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Sed ut perspiciatis unde.
SubscribeWe caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shontel Anestasia a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Shontel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Is there a heartwarming story from your career that you look back on?
If I ever needed a sign that I was on the right path it would be because of what happened in 2017 & 2019. 2017, I got a text at 10pm from a friend and she told me that a friend of hers was in trouble and needed my help because she just had an abortion. They gave very little context however Spirit knew what needed to be done. By 11pm my buzzer went off and the client arrived. She explained she felt depressed, couldn’t eat or sleep and her boyfriend was being very distant. I had my elixirs & oils ready, the thick incense smoke was blazing, Solfeggio tones were playing, I prepared a comfy spot on my carpet and had this small head rest. I massaged her for 2 hours however it felt like 30 min; I went into a trance. When I was finished she was sleeping. I covered her with a blanket and slept near her on my sofa. It was now 3am and she woke me up letting me know she was going home and thank you. A few days later her moon cycle came and she said she couldn’t stop crying, she purged so many emotions and was starting to feel better.
Fast forward to 2019, I was at a boat Yacht costume party with my friend when someone hugged me from behind. I slightly turned my head and this blonde hair blue eyed girl was smiling from ear to ear. She looked familiar however before I could gather my thoughts she asked “Do you remember me?”. I couldn’t believe it, my heart skipped, I knew exactly who she was. She thanked me so much and said how much my healing had helped her and she even left her unsupportive boyfriend. She looked like a completely different girl and my eyes watered. I hugged her back and she went on her merry way dancing to the beat of the music. I excused myself to the bathroom and cried because that was the sign I was looking for. Back then what I was doing was very taboo and not widely accepted as it is now. I was scared to continue forward however that very moment stayed with me for years. Fast forward 7 years later and I still have my headrest as a reminder of where I started.
Fast forward a few weeks later, I began dating a guy I met in NYC who was from Italy and we flew back for me to meet his family. One day in the crossfit gym I made friends with this charismatic girl. At the end of the workout session, we swapped social media and it turns out she was already following my business page. She was so shocked it was me and I was in awe that my instagram account that only had 2,000 followers at the time reached all the way to North Italy. This was an Omen to keep going.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
2016, It was rare to find knowledgeable and experienced Spiritual Teachers online. I put myself out there and took spirituality to a deeper level and taught past the trendy crystals or tarot cards. I began teaching more complex teachings such as Herbalism, Numerology, and Eastern Astrology. Since I began teaching these things years before it became trendy I built a plethora of credibility so once it was mainstream I was already a familiar face in the Spiritual community. Secondly, I invested in credible Spiritual Mentors and religious initiations which allowed me to have access to knowledge that the general public doesn’t have access to. From what was appropriate for me to teach the public, I taught in a manner that made complex esoteric knowledge digestible to the masses. Having tenure and credible mentors was a recipe for success within the Spiritual Community and gave me such a strong reputation.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
As an entrepreneur the past 7 year, what sets businesses apart from others is your ability to solve a problem. If you’re constantly solving a problem and making things easier for your client, you stay relevant. You can have a great product or service however if it’s not solving a problem it will just be another product in the junk drawer. I’m a firm believer in niching down, having a product/service that for everyone can be a double edge sword. When you niche down you are speaking directly to a particular audience, in essence you’re creating a funnel. The more concentrated your audience is the more they will feel seen and heard by you. When you niche down you should be a subject matter expert in that niche to gain trust and capture the attention of your audience. For example, If you sell private yachts, you should be able to articulate everything about yachts down to the wax coating. As your audience grows, so should you. By this I mean, you should be investing in your education revolving around your niche. When I wanted to synthesize Psychology & Spirituality, I knew I had to go back to the classroom so I took a course in Integrative Psychology so I can apply the tools I learned to my Spiritual Mentorship. As I continue to grow my business, my education also continues, therefore adding even more value to my content, product and services.
If small business owners follow these 5 Key things they will continue to elevate in their market:
1. Providing value
2. Creating an experience
3. Nurturing the relationship
4. Continued education
5. Results Driven
Besides providing value, nurturing has been a profoundly effective method for me. I feel many businesses when they get too big or too busy they forget to nurture their audience. Nurturing your audience will build rapport and keep you on the top of their mind therefore decreasing your churn rate. Nurturing your audience can be done through in person events, handwritten mail, and targeted marketing. Years ago, I worked at an affluent gym and maintained a relationship with my active members and those interested in joining always helped me meet my sales quota month by month. I received numerous referrals and the nurturing alone turned a “I’ll think about it” to “Will you be in the Club Monday so I can sign up”.
To close, my final tip to get leverage in your market is to look at your favorite business you shop at and reflect on why you shop there verses their competitor; This perspective can help you better your own business
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