Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal & business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Paula Adler, Founder of Paula Adler Coaching & Consulting, located in the Philadelphia PA area, USA.

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

Life & Leadership/Executive & Career Coach. My clients are ambitious, 'outwardly' successful women and men who know that there is more to life than the way they are currently living.

I work with my clients to:

  • Create a vision for how they want their life to look, even if it feels like an impossible dream.
  • Unpack what's standing in their way so they can end those frustrating and repeating patterns.
  • Put strategies in place to create a life and career for themselves where they feel valued and have a sense of satisfaction and purpose - and without burning out in the process.

I work with people who want to shift their lives. And there's one thing that distinguishes them from most people. The thing that distinguishes them is that they know nothing will stop them.

Tell us about yourself

With over 33 years in the professional services industry, I've been able to translate my life and work experiences into a passionate career as a Life & Leadership/Executive & Career Coach.

On the heels of more than three decades at PwC and as a Managing Director in a high-pressure, high-demand work environment, I bring the distinct experience and qualities of a natural relationship leader and coach—as well as authenticity and a supportive presence—to the coaching world. I've been coaching my entire career across all of my roles and decided in 2019 to become a solopreneur and be able to do what lights me up every day.

My motivation is to support my clients in their transformation, enabling them to explore their current realities and vision for future success. I serve as a thinking partner and coach to my clients in navigating life's trenches and transitions to create a life and career for themselves where they feel valued and have a sense of satisfaction and purpose without burning out in the process.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I've not come from a family of entrepreneurs and had no role models that led me to go into business for myself. My decision to leave an excellent consulting career (where I could have stayed for many more years) was based on stepping into my fears of whether I could build a business -- one step at a time. My biggest accomplishment is that I made this happen - on my terms - one client at a time.

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

Like most solopreneurs who have shifted from a corporate role to their own business, my corporate network - both domestic and global - has been so important to me

As a solopreneur, and although my former network remains for me, I've got to work hard at not feeling alone - which I never felt in consulting. And so the most challenging thing is focusing on not feeling alone via connecting with others and building a mutually beneficial network.

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

  1. The most essential tip is to hire a coach. Don't go it alone. I am where I am today as a solopreneur as I hired a coach to walk this journey with me. Someone who created a space of non-judgment for me to explore my inner blocks and all that might have held me back from shifting to my own business.
  2. Connect, connect, connect. Connect for connecting's sake. Not for a particular outcome. Provide mutual benefit to all with whom you connect. Mutually supportive relationships are so meaningful.
  3. Take steps. Significant steps, small steps, every step is worthwhile. Look at your journey as one of mastery. You cannot make a mistake.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.paulaadlercoaching.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulaAdlerCoachingConsulting/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulaadlercoachingconsulting/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/paulaadlercoach
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulatadler/

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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