Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Caroline Lenher. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Caroline, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Often outsiders look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight. Even media and especially movies love to gloss over nitty, gritty details that went into that middle phase of your business – after you started but before you got to where you are today. In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. Can you talk to us about your scaling up story – what are some of the nitty, gritty details folks should know about?

When I started my business in 2017, my goal was to support individuals and teams in their professional development through training and eventually coaching, once I was certified. The universe had a different plan, which is usually the way the world works, and in ways that bring us to where we are today.

Prior to founding CKL Strategy, Inc., I worked in advertising and communications agencies, serving clients ranging from live entertainment/Broadway Musicals and Plays (the first fifteen years of my career) to social cause clients, including government and higher education clients in the last few years of my corporate career. I had built a great network and nurtured it over the years, which ties into your question of how I built my business, two different businesses, really; the one that launched me and disappeared with Covid in 2020 (this would be the major twist and turn along the way!) and the one I always wanted, which I have now.

When I announced in 2017 that I was going out on my own, former clients, vendors and colleagues reached out to hire me individually for marketing and advertising services. It was incredible to have the outpouring of support for this new endeavor, and although it wasn’t in the direction I originally planned, I built a strong business with these clients. I was even able to work with one client to begin training their teams and vendors on different aspects of the business, so I started moving towards creating the company I wanted to build. Things were going great.

At the beginning of 2020, as I set my annual business goals, I decided that this was the year to move towards coaching and training more formally. So, I trimmed my workload down to 30ish hours a week to free up time to start my formal training to become a professional coach, my ultimate goal. At the time, all of my clients were in the live entertainment space. So, when Covid hit, all my business went away, which, while terrifying at the time (most new businesses fail in the first five years, and I feared this would be me), ultimately allowed me to focus solely on earning my certifications to begin coaching formally. I began coaching clients in the fall of 2020, but the prospect of building a business in a space where no one knew me was daunting, to say the least.

After completing my first certification, I posted on LinkedIn and received a fantastic response from former team members, clients, and colleagues, who were excited that I had chosen this path. A few engaged me as their coach right from the beginning, which was an incredible feeling and testament to the relationships I had built over the years. And that is how my coaching business has grown over the last few years: through word of mouth from those who know me, as well as from existing and former clients. Initially, I gave talks to professional groups and networked through programs like Lunch Club, which provided opportunities to discuss my work and find my voice for the individuals I wanted to serve, as well as learn more about what people needed at the time. Those outlets yielded a few clients as well, but the majority of my coaching business built through my network, referrals and word of mouth.

The facilitating and training business also grew from my network. When I started my business, it was to go into a training program for business leadership training coordinated through a friend and former colleague. The opportunity fell through, which led to the founding of CKL Strategy. This same contact introduced me to an Elite Trainer, and I started working with his company in 2020. Additionally, in my former agency, I worked on a global project for Lexus and formed a close friendship with our client. She knew my goal was to develop a training and facilitating side to my business, and when she transitioned to work with the Lexus College, she brought me in to write content for them in 2020, and I started training for them in 2022. Additional opportunities for training have also come through other coaching colleagues, allowing me to build this important and meaningful side of the business alongside my coaching.

So long story short, the path to where I am today was certainly not straight. The growth of business stands primarily on the shoulders of the relationships I have built, maintained and forged throughout my career in marketing and advertising and out in the world. I believe our networks are the key to our success on many levels and work with clients to build, nurture and engage their networks for personal and professional growth and success.

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?

I am an International Coaching Federation (ICF) Certified Professional Development, Career and Career Transition Coach, trainer and facilitator.

The core of my business and all that I do lies in my passion for helping individuals reach their full potential as leaders and professionals and find their way, because I know firsthand the impact of making strategic choices that lead to greater professional and personal fulfillment.

As a coach, I partner with individuals who find themselves at a professional crossroads, facing the uncertainties of whether to move forward, make a change, or transition to something different altogether. Together, through one-on-one coaching, we identify what is most important for them in their career and life, what could be holding them back and establish the steps to take to move them forward with clarity, conviction, confidence and purpose. As I have said to many individuals along the way, if you know you don’t want to be in the same place you are today at this time next year, let’s talk. No one should be unhappy professionally; life is too short!

As a facilitator and trainer, I partner with training companies and corporations to train their employees and clients on their programs around topics such as communication, relationship building, team building, emotional intelligence, and leadership. I facilitate and train with a coaching mindset and approach to deepen participant engagement with the content ensuring learning and overall impact.

How did I get into this work? A few things led me here… In my nearly twenty years in corporate advertising and marketing agency roles, while the work was thrilling, I learned over the years that my true passion was the people I worked with and developing talent. After working with a career coach myself, I saw the potential for how I could support others. Additionally, in my last agency, I had the opportunity to develop a training program for a client focused on helping their employees build strong relationships with their customers. As I went out and trained the employees in their stores, I was hooked. I loved helping people learn and develop their natural talents to be even better in their jobs. I loved that not everyone learns the same way, so being able to adapt and pivot to different needs within a group.

So, my coaching and facilitating/training work are both rooted in the same passion and core of wanting to support others to realize their potential and grow professionally with the ultimate goal of happiness and fulfillment in life.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

I found this question interesting to consider because I am in a service-based business where I didn’t need capital to start, but I did need to pay bills and support myself. So, I had to generate income from the very beginning. Other solopreneurs will ask for advice on how to start their service-based business, and I tell them the same thing: when you go out on your own, secure a steady income or a reliable client from day one. It might not be in the area where you want to grow your business, but it should be something that can steadily generate income until you can sustain yourself solely on the business you want to build.

Specifically, I wanted to build a coaching business. As I worked toward that goal, I consulted on marketing and branding projects and also took on several writing and editing assignments for clients. During my first few years, I edited a few books and created content for various clients, including blogs and social media. This wasn’t my passion, but it was something I excelled at and knew I could offer value while earning a living. I encourage solopreneurs (who don’t have financial backing at the start) to consider the skills they possess and the work they can do to generate income as they grow. This is important to pay the bills, of course, but it’s also a great way to expand your network and stay connected with those who like and respect you and may support you in other ways as you build the business you want ☺

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

The best source of new clients for me has been word of mouth from people who worked /work with me or know and trust me from my previous careers and experiences. Additionally, in social interactions and my everyday life, simply discussing what I do and who I serve has led to referrals and new clients. For example, I play a lot of pickleball and have spoken to prospective clients, as well as signed clients, through that vast social network of people.

Additionally, the coaching community is VERY supportive. Like no other professional community I know. We are all very service-oriented and want to ensure that we are the correct fit for a client. If we do not feel we are, we refer clients to other coaches we know and respect. I have also received and offered referrals through that network.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cklstrategy.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinelenher/
• Other: I created a philanthropic extension of my business called Coaching for Causes. Each May, I bring certified professional coaches together to donate their coaching time in exchange for donations to the causes near and dear to our hearts. That website is https://www.coachingforcauses.com/. This program is a great way for someone to experience coaching in a one-off setting while giving back to our communities and world as a whole.

Image Credits

both photos are from Robin Aronson Photography.