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

Hi Layne, is there something you believe many others might not?
Going with your gut. Going with your gut is keeping too many businesses owners broke. The sad stat is that over 50% of small businesses fail in the first 5 years due to the inability to nail down a profitable business model. (BuzzFeed) Why would that happen? People aren’t looking at their numbers. They don’t know that they’re going for broke until it’s too late. Instead, flip the script and start making data-driven decisions from day 1 and you’ll be 10 steps ahead of most business owners out there.

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?

If you told this ladder-climbing corporate dropout that she would leave her job while pregnant and go on to create a multi-six figure business being a data-geek…she would have laughed in your face.

But looking back, it actually makes a lot of sense. When I went to college to become an engineer I immediately went down the number nerd path. With my first job out of school, I was able to experience what data can do for business growth in real life. It all started in the manufacturing world where you’re cranking out numbers all the time, looking at the performance of hundreds of machines and their output, and running time studies of workers to see if there’s a way we could do things better.

The question corporate wants answered is: How can you make products bigger, better, faster, cheaper? When I worked for a Fortune 100 company and transitioned into the business planning and forecasting side of things, I saw the executive team was all about understanding the numbers, but also understanding the “why” behind those numbers.

We’d walk into a room with 20 very important people and they’d say something like “Okay, so we’re down 10%, Why?” Constantly answering “why” was how I really honed in my expertise of storytelling with the numbers.

When the Vice President of Sales is in front of you, he cares about the numbers, but he wants to know how the sales team can improve them as well. So we got good at answering the who, what, where, why, when, how questions that help teams make sense of it, and then easily decide what next best step forward to take.

Today, running my own consulting firm and Dashboard DesignersTM Certification Program, it’s all about the storytelling of the numbers, being a data interpreter and advising small business owners to stop guessing with their gut and start making data-driven decisions.

One thing I want people to realize is that I didn’t get here on my own. I invested in several programs, coaching and mentoring to acquire the skills I needed, that no one teaches you in high school or college.

I had to learn from experts that had already been through what I was going through in my business. And since I wanted to reach my goals and scale faster, I reinvested the money I made on small business tools and education, like coaching programs and business mentors. My family and I lived on as little as we could in the beginning to get this thing off the ground.

Listen, I know that sounds corny. I’m here to tell you that it’s absolutely true. Don’t wait for perfect conditions, because they will never come. Get clear about what you want, take action and invest in your own education if you want to see the greatest returns.

My first year was me working part time, nights and weekends while pouring more money into marketing skills, operations skills, sales skills. Literally wondering “how do I make numbers sexy enough for people to want to work with me?”

One year later, I was working full time in my business.
Two years later, I was becoming the go-to dashboard service for small businesses.

Now, I’m enjoying time with my husband and three kids while working three days a week and taking vacations without the laptop glued to my hip. I can clearly focus on my mission of helping online service providers excel and scale their businesses to multi-six and seven figures by helping their clients make data-driven decisions.

It brings the income, impact, and freedom that I want for myself, but what’s better, is that it does that for our clients as well.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
> Proximity Hotel and Print Works Bistro. I actually got married at Proximity Hotel and love the industrial modern design with lots of concrete and big open windows with lush greenery. And their cuisine at Print Works incorporates chef inspired seasonal menu items that never disappoint. Catch a family friendly baseball game with the Grasshoppers.
> Grab a drink with friends while playing some retro arcade games at Boxcar.
> Do a little coworking at transform GSO (because growing your business is fun! In this repurposed warehouse with beer on tap).
> Go hiking at Hanging Rock for beautiful views of the NC mountains.
> Enjoy the latest art exhibit at the Cultural Arts Center.
> Continue your education at the International Civil Rights Museum
> Go for facials at Emerge Skin and Soul

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to my family and to Natalie Gingrich. Natalie was on the other end of the phone 5 years ago encouraging me to carve out my own niche in the online space. She recognized that this service would bring clarity to the data swirling around in most businesses. Or, in other words, bring the data, not the drama. Now, I’m blessed and grateful to share how to make more money with data and dashboards for small business growth.

Website: www.theprojectbooth.com & www.laynebooth.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/theprojectbooth

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laynebooth/

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

Other: www.laynebooth.com/live

Image Credits
VanderVeen Photography and Margot ROBERT Photography, La Petite Photo

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