Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Merin Coutts, CEO of Merin Coutts Consulting, located in Calgary, AB, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
My business is Merin Coutts Consulting. We help entrepreneurs formulate and implement their strategic plan to GROW with less effort, SIMPLIFY decision-making, and RECLAIM time. We use a unique value-building process that brings attention to the things that will increase the value of your business, whether you are ready to sell or just want the option someday.
We work primarily with service-based businesses such as accounting & bookkeeping, financial planning, lawyers, marketing firms, consultants, and coaches, as well as medical and personal care offices (physiotherapy, chiropractors, massage, dentists, physicians, aesthetics, etc.).
Tell us about yourself
I've always been business minded and surrounded myself with people who share an entrepreneurial spirit. I left the corporate world to pursue greater freedom while raising my children. Consulting and coaching found me. Over time, I've refined the services that we offer to those who really ignite my fire. Strategic planning and value building are it!
My passion is helping other service-based businesses overcome the growth trap of exchanging time for money and move from creating a business to managing one that can grow and thrive. Helping leaders LIVE and LEAD with confidence, in a way that aligns with who they are and what they want out of life, is so satisfying.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Launching "My Personal Vision," a WHOLE-self strategic planning program for women in business who want to create space for the things that bring meaning to life and live with guilt-free confidence. Seeing these powerhouse women, who are doing amazing things, get clear on what is important, define their personal WHY, and then make commitments and map out their plan to reclaim themselves. It is my passion project and one way I help live out my WHY: to be a light and help others live with clarity and confidence.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Managing all the competing demands and draws on time can suck the life out of a business owner. Being able to separate the important from the urgent isn't easy but critical to keeping momentum towards where you want to go and grow.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Surround yourself with people who inspire and challenge you.
- Get clear on your WHY. When the hard days come, and it feels like they will take you under, you need to be able to draw on the crystal-clear vision of where you are headed and why you are doing what you are doing.
- Learn how to structure your operations to enable growth and scalability. As business owners, we are often our limiting factor. Learn to delegate and focus your time on the things that will help you grow. Find other people to do the rest.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Being a business owner can feel isolating and lonely. But it doesn't have to be. Find a great coach, peer support circle, and/or a mastermind group, and keep challenging yourself to move beyond your comfort zone.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://merincoutts.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/merincouttsconsulting/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/merincoutts_consulting/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/merincouttsconsulting/
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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