Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Polak.
Amy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
When my husband and I started our business coaching company, we were newlyweds. We loved business and we loved helping people. When we heard about Business Coaching, about 11 years ago, it was very new and was not well known. We were very young and had major doubts, but thought it would be worth giving it a go. We started out with a Business Coaching Franchise and received training and all the material we would need to get started. So, we started out strong and ran full steam ahead. Starting a business is difficult. Being newlyweds is difficult. Combining the two, a train wreck! We were struggling, big time. Not only financially, but also in our relationship. So, we decided to separate from the business so we could work on our marriage. He continued to work in the business while I worked and gained and developed my own experience. During that time, I worked with horrible leaders, and great leaders! I got to experience first hand the two different leadership styles and reflected on the differences. Also, during that time, I started a small side business with a direct selling company, selling jewelry. I grew a profitable team, where I was able to further my skills in coaching, mentoring, and encouraging. At that time, I was also working for a non-profit organization and was a Program Director, in which I managed about 50 teams, I gained valuable skills with interviewing, hiring, firing, coaching, mentoring, encouraging, and holding people accountable. I grew in my leadership style and began incorporating all the positive traits from the good leaders I had in my life at that time. I also started an organization that reaches out to women trapped in the Adult Entertainment Industry, HOPE, to give them hope and show them another path for their life.
After being with the franchise for about four-five years, we decided to break away from the franchise and start our own business coaching company. And that’s when EntreResults was born!
About a year later, my husband and I decided to start a family! I got pregnant and had a beautiful baby boy. I continue working at a Program Director, selling jewelry, and leading HOPE. I had too much going on and wasn’t able to keep all the ball in the air. At that point, I decided to quit everything and focus on being a mom, wife, and homemaker. One thing I learned about being a stay at home mom… it is hard!!! It’s a lot of work being a stay a home mom, but a lot of fun too. During that time, we decided to have another child, and I got pregnant with my second child, a beautiful baby girl. As I was taking care of my children, I wasn’t able to just be a stay a home mom! I started another business, called Charm & Rock Luxury Jewelry, where I sell high-end name brand jewelry and diamonds at a wholesale cost. I also got back into EntreResults and started working with my husband again in the back office. I was responsible for the financials, content creation, workshop prep, and anything in between.
When our daughter turned one, I was ready to get back in the saddle and start working full time. I love mentoring, coaching, encouraging and watching people grow. I decided to get back in full time as a business coach with our company. Now, our relationship is solid. We use all the business tools we’ve created to help other people in our own business. And, we’ve learned how to communicate with each other in a positive way and our roles are clearly defined. One of our Guiding Principles is “We do what we ask our clients to do”, and we certainly do. I’ve been able to help couples that are struggling in their personal relationships and help them to get better in their business. I’m working with women business owners and male business owners. I have clients all over the united states and Canada. Recently, I was able to conduct a live webinar for a company in Egypt, TDF Architects. To help them to understand what internal communication looks like with each other, how to best work with people who are your opposites, and how to work together as a cohesive team. We also discussed what communication looks like in sales and danger zones to look out for when working with someone that is your opposite. We help companies become aligned with their leadership team, and develop a plan on how to push it down to their staff. We developed our own Strategic Execution planner that makes business planning simple and easy to implement.
We at EntreResults have created all of our own proprietary materials and tools to help business owners stay focused, create clarity, and help them create internal infrastructure in their business so they can scale, and have purpose and balance in their personal lives. Our mission is to give mission-minded people the platform to serve the world. We started our business so we would be able to live on mission, have balance and true freedom to serve the world in our own way, and we wanted to be able to give that same opportunity to people who are struggling with being prisoners in their own business and help them to gain freedom to live the life they want to live. Lastly, we truly want anyone who wants coaching to have the opportunity to get it! We created an online coaching program that allows individuals to utilize the same tools we use with our clients to gain clarity and focus on their business. They are able to work ON the business, and not get lost working IN the business. We can tailor a coaching program for certain size businesses, and we also have monthly workshops for smaller businesses that are looking to grow and scale.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has absolutely not been a smooth road. If you’re a growing business, you can and should expect to have obstacles and challenges in the business. At every stage in a business, you will hit a glass ceiling. Usually, when you hit that ceiling, it means you’re ready for growth! That can be scary, and exciting at the same time. It’s important to identify what you truly value in life, and why your business exists. Of course, we all want to make money, but what is the core reason for your business, and how is it feeding your personal life to live the life you want?! Take some time to think through a solid mission/purpose statement for your business. Your business is a completely separate entity from yourself. YOU are NOT your business. Think through, Why does this business exist? What would be missing from this world if I was not running this business? Look internally at yourself and make a list of why people would want to do business with you. Think through what would your businesses core values and guiding principles be? Believe it or not, all these things really make up the essence of your business and will create an internal motivation to help you to keep moving forward. Business is like putting together a puzzle, you just have to keep trying different things to see what works. Write down your goals, and what activity you need to do to accomplish that goal. Review and look at your goals every day! Lastly, don’t let your business consume you. Put healthy boundaries around your personal space, and cherish the people closest to you.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about EntreResults: Business, Family Business & Life Coaching – what should we know?
I put a lot of this information in the first part, about our story.
What I’m most proud of is that we are family owned and operated. I’m proud that all the tools and material we have is our own. I’m proud of our commitment and dedication to living out our core values and our mission and truly help people professionally and personally.
What sets us apart from others are the items I’m most proud of. We also have the most 5 star reviews on Google!
Finding a mentor and building a network are often cited in studies as a major factor impacting one’s success. Do you have any advice or lessons to share regarding finding a mentor or networking in general?
Finding a mentor can be challenging. You have to always be on the lookout. That person has to want to invest their time and knowledge into you, be excited about your growth and celebrate with you. You obviously have to like each other and have a kind of friendship.
All types of networking are beneficial. You have to visit various places to see what you feel is the best fit for yourself. Where do you feel comfortable, and is the lead sharing reciprocal.
I’m currently in a woman’s only networking group, and it has worked out very well for me. It’s a smaller group and the speakers are from our own group. Networking is all about the relationships. Find a place where you can build good relationships and people who like to pass referrals.
Contact Info:
- Address: 5773 Woodway Dr. 2, Houston, TX 77057
- Website: www.entreresults.com
- Phone: 2817251325
- Email: amy@entreresults.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entreresultsbiz/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EntreResults
- Other: http://entreresultsacademy.com/
Image Credit:
Sharon Nicole
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