"Without clarity, you will likely build or scale a business that doesn’t fit your life priorities" with Holly Jean Jackson

Holly Jean Jackson helps entrepreneurs and business leaders love their life and business again. With over 12 years of technology and business experience, she helps them get their groove back physically, mentally and emotionally.

She does this through a combined approach of both coachings and consulting providing practical and actionable results. Holly takes her clients from failure to prosperity. www.HollyJeanJackson.com 

Can you tell our readers about your background? 

I grew up outside of Chicago and then moved to North Carolina when I was eight. I received my bachelor’s degree in political science from Elmhurst College and my master’s in public administration from NC State University. 

I started my career in the nonprofit and public sectors. Starting in nonprofit allows you to become a jack of all trades. Shortly after, I took my first corporate role at Visa. 

My career allowed me to go deep in some key skill sets. Building relationships. Developing a strategy. Providing concise and clear communications. Honing my public relations. Learning, implementing, and best practices in technology. Leading as a program manager and executive. 

What inspired you to start your business? 

I am deeply passionate about helping women, in particular, moms build their side gigs or businesses. I believe the future is in entrepreneurship and small business. The more moms can model this for their children, the earlier they will begin to consider alternative routes of success. 

I have a soft spot for all entrepreneurs and small business owners. I want us to succeed. To create a strong backbone for our economy. To build thriving, scalable, and profitable businesses….without the burnout. 

I believe that the future of business is online and through the use of technology. In order to build a truly sustainable and scalable business, you must use technology. You have to build services online. You need a robust business model.

Where is your business based?

While I am located in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, my business operates online. All my coaching services are online. Even my team prosperity and employee coaching models can be delivered fully online. 

When it makes sense, some of these engagements are face to face. In particular, company strategy sessions, workshops, and other key sessions are scheduled face to face. 

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I started by reflecting on my strengths and where I could add the most value. I chose to get health coaching, transformational coaching methods, and mastery coaching certifications to expand my expertise. While I am a business coach, my three foundations are health, clarity, and business. 

Regardless of where you are in your journey, you need to keep your health foundationally strong. Without health, you won’t have the energy or focus to hit your goals. Without clarity, you will likely build or scale a business that doesn’t fit your life priorities. These are the pillars of success. 

From here, I began coaching clients for free. I experimented. I explored various coaching models. Worked with coaches across many modalities. Invested in a program to use stages to build my business. 

Over time, my niche became clear. I began branding and marketing to my ideal client. Offering services, webinars, and live workshops. Getting feedback and testimonials. Constantly improving along the way. Remaining curious...

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business? 

Stages…. I spent a lot of time building my signature talk. I went deep on understanding my ideal client and niche. I explored all my personal stories and how best I could connect. 

Next, I went out and started offering workshops locally through my chamber of commerce. At local libraries. And on webinars.

Once I perfected this, I identified my dream stages. I started reaching out to those stages and landing them. This has been the fastest, most effective, and easiest way to build my business. 

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them? 

Funding: It takes time and consistency to build your business in the early days. Having an income to support you during this time is key. 

I was very fortunate and reached out to contacts to land consulting gigs. I was able to work part-time as an IT consultant to support myself financially while I built my brand, pushed my marketing, and gained clients. 

Fear: Not allowing your fears, doubts, and worries take over is tough early on. You are putting in all this work with what feels like ZERO results. You begin to question your actions. Is it worth it? Are you crazy? Can you handle that big stage? 

You must find a daily practice to acknowledge your progress. Celebrate your wins...even the small ones. Keep taking one step forward. Stay focused on your long term goals. This will diminish your fears. 

I spend time every morning in meditation. Focusing on my long term goals. Setting intentions for the day. This helps me stay motivated and wake up ready to conquer the day. Resilience and persistence are essential. 

How do you stay focused?

I map out and block schedule my time the night before for the following day. I prioritize and schedule my top priority first.  

I find that unplugging from technology, the internet, and your phone allows you to get more done. Focusing and unplugging for one hour won’t kill anyone. 

If you multitask, you deplete your energy banks faster. I find that focusing on one item at a time is key. Remove all distractions and interruptions. Get your most important task done first. 

Above my desk, I have very specific goals in life and business posted. This way I see them daily. They guide me. Allow me to say no to things that are not on them. And to say yes to things that are. 

They keep me on track, focused, and winning!

How do you differentiate your business from the competition? 

There are a lot of business coaches out there. Many of them have a certification but no real-world experience. They don’t have the depth of technology background. They aren’t able to navigate health and life issues.

I have been building profitable, unstoppable businesses for over 12 years. I take my clients from failure to prosperity. I help entrepreneurs and business owners get past their fears, breakthrough their overwhelm, and focus their efforts. 

Together, we will build a clear roadmap to get you to your goals. Your business will support your life 360 degrees. You will have clarity on the strategies you need to move forward in your business. 

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business? 

Stages: from offering workshops in partnership with my local chamber of commerce to landing big stages with a large audience, this has been the most effective way to spread the word. It allows you to connect immediately face to face and build trust. I find clients who want to go deeper through my services. 

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Get really clear on who you are serving and the specific problem you are solving for them. The better you know your audience, the easier it will be to target them. The more you can express this in their own words, the better your marketing will be. Run free beta tests with potential clients before fully building a solution out. It’s important to know that the market needs what you have to offer before you waste time and money into something that’s not built to fit the audience. 

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

App: Canva--I love how simple it makes it to do design work for PowerPoint, social media posts, and other marketing avenues. It’s fun and easy to use. You can easily add your branding fonts, colors, and images. 

Blog: https://GabbyBernstein.com/blog/ I love Gabby Bernstein’s blog because it’s such a great reminder to me that I need a daily routine that includes meditation, self-care, and acknowledgment. 

Book: There are WAY too many to list. In the business space, I love Trillion Dollar Coach which is about Bill Campbell, the amazing Silicon Valley team coach. He has so many amazing lessons that leaders can all learn from. 

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Cloze… It helps me maintain and manage close client relationships. I even use it to keep in touch with my family and friends. I can set the frequency I want to keep in contact based on the category each person falls into. It has been a lifesaver and allowed me to build deeply connected relationships even with potential clients. It has an easy to use dashboard with a clear daily and weekly agenda. It keeps me on track. 

Who is your business role model? Why? 

Bill Campbell because of the legacy he left behind. The way he coached teams and individuals. He lived a life fueled with passion and drive. I try to emulate his legacy alongside my own strengths and passions. I love the lessons he passed on. The most important one is that people matter most. Building strong relationships is key.  

What is your beauty routine? What are some of your favorite products? 

I use rose water spray on my face every day after I wash it followed by an organic skin toner product and lotion. I also use castor oil around my eyes with an eye mask twice a week. I also use Frizz Dismiss by Redken to tame my frizzy hair! This is a must-have for my daily routine. 

I also love taking a bath every night with Epsom salt and sometimes a natural organic bath bomb. It helps my body relax, reset, and release. 

How do you balance work and life? 

I try to schedule breaks throughout my week for self-care, relaxation, and fun. I have a rule of thumb to not consistently work more than 45 hours a week. I check in on my routine weekly to see how I’m doing. I have times where I completely unplug from my phone and the internet. I try to be really present in every moment. 

What’s your favorite way to decompress? 

I love anything active and outdoors. I swim on a master swim team and find that the repetitive breathing is magical. I am an avid road cyclist and try to put in 60-100 miles of cycling a week. I love to run especially if I have the energy I need to release. When I really need a full reset, I like to go backpacking in the woods to completely unplug. 

What do you have planned for the next six months? 

Right now, I am focused on finding the best fit companies to offer my team prosperity coaching and employee coaching services. I am passionate about team, leadership, and employee prosperity. I am also focused on reaching more mom entrepreneurs through my online group coaching class, from Confusion to Clarity. I believe that by helping moms create their side gig or business they can influence children early on to consider alternative routes like entrepreneurship. 

How can our readers connect with you?

Anyone interested in connecting can reach me on the website Holly Jean Jackson or follow my Instagram page @CoachHollyJeanJackson. Please feel free to join the Facebook page as well. If you are interested in joining the blog and mailing list, you will receive tips, strategies, and actions you can take to build or scale your business.