We were lucky to catch up with Laura Green recently and have shared our conversation below.

Laura, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s easy to look at a business or industry as an outsider and assume it’s super profitable – but we’ve seen over and over again in our conversation with folks that most industries have factors that make profitability a challenge. What’s biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

I think as creative leaders and entrepreneurs, we’re prone to undervaluing our work. On the surface that sounds like we need to charge more. And sometimes that’s true. But beyond that, where I’m interested in supporting entrepreneurs, is thinking more comprehensively about all the ways we add value. Our creative energy and mental effort are critical components of what we bring to the table – in fact that’s what sets us apart. But in our businesses we don’t often value those the same way we value directly billable work. When we fail to consider those as an integral part of our business, we end up designing models that aren’t sustainable. We sign ourselves up for a “dream” business outcome that doesn’t at all match our dream lifestyle.

A quick example. One of my earliest coaching clients was a mental wellness practitioner in Atlanta who was just beginning to build her business and creating a start up strategy. She was confident in her client pipelines and knew she could fill her caseload the way she wanted. But once we uncovered exactly how much mental and creative energy the work would require from her, it was clear that the projections would have been exhausting and unsustainable. In fact, what she could really manage would have generated about half the revenue she’d imagined. The answers were right there; we just needed to honor all the facets of her work and then do better math. We were able to pivot on the front end and confidently adjust to build a values-based business that worked for her.

Most of us choose this wild entrepreneurial ride because we want some kind of freedom – with our schedule or approach or focus. That’s what I want for myself too! But when we do bad math, we end up having to choose between profitability, well-being, or excellent fit projects. That’s why my work focuses on crafting scalable strategies to create margin for leaders while driving profit so they can get back to doing the work they love.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Sure! Over ten years ago I was working in private education and stumbled into a role with a strong business development focus. I was surprised by how much I loved strategic growth and also by how well I did with it. I led launches in new markets and those became highly profitable in a short time. I went on to carefully scale growth in existing, large markets. Then I pivoted to the nonprofit sector and helped to relaunch a nonprofit, scale their programming, and increase impact. After making my way through a handful of business development and strategic growth roles I discovered two things. One was how how many entrepreneurs, freelancers, and start up leaders are driven by their vision for impact – for something more than money. And the second was that so many of the tensions and roadblocks I saw were really the same – no matter the sector or industry; so the strategies became repeatable. That’s where my framework and tools emerged. I believe it is possible to build a business that doesn’t sacrifice your vision and well-being for growth – one that allows you to work the way you want to.

Now I empower creative leaders to find more impact with less friction. I offer strategy sprints, intensives (like mini-sprints), and coaching packages. All of these are focused on strategies and systems that create margin for leaders to drive profits & increase impact so they can get back to the work they love. Leaders come to me when they feel afraid of failing or of growing beyond their control. It’s easy to get lost in the numbers and overwhelmed by which smart move to make next. This feels confusing and often leads to burnout. My work addresses the gap between the leader’s vision and whatever is happening day-to-day.

What sets me apart is how I do that. I provide dependable structures and tools that push leaders towards their own versions of success, not just arbitrary expectations of scale. My experiences and tools produce data-driven answers and insights for high performing leaders. As a result, I teach proven systems and solve complex problems with clear, simple answers.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Bottom line – it’s trust that’s built my reputation. I ask my clients to come to me as they actually are – not as they wish they were. When they do that, we can build businesses they love – ones that thrive in the ways that are important to each particular leader – and ones that don’t consume them or come at the expense of their own well being. Data drives this; I’m not going to tell a client something can work when data tells us a different story. My process is repeatable but I know that every creative leader is unique. My clients quickly understand that I’m on their team – protecting their vision and personal values through strategy. I’ve proven myself trustworthy by fostering true connection with clients and centering personal stability. And I’ve demonstrated success by letting numbers and research lead the way ito achieve and protect each leader’s vision.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Because trust is so important to me, I’ve seen the most effective growth by investing in communities and relationships. Creative leaders, and especially founders, are unlikely to feel confident with a strategist or coach who doesn’t understand them. Beyond traditional networking or business communities, I offer a robust, free Clarity Workshop. This isn’t just a “lead generator”; I want business leaders, especially these soul-first founders, to get to know me and easily understand how I work. It’s also a chance for them to feel seen and know they’re not alone. I’m investing enormous quantities of time early on. And that allows me to keep value high and earn the privilege of walking alongside creative leaders & entrepreneurs to build impactful strategies towards businesses they love.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://impact-vector.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impact.vector/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/impact-vector/

Image Credits

McClaine Wellem