Kris Cavanaugh, Speaker / Author / Executive & Life Coach of SHIFT Inc.
Tell us about your business:
Shift, is a personal and professional development effectiveness organization that offers a variety of products and presentations designed to help others leverage opportunities that others miss in order to fast-track personal and professional goals. Our programs empower people to live their lives on purpose by developing a CEO mindset that affords them greater productivity leading to more success so their businesses, organizations, departments, and personal lives thrive. We typically work with business owners and senior level professionals who want to experience more joy and fulfillment in their life and work, but have been unable to figure out how to make that happen despite many attempts to do so. They understand the importance of investing in themselves through personal/professional development programs and are willing to do whatever it takes to thrive more consistently in every area of their life through utilizing the support of an experienced Executive and Life Coach.
Please tell us what being a business owner means to you and why you became an entrepreneur in the first place?
Choosing to become a business owner was a wonderful decision and even though the last four years have been full of peaks and valleys, I wouldn’t have traded it for anything. I wasn’t looking to become a business owner when I started my “career quest” after walking away from a job that was more trouble than it was worth. Instead I spent two years searching for the right career and completely by accident I heard about the coaching industry. The more I researched the coaching industry, the more I realized it was a perfect fit for my skills and natural abilities. Owning my own business as a Coach was just a benefit – and I’m thankful every day for the freedom I have to create my career as I wish instead of waiting for someone to promote into a position I would love.
What or who has been your greatest influence in business and why?
I have been blessed with a number of great mentors who have helped me grow my business and develop my entrepreneurial skills. However the person that has been the biggest influence is my Dad, who has been an entrepreneur since I was a teenager.
What would you say is your greatest professional accomplishment to date?
Helping others design their life into whatever they want it to be and supporting them as they SHIFT through their circumstances to make it happen.
What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our readers?
Don’t shortchange yourself or your business for any reason. Spend money on growth opportunities and give your business whatever it needs to be successful (especially support staff like virtual assistants who can do all the administrative tasks while you work on business growth activities).
What has been the most effective marketing initiatives or programs you have used to promote your business?
Relationship development activities. Most people don’t need me when they meet me, but over time, after they begin to understand how I can help and often get tired of their circumstances, they’ll remember me and invest in a product, program or presentation to begin to SHIFT their life into whatever they want it to be.
What one thing have you learned as a small business owner that has served you well over the years?
Relationship development and follow up are the key to growing a business.
Are there any resources or tools you’d like to share with other small business owners that have helped you run your business?
Purchase effective customer Relationship Management systems, and invest in trustworthy marketing consultants and business consultants.
Do you have any new projects coming up (or have you just completed a big project ~ reached a milestone, etc.)?
I’ve been giving a lot more presentations this year to companies and organizations across the country around how to prioritize more effectively to create more success in their life and work. I’ve also increased my client load with new clients across the country who are ready to take the next step by investing in themselves to develop a foundation for a thriving quality of life, personally and professionally.
What do you do for fun/relaxation?
Spend time with my husband and friends; read a book; and take naps in the sun.
What is the Number One Business Goal you plan to accomplish over the next year?
Deepen relationships with my network within the U.S. and abroad which will hopefully lead to more clients and more speaking engagements worldwide.
I have written two books:
1) Stuck to C.E.O. (http://www.stucktoceo.com/) about how to develop a C.E.O. mindset in every area of your life to thrive more consistently
2) Making Peace with Menopause (http://www.makingpeacewithmenopause.com/), co-written with Carrie Pierce. The book was created to help women transition more easily through the menopause process.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Investing in yourself is the most important thing you can do, because when YOU are at the top of your game, every part of your life tends to improve….which allows everyone in your life to benefit as well.
Albert Einstein once said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
The life you are experiencing today is based on choices you’ve made and habits you’ve developed throughout your life. What most people don’t realize is over time we get so used to thinking about or doing things in a certain way that we automatically default to the same actions or thought patterns (often without even realizing it!) which produce the same life experiences over and over again. In a nutshell, we get “stuck” in the same life cycle which typically causes us to feel very frustrated and overwhelmed personally and professionally. And when we get “stuck,” our stress levels rise which usually affects others areas of our life as well.
But when you shift your thinking, you’ll be amazed at the things that start to happen!
When you shift your thinking, you’ll have more energy. You’ll meet challenges with creativity and optimism. You’ll take on the unexpected with confidence and enthusiasm.
Creating these new, more productive thought patterns may be the most valuable by-product of developing the C.E.O. mindset.
Just as C.E.O.s enthusiastically take responsibility to ensure their companies achieve their short and long-term goals, people who are successful C.E.O.s of their lives are enthusiastic and empowered to achieve their personal and professional goals and dreams. They know that their life is under their own control. They feel in control because they’ve learned reliable processes for setting, pursuing and achieving their goals…and each time they reach a goal the better they become at overcoming internal and external obstacles that stopped them in the past.
If this information resonates with you, feel free to click here to set up a complimentary meeting to discuss how to “make the SHIFT” to C.E.O. of your life today: http://www.begintoshift.com/pages/maketheshift.
What’s the best way for our readers to connect with you?
Contact Information:
404-551-3601
Kris@BeginToShift.com
Social Media Links:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/kriscavanaugh
http://www.facebook.com/KrisCavanaugh
http://twitter.com/KrisCavanaugh
This Woman in Business interview is one of several interviews with bright successful women WE Magazine for Women is featuring in recognition of Small Business Week. If you would like to share your story, visit: http://www.staging.wemagazineforwomen.com/women/women-in-business/ for more information.
