Don’t Feed the Monster: Building a Business on Your Own Terms

A wife of 24 years, a mother of 6 homeschooled children, and a once-bankrupt owner of a now 6-figure business, Shayla Boyd-Gill is a family, freedom, and affluence mentor; the creator of the Luxe Your Business Sales System; and a sales strategist supporting women entrepreneurs. Her focus is on stewarding high-quality sales prospects to make more money with less work so that her clients have more time and energy to focus on themselves and their families.

In the Building The Business of Your Dreams episode of BOSS™ Talk, my guest Shayla Boyd-Gill motivated us to build the businesses of our dreams and challenged us to do it all on our own terms.

From Rags…

Shayla has been an entrepreneur for more than 18 years, starting out her career as a childbirth educator, doula, and lactation expert after she noticed many of the women in her community were having negative experiences with childbirth.

In a service-based field with so many givers, there was an overall discomfort around asking for money. Shayla’s ability to monetize her services helped her stand out as a professional and become successful in the industry.

But just because Shayla was good at making money didn’t mean she was good at managing money. She always found herself needing more, even though her calendar was regularly booked full. Not only was she broke, but she had almost no time or energy to devote to herself and her family.

To Riches…

Declaring bankruptcy and being close to burnout, Shayla knew she needed to find a different way to run her business. Specifically, she realized she needed to shift her mindset and implement systems around her time.

Why, even though her calendar was full with sales calls, did she constantly feel like she was struggling with cash flow? An epiphany hit - just because the hours were booked didn’t mean they were filled with quality leads that were likely to close and bring in money. Shayla also shifted her business focus to something with more predictable hours - coaching other women entrepreneurs by teaching from her own mistakes.

“Babies don't have a schedule. Babies would show up when they want to show up,” said Shayla. “And typically it's the middle of the morning, two o'clock in the morning. The phone's ringing; I'm sleeping with the phone - my life was disrupted.”

Having a more predictable schedule allowed Shayla to set firmer boundaries around her time. Along with blocking off dedicated time for herself and her family on a regular basis, she also takes off the last week of each month and gives herself an entire month off each year to go on a relaxing vacation and recharge.

Once Shayla stopped equating time with money, she noticed her sales seemed to flow in with less work. She spent more time focused on nurturing qualified leads instead of simply filling her calendar.

“When I stopped associating time with money, I started to flourish, my business started to flourish. Because I understood that I don’t have to work hard to make money. I needed to work a little smarter.”

Energy Shifting

Shayla rejects the word “balance.” For her, work/life balance looks more like “energy shifting,” or directing the limited well of energy she has to where it’s needed most in that moment. Sometimes that’s her business, sometimes it’s her family, and sometimes it’s herself.

To master energy shifting, Shayla teaches her clients that they have to let go of the guilt around taking time away from their businesses and be fully present once they’ve chosen to devote their energy to a particular area. What does this look like in practice?

• Seeking out similar intentions: Does the way a potential client, vendor, or employee conduct their business align with how you’d ideally want to run your own? Do those you work with respect the boundaries you’ve set?

• Remaining consistent: When making changes to your business systems, remember that it will take time to realize results. Commit, and don’t be afraid to “be a little wobbly until you get it right.”

• Finding your secret sauce: “Not every magical way is your way,” Shayla said. Find what works for you and your business, and don’t be afraid to start slow.

“You can build something you absolutely love, or you can build a monster. I wanted to build something I loved that would bring me money with ease.”

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Connect with Shayla by visiting her website and signing up for her Luxe Your Business Masterclass designed to show entrepreneurs how to make more money with less work: http://shaylaboydgill.com/luxe-your-business

Schedule a complimentary call with the host of BOSS™ Talk, La’Vista Jones, to learn how you can fulfill the vision and take care of the visionary.