We recently connected with Alexis Haselberger and have shared our conversation below.

Alexis, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I’d been working in startups for years, running HR and business operations, where there were always more things to do than people to do them. People I worked with started to gravitate to me for help streamlining systems internally and managing personal productivity and when the last start-up I worked for was winding down (as many, if not most, start ups do), I started to realize that there was a skillset that I had, that was missing in a lot of folks: how to manage time well, and to be productive, but without excess stress. So, I started thinking about how I might be able to help successful people maintain their success without sacrificing their personal lives.

The very first thing I did was buy a domain name and create a DIY website using Squarespace, so that I would have someplace to point people to my fledgling business. And immediately thereafter I started 2 efforts in parallel: 1) I started writing best practices documents for everything I thought I had expertise in, from how to run better meetings, to how to manage email, to how and why to use templates and create process documentation and 2) I collected the email addresses of every person I had ever known or even briefly interacted with, and I started emailing them to let them know I’d started a business, what I was offering and who my ideal clients are. And when I say EVERYONE, I mean EVERYONE. I emailed people I hadn’t spoken to since high school, the insurance agent from a job I had 10 years ago, etc. I figured the more people who knew what I was doing would result in a much easier time getting those first clients. And I think I was right.
Most of my first clients came as a result of that outreach.

Once I landed my first client (who actually found ME on LinkedIn), I got to work creating my first coaching program. And in fact, I created the curriculum 1 week at a time, as I was delivering it, and I used those best practices docs I’d started writing as a jumping off point for my curriculum. Over time, I’ve added additional programs and revenue streams.

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’m a time management, productivity and leadership coach who helps people do more and stress less through coaching, workshops and online courses.  My pragmatic, yet fun, approach helps people easily integrate practical, realistic strategies into their lives so that they can do more of what they want and less of what they don’t.  I’ve taught 121,000+ individuals to take control of their time and my clients include Google, Lyft, Workday, Capital One, Upwork and more.

I spent the first 15+ years of my career managing operations and HR at several early-stage start-ups, where there was way more to do than people to do it. Burnout was rampant. While working in these high-stress environments (and having a couple of kids along the way), I started developing and implementing strategies for productivity at work, and in my personal life, to ensure that goals were met, balls were not dropped, and that, most importantly, I, and those around me, stayed sane.

Now I get to help others do the same.

Another really important thing to know about me and my business is that I am definitely not of the “hustle culture, do all the things, more, faster, better” school of productivity. But rather, I help people to proactively align how they spend their time with their own goals and values. And I do it from a super practical and tactical standpoint.

If you’ve ever said any of the following statements, I can help:

• “I just don’t have enough hours in the day!”
• “I’m so exhausted!”
• “I’ve got too much on my plate!”
• “I have no down-time!”
• “I feel like I’m failing at work AND home!”

Another element of my business is that I work with companies and teams who value personal development and/or who want high performance and results without employee burnout. I provide high ROI workshops and group coaching to such teams.

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

Hands-down, the best source of clients for me has been word of mouth. When you do great work, and your clients consistently get the results they were seeking (and more!) they shout from the rooftops about your services because they want others to experience what they’ve experienced.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

When I was just getting started, sales made me feel queasy. I associated sales with schmoozy bros. I didn’t like talking about myself, and what my business had to offer. And I knew I had to get over that if I wanted to have a successful business. So, I did something that took me very far outside of my comfort zone: I printed 400 business cards and I went to a conference with 20,000+ attendees and hundreds of vendors. I challenged myself to have a meaningful conversation with as many people as possible about what I did, and to get those business cards into the hands of as many people as possible. At every session, I introduced myself to the folks sitting next to me, asked them about themselves and when they asked about me, I told them about my business. I challenged myself to go walk the vendor floor and pitch myself to every single vendor and to tailor my pitch to their business. I didn’t expect clients out of this, but I knew I needed to get more comfortable with pitching by business, so I used those vendors as a captive audience. By the end of the conference, I did actually have a handful of leads, a couple of which became clients. But more importantly, I could talk about my business with ease, without feeling sleazy. And this skill has served me ever since.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.alexishaselberger.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/do.more.stress.less/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/domorestressless
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexis-haselberger/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DoMoreStressLess
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/alexis-haselberger-time-management-and-productivity-coaching-san-francisco
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@do.more.stress.less