Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in career and business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Angelique Rewers, founder and CEO of BoldHaus, located in Boca Raton, FL, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are the leading experts in helping consultants, leadership coaches, service providers, speakers, authors, and other experts to win and work with corporate clients. When we say "corporate," we're, of course, talking about the entire universe of organizations out there, from the Fortune 500 to mid-markets, to colleges and universities, non-profits, well-funded start-ups, larger small enterprises, and even government organizations. We also help our clients and members to build a scalable, sustainable boutique firm versus being self-employed. A lot of folks go into business for themselves, seeking freedom, but end up creating a 24/7 job for themselves. We have cracked the code on helping experts and service providers to have the freedom they seek while working in alignment with who they are at their core and doing fulfilling work in the world that has significant impact and reach.
Tell us about yourself
I started my first consulting business in 2006 after leaving my corporate role at a Fortune 200 company. My initial focus was working exclusively with large organizations. But as fate would have it, I was asked to speak at a women's business conference as a favor to a friend. While I was there speaking on one topic, the audience wanted none of it. Instead, they were fascinated by my corporate client list and pressed me to share my insider secrets on how I was landing these coveted, high-paying clients. One thing led to another, and voila, BoldHaus was born! The beautiful lesson in all of this is to avoid hiding behind your computer screen. It's so easy today with social media and Zoom and mobile technology to avoid getting out and being in real rooms with real people. But there is undeniable magic in those interactions that are not replicated anywhere else. The more you let your own message and magic meet the marketplace, the more you will understand your unique gift to share with the world.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I'm incredibly blessed because my business has been a true source of joy in my life. I'm proud of a lot of things, including earning a spot on the 2021 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies. Likewise, it's an honor to have been featured by major media and to have shared stages with many big names, like Steve Harvey, Daymond John, Seth Godin, and others. However, at the end of the day, without question, my biggest accomplishment is having built a global community of positive change agents -- consultants, coaches, experts, service providers, and other small business owners -- who are doing some of the most important work on the planet today. They are going inside big organizations, from major brands to fast-growing start-ups to local governments, and helping to transform them from the inside out. The work that our BoldHaus community does has a ripple effect on millions and millions of employees, customers, shareholders, community members, and more each and every year. We're talking about micro-business owners who you may never hear about. But through their work with these organizations, they are making the world a much better place.
The other aspect of this is the BoldHaus Collective itself. It's hard to convey in words just how special this community is. The amount of love, generosity, friendships, collaborations, and support happening inside the BoldHaus Collective is beyond measure. Honestly, when I started this business, I didn't understand that once we build something as entrepreneurs and put it out into the world, it inevitably takes on a life of its own. The BoldHaus Collective is a beautiful example of that.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
That's easy. Your own personal growth! We grow up in a world that teaches us to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. Spoiler alert: That's literally impossible! We also grow up in a world that values struggle, perseverance, and figuring things out for ourselves. Spoiler alert: That's the exact opposite of how successful CEOs and entrepreneurs think and behave! Your mindset and your time are your two most valuable assets. The faster you can shift from an employee mindset to an entrepreneur mindset, the faster and easier your business will grow. The faster you can shift to spending your time on activities that directly generate revenue -- and focus more on acquiring gold bars than you do on acquiring gold stars -- the faster your business will be sustainable. And the faster you'll be able to have a business that generates revenue even in your absence.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Here are my top 3 tips for winning high-paying corporate clients:
First, make sure you are building your business around a long-term client journey. The most expensive thing you do in your business (because time = money) is acquiring new clients. So once-and-done, dead-end opportunities and high customer churn rates are going to crush your business.
Second, remember that when it comes to winning corporate clients, conversations are king, not content. Look, content marketing is AWESOME. But publishing content is worthless if you aren't having conversations with potential clients or customers multiple times a week. And thus, the problem with saying "content is king" is it puts the focus on checking the box for getting content out the door. Our brains, after all, create more of what we're focused on. Shift your focus to making the metric all about the number of conversations you are having (versus the amount of content you're publishing) and watch your business gain momentum as you've never seen.
Third, get help. Entrepreneurship is not a solo sport. More specifically, get a coach or a consultant that knows the corporate and B2B space and who can see your blind spots. (Side note: no, you cannot use strategies designed for solopreneurs, online marketers, or the B2C market to win corporate clients!) More importantly, join a community that is aligned with your business focus, specifically. The B2B marketplace is unique, and it's also all about relationships. By being in a community that has deep roots in the B2B space, the size of your network will multiply exponentially.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://boldhaus.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/getcorporateclients
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/AngeliqueRewers/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AngeliqueRewers
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angeliquerewers/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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