Produce Your Best Life - Second Act Success

Team Subkit -

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Shannon Russell, Founder of Second Act Success, located in Tinton Falls, NJ, USA.

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

My business is Second Act Success. It encompasses career coaching, my Second Act Accelerator Course, and the Second Act Success Podcast. Through this business, I help women in unresolved careers pivot toward a second act so that they can produce a balanced life of abundance.

Tell us about yourself

I spent over 16 years in my dream job as a Television Producer in New York City and Los Angeles. Once I began building my family, I decided to make a change and "produce" my own life to be a more present parent. I pivoted to open my own business, running a Snapology franchise teaching children STEM education. Other women kept asking me how I made such a drastic career change and if I could help them find a more suitable career path. So I decided to help others feel empowered to do the same by starting a second business called Second Act Success. Now, as a certified Career Coach, I teach women how to change careers, start businesses, and follow their creative passions to the fullest as they produce their best life. My company Second Act Success allows me to share my journey from television executive to business owner and mom in the hopes of motivating more women to make big moves in life and follow their dreams through my coaching practice, course, and podcast.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I have found harmony between raising my two young boys and having a career I love that mixes my skills and experiences from my first act into my second act. Plus, I am able to serve others through my coaching and get to share incredible stories of people who have found happiness by starting over through my podcast. Finding this harmony and being able to help others is what I am most proud of.

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

There is no such thing as "clocking out" when you own your own business. Yes, we set our own schedules, but we are always thinking about the business. The hardest part is forcing myself to take a break or turn work off because the to-do list is never-ending. I remind myself that I went into business for myself so I could have flexibility as a mom, so closing the laptop and putting the phone down when it's family time is a MUST.

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

  1. Follow your "why" - Think about why you want to start this business and make sure all of your reasons are in check. Make sure that this new venture fits the lifestyle you want and that you are passionate about the business. If it fills up your heart and soul, then it's meant to be.
  2. Be all in! - Know going into starting a business that you're in charge, and you must be fully invested. It's a 24/7 job, so you must love what you're doing and know that it will take time to grow this dream into a business that runs itself. Be patient and focused, and be excited about all the work it will take to get there.
  3. Organize and Systemize - Start setting up your systems right away. Organize everything, make templates, and create the structure to work effectively and efficiently to save you time and stress. A lot of running a business is the organization, so setting up systems for things that you do over and over again will save you time down the road, and it will allow you to delegate to your team eventually as well. Start organizing everything, including your email inbox, from day one, and you won't regret it.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://secondactsuccess.co/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/secondactsuccess.co
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondactsuccess/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/second-act-success/

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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