Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Michelle Post, Founder, and CEO of The Post Institute: Center for Life-Long Learning, located in Monument, CO, USA.

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

Our Mission [What and How]: To educate, encourage, empower, and equip individuals, businesses, and organizations to discover their gifts and stories and how to share both using simple systems and strategies to be successful.

Our Vision [Why]: To ensure everyone knows how amazing they are, that they matter, and that we need them.

Our Values: F.A.I.T.H. [Faith - Authenticity - Integrity - Trust - Humility]
Please review the video on my website, https://www.thepostinstitute.org/
Audience

If you are a self-determined and self-directed individual or business, we are here to help. We trigger critical thinking, common sense, and creativity to increase self-confidence and self-efficacy to bring a change within. I want others to realize that who they are matters. My purpose is to encourage others to believe in themselves and share their story. We need each other's gifts and stories.

Tell us about yourself

I am an entrepreneur and have been since I was seven years old. I know what it takes to start and grow a business. I have coached countless entrepreneurs over the years, and I have developed a wealth of knowledge to share. I have taken all that knowledge and created my "Before the Post Canvas." This canvas helps you answer the critical questions of Why, Who, Where, When, What, and How. I am super enthusiastic and encouraging. I love equipping and empowering other individuals, entrepreneurs, and businesses. It is my life goal to leave a legacy of learning and serving.

I offer teaching, training, coaching, consulting, and speaking on subjects as diverse as social media, leadership, generations in the workplace, and technology in education. I am the Founder/CEO of The Post Institute: Center for Life-Long Learning. I am an award-winning Teacher, Leader, Speaker, and a Fellow of the Beta Phi Scholarly Society at Exeter College, University of Oxford, England. I have had the privilege of being an eight-time radio guest on The Networking Diva Hour; I have also been featured on Your 20Minute Podcast with David Brower, Dare to be Authentic Radio with Mari Mitchell, and The My Future Business Show. I have also appeared on Colorado's Best Morning Show.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I think the biggest accomplishment for The Post Institute: Center for Life-Long Learning is the desire to encourage, educate, empower, and equip others. We want to leave a legacy of learning built upon the belief that everyone has a unique gift waiting on them to be discovered and used to make the world a better place. We are built on the foundations of love, faith, and belief. Learning is possible for anyone.

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

Learning how to juggle flaming chain saws. Seriously, it is the number of hats a business owner must wear. You are more than just the business owner. You are the leader, the manager, the creator, the sales person, the marketing manager, the social media manager, the accountant, the human resource manager, and the list goes on and on and on. And each industry also has its own unique hats too. Some days I just want to wear one hat.

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

The top 3 tips I wish someone taught me are:

  1. Know yourself and your business by asking the 6-Ws (Why are you in business.)
  • Why are you in business?
  • Who are you and your company / Who is your audience [the one - you can't sell to everyone]?
  • Where do you want to be?
  • When do you want to be there?
  • What do you have as far as resources and assets / What are you missing and need?
  • How do you do what you do?

2.  ASK FOR HELP - Asking for help is a business owner's best superpower he/she could have.

3.  Be Adaptable - "It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change." ~ Charles Darwin

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

It takes hard work, determination, planning, and perseverance to succeed. I have learned I need to adapt to internal and external forces, pivot when necessary, and embrace and adapt to change. I have also learned you can't know everything, you can't do everything, and asking for help is not a sign of weakness. Don't tread water when you don't have to --- seek out a mentor, a coach, or a friend that can help you navigate the various waters of running a business. You don't have to do it alone.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.thepostinstitute.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrMichellePost
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mpostphd/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MichellePost
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellepostphd/

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.

Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.