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

Christine, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

I’m on a mission to ensure every entrepreneur finds what fits them so that they can embrace their voice, their product, their service which all deserve to be a choice too! Their business deserves to be visible. The problem is for some of us visibility makes you want to hide. The weight of being the only decision-maker where the results of every decision made and every task completed is on them, can be stifling. But you know not being visible is no longer good enough!

I’m an entrepreneur with over two decades of home-based, bricks-and-mortar and online visibility. Visibility is essential for your business and my passion is making sure we keep you reminding the world you’re (your business) is still here. While you are reminding the world…I also want to remind you to remember yourself each day as well! We need you refreshed and visible in your business so that you can keep your business visible to the world.

As many businesses in March of 2020, I experienced the non-essential designation and vacated my bricks and mortar location to once again be home-based. In one day 75% of my income was gone and at this point how was I going to cover the expenses of a bricks and mortar business where I hosted my workshops and in-person On Track clients.

Through the creation and implementation of my business, I’ve artfully incorporated over three decades of business experience, education, and management know-how. I am grateful for my 18 years of banking before becoming an entrepreneur for over two decades.

While many small business owners are in business for themselves, and by themselves, I help to take the isolation out of this scenario and help identify needs along your business journey. In the beginning we realize very quickly the hours that entrepreneurs keep. Our passion tends to take over! My mission is to help you stay well-rounded, repeatedly encouraging you to remind the world each day you’re still here.

Christine, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Like many entrepreneurs, I started my journey in entrepreneurship out of a family need. I was in banking, we live in a small town 30 minutes from everywhere, and childcare was scarce. My husband did have a day job but was on call pretty much all the time. We felt creating an opportunity that I could weave into our family needs would be best for us. I started my business as a home-based business. Four short years later I rented my first commercial location, 6 months later moved to a larger location and 1 year later bought my commercial location. I had that commercial location for 14 years. Throughout those 14 years we experienced many challenges of a growing family, health concerns of aging family members and a diagnosis within our immediate family, which lead back to home-based during the pandemic.

In 2000, I started out in the custom embroidery field when a local provider retired. Quickly through the years many supporting services were added such as screen printing, heat press, vinyl signs and many promotional items. As the years went on, in 2013 I layered in working with entrepreneurs getting and staying visible in their business. Eventually the production environment gave way to needing to be more mobile as the family needs changed. With the health diagnosis of my husband occasionally we need to travel and making the business transition seemed timely.

I am unbelievably blessed to have the banking, management, entrepreneurship and marketing experience to be able to create the amazing career I have today. I am privileged to work with new and existing entrepreneurs at several levels. Those that are just starting out have much different needs than entrepreneurs that have been in business for a while and may be stuck or want to go to the next level. For more of the entry-level I created my signature program On Track with Chris which is all about Time Management, Relationships, Accountability and Clarity. Each time I facilitate this workshop, as a seasoned entrepreneur I get reminded of something that needs attention that I may have let slip by. I say this for all my workshops but I really do love sharing this one. With all the opportunities now for incorporating apps, paper options, digital training and Zoom type videoing this has been a growing workshop.

The 3 other workshops are a deeper dive into areas mentioned in the signature workshop. The first being the Journey, Dream, Strategy workshop surrounding yourself with visuals that energize, fuel creativity and give you direction. Most importantly it’s all about you; what fuels you, where you want to go and how you want to get there. The second deeper workshop is Your Marketing; setting the foundation and creating the habit. This is such a vital part of your business. Once you get a few key pieces down, you save so much time and your visuals are consistent as well as tell your story. Then lastly this deeper dive workshop is where you allow your clients, friends and family to show you the love. This is Your Marketplace. You may have tools or items that help your clients. You may have items that are branded that your friends and family may want to use or wear to support you. The best feeling in the world is when someone else starts the conversation for you and/or you see others promoting you and your business.

My super-power is that I see opportunities that others don’t. Then when we act on these opportunities my clients get on track and stay on track to their goals and success.

I’ve had many conversations over the years with business owners that love what they do, but some days they just need it to be a little easier. Just a small break. I struggled with how the small business owner could have a resource to work with to help them get that break so their day could be just a little easier. By providing them with options that they could choose to fit them they can choose from one to one, one or each of the workshops and or kits (including the dice that have become very popular).

A key piece that I incorporate pretty much everywhere is asking 2 questions always:
1) What did you do today to remind the world you’re (your business) is still here?
2) What did you do for yourself today?

The one take-away every entrepreneur should be mindful of is not any one checklist, program or tool is the total solution. If possible be open-minded to learn, keep what fits you and ignore what doesn’t. You are unique so your checklist and tools will be unique to your business.

I’m most proud of the fact that my husband and both my boys openly have taken my Journey, Dream, Strategy course and fueled their creativity. Both boys mention every student should take a course like this. My heart was overflowing with pride.

In addition to my family, I love the testimonials of those that have and still do work with me:

“I have no hesitation about recommending Chris and consider her business coaching perfect for anyone wanting to stay on track and take their business to the next level. She has great marketing ideas – on and offline that are customized just for you. I made more money last year than in any previous years and love working with her.” ~Karen A.

“I’ve been working with Chris for the past 10 years. She is quite the extraordinaire, an abundance of insight and inspiration. Her background in banking and her entrepreneurial endeavors gave me the leverage I needed coming from a big city to a small town. It’s been an honor and privilege to have worked with Chris.” ~Penelope A.

My hope is that every entrepreneur finds what fits them visibly to share their voice, their product, their service which all deserve to be a choice too! I would love to be that person to help them design that visibility.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Throughout this 20-year journey much has changed. Many times, in entrepreneurship creative thinking is an extreme necessity. When I initially started my entrepreneurial journey, it was prior to the ease of the internet. A few areas that change drastically were: 1) communicating with clients, 2) sourcing products, and 3) online stores.

1). Get on board or get left behind. When I first started, it was all face-to-face connections. Either I would go to the clients’ place of business or they would stop by and see me. As Internet opportunities grew stronger, Email was the first in line and then came texting and then the direct messaging on social media platforms.

Depending on the level of customer service that you provide for your clients, some only wanted to communicate in one mode. You needed to quickly determine which modes of communication you were going to offer and where you were going to get on board for that client. In the attempt to meet, the customers’ needs in the fashion that they wanted to communicate that meant you were checking many more locations often for communications on their and print job that you are producing. Technology definitely provided opportunities and challenges for growing businesses.

2). Sourcing products was at times a challenge pre or post internet. Many ways to find sources outside the internet were recommendations from fellow entrepreneurs, trade shows and trade associations. Many challenging products to source were for big/tall sizes over 3xlt, spirit wear in specific school color combinations and collections that included unisex, ladies and youth x-small through 4 and 5 xl.

As much as I was grateful for the recommendations from fellow apparel decorators my favorite way to source products was attending the trade shows. You’re able to connect directly with providers face to face creating a stronger relationship, ask questions, request sourcing, obtain samples, and create buying programs. In between trade shows the next best way to source is to be a member of the trade association for your decorating process. I initially joined the Embroidery Trade Association.

Fortunately, I cornered 4 counties which provided many schools which were unique in their own color selections which really presented a challenge at times. In addition to schools there are many small businesses and organizations that are great at providing logo apparel for their staff and volunteers.

Then enters the internet opportunity which presents a challenge in itself. Now that the search can be done individually there are many rabbit holes and making notes where to go back to.

3) So, when I initially started in 2000 your purchase product by ordering it phone or in person, flyers through schools, events organizations, or you would walk into a place of business, and see what they had on the shelves. So as the Internet got stronger email got stronger, you could send these images for people to see so you don’t have to have a face-to-face connection. Fast forward to the pandemic 2020 everything very quickly became online so that you were an option too. So the manner in which purchases were made during these last two decades changed substantially in order to be competitive, and a matter of convenience for your clients.

Entrepreneurs definitely needed to be flexible and adapt to technology and life changes to remain successful and growing in their business.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Course correcting your strategy you have in place for your business is a constant. Once again get on board or get left behind fit’s running your business. Throughout these last two decades each time we added a process or service we were learning something new while keeping the client flow served. Learning new software, equipment, making space and now promoting. All of this on top of wearing all the existing hats. Bricks and mortar have buildings to maintain while keeping their space presentable so their neighbors feel comfortable with what their clients see when visiting their establishments. They also contribute to the local, county and state governments with taxes for their budgets. Those entrepreneurs that are home-base may also contribute by collecting sales tax. With the boom of the internet, Youtube, apps and adding all the special shows as cable evolved many bricks and mortars as well as registered home-based entrepreneurs now experiences the DIY world.

I love a good project as well as the next person but when it gets individuals to disrupt the commercial or e-commerce side of things businesses are forced to get creative. In my case there was a significant boom in cutters for heat press and vinyl as well as the dye sublimination world. The one area I had to fall back on is the embroidery. That in itself is an area you just don’t buy a machine today and producing tomorrow. Some got creative with offering subscription boxes, special packaging, special groupings, really the sky is the limit if you’re a creative entrepreneur. As time moved along and we had some very serious health scares with my loved ones I made the decision to use my equipment in my strategy business and created the workshop Your Marketplace. I was already incorporating the equipment into my Your Marketing workshop so it was a natural fit. I also was creating items for the one-to-one clients and most recently created an onboarding box for my new clients that have branded products all about their brand that I can make inhouse. I love the direction of using my banking, management, entrepreneurship and marketing experience to be able to create the amazing career I have today. I am a support system helping find the tools for entrepreneurs to create their business strategy being mindful to course correct as unplanned changes happen in their personal and business life. By creating an easy atmosphere and not telling them but helping them to find what they need to know to create their strategy. There are opportunities all around us and we need to identify the opportunities that fit each person to get them on track and staying on track.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.chrislaible.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/on_track_with_chris/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090759077370
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-laible-4746a12a/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaibleChris
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7MASc94Xq6vVqbcUxEjyTw
• Other: https://chrislaible.scentsy.us/

Image Credits
The images were taken by myself no credit is needed.