We were lucky to catch up with Michele Ellis-Williams recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Michele, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

My mission is to help aspiring entrepreneurs build financial freedom and regain their time by assisting them with starting and growing their home care businesses. While I love and enjoy working with men and women from all walks of life, I have a passion for women who have gone through (or are currently going through difficult times), including single mothers, domestic violence survivors, and others who come from poor and difficult backgrounds.
This is because I am a domestic violence survivor who was born and raised in a background where most were struggling to make ends meet.
But through sheer determination, I can now say that I’ve managed to escape the clutches of two adversities that had threatened to engulf me forever – an abusive relationship and the cycle of poverty.
Today, I view my own journey as a testimony that we all have the power to rewrite our stories despite the trials and difficulties we have faced in life. This is what has ignited my mission to guide people, especially those who have been in similar challenges, toward the path of entrepreneurship.

Why entrepreneurship?
Because I know that it’s easier for an economically empowered individual to break free from any adversity that holds them prisoner to fear, self-doubt, limiting beliefs, and generational problems.

Why home care?
Because I know there’s an awesome business opportunity for compassionate healthcare professionals as well as others by making life better for seniors and other needy individuals who may require home care for various reasons.
Growing up, I was fortunate enough to enjoy close relationships with elderly people. Through these connections, I learned many life lessons and came out with a lot of positive experiences, and of course, a rich sense of history. I have since then had nothing but respect and admiration for seniors.
Unfortunately, through these same interactions, I also got to witness the everyday challenges faced by these individuals – loneliness, isolation, maltreatment, and the struggle to access proper care. Seeing this ignited a passion I’ve harbored to date, and that is to help create an environment that supports their self-worth, dignity, and independence as they age.
I have since found a way to merge my greatest passions and desires – to empower women and men economically while helping our elders enjoy their later years in dignity and independence.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Having been born and brought up in a challenging background marked by poverty, teen pregnancy, and domestic violence, my path to becoming an entrepreneur was guided by an unwavering commitment to creating change. You see, other than what I was facing on a personal level, growing up underprivileged exposed me firsthand to many hardships that my community was facing as a result of limited access to finances. Such hardships included crime and violence, food insecurity, education barriers, physical health conditions, stigma and discrimination, low self-esteem, and other mental health problems.
Despite my own misfortunes, I developed a deep empathy for my community, particularly the elderly, who I found to be the most vulnerable. This propelled me to not only want to break free from generational poverty but to help change the lives of those who, like me, were held captive by the chains of adversity.
Despite my wish, I knew I would never make a meaningful difference in their lives until I improved my own life first. I broke free from my abusive relationship and embarked on a journey of learning and self-improvement.
Many years later and many successful stories later, I ventured into the home care field as a CNA, and later, a successful home care agency owner, and experienced firsthand how compassionate care and support can impact the lives of seniors and others facing difficult circumstances.
I saw an opportunity where, through home care coaching, I would be able to empower individuals who were going through similar adversities as me to earn high incomes by helping seniors and other needy individuals to age or convalesce with dignity and independence.
Today, I coach and mentor people from all walks of life, including professional healthcare professionals, stay-at-home moms/dads, and others .
I’m honored to be a part of the home care industry, providing support to home care agency owners who share my vision and work tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of the elderly and others.
The types of services I provide/ problems I solve for my clients
As a home care coach, my team and I focus on providing consulting, guidance, support, and expertise to aspiring and new agency owners to help them navigate the challenges of starting and running successful agencies.
Our services include helping our clients in:
• Developing a comprehensive business map, which includes defining their mission and vision statements, branding, customer acquisition, lead generation, customer retention, and caregiver acquisition and retention.
• Developing customized policies and procedures based on the requirements of their state’s rules and regulations.
• Getting their license application to operate their agencies approved (100% guaranteed).
• Setting clear goals and objectives and creating a strategic roadmap that will help them achieve a 6 & 7-figure business.
• Problem solving – we provide guidance and help them brainstorm and make informed decisions when faced with challenges and obstacles.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Having been born and brought up in a low-income neighborhood, I always knew, from a young age, that perseverance was my ticket out of a community where dreams often withered before they could take root, usually as a result of drugs, teenage pregnancies, and crime. Despite the many challenges I faced as a young adult, I pursued enhancing my skills with unwavering dedication to my education, and my community watched in awe as I excelled, not only in academics (I was an honors student), but in athletics (track and field) too. My mother was proud and encouraged me unwaveringly. My teachers saw a promising future in me and were sure I would soon bag an academic or athletic sponsorship.
Life, unfortunately, has a way of throwing unexpected curveballs. Mine arrived in the form of a surprise pregnancy when I was only 15. This revelation left everyone stunned. My bright future, according to many, had already withered. But I refused to believe the same – somehow, I knew that all was not lost.
Unsure of how to navigate this shocking news and knowing that my baby was on the way, I made the heart-wrenching decision to put my education on hold. I needed all the time and resources I could get to prepare for my baby’s arrival.
I eventually gave birth to a cute little boy and even in the midst of endless sleepless nights, messy diaper changes, and serious lack, I loved my child fiercely. Now I had even more reason to hold on to my dreams.
Unfortunately, with limited options and the weight of my new responsibilities I later found myself trapped in an abusive relationship which, at first, seemed like a much-needed refuge. However, as days went by, the true nature of my then-partner revealed itself. He became abusive and increasingly violent.
Slowly, I lost my self-esteem and hide my truth from others. I felt trapped in the relationship, believing I wasn’t equipped to care for myself and son– at least not yet. I endured years of emotional and physical abuse and eventually gathered the wits to leave when a gun was held to my head.
I practically fled for my life with nothing but my children to my name. My children became my source of inspiration and the driving force behind a relentless pursuit for a better life.
Armed with my GED and Verizon Wireless customer service job. It was a grueling schedule, but my unwavering commitment shone through.
As years passed, and I found my way success in the corporate world. My Supervisors quickly recognized my determination and recommended me for a promotion. With time, I earned an Associate’s Degree, and slowly found my way into my passion – entrepreneurship.
Today, I’m not only a wife, mother, successful CEO, serial entrepreneur, business coach, speaker, author, and mentor. I take pride in the fact that my husband and I have shown my children, my family, my clients, and the world the importance of perseverance, hard work, and never giving up in the face of adversity.
Also, having successfully operated several franchises and eventually built several successful businesses from scratch, I pride myself in having helped over a thousand of beginners to kick-start their own home care agencies and collectively generate over 100+ million dollars over the last few years.
Of course, my entrepreneurial journey wasn’t without its struggles. Financial challenges were present as were many other struggles, but they did not keep me from continuously seeking opportunities, networking relentlessly, educating myself, and working tirelessly to turn my entrepreneurial dream into a reality.
In the heart of adversity, where poverty, teenage pregnancy, domestic violence, hopelessness, and fear threatened to kill my bright future, there emerged a beacon of resilience and determination, which the world today calls Coach Michele.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I am an avid reader and, yes, books have played an indispensable role in shaping who I am today as an individual and an entrepreneur. Here are some of the most influential publications in my collection and how they have impacted my management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy:

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne – The hardships I experienced in childhood and early adulthood affected my self-esteem and confidence to a point where I developed a mindset that could have kept me from becoming who I am today.
Through positive thinking, visualization, goal-setting, mindfulness, and gratitude, I’ve been able to bounce back from personal and professional setbacks that would have crushed my younger self.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho – Domestic violence and a few other life experiences not only made me lose trust in others, but in myself too. In the past I slowly disconnected from family and friends. However, through hard work and a lot of determination, I have since healed from the effects of my past experiences and increase my sense of self. The Alchemist encouraged me to delve deeper into my self-discovery journey, trust my intuition, face my fears, and be open to the opportunities that life presented.
Finding myself has helped me to identify my purpose, which am now fulfilling as a wife, mother, and entrepreneur. This has led to a deep sense of personal and professional fulfillment, increased productivity, and greater enthusiasm and dedication in what I do.

The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch – Through its valuable insights and lessons on the Pareto Principle, I have discovered how to achieve more with less in both aspects of my personal and professional life by directing my efforts and resources where they’re most likely to generate more value. Of course, I know there are situations where the principle won’t work and I’ve since learned not to over-rely on the Principle but to apply other considerations as well.

Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill – This one has since become the most influential book in my collection. Through Napoleon Hill, I discovered that the self-doubt and limiting beliefs that emanated from my past experiences were only edged in my subconscious mind and could be reprogrammed to work in my favor.
Instead of fear and self-doubt, I learned to imprint my subconscious mind with faith and positivity through visualization, positive affirmations, and other techniques. Just like the author, I have come to see my subconscious mind as a magnet – whatever I feed it, it attracts.

I now only feed it with positive, success-oriented thoughts. Instead of business challenges and failures, I only see opportunities to learn and excel. This has helped me to overcome a lot of business challenges and has contributed to the success I enjoy today as a successful CEO.

Contact Info:

• Website: MicheleLeeEllis.com
• Instagram: @IAmCoachMichele
• Facebook: @IAmCoachMichele
• Linkedin: @IAmCoachMichele
• Twitter: @IAmCoachMichele
• Youtube: @IAmCoachMichele

Image Credits
@Calvinmauricemedia @aloveexperience @dakadavid