Meet Karen Jacobsen, The GPS Girl… a determined and talented woman in business!
Tell us about your business:
Through my brand The GPS Girl® I speak, sing and consult for clients who want to work out what they want and make a plan to achieve it. I do this through keynote presentations, books and one-on-one strategy sessions. My message of “recalculating” in life and business is a broad one, but working and consulting with women in the 27-40 age group on how to integrate their professional and personal lives is a favorite of mine.
Please tell us what being a business owner means to you and why you became an entrepreneur in the first place?
My Dad was an entrepreneur and together he and my Mom built three successful businesses while raising my sister and I in a regional town in Northern Australia. It was always my intention to be a business owner when I grew up, and getting my start in the music industry was an asset that furthered my entrepreneurial spirit to do just that.
What or who has been your greatest influence in business and why?
My business coach Mark LeBlanc of Small Business Success has been a major influence these past three years, guiding me as I took an idea and developed it into a beloved and global brand.
What would you say is your greatest professional accomplishment to date?
I wouldn’t have recognized it as an accomplishment if it hadn’t been pointed out to me repeatedly, but I would say it was taking that one voice-over job and out of it building an empowerment brand and persona, all of which was built out of that one job, turning into an unexpected and exciting success!
What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our readers?
Track your numbers. Even if you don’t feel you have numbers worth tracking, or if you don’t feel it is important, clarity around your numbers will inform absolutely everything else on every level. It is never too soon or too late to do this.
What has been the most effective marketing initiatives or programs you have used to promote your business?
Would you believe I have had tremendous success with cold calling? Singing the national anthem at an international rugby game to 52,000 people came from a single cold call to the right person.
What one thing have you learned as a small business owner that has served you well over the years?
To listen to my Inner GPS. I remember deciding I was going to move to New York from Sydney, Australia in 2000, and having so many negative responses. To others, I had a great life and successful business in Australia and they could not understand why I would “leave all that” to move to the uncertainty of a new life in the big apple. I listened to what I knew was right for me, and I find that has always paid off. Even when everyone around me does not get it, if I follow my Inner GPS good things unfold.
Are there any resources or tools you’d like to share with other small business owners that have helped you run your business?
I’m going to mention Mark LeBlanc again, as his book “Growing Your Business” has been monumental in my every day business building strategy. Before I read this book, I wasn’t ever quite sure I was doing the right things on a daily basis, but Mark outlines clear daily practices to build a business. I recently read the book “The Slight Edge” by Jeff Olsen, which also blew me away. Making plans and working out how to get to your destination in life is my specialty, but he opened my eyes to just how much of a difference the very small tasks every day can make in business and in life.
Do you have any new projects coming up? If so, please tell us about it.
I just delivered a one day live event in New York City – “Recalculate Your Best Year Yet,” which guided the participants through creating outcomes across 7 areas of life and supported them to take care of their personal lives to set the foundation for success in their professional lives. It was a blast. I’m prepping the second season of my web series Navigating New York and am also in the process of completing my new book, “Recalculate.” So yes, these are busy times for my business and brand!
What do you do for fun/relaxation?
I love yoga and traveling with my husband and our six-year-old son. Regular massages are a must, and my family loves to cook and bring like-minded people together.
What is Number One Business Goal you plan to accomplish over the next year?
Releasing my new book is the number one right now. I cannot wait to share the message of “Recalculating” in a broader way to an even wider audience.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I think the number one roadblock I have faced is negative thinking. I’m an optimist and a solution oriented person, but even so it has been a process to truly allow myself to believe I can consistently achieve the results I am out to achieve. I don’t think I am alone, and would encourage you to surround yourself with solution oriented people and resources and create a support structure to accomplish exactly what you are committed to.
What’s the best way for our readers to connect with you ?
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thegpsgirl
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegpsgirl
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenjacobsen
I would love to connect with you, so please reach out!
-Karen Jacobsen – The GPS Girl®
