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

Jade, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

As a Business Minimalist, I believe that there are infinite ways that less can be better, but our modern society would tell us otherwise. “You need to create more content.” “You need to get more clients.” “You need to create more offers.”

I believe in the power of simplicity, and its ability to free us from the overwhelm that’s crushing so many business owners today. Not only are they trying to do too many things to grow their businesses, but in doing so, they’re missing out on the very best opportunities for long-term growth and sustainability.

And I don’t blame them.

It’s easy to fall into the ‘more’ trap. It’s easy to build a complicated, confusing, yet moderately successful business. But I help my clients take the most difficult path. The one where they finally muster the courage it takes to DECIDE what to focus on. Like anything that’s difficult, becoming a business minimalist comes with a reward. There are so many benefits waiting for you if you can go the distance.

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 journey into entrepreneurship started at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

I was halfway through my MBA program, and I was interning as a Business Consultant for Grand Canyon National Park that summer. My co-consultant and I were on an early morning hike, and after drinking a cup of coffee under a dripping spring, we watched the sun rise over the top of the canyon.

I remember realizing in that moment that THIS was my job. I mean, who’s life was this?! I certainly didn’t think an opportunity like this would ever be possible for me. But in that moment I was forced to come to terms with the fact that bigger things WERE possible for me. I didn’t have to go into corporate America and play small when I graduated, despite how much pressure I was facing to do so.

In that moment, I vowed that I wasn’t going to accept anything less than extraordinary when I graduated. I started out as a brand photographer, but my passion was always the business side of my creative business. Other business owners started asking me to help them with marketing, branding, and systems projects. Eventually, I took the leap, quit photography, and went all in on productivity coaching for creatives.

What sets me apart from most business coaches is my focus on productivity. I have a 5-step coaching framework I use to help my clients increase their productivity. While most people assume productivity is about getting things done or being efficient, I would argue that’s a very small piece of the bigger picture.

Productivity starts with clarity. If you don’t know where you’re going or what type of business and life you want to build, it will make it very difficult for you to show up and be productive (in terms of making progress towards your goals) each day.

Productivity is not about getting everything done, but it’s about getting the right things done. Every business owner should make it a priority to get crystal clear on their strategy, so they can hone in on the activities that are actually driving results in their business. The problem with busy work is that it still feels like you’re making progress, but you’re not. You can spend years being busy without having a single productive day.

And yes, productivity is partly about getting things done. We can sit around and strategize and plan all day, but your success will depend on how well you can execute. Every step forward produces clarity that will help you navigate your next step in the right direction.

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

I quit brand photography almost exactly one year ago. ⁠ ⁠
I finally admitted to myself that all the time, energy, and money I’d poured into building a brand photography business was a sunk cost.⁠ Whether I decided to stick with it or pivot, those investments were already made, and I wasn’t going to get any of them back.⁠
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I took a leap and decided to pivot to business + productivity coaching, leaning into my deeper passions and interests, instead.⁠ It was terrifying, but a year later, I can say that it was 100% worth it.⁠ I learned by experience that when you’re working in your purpose, you can unlock your highest levels of contribution and productivity.
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But also, everything I invested in building a brand photography business wasn’t wasted just because I decided to pivot.⁠ I needed to take a leap to start a business, even if I wasn’t 100% sure what type of business would work best for me. I’m so grateful for everything I learned about business as a photographer, and I firmly believe I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t decided to start somewhere, anywhere.

And I still have the freedom to decide if, when, and how I use my photography skills in my business or just for fun. Pivoting doesn’t have to be all or nothing.⁠ Even after quitting, I still accepted a handful of branding clients and recently did an amazing product photoshoot for one of my coaching clients.
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All this to say… don’t be afraid to pivot when you notice that your business is out of alignment. If anything, be afraid of what will happen if you don’t.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

When I was in grad school, I flew to Texas for a marketing case competition hosted by a fortune 50 company. Surprisingly, my team won first place and a $7,000 cash prize. At the closing reception, I asked one of the company’s executives why our team’s case presentation stood out.

He told me that our presentation stood out because we connected everything back to a specific target market.

To give you some context, we were marketing a product that’s consumed by virtually every person on the planet, but we chose to market it to soccer moms specifically. For example, we allocated the majority of ad spend in the summer, because we knew she’d buy the product on her way to a soccer game.

Bringing this back to my own business, I think I’ve been successful because I connect everything I do back to my ideal client. When I post on social media, I write like I’m talking to my favorite client. I openly share my mistakes and lessons learned. I give my email list regular opportunities to book free ‘coffee chats’ with me, not as sales calls, but as real opportunities to connect human to human. All of these things build trust, which is why my clients hire me. They truly trust me to help them grow their businesses.

Google, Instagram, and every other platform hate it when you act like a robot. Don’t be a robot, be a human!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jadeboyd.co
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/jadeboyd.co
• Other: The Business Minimalist™ Podcast: www.jadeboyd.co/podcast

Image Credits
Erin Moore Photography