Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in coaching but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jae Rene’, Founder of Journey To Aha, located in Kansas City, MO, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Journey To Aha is a life coaching business that empowers millennial women leaders to stop settling for less and start living in their power with purpose. I am a spirit-led creative who also happens to be a certified professional life coach. I empower millennial women to reset, pivot, and propel by transforming “aha” moments into aligned behavior so they can live life on purpose and on purpose. I’m called the Soul Reset Coach, but really I help women realize how clarity within themselves translates into outer alignment in their lives. Each new level of life requires a new version of ourselves, and I walk alongside my clients during this journey.

Soul Reset Coach sounds really fancy, but it’s a combination of self-mastery coaching, and alignment coaching, with a faith-basis to it. In life, there are many things that occur that we cannot control. In fact, most things we cannot control. But we have control over ourselves: how or if we react, what we do, say, or think, how we spend our time and energy, etc. Those are key elements in self-mastery or mastering yourself. The dictionary definition of alignment states that it means all components are working together towards a common goal. The same can be true of ourselves: when living in alignment, our “components” of mindset, attitude, behavior, habits, and environment work towards (or against) the goals/desires we have in each aspect of our life.

My goal is to help women realize they have more power than they believe, to help them embrace that power, and use it towards forwarding movement in life. While I am all for action plans, clarity, and steps in the right direction, I also focus on the side effects that can occur during the in-between stages of transformation. For example, grieving the old version of yourself as you begin to change and allow your future self to emerge. There are always talks about limiting beliefs, mindset shifts, etc. However, I believe that the symptoms of the in-the-middle stage can often get overlooked or aren’t talked about enough, which may lead clients to believe they aren’t making progress or have taken backward steps when they are actually where they need to be. I’ve gone through enough transitions in my own life to know that my clients need that support, especially during this stage.

Tell us about yourself

I am Coach Jae Rene’ from Kansas City, Missouri. My journey started long before I even knew what life coaching was. I had a mentor in college who asked me a question that changed the trajectory of my life, “What is it costing you NOT to?” I was at a crossroads, in school for pre-med, but I realized that I did not want to be a doctor. I was too afraid to tell my parents because I didn’t want to disappoint them or all the people rooting for me. I was a first-generation college student, after all. That simple question, “what is it costing you NOT to” helped me realize that it was too expensive not to live the life I knew I desired and was meant for.

It was costing me my peace, causing me inner turmoil, and keeping me from enjoying life. I wish I could say I immediately left school and started pursuing life coaching. Instead, it took years of my own self-work and self-coaching to get myself to a place where I knew without a doubt I was ready to start my life coaching journey. In many ways, my journey, while very scenic, was the blueprint I needed to be in the position I am today. I had to live through the transformation I am called to walk others through. In hindsight, the pain was for a purpose; I just didn’t know it at the time. I completed my life coach training with the Academy of Creative Coaching. I still remember calling them in a panic, saying I needed to sign up today, right then, before I changed my mind. It is still the best decision I have ever made.

I am motivated to get up and show up every day because I know there are women out there waiting for me. There are women who need my voice, my guidance, who are waiting on the one question that may change their own trajectory in life. I do this for the women who know they are destined for more in life but aren’t quite sure what that “more” is. I do this for the women who want clarity on who they are and what their purpose is. I do this for the women who are looking for their village of support during their in-the-middle stage of transformation. I do this for the women who don’t mind living outside of their comfort zone for a little while so that they can live in alignment with their purpose.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is not tied to the number of clients I’ve helped or any amount of revenue. My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is that my voice, my authenticity, has created a space that has impacted women to realize the power of their own voice and authenticity. It is a top-tier compliment every time a woman tells me that my words impacted her so much that she was inspired and empowered enough to make a move in the right direction.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

One of the hardest things that come with being a business owner is the many hats you wear. In the beginning, you wear them all! Content creation, business operations, accounting, sales/marketing .. you name it. Having a business is often glamorized, but you will definitely be putting in the work to build it. There are no shortcuts unless you want your business to have a shaky foundation.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Do your research - It’s important to understand how you want to start, what the future looks likes, what the market is like, do you have a viable idea/product/service? Understanding your target audience and ideal client is a must so that your messaging and targeting land where it needs to. Also, what about finances? How much do you want to make? Do you know how many interactions it takes to get a client to buy from you? There is so much that goes into building a business, and researching is a great place to start.
  2. Protect your vision - we want to share everything with everybody. However, that is the easiest and quickest way to have your dream minimized or have others throw negativity your way. They may be well-meaning, but sometimes, you have to take the vision, build it, and then show people what you’ve built. The vision was given to you, not them, so protect it at all costs.
  3. Get a mentor - it is important to have someone that has been in similar shoes as you that you can ask for guidance when you’ve hit an obstacle or setback. There are organizations in a place where you can get a mentor without shelling out any money, although, in my opinion, a mentor is worth the investment!

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Lastly, find joy in the process! You should look forward to building your business. It should not feel like a chore. No, every task is not going to be your favorite, but you should be enjoying what you are building, excited about what you are doing, or you are going to hate it and get burned out.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://journeytoaha.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coachjaerene
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachjaerene/

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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