Hustle Profile

Nov 8

Written By admin

The latest Hustle Profile features the amazing and inspiring business coach - Shawna Payne. She is an amazing woman, business owner, and mother and I'm so excited to be able to share her story on Hustle & Flo. Shawna and I are in the same mastermind group and I can say that she always offers valuable insight and advice for my business and the businesses of the other women in our tribe.

Find out more about Shawna...

Tell me about yourself and your business.

I am a Business Lifestyle Coach and creator of the BE The Game Changer Planner: God. Goals. Grind. I teach women how to package their purpose into a prosperous business while balancing work and their family. Through my business consulting and development company, BOSS Essentials, I provide one-on-one and group business coaching, brand building, entrepreneurship education and training, mentorship and a community to support new and aspiring women entrepreneurs in planning, building and launching their own businesses. I am on a mission to help purpose-driven women get out of their own way and think BIGGER about what they can achieve. On a personal note, I am a wife, mother to 3 beautiful children and a lover of all things seafood. Because of my seafood obsession, my husband and I have a "Lobster Fridays" tradition.

What made you want to start your business?

The idea of starting an actual coaching "business" was placed on my heart in 2016 after my corporate coaching pitch was rejected for the second time. For 4 years I kept looking for opportunities in my 9 to 5 job to fulfill my life's purpose of being a coach, but I soon discovered that was not the path I was supposed to take. In 2016, I had an AHA moment when I heard from GOD. He told me to think BIGGER! My life’s purpose was to reach, teach and impact women globally, and I could not do that by being confined to a cubicle in a corporate job. So, I decided to take the leap into entrepreneurship and build my own online coaching business that reaches women globally. That's how BOSS Essentials was birthed. Initially, BOSS Essentials was a side business, but in 2018, I handed in my formal resignation so I could pursue coaching full-time.

Do you consider yourself an entrepreneur?

Yes; I consider myself an entrepreneur, but I like to refer to myself as a Godpreneur. I get an idea from God and then I go where He calls me to go into business. Before I started my coaching business, I also owned and operated two other six-figure businesses with my husband.

When did you say ok, I can call myself a business owner/entrepreneur now?

I knew I had arrived(!) as a business owner in 2014 when my husband and I started our first business together, which was a consulting business. But, honestly, I still did not consider myself an entrepreneur at that time because I had the mindset that if I was still working 9 to 5, I could not also be an entrepreneur. Now, I believe otherwise, but I really didn't start calling myself an entrepreneur until I quit my full-time job to pursue coaching full-time. Hence, you see a lot of "Employee to Entrepreneur" references in my social media posts.

How do you balance growing your business with your family and other parts of your life?

My faith and my family are the top priorities in my life... nothing comes before those two things. I operate my business from my home office, so I try to make sure that when my husband and children are around, I am fully present during my time with them. That means taking full advantage of the hours that I set aside for my business to actually get some work done and then shutting down when I say I'm going to shut down. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not perfect… I’m a work in progress. But, I have come a long way. Lol! Also, I don’t work on Fridays. Fridays are my “me” day, where I rest and relax. I fast every Friday until 3pm. It helps me to re-center my focus. Sunday is my Sabbath, so I also do not work on that day.

What do you find most difficult about balancing your business and everything else?

The most difficult part about balancing my business with everything else is actually doing the things that are important first. #Priorities! You would think that since I am a Lifestyle Coach, I created my own time management system and I teach other women how to use their time efficiently, that I am on top of my time all the time! That's far from true. I work out of my home, and often times, I know I should be creating content for my community, but instead, I'm washing clothes and cleaning the house. There's a difference between knowing what you should be doing and actually doing it. I know what I should be doing all the time, but I can get distracted by my environment. I need to get my priorities in order sometimes. #DontJudgeMe

How can you tell when you’re stretching yourself too thin and you need to pull back to take a break? What do you do when you’re feeling that way?

I can tell when I am stretching myself too thin when I start feeling irritable and getting headaches. When I start to feel like this, I disconnect from my business and I even disconnect from social media. And, instead, I connect with my Bible and devotionals.

What do you find most fulfilling about your business?

My fulfillment comes from seeing other women transform into the most confident and fearless version of themselves. To see them living with purpose and passion.

Did you set a certain goal or benchmark for when you would leave your full-time job to become self-employed?

Yes; I am all about planning before prospering. As a matter of fact, I actually created my own goal setting system called the Goal Game Plan, which is included inside the BE The Game Changer Planner. In 2016, I set a 2-year goal to quit my 9 to 5 in order to run my coaching business full-time. I broke down that goal into smaller chunks and started building my business accordingly. Although I didn't check off every item on my list, I still went ahead and resigned from my job of almost 13 years on August 19, 2018. Sometimes you just have to know when to let go and move on, even if what you're moving on to isn't quite what you expected.

Where do you find inspiration in your business?

I find inspiration from my own personal experiences as well as from my daily devotionals. If I have struggled, then I want to share my struggles with my community so they won't make the same mistakes. Also, I read a lot of devotionals on business and entrepreneurship and I love to see how they are tied to our purpose.

What is the one thing you want women to get from you and your business?

I want women to receive inspiration from me and my business... Be inspired to do and be more. Be inspired to do what God has called you to do.

How do you interact with other entrepreneurs in order to support each other?

Not only do I have my own online community where I connect ambitious women entrepreneurs for support and accountability, but I am also a part of a Mastermind group [with Sam and 2 other women entrepreneurs]. My husband is also an entrepreneur, and every Thursday, he and I have weekly accountability sessions to support one another.

How many hours do you typically spend on your business in a given week?

I truly believe that the whole point of having a business is to have it work for your schedule and your lifestyle, and not the other way around. I devote 5 days a week [approximately 4 hours per day] to my business; however, I only work with clients on 3 of those days. The other 2 days I block off for Study/On-Going Education and Marketing.

What’s next for you and your business?

BOSS Essentials will soon be the premiere online academy where women entrepreneurs can go to learn all things on how to build their own business. I, Shawna Payne, will be a global women's empowerment speaker, traveling the world sharing my story and impacting others.

Is there any advice you would give someone who is looking to start or grow their own business?

Starting your own business takes time, disciple and dedication; there’s no such thing as an overnight success. You have to invest in yourself and put in the work NOW so you can reap the rewards later. And when times get tough, which happens to all entrepreneurs, you have to keep going because the chances of your success depend largely on your ability to persevere.

What do you wish you had known before you started your business?

Before I started my business, I wish I would've known that it would bring out the wolves. Over the years, I had to learn that you can't share your vision and plans with everybody unless you are ready to make a move. A common mistake entrepreneurs make is we get so excited about an idea or business venture we have, and we start sharing our vision with others who aren't making game-changing moves already. There are people out there ready to rob you of your dreams, ideas, and vision. They will try to sabotage your efforts. If people don't know what you're doing, they can't distract you, try to block you with their own fears, or get in the way of your goal.

Where can people reach you if they have questions or want to follow you?

Follow me [@bossessentialsco] on Instagram for daily business coaching, inspiration, and motivation on how to Build Your Own Business, BOSS Talk and BOSS Essentials. Visit my website: www.shawnapayne.com for more details on my business and services.Want to read about more awesome ladies?