Meet Shanna … the untold stories

You guys have journeyed with me through all the highs and lows and messy middle moments… I think it’s about time that you get to go behind-the-scenes and hear more of the untold stories that I’ve never shared publicly before (many of which have shaped how these last few years have played out).

While many of you know the highlights of my story, I wanted to share the real behind the highlight reel, including the parts I’ve never shared publicly, and answer the questions you’ve been asking:

“Why did you quit social media?”
“Why did you quit your business?”
“What made you decide to come back?’
“How did you transition from service based to product based”
“Will you leave again?”

And of course… the numbers.

Spoiler Alert: taking a year off, watching from the sidelines of a global pandemic and having my daughter has renewed my passion for entrepreneurship and reminded me why I started this business in the first place. I believe entrepreneurship gives you freedom of time and freedom of money like no other career can and I am beyond blessed to have the opportunity to help others build a business purpose-built around the lifestyle they want.

Dolly Parton says “Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life”. That quote has become somewhat of my business mantra and you’ll see that as a recurring theme throughout my own business journey.

So let’s get into it! (listen below, podcast style for the full version!)

Click Here to Read Full Transcript

Let’s just say it: finance is a male dominated industry. But did you know over 40% of small businesses are started and run by females. It was not lost on me that there was a huge need for females in the finance world, I just didn’t know how to do that. I saw an opportunity, but I didn’t yet know I was the one who would step into that need.

My First Job in the Creative Industry

It was 2011, after working in personal finance for five years, Kyle and I decided to quit our jobs and move to Atlanta Georgia for him to pursue his dream of becoming an aerospace engineer.
I was contacted by a private equity firm (think Shark Tank but not Shark Tank *wink*) to come on board with one of the companies in their portfolio – a startup fashion designer. I was her controller, handling finance and operations of the business, and worked directly under the CFO of the private equity firm. This was my transition in the corporate finance world and my first dip into the world of creative entrepreneurship.

When I began working there the CEO wasn’t taking a salary from the business and the end of year profit was essentially ZERO. (sound familiar anyone?!). I worked for a year and half with the company revamping their pricing structure and manufacturing costs along with day to day operations and I saw a dramatic improvement. By the time I left both the CEO and her business partner were making over $6fig salary each. From zero profit to over $200k in profit in just about 18 months.

Quitting my 9-5 to Pursue a Creative Passion

While working with the fashion designer showed me the huge need for females in the finance world, it also made me realize I wanted to be out from behind the desk and working creatively instead. So I quit that desk job to start schlepping flowers with Amy Osaba.

It didn’t take me long to realize that while I love flowers, floral design isn’t my calling.  It was my second or third event with Amy, after waiting for hours for the dancing to end, breaking down floral installations (outside, in the dark!) on our hour long drive back to Atlanta (at like 1 in the morning) that I looked and Amy and said “Why don’t you have a breakdown crew do this?”

That one question changed my life. Her response, “I can’t afford it”. 

Finding My Calling

For the next year and half I worked with Amy as her controller (without the title!). We completely redid her pricing, proposal process, ordering flowers, hiring freelancers, overhead, operations (and of course a lot of flowers along the way).

When I met Amy she wasn’t taking a steady salary from her business. She was a single parent with three boys living in her mom’s basement barely making ends meet. Just months before we met she had been told by a traditional financial advisor that her business was bankrupt and she should close up shop. Thank goodness she didn’t because within 18 months everything changed. She was taking a $6fig salary, had purchased her own home (with a pool for the boys!), went from 82% cost with little to ZERO profit to over 50% profit on her events.

Does this sound familiar?

I saw it happen all over again: A few simple (but not easy) steps changed the trajectory of her business and both of our lives! 

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So that’s the part of the story that most of you have heard but there is a lot from that point on that may surprise (and even shock!) you.

Want the full story?

From hitting six-figures on my very first online course launch, to the experience that almost broke me… for the full unedited version, listen to the full episode on the player above!

Thanks so much for listening to My Story! I hope this encourages you along your journey, I’m over here cheering you on and of course we’d be honored to work with you as you build the business of your dreams!

xo,

Shanna