We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shirley-May Soong a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Shirley-May, appreciate you joining us today. One of the toughest things about entrepreneurship is that there is almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

When I decided to transition into full time coaching and build my own business, I planned on working with tech leaders and founders- similar to the space I came from. As word spread through my circles, I started getting introduced to early entrepreneurs in the creative space. I would have introductory calls with them and even though most of them couldn’t afford my services, I saw the potential to help and gifted sessions here and there as well as did some trades.
At one point, I had a number of clients reaching out for more time and I really wanted to make it work. The question became “How can I give these people maximum benefit while still being able to make it affordable for them?” This is where I started a month long creative group coaching workshop. I hand selected clients and interviewed new-comers and came up with a beautiful group of passionate, creative, enthusiastic people who were ready to launch or grow their businesses. The group ranged from a designer with a coffee roasting business to a sneaker designer to a circus performer, breathwork instructor, and dominatrix.
The learning here was that if you focus on how you can best serve your clients and community, there will always be a way to make the finances work.

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

I’ve always been a seeker, a learner, and a collector of skills and experiences. My story is one of following one’s heart, being open to what you find interesting, and trusting the process. I started my career as a CPA auditor at one of the Big Four (which are the top public accounting organizations that ensure the financials of public companies are reliable). After two and a half years of doing what I was told and doing my best “adulting” I left my job during the 2009-2010 recession in search of more. The future in this field was well lit, predictable, safe, and what most first generation Chinese parents would want for, what was in their minds, intellectually average daughter.

I moved from Los Angeles back home to the San Francisco Bay Area and started looking for finance and accounting jobs. After receiving a number of job offers and finding reasons why I didn’t want them, my frustrated recruiter asked if I had ever considered recruiting. The next week, another recruiter asked me the same question. I took this as a sign (despite being in a job recession where there were many applicants and very few open roles which meant very few companies paying recruiting firms to find candidates) and learned to dive head first into where doors opened for me. This was an important lesson in my life that I had to remember a number of times.

Today I am a leadership and career coach for those wanting to live their passion or at least find ways to integrate their work into their lives in a meaningful way. Since that first recruiting job I have led recruiting and talent functions at hyper growth pre-IPO companies, taken over 45% pay cuts to follow my heart, and partnered with founders and tech leaders on building cultures of integrity and trust. My role as a coach allows me to live my mission- to help others remember their innate agency, power, and the ability to change their lives.

My company, Vision Vessel, partners with individuals and companies to build leadership capability through increased self awareness, clarity of mission and goals, and collaboration through strengthening interpersonal relationships. Whether you own a business or are part of a leadership team, working with a coach will allow you to increase the aperture in which you see the world and make more thoughtful and better decisions. Along with my client’s tactical goals, my personal goal is to help each person find meaning, balance, and fulfillment in how they spend their lives.

I’m most proud of the growth and change my clients have seen in their companies and/or careers. As a certified coach, I use a blend of my corporate experience along with cognitive behavioral and neuroscience, positive psychology, and skills-based training to encourage leadership development, hold space, and reflect back as a trusted partner to my clients. We are all reflections for one another and it is crucial who you surround yourself with as your mirrors.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn that success doesn’t necessarily mean that you are pushing, forcing, or burning the candle at both ends. Long-term success can be achieved through consistency, clarity, and discipline.

I came from a background- first finance, then pre-IPO venture backed startups – where redlining and pushing hard was part of the corporate culture. I had quarters where we had to hire 300 employees and the very next quarter where we were cutting people. Everything was always urgent.

When building your own business, it’s important to remember that just because you aren’t SUPER busy like you might be in a corporate role, doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong or failing. We come from a culture where self-worth is aligned with productivity and busyness. Unlearning that signs of burnout equates success has been one of the most difficult lessons in building a business. When things get quiet, my natural tendency is to panic. Now, I remind myself that we must allow time for the seeds we plant to grow. Drowning them with water or overheating them with light won’t make them grow faster. Growth isn’t always linear and operating from a centered, calm space will get you much further in the long run.

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

The absolute best source of new clients has been current or past clients. I spent the first year of business giving free sessions to friends and past colleagues. The majority of my work has been through word of mouth. It’s scary in the beginning, when you’ve invested in the business and haven’t made much back. What helped me through was trusting the process and allowing time to work its magic.
There were many times when I worked with clients that couldn’t quite afford my services. Instead, I asked myself “how can I best serve?”. The desire to be helpful and have impact allowed me to be flexible with my financial growth. With time, it all comes back.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.visvessel.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shirleymaysoong/

Image Credits

Steph Meyers Photography