Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Cynthia Stant, Founder of Cynthia Stant LLC., located in Jacksonville, FL, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I am a sales consultant and brand strategist. I help 6 figure entrepreneur women get to 7 figures, and 7 figure women get to multiple 7 figures by switching from a scalable business model to a premium business model where they work less, earn more money, and attract clients who see their value. I also support 7-figure CEOs by training their sales teams so that they skyrocket their revenue, secure world-class talent, and create a success-driven and loyal company culture.

Tell us about yourself

I became the youngest state portfolio manager in the world and 1 of 4 women to represent the 2nd largest wine and spirits supplier at the largest national distributor. I managed a team of 42 people in sales. I was responsible for forecasting, budgeting, creating programs and tools to support my teams, building relationships, and training my team in the classroom and in the field. Much later, I actually decided to demote myself to become a salesperson. I was making a capped salary, and they were making a commission. The title didn't matter to me; the freedom did. I rose to the top of the ranks immediately and remained there as long as I had that position. When you're good at sales, you create a solid pipeline through relationship building, and I now only work about 2 hours a day. I thought to myself, what else can I do to make money? After going to the University of Delaware and earning a degree in marketing with a minor in advertising, I then stumbled upon and fell in love with Metaphysics. I attended the College of Metaphysical Studies, where I learned how to meditate. After meditating daily for months, my intuition became very keen, and selling to me became even more natural to me because it was all about energetics. I could see the solution people were looking for; I could vibrationally sense where someone was at and who I could naturally support best. I wanted to take this knowledge and teach it. I had no idea how to start a business, though, so I hired a business consultant. This business consultant had a competition amongst her clients for lead generation, and I, being the saleswoman I am, went for it. I didn't win; I got second and was devastated. But out of the kindness of her heart, she reached out to me and thanked me, and offered me an intimate VIP day with her instead. I was thrilled. I came super organized and over-prepared, as I do with everything. She was shocked that I had such clarity and preparedness being that I was only in her program for one month. She asked what I did, and I explained to her my sales background. Then all of a sudden, it hit me. I was meant to be her first salesperson. She told me no because I was a client and because it wasn't in her budget for another six months. At this point, she only had interns. This was one of the biggest life lessons that I know now, If you want something bad enough, you can sell yourself into it. I decided to quit my job, and for much less pay, I decided to be her salesperson, and I convinced her to trust in me. The agreement was I would continue to be a client to someday own my own company, and until then, I would sell for her. I asked to be trained to not only be a good saleswoman but become an amazing businesswoman. I asked her to train me to be the CEO that I knew she was. And we agreed. Now I had to figure out how to sell on social media with no training. I took what I knew from my sales experience and from what I knew in metaphysics as far as energy and connecting with people vibrationally, and in my first month, I did about $670,000 in sales. From then, the company took off. With the income we now had, we would grow the team. I was responsible for hiring and managing the sales team. We attracted hundreds of clients and got the attention of several big names in the industry. People everywhere were interested in how we were making sales. So my boss asked me to start coaching her 6, 7, and even 8-figure clients on how the sales are being made on social media. I absolutely did not want to. One, that was scary, and two, it took me away from making sales. She said it was important that I did it, and so I did. I fell in love with it immediately. I was really helping people. And through coaching, I realized that it created a much bigger impact. Because if you teach the leaders, the leaders can support 1 million more people than you can as an individual. Eventually, I made multiple six figures, and it was time to start my own business, which was always my own intention. But with the amount of money that I made, I wanted to hire a team to run that company while I still worked full-time at the one I was employed for. I'm not sure what happened, nor will I probably ever know, but one day after I made 5 sales, some new HR girl called me, and she told me that I was fired. I was so upset. I felt so blindsided. But I know that it was meant to happen, and I learned that nothing outside of me is the source of my success and happiness. And the very next day is when I started my business.

What motivates me every day is helping women to create beautiful businesses that lead to luxurious lifestyles, not lifestyles that revolve around a business. My" why," as I have been taught by my parents, will always be my family. But for me, I will write things on my terms, keep things simple, and make sure I create a big impact, have more freedom, and promise myself that I never rely on anything outside of me to be the source of my success or happiness.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is that I created multiple 6-figure businesses in less than 6 months. I'm also proud to be able to help my clients skyrocket their revenue and create more time freedom. Some of my clients have had amazing wins as well. One woman made 50% of all the sales she made the year before in one month working with me. Another woman made $20,000 in cash after her first month of starting her business. Another woman did a VIP Day with me and created a million-dollar company in her first year. Another woman made $30,000 in cash after one 1:1 session. This is what I live for, helping women to make sales sexy and simple so that they can have the lifestyle they desire.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

The hardest thing about being a business owner is that it's lonely. You're the person on top of the organizational chart; no one is next to you. So it's really important to hire mentors to help you and to utilize the power of proximity. What I mean by this is surrounding yourself with powerful leaders that you can call colleagues and friends. It's also important to have God as your business partner.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Not everyone is going to want to celebrate your success. When you hit huge milestones, all you're going to want to do is scream from the rooftops and celebrate like crazy. You cannot get upset when people you love and people you want to tell aren't that happy for you. You have to remember that being an entrepreneur is a choice. A lot of people aren't willing to do what you are willing to do, but that is also why you will get to live a life that many others will not. And although you earned it, just remember everybody's doing the best they can at the conscious level that they are at. So it's very important that you are very selective with who you keep as the top five people in your life. Always choose to be the smallest person in the room because those people will help you to rise up. They will celebrate you, motivate you, inspire you, and be there to support you. Find your tribe. I would not be where I am if I didn't have the women I have in my life.
  2. It's important that you embrace not just the masculine who is assertive, wants to slay in sales, and is disciplined, but you have to embrace the feminine within you even though you may not have been taught it. This is your intuitive side, your ability to be supported, your ability to surrender and to receive. And it's not about balancing them; it's about living with them in harmony. We must embrace both masculine and feminine ways in order to manifest magic and miracles in business and in life.
  3. Fear is your GPS. Not fear that pushes, but fear that pulls. Every day I do something that feels a bit scary. But, being the CEO of my life, I label everything. So Instead of saying something is scary, I say that it is exciting. I am training myself to realize that the feeling of fear is the feeling of growth. All growth happens when you get comfortable with being uncomfortable. But it's important to realize that you wouldn't be nervous if you didn't care. Your desire is what is pulling you into the unknown to do scary things. As Michael Bernard Beckwith says, "pain pushes until the vision pulls." Let your desires pull you and make you choose to see fear differently because you will never be fearless. If so, it means you've stopped growing. It's not about being fearless; it's about being courageous.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.cynthiastant.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CynthiaLstant
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cynthiastant/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthiastant/

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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