Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jaire Donald, Founder of Leonine Consulting, located in Farmingdale, NY, USA.

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

My business is 'Total Package Coaching,' which seeks to use the concept of the renaissance man, or the well-rounded man, as the guiding philosophy behind our programs. Our ideal customers are the modern man. Whether that man is a person who has most of his life together but missing one or two essential categories, to a man who feels completely lost and dissatisfied with their life. We help them to find the area or areas of life that they can improve, and we provide bespoke, practical, and empirical-based solutions to fit every man.

Tell us about yourself

I first got started with this business out of necessity, a necessity for both my clients and myself. After the pandemic decimated some relationships and my cleaning business, I decided to move forward with a path that's more aligned with who I am. I am an educator at heart, and through training, I also have a very dramatic and traumatic upbringing. It's the navigation of this upbringing that makes me a credible messenger, as well as the educational training that I wish to combine to deliver the solutions people need to reach their full potential, regardless of the issues they've faced. Helping others reach that potential is what drives me to continue in the face of adversity.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

There are several accomplishments I can recall as a business owner, among them reaching six-figure revenues within 18 months after starting with about $900 in my first business. However, even this accomplishment is overshadowed by the ability to provide a means of taking care of others you care about. Nothing was more rewarding than providing greater security and opportunities for those closest to you, which only entrepreneurship was able to deliver. This, of course, is only slightly ahead of delivering meaningful results for my clients… as many times, their accomplishments are my own.

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

One of the hardest things about being a business owner is finding a way to handle inconsistency and uncertainty. As an entrepreneur, there is an inherent risk involved with paving your path. There is little security other than what you can provide, and especially at the beginning, there is worry about if and when things will change for the better. Understanding, accepting, and adapting to this reality is essential to the success of all entrepreneurial endeavors.

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

  1. Always be adaptable, and always be open to change. You should be confident in your abilities and ideas but create blindspots for yourself because you are too rigid in the way you do things.
  2. Seek support: oftentimes, especially as solopreneurs, we tend to want to do everything ourselves. However, business is no different than reality, no one is an island, and many times we do not see outside of our perspective. It's important to look seek support (mental, physical, financial, strategic) when times are tough, but seeking support when things are good can also be rewarding. Humans are social animals, so be socially minded in life as well as business.
  3. Incremental gains add to exponential change. I often tell my friends and clients alike to get significant results in most things. You simply need to move the needle a bit above average to yield significant results. If you consistently move the needle above average for an extended amount of time, you will realize the results have compounded in your favor. Reap your rewards from there!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://leonineconsulting.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaire.donald.9/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaire_leo/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaire-donald/

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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