Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Shanté Cofield, Founder of The Movement Maestro LLC., located in Redondo Beach, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
The Movement Maestro LLC is a social-media-based company owned by me, Dr. Shanté Cofield, aka The Maestro, that provides online and in-person education for health and movement professionals around the world.
My professional pursuits center around providing business coaching to health and movement professionals with a focus on brand strategy and community development in the ever-growing digital marketplace. I help folks use Instagram to brand themselves, take up space, find their voice, attract their people, and ultimately, build their best life.
Tell us about yourself
I am a physical therapist turned entrepreneur who started posting on Instagram to connect with others and combat my own burnout. I had no intention of building a brand, let alone a business, but as I continued to share what I knew, people started reaching out and asking for help.
First, it was movement-related, and then the business questions started rolling in, which is what led me down the road of business coaching, and it is what I do now exclusively. As for what motivates me, at the risk of sounding like a brochacho, I believe that motivation is a myth.
Something that I gained from years of playing sports at a high level is that it is the discipline that will get you to your goals, not motivation. I have worked hard to build my best life, and honestly, every day is just so much fun now, and I want that for everyone. It is this foundational happiness, paired with a deep desire to help others find their joy, that allows me to show up every day in the way that I do.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My happiness is my greatest success. I am living my best life. I have built a business where I can do what I want, when I want, with who I want, for as long as I want.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
I both run my business and live by the motto "everything has a solution," and to be completely honest, that has made running a business pretty simple. I refused to burn the ships, and I eased into business ownership which meant that there was a safety net in place which allowed me to make decisions that supported longevity as opposed to coming placement coming from a place of urgency or scarcity. I have strategically kept my team very lean and only take on projects that light me up and that I want to be doing.
These are once again decisions afforded by an approach based on longevity as opposed to urgency. I have always made it a point to focus on what my "enough" is, which means that I was never striving for other people's goals or extending myself beyond my means. My lifestyle is by design (no kids and not married), which means that I can dedicate as much time to the business as I want, which is exactly what I want to be doing. All this to say, while I somewhat stumbled upon business ownership, it's been a pretty smooth and easy ride.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Longevity is the name of the game, and consistency will always reign supreme.
- Remove as much urgency as you can. The less that you need something to succeed, the more likely it is to succeed.
- Get started and keep going. Do the thing.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Be relentless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire. The success and happiness that you desire are on the other side of MOAR you (MOAR is simply a better way to spell more).
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://themovementmaestro.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMovementMaestro
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themovementmaestro/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/themvmtmaestro
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3r9JRLs
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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