#BEYOUROWN MEETS JAIMIE SARAH

Thank you for joining us Jaimie can you tell us a little bit about your background story as an executive coach, business & brand strategist?

Sure, so I spent a decade in the corporate world helping multi-million and billion dollar businesses grow even further through better customer service and marketing. I was really effective at my work because I was always leveraging coaching skills even before I formally studied coaching or obtained any coaching qualifications. I’d worked in London and New York, and was doing some voluntary work on the side helping other businesses through a group called House of Genius.

I started my formal coaching training and started thinking a lot more outside the box, and knew it was time for me to help multiple businesses rather than working inside just one at a time. So I started my own business four years ago and since then have helped hundreds of business owners and directors grow personally and grow their business simultaneously. It’s been an incredible journey and a great privilege!

Can you tell us how you help successful directors to transform their energy, impact and resonance?

After working with hundreds of clients I identified some common themes in the work that we were doing and came up with my Aligned Business Blueprint. It consists of a combination of mindset, marketing and sales optimisation, and the combination of these is really important.

Any one element without the other would not have the same impact on a director’s resonance. Basically, I help them be more them, shift common mindset blocks, and tweak their sales and marketing accordingly to make it more authentic and magnetic. I help them avoid blending in with the masses or being someone they’re really not! Trying to squeeze themselves into boxes that they don’t belong in really constrains people both personally but also in their business results as their brands and processes become bland.

What top 3 key mindset traits attract holistic success?

1. An abundance mindset is really important – this is all about going after the right opportunities, clients etc, not just *any* opportunity. It’s about letting go of the opportunities, partnerships, features, etc that aren’t a fit, and trusting your ability to create those that are, and then taking aligned action. A lot of service-based directors will chase clients, opportunities and processes that aren’t a great fit, and gradually over time this can leave them with a very intense schedule packed with all the wrong things, a business filled with clients they don’t like, that isn’t growing to the extent it could and that isn’t fun to run.
2. Self-care is also essential. We can achieve a lot of short-term success without self-care, but long-term sustainable success is only achievable when we take good care of ourselves. This can be hard for very intense people who get used to the kind of “all or nothing” thinking and compartmentalising that actually gets them a long way professionally but isn’t fruitful for their wellbeing and long-term business performance. These two are inextricably linked.
3. The last top mindset trait is confidence expressing your true self and true values, rather than who you think you should be, or what you think you should say. No matter how high-brow your business offerings are, there’s always room to be more you and to infuse more of your essence into your offerings and processes! Richard Branson is a great example of doing this incredibly well and empowering his employees to also follow suit in alignment with his brand.

What methods do you currently use to measure your client results?

I measure their revenue growth over time, as well as their self-reported fulfilment and happiness levels over time. (These tend to increase in tandem.) I also chart their scores against critical components of leadership confidence and effectiveness.

Do you have any current mentors? Either professionally or personally….

Yes! I have a speaking mentor, a podcasting mentor, and the man upstairs is my ultimate personal mentor!

What platforms are you using as marketing tools?

In terms of marketing tools, I use Keap for my email marketing, Facebook and LinkedIn for my social content sharing, and I also have a free Facebook group where I nurture my people with daily content which helps me stay top of mind and adding value!

Do you currently use any apps or tools to help the functionality of your day every day work life?

I use Evernote several times a day on multiple devices for notes, planning, content creation etc. I love Gmail for business for my email and calendar, I couldn’t live without it now! I use WhatsApp to communicate with my private clients and have just started using Telegram which I think is a great alternative to Facebook Messenger for group chats for business. Lastly, I post content on Facebook and LinkedIn daily.

What has been one of the most valuable lessons so far throughout your business building?

Always always always have a mentor, including when you’re not sure you need one and ensure they genuinely have a business that is one that aligns with your long-term goals, not just your short-term goals.

For my first two years I only did 1:1 work, and as much as I loved (and still love!) it, if I could rewind, I would have started working with mentors to help me diversify my offerings earlier as this brings so much extra joy, impact and leverage to your business!

I love my group and membership programs, I’ve loved developing and delivering them and they help me serve more people at once, while still getting to do amazing 1:1 work on a selective basis. It’s fantastic.

What does #BEYOUROWN mean to you?

Don’t wait for anyone else to come and rescue you or solve your challenges. Know that while you can and should absolutely call on coaches/mentors to help you move through specific objectives and obstacles, ultimately you alone are responsible for your results.

Be your own hero! Be fully responsible for your life and business. And also, be more you!

What does 2020 look like for you throughout the rest of the year?

My podcast, The Aligned Business Podcast, is coming out in a couple of weeks which I am so excited about. I love to engage verbally, and I’m excited to reach a wider audience in a very organic, non-hierarchical way and to showcase the stories of some incredible guests. I’m also going to be running more in-person social and business events as I love the in-person connection and find my audience really enjoy it too.