For successful women entrepreneurs like Kimberly Wilson, swimming above the fierce current of weeks with no end and high stress and risk taking with no assurances has exponential payoff, not just in financial terms.
Kimberly Wilson is founder of Tranquil Space yoga studio in Washington D.C. In the ten years since she started teaching a handful of students around her apartment fireplace, concluding each session with tea and homemade cookies, she has built a world-renowned yoga studio chain ranked on Travel + Leisure’s list of “25 Top Yoga Studios Around the World.”
Over the last decade, Wilson has created a yoga haven, authored two books, Hip Tranquil Chick and Tranquilista, designed a popular eco-friendly clothing line, TranquilIT, and founded a philanthropic foundation.
Whether you’re considering becoming an L.A. woman entrepreneur, are already on the entrepreneurial course with or without producing fruits for your labor, or are more of a 9-5 gal, you may understand the magnitude of such achievements in such a short span time. How has she done it? How does she possibly balance all of it, on top of full-time graduate school? What lessons from her journey does she have to share?
The L.A. Women entrepreneurs who attended her Ladies Who Launch, discussion on Monday night were privy to the answers to these questions. The mix of aspiring and already successful L.A. women entrepreneurs in attendance listened to Wilson with their pens feverishly crossing their notepads, their heads bobbing with agreement and new inspiration and their shoulders lifting with easy laughter drawn by effective speaking and charming personality.
Wilson’s Secret’s to Success
Among Wilson’s list of credits to her success were, her hunger for knowledge, learning via school, books and life with insatiable appetite, her constant openness to new ideas “inspiration surrounds us constantly,” she said, and her reliance on creativity.
In discussing how to stand out regardless of whether or not a business is ordinary in terms of service she said, “It’s all about creative flare. . . The key is to find out what your unique way is.” Wilson stressed the value of creatively evolving standard services into unique, memorable experiences that fill and inhabit the business brand and distinguishes from other like businesses.
To the enthusiastic L.A. women entrepreneurs Wilson offered a wealth of tips for traditional marketing and marketing in the cyber age including:
• donating services/products to strengthen exposure
• regularly writing informative material via newsletters, blogs with engaging question and answer opportunities, etc. to build a following
• using social media such as Twitter and Facebook not to complain or discuss the daily tedium, but to be positive and present herself in a way that embodies her brand and that encourages people towards the experience she joyously offers
• releasing podcasts, e-courses and videos with instructionals and tips
• writing thank you notes, a testament to her belief that the details and small touches matter
• creating inexpensive gift bags and takeaways that embody the brand and experience and leave a memorable, lasting impression
Wilson ended by giving the L.A. women entrepreneurs her top tips:
1. Find your passion, build an experience in a scalable way and create a lifestyle with your work. Let the path you set unfold organically with steps that are taken as needed, and as demanded rather than forcing unnecessarily risky giant leaps
2. Diversify to create an opportunity to become not just a service or product, but for your business to become a lifestyle for your customers.
3. Leave a legacy through the memorable and distinctive and by creative memorable experiences.
Then recited a Maryann Williamson poem.
Still reputedly working 12 hour days while also taking a full class load, Wilson looked amazingly relaxed, rested and youthful. The joy that she exuded from her undeniable fulfillment as a self-made woman doing the things that she loves most and incorporating her values into the work that she does, and from her brimming positivity, began showing on the faces of the women in the crowd.
You can learn more about Kimberly Wilson and Ladies Who Launch
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