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Grow Your Local Business
Breaking Through What You Think Is Possible with Maddy of Color Chroma
00:30:47
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- [00:00]
Leslie Presnell
Hey, before you dive into this episode, I want to invite you to a free live workshop that I'm hosting on Monday, June 22, called the fully Booked Roadmap. Listen, the second half of the year is still wide open, and if you want more clients in the second half
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of the year, this workshop is going
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to help you get really clear on what's been holding you back. Most business owners stay stuck in really vague thoughts like, my marketing just isn't working or I'm just bad at social media. But it's really hard to move forward from vague.
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So in this workshop, I'm going to
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walk you through the five core local marketing skills that every fully booked business needs. So we're going to get into the nitty gritty and really break them down, and you'll score yourself in each one so you can see exactly where your biggest opportunity is and exactly where you need to spend your time in the second half of the year to get fully booked. So this is going to take you from feeling really scattered the first half of the year to really strategic and intentional. So grab your free seat at the bottom. The show notes of whatever episode you're listening to, and I'll see you there.
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Podcast Narrator
You are listening to the Grow youw Local Business podcast, where local marketing expert and life coach Leslie Presnell shares the strategies and the mindset to help you reach more people in your city and bring in a steady stream of clients. All right, let's dive in.
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Leslie Presnell
Do you ever feel like some days the hardest part of running your business
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isn't necessarily what to go do, but it's believing that bigger results are actually possible for you? If so, that's exactly what today's episode
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and conversation is about.
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I am interviewing my student inside the localpreneur Academy, Maddie. She is the owner of Color Chroma in Austin, Texas, which is a color analysis and a personal styling business. And Maddie is a former teacher who has spent the last three years building a business that has grown beyond what she once believed was ever possible, what
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was ever available to her.
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And in this conversation, we talk about breaking through that internal glass ceiling. We talk about how her background shaped what she thought was realistic for her in her life and what she could earn. And we talk about what it looks like to keep going when your brain
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wants to doubt the process every single day.
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And what I think is really important, too, is we talk about what mindset work really is and what worked really well for Maddie to help her build a fully booked business and why mindset matters so much. In business and how you're going to
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hear us talk about this but not
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learning to think positively, but how learning to think more powerfully and intentionally helped her create real results.
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So let's dive in. All right.
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Maddie.
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Hello. Thank you for being here.
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Maddie Memmer
Thanks so much for having me.
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Leslie Presnell
Yeah, let's just start. Can you introduce yourself and tell us what you do and where you're located?
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Maddie Memmer
Yes. My name is Maddie Memmer, and I'm a certified custom color analyst and personal stylist here in Austin, Texas. I create customized color palettes for my clients of their best colors to wear. And I also can advise during those sessions on makeup and hair colors. And then I also offer body shape analysis, where we figure out the most harmonious silhouettes for someone to wear.
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Leslie Presnell
I love it. And I know you've had so much success and we're going to get into it, but I want you to just take us all the way back. Tell us what the early days of your business looked like.
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Maddie Memmer
Yes. So the early days of Color Chroma, it was very much a side hustle at that point. I had actually left teaching full time. I got a job in recruiting while I was building my business, which I really didn't like, by the way, but I knew that it would kind of be, or my hope would, was that it would be a temporary job as I was building my business. But I needed something where I still had mental energy at the end of the day and on weekends, which, as, you know, as a former teacher, also, you don't really have in teaching. So at that time, I mean, I was so excited just to get even two clients a month, because I think my rent, I was sharing a studio at the time, and my rent was 275amonth. So I thought, okay, if I can get two clients, I can pay my rent and then I can pay myself a little bit of money. And that was really what it was like when I first started.
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Leslie Presnell
Yeah.
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Maddie Memmer
And, you know, I think it was maybe six to eight months in that I started to feel like, oh, this is really kind of amping up and there's more demand. And my weekends were getting fully booked. So I started to realize, oh, this might happen faster than I expected.
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Leslie Presnell
So were there any glass ceilings that you had to break through in your own mind as you started to grow? Like, coming from this teacher background?
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Maddie Memmer
Yeah, I mean, definitely. Well, I think the biggest one is financially, because as you know, as a former teacher, there really is a cap on what we make in education. And so I think just really Believing that I could make more than that was kind of a wild concept to me for a while, maybe still is sometimes. And so that was definitely a big glass ceiling. Just believing that I am capable of making a more significant income than that. And then I think also just to be a little specific to my industry, there was also growing into this identity of being an image consultant and personal stylist. Like, honestly, that felt really intimidating to me in the beginning to call myself that. And, you know, I believe in God and I think God has a funny sense of humor because in my teens and twenties, I was really hard on myself about my appearance and really didn't feel beautiful a lot of times in my life. And so I think that, you know, it was kind of this interesting full circle transition to, okay, now I have to see my own beauty because I need to know how to help others through that. Yeah, you know, so that was, that was a really big glass ceiling also for me. And it's, it was actually very healing, though, in a way. So I, I just, I don't know, sometimes I still just pinch myself that I'm doing this. You know, even talking about it, it's like I get a little emotional because it's just been such a, a wonderful experience. And yeah, being able to help others feel beautiful, I think is so special.
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Leslie Presnell
What was that process like? Like taking yourself from the identity of. I have been a teacher for a decade. Ten years, you said, right? Yes to now I'm a business owner.
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Maddie Memmer
Yeah, Well, I mean, it's hard to kind of put into words. Well, I will say one thing I was reflecting on before we got on the podcast is that if any job actually prepares you to be an entrepreneur, I think it's being a teacher. As you know, I mean, we wear so many hats as a teacher, and that's just a common conversation in education. Like, we're the, we're the nurse, we're the doctor, we're the, you know, the coach, the teacher, the police officer or security guard. All the true. And so I think as a business owner, you also have to wear so many different hats. And so in some ways there are some parallels, but it's still a big shift. When you're used to having a team and teammates and your principal, your whoever is kind of your supervisor to. Everything is on your shoulders. And if something goes wrong, that is on your shoulders. Right. Because I mean, in any line of work, we're going to have challenges sometimes. So I think just that's a big shift. Knowing that you have to be the one handling everything. Yes. And also just putting yourself out there and calling yourself a business owner or a CEO is. It is an identity shift. You. I know you and I have talked about this. You literally have to become a different version of yourself in order to do that and to feel confident calling yourself that. And in the beginning, honestly, you. You're probably not going to feel. Or at least I did it. I shouldn't speak for everyone, but I didn't feel confident in that in the beginning.
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Leslie Presnell
Yeah. So what were some of the. The biggest shifts that you've had in your identity or in your beliefs around, like, being a business owner now, running a business?
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Maddie Memmer
I think just maybe it's sort of just this idea of normalizing that I'm a business owner, that I look at very successful people or even like someone like you, like, that has created the success for yourself. And it's like realizing that I can do that too. I can be that too. If all these people before me have been able to do this, I can do it, too. So I think that that is a big shift. Think one thing you and I talked a lot about in coaching is this belief that everybody wants this and really kind of realizing that if people are in my sphere and they're following me on socials and they're coming up to me at events and asking questions, they're subscribing to my newsletter, they are interested. And so I think, you know, because I know we've talked about even posting online and maybe feeling cringy sometimes, but then realizing, well, people want to hear about this because they are interested. So I think that has been a really helpful belief for me. And then also just again, going back to income, believing that I'm capable of and worthy of making more money. Yeah. Believing that I'm someone that can handle challenges that come up, you know, because again, kind of relating it to teaching, when something like, let's say you have a problem with a student or maybe parents are upset about something, knowing that you can go to your principal, they're not going to solve the problem always, but it's just nice to know, okay, someone else is there to help you through this. And so again, it's a shift to realize, okay, I can go to my friends or family members or, you know, but at the end of the day, I have to find a solution to the problem. So I think that's a shift to believing that I can handle any problem that comes up. Yeah. Or challenge.
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Leslie Presnell
Absolutely. Or like we always say, like, I can handle any emotion that comes up during. Yes.
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Maddie Memmer
Yes. Because that is a big piece of the puzzle, too.
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Leslie Presnell
Yeah. So has. Tell me about a time that you've been like, okay, it should definitely be easier by now.
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Maddie Memmer
Yes. Well, there have been many times. I mean, right now, honestly, I think even. Even now, I have days and thoughts where that comes up every single moment.
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Leslie Presnell
Yeah.
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Maddie Memmer
And, you know, like, those ideas like I should be making more or I should be a hundred percent booked every single month. But then in those moments, I kind of have to talk myself off the ledge and realize, like, Maddie, you've been in business for three years and look how much has already happened and how much you've accomplished, how many clients you've already helped. You know, because if you had told me three years ago, I would speak in front of 150 women about color or be on the news speaking about color or that I could make more than I ever did as a teacher, I would have thought you were crazy. Yeah. So I think, you know, just kind of reminding myself that this is a process. And one thing I remember from some of our conversations was just this idea of we are doing superhuman work. We are rewiring our brains, and that is really powerful work. And also, I love this idea that we've talked about about, like, the Maddie three years from now who is making a lot of money and is fully booked. She's depending on the Maddie right now to show up and do the work and to do the thought and belief work. Um, so I think anytime. I think it should be easier by now, I kind of just go back to those. Those beliefs that are helpful.
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Leslie Presnell
I love that. So what would you tell the business owner who is just starting out or who is feeling frustrated with where they are or thinking like, oh, it should be easier. I should be further ahead right now?
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Maddie Memmer
Well, first of all, don't give up. If you're really passionate about what you're doing, don't give up on that dream. But I think a lot of people throw in the towel a little too quickly because they're not getting the results they want or they think it's not happening fast enough. But I hear a lot of successful people talk about, you know, get in the room. Like, you need to get in rooms with people who have what you want, are doing what you want to do. And so I think, you know, there's different ways of doing that. Like, maybe it's joining the local preneur academy, maybe it's working with a private coach, maybe a networking group where you all help each other grow and give Each other feedback. So I think there's different ways of getting in the room, but there are so many resources out there to help you get further along, you know, and get better results.
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Leslie Presnell
100%. I remember one time you told me that you were, like, so frustrated, just, like, in it. And you told me that trying to, like, work on your mindset and change your beliefs felt exhausting. Do you remember what I'm talking about?
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Maddie Memmer
I don't know if I remember a specific moment. I know there were probably multiple moments where I was just at my wit's end. I mean, I think it was exhausting because I think a lot of times people think mindset work is just about thinking positive thoughts and that it should be that simple. And I think that it goes deeper than that. Like, you have to actually catch the thought and the belief happening, whether you're thinking it or saying it out loud. And that's one thing that I found helpful about working with you is you would hear me say things and reflect it back, and then it's kind of like, oh, interesting, you know, because sometimes we don't even catch it because our beliefs are so ingrained. Yeah. So I think that one thing is starting to just notice the beliefs and thoughts, and then also, I think, not trying to change all of them at once, but maybe just focusing on one or two beliefs and really kind of challenging that. That belief. You know, writing about it, talking about it, I think that that is, again, it goes back to being kind of a superhuman practice because we're challenging those.
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Leslie Presnell
Right.
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It's, like, totally changing, like, who we are and what we believe about ourselves and what's. What we're capable of on some days.
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Maddie Memmer
Totally.
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Leslie Presnell
Especially those of us who didn't come from. I mean, I was the only first entrepreneur in my fam. I mean, I still am in my family. So, like, I. It really did feel like completely breaking the mold and, like, doing something completely different. It did feel literally, like, superhuman, like you said. And going back to, like, to me, mindset work is not about positive. Like, there are very positive thinking. Like, there are very few days that I'm just like, oh, my gosh, I'm so happy. I feel positive all the time. Like, we feel terrible most of the time. So it's not like we're. We're doing hard things. Like, we are. We're. Yes. Like, it's so much easier to, like, sit on the couch and do nothing or scroll on our phone or it's easier most days to just go get a job and, like, work for somebody else. But, like, we all have this desire in us to do what it is we're passionate about. And. And that also is hard. It feels terrible. Most days it comes with dread. It comes with, like, putting ourselves out there. It's uncomfortable. So it's not about, like, being positive and just, like, thinking positive, fluffy thoughts and like, saying this mantra and getting on with it. Like, it. To me, it's like, how can I just think powerfully every day? Like, what's a powerful thought that's going to get me to take the action, that's going to move me forward versus, like, what's a happy thought? You know, like, most of the things that we need to do, happy thoughts aren't going to get us there, but a powerful thought will.
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Maddie Memmer
Yes. Yeah. And I think maybe that was even a misconception I had about working with a coach. Is that. And I think I even told my friend this, who she loves the whole, you know, coaching field. And I told her, yeah, I think I thought that it was going to be more like, oh, you're just supposed to thank happy thoughts and everything will pan out. And that maybe I even accept. Expected that to be some of what you, like, you know, you taught me or something. And my friend was kind of laughing at me, like, no, that's not. That's not what coaching's about. It's really about kind of getting in there and still showing up despite not having the happy thoughts.
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Leslie Presnell
Right. Well, and I think for anybody, that's like, what is coaching? To me, it's like we have 60,000 thoughts a day, and every single one of us has a sentence in our brain that makes us feel an emotion. And that thought. And that emotion is either stopping us from taking a certain action, or it's making us take certain actions that we don't want to be doing that gets us a certain result. And so coaching helps us, like you said, catch the thought, identify the thought, and then we get to choose do we want to keep that thought or not? And what could we think that is more powerful? Sometimes it's positive. But, like, I like to think, like, powerful to where? Okay, now I'm thinking powerfully. I'm thinking intentionally. I'm feeling an emotion that's going to drive me to take an intentional action that's going to get me the desired result that I want. And I'm going to do all of that on purpose every single day until I get the clients, I get the visibility, I get the fully booked calendar. Like, that is what coaching is in my in my world.
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Maddie Memmer
Yeah.
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Leslie Presnell
Yeah. So I know through coaching, I know one of the things that we also have worked a lot on is like your schedule.
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Maddie Memmer
Yeah.
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Leslie Presnell
And your time and like your consistency and follow through with everything. So how did that change things for you and like, what role has structure played in your growth?
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Maddie Memmer
Yes, it has played a huge role. That was definitely something I was struggling with when I started my business is just knowing how to structure my time and how to track things and, and so working with you was so helpful around that and just realizing that, okay, I have the time that I'm gonna actually be with clients and then I have the time that I need to do. You know, I need to spend on all the back end side of things, like, you know, working on my website, crafting social media posts and newsletters and responding to emails and networking and all the things. So I think that was really helpful. I'm not naturally a very structured person. I kind of go by my feelings a lot.
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Leslie Presnell
That's what I was going to ask you is what was your schedule like before?
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Maddie Memmer
Yeah, it was, it was very all over the place. Like, maybe I would post on social media and then I wouldn't post for two more weeks or send a newsletter one month and then I wouldn't send another one for three months.
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Leslie Presnell
This is where the local marketing plan comes in.
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Maddie Memmer
Yes. Yes. That was so, so helpful. So it just, I think, you know, one of the biggest takeaways for me in being in the local preneur is, is just the power of putting together a plan and tracking the progress. And this is also a great thing when maybe I feel like I'm not getting the results that I want some months to actually look at numbers and to really. Sometimes, I mean, sometimes, yes, maybe I need to step up my actions, but sometimes it's actually like, oh, you actually had a good month. Why are you, you know, that was
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Leslie Presnell
a lot for you. I feel like I'd be like, why are you so sad?
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Maddie Memmer
Yes. And, but I mean, I know a lot of business owners that don't really track. Right. So that was a huge, powerful ship that isn't that hard to implement once you kind of just know some basics around that. But it, it's really helpful too, for the times where you feel anxious or your brain is going to a not so great place. You can really kind of check that and look at the actual numbers.
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Leslie Presnell
Yes. And neutralize them and just see them as like data.
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Maddie Memmer
Yes, exactly. Right.
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Leslie Presnell
Okay, so what, let's switch gears.
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Maddie Memmer
Yeah.
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Leslie Presnell
What are you excited about? For the future of Color Chroma.
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Maddie Memmer
I'm just. Like I said before, I mean, sometimes I feel like I'm just pinching myself still that I get to do this. And I feel like even though so much has happened in the last three years in my business, I feel like I'm kind of just getting started. I feel like there's just so much more that I want to do and so many clients I want to help and more services I want to provide. And so I'm really excited to just kind of see where things take me. Like, I've had so many amazing, exciting surprises that have come out of this whole experience of running my business in the last few years. So I know there are more.
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Leslie Presnell
Absolutely. So what would you say to somebody who feels like they have to have everything figured out before they get started in their business?
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Maddie Memmer
Yeah, this is one area that I feel that I am good at letting things be messy. I'm. I don't think I'm a perfectionist, really. And I think that I'm more big picture and not so focused on little details, which obviously has pros and cons. But I think with getting started and just putting myself out there, once I knew I was ready to start after, you know, leaving teaching, then I just started. I literally went. I signed a lease. I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't know how I was going to get any clients. I came home, I. I was like, oh, I should probably start an Instagram. So I, you know, went outside in my backyard with my iPhone and my color fan, took a few pictures, and announced to, you know, my five followers that I. I love how easy that was. Yeah. That I was starting this thing. And so I always tell people, because I have actually. I have a friend right now who she's done so many trainings. She is very knowledgeable in this area and hasn't actually started yet. And I've encouraged her to just let it be messy. It's okay. You don't have to have, you know, the logo and the perfect website and the perfect professional photos. I didn't have any of that. I mean, I think I got a logo made pretty early on, which I don't think is really necessary, but I did that, and I built my own first website. I didn't have professional photos right away, and I still got clients, you know, so I think that.
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Podcast Narrator
You know why?
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Leslie Presnell
Because you went out in your backyard, you said, hey, I'm doing this thing. I can help you.
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Maddie Memmer
Yes. Yes.
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Leslie Presnell
And that's what I see. Oh, it breaks my heart. I see so many people doing this. They're like, I have this amazing thing. I know I can help people. But instead of me going out and marketing and selling it, I'm going to go get another certification. I'm gonna go learn more. I'm gonna go get a logo. I'm gonna go get my branding redone. I'm gonna go get more photos. None of those things bring in clients. They're just your brain's way of protecting you, of keeping you safe, of giving you another day that you don't have to go out there and say, hey, I can help you.
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Maddie Memmer
Right.
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Leslie Presnell
Like, come on, let's go. It's another day that you don't have to go out there and actually market and sell or develop the skill sets of marketing and selling. So just be onto your brain. If it's like, I need another certification, I need another logo. I need more professional photos. You don't need any of that. You just gotta go in your backyard, take a selfie and say, I can help you.
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Maddie Memmer
Right. Because you'll never. And you'll never have it all perfect and figured out in business anyway. It's never like, you reach the mountaintop. You're always working on evolving your skill set and refining, like, for me, the client experience, refining that more as I go or adding to that. So it's. It's just like, just start. Because it's. It's a journey anyway.
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Leslie Presnell
Yeah. And it's like, as soon as you do reach one mountaintop, you're going to be at the bottom of another mountain that's 10 times bigger. And you're like, oh, gotta climb this one now. Now, here's my next one. Like, it is just one thing after the other.
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Maddie Memmer
Totally. And I remember you saying that, too. When you reached a certain financial milestone. And then you're like. But then you felt bad because it wasn't the next. We keep.
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Leslie Presnell
That's. And that's what entrepreneurship is, especially if you're ambitious. It's like, it's like chasing the horizon every day.
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Maddie Memmer
Yeah.
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Leslie Presnell
So. Or moving the goalpost. So it's like, can you also just be uncomfortable in the. In the achieving or how to say, can you be comfortable in the achieving and in the not having always. You know, because you're always going to be going after something bigger and better.
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Maddie Memmer
Yeah. And I think it's powerful when you just. I mean, like we talked about, when I started, I just put myself out there. I just thought early on, like, I was going to networking meetings and I Built a website that wasn't that great, but hey, it brought me people, you know, And I think I was just willing to get on Instagram, even though I didn't know what I was doing. And I didn't even know how to make a real. In the beginning or just learning these things as. As you go along. It's all part of the journey and the experience. And I always say being an entrepreneur is, I think, the highest level of personal development there is. 100%. Really, this journey of working on your self care concept at the end of the day?
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Leslie Presnell
Yes. All right, last two questions. What would you say to somebody who's on the fence of joining the local Preneur academy?
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Maddie Memmer
I would say do it. You know, get in the room. Like I said before, if you want success and you want to have a game plan for how to run your business, you need mentorship or support coaching in that area. I think most people don't wake up and know how to run a business, even with an mba. Some people don't, you know. So I think that one thing I love about or love about working with you is I think that you're really great on multiple fronts as a coach because you help people with the beliefs and thought work, but also the actual practical action steps. Because I. I mean, I can't say I've worked with a ton of coaches, but from my understanding, it sounds like a lot of coaches out there focus mostly on mindset. And that's great, that's important. But if you don't have the actual.
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Leslie Presnell
The strategy.
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Maddie Memmer
Strategy, then not a lot's gonna happen.
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Leslie Presnell
Or if you just have the strategy and not the implementation and the mindset to go with it, then that's just a pretty strategy sitting there, right?
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Maddie Memmer
Yeah. So I think just, I love that you actually will help your students with crafting social media posts and editing newsletters and editing websites and captions and bios and all these things. It's really helpful. And also just hearing from the other students and learning about their success. And I think the fact that you're also very accessible to your students. Like a lot of programs out there, it's kind of like you get coaching for the time of the live program, but with you it's this ongoing support and also, you know, again, like, get in the room with someone who's done what you want to do. So I think your story is really inspiring. Where you started from and where you are now. And I think that that's really powerful.
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Leslie Presnell
Thank you. So where can we find you?
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Maddie Memmer
So you can find me on Instagram as color chroma.atx. and my website is www.maddiemember. m A D D Y M E M-M M E R.com and I love
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Leslie Presnell
how the dog came in right at the end.
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Yes.
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Like, I'm gonna be on the podcast.
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Maddie Memmer
I got a Chihuahua, you know.
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Leslie Presnell
Sweet. All right. Thank you so much for being here today, Maddie.
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Maddie Memmer
Thanks for having me.
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Leslie Presnell
Hey, if you enjoyed today's episode, I want to invite you to check out my program, the LocalPreneur Academy. This is the only program for small business owners who want to become the local go to in their industry with a steady stream of clients. You can find more information@lesleypressnel.com and I'll see you inside.