Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in leadership development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Bethany Rees, Founder and CEO of BR Essential Services, located in Spring, TX, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
New and emerging leaders will be given the title, the pay, and the people, but most organizations don’t know how to develop their employees beyond managers of the status quo. So BR Essential Services created the Leadership on the Rocks Framework and Survival Guide Course to help leaders become equipped with the most essential leadership skills to go from surviving in management to thriving in leadership despite the common problems, conflicts, and constraints they face.
Tell us about yourself
I spent 18 years in the education system that served the public with many demographics and dynamics. With the school systems being the hub of society, as an administrator, I’ve seen many bad leadership behaviors and interactions among children, educators, parents, organizations, the public, and politicians.
Unfortunately, the major observation I had throughout my many years serving the public was the lack of proactive leadership development. I became saddened by the lack of strong quality leadership within families, teams, organizations, and the community that constantly has people living in states of chaos, conflict, and stress. There is a way out of living in chaos, stress, and survival mode!
Now I am a leader on a mission to educate and coach leaders on how to build their life and leadership “on the rocks”...The Essential Rocks. So I developed a leadership framework to help those in leadership positions know how to live out the most essential elements of leadership to build a better self, relationship, culture, organization, and community.
Through my Leadership on the Rocks podcast, the Survival Guide Course, my coaching clients, and corporate trainings, I coach leaders from all walks of life and industries on how to implement the four areas of leadership: The Head (mindset), The Heart (relationships), The Hands (execution), and The Guts (accountability).
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is knowing that I’m fulfilling my purpose. My greatest joy is hearing the individual stories about how people’s lives at work AND home have transformed from survival mode to thriving in life and leadership. And that transformation is my WHY behind my what. I’m so blessed that I get to help leaders who are drowning in the stress and guilt of trying to do it all learn how to focus on what is most essential so they can start thriving and creating harmony between their professional and personal lives.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Definitely, one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner is getting the word out. I heard it said once that business is 20% having the best product and 80% marketing. As a business owner, you know your product or service is the answer to a big problem in many people’s lives, but you are competing with so much noise, vying for their attention.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
My first tip would be to stay steady in the practice and patient with the results. So many entrepreneurs overestimate what they can do in one year but grossly underestimate what they can do in 5 years. Getting the word out and growing your community takes time and consistency in shipping the work.
My second tip would be to not compare the backend mess of your business to the front polished end of others’. Comparison is the death of joy, so don’t compare what your new start-up looks like to what established companies are doing.
My third tip would be to remember your WHY behind your WHAT. Often as the CEO, or Chief Everything Officer, in a start-up, you can fall into the trap of believing everything is important and must be done right now. This kind of thinking will have you operating at your greatest level of frustration. So remember your WHY and what’s most essential. By working on the right thing at the right time and for the right reason, you’ll be operating at your highest point of contribution. Think of building a business this way: it’s better to go slow now in laying a solid foundation of vision, mission, systems & processes, so you can go fast later in growing and scaling your business.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.leadershipontherocks.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leadershipontherocks/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipontherocks/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethanyrees/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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