An entrepreneurial journey full of challenges and personal growth
Judith Elissen is the owner of social media agency Social Media Salland. Three years ago, she made the transition from a salaried career to entrepreneurship. Although she found her passion for supporting entrepreneurs through social media, over time she noticed that she was not getting the energy and satisfaction from her work as before. She was running into certain limits and felt there was more to it, but wasn't sure how to change that. It was a time of making choices.
Judith decided to get in touch with Gerdi Hulsink, an experienced business coach specializing in strategic leadership and value creation. She attended an intensive six-month coaching program at Gerdi, going in depth on her personal and business development. This proved to be a crucial step in her entrepreneurial journey.
Creating space by letting go and making choices
During the coaching process, Judith discovered that she had not factored many things into the growth of her business. Her offerings, pricing and customer relationships were not aligned with her own development and the value she offered. She realized she was too focused on retaining customers, rather than choosing the right customers and services that suited her.
With the support of Gerdi, Judith finally dared to take the difficult step of saying goodbye to a number of clients. This was confronting, but gave her the space and time to build new things. She developed a new range of services, reviewed her pricing and became more selective in taking on clients.
Taking leadership over yourself and your business
It was a challenging process, but Judith found that it restored energy and drive to her business. She learned to take leadership of herself and her business, instead of being led by the wishes of clients. This also meant sometimes daring to say "no" and setting clear conditions.
Judith says, "I really just needed to become more businesslike. I felt great loyalty to my clients, but realized that I had to set my own terms and boundaries in order to do my job well. That was quite exciting at first, but gave me so much new energy in the end."
A new growth strategy and vision for the future
With her renewed mindset and focus, Judith is now ready for the next step in her entrepreneurial journey. She plans to expand her business by offering workshops and trainings from her own location. She is also betting on online visibility and developing online courses.
Her goal is to create more freedom and relaxation without compromising the quality of her services. She wants to focus on the clients that are a good fit for her and where she can add the most value. Judith is confident about the future: "I have learned to make choices, set priorities and take good care of myself. This is essential for sustainable growth."
The importance of investing in yourself as an entrepreneur
Judith stresses the importance for entrepreneurs to invest in their own development. "As an entrepreneur, you have to be willing to invest in yourself. Only then can you really grow, both in your business and in yourself. Gerdi has helped me enormously in taking the right steps and taking my business to the next level. I am very grateful for this valuable collaboration."
For Judith, working with Gerdi was a crucial step in her entrepreneurial journey. Through the combination of personal development and strategic business coaching, she found the space and leadership to take her business to a new level. Her story is an inspiring example for other ambitious entrepreneurs seeking greater freedom, balance and profitable growth.
Dutch