We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brittni Schroeder a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Brittni, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Folks often look at a successful business and imagine it was an overnight success, but from what we’ve seen this is often far from the truth. We’d love to hear your scaling up story – walk us through how you grew over time – what were some of the big things you had to do to grow and what was that scaling up journey like?

HOW I GOT HERE: MY ENTREPRENEUR JOURNEY

I was recently working with a client. We’d been working together for about three months. They were feeling discouraged and frustrated about the progress of their business. When I asked them what it was that they wanted to see, they said, “I want my business to look like your business.” I chuckled and then shared with them that my business had taken me over 15 years to get to this point.

I think two of the biggest misconceptions we have about being an entrepreneur are that it’s easy and it’s fast. Both are so far from the truth.

I wanted to share a little bit more about my journey as an entrepreneur — where I’ve been and how I got here.

WORK ETHIC
I recently posted a poll on social media asking people if they think work ethics is something you learn as a youth or something you can develop as an adult. I don’t know what the answer is to this, but for me, I definitely learned this as a youth. I grew up learning how to work and how to work hard.

This skill has really helped me achieve success in my life. As long as I can remember, I’ve been an early riser and I don’t quit until the work is done. My work ethic, coupled with my ability to fail and push through, has been instrumental in all my accomplishments and successes.

EDUCATION
I went to college not really knowing what I wanted to do. The irony of it all is I wanted to study business, but when you’re 18 years old, you don’t know what you’re doing or what you want to do. I look back now and wish I would’ve had a little bit more guidance on the possibilities. After changing my major several times, I ended up landing on doing something in the medical field. I was thinking about physical therapy or being a physician’s assistant. The undergrad degree that had all the prerequisites was exercise science. I like exercise, so there you go.

The plan was to go on and get a masters, but that didn’t happen. I graduated from Utah State University with a degree in exercise science. I never went on to use the degree.

I don’t believe education is ever a waste, and regardless of if I used my degree, I use my education every day.

PHOTOGRAPHY
Fast forward a few years, and, at the time, I had two kids. This ages me, but this is when blogging was starting to be a big deal. I spent my days looking at blogs of people I didn’t know. I was so drawn to the blogs that had beautiful photography and decided I needed to learn to take amazing pictures of my kids, and that’s exactly what I did.

I got an SLR camera for Mother’s Day one year, and the rest is history. I spent hours watching tutorials, reading blogs, taking courses, and attending workshops in an effort to learn photography. Within a year I’d started my own photography business.

At the time, we lived in El Paso, Texas, and I built an incredible and very successful high school senior photography business. It took a lot of work and a lot of hustle. I built a solid brand, and I was in high demand. It was such a fun time.

STARTING A MAGAZINE
About a year into my photography business, one of my photographer friends suggested we start a magazine. We didn’t know what we were doing, but we just rolled with it. We created the most stunning publication ever.

It was so fun. It was such an awesome networking tool. I met so many talented photographers, and in turn, this built my network and opened up so many opportunities for me.

The problem with the magazine was it was more like a side hustle for both myself and my business partner. We both had thriving photography businesses, and we just couldn’t devote the time we needed to grow that business.

We really didn’t make enough money to justify the time we put into it, and we eventually decided to sell it after five years.

It was a really cool, fun learning experience that helped me develop many skills.

NETWORKING
One of the big things that I’d say has helped me grow each of my businesses is networking. I realize I’m innately an extrovert and a networker. I love people and love talking to people, and I’m grateful for this.

I often refer to myself as a collector of people, and this has been an asset in business growth. There’s truth to the saying “It isn’t what you know, but who you know.” I can honestly say the relationships I’ve built have opened many, many doors for me. Word of mouth is a powerful tool and can be very instrumental in creating opportunity.

In the world we live in now, it’s easy to sit behind our computer or phone, but I promise, if you have an opportunity to meet new people, do it. Don’t look for opportunity, look for relationships. Seek opportunities to help others, and I promise this will come back to you.

NONPROFIT WORK
One of the most rewarding things I’ve done in my life is to get involved in nonprofit work. I have a long resume of volunteering, and it’s been life-changing and taught me so much. When my boys were little, I volunteered for Meals on Wheels. I did this for almost six years. When I started doing this, I had one kid in a stroller and was pregnant with another. We did this weekly for years. The reason I tell you this, is because often we find excuses not to serve others, but where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Later, I worked with the Children’s Hospital of El Paso, Boys and Girls Club, Refugees of Texas, and PTSD Foundation of Texas. One of my favorites and most impactful was an organization called Haitian Roots. This organization educated kids in Haiti. I had the opportunity to travel to Haiti several times and help get kids sponsored to go to school. There was so much personal growth over this time, and it played such a role in who I’ve become.

I was on the board of directors on Haitian Roots, and I learned so much about nonprofits during this time. In 2017, after my 14-year-old son passed away I started my own nonprofit called The Gage Schroeder Compassion Foundation and still run it today.

Nonprofit work is so meaningful, and I encourage everyone to find an organization that aligns with your beliefs and get involved. You won’t regret it.

LIFE COACHING
Around 2017, after I lost my son and started my nonprofit I was introduced to life coaching. I was obviously going through a midlife crisis and was looking for something to make me feel better. During this time, I was also working a lot with kids and wanted to help them. Several people told me I should become a life coach.

At first. I thought it was hokey and blew it off. But then, I had a friend send me a life coaching podcast. Instantly, I was hooked on the tools and mindset shifts that I was learning about. In 2018, I got certified as a life coach.

Honestly, for my own personal growth, it was one of the best investments I’ve made. It was one of those things that I didn’t know you were missing until I learned about it. It completely reframed my entire belief system and the way I viewed every single relationship. It also helped me change the way I viewed my mindset when it came to business and has been instrumental in my growth as a person and a business owner.

BUSINESS COACHING
This brings us to the current time and business. Around the same time I was getting certified as a life coach and starting my own nonprofit, we’d moved from El Paso to Houston. I didn’t want to start another location-based business. I wanted to have the ability to work wherever I wanted, so I decided this would be a good time to pivot.

I’d always been good at business. In fact, when I was a photographer, I often said that the business part came naturally — it was the creative part that I had to work harder at. When I was in the photography industry, I was often asked to speak on the business aspects of photography. So when I decided to pivot, it only made sense to help others with their business and marketing.

I love to learn, teach, and help other people build businesses. It’s been so rewarding. Not to say I haven’t failed, because oh boy have I failed, but that’s just part of owning a business, right?

Just like all businesses, they evolve. When I first started business coaching, I focused a lot on teaching about marketing and creating a strong brand. I still do this, but now I focus on more of the foundation tools, such as systems, automation, and strategy. We work on creating sales funnels and nailing down messaging. I have several digital courses, such as: Grow Your Gram. Grow Your Group. Rock the Reels, and Email Funnel Builders. I also have a business membership called The Meeting Place. I’ve done workshops, retreats, and summits.

I’ve failed a lot and had lots of success. I’ve been an entrepreneur for 15 years, and along the way, I’ve learned and gained so many skills and tools that have helped me grow. There are still so many things I still want to do, so stay tuned.

I’m so grateful for all the support and encouragement I’ve gained along the way, and I hope I’m able to give as much as I receive.

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 discussed this in the previous questions, but if you want more let me know. Otherwise, here is my bio.

BRITTNI SCHROEDER BIO

Brittni Schroeder is a Business Coach and Marketing Strategist. She helpsI help coaches automate their business, create systems, convert funnels, and scale to 6-figures and beyond. Brittni worked as a High School Senior Photographer for over 15 years. She also owned and operated Mozi Magazine up until 2017. Her work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Good Morning America and several publications. She has worked in the non-profit sector for over 15 years and recently founded her own non-profit called The Compassion Club. She currently lives in Utah.

WEBSITE
www.brittnischroeder.com
[email protected]

SOCIAL MEDIA
www.instagram.com/brittni.schroeder
www.facebook.com/groups/redefineyourbiz
www.linkedin.com/in/brittnischroeder
www.pinterest.com/brittnijo

PODCAST
Redefine Your Business

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I think I once thought failure was a bad thing. This is a concept I have had to embrace and reframe my thoughts about it.

Failure is such an important component of self-confidence. Accepting the possibility of failure shows you have the self-confidence to try and be content with the result regardless. Failure shows you are trying something new. You are open to change and ready to learn. Many people lower their expectations in an attempt to avoid failing. People avoid failing because they don’t want to feel disappointment or discomfort, but in the long run they will feel disappointment because they are not progressing. If you want to succeed, you have to get really, really good at failing. If you are willing to fail and open to learning from your failures, you are more likely to reach your goals.

There are four outcomes in life:

SUCCESS
Success is obviously the outcome that we all want and strive for. This means we accomplished what we set out to do. When we achieve success in anything it gives us a sense of accomplishment. Success is a key factor that contributes to our overall confidence.

FAILURE
Failure is the second most desired outcome. Failure means you tried. You put forth effort, energy and took a risk. Failure shows that we have confidence and determination to grow.

GIVING UP
Giving up is when we try something but let the discomfort or the fear take over. We resign to the thought that we cannot, will not, or are not. This outcome displays the want for something, but the fear of failure or what others think overpowers your desire to keep going.

INACTION
The fourth and worst outcome is inaction. Inaction or procrastination is when we don’t attempt something. The thoughts of fear or discomfort destroy our chance of progression. We won’t ever know if we will or will not succeed, because we don’t even try. This is something we want to avoid at all costs.

When you continue to fail, you continue to succeed. You will grow. Be determined to become a person of action. Self-confidence is developed and groomed through failure. The more you embrace failure, the more likely you are to experience more success. Embracing failure is one of the most important tools I teach my clients when they develop self-confidence.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

In order to be successful in business you have to build a brand.

We all know how powerful branding is. We spend lots of time and money creating logos, color schemes, tag lines, graphics and more. We strive to have everything we put out to be cohesive and reflective of our brand. But branding goes way beyond graphics and color schemes. The biggest representation of your brand is YOU. You are your brand! Creating an authentic brand story for your business is so essential.

If you are a photographer, an educator, a blogger, a streamer, or any small business trying to make it online, you need a strong brand. Branding is no longer reserved for big names like Apple or Coca-Cola. A personal branding strategy can be the most influential tool for success in your self-marketing toolkit. You need to sell your product or services, but more importantly you need to sell YOURSELF. Once you establish who you are online and create a community, you will see the results in the growth of your business and in your income.

You need a personal branding strategy. Personal branding is much more than just having a great logo or website. These are important, but is more like a collateral to your overall brand.

WHAT IS A PERSONAL BRANDING?
Essentially, personal branding is branding yourself — or building a brand around yourself. An important part of personal branding is developing and maintaining a reputation and an impression of you as a crucial part of your business.

This is critical, because of what we already know about reputation in general: it’s essentially impacted by what other people say about you behind your back. Think of it this way: what would you want your customers to say about you when you’re not in the room?

WHY DO YOU NEED A PERSONAL BRAND?
For three simple reasons: you lead more, you win more, and you earn more. Your customers have to “know, like, and trust” you before they buy from you. And a strong personal brand builds credibility, authority, and trust, so you’re more likely to attract more business.

Having a strong personal brand also helps you connect with your customers. This plays heavily into the “know and like” factor. When you share your story with your customers, those who can relate to it will feel immediate connection to you and, as a result, to your business. And having a polished brand will of course help you feel confident and makes it easier to show up to your customers.

And finally, having a well-thought-out personal brand will make you memorable and marketable in a sense that in the branding process you’ll create different kind of brand assets — some visual and some copy. All this is something you need for marketing. So in the process, you’re making your business and yourself easier to sell and market.

HOW DO YOU START BUILDING A PERSONAL BRAND?
1. Tell your story

For one, we focus on telling your story: your expertise and your experience, your values, and what makes you different and stand out. If you’re a service provider, this is what you’ve likely already been doing. This is nothing new to you.

But if you sell products, this might be a bit more foreign to you. You may have gotten used to talking mostly about your products instead of yourself. But everyone has a story to tell, and especially if the products you sell are designed or made by you, you are likely going to have a very interesting story.

In any case, I highly recommend you build a personal brand, because people best relate to other people. And building your authority and telling your story, as it relates to the story of your products, is a very powerful way to connect with your customers.

2. Professional Photography

A part of the process is also building the visual brand. There are many visual assets that goes into this part, for example your logo and colors, and so on.

But, hands down, the most powerful visual branding element you can have are photos of yourself. You can’t build a personal brand without fully “showing up.” Your customer needs to know who’s talking to them, they need to know the face of the brand.

Photography is a very powerful tool for telling your story. In addition to using photos of yourself, you can also occasionally include photos of your significant other or your kids or dogs and so on — anything that helps you tell your story as it relates to your brand.

3. Share your wisdom

Your personal brand is also about building authority, so that your potential customers can begin to see you as an expert. When they trust you’re an expert in whatever it is that you’re selling, they’re more likely to listen to you and buy from you.

One of the best ways to build authority is to share your knowledge on the topic of your expertise. This might happen through a blog, a podcast, or a YouTube video show. Again, for a service provider this may come more naturally, because they’re often more used to discussing themselves and their expertise.

But for those who sell products — handmade or otherwise — creating content around these products might feel more challenging. But it doesn’t have to be!

Essentially, you just need to figure out what your customers have to understand and believe in order to realize they need your product. Let me give you a concrete example of this.

4. Curate your image

Through your personal brand, you have the opportunity and duty to curate your image. Only share things that are relevant to your brand and your business.

There’s definitely the risk of oversharing. And for different brands it looks different. It all depends who your ideal customer is and what they would consider oversharing.

If you’re unsure, ask yourself: why would anyone care? If you can answer that, and you know why your ideal customer would care about your hemorrhoids, then by all means: share away. That might just be the connection your customer needed.

5 – Know your Superpowers

Get clear on your personal strengths, talents, values and core area of expertise. What are your strengths? What is something unique about you? Figure out how to connect best with your target audience. Consider what does your audience want and need. What can you give them that brings value? Talk to your audience like they are your friends, speak their language. Recognize and acknowledge your superpowers and advantage that will give you an edge in your industry.

Your personal branding is about having self-awareness of your strengths and talents, and letting others know about your knowledge and experience. Clearly establish why you are better than your competition. Recognize why are you different and unique and why your audience needs you to help them.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.brittnischroeder.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/brittni.schroeder
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/redefineyourbiz
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/brittnischroeder
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@brittnischroeder5070
• Other: Podcast – Redefine Your Business