We were lucky to catch up with Erin Scott recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Erin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. The more we talk about good leadership the more we think good leadership practices will spread and so we’d love for you to tell us a story about the best boss you’ve had and what they were like or what they did that was so great?

Clay was the best boss I’ve ever had not just because of how he lead when I was on the team, but even more because of how he was when I left the company. Clay was my boss at my last job just prior to venturing out solo to start my own business. I could say A LOT about why he was a great boss. And, to be clear, he was not perfect (he would be the first to say this). But the overarching thing that made him an incredible boss was that he held everything with an open hand. If there was a person he was connected to – he’s happy to make an introduction. If a decision was made – he’s open to hearing my point of view if I want to push back on it. If anyone in the company had questions about leadership structure/financials/future planning/whatever – he would sit down and talk it through with them. Nothing was off the table and that transparency was contagious throughout the company. So when I started thinking about leaving to start my own business, it was a no-brainer to talk openly about that with Clay. And to no surprise, he reacted in the same open-handed, transparent way he always had. Before I divulge all the details of how he set me up for success, you should know a bit more context about a few things:

1) I really enjoyed my work at this company and even more so enjoyed the people I worked with. I had no ill feelings in deciding to leave. Simply put, my family dynamics were changing and I needed more flexibility to own my schedule.

2) Clay was not operating this business out of someone else’s fortune. He had started the business out of his garage 10 years ago and every time he was generous with his resources that meant he was making a choice that directly impacted his own family. Doesn’t get much more personal than that.

Anyway, after about 3 years of being on staff and benefitting from a great healthcare package, bonuses, employee development, and lots of fun memories made, it was clear that my family needed more flexibility from me and I chose to talk to Clay about my thoughts on leaving the company. From the first moment it was 100% support. He encouraged me and said kind things about his belief in my ability to be successful. Over the next few weeks we talked through a timeline and tied up loose ends within my responsibilities. Then here’s where it gets crazy: He chose to pay for me to get certifications relevant to the new business I was starting! The business that he has no financial stake in; an investment that would gain him nothing. He paid me a severance even though I was the one leaving. And he sat down with me multiple times to answer questions I had on how to start a small business. Any information he had, template documents, or helpful resources were all at my disposal.

I’m currently a solo-preneur, but if I ever have employees I know this is the way I want to treat them. I want to take great care of them while they work for me and even better care as they leave to chase their own dreams.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I spent the first decade of my adult life in ministry where I was first introduced to self and team-development type things. It was really eye-opening and, looking back, I see how formative it was for me in so many facets of my personal and professional life. Later in this timeframe I had the opportunity to dive a bit deeper into some of these tools and practices – assisting other teams with debriefs of assessments, talking through self-development tools with business owners in my community, etc. After leaving ministry I unexpectedly found myself still doing team-development but then for a small business which lead to our small business leading other small businesses through the same thing. So not only did I get to lead our HR department and learn about caring for employees from the inside out, but then I had the chance to work with other local small businesses to help them grow their organizational health.

So, all in all, it was about 15 years of being around and then working in the team-development space that lead me to launch my own business, Colorblock Coaching. I’m now certified in MBTI, EQ-i, Enneagram, and a few others on the way. I get to work with teams to come in and be the unbiased person who helps them discover more of their potential. I’m a huge believer that it’s hard to be our best selves when we don’t know ourselves. All team health starts from each team member knowing and understanding themselves, then moving to know and understand their co-workers. It’s been really fun to watch lightbulb moments happen when someone on a team “gets it” – to be part of the growth and see a team excel is really fun!

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

This may be old school, but I started by just using the network I already had. And before you roll your eyes and think that won’t work or you don’t know enough people or whatever, let me assure you that my network was NOT vast and I did not originally believe there were many people that I already knew who would want or need my services. The best advice I could give is to unashamedly just put yourself out there! I have an old acquaintance that has started several businesses over the years. I’ve seen on social media how he’ll start something, it will go a bit, then seemingly just disappear as he starts something new. Honestly I used to view him as flakey. Now I have so much respect for him! Whatever he was starting, whatever he was trying he just put himself out there. He didn’t care what others thought and he just gave it his all. So when I started my business I just tapped into the people I already knew…or kind of knew. One cold email I made I literally just knew this lady’s cousin. Emailed her, used my “in,” and told her what I did. Turns out that very week she had been interviewing people to come in and do team development for her leadership team! My random connection got me an in-person meeting which lead to my largest client to-date.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I would reiterate my original story as far as a pivot… I was at a great company in a great role for 3 years. They provided a flexible schedule, a nice benefit package, and I enjoyed the people I worked with. But my family has always come first and this company knew that was the case from day one. So when the logistical needs of my family ramped up – one of my kids began a daily therapy, one of my kids needed to move from public to homeschool – I had to pivot. I was the main breadwinner for our family of 5 and had zero clue how to manage my own venture. We’ve made some big changes in our finances and we’ve taken some pretty scary risks. But overall this pivot has been the best of my life! Moving away from the structure of a predictable paycheck into the ebb and flow of bringing in my own business has been a GIANT mindset shift. But also moving to where I 100% own my schedule and I’m available whenever and however I want to be for my family is the greatest gift.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://colorblockcoaching.com
• Instagram: @mrs.e.scott , @colorblock.coaching

Image Credits

Jessi Champman Photos