Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Patricia Lambert, Founder of Patricia Lambert Coaching, located in Williamsburg, VA, USA.

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

My first business officially started in 2014 when I was preparing to graduate with my degree in English Education. This business continues to grow and evolve to this day. Dancing With Patricia is an online and in-person west coast swing and wedding dance instruction business.

My second business, Patricia Lambert Coaching, was launched in 2019 out of the idea of taking the goal setting and planning expertise that I was already sharing with others and broadening my reach, and offering services in an official capacity. This is where my journey as a Women's Achievement Coach began. Both businesses are fueled by my passion for helping others to grow and thrive in areas that I personally delight in - dancing and goal setting & achieving.

As a Women's Achievement Coach, I create an annual Achievement Planner, wrote a book on my five signature phases of goal setting and achieving strategy ("The Dream Goals Guidebook"), and empower women in all areas of life to say "Yes!" to their dreams and creating a Dream Goals Roadmap to actually achieve those goals while maintaining balance and avoiding overwhelm or burnout. ​

Women's Achievement Coaching covers so many different areas of goal-setting and achieving, not limited to entrepreneurship, motherhood, career goals, education, travel, passion projects and hobbies, financial goals, health/wellness/fitness, habit creation, and SO MUCH MORE!

My clients are generally moms, female entrepreneurs, or mom-preneurs seeking growth and balance in at least one area of life. For my Rockstar Mamas, we work to balance mom's goals and desires with being there for her children, soaking in every moment and creating memories, and not sacrificing time together just to make it through the to-do list. For my fempreneurs, we work to identify business goals, focus on the products and services that she truly desires to offer to keep the passion for her business alive and create systems and efficiencies in the "back office" so that her business can work while she plays. My mom-preneurs get the best of both worlds combining personal passion projects, an incredible home life with the children, and a business that continues to grow and evolve with their life needs. My clients come to me with a desire to be empowered to THRIVE!

Tell us about yourself

I am a dance instructor, women's achievement coach, and author. I am a mermaid-at-heart, penguin-obsessed, glittery-loving human... I am a wife, a mom to a wonderful baby boy, a traveler, a teacher, a lifelong learner, and indescribably excited about life and where I am right now, and where I am going with all of my goals and adventures.

I initially started in business because, from a very young age, I had a desire to teach and share knowledge with others... hence my original path in college, earning a degree in English education. During my final semester in college, I realized that I could still fulfill my goal of teaching, but I could do so outside of the conventional classroom and dive more deeply into my passions. This was when I began building my professional dance offerings. After a few years of teaching dance, I recognized that many times my clients (and friends and family) were approaching me for more than my dance expertise... After witnessing how I used goal setting to achieve personal dreams and grow my business to new heights, as well as experiencing my use of organization to bring together events and build the community, individuals would often ask my advice and input for their personal, educational, and business lives. I love penguins; this may seem unrelated, but bear with me.

After a dream-come-true trip to a live penguin encounter during the summer of 2019, I realized that I wanted to create a business that could help others to plan, organize, and reach goals, while also financially supporting penguin research and conservation efforts by designating a portion of all proceeds to a non-profit that supports penguins. This was when I created the first annual Achievement Planner, an annual planner with a penguin design that keeps day-to-day organizational needs all in one place: long- and short-term goal setting, monthly budgeting, meal planning, grocery planning, monthly planning, daily time blocking, habit tracking, and so much more!

I have just released the fourth edition of the Achievement Planner and have also published "The Dream Goals Guidebook: For the Woman with a Desire to Achieve," a book detailing my signature five phase goal setting strategy "An Ocean of Memories: Pregnancy Through Young Adulthood," a pregnancy journal, baby book, and milestone book through age eighteen all-in-one for moms and "Pepper Penguin's Dream Adventure," a children's book about a penguin who dreams of exploring the world.

Over the past several years, I have had the opportunity to work with so many different women and share in their joy when a project comes to completion or when a dream they never thought possible become their reality. Getting to witness these transformations and triumphs is such a blessing, and I am never bored! The projects, conversations, and work that I do is different every day because I am working with women across different industries and with such a broad spectrum of dreams.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I would say my biggest accomplishment as a business owner has been embracing being creative and innovative and finding ways to weave my passions and expertise from both of my businesses together to provide a great client experience all around. I enjoy not exclusively following the examples of traditional businesses but implementing systems, opportunities, and connections that keep my passion for my businesses alive while creating opportunities for others or making connections in the community.

Using the skills and tactics that I teach and implement in women's achievement coaching, I was able to revolutionize the way that I teach dance and run my online private and group coaching programs. Innovation came in the form of transitioning my in-person dance classes to online platforms in a matter of two days when the world went virtual. After seeing the way that recorded class content, access to my instructional notes, and additional resources linked into a secure platform really supported the growth of my students, I realized that I could augment my in-person classes when we returned to the studio with these elements and begin focusing on each client's individual goals, bringing together skill sets from both of my passions.

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

One of the hardest things that come with being a business owner is definitely enforcing balance upon yourself. Especially when a business is focused on a passion project, it can be really easy to overbook and allow yourself to please people, no matter the cost! When I first began in business, I was working seven days a week from early mornings to late evenings to accommodate whatever appointment times my clients desired, with little regard for my own needs! This is a slippery slope and can become "normal" very quickly. It's important to remember that a huge part of running our own business is to grant ourselves time, freedom, and flexibility to truly LIVE and experience life, not to work more than ever before.

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

  1. Set goals for your business so that you can create a roadmap for where you are going and what you need to do to get there. In creating that vision, be sure to also identify goals for your personal life and see how your business can help you to achieve your goals in other areas. By setting goals in multiple areas, you can avoid tunnel vision, burnout, and overwhelm.
  2. Take time off... take time for yourself each day, take time off each week, and set aside chunks of time, whether that be days or weeks, for you to recharge, travel, rest, spend time with family and friends, and see the world. Traveling is my key to inspiration... any time I travel, I find that I have new ideas, can see things from a new angle, and have vibrant energy to reengage in my business.
  3. Work in your flow. If you are your most creative in the morning, work in the morning. If you feel inspired and connected with your work late at night, embrace being a night owl. Are there certain times of the year when you are more invested in creating and sharing your business and other times when you know you need to take time away? Plan ahead for that. Personally, I separate my year into three seasons and have a completely different workflow and amount of time I dedicate to my businesses, depending upon which of those three seasons I am in.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

I believe in combining intuition, passion, systems, and strategy to balance the pursuit of goals in multiple areas simultaneously. In my world, "hustle" and "sacrifice now to reap the rewards later" are taboo words and phrases ~ this life is meant to be lived to the fullest and to experience the magic!

My signature five-phase Dream Goals Strategy is the framework for reaching goals quickly with ease and fun for everything from business-building to travel and passion projects! Our opportunities and experiences can be limitless.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.patricialambertcoaching.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patricia.hampton.5477/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dreamgoalsgoddess/

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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