Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business:
I'm Carolyn Fellner, Owner of Fellner & Co Management and Certified Dashboard Designer. I'm the Profit-Driven Online Business Manager. I help established female entrepreneurs who run 6 and 7-figure businesses analyze their data and optimize their business, so they can make more money with fewer headaches. If you are: still largely basing your business decision-making off gut instincts, wondering how you could make even more profit, afraid to take a step away from your business, or tracking data but unsure of what it all really means - we need to talk. I make data easy to digest. I help business owners close the gaps between where their business is now versus where they want it to be. I do this through the power of dashboards, key performance indicators, and data analytics. Together, I help my clients boost their bottom line, increase their team's efficiency, get back in their zone of genius, and enable them to make confident, data-driven decisions.
What excites you about being an Entreprenista League member?
What excites me most about being an Entreprenista League member is the opportunity to network with like-minded, strong, talented women.
What made you take the leap to start your own business?
Throughout my life, I have always been a numbers person. I wasn't necessarily a math wizard, but I love the cold, hard, tangible facts that numbers offer. Even better, I love making sense of those numbers to tell a story. My love for storytelling was a big motivating factor for my decision to pursue marketing in college. Towards the end of my program, I realized I wasn't in alignment with that career path. So as anyone would, I did a 180-degree turn into... healthcare! During my time in the healthcare industry, I worked both on the front lines in a clinic, and from a behind-the-scenes (logistics) standpoint for an e-commerce health equipment distributor. All that to say, my experiences have given me multiple insights into the different areas of business and the roles they play. When I stumbled upon the online business space, I fell in love with online business management (OBM for short). It encompassed so many roles I hold near and dear to my heart, such as project, team, and operations management. On top of that, the idea of entrepreneurship always excited me. So, I took the leap and left my 9-5 job to pursue my dream. I quickly discovered that my favorite part of OBM work revolved around data. I also realized how little others in this space where talking about it, despite just how important the information is. Looking at data can be really intimidating. It was then that I decided to focus on helping other female entrepreneurs understand and use their data to boost their bottom line, gain clarity, and have confidence in making data-driven decisions in their businesses.
What was your background prior to starting your own business?
(See above)
Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?
Yes, and no. Entrepreneurship was something that really enticed me from a young age. I was the kid who was always hustling, whether it was washing cars, running a lemonade stand, hosting a garage sale, or even offering my time to play go-fish in exchange for a fee (Yeah, that happened... I think I was 6). But I had this misconception that I needed to develop a revolutionary, one-of-a-kind product in order to make it a successful, full-time career. As I know now, that's definitely not the case.
Take us back to when you first launched your business, what was your marketing strategy to get the word out, and did it go as planned?
When I first launched my business, I took a "learn as you go" approach. The people around me encouraged doing attraction marketing through your content and letting clients come to you. Let me tell you, while it's a great idea to include helpful, attractive content in your marketing plan, I definitely needed more. It also encouraged me to sit back and wait for success to come knocking on my door. My two cents; Manifesting success is great, but only one part of the formula.
What is the biggest challenge you have encountered along the way and what did you learn from it?
My biggest challenge was coming to terms with my perfectionism. I like to say I'm a recovering perfectionist now. I learned that being done is better than perfect. That's not to say you shouldn't put out quality work - you absolutely should. But going back and revising something 10 times before "putting it out there" is excessive, and frankly a time waster. Put what you have done out there, and tweak it as you go. It'll save you time and headaches. Not to mention, you can't improve if you don't receive feedback - and you certainly won't get that feedback if you never put yourself out there.
What is the accomplishment you are the proudest of to date?
Honestly, taking the leap to pursue this business. I jumped off the deep end right into this full-time. It was terrifying but incredibly exciting. I find for myself, change doesn't occur in my comfort zone.
Do you believe in work/life balance? What are some of your best tips?
Absolutely, without a doubt. Here are a few of my favorite tips: - Work in your zone of genius. When you're at the right place in your business to outsource tasks you either don't like or aren't good at - outsource it. Your time is your most valuable currency and is best spent doing revenue-generating tasks that you actually enjoy. - Time block. The key to work/life balance is being efficient with your time, and setting boundaries. Time blocking allows you to do both. If you're not familiar with the concept, here is a brief explanation from the web: Time blocking is a productivity technique for personal time management where a period of time—typically a day or week—is divided into smaller segments or blocks for specific tasks or to-dos. It integrates the function of a calendar with that of a to-do list. - Take time for pleasure. As an entrepreneur, you spend a lot of time serving others, whether it's your team, clients, etc. You need to take time to fill up your cup too. Take time during your week to do things that make you happy.
What's a piece of advice you can share that you wish you'd known when you first started your Entreprenista journey?
Invest in your business. You can't shift into an abundance mindset from a place of scarcity. Especially if you offer high-ticket products/services, you need to fully understand the value you get out of investing. One of the best decisions I made personally was hiring a business coach. Another great one was investing in certifications and education to better serve my clients.
What have you achieved recently that you'd like to celebrate with our community?
I recently earned my Dashboard Designer certificate. In case data isn't your love language, I'll explain what the heck dashboards are. A dashboard is a visual representation of your data. It's an amazing way to display key performance indicators and keep a pulse on your business at a glance. This certificate was an extension of my knowledge of data analytics. I love investing in further education. I'm a strong believer in lifelong learning.
What's next for your business? What can we expect to see over the next few years?
Right now, I only work 1:1 with my clients. My next project will be a digital product or course. I'd also love to collaborate with podcast hosts who serve a similar community to reach even more female entrepreneurs who are looking to scale.
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About the Author
Entreprenista Team
