We recently connected with Brittany and have shared our conversation below.

Brittany, appreciate you joining us today. Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers

I first started coaching at the end of 2019 as a passion project on the side of my day job. After working with a few clients, I realized coaching was something I wanted to put more energy into, and I wanted to make it official with a business. I spent the last few months of 2019 hiring someone to help me build a brand, setting up the LLC, and business bank accounts. By February 2020, I officially had an LLC, a website, social media accounts, and was promoting my business. It felt like it was all coming together in perfect timing.
Then I had an idea to host my first in-person workshop to share some of my favorite topics with potential clients. I was so excited to get 12 people to sign up, pay, and attend. I received great feedback and couldn’t wait to host another. This was March 10, 2020.
Three days later the world starting shutting down because of the pandemic.
It felt like all of my hard work and timing was being thrown away. It felt like the worst time to be starting a new business. I felt like a failure before I even started.
In the end, the timing didn’t really matter. I continued to pursue my business and ended up leaving my day job to pursue it full time by October 2020. It took a lot of dedication and trust, but looking back I wouldn’t change a thing.

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

I’m Brittany Canaski, a leadership coach and trainer within my own business, Hello Velocity. I love empowering leaders with the skills and confidence they need to accelerate their goals and improve their performance. I specialize working with women in leadership who want to continue leveling up without burning out.

Three key areas I work on with my coaching clients are leadership skills, strategic planning, and productivity.

I’ve been coaching for six years and have presented at nearly 100 events. I graduated from a 12-month ICF-accredited leadership coach training program and hold a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Cornell University.

You can learn more about common topics that come up with my clients on my podcast, the Hello Velocity podcast. In it, I share stories and tips for women navigating confidence, work-life balance, and burnout.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the biggest lessons I’ve had to unlearn is the idea that just because someone is where you want to be, doesn’t mean your path will look the same.
Early in my entrepreneur journey, I met with so many other coaches who were doing the work that I wanted to be doing and seemed successful. I remember asking them so many questions about how they got where they were thinking that maybe I could take a shortcut and get there even faster.
But, if anything, I think it narrowed my mind to new possibilities of what could work even better for me. Because I realized there’s not one straight path to being a successful entrepreneur. We each have to learn from our own mistakes, find our own voice, and connect with our ideal clients. You can’t just copy someone else’s formula.
And honestly, it’s a lot more fun finding your own way.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I know that collecting reviews on Google from my clients early in my business helped build my reputation. At first, it didn’t seem like it would make much of a difference when I only had a handful of reviews. But it turns out, Google rewards consistency over time and promotes the longevity of your business listing.
It’s a small detail that a lot of business owners don’t want to do, feel uncomfortable asking, or simply forget to do – but when you receive reviews, it’s helping potential new clients find you and hear directly from satisfied clients to quickly build trust.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hellovelocity.co/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellovelocityco
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittany-canaski/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@hellovelocityco