#BEYOUROWN FOLLOW UP WITH INDRE BUTKEVICIUTE

Thank you for having me first. In short, I am a wealth coach. But you might wonder what does that mean? I serve women who are looking to take control of their finances. Whether that is providing insight and training into ‘new’ ways to make money or providing guidance on how to grow their existing finances – I can help. I use my extensive knowledge, earned through education and my career working in Private Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley to benefit regular, everyday women. Not only that but I also ‘walk the talk’ and am always experimenting, trying out new financial trends to see what works. 

What is a typical day like for you now as you juggle business and motherhood?

Strangely there is a strict schedule around eating times and sleep times, but at the same time, no day is ever the same. I normally wake up around 6 am, an hour or so before Leo wakes up. The first thing that goes on the stove is my coffee, once my cup is full, I can start my day. I have an hour on my own to do some personal development work. This is my time for meditation, affirmations, visualisation and reading. As soon as Leo is up it is time to get on with breakfast for everyone else. We have a long relaxed breakfast, which also means I can quickly catch up on my emails, messages, and social media.

After breakfast it is playtime. Leo is a very active little boy, so the next few hours are full-on dedicated to him. Whether that is going to the park to play, playing at home or currently the beach, as we are based in Sardinia for a few months. Lunch is at 1 pm. We are normally back home at 12.30, I cook lunch, we eat, and it is nap time for the little Mr As soon as he goes to bed at 1.30 pm my computer comes out to play. It is time to prep for coaching calls, plan content for social media, record videos, have calls, read and whatever else I can squeeze in. Sometimes I get 2.5 hours, but sometimes I have to do it all in 1.5 hours. And then its playtime again. If I have coaching calls my hubby takes over. In the late afternoon just before dinner time, it is normally family playtime. We make sure to spend time all together every day as well. Once dinner for Leo is sorted and he is off to bed, my hubby normally takes care of the bedtime routine, I am back at it in front of the computer. The days can vary a lot depending on how many coaching calls I have, but I offer Saturdays as a lot of my clients are very busy women with jobs, businesses, and kids. So, Saturdays normally are my busiest days for caching calls. 

As we are all now navigating through a difficult time post-COVID-19 Lockdown, how are you the situation?

I am definitely an overly positive person and I always look at every challenge as an opportunity and my glass is always half full. I feel I have been one of the lucky people during this time. What I do is easily transferable to be 100% online, which if anything, has actually freed up a lot of time for me to focus on Leo as well as increase my online engagement with the communities I am part of through my own social media accounts as well as through other women-focused communities. On top of that with hubby working remotely, we have been able to transfer our set up to Sardinia for a few months, which has been an absolute blessing. Most of all I am so grateful to be able to spend so much time with Leo in his early years without really compromising on my business. It has really opened up my eyes to what is possible and has given me extra energy to work very hard on my own financial goals that I have set for myself as now more than ever I have a very clear picture of what I want my business and life to be in 5 years’ time. And I have mapped out an exact plan on what I need to do to get there. I decided to turn this into an opportunity rather than a challenge and I am so happy I did.

Who is the most influential female entrepreneur that you admire and why?

There are so many women that I follow and admire what they are doing. I choose those that I personally know most of the time because I get to see their real stories. I do not really get much inspiration from celebrities and famous people, because you never know the behind the scenes. 

Tracey Livingston Howard is one of the women I follow a lot lately. She is the mother of a boy who is a similar age to Leo, and she is pregnant with the second one. On top of that, she runs a very successful coaching business. I admire how she can manage it all. I love that she speaks her mind and shows the real self rather than the polished version. I find her attitude and positivity very inspirational as well.

Some of the other women I really admire for their stamina, work ethic and ability to build incredible businesses are Renee Lapino, Krisztina Tardos, Becky Lloyd Pack and my PT Paulina Day

What is a solid tip that can help other female entrepreneurs looking to build their own business whilst running a family?

Planning is key. Map out what you need to do at the start of every week and schedule it in to make sure it gets done. And don’t be harsh on yourself. It is common to have that feeling that you are failing your business as well as your family when you are working on both, so give yourself permission to spend your time where you feel you need to most at any given point. I definitely have days where I focus on Leo only and my business goes to being number 2 on the list and then I have days where I put more focus on the business when it needs it. Most importantly know that however you choose to dedicate your time, it is ok and you are being an incredible mom as well as a businesswoman. 

What has been the most challenging yet rewarding barrier you faced and how did overcome it whilst building your career?

The financial industry is very much dominated by men and I should add middle-aged men. It has certainly been difficult at times to prove my seniority and my knowledge depth when I was the youngest and quite often one of the very few women in the room. Time obviously helps, but what made the biggest change is working and improving my self-confidence. When you have that, it shows through from the moment you walk into the room and people start taking you seriously. You have to keep working on it on an ongoing basis. Overall, I would say dedicating time for self-development regularly is key to overcoming any barriers.

Can you tell us which 3 marketing tools are your most preferred and how they support your everyday business functionality?

Number one is social media. It helps me connect with my potential clients on a personal level and for them to see who I am as a person, as for the work I do, the connection is very important. It also helps show what the possibilities are by sharing my knowledge through actionable tips. It is a way to connect with many people faster compared to real-life networking.

Number two is collaborating with several different communities. For example, I am a wealth expert at The Merit Club. I have also recently signed up to a Secret Divorce Group and am one of the professional experts there. It opens a variety of different communities that might not be as easily accessible otherwise and gives yet another chance to show my knowledge and skills and share.

Number three is working with a brand messaging coach, who helps clearly outline my purpose, mission and vision and share that with those who really need it. 

What support networks do you personally love and can recommend to other aspiring entrepreneurs out there to become part of?

I have created my own support networks at this stage. For example, I host a Ladies Afternoon tea (all virtual at this time but used to be physical) for a group of us, who got to know each other over the years and have become friends. These are women from very varied industries. The purpose of these get-togethers monthly is really just to chat and share our experiences, support each other and share our knowledge with one another. I would highly recommend over time creating your own support network with the people who you know will support you and give you genuine feedback.

I am a member of The Merit Club that I find incredibly useful. I am of course a big follower of BEYOUROWN and find a lot of inspiration, tips, and knowledge through the network.

How are you working on your own personal development?

This is definitely a never-ending work. I invest a lot of time and money into it. At the moment, I am working with a brand messaging coach as well as a business coach. I practice visualisation, affirmations. I work out with a personal trainer. I am a huge believer that building physical strength teaches you a lot of resilience and endurance in the business world as well, as at the end of the day it all comes down to mindset. Mindset is the most important work for success, that is where it all begins and ends. I read, I listen to podcasts, watch videos. I also am conscious of my nutrition. I dedicate time and money for personal care, such as regular body treatments. It is all interconnected. Your gut, your mind, and your body. When you take care of all those elements you perform better. 

How are you looking to grow and expand throughout the rest of the year?

I have very ambitious plans to finish the year off. I want to fill my capacity fully by the end of this year. I normally take on 5 new one to one clients at any given point in time and I offer between 5-15 90 Minute Power Sessions monthly depending on the month, so the goal is to be at full capacity come December 31^st. I am also looking to launch online courses in English as well as Lithuanian languages in the coming months. 

Twitter: @indrebutke

Instagram: @indrebutk

Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/lilyadvisory/

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/indrebutkeviciute

Website: http://www.lilyadvisory.com