Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Maria Jose Ramirez, Founder of MJ Performance Consulting, located in Morgantown, WV, USA.

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

I coach, research, and write on human performance, sustainable success, and well-being. I work with C-level executives, teams, and leaders (entrepreneurs, physicians, athletes, musicians) who must perform consistently at a high level under pressure. In a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world, people and teams are required to perform at a high level and constantly improve their results. However, being highly technically skilled is not enough. When your results do not match your skills, you get frustrated, doubt your abilities, and often work even harder to get results, skipping necessary rest and sleeping, drinking more coffee, and using other stimulants to keep you alert. Those quick fixes may work in the short term, but they do not reap long-term results. Even worse, they sabotage not only your performance and results but also your physical, mental, and emotional health.

That is why it is crucial to equip leaders and high-performing teams with research-backed skills and strategies that you can apply in your everyday life. You need to develop the focus required to perform under pressure and learn how to replenish your energy sources to be able to transcend difficult circumstances and regain a sense of control so you can achieve your full potential consistently without sacrificing your health. Through a series of mental toughness workshops and individual coaching, I help leaders and their teams to unlock their potential and build the mindsets, behaviors, and attitudes that make personal and professional success possible.

Tell us about yourself

When I was younger, I was very shy, and I had a constant feeling that there was more to life than the way I was doing things. Back then, I believed that running 10K was impossible for me. But one day, I decided to train for a 10K race. In the race, when I could see the finish line, I realized how much I had limited myself by having the wrong beliefs about my capabilities and what I was able to achieve. I had many mental blocks that were preventing me from living life fully and going after what I really wanted (or being able to recognize it).

Achieving something I believed was impossible made me feel invincible - like I could do anything. Then, inevitable questions came, like, What other things was I capable of doing? How far could I go if I broke through my mental barriers? Since then, I have started studying and applying different skills and strategies to live life to the fullest. That brought me to sport psychology and experiential learning as a way to support others to achieve their potential in their lives and disciplines.

I started working with elite athletes, but very soon, business leaders and CEOs started contacting me because they wanted to develop the mental strength skills that elite athletes had to grow in their careers. Now I mostly work with leaders and their teams to develop the mindset, focus, and mental skills to achieve their full potential.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I am very grateful that I can work in something that I am deeply passionate about and with people who inspire me and whom I can learn from every day.

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

Being alone. You have to decide where you want your business to go. I think it is challenging to find someone who can help you pinpoint ideas and help you think in bigger ways.

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

  1. Find a problem that you would like to solve for a specific group of people.
  2. Keep your focus on that issue. It is tempting to develop many different products and services but focus on the one that you are more passionate about and aligns with the life that you want to live.
  3. Do not loose time learning everything and focus your energy on doing the task that brings more value. Delegate the rest of the tasks.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://mjperformanceconsulting.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lajose_altorendimiento/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjoseramirezc/


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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