Business Mentoring
You might be wondering why I call myself an Empowerment Mentor and a Business Coach...
Let me explain... As a mentor I offer solutions and answers to your questions, I may do some teaching and suggest systems that have worked in the past for my businesses, and I focus on your personal and professional development. As your business coach I take a collaborative approach as your accountability partner. The work we do is very task oriented and we set goals (typically weekly). I challenge your actions and thinking to help you achieve your goals. As both a mentor and a coach I offer you encouragement and support. I am here to help you believe in your ability to succeed. Many clients respond well to a little bit of both.
A little about how and why I became an Empowerment Mentor and a Business Coach ...
About 8 years ago I left my very successful 20+ year corporate staffing job. I started looking for something more creative and by the time I quit my job, I had found something that I loved to do – interior decorating. Just for fun I started out decorating part time and with more training I added redesigning to my tool kit. This was still part time but eventually I took that BIG LEAP OF FAITH and became a full time entrepreneur. I then added home staging to my business services. During my 20+ corporate career I realized there were a lot of really useful skills that were transferable to my entrepreneurial life!
For the past 8 years I have achieved the business and personal goals I set for myself. I have had fantastic interior decorating, redesign and home staging clients. One of the great things about this type of business is that once you are established and become an expert, you start getting a lot of business from referrals of your client base.
So while my business grew and I loved my clients I decided I wanted to add teaching to my business model since I had enjoyed teaching and training in my previous careers. In 2004 I started teaching a professional course in redesign and later home staging and wrote one-day professional courses that added more tools to my graduates' tool kits.
During these years I worked with several different coaches and ended up working with one whom I still work with today. I found the coaching invaluable in that my coach was my accountability partner and the weekly goals that we set propelled me forward much faster than had I been left on my own. It has been stated that business owners working with coaches/mentors are 50% more successful than those not working with a coach or mentor.
Over the last 6 years I have worked with hundreds of my graduates mentoring and coaching them along to help them grow their redesign and home staging business. I have always offered support and encouragement and been a sounding board and resource for them for whatever challenges faced them.
Here are a few testimonials from some of the graduates I have had the pleasure of teaching:
I felt the support the moment I contacted her. In fact, I was interested in taking a home staging course and she gladly took time to educate me and answer many questions I had about the industry. She has been there for me in the same way ever since. She knows how to listen and provides you with tools or information that will make you grow. She has solid background as a business owner and definitely uses it to guide us in the right direction.
I really see Dana as a person who sees the big picture and wants to help others. She's always looking at growing the industry and making us successful which is a huge commitment. I have benefitted from her mentoring over the years.
Isabelle Guay - Flow Home Staging
www.flowhomestaging.ca
isabelle@flowhomestaging.ca
Dana has always been passionate about supporting women in business and encouraging them to pursue their dreams. She taught me that in order to move forward with my dreams, 'no' is not a word I can use to achieve my goals. Being available to discuss possibilities and gain insight from Dana has helped me to solidify my thinking and move strongly forward in building my business.
She has always offered mentoring to her students and I know that we have all found the opportunity to meet with her and gain her perspective valuable. Dana is a positive, energetic, and goal-oriented person and knows how to help others be the same way. I know that when I have asked for her help with a situation, Dana goes out of her way to come up with possible solutions. I value her expertise, her wealth of knowledge in the field, and her enthusiasm for what she does.
Judith Lowe - Twiques: The Art of Home Comfort
jlowe@twiques.com
www.twiques.com
What I found really interesting is that every business has many of the same challenges – just at different phases of their business. Do any of these challenges sound like ones you might have?
Do you struggle with not knowing how to attract more clients?
Are you unsure of who your target market is and where to find them?
Do you suffer from idea avalanche' that leaves you paralyzed and feeling overwhelmed?
Does working on your own leave you feeling isolated and alone?
Is your negative self-talk really starting to drag you down?
If you have answered 'YES' to any or all of these then this is where I can help you. I'm at that stage in my life where I want to be of service and use my gifts of teaching, knowledge, wisdom and encouragement to reach more women in the world of small businesses. I am still continuing with my home staging training and will continue to mentor my graduates through that program.
So, I have just launched my 3rd small business: Empowered Women In Business and while I am starting out with mentoring and coaching one-on-one I have big plans for this business! In the spring of 2011 I plan on having weekly meetings with Empowered Women In Business who want to move their business forward. I'm working on 3-day Empowered Women Road Map To Success workshop bootcamps. These will make you S..T..R..E..T..C..H! As an entrepreneurial woman you will explore and understand WHAT you want your business to look like, learn ACTION STEPS to achieve your goals and very importantly – you will uncover what you really BELIEVE to be true about yourself and your business.
To find out more about my mentoring and coaching programs, check out my website at www.EmpoweredWomenInBusiness and sign up for your FREE CD on your 7 Destinations Road Map To Success! This will at least get you started! Sign up for my FREE EZINE and you'll feel even more empowered because you took action today!
Dana J. Smithers 
