Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal and business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Brittany M. Long, Co-Founder of Win with Systems, located in Weirsdale, FL, USA.

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

We work with brilliant but tired entrepreneurs who want to be brilliant (but tired) entrepreneurs who come to us when they want to create consistent, predictable passive income using automated email funnels so they can get out of hustle-all-the-time mode.

Tell us about yourself

I'll never forget sitting in that sterile room with white walls and a red patient table. I can still smell the hand sanitizer and hear the crinkle of the sanitary paper under me as a doctor told me I had cancer… and I was aggressive. I was teaching middle school science at the time, and as I walked out of the exam room with puffy, swollen eyes and tears running down my cheeks, I felt the burning pain of regret.

I had known for a while that I didn't want to be a teacher. That I wanted to be a writer. But I thought I kept telling myself I could try it out later. I could go for my dreams later. For 12 days, my life crumbled around me, and everything I had time to do later - spend time with my family, learn the violin, run a marathon, travel, write… But suddenly I realized… later may not arrive. During those 12 days, I decided that if I got another chance to live – really live – I would take it - bravely, boldly, and help others do the same. Twelve days after my initial diagnosis, I saw a specialist. Who informed me that the original doctor was wrong. I didn't have cancer - it was pre-cancerous. I didn't need anything drastic – a simple surgery I could return home from a few hours later would fix it (likely for good). I wasn't dying that year. The original doctor was wrong, but I'll never forget the lesson I learned during those 12 days of soul-searching when I thought this was my last year on Earth.

That experience pushed me to explore the career I desired since the day I submitted a short story in a competition in 3rd grade – writing. My cancer scare forced me to see how I could make a difference – how I could make the world a better place now and not later. I used my writing to create a living. I gave back helped my audience and friends, and colleagues.

I created a year-long evergreen sequence so I could spend more time with my family and less time on sales calls and marketing. But that wasn't enough for me. I didn't want my experience to stop with me. Because the worst thing that I could do was stay silent about the shift that happened during those 12 days. How could I live with myself knowing what I know - tomorrow isn't promised - when so many of my friends and colleagues were working their life away?

When don't they know the kind of regret I felt for not leaning into my potential? For always thinking, "I'll do it later?" And that's why I started sharing my story. That's why I write evergreen emails and train others to do the same. That's why I work with business owners of all different ages, backgrounds, creeds, and more… So they get a FULL life, and no matter how long it is, they look at it with satisfaction, gratitude, and peace. Automated emails act as a clone in a business, and I've seen client after client begin to spend more time living instead of working their life away because of the work we do together.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Being asked to speak about evergreen email marketing on stage, our clients' results are like 33k in 3 months from their emails, 45k in 6 months, 6k in one more, and more.

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

The inner voice of what your success "should" look like. Everyone talks about mindset, but a lot of business owners only see other business owners crushing it - hitting their highs and sharing their highlight reels. So when they go through a difficult time in their business, they feel shame and guilt and often don't share the lows. It can feel lonely and difficult - like there's something wrong with you. The truth is that ups and downs are both parts of the entrepreneurial journey.

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

  1. Consider the life and business you want so you know the direction you're going.
  2. You are not your business - make time for hobbies, etc.
  3. Look for ways to clone yourself so you can scale. (Think about automation, email marketing, training team members to think like you, etc.)

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Growing fast isn't all it's cracked up to be. Learn from the tortoise and the hare - slow and steady wins every time, and you can grow without adding more hours to your docket.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://winwithsystems.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fridayoffclub
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thequeenofevergreen/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/evergreenemails
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/winwithsystems/

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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