We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Marli Ansel. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Marli below.
Marli, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of our favorite things to brainstorm about with friends who’ve built something entrepreneurial is what they would do differently if they were to start over today. Surely, there are things you’ve learned that would allow you to do it over faster, more efficiently. We’d love to hear how you would go about setting things up if you were starting over today, knowing everything that you already know.
Ohmygoodness, there are so many things I would do differently looking back.
And at the same time, I can see so clearly how it was all necessary to build me into the entrepreneur and the person I am today. As much as we don’t like them, the stumbles or the “failures” definitely make us better.
When I started my business, I knew it would be successful. I didn’t know how. But I knew that I would succeed.
I’m obsessed with learning, so I was diving into everything I could to learn how to start the business, how to sell & market, all of the personal development work and I hired a mentor right away.
I made $100k within the first 8 months of being full time in my business. And I ended the year at around $150k.
After that first year, every year thereafter was consistent in revenue. But this is where, looking back, I would do it differently.
I had success right out the gate and that was a really amazing thing, but then I felt this pressure, and fear, to double it, triple it, have another big quantum leap of a year.
I put a lot of pressure on myself to double my revenue every year and so when I didn’t hit the goal, I thought I was missing something or doing it wrong in some way.
Now looking back I can see, that my business was healthy and always has been. But at the time, with feeling that pressure I put on myself, I couldn’t see that.
I kept investing in mentorship, programs, and courses… which I think is good and necessary. But the energy I was doing it from didn’t feel like the fun ambitious excitement like in the beginning. It felt like I was trying to fix a problem that didn’t even actually exist. Which led to me spending wayyyyy too much money on things I didn’t actually need.
The irony is focusing too much on the revenue took me away from actually building the business lol. Which is actually how you increase your revenue. Big lesson learned there.
For other entrepreneurs out there, I would say keep your focus clear on making the best product for the people who need what you have to offer. And on building your business strong & in alignment with your vision.
Don’t get distracted by other business’s revenue and what they are doing. Don’t chase someone else’s achievements. Be clear on your values, what matters to you, and creating in alignment with that.
Yes, always be learning and investing in yourself, but make sure you are doing it from the right energy and not chasing something for validation.
And remember you have a vision and gift that no one else does. Focus on bringing that to the world. And you’ll win.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am a transformational coach specializing in mindset & energy work. And I work mostly with women who have a big vision for their life; usually something that is out of the norm from what they were raised around or what was expected from them.
I offer private coaching, group programs, courses, and my favorite – we’re starting to do more in person retreats all over the world. I also teach a lot for free on my YouTube channel, Instagram, and my podcast.
Inside my coaching containers, we’re really working on the women’s self esteem, confidence, & empowerment. There is a lot of healing work that happens. Old stories and trauma that need to be healed and processed out their mind + body. We do healing release work, mindset shifting, and then a lot of it is support. It can be difficult to buck the norm and go after what you want. And a lot of these women do not have someone in their life who is supporting them and telling them that what they want to create is possible. And so having someone there who believes in them, wants to help them, and supports them… is life changing.
The thing I am most proud of in my work is the ripple effect we are making. Every woman healed and going after her dreams is drastically changing this world. Not only is she making change with her vision, but as a woman who owns who she is, heals her emotional triggers, and leads powerfully… she’s going to be a better parent, raising her kids differently; she’s going to have a healthier relationship with her partner, she’s going make a change in her community & culture. And possibly even the world.
A woman who heals herself and owns her power is everything. And it creates a huge ripple effect in this world.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I think sometimes you have to lose yourself to find yourself at a deeper & stronger level.
After I started my business, I went through a deep evolution. Starting a business will kind of force you to face yourself ans any parts that you may have been trying to run away from. I went through deep spiritual healing within the first few years of starting my business. It brought up all of those worthiness wounds, imposter syndrome, not enough, etc. It all came up. And through that process, I became a different person. I changed the way I ran my business entirely.
I started listening to my own voice and intuition more. And focusing on exactly what I envisioned for the future of my business and the work I want to bring to the world. I completely shut down some of my biggest programs because it didn’t feel in alignment with where I was going anymore. I pivoted big time.
I’ll also say, my life dramatically changed in this time as well. I met my now husband, we moved in together, I became a stepmama. So my values and priorities drastically changed during this time period. Presence and having more free time became more important. And I needed to realign my business to fit my current values.
I stopped doing all of the things that felt like it wasn’t sustainable for where I was going. And I started rebuilding differently.
In a way, I was starting completely over. But also, my foundation & reputation for who I am, and what I stand for is pretty strong, so I was able to pivot and change without losing much of my client base. I have strong relationships with most of my clientele. So I was starting over, but with so much more knowledge than I had before. I had already built a business, so I knew what I needed to do. And now I have a much more clear vision on where we’re going with the company.
So for other entrepreneurs, my advice would be 2 things:
1. Your reputation and your relationships matter the most. This will allow you to change your business if and when you need to.
2. Don’t be afraid to start over. You’ll build faster & better. Its so much better running a business that lights your whole soul than trying to force one to work that isn’t really part of your vision.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
I think the most effective and also the most underrated strategy is simply showing up.
I know a lot of people want the fancy, makes you a million dollars in a day kind of strategy… but those typically aren’t sustainable and they don’t grow your business’ reputation.
Showing up consistently does two things:
1. It automatically creates the perspective that you are a leading expert in your industry (even if you just started a few months ago).
2. It creates a relationship between you (or your company) and your potential clients faster.
And if you have a quality product / message that helps your clientele, its going to grow your business.
Most people need to have some sort of connection or relationship with you or your product before they are going buy from you.
And showing up consistently creates trust, connection, and a sale.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://marliansel.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marliansel
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marliansel/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@marliansel
- Other: Podcast:
iTunes
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lightworkers-society/id1490025917Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/4R4OsJhBLkiZLqK7mbfpry?si=2ee541f4c02142dd
