We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sara Connell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sara below.

Sara, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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.

I wanted to be a writer for most of my life. I filled dozens of journals with poetry, drawings and short stories. I read obsessively. I waited for the day a teacher would take me aside and tell me I was destined to be a writer the way it happened in the books I read and movies I watched. That never happened. I believed I needed someone to give me permission to pursue my dream and when I didn’t get it, I went to University and then took a job in advertising. I entered the marketing field at the height of the Me Too era. As a single woman supporting myself, I felt trapped and the trauma and stress took me into a full blown physical and mental health crisis. I began to feel like I would die if I kept going to that office. On a particularly awful day where I’d been assaulted at a work event, I was flying back to Chicago from Boston and I “randomly” grabbed a book in the airport bookstore. My flight was being called and I had no time even to read the back cover. It was the book Holy Hunger written by an unknown author named Margaret Bullit- Jonas. I read the book in one sitting and by the time I finished I decided I was going to leave the job and seek help to rebuild my health. I also decided that day that I was going to pay the gift of that book forward. It didn’t happen immediately but thad decision took me to write my first book, get an agent, a book deal and then to be featured on Oprah, in the New York Times, Forbes, TEDx and so many incredible experiences. I went back to University to get a masters in book writing and editing and vowed to spend the rest of my life helping others with the vision to change lives with a book and speaking to do it. Two years later, I founded Thought Leader Academy where we help coaches, experts, and entrepreneurs become bestselling authors and in demand speakers while they scale to six and seven figures as leaders in their industry. It’s the most exciting work I’ve done. I realized in my own journey to building a 7 figure business and writing 6 books that mindset is nearly 100% of the game. So many people, women in particular, feel imposter syndrome and fear of visbility and judgement. So I also trained in brain science based modalities that we build into all our coaching and publishing programs so the individual can step into the next level, the identity of thought leader with confidence and to create lasting success.

Sara, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

We work with individuals in every niche- from health coaches, to financial experts, lawyers, doctors, executive directors of non-profits, university professors, moms, life coaches and spiritual practitioners.

We use a 5 part pathway that we find yields the greatest income for our clients and empowers their greatest impact on the world:

Writing- Speaking- Building an Audience- Monetizing the Mission- Leadership

These are the pillars when put together give rocket fuel to the mission.

We help our clients write bestsellers, speak on stages, get paid to speak, do TEDx talks, find and lead the people they are here to serve, create 6-7 figures/year and do the inner personal growth work to be the powerful leaders they are destined to be.

We have our own publishing company also so our clients do not have to get agents or write lengthy proposals for books. Our authors keep 100% of the profits of their books and 100% who have used our step-by-step process have hit the bestseller list with their books.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

When I’d only had my business for a year, I felt a strong pull to host an in person conference style event. People with a lot more experience told me to wait which is logical as live events are a huge up front financial investment and take an incredible amount of time and creativity resources. Even more upsetting to my mentors, I wanted to fill the room with over 70 people so I decided to give tickets as gifts instead of charging participants. In person events had always been transformational for me and I wanted to create the kind of peak experience, personal growth “high” I’d always loved. I paid the sizeable deposit and worked for 3 months meditating, visioning, and working on my craft as a speaker. I ordered a gorgeous, healthy lunch with abundant options for every type of eater, vegan and gluten free participants. I bought and hand wrapped rose gold water bottles, journals, and crystal pens. I wanted the space to feel luxe, and sacred.

100 people reserved the free tickets but I knew that if people didn’t step into the offer of a new 1 year coaching program I was launching at the event, I’d have spent every cent we had and would be in a precarious finanical situation. My entire body shook backstage as the room buzzed with conversation. There was no way to back out and I prayed that I’d be able to deliver what I’d been given by others who’d stepped on stages and opened their hearts. When I came to give the invitation, my legss went numb. There was a great pause in the room, I stopped breathing. Then, one woman jumped up and ran to the registration table. Others followed. A line formed. The single assistant I’d hired just for the day, began taking payments. The event netted a six figure profit- something at that early stage I’d never done before.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

I’ve never had funding and started with no savings so it’s been an incredible journey from $0 to over $2million/year. What’s worked for me is to sell, then create. Meaning, before I create a coaching program or any product, I talk to my ideal client and listen to their biggest problem and greatest desire. Then I create an outline or idea for something and go back to about 10 of them and say, if I created this, would you be interested. And if they say yes, I ask about the investment amount and ask if they’d enroll or buy at that rate. If the majority say yes, I launch the product or program. The best part about this “interest based marketing” is that you know if something is likely going to sell before you go public with it AND because you’ve talked to people about the program already, usually the ones that expressed interest are your first sign ups.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.saraconnell.com
• Instagram: @saraconnell
• Facebook: saraconnell/authorspeakercoach
• Youtube: @saraconnellauthor

Image Credits
Hannah Duncan Photography