We had the good fortune of connecting with Jena Proctor and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jena, what do you attribute your success to?
There are many factors that come into play when running a business, but the most important for me is flexibility.

You can plan things out perfectly and as we all know, things don’t always go as planned! Being able to plan goals and leave room to be flexible in how I have achieved those goals is a huge contributor to my success.

As a work-from-home mom, plans can go out the window in a moment – a sick kid, someone wakes up from their nap early, it is always an adventure. Being able to roll with whatever comes my way day in and day out allows me to keep making progress toward my goals – even if it looks different than I planned.

Even if you aren’t a mom, running your own business will throw you curveballs. Tech can fail, ads can go crazy and not go as planned, being flexible means you KEEP going and find NEW ways to make things happen.

If you are too rigid in the HOW, you won’t meet your goals because something will ALWAYS go wrong.

Flexibility has allowed me to grow and change with my business and learn new ways to reach success.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
In the fall of 2016, I quit teaching with NO plan. After a week or so I decided I would figure out how to work from home and my journey from educator to business owner began. I am not like others in my industry. I strive to connect with potential clients and show up for them where many others don’t focus on serving much anymore.

This focus on service and connection is how I went from a no-name virtual assistant working for very little to creating a thriving business as a Pinterest strategist and a virtual assistant mentor. Showing up and serving looks like actually answering questions, getting on calls to develop relationships with people before they decide to work with you, and providing valuable free content to educate and encourage my audience. This is exactly how I train the ladies I mentor to start and grow their own business: show up, be authentic, and serve like no one else.

I’ve learned that people still crave real connection, even in this digital world – they need someone to show up for them. By setting myself apart from the crowd in this way I have been able to grow my business mostly on a referral basis.

People still crave human connection and by providing that and developing real relationships ANYONE can build a thriving business, just like me!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Shawna Beckmann has been a key piece of my business success. Learning how to network without feeling sleazy and have sales conversations and convert to paying clients is the lifeblood of ANY business! Shawna helped me push through my fears and take action to move my business forward and reach my goals.

Website: www.jenaliat.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jena.liat

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenaliat

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMFhZq5-JFwc7y_zdRg3hiw

Image Credits
Nancy Reynolds Photography

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