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

Lynne, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Before going into what I believe it takes to be successful, I want to share a few thoughts about success. We have been led to believe that success is a function of “having” things – house, car, money, possessions. But, I believe, and there is a growing movement (especially post-Covid) that being successful is based on the “freedom” from things. Having time freedom, location freedom, financial freedom, and wellness freedom are signs of success as well. Above all, success is personal and your success should only be defined by you.

I believe that one key component of being successful, no matter how you define it, is being consistent. Whether it’s a new business or new year’s resolutions, the majority of people quit before they achieve their desired level of success. Whatever goal you are going for, the discipline to be consistent and keep going, is paramount for success.

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.

I started Stokes Unlimited LLC in early 2022 after a 25+ year career in corporate marketing environments. I offer personal branding coaching for unfulfilled midlife professionals to help them achieve their dreams and the life they’ve always wanted. For small businesses looking for marketing strategy, I help them with audits and annual plans.

Through my Quench Academy brand, I offer classes that use mixology to educate, motivate, and celebrate corporate and professional groups. Core offerings are hands-on mixology classes (alcohol and alcohol-free), demonstrations, and training workshops around central, relevant themes, like diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI), team-building, and seasonal events like Black History and Women’s History Month.

My experience in corporate marketing, product innovation, and DEI, along with education and passion in the field of mixology, brings a unique, memorable, and exciting training experience to my clients and audiences.

My main message to other midlifers is that you’re not too old, and it’s not too late. It’s time to stop dreaming, start doing, and get quenched!

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new clients for my business and brands has been social media. My ideal client for my personal branding coaching program is a midlife, mid-career professional who wants to move from dreaming to doing. LinkedIn is the ideal place to find and network with professionals from all over the world. For my mixology brand, Quench Academy, I find that Instagram (a much more visual platform) is well-suited for showcasing my training experiences and beverages I make.

Having a strong social media strategy in place is essential. My content is focused on education, storytelling, and inspiration, which all work together to build my personal brand and attract my ideal clients.

Maintaining a consistent presence on social media is a common challenge. I address the challenge by focusing on 1-2 platforms; developing a monthly content calendar where I outline what I will post; and batch creating content in advance. Once I post, I set aside time to respond to comments, engage on other posts, and network with new and existing connections. As my follower count and exposure has grown, I have been able to attract new clients to my business.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

There are 2 books that significantly impacted my entrepreneurial thinking, especially coming from a corporate background. James Clear’s “Atomic Habits” shows how the strength of small habits can make lasting changes in your life. Going from a structured,work environment (where others made decisions for you) to solopreneurship where I was responsible for all decisions, was outside of my comfort zone. Learning how to align my habits with the identity I wanted to build, designing my environment to nurture my habits, and being patient throughout the process, were key takeaways from the book. The habits I formed when I started my business as a result of this book, laid the foundation for habits that I continue to have today.

If “Atomic Habits” was key to building the structure of my business, “Die With Zero” by Bill Perkins, was key to building the guiding philosophy behind my business. Perkins emphasizes that after you’ve saved enough for retirement, family, and charities, you should focus on generating memorable life experiences. Although building a business takes time and effort, I also knew that I wanted to build a business that would allow for time and location freedom so that I could work from anywhere and have the option to travel and enjoy life, while age and health were still on my side.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lynnestokes.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelynnestokes, https://www.instagram.com/quenchacademy
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynnestokes

Image Credits
Denise Benson Photography Captured by Kevin Photography