Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Roberts Jones

Nicole, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?

My most vivid childhood dream was working in the entertainment industry. For me, working in that industry represented a way out of the chaotic environment of my neighborhood and into a world that—in my mind—represented massive success. As a child and into my teenage years, I escaped the reality of the drugs, gangs, and drive-by shootings in my neighborhood by watching TV. I had many TV shows and movies that I loved, but the show, A Different World, was one of my favorites.
Even though it was only a TV show, it allowed me to see that college was possible and helped me create aspirations beyond my neighborhood. Eventually, I graduated from college with a degree in TV and film, and in the early 1990’s, with determination and preparation meeting opportunity, my childhood dream of working in Hollywood became a reality.

Within six years, I matriculated successfully through the industry. I started by working for one of Viacom’s largest cable networks with an outreach to 89 million homes on a weekly basis. From there I landed a job in casting for the number one television show on the Fox Network. Then from there, I worked with an entertainment group producing TV programing and films that generated 12.6 billion dollars annually. In conjunction with a thriving career, I was going to all the HOT Hollywood parties—bumping elbows with stars. I was living what many might call the dream life. The truth was, when the flashing lights stopped in the dark of the night, when I was by myself, I started to feel tormented by this dream. It was like I could hear God whispering to my soul, “Nicole, I have something more for you,” but what more could that be when I was already living everything I had ever dreamed of and loving every minute of it? My soul knew there was something more for me and refused to let me settle. What began as a gentle whisper got louder and louder, like a bad weather alert, signaling to me that something was wrong, something was missing! Now don’t get me wrong—Hollywood and all its perks were GREAT. But despite the perks and rubbing elbows with all the stars, I began to feel like every morning a little piece of me died. It appeared that my dream was becoming my nightmare!

Well, I had no idea what to do with what I was feeling or how to move it forward. Little did I know that everything I had been questioning would all become clear in one moment, which I now know is my “for such a time as this” moment. It began when one of my good girlfriends called and asked me to volunteer with her at our church’s youth program. That night as I worked with young women, something in me came ALIVE! Working with them, as I saw their eyes light up, it made my heart light up. I realized then that THIS was what my soul had been longing for. Pouring into these young women helped me realize that I had been assigned and called to activate and align others into their purpose. I also discovered that I was great at drawing out the best in others, and quite frankly, it felt good doing it.

What I have learned over time is that your purpose matriculates. As my mentor, Apostle Isaac Pitre, says, “We grow on levels and live life in stages,” and that is exactly what was happening for me. God was moving me into my next level! And while Hollywood may have been the training ground for me to see the gift in people and the role that aligned with that gift for a TV show or a film. God was expanding that gift beyond TV and film to help others find, define, and activate the role that aligned with their purpose—the role their gifts and talents were created to play. God was calling me to expand my gift for casting and producing to coach teenage girls. Years later, that gift would matriculate again into coaching highly skilled professional women and then again, as I expanded my work to include men and, eventually, corporations. I realized I was gifted at putting people in the role that best fit in order to activate their purpose in their business and/or career. I discovered that I was born to help people transform their lives and live as the highest and best version of who God created them to be.

And it all started that night in 1993 as a volunteer in my church. Instantly, I knew nothing else mattered. Watching the eyes of those young ladies lit me up like nothing I had ever felt. My soul awakened, and I found myself confronted with everything I was and everything I had not yet done. I knew at that moment this was EXACTLY where I was meant to be. Yet, with all the joy that I felt, I was also conflicted. This new place where my soul had come alive . . . however I didn’t know what to call this thing that was lighting me up! Keep in mind, this was 1993, and I had never heard the term “coaching” functioning outside of sports, let alone understanding what that meant for me at that moment. Plus, I definitely could not see how this use of my gift could come with a paycheck! Plus this wasn’t as glamorous as my Hollywood career, but I could not deny that this was the thing that my soul had been longing for, the thing that was calling me to my next level! I had a decision to make. I’m not sure if you have ever been where I found myself—it was a place where you LOVE what you’re doing; it brings life to you; you know you are called to do it; but you don’t know how to monetize it. You have no clue how to turn your purpose into your paycheck. Your soul is saying yes, this is it! You know what you are meant to do. But all the while, your brain is reminding you that feelings don’t fill a bank account. Without a plan, you will have a rumble in your belly and no income. I don’t know if you have ever had a decision like this to make, but there I stood at a crossroad.

Do I remain in comfort or go after my conviction?

What I have learned is your comfort and your conviction can NEVER coexist. In that moment, I knew I must follow my conviction. I had to trust God and the stirring in my soul. Once I said yes to it, I had a fire in my belly and a message I knew I had to get out into the world. And ultimately, what I would learn is you need both revelation and methodology to move your purpose into a revenue generating business. It took me years to align my purpose with profit, and I now realize that all I went through was so I could stand in the gap. Like Esther stood in the gap for her people, I could stand in the gap for all those who need my help to start a purpose focused business—to do what I now call marketplace ministry, to get clear on their purpose, to stand boldly in it, and to learn all the ways to make income with impact. Your purpose was meant to profit the world while it also brings back valuable gain to you.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

My biggest obstacle came at a time when from the outside, I looked very very successful.

This was back in 2010, 17 years after I started my business. Back then, I had a nonprofit working with African American teenage girls, and I had a for profit working with women to start and grow their businesses. And at that time in 2010, in my nonprofit, we had 13 chapters in 10 states and we were growing by leaps and bounds. In my for profit, coaching high preforming women to start businesses alongside their 9 to 5, I had an 100% full coaching client roster, meaning I couldn’t take another client.

I thought, since I can’t take on anymore clients, I’ll write a book that way I can still give my principles to women, and that can also be a fundraiser for my nonprofit. Well, when my book came out, I started getting invitations to speak all over the country.

So there I was! Doing the very thing that I had dreamed of when I started my business. I was doing it. I loved every single minute of it. But I want you to get this. I was only making $13,000 a year in my business. $13,000! That’s not a typo. So, I had a really great job that felt more like community service. And, yes, I had a daytime job to pay for my nighttime calling. But here is the thing, I started my business so that I could get paid to do what I love!

And I remember this moment like it was yesterday. It was November 7, 2010. It was on a Sunday evening after I had just gotten home from another speaking weekend and my daytime job, by the way, I was an adjunct professor at Boston University at the time. And I remember sitting on my couch, exhausted and realizing that one the classes I taught was on Monday morning at 9am and I haven’t looked at my syllabus. I don’t know what I’m supposed to teach tomorrow. I haven’t read the chapter sor any of the books I’ve told my students to read. I have no lecture notes. I am exhausted, tired and ready to quit! I was done! I was thinking to myself, “I can’t do this anymore.”

But as I said those words to myself, I started to feel in conflict because I knew this was my purpose. It was thing I was born to do but doing it like this just was not working!

And so, I prayed, “Lord, if this is really my purpose, you better show me something.” I realized in that moment when I was exhausted. I realized I had taken myself as far as I could take myself. Soon after I prayed that prayer, I remember in that moment hearing about this webinar and on that webinar, they invited us to an event. I paid to go to that event. That event cost me $500. I registered $500. I bought my plane ticket because the event was in California, I lived in Boston at the time. That was another $500. And then I spent at least $1,500 on my hotel room because I went by myself. I couldn’t afford it, but I couldn’t afford not to do it. And at that conference, at that event, I began to see all the things that I didn’t know and all the things I needed to add in my business. But I also knew I needed support to coach me through adding it the right way. I didn’t have another 17 years. I wanted it to happen in 17 months. And so I hired a coach. I realized I would have to invest at the level to which I wanted to see the return. Up until that point in my business, I had been putting in sweat equity, so you can put in sweat equity or cash equity.

So, what do I mean by sweat equity? I kept thinking, “Okay, I’m going to work more hours.” First, I started with four hours on Saturday. Then I moved it to all day Saturday because, keep in mind, I had a full-time job and my bonus children were teenagers at the time. So, I only had so many hours in my day that I could spare to do my business. So, I worked the extra hour at night. Then I moved it to all day Saturdays. Then I moved it to a couple of hours on Sunday. And no matter how many hours I added, nothing shifted. Matter of fact, the definition of insanity in the dictionary is doing the same thing, expecting a different result. So, all I was doing was more of the same thing. I don’t know how I thought something was going to be different.

By the way, that coach I hired that I met at that event cost me $30,000. I told you I was only making 13,000 in my business, but again, I was willing to risk it all to gain it all and that’s exactly what I did.

On my first coaching call with my coach, what she did was she showed me, me. She said, “Nicole, didn’t you tell me you’re an adjunct professor, that you taught at USC for four or five years?And now you teach at Boston University and what you teach is program development?” And then she asked me, “And didn’t you used to have a consulting practice when you lived in LA? You work with heads of state. You work with celebrities. You work with nonprofit CEOs. You work with small business owners. And what you did was you went into their businesses and you develop programs.” I’m thinking, “Yeah, look at my coach. She did her research.”

Now, the next thing she said didn’t just change my business. It changed my life. She said, “Nicole, you don’t have any programs in your own business.” Duh. That one conversation gave me such clarity! I begin to see how my brilliance could bring in revenue. So, I built a blueprint from my brilliance that night. The same blueprint I had used as a professor, the same blueprint I used in my consulting practice. I began to use that in my own business and within six months, my revenue grew from $13,000 to over $200,000.

That’s why I’m excited about what I now impart to my clients as I teach and coach them. There were things I learned in that moment of clarity that nobody tells you as you’re starting a business. So, here I was with advanced degrees, an adjunct professor, thinking to myself, “I should know this,” but I didn’t. And no matter how many places I went to try to figure it out, I couldn’t. And so I was committed in that moment. I committed to God that I would hold the space for women to be able to bankroll their brilliance and be a light on their path just like my coach was a light on mine.

We’ve been impressed with Brilliance Mastery Academy, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

Brilliance Mastery Academy (BMA) is where High Performing Women of faith come to start and grow your business alongside their 9 to 5.
Through BMA’s training and coaching programs, you’ll gain the confidence, clarity, methodology and mindset to create a business for long term sustainable success and with kingdom impact. We work hard to assure our clients don’t just start well but that they also finish well.
What sets us apart is how we work with our clients to create what they need end to end to run a massively successful business which includes ;

• Clarity on your niche and what differentiates you in your marketplace.

• Creation of an easy, replicatable model specialized to your unique gifts, we this your blueprint.

• A marketing methodology that positions you as the go to expert in your arena.

• A system to make revenue generation easy.

• An implementation team that works for you creating the system you need in place to sale on autopilot.

• Connection to a strong community of ambitious, high performing women of faith just like you, ready to do what it takes to build a successful business & makes money while you do it!

Plus, support from an expert coach who not only teaches you invaluable strategy but works alongside you to implement it.

While most coaches and training companies focus on ONE area we focus on working with you to develop ALL you need to run a profitable business.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?

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Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.NicoleRobertsJones.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nrobertsjones
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NRJEnterpriseswithNicoleRobertsJones
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi6fVkf0z7UkG1IlUJEhi8g/featured

Image Credits

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