In this transparent and frank episode Lori Konkler of Xennial Traveler explores how personally challenging and fulfilling the life of an entrepreneur can be and reveals the most powerful asset you probably don’t know you already have!
Scott Ritzheimer
Hello, hello, and welcome once again to the latest and greatest episode of the secrets of the high demand coach podcast and I am here with yet another high demand coach, and that is Miss Laurie concolor. Now, Laurie is a, just in the short period of time that I’ve gotten to know her she’s a force to be reckoned with, I have loved so much I feel like I read a couple things before we got started. And I feel like I know her so well already. And I’m so excited about this episode, because we’re all gonna get to learn a lot more about her now. She’s a powerful catalyst for entrepreneurs who are ready to level up in their business and take control of their personal brand. As the founder of zeneo traveler, she has helped business owners around the world go from startup to scaling. Back in 2016, she ditched her nine to five corporate job as a Director of Sales and Marketing for a fortune 500 company to seek out a new life of freedom working on her time, her pace, and on her terms from anywhere in the world. And she’s living it out. You know, we get people who say this, and they’re like me recording from, you know, the studio in their basement. But I love to ask folks, before we get started, where are you working from? And I asked Laurie what state she was working from. And it got a little awkward because she wasn’t working from a state. So Laurie, thank you so much for being here. I’m so excited about this conversation. Why don’t you tell us what not state you’re working from? And then why don’t you tell us a little bit about your story? How did you get into coaching? And why?
Lori Konkler
Yeah, absolutely. So the the not state that I am coming to you from today is St. Croix, which is that the US Virgin Islands, a tiny little island in the Caribbean, and this theme. So yes, I am very blessed to be living this life. As you said, you know, back in 2016, I ditched the corporate light for the first time, I will tell you, it was not the last time that I ended up in a corporate. But, you know, I have actually, there’s a couple of things that led me down this path and brought me to where I am today. The first one being, you know, I had seen my aunt, who was my mom’s baby sister. Yes, she was in her 50s Just to two years prior to meet have taken that leap. She had passed away suddenly. And her and my uncle, they had been building their dream home up on the Lakeview and had made all these plans to retire. And she never was able to fulfill those dreams. And I just had this this pole to, and I’d known it before this, but that was just kind of the thing that reminded me that life is short. And there’s no reason that we need to wait till we’re 6570 years old to actually enjoy our lives. So that was number one.
And then number two was I went on a month long vacation, which I had saved all of my vacation time for even taking a little bit unpaid time off. To take that amazing adventure over across the world, spent some time in New Zealand visiting one of my closest friends, and also spent some time in Fiji and then returned back to Wisconsin in the winter. And anybody that is familiar with Wisconsin, or just the Midwest or part of the US in general, it is not a good place to be in the winter. So we came back in February, just like you know, why am I doing this? Why am I living this life. It’s not like I hated my job. I knew I enjoyed it. I loved the people that I worked with, but it wasn’t challenging me in the same way. And I wasn’t I wasn’t gonna be able to take another day off ultimately even for like a doctor’s appointment for like a year because I used everything that I had. So that was the moment at which I was like, okay, something has to change, something has to shift. And three, four months later, after returning from that trip, we were on a plane, my husband and I hit quit our jobs. And so while three months after that time, I started my first business in preparation for leaving my job. And you know that the rest is history, we actually headed here to the Virgin Islands, which was kind of where this adventure started. And like I said, within the first few months, you know, I had started my business, which was planning, destination weddings and events. And then my husband had started his business, which was designing and building furniture.
So there was definitely ups and downs in the journey. And I did actually end up going back to the nine to five because we have to we have to make ends meet and sometimes, you know, I’ve had to have those conversations with clients sometimes like, do you want to be so stubborn that you’re unwilling to go back to that? Or do you want to get the things that you need to actually make it happen? So I’ve made it happen. I went back to work. And I was actually then forced to make a decision because I was laid off unexpectedly pulled into a room with a They’re people and told, here you go, here’s a little envelope. And this is your last day. So fast forward three and a half years. Here I am, I’ve been self employed ever since that day. I didn’t make that decision lightly. I definitely started looking for jobs. But the idea that just was like, No, I don’t want to do this. So it’s we have to make it work, we have to make our businesses work somehow. And that was kind of, you know, the catalyst that really pushed me into the coaching space as well, because I was forced to figure out how to run my businesses and how to do everything.
And I came from a background in sales and marketing. But how did actually like start getting those clients and build that life that I wanted for myself? Because yeah, so on the outside is living in paradise. But I was living paycheck to paycheck or not even paycheck, because it wasn’t coming in unemployment, check the unemployment check at that point. And something had to change. And within two months, I had secured a contract on a retainer basis that I still have today. It’s grown from where it was there. But it allowed me to be self employed, doing consulting in areas that I was very knowledgeable. And then I just kind of grew from there. And then I also am still doing the wedding planning. And I just decided that I needed to help other people realize that they could make that a reality. They could have that. So sorry, that was a really long story.
Scott Ritzheimer
It’s it was fantastic. There’s there’s so many questions that I have. I’m trying to whittle it down here. But so this one’s interesting to me. What would you say? Actually, let me rewind before I start, when would you have started your coaching business the second time around, if you hadn’t been laid off? Do you think you would have started that by now?
Lori Konkler
I would like to say yes. Because ultimately, like I knew that I wanted this freedom before it was ever laid off. Right. And that was the whole reason that I quit my job. And I wanted to live life on my terms. And I did actually want to help other people do it from beginning from day one of that. And it actually I started a travel blog. So like, alongside the furniture business and the wedding planning, and started a travel blog, which is does entail traveler, and that’s where the name of my company actually came from, because I had started that travel blog, and I thought I was going to help people that way. And then I recognized that I didn’t want to be the blogger. And I was like exploring these other things that I could do to really help people to recognize that they did not have to live the American dream, you know, they didn’t have to live life a certain way they could do whatever they wanted. So I would like to think that I would still have ended up here. But maybe not all the same timeframe.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah. And so in light of that, what would you say if you could go back and say something to your corporate self the second time around right before the layoff? Let’s say that that wasn’t going to happen, but you now have access to the life that you live now. What suggestion would you give? And I’m asking this, because I’m sure there’s people listening who have started a company and failed. And they’re back in the corporate grind, right? And they, they realize they’re wondering, I’m not cut out for the corporate grind. I don’t like this, I failed. I don’t think I’m an entrepreneur, how do I What advice would you give to that person listening today?
Lori Konkler
So I think first off that, to listen to yourself, listen to your own intuition, listen to your gut instincts, whatever you want to call them. Because I think what happens to so many people and I saw this in myself, I see it with so many clients, and just people that I meet too, that are in this space, that they’re trying all of the things that they’re just like this method that that method, taking all of these courses, spending a buttload of money and things, and then they’re not getting results, it’s not working. And they’re like this person, it worked for that person. And I need to do it this way and that way, and you’re just throwing spaghetti at the wall trying to figure everything out. But in reality 99% of the time you have the knowledge you have the expertise that you need, you just don’t have the confidence in yourself, like you’re not owning your own power and what you are actually capable of. So a successful marketing plan, it starts with you, it starts with you being confident in yourself. And when you can show up authentically as yourself and your business and in your brand. People start to listen, and then they want to buy from you. And then the money starts to come a lot more easily. So I would say just trust yourself. Trust yourself. Like it’s about creating customized strategies that work for you. And the way you want to do business. You don’t have to do it the way anybody else did. You don’t have to.
Scott Ritzheimer
So good. That’s so good. I was just on a different podcast and was asked the question is like, what’s the best lead generation strategy? Well, it’s like, yeah, there’s some that are working better than others. There’s a lot of wrong lead generation static chatter. Geez. But the best advice that I’ve ever been given is go do what you’re already doing. Right? If you’re on social media all the time, then use social media strategies. But if you’re not, if you’re a dinosaur, like, you know, like I am, in many ways, like it’s not, it’s not natural, I don’t sit on there and browse and comment and like and do all these things. It’s, it’s not a fun activity for me. And so it’s just all work. There are other strategies that match my personal, you know, makeup and desires better. And so finding the one that fits you, I think, is what you’re saying. And yeah, I can’t find better advice. Now. There’s still a grind in it. Right? Just because it’s natural doesn’t mean it’s not work. But it’s a lot easier to grind on something that you enjoy doing, fundamentally, rather than.
Lori Konkler
Absolutely. And you know, what you said, it makes a great point to like, what’s the best strategy? It’s the one that feels the best for you and feels the most aligned? And yes, absolutely, like, business is work it you know, and forgive me for being blunt. But you know, I hear so many people, and mostly women, and I’m a woman. So I could say this, you know, talking about how they just want passive income, and they just want to work like five hours a week, and yet they want to make millions of dollars. Well, so does everybody. And sometimes it happens that easily. But 99% of the time, you’re going to be working 40 5060 hours a week, when you’re starting your business, to get to that point, it’s not saying you can’t be there, but you have to put in the work to get your business to where you want to be before it can just run on autopilot. It doesn’t just happen miraculously. Yeah.
Scott Ritzheimer
And I think, to an extent, like, it’s like, well, of course, right. But for so many people who are down in it, when it doesn’t happen automatically. They feel like they kind of compute that as I’m a personal failure, right? There’s something wrong with me, all these other people are having all this wonderful success, but I’m not. And, and so it’s it’s one of those things that like you can say it and it comes across as trivial. But there’s nothing trivial about that statement at all. It’s not easy to start a business. It’s not no, you know, there’s nothing passive about entrepreneurism, right. Especially not at the beginning.
Lori Konkler
No, absolutely not. Absolutely not. And to your point to in terms of like, people like saying, like, Yeah, I’m a failure and everything else, the only failure is when you give up, because every time you fail, you’re that much closer, like every time you hear it. No, you’re that much closer to Yes, every time you fall on your face. The next you don’t know, tomorrow might be the day that it all works. So the only true failure in my mind is when you walk away from it.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, that’s so good. So we’ve kind of noodled around this a little bit. But I’d love to just kind of hear it straight from you. What would you say is some of the most important work that you do for your clients?
Lori Konkler
Um, well, you know, the most important work that I do for my clients is helping them to discover themselves. To be honest, because I think that the best coaches like yeah, I don’t get me wrong, I teach them strategy, and I sit there and I hold their hand. But the most transplant, the biggest transformations happen when people really do connect with themselves and start to recognize that they do have the ability to make things happen for themselves. When that confidence comes in. I mean, I’ve literally seen clients go from zero clients for almost two years, to five clients in a matter of weeks, when they are able to just make that shift of like, recognizing that I can do business my way I can make the choice of how I want to do it. I don’t have to I don’t have to do it your way, Laurie, and they don’t like I teach them lots of different strategies. But the work that I do with them as we go through those strategies, they figure out which ones do you like we have to test? Which ones don’t you like? And then how can we cater a plan that works for you that you can sustain long term? Because if you’re doing something you hate, it’s not going to be sustainable?
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah. Yeah, it reminds me of the idea like entrepreneurism, starting a business, especially if your goal is to be a solopreneur. You’re doing it for the freedom and autonomy that so many of us start businesses to achieve. It’s an intensely personal endeavor. Yeah, it’s not and so unpack that for us a little bit because I know that you’re working in this role, and you’ve even made several comments, but what is it about entrepreneurs right about starting a business that’s so personally difficult?
Lori Konkler
Honestly, I think it’s because when you make that choice to become an entrepreneur, you’re not just making a choice to start a business you are making a choice to change your life. And it I have yet to meet an entrepreneur who Who has gone into business and it has not changed their their life change who they are changed how they live their life. So I think you know that that’s one of the biggest aha moments here that I even had. Because when I made that choice, my I changed my health. I changed my habits. I changed the way I ate, I changed my sleeping habits, like everything about my life, it wasn’t just about my business, it was about changing my life, to meet the person that I want it to be. Yeah, because all things need to align. To get to where you want to go.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah. Wow, it’s so true. It’s so true. Alright, so this in the moment, I’ve been waiting for us, I’m always so excited to hear this. And our audience is we’ve listed a few episodes, they know what’s coming next. And so we’re gonna, we’re gonna give the people what they want, if you will. Alright, I’d love for you to answer this. What is the biggest secret that you wish wasn’t a secret all at all? What what is that one thing that you wish every entrepreneur leader, founder out there listening knew today.
Lori Konkler
That one of the most powerful things that you can have for your business and your marketing and your visibility is a personal brand. And I like to call it letting your freak flag fly. Because it as you know, we’ve alluded to already, like everybody is kind of like taking all these courses and following all these things and trying to figure out the secret sauce, the magic potion, but the magic potion to your success is, you know, it really, really is because, you know, I just had a meeting with a new client the other day, and here, she’s trying to get all these clients and she’s like, Oh, I’m doing this, I’m doing that I’m doing this. But she had her social media completely blocked off. Like so. And she wasn’t adding friends. You know, when they were trying to connect with her. She wasn’t building a brand. She was just like in her little isolated hole, not talking to anybody, when you actually build a brand and you build an audience of people who know you like you and trust you. That is so powerful. And you know, you think about like some businesses when I say virgin, like Virgin Galactic, Virgin Mobile, Virgin Airlines, what do you think of? Brands? I’m asking you, Branson, exactly his personal brand, right? You think about Richard Branson, you don’t really know anything about the actual companies, but you know that he is associated with them, and you trust Him. And so you’re more likely to buy. So it’s just at any level, whether you’re a billionaire, like you Richard Branson, or you’re a solopreneur, you are the most valuable thing in your business.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, that’s so good. Yeah, there’s, there’s so many things that you can go on that. But I think, too, it goes back to this idea that starting a business is personal, right? I think you’ve just given an excellent business case for why that is, if you take if you try and take you out of the equation, right? Which, arguably, later on in the process might be part of it. Right? Yeah. But when you’re getting when you’re coming out of the gate, solopreneur at the very beginning, you are you’re getting rid of your very best asset, or at least failing to cultivate it. So I couldn’t agree more. I think you’re so right to that. And I love the idea of letting your freak flag fly, you know, because, you know, it’s like you talk to someone and you have this wonderful conversation. And then you see an email that they wrote, you know, that they published to their list. That’s like, that’s who wrote that email. Is that because it’s not you? Yeah. Yeah. That’s, that’s excellent. All right. So last question. And then I’d love to hear about how are folks can connect with you a little bit more. But before we get there, I’ve worked with enough coaches enough solopreneurs, to know that we have this knack for giving our very best time and attention and energy to our clients and can often do that at the cost of our own development, both for our business and our leaders. So tell me a little bit about how you’ve overcome that what what your next phase of growth looks like, and the challenges that you’re facing in building that?
Lori Konkler
Sure, sure. So you know, my next phase of growth, honestly, while I’m still in into or in it to its personal growth, honestly, it’s really honing in on the way I want my business to run, the way I want my offers to run. And, you know, I’m creating a lot of new things. I’m pulling back on things that I’ve done in the past that just don’t feel good to me, because I’ve had success, but if it doesn’t feel good, like there’s no way I want to keep going with it. And some of those challenges that I’m facing is you know, saying goodbye to some of those things that aren’t working for me anymore, that they’re not aligned with where I am or where I want to go and sometimes you know, it’s it’s like breaking app, it’s like a relationship almost like saying goodbye to this program, you know, this flagship program that I’ve had for two years. Because it no longer serves the way I want to do business in letting in the new thing, so that I’ve converted it into something else that feels much better. So this next phase, honestly, is just letting my own freak flag fly to a new level, and letting people a little more into to my space and to be doing business, on their terms in a way that feels good. And giving them the opportunity to do that.
Scott Ritzheimer
That’s fantastic. So much about growing an organization is one of the hardest parts about it is that you don’t get to retire from that, right? You don’t get to retire from it being hard. There are seasons where it’s wonderful, right, you do hard work, you reap the benefit of that. But if you want to see it grow again, you’ve got to step back into that uncomfortable zone. And I can feel it as you’re sharing it, you know, there’s just a depth to it that we all experience. And I appreciate you just going there with us and putting that on display. Because I think it’s powerful.
Lori Konkler
Absolutely. And I I actually just want to share one more thing if it’s okay. Because I didn’t mention this, you know, like, as I’ve gone through this, this transition where like, again, I was having a lot of success. And things started, I started to change, and my business growth stopped. And it wasn’t because I changed the way I was doing things necessarily. But I changed the way I felt about it. So like I wouldn’t months where I was, you know, like I had my retainers, but no new clients like they just weren’t coming in like they used to. So like you said, at any level, at any point in your business. Sometimes you do just have to get introspective and go back and recognize that it can change. Yeah. But if you’re dedicated what to it, and figuring out how to make it go for the way you want. It can.
Scott Ritzheimer
And what better way to do that than with a guide to help them show the show the way and discover that. So I know some folks are listening and saying like, yes, our personal brand, like I’ve been avoiding it, but I know that I know that I need it. So how can folks connect with you to learn more?
Lori Konkler
Yeah, absolutely. The best place honestly to connect me that you can connect with me on LinkedIn and just look at my name. There are not a lot of other Laurie chroniclers on LinkedIn. But the best place really is probably on Facebook inside of my Facebook group, which is called Build and Scale A Profitable Business: Work from Anywhere. Kind of a mouthful. But you’ll know that you found the right one. And I’m very active in there. And we’ve provided a lot of resources. And I you know, to make a point of getting to know and talk to to everybody that comes into that community. So that is a fantastic way to communicate with me.
Scott Ritzheimer
Amazing. Well, Laurie, thanks so much again for being here. Thanks for sharing that. It was just a wonderful episode. I really enjoyed it. Really appreciate you and look forward to seeing this next phase of growth do just wonderful things for you and your business. For those of you who are listening your time and attention means the absolute world to us. We’re so honored to share with you and and to have you here with us. I hope this conversation was as meaningful and impactful for you as it was for me and I look forward to seeing you next time. Take care. Thank you.
Contact Lori Konkler
Lori Konkler is a powerful catalyst for entrepreneurs who are ready to level up in their business and take control of their personal brand. As the Founder of Xennial Traveler, she has helped business owners around the world go from start-up to scaling.
Back in 2016, she ditched her 9-5 corporate as a Director of Sales & Marketing for a Fortune 500 company to seek out a new life of freedom working on her time, at her pace, on her terms from anywhere in the world.
Lori’s straightforward approach to marketing for the coaching and consulting industries proves to be a huge asset for entrepreneurs looking to hone their branding and scale their business.
To learn more about Lori and the incredible work she does, connect with her on LinkedIn or join her Facebook group: Build and Scale A Profitable Business: Work from Anywhere