We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brie Abes. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brie below.

Brie, appreciate you joining us today. If you’re open to it, can you talk to us about the best (or worst) investment you’ve made. What’s the backstory and the relevant context behind why you made the investment

The absolute best investment I made as a business owner is time and energy towards learning not only about business but also about people and myself.

As a solopreneur, I have really had to lean into the idea of “investing.” I had to really grasp the idea of putting something in (even if I didn’t have much to spare) knowing that it will reap a reward. When I am not supporting my clients, I invest a lot of my time reading books, taking courses, and spending time going inward to be introspective as well as recharge. I consider these incredible investments because they all allow me to show up for my clients and teams as my best self and be able to bring my gifts to serve them in being their best selves for their business.

It’s very easy as a business owner to get caught up in the grind of it all. For some, they are perfectly suited for it! But everyone is built differently. This is why I really focus on being intentional about where I invest my energy. This means not taking ALL the courses or getting ALL the certifications or doing ALL the trends—this means really using that practice of introspection to know where my energy and gifts are best suited. When this happens, I feel more in “flow” and in alignment with how I serve those around me (clients, colleagues, and my loved ones). Why is this important? I’ve found that the opposite can lead to burnout, discontent, and lack of joy in what you do. Meanwhile, I’ve seen purpose-driven business owners around me feel energized, and full of joy and passion.

All in all, the investment to be a lifelong learner has been the best investment I’ve made to date.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Brie and I am a self-proclaimed multi-hyphenate. I preface this by saying that my path to this season in my business was not one you would expect by looking at my previous titles. I have worn many hats and whether it was in hospitality, marketing, or in beauty, I was able to see some constants within myself that I have been lucky enough to hone in on. I absolutely love to connect with other humans and I love the feeling of making their lives just a little better. Fast forward to today, I am a solopreneur that offers online business management services that support online business owners in areas ranging from project management to operations management, team management, consulting, and systemizing their business so that they can grow and scale sustainably.

Many online business owners get into business wanting to pursue their passions and do what they love—which I love! However, what I have seen happen is the foundations that worked for them before start to become shaky as they begin to take on more and want to do more. That’s where I am able to come in and help them plan and manage their launches or audit and streamline their processes & systems or simply act as their right-hand person to help manage their contractors or teams and overall give them their time and energy back to focus on why they started their business in the first place.

While my offers may shift through different seasons, I am always devoted to going above and beyond to be intentional, mindful, and thoughtful in order to make my clients (and their teams) lives easier. My “why” is that I believe everyone deserves to be aligned with their purpose and when we all are able to do this, in the smallest OR mightiest of ways, the world could just be that much brighter.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Advice that I have for managing a team and maintaining high morale is being conscious and aware that you are managing other human beings with individual goals, dreams, personalities, and lives. I have been in leadership roles since I was a teenager, so I’ve seen a lot of examples of when morale was not at its highest. I feel that when leaders lead with intention and do their best to see and hear their teams through all seasons of the business, the team will feel safe to contribute their ideas as well as concerns. In these moments, it’s super important to not let your ego take the driver’s seat and be able to take feedback and also do your best to implement any suggestions or pivot the way things are done when you can or need to. I have seen that when your team sees that you listen and that you see them, you have a better chance of maintaining higher morale.

Have you ever had to pivot?

The biggest pivot I made was when I began offering online business management services during the pandemic. The world had shut down and that meant a lot of businesses temporarily or permanently did as well. At the time, I had made a move with my husband to another city so I was looking for a new opportunity. For many, including myself, the job market was tough because there were a lot of freezes. This is where I decided to get creative and take a look at my strengths and my skills and my education and package it up to be able to serve businesses online! This took a lot of refinement but ultimately, I was able to serve business owners in a way that aligned with my project & team management skills while also unveiling new strengths in consulting and strategy.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.souleyaligned.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/souleyaligned.obm