My first quarter revenue in 2008 was equal to my total revenue for all of 2007!
I am halfway to my annual revenue goal at the beginning of quarter two; I trained an assistant, got a web page put together, hired someone to help with marketing, and plan to take 8 weeks of vacation in 2008!
We’ve nearly doubled our sales!
Cynthia brought order to our business by showing us how to achieve excellence in our retail store. Who knew the numbers could be so sexy!
2006 sales went from 0-$185K and this year will be even better!
I regained my core confidence by having to verbalize, write things down and engage in the planning process.
I started at zero and now I have clients and income!
How did you find out about Women Building Business?
Susan Bross, my financial counselor referred me to Cynthia. Susan knew I didn’t have a business plan and thought Cynthia’s one page business plan class would benefit me.
What made you want to sign up to take a course with Cynthia? What business problems were you hoping to solve/master?
When you start a business you want to start off on the right foot. I wanted to do things right from the beginning and knew I needed guidance. The initial consultation with Cynthia sold me! I wanted to work with her because she had started, run and sold a successful company.
Which courses have you taken from Cynthia?
I took the One Page Business Plan Class and Sales & Marketing Now! I worked with Cynthia non stop for the past year and plan to continue one on one.
What is the most important thing you’ve learned? The most surprising or unexpected thing?
I think the One Page Business Plan is genius! It is so important to have a realistic plan and to evaluate it every three months to keep on track. It also became clear to me that as a small business owner I can’t do everything. That I need to prioritize and focus on what is the best use of my resources. Having gone through the classes has given me so much self confidence and increased my ability to talk about what I do and generate new business.
Most surprising was the candor and openness. I liked being in an environment where there was a lot of honesty. Often when people are talking about their business you only hear how great everything is, you hear about their success, they don’t tell you what isn’t working and where they’re struggling.
How have your business skills grown?
My self confidence has increased, I now think of the business in terms of profit and loss, pay attention to keeping costs and overheads in line, and I need to manage my time in order to generate revenue. I think about goal setting such as “What do I need to do this week to move me forward?”
How has your business improved as a result?
I started at zero and things have moved forward to where I have clients and income. I am very clear on what I’m doing and for whom. I am utilizing outside consultants and getting help rather than burying myself under the weight of “having to do everything myself”.
Would you encourage others to take classes with Cynthia?
Of course! I want to put a billboard up on the side of the road telling how great her classes are!
— Louise Hassan
Owner, The Children's Garden Company
I love my business!
Two years ago I was burnt out and ready to fold. But now I’m excited about going to work every day.
I have changed direction as a result of the work I am doing with Cynthia
Now that I know my target market, my marketing efforts are more successful.
One of the first things I did was to reduce my overhead by half!
I reduced my monthly overhead by about $2500, which gave me breathing room and I was able to start thinking more clearly.
I found out that I was doing lots of things right. I didn’t know that before the class!
I learned the importance of having a big picture view of my company. I want to invest in my business now to reap the rewards later.
The most important thing I learned is that being part of a supportive group is priceless.
Rather than sharing my business trials and tribulations with my husband, I now have a group of people who will listen to me and provide useful feedback.
I surpassed my first year’s sales goal by 25%!
A year ago I opened my business in a small conservative town of 20,000 people who didn’t know what life coaching was. I now have an average of 10-15 coaching clients a week.
My revenue increased far beyond my expectations!
When I first started working with Cynthia three years ago, my business grossed about $30K. Last year, it grossed over $400K.
