When John met me, I was a freelance graphic designer selling business cards and letterhead. Today I own a marketing agency and lead a staff of eight people.
The way you become a trusted advisor is not by displaying your knowledge. It's by showing your deep understanding of the person you're talking to. That's what John has done.
John took the time to really understand not just my business model, but me as an entrepreneur, my life, what I wanted out of my business.
John led me to understand, embrace, and sell my value.
When I went through a difficult time personally, he understood that if I couldn't function, then the business was going nowhere. He would switch between the emotional and the business with me so fluidly it would happen in minutes, just depending on what was needed. He gave me ways to communicate with my family, ways to learn to set healthy barriers, helped me see that the best thing I could do was to be a healthy whole human. These skills have been perhaps some of the most useful training for my leadership journey.
He also uncovered something that I wasn't aware of, which is that I'm not a graphic designer. I'm a communicator, a connector, a marketer, and a leader.
At the time I was selling business cards and letterhead and brochures for $500 or $600. He challenged me to sell my consulting services, gave me some guidance to grow in my leadership of clients, and in my first month I made over $10,000 in consulting.
I never looked back.
John saw my potential. He gave me the structure, the business lessons, the life lessons, and the pearls of wisdom at the perfect time to push me through the fears that would stop me.
Through leading me, he taught me to lead others. Now, I want to do that for my team.
I want Rex to be the place where goodhearted leaders are born. My team is amazing and they're talented and I want to develop the leadership in them to expand their influence so that there's more good people in the world of commerce.
I'm constantly complimented on my team.
I'm asked “how do you get your team to run back to their desks? How are they so focused? How do you get them to work like that?”
Leaders don't tell people to do things. Leaders Inspire people to want to do things themselves. They're inspired because they feel valued. They know their potential impact on the clients.
I wouldn’t have been able to develop that culture without John’s guidance and wisdom. I would have the desire, but I wouldn't have had the tools. John taught me how to be a leader by being a leader.
Sincerely,
Allison Bran