Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Nancy Zare, Founder of Rapport Builderz, located in Stuart, FL, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I'm a certified sales trainer, and I work with service-based professionals who want to build a prosperous business in alignment with their values. I give them an x-ray vision of how buyers buy so they can adjust their communication style to match their prospects.
Tell us about yourself
I was born a psychologist. As early as 10 years old, I was counseling my parents, who had a stormy marital relationship, on how they could better get along. Selling was totally off my radar screen because I grew up with the stereotype of the used-car salesman in mind.
How I became a sales psychologist can be attributed to receiving funding from the government to get my graduate degree in Employee Assistance Services. These programs help workers whose performance is impaired by such issues as addiction and mental illness and seemed ideally suited to a budding psychologist who wanted to "save" the world. However, to implement these services, I had to SELL them first. Did you notice that SELL is a 4-letter word?
I returned to school not to get a degree but to study sales and discovered how my knowledge of psychology could be applied. When I did so, I quadrupled sales in 90 days. I've since taken this knowledge and experience to create a system for helping subject-matter professionals who love what they do, increase sales without being salesy.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Pass the 10-year mark! So many businesses fail in the first few years.
I can also take pride in the books I've written (6 so far) plus the course materials I've developed, and especially the clients I've helped become prosperous and successful.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Riding the roller-coaster of developing a business. It has a life of its own, just like a child. To truly start a business means to create systems, sell products, have a positive cash flow, and position it to stand on its own.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Get a coach -- may be more than one.
- Get a coach -- perhaps change the one you have to get a new perspective.
- Get a coach -- did I mention how important it is to ask for and receive outside help?
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Here's my speaker kit link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jw-Ptr77PuPeDqV5w_VD6agTilS7HlxCV5Iw219iPGQ/edit?usp=sharing
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://rapportbuilderz.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nancy.zare/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drnancyzare/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyzare/
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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