"I think everyone already has a personal brand by default – whether they are aware of it or not."
Meet Beate Sifkovits – an award-winning business mindset coach and founder of ALL BOSS. She specifically helps professionals to build & grow a passion-driven, profitable business they absolutely love. After a successful career in marketing in global organizations such as Kellogg’s and Bacardi, leading brands like Grey Goose & Bombay Sapphire, she finally recognized her purpose and true passion and left her corporate job to build a business that will make a difference in people’s lives.
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Tell us a little bit about your current projects. What exciting milestone would you like to share with our readers? (Don’t hesitate to delve into your achievements, they will inspire the audience)
Beate Sifkovits: Despite a successful 15-year career in corporate marketing working for iconic global brands, I have always been on the search for what I wanted to be when I grew up. A journey that a couple of years ago brought me to realisation that my purpose wasn’t going to fall on my lap but that it is up to me to create a life based on my values, my strengths, talents & passions. I decided to take a leap of faith, leave my job and start my own company doing what I love. Best decision of my life. That’s why I am now so passionate about helping others do the same.
This was also motivation for creating the Passion To Profit Summit free virtual event where 20+ experts and thought leaders from around the world shared their biggest secrets to success and tangible strategies & tactics they have used to build their passion-driven businesses. The event ran over 10 days and reached over 300,000 people globally with the intention to inspire, motivate and equip aspiring entrepreneurs to build & grow a successful business they love.
Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? Did you ever consider giving up?
Beate Sifkovits: There have been several challenges and hard times for sure. Firstly, the financial insecurity that often comes with the early stages of growing a business. Not knowing where the next pay cheque would come from for months on end whilst still investing in the business and myself required a lot of trust, surrender and embracing uncertainty.
Another challenge has been overwhelm. There are about one million things we could be doing to drive our business forward and just as many gurus who claim that their way is the best to success. I have discovered that identifying our unique business-building strategy is key, one that is based on your strengths and passions. What we enjoy doing the most is going to make the biggest difference in our business. Owning our uniqueness will also make us stand out in a noisy marketplace. What has really helped me to do that was my coach Mamoon Yusaf, without whom I wouldn’t have been able to come this far. Just like the best brain surgent in the world can’t operate on themselves, we need an objective mirror that will help us reflect, call out our BS and negative self-talk and see aspects of us that we hadn’t discovered by ourselves.
Of course, doubts are a natural side effect of starting your own business but, for me, giving up was never an option. Ever since I have embarked on this journey, I have had a deep inner knowing that this was my life’s mission and reason for being. No salary in the world can pay what this feeling is worth – it’s priceless.
What are the most common mistakes you see entrepreneurs make and what would you suggest they do?
Beate Sifkovits: What I see often is that entrepreneurs dive in headfirst, doing All The Things, without creating a solid foundation, a clear vision and a defined strategy. To then only find themselves back paddling to get the base right. The are putting in all the hours and listing to the experts but the business just doesn’t seem to take off.
It’s really quite simple however. By focusing on a few key areas, you can create an action plan that is so specific to you that you know exactly what to do every single day to accelerate your business and serve your clients like no one else could.
It takes all the guessing game, doubt and procrastination out of the way so you can move forward in the most effective and efficient way that makes the success of your business inevitable and, most importantly, fun!
Another big mistakes I see (especially women) make when it comes to making big decisions in their business, is that they ask people who don’t have what they want or have been where they are, for advice.
Our families, friends and partners do have our best interests at heart, but they are not in our shoes. They cannot look inside of us and see what the right next move for us is, what desires and passions we have deep down and what hidden talents and skills we yet to discover. Therefore, it is so important to work with someone objective to help you focus on what’s right for you and can relate to your situation to guide you along the path.
Resilience is critical in critical times like the ones we are going through now. How would you define resilience?
Beate Sifkovits: As a qualified resilience coach, this topic is very close to my heart. I define resilience as the capacity to adapt positively to pressure, setbacks, challenges, and change in order to achieve peak performance and business results.
The good news is that this skill is not something we are born with – i.e. you either have it or you don’t. It can be improved overtime by actively working on the different components of resilience. It Starts with becoming aware of where your strengths and weaknesses lie and then building from that point forward.
I personally work with a psychometric tool that helps my clients identify where they are at and then we create a strategy around that. It is really about turning challenges into opportunities and not just bouncing back from setbacks, but actually falling forward and improving your business outlook.
What is most important to your organization—mission, vision or values?
Beate Sifkovits: I believe they are equally important and feed into each other. The inner drive that comes from recognising my mission and creating a business & life around that makes all the difference in what I am willing to do in order to stay on this path even when things are tough. It really is my reason for being.
Having a big & exiting vision is what makes me get up in the morning when I really don’t feel like it and motivates me to take all the difficult actions and step out of my comfort zone. Too many people don’t have a clear vision in their minds and therefore find themselves lost or confused along the way, taking the long route to getting where they want to be.
The base of any vision is really our values. I wasn’t even fully aware of what my values were until recent years and wondering why life wasn’t flowing in the way I wanted to. When our values are compromised, life gets hard. But often we are not even aware of them in the first place. So I always build my vision based on my values.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success?
Beate Sifkovits: I’d say:
- Empathy:
Understanding that not everyone would be as excited about my business as me. Respecting their life outside of ‘work’ and valuing them as peers and supporting whatever situation they might find themselves in. That in turn created a feeling of belonging and they put all their best efforts into their work.
- Fostering talent:
Recognizing each team member for their strength and focusing on leveraging these, rather than highlighting weaknesses. People are at their best when they are enjoying what they do – so I always look for ways to make the whole process more fun and lean into what people are passionate about.
- Honesty & integrity:
These traits are hugely important to me. Creating an open save space for everyone to share opinions, new ideas or constructive feedback is such a crucial element in creating a positive and engaging culture.
How important do you think it is for a leader to be mindful of his own brand?
Beate Sifkovits: I think everyone already has a personal brand by default – whether they are aware of it or not. Not having one is not an option. Therefore I do believe consciously creating a brand for ourselves that portrays our values, strength & uniqueness will make huge difference in how you are perceived and will strengthen our leadership position. It will also set the base for creating a company culture by setting an example of authenticity. This can be achieved in simple ways once you increase yourself awareness which is an area I particularly work on with my clients.
How would you define “leadership”?
Beate Sifkovits: For me, leadership is all about authentically sharing and living your mission and creating a vision that inspires others. From that place you make decisions with integrity and constancy. It is about how you show up for your customers, clients, suppliers, employees and for yourself on a daily basis.
I also put huge value on self-awareness and being able to self-reflect, acknowledging blind spots and continuously striving for growth – personally and professionally. At the same time as surrounding yourself with people who compliment your skillset.
It also comes down to recognising and being able to adapt to others – their different ways of working and communication styles. I love working with a tool called Insights Discovery which makes it really simple to identify the most effective way to bring people together behind a common goal & vision. I have seen huge shifts in how teams collaborate and contribute to the overall mission.
What advice would you give to our younger readers that want to become entrepreneurs?
Beate Sifkovits: Firstly, just start somewhere. You don’t need to have it all figured out at the start. So many times, I see people hold themselves back because they don’t know each of the steps along the way. Nobody does – the next step will reveal itself when you start taking action. Also, be wary of the thought ‘I’m not ready’ – you never will be. But the only way to get better and to get to the top of your game is by moving forward and fine-tuning strategy, tactics, skills etc. along the way. I always remind clients that each overnight success is 10 years in the making.
Secondly, look at your strengths and talents – focus on what comes most naturally to you. This is where your gift lies and how you are going to be of the biggest value for your clients & customers. Follow your passions, they know the way!
Thirdly, you don’t have to do it all on your own! We sometimes live under the illusion that if we can’t figure it out on our own, we are not cut out to do it in the first place. It is quite the opposite. Working with a guide, mentor, coach, mastermind will help you identify your unique combo of skillset, talents and passions to create a strategy that is specifically tailored to you. For me, working with a coach has been in integral part of my success.
What’s your favorite “business” quote and how has it affected your business decisions?
Beate Sifkovits: I have two quotes the I live by in my business:
- “Half of what separates successful entrepreneurs and non-successful ones is pure perseverance.” – Steve Jobs.
The entrepreneurial journey is tough – the say the least. But oh so rewarding if you have the stamina to stick through the struggles and challenges. Consistency and embracing failure is key. But too many people give up before all the hard works pays off and they can redeem the rewards for all they have put into this game. I remind myself of that daily – especially when things are not working out the way I had intended or expected to.
- “If work isn’t fun, you are not playing on the right team.” – Frank Sonnenberg
At the end of the day, what’s the point of life if we are not having fun. We spend so much time in our work capacity that whether we enjoy it or not has a huge impact on our quality of life overall. I belief joy is our biggest purpose, so I always say, follow your joy! It has had a huge impact on how I operate my business and how I delegate and outsource certain tasks.
The saying ‘when you enjoy what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life’ rings true to me much more now, being entrepreneur running a passion-driven business.
Mike Weiss, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Beate Sifkovits for taking the time to do this interview and share her knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Beate Sifkovits or her company, you can do it through her – Linkedin Page
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