We were lucky to catch up with Jamelle Sanders recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jamelle , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

Honestly, the biggest risk I ever decided to take was leaping into the world of entrepreneurship. Some people were really excited for me and wished me the best. However, I quickly learned that I had many critics and skeptics who did not believe in me or my vision for my business. In fact, I will never forget when I started to share the news about the start of the business and the launch fo the website many years ago. While some people were really excited and immediately rushed to buy my services, others immediately started to share with me all the reasons why my business would not work. I was called too ambitious, a dreamer and some made it clear that they did not believe that I would succeed. In those early days, I will never forget hearing from someone that I needed to stop trying to be big. In particular, this person said that I needed to come to terms with the fact that my business was small and that I would probably never have the global footprint that I dreamed of. Those words cut me deep and I had to have a talk with myself. I could not afford to allow that negative internal dialogue to begin to program my mind and shape what was possible for my life. In all honesty, the first few years of business were very rough for me. My business almost collapsed on three different occasions, I considered walking away and I had many moments where I felt like giving up. Thankfully, I had great people in my life and great mentors that showed me what I was doing wrong, helped me make corrections and empowered me to succeed in my business endeavors. It was worth it to take the risk and it has rewarded me many times over the years.

Jamelle , 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?

For those who may not be familiar with me, I am an author, speaker, entrepreneur, and highly respected as a revolutionary thinker and leader. I really got into the consulting industry by accident. I was working for a local consulting firm and enjoying the role of an associate consultant. At the time, I had no interest in starting a consulting business and I thought I would have a financial services business down the line. However, after having lots of conversations with my boss, I found myself more drawn to and intrigued by the consulting industry. As a result, I started reading trade publications, learning about professional networks and organizations, and researching everything I could about the consulting industry. Then after prayerful consideration, I decided I wanted to start a business. At the time, I thought I was starting a life coaching business. You did not hear a lot of people starting consulting firms at that time and I was nervous that I was not experienced enough to just dive right into the consulting industry. However, after making my first sales and acquiring my first clients, it dawned on me that I was not a life coach at all. In fact, about two to three years into the business I came to the realization that life coaching was stifling my business growth. My clients kept telling me that I was so much more than a life coach but I was confused about how to evolve. It finally reached a tipping point and I had to make a decision. I was getting ready to start all the paperwork for the dissolution of the business when I got a call from a friend that I had not heard from in years. This friend told me that he had read my latest newsletter to my email list and he did not think that I should give up on the business just yet. I told him I would sleep on it but I had already made my decision. By the next morning, I woke up with new clarity and I immediately reached out to a trusted mentor and advisor. I was emotionally spent and I told this mentor that I did not know what else to do. My mentor immediately started to lay out the blueprint and strategy for rebranding my business. In a matter of months, I went from invisible to an explosion of visibility and media opportunities. It was mind-boggling to me how fast things turned around. I rebranded by business as a management consulting firm. My service offerings now including consulting, advising, strategic planning, branding, positioning analysis, leadership empowerment, training, mentorship and much more. Essentially, I work with leaders in the public and private sector to bring solutions to complex global problems, to shape the next generation of emerging leaders and ultimately to move the world forward. I am most proud of the global reach of my brand all around the world and the respect that leaders have for my brand and the work that I am doing around the world. What I want people to know about me and my work is that it is not about awards or accolades for me. Ultimatley, for me it is about serving nations and generations. I want to see every leader hone their skills, develop their gifts, master their craft and realize their full potential. What I know from experience is that empowered leaders produce an empowered world.

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

As I just stated, I had to rebrand my entire business. What started as a life coaching company had to evolve into a management consulting firm. While making the transition was not easy, it was the best decision I ever made. In my popular book Next: The Emergence of the History Shapers, I talk about the importance of pivoting in business. If I had never listened to my mentor and pivoted, I know for a fact that I would not be in business today. The mandate on my life is to empower leaders around the world to fulfill purpose, maximize their greatest potential, and make a global impact. By restricting myself to the life coaching space, I did not have the freedom to do the thing that I was born for. More importantly, I was not positioned to best serve those who needed my products and services. As I made the pivot, the business got more exposure, the business was able to expand and I experienced exponential growth unlike any other time in my business. Now my name is associated with consulting, advising, and leadership. I have built a reputation for world-class service and excellence in everything that I do. Leaders from around the world seek me out because they understand the value that I provide through my products and services. Many people are afraid to pivot because they feel like they will lose. I disagree with that assessment. In my experience, pivoting is what led to the prospering of my business. Sometimes you are not experiencing success in business because you are not being seen. As long as your business is concealed you cannot be considered. Pivoting empowers you to position to best serve those that can benefit from your products and services. I believe that you have everything to gain by pivoting and everything to lose by refusing to evolve. The power of the pivot is that it provides the clarity and context that you need to be on the cutting-edge of your industry.

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

While there are a lot of answers I could provide to this question, the thing that helped me build my reputation within my market is my standards and commitment to excellence. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I can be a bit of an extremist when it comes to my work. My passion and commitment to detail is why my clients enjoy working with me. Those who work closely with me will tell you that I have high standards for myself and for those who work with me. I believe that your standards set the tone for how you show up and the value that you provide to your clients or customers. Furthermore, I believe that my commitment to excellence is what has helped to build my reputation within my market. When we hear the word excellence I am not sure that most people really know what that means. We think that excellence has to do with the presentation. However, excellence goes far beyond the presentation. Excellence is a paradigm that encompasses the character, commitment, and capacity of the leader. For too long we have thought excellence was simply about the look and feel of things. On the other hand, I view excellence as the attitude that shapes every aspect of how you lead and serve as a leader. Excellence is not just about having a signature style or stellar reputation. Excellences moves into service to humanity and using your life as a seed to serve nations and generations. I’ve built my reputation on my genuine compassion to connect with people at a deep level and to empower them to unlock their greatest potential. That is what has earned me the reputation of a highly respected thought leader and that is what has given me the opportunity to mentor, train and develop leaders all around the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jamellesanders.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialjamellesanders_/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JamelleSandersIntl
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamelle
• Twitter: https://x.com/JamelleSanders
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/JamelleSanIntl

Image Credits

Jamelle Sanders