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

Linda , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright, let’s jump into one of the most exciting parts of starting a new firm – how did you get your first client who was not a friend or family?

Back when getting the printed newspaper was still in, I decided to run an ad in the classified section of the local newspaper announcing that I would help small businesses complete professional documentation.

An elderly gentleman who owned a wooden pallet business contacted me. He was frustrated and said my ad was what he needed. He explained that although he was not an “educated man” he knew how to make a dollar. He was having a hard time getting someone in a corporate office to understand his needs, so he hired me to have a professional conversation for him. I remember thinking how this was exactly why I opened my business.

He also found other administrative tasks for me to complete for him…in his big dirty, work truck…because he did not have an office. So after we agreed to work together, I dressed in jeans, a dress shirt and a jacket, which was different from the professional business suit I wore to initially meet him. I met with him weekly at his work location and worked in his truck that he kept running so I could be cool. He taught me to meet my customers where they were and I’ve used that lesson since.

It warmed my heart to meet him years later when our paths crossed again. I was able to tell him, how much I appreciated him for being the first business who participated in my “proof of concept.

Linda , 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?

I consider myself a highly accomplished individual with a diverse range of professional roles and accomplishments. She is an award-winning author, international professional speaker, and the chief business strategist and owner of LSMB Business Solutions, LLC. Known as “The Business Plug” to my friends, students, and clients, I have made notable appearances on major television networks such as ABC, NBC, Fox, and CBS, as well as various local, national, and internet talk shows.

I have been featured in several prominent publications including the Edge business magazine, New York Post, Huffington Post, Prevention Magazine, American Express OPEN Forum, and Nationwide. I have also been highlighted in Diabetes Forecast and Health Monitor Magazine. In 2020, I was the primary subject of an independent documentary titled “Election, Pandemic, Social Unrest…No, We’re Not Talking About 2020.”

My accomplishments extend to the literary world, as well. I delivered a TED Talk in 2016, drawing from my award-winning self-published autobiography, “The Well Ran Dry: Memoirs of a Motherless Child.” The book received recognition from the Library of Congress and was presented to the Obamas in 2013. In 2018, I released another book titled “Building Your Own Business, (BYOB): Getting Started 101,” which met with high demand.
I am also known as the host of “The Business Plug’s Mixer,” a live vodcast that provides a platform for business owners to display their products, services, or projects. I have a strong commitment to supporting women, by helping them to gain visibility and to amplify their voices. My entrepreneurial journey began after losing my 26-year corporate career.

Beyond my professional achievements, I am a proud mother of three adult sons and has seven grandchildren and one great grandson. I maintain an active presence on major social media platforms under my name and my business’s name, LSMB Business Solutions.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Imagine being the one everyone in your family looked up to for guidance. You are the one with the education, resources, and support to help everyone else reach their life potential. And then…you are on the verge of losing everything because the job you thought you would retire from…cancelled your employment contract.

And it happened at a time when you were also having your worst marital and religious issues. Your entire world as you knew it had shifted and all you could do was hold on praying things would get back to normal soon. That period felt like the downside of a roller coaster ride. I was just hanging on as my life spiraled downward out of control.

I do not remember when the free fall feeling stopped being every single day. Ten years after it all began to crumble, some days I feel like I am still falling, but it is not every day, like I felt back then. In any case, losing that job forced me to reinvent myself. This time, I began living intentionally, the way I saw my life in my head. There were no distractions and no new demands. I was still the conservator for my disabled brother, but everything else shifted. I became the one in need.

I took the first month I had ever taken from being employed off. I licked my wounds and decided to see if the personal essay I had written seven years earlier was book worthy. That book was the catalyst for everything that followed it. I repurposed what I had learned in corporate to become a business coach and began selling business plans and resumes. My pivot was redirection. That loss helped me to find what I was truly born to do. I learned how to use my true talents and in doing so, my business was born. If that was my labor period…I am going to be famous one day!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

On September 21, 2021, I was diagnosed with the Delta variant of CoVid-19. I flatlined, was placed on a ventilator, in a coma for 15 days and awoke with a blood clot in my left lung and unable to move anything more than my head. I was very close to being in a vegetated state. However, today, I am back operating my business full time. Traveling the country and doing the things I love; empowering everyone I meet.

I spent 2022 trying to regain my sense of independence. I had to learn how to walk, talk, and think! My sons, nieces and goddaughter have been invaluable in helping me physically and financially. They helped me to get back on my feet.
My clients’ locations span the world! I enjoy that about my business. Even though most of them are virtual, I get to learn about so many people in so many places. As a business strategist, I get to help others realize the possibilities in their own lives. I get to plug them in!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://GetTheBusiness.org
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/LSMBBusinessSolutions
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/lsmbbusinesssolutions
• Linkedin: https://Linkedin.com/in/lindamurraybullardspeaks
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bizlsmb
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/LindaMurrayBullard

Image Credits
1st photo: Marvin Couch 2nd photo: Summer Starr