
Mindset: Having an open mind to new opportunities, Don was excited to take on a challenge that allowed him to created something from scratch and see it through to its finish. In his experience follow up skills, a true passion for the job, and differentiation have been critical to his success. His advice for other entrepreneurs... be willing to accept rejection.
Marketing: Having the right partnerships has been a critical piece of bringing awareness and credibility to Don's business since its launch. When it comes to maximizing the opportunity to get your message out there, how can you leverage partnerships to bring value and new momentum for all?
Momentum: I loved hearing Don tell the story of the momentum gained from the 1st event his company coordinated. It wasn't until the end of the event when all of the sponsors, participants and attendees shared their positive feedback from their experience that he knew he'd gotten it right. You have to put yourself out there in order to know if you are on the right track.
Masterminds: Don views his community as the industry as whole. With this perspective, he stays aware of the needs and trends within his industry. In tune with the need for more female leadership in the financial advisor industry, Don is partnering with organizations that champion this mission as well as doing his part to feature more women speakers and panelists at events. Check out one of his upcoming conferences, Invest in Women: A Conference About Women In Wealth Management.
Mastermind Challenge: I love Don's perspective on viewing his role within the industry as a whole. Take a step back and view the big picture of YOUR industry. What are the trends? What are the needs? How can you bring value by filling in the gaps? We're all in this together! Share your photos with the hashtag #mastermindchallenge