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

Hi Kimberly, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Strategize With Kimberly was born from the reflections of The Purposeful Pause in 2020. During this time, job losses, business closures, financial struggles, and strict regulations left many feeling disheartened and restricted. Recognizing that most employed individuals were unsatisfied with their work conditions, culture, and compensation, but persevering to support their families, a shift in mindset was imminent.
Conversations echoed a desire to break free from building others’ legacies without receiving due recognition or respect for their hard work. People sought an alternative path to utilize their skills and create a lasting heritage for their own families. Common questions arose repeatedly:
• How can I establish my own legacy?
• What are the initial steps?
• Who can provide guidance and support?
• Where can I access the necessary resources for success?
• How can I continue to grow and thrive?
Driven by a sense of purpose, I decided to answer these calls for help by assisting others in reaching their aspirations. By identifying the gaps from choosing the right business to expanding with fresh concepts, we empower individuals to pursue their ambitions.

At Strategize With Kimberly, we specialize in empowering individuals to unleash their potential, identify their strengths, and capitalize on their passions. Our focus is not just on starting businesses for the sake of profitability but on operating from a place of personal strengths and interests, leading to sustained success and reduced burnout.
Moreover, we offer complimentary mentoring to new startups, along with training, events, and resources to assist them in launching and thriving. They also gain entry to a supportive High-Powered Women’s Network that aids their growth journey, offering opportunities for collaborative idea generation and strategic planning. Strategize With Kimberly emphasizes achieving a balance between work and life, where work complements one’s lifestyle, not the other way around. Another key aspect we emphasize is creating a fulfilling life, not settling for one. By visualizing the desired outcome from the start, we help individuals design a life they have always dreamt of and that they and their families will cherish.

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.

An educator by call, I am ecstatic to be an architect of transformation, helping individuals and entities tap into their power, monetize their passions and effectively execute to achieve goals, realize dreams, walk and work in their unique purpose and create a life and business that they love!

It is thrilling to see people get unstuck and see something that was only a dream, to become a reality or to leave a job that they hate and do something fulfilling and impactful. I love it when I see something for someone that they did not think, or see or believe for themselves. I then help them craft that plan, implement and reap the benefits of alignment.

My experience and expertise include: strategic planning, academic and civic programming and instruction, professional development, training and leadership, and consulting/project management. I thrive in creating, organizing and implementing unique sessions and events to help you become all that you were created to be and the minoritized to launch, scale and grow their businesses. It is also fueling sharing impactful and empowering information and success strategies through my podcast, She Speaks – Your Inspiration, which provides education, information and education to a wider audience who may otherwise not have access.

As a strategist, coach and speaker, I challenge the narrative that things are impossible. I believe that things that seem impossible, simply take time to bring to fruition and who better to make them happen than those who believe that there are no limits.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I keep in touch through the same avenues wherein we met, and if it was in person, then I send them to a platform of their choice to stay connected.

I provide as much free value and service as I can and enjoy giving, which organically grows and fosters brand loyalty. I do not offer sales until I have given enough for a trusted and cheerful exchange. I do not want to convince anyone to take action, enroll or purchase anything. I want them to see the value and benefit of working with me, being coached by and gaining information, inspiration and education from me.

Once they sell themselves on the opportunity, coaching session or service, providing stellar customer service is the next step, as well as long term communication and collaboration where possible. Gaining lifetime access is one thing that I am proud to offer. Once you have worked with me you always can, where ever it makes sense and is beneficial.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Everyone has an opinion about what is right, beneficial and makes sense. especially when it comes to risk taking or going the route that ‘seems’ to be safest and yields the most security. While in college my aunt told me that there was no money in education, so I trusted her and changed my major, it ended up costing me almost $30,000 as I had to go an extra year, because after trying other things, I came back to my calling and had to then spend an additional year in college, which I had to pay for. -Always follow your internal guide.

After my divorce I moved back to Cincinnati, no furniture, no job, with only my daughter, a few miscellaneous items, her being accepted to one of the top 100 schools in the country and a will to start over and succeed in familiar territory. It seemed crazy at the time and it may have been odd that one would move with no job. Within 30 days I had landed a job close to my area of expertise. -Always follow your heart…it will work out.

Two years later, exactly one month after purchasing my new home, I quit that job, which by the way, was the worst work environment that I had ever experienced or you could imagine. Don’t do it without securing another position. I quit and it worked out. Oh the peace and joy. -Always follow you heart and internal guide…even when others cannot see it and challenge your decision.

Later, in another position, based on my education, marketing and project management experience, I was in yet another role that I began to loathe. Everyone said stay, that it was what was best. It was safe, ‘secure’, and we are still in a pandemic is what I kept hearing. ‘You need the benefits’ I kept hearing. There was also a mandate that I knew would not be beneficial to me. I gave in…it was detrimental. I should have stuck to my guns, but those who loved me thought it best to go along to get along, so I did. I also stayed in that position longer than I needed to, without properly preparing my exit, as I knew to. I eventually quit, feeling guilty at first, as though I was abandoning them, instead of knowing what I always have known….to follow my internal guide…it has never steered me wrong. While others mean well…they are usually wrong.

People oft times offer advice based on their limited experience, belief or sense of security and what it right. I had to unlearn dutiful living. in all areas of my life, as well as listening to those who ‘have it together’ or are ‘seasoned’ with experience. I am not an ordinary being and most of my experiences and life had had glimpses of the extraordinary. I understand my worth, my difference, my tolerance for risk.

I believe that my parachute will always open…I have learned to trust me, as I unlearned to trust what is reasonable. That keeps me in a box. I was not made for anyone’s box. I was made for impact.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://strategizewithkimberly.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StrategizeWithKimberly
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/strategizewithkimberly/