"You should be proud of the legacy you leave, and your business should be of integrity."
Lindsey Johnson is a Success and Business Coach to creative & ambitious women of faith who are looking to start and grow their own profitable and soul-aligned businesses. She is the host of the Fruitful Women in Business Podcast, which helps women to discover their true callings and turn their passions into profits. Her online courses, newsletters, e-books, and social media content have impacted thousands of women across the globe, inspiring them to live passionate, soul-aligned lives that are better than their dreams.
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Table of Contents
Thank you for joining us today. Please introduce yourself to our readers. They want to know you, some of the background story to bring some context to your interview.
Lindsey Johnson: Thank you for having me! I’m Lindsey Johnson, and I’m a Success and Business Coach to creative and ambitious women of faith, who are looking to escape the 9-5 and start their own profitable, soul-aligned businesses.
For the longest time, I did everything society told me to do. I worked hard in school, went to a good college, and got a stable job working in an office. Things were great at first, but I eventually felt like something was missing. I knew I was meant for something more than just waiting for the weekend, and to quote the movie Office Space, “listening to eight different bosses drone on about mission statements.” I knew I wanted to help people, especially women – but I didn’t know how! Whenever I took a career test at school, nothing ever really “spoke” to me. I knew I was made for big things, and sitting in a cubicle every day from 9 am – 6 pm wasn’t fulfilling what I hoped to do in this life.
After a bunch of management changes and tons of new policies implemented, I felt like a prisoner. The tipping point for me to take action was after a coworker got sick and passed away in his early 50’s. I thought, “If I don’t do something now – that could be me.” The day after he passed, someone slammed into me while I was waiting at a stop sign.
That was the moment I knew I had to take action to change my life. During the time I spent healing my injuries, I dusted off my business books from college, dove back into entrepreneurship, and studied everything I could to determine what I wanted to do. I took courses, hired a coach, and was ready for change.
I became a life coach and sold online courses about what I was passionate about at the time (which were aromatherapy, herbalism, and natural living). I grew my email list (to over 20,000 subscribers in just 2 months), developed courses, ran webinars, and even sold print-on-demand items. Now, my mission is to help women who feel lost find clarity and start their online businesses, because I believe that life is far too short and precious to spend time merely existing, instead of truly living.
You are a successful entrepreneur, so we’d like your viewpoint, do you believe entrepreneurs are born or made? Explain
Lindsey Johnson: I believe that deep down, every person yearns for personal freedom. However, the majority of us are conditioned from a young age to grow up to be an excellent employee, not an entrepreneur. Therefore, most entrepreneurs are not born.
Instead, entrepreneurs are made by identifying their subconscious beliefs and becoming dedicated to rewriting them. However, many people CAN be born with an entrepreneurial spirit of charisma, confidence, gumption, and perseverance. Yet, they don’t even realize they can apply those qualities to enrich their own lives and the lives of others by starting their own business.
If you were asked to describe yourself as an entrepreneur in a few words, what would you say?
Lindsey Johnson: Big-picture thinker, dedicated, adaptable, people-focused, optimistic, and ambitious.
Tell us about what your company does and how did it change over the years?
Lindsey Johnson: My company has been entirely online, and offers online courses and digital products, through a one-to-many business model. When I first started, I only offered 1-1 coaching. I soon learned that I could only scale that so far because my ultimate resource (time) was limited.
As it grew, I decided to create more streams of income by incorporating print-on-demand physical products done through a fulfillment center, and that has been great because I haven’t had to physically store any product myself.
Thank you for all that. Now for the main focus of this interview. With close to 11.000 new businesses registered daily in the US, what must an entrepreneur assume when starting a business?
Lindsey Johnson: Starting an online business is very different from starting a brick-and-mortar business. The “if you build it, they will come” adage doesn’t apply, because you have to make people come. No one can buy from you if they don’t know you exist, so don’t assume everyone knows you exist or wants/needs what you have to offer.
So many people see YouTube videos about “How to Start Your Own Online (Fill-in-the-Blank Product) Business,” and they think that their dropshipping or print-on-demand business will sell thousands of products without actually building a brand and reputation first. Then, they get discouraged and quit (because people like instant gratification).
There’s a reason why big brands spend tons of money on developing their brand, product testing & development, and marketing.
Did you make any wrong assumptions before starting a business that you ended up paying dearly for?
Lindsey Johnson: I underpriced my initial offerings, because of my lack of prosperity mindset beliefs in the beginning. I quickly learned that people follow through on things they invest more of their money into because it is symbolic of their time and effort spent towards earning that money.
From my online course dashboards, I saw that hardly anyone completed the lower-priced or free offerings, while the majority of people completed the higher-priced offerings. Therefore, the higher-priced offerings made a better impact.
If you could go back in time to when you first started your business, what advice would you give yourself and why? Explain
Lindsey Johnson: I would tell myself to not be so reserved and risk-averse! In the beginning, I lacked clarity regarding whether I was on the right path or not, so it was difficult for me to sell my offers with confidence.
I would also tell myself that everything happens as it should and that one day I would finally gain clarity on what I’m meant to accomplish and what impact I’m meant to have on the world.
What is the worst advice you received regarding running a business and what lesson would you like others to learn from your experience?
Lindsey Johnson: The worst advice I’ve received is that passion doesn’t matter when starting a business, and profitability matters most. If you’re immersed every day in your business, it needs to be something you’re passionate about; you’ll be bored and unfulfilled.
Humans need deep fulfillment to feel like they’re being of purpose. Only focusing on what sells, regardless of whether you care about it – won’t fulfill you. You should be proud of the legacy you leave, and your business should be of integrity.
In your opinion, how has COVID-19 changed what entrepreneurs should assume before starting a business? What hasn’t changed?
Lindsey Johnson: COVID-19 has accelerated the demand for utilizing automation/robotics, and pivoting to the online space (as opposed to having only a brick-and-mortar business model). With the lack of people available to work, business owners should look into how they can use technology to outsource more tasks.
New entrepreneurs should consider whether their product or service could eventually be replaced through new technology or robotics, and perhaps rethink their offerings to those that can’t be replaced in the future.
Additionally, employees are rethinking their careers and occupations, because the pandemic has reminded many that life is short and tomorrow isn’t promised. Because of this, many people are starting businesses of their own and there will be more and more competition.
New business owners should realize that more competition is healthy because it requires you to stand out and be as authentic as possible because that’s what draws customers/clients to you. Gaining clarity on your long-term goals, building a business that’s in alignment with your values, and being authentic are all things that haven’t changed.
What is a common myth about entrepreneurship that aspiring entrepreneurs and would-be business owners believe in? What advice would you give them?
Lindsey Johnson: A common myth that holds many people back from starting a business is that they are not qualified to start a business. Many people are apprehensive to step into entrepreneurship because they lack formal education, such as a business degree. You don’t need a business degree to start a business.
When I was in business school, I noticed that all of my professors had one thing in common: none of them had ever built a business. Professors only teach principles and best practices, and many of them are not future-oriented. I even had a professor for a business capstone class who said Blockbuster would survive Netflix. This was in 2009. This could’ve made sense in 2003.
Business professors don’t have all of the answers, and getting a degree doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be successful. The only class I took that taught people how to start a business was Entrepreneurship 101, which was an elective that not everyone took. The majority of college business classes teach you how to be a knowledgeable employee or manager, but not an actual business owner. You’re better off finding someone who has done exactly what you wish to do and learning from them. Because they’ve done it.
What traits, qualities, and assumptions do you believe are most important to have before starting a business?
Lindsey Johnson: Before you start a business, you should have a strong understanding of your core values. If you lack clarity around who you are or what you stand for, you’ll likely have trouble making decisions. You don’t need to be an otherworldly visionary, but you should have a clear vision of what you hope to achieve, who your target market is, and how your product or service will enrich your customers’ lives.
Having adaptability is also required because things change. People change. Technology changes. You need to be able to adapt your business to the changing needs of people and the world. Don’t get “married” to what you create, or refuse to make changes or updates. If your business stagnates, it’ll perish.
Resilience is also important as a business owner because you will fail. You will make mistakes. The difference between businesses that ultimately fail and those that succeed is the amount of resilience the owners have. When you stumble, you’ll need to be able to get back up, reflect on what went wrong, commit to change, and decide how you’ll move forward.
How can aspiring leaders prepare themselves for the future challenges of entrepreneurship? Are there any books, websites, or even movies to learn from?
Lindsey Johnson: I encourage aspirating entrepreneurs to join online communities of people who are trying to accomplish similar goals.
So many people get discouraged because their friends and family don’t understand their goals and vision. This is why I highly recommend joining groups on Facebook, Reddit, and/or Telegram for aspiring and existing entrepreneurs. It’s comforting and energizing when others share their wins because it lets you know what’s possible!
There are so many books, podcasts, and websites that discuss entrepreneurship, so it’s best to niche down and find mentors you aspire to be like – and consume everything they offer. I’m personally motivated by all of John C. Maxwell’s books on motivation and leadership, as well as “Success is for You” by Dr. David R. Hawkins.
I also love the movie “Walt Before Mickey” which depicted the struggle of Walt Disney as he overcame massive struggles when his company was just starting. It boldly displayed his perseverance and refusal to give up on his grand vision.
You have shared quite a bit of your wisdom and our readers thank you for your generosity but would also love to know: If you could choose any job other than being an entrepreneur, what would it be?
Lindsey Johnson: Wow, this is an interesting question! I would have to choose to be an opera singer!
My natural singing voice is a soprano, and I’ve had classical voice training in the past. I love singing and performing, but I still don’t think I’d trade that for what I’m doing now!
Thank you so much for your time, I believe I speak for all of our readers when I say that this has been incredibly insightful. We do have one more question: If you could add anyone to Mount Rushmore, but not a politician, who would it be; why?
Lindsey Johnson: Thanks again for having me! It was a pleasure.
This is too funny because a couple of weeks ago I was watching National Treasure 2 and thought, “Why don’t they add more people to Mount Rushmore?”
I would have to say Dolly Parton because she is a national treasure.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Lindsey Johnson 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 Lindsey Johnson or her company, you can do it through her – Facebook
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