Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Shenelle DuBose, Founder of Educators Moving On Network, located in Saint Louis, MO, USA.

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

I help high-achieving, ambitious educators to have more impact and income by building sustainable and scalable education consulting firms.

Tell us about yourself

Like many, I am a mother (3 boys), a wife of 22 years (Jimmie), a daughter, a sister, a dog owner and lover (2 Roxanne and Mr. Russell), an educator, and so much more. I dreamed of being a teacher as a kid and was told to go to school, get a good education, get a good job, stay there for 30 years, then retire and live a good life. But that dream became a nightmare, and I had to figure out, as a high-achiever, how to stop and recognize that dreams can change. I was simple at first...I wondered what it was like to grocery shop on Wednesday at 10 am and if the stores were packed. I wanted to attend my boy's games without the guild of letting down the work team or needing to ask permission. Then one day, my oldest son jokingly said his friends thought his mom was dead! They never saw me, and I was always at work because the work never ended. Nowhere was that part of the dream that I had for myself. So I made a list of what I wanted for my life and my family and realized I could never have those things as a classroom educator. There was no time freedom, creative freedom, or financial freedom as a possibility in the choices I had made for myself. In reality, I knew the way to have what I truly desired was to create it. So I monetized the same talents I was being paid in one contract to multiple different schools through educational consulting. I started doing professional development (or trainings) for teachers based on the same work I had done in my school. The more I trained, the more support the school leaders needed. I was well-versed in leadership as I was a building leader of a low-performing high-needs school and made dramatic gains through coaching and culture. So my career as a leadership coach began. During this time, many educators wanted to know how to do what I was doing (consulting). And so was birthed Educators Moving On Network. The thing that motivates me each day is knowing I get to design and create the life I desire. People will give you what they want you to have, but you have the choice to get what you desire. My freedom motivates me each day. The ability to make decisions in my best interest without fear or scarcity. The ability to dictate my income. The ability to be present in the life of my family and in my own life. I can not afford to go back, so I take the actions needed each day to live the life of my dreams.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment -- I have helped over 200 educators to exit the school system and design the life of their dreams. Last year alone, 44 educators generated $1.7 million in contracts, and their lives will never be the same.

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

The hardest thing about being a business owner is actually stepping into the mindset of a CEO. You can not be a teacher and a CEO. You must own the role, understand the role and embrace the role. If not, you will end up back in the classroom.

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

  1. Know that you already have everything you need. You just need to take action.
  2. Hope is not a strategy. Many times we will sit around hoping, wishing, and praying for someone to come and save us. We must save ourselves! It will be uncomfortable, and you will be scared. Just know every person who has ever done anything significant was scared. Do it, scared!
  3. Low risk equals low reward. Playing it safe is not the key to abundance. Risk is not a bad word. Be willing to take greater risks in order to get a greater reward.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.educatorsmovingon.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EducatorsMovingOn/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/educatorsmovingon/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shenelle-dubose/

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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