From £30k Debt to Millions: The Journey to Success This entrepreneur reveals the strategies, mindset shifts, and key lessons that fuelled her rapid growth, offering invaluable insights for anyone looking to build and scale their own business.
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In this exclusive Entrepreneur UK interview, Lisa Johnson, a UK based multi-seven-figure business strategist, reveals how she catapulted her business from a crushing £30,000 debt to a thriving, multi-seven-figure empire in less than four years.
What inspired you to start your business?
A number of reasons really. Firstly, after having my twin sons, I went back to work as a PA and was unfulfilled in my job. I knew I had it in me create something for myself, and that resulted in my first business as a wedding planner. When this business became fully booked with perfect clients I attracted the attention of other wedding planners who wanted to know how I had done it in such a short space of time, and that was when the seed of what I do now was sown. I learnt about ideal client and branding and messaging and helped them to learn this too. Unfortunately this meant that soon I was working even more hours and never seeing my kids, which was when I started learning about passive and semi passive income streams which has led me to where I am now as a Business Strategist. So, the biggest inspiration for becoming a strategist with an expertise in passive income streams is simple. To help people to stop trading time for money by making use of the skills and knowledge they already possess.
What was your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?
Ther have been plenty. Starting a business while £30k in debt was one of the first, but I think the biggest challenge, and I am still working on overcoming it, is really getting through to people that passive income does not mean shady pyramid schemes and MLMs. That you can be ethical and profitable at the same time. That do not have to resort to sleazy bro marketing tactics. I'm getting there, but there is still work to be done!
How did you secure your initial funding?
I had no investors, no partner to bankroll me and no nest egg to invest. I was £30k in debt with toddler twins when I started out, thanks to some poorly researched investments in coaches who did not back up their promises with substance. So, undeterred I created a business model that needed virtually no assets other than me and my knowledge.
How do you handle failure or setbacks?
I like to keep a slightly altered version of a classic quote in my head "But what if I fall? Yeah, you will. Falling is the least of your worries. This isn't Dancing on Ice." Reframing failure as learning is a cliched thing to do but it is fundamentally based in truth. If you analyse what went wrong, why it went wrong and how to stop it happening again, the learning becomes a positive rather than the failure becoming a negative. I also remind myself that I am one of only a very small percentage of the population who had the guts to start their own business so I am already winning!
What advice would you give to someone starting their own business?
1.Take the time to get to know your ideal client.
2. Make sure everything you do, your branding, your messaging, your copy sounds like you and reflects who you are – warts and all.
3. Get visible. Do not let your nerves or your ego stop you. This means consistently not constantly.
4. Do not compare yourself to others – comparisons are always unfair because we are comparing the worst we know about ourselves to the best we presume about others.
5. Do not worry if someone else is already doing what you do - have you seen how many hairdressers there are in every high street?! Do it your way to attract your ideal clients and you will succeed.
How do you stay motivated during tough times?
Share your tips for achieving success….
I try to take a step back and count my blessings. A roof over my head, a happy marriage, beautiful kids, great friends and I get to do a job that even ten years ago would have seemed impossible! Plus, I am fortunate that working inspires me, so when times are tough, I become extra motivated and creative.
