From Corporate to Calling: Transitioning into Entrepreneurship
In this episode of the You World Order Showcase podcast, host Jill Hart sits down with Bunmi Ajibade, a certified leadership and productivity coach passionate about empowering corporate professionals to transition into fulfilling entrepreneurial ventures.
Bunmi shares her inspiring journey from a career in microbiology and a demanding corporate role with 90% travel to finding her true calling as a coach. She reveals the pitfalls of corporate life, the sacrifices many make, and how to escape the "salary trap" to build a legacy on your own terms.
Discover her powerful ACE (Awareness, Clarity, Execution) framework and why personalized planning is crucial for transitioning into entrepreneurship. Whether you're just starting to think about leaving your 9-to-5 or are already navigating the entrepreneurial waters, Bunmi's insights on aligning your business with your core values and purpose will inspire and empower you to take the leap.
Don’t miss this conversation about breaking free, building a plan, and thriving as your own boss!
Transition from Corporate Professional to Entrepreneur: The 10-Step Guide for Success
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Transcript
WEBVTT
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: Hi and welcome to the You world order showcase. Podcast I'm your host, Jill Hart. And with me today is Benmi, who is a certified leadership and productivity coach empowering corporate professionals transitioning into entrepreneurship. Welcome to the show, Benmi, and there's a little bit of a joke
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: we had going on about why I had to like Wiggle when I said her name, because her name was like, if you say it to music, it's.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: Music, music.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: I love that.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: Shit.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: Welcome to the show.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: Thank you. Thank you, Jill. Thank you for having me here.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: It is lovely. So tell us all about you. What are you doing? How'd you get into this and
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: all the staff.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: Tell you. I red size in college microbiology to be precise, but
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::Bunmi Ajibade: you know you you go to school, but later in life you figure out who you are and what you were created.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: who you are created to be, and what you were created to do, and I found who I am
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::Bunmi Ajibade: a trainer, and then gradually I found out that.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: being a trainer, I can become a coach to even make that training more impactful.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: and that is my short journey.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: and being now an entrepreneur coach.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: it's from my own journey in the corporate world.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: and you know I was there doing my job. I think I'm smart.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: Think it would.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: I think so.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: No easy to get, had a degree in microbiology.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: Yeah, I think I'm smart, and I think I work well with people and all that. But again, you know that
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::Bunmi Ajibade: something more that I really want to do.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: This, there's something bigger inside of me.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: It got to a point. My job was 90% travel.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: So it was difficult for me to really have a side business, because 90% travel. And that was tough. It took me away from my kids, took me away from what I really wanted to do. And eventually, when I left, I said, Look.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: I will make sure that help. I support people in the corporate world who
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::Bunmi Ajibade: have something in them who want to give to the world, who want to make impact in the world, who really have
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::Bunmi Ajibade: legacy to build for their kids for their family, but they find themselves
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::Bunmi Ajibade: spending 18 out of the 24 h building legacy for somebody else, and by the time they get home they are too tired. They don't have enough money, I mean so many things, and that is why I am so passionate about supporting career people.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: people from the corporate world to say yes.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: you might be there learning and all that. But you have something in you that you want to do. I will be there to help you to empower you to support you on that journey.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: That is my little story.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: I love it.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: And it's really important, because there's so many people out there that feel trapped in jobs and like you, they go to college. And then they get on that career track and you get trapped in the world of corporatism because you build a lifestyle around a certain income that you.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: you know you keep moving up, and and then you find yourself trapped. You can't leave because you can't get.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: You can't support yourself in a transition, and there are lots of people out there in that situation, and.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: It is a trap. It is a trap, because that salary that we think. Oh, my goodness! Oh, I get paid! So I need to do. Abcd, that salary is actually the trap or the setback
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::Bunmi Ajibade: that is preventing you from getting to the next your next destination. Your next step in life.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: although you see it as
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::Bunmi Ajibade: oh, my goodness, this is paying my bills! This is whatever. But when you focus everything on that.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: that is the setback.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: you know, from getting you to the next to the next step, and it's a big trap.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: and by the time people realize that is a trap.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: they're too deep into it to get out, or the age is not there for them, or maybe health issues, or so many things for them to to come out, but I always tell people I don't care how old you are with the right person supporting you.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: You can come out.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: For sure. And and those people really do need coaches, because you need to coach just shortens your learning curve.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: Yes.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: You may not have 10 years to figure it out on your own where, when you're young.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: you probably could. But when you, when you're older, and you know you've got that thing burning inside of you that you need to do, and the message you need to share
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: get somebody to help you to support you, to move you, to to help you navigate a a path
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: to get you from where you are trapped.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: just like somebody opening the spring door so that you can get out.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: You know.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: And you can.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: They are free, you know you are free, and then when you come out, it's like, then when they come out
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::Bunmi Ajibade: at that point, when they come out. It's like I've been in a dungeon for some time. Then when you come out, you are like disoriented for a moment like, Where do I go? What's next? So you need somebody right there to say, Okay, calm down. Let's let's talk about where you are and all that. But they can still be in that job
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::Bunmi Ajibade: while they are coming out of that dungeon.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: so that you know, because that is the fear that some of them have. I can't leave the salary. I still need the salary. Yes, I know you. Do.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: You know, we are not advocating that people just
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::Bunmi Ajibade: dump it and just come out. No, while you are there you can come out of the of the trap and have conversation with us, so that while you are there we can help you start to figure out, what do you need to do? And gradually you start putting together a path.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: a path to transitioning to what is important to you, because your employer will never do that. They will only do what is important to them, and I don't blame them.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: It's business.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: Yeah, they they don't want you to succeed, because you'll leave.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: Yeah, I mean.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: Interest for you to be making making your own life. And there are a lot of jobs that require a lot of travel, and I think sometimes that in all of the busyness that
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: companies can orchestrate for you, you lose yourself, you. You forget that you are a human being, and that you're here to live, not to just
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: do the tasks that somebody has put in front of you.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: And yeah, they they may pay well and.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: You know, and I remember as I was traveling, and I was doing my job, I was good at what I did.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: my son. I have 3 sons. The 3rd one was into music, and it was so good.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: and I remember there was.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: I never attended any office practices. I never went to any of the shoes. Never!
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::Bunmi Ajibade: And I will pay for him. I will fly him to some of the Dci, you know. Dci shows he was in. He was a member of the Denver.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: something Santa Clara, something blue devil, or some, and I would pay for his flights and all that, but I never attended any of the shows.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: and I remembered attended his last show in Indianapolis.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: Imagine somebody was in this year for 4 years could only attend one show
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::Bunmi Ajibade: for those 4 years they had shows every summer from one town to the other. It might be that because I was busy
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::Bunmi Ajibade: I was busy.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: Making money for somebody else else's legacy.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: Somebody else's legacy, you know, and I remember when it was his last year in high school, I went to one of their shows, and the parents saw me and said, Oh, are you? Are you? You know I don't want to mention his name. And this oh, are you the mom? Oh, my goodness.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: you have a genius, he is so good. And I'm like, Okay, you know
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::Bunmi Ajibade: that is, that is, those. Those were the things that we sacrificed to to have that salary
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::Bunmi Ajibade: right, to have that salary, to have that vacation, to have that
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::Bunmi Ajibade: 1% or 3% raise at the end of you know those are the things we sacrifice. But
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::Bunmi Ajibade: there's a way we can do this
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::Bunmi Ajibade: that we don't have to sacrifice all those things. Later I figured out that
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::Bunmi Ajibade: there were things that I missed.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: that you know that I should have done, that I didn't do so now. I'm so passionate about supporting people in the corporate world, so that if you have something burning inside of you, if you know that it's a passion in you, we can
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::Bunmi Ajibade: start helping you plan those things so that those things that matter to you, your kids, your grandkids, whatever it is, even yourself.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: even yourself. You know those things that matter. We can start putting them together for you, putting a path together for you so that you don't wait until somebody will serve you. Paper that
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::Bunmi Ajibade: we don't need it again, because that's another aspect.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: Yeah. And for older people that are looking at retirement.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: you get fired when you're in your fifties or sixties.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: you better have a plan, B, because there's not a safety net out there for you, and it's really hard to start over at this point in life.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: At that point, especially even when somebody has a health issues and then you get fired.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: Then where do you start?
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::Bunmi Ajibade: So there's so many things that we can really really
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::Bunmi Ajibade: talk about to say. These are some reasons why you need to start thinking about you and what you need to do, why, you need to sit down and think about what you are passionate about.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: Start putting together a plan.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: Yeah, a plan to to be able to escape the corporate world, but also plan to be able to match your income. And there's ways. You could do it in the United States, anyway, where? Because
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: if you're already getting a salary, you're paying taxes.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: and as you're paying taxes, if you have a business.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: This.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: You can write off a lot of things, and that takes your tax bill down. So that's
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: that's a way to afford hiring somebody to shorten your learning curve like than me here, and and help you get map out a plan for really being able to transition out of what you're doing in the corporate world into serving all of humanity in a much more
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: a way that that really does serve humanity rather than just having you
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: do a job for somebody else.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: Yes, yes, you are right. You are right, because one of the reasons why people say, Oh, I really don't have money to invest in a coach is is money, you know, but exactly what you said. You can write it off. You can be business expense, you know, so the money will still come back to you to pay for the services of the coach, you know, so there's no excuse, you know, no excuse.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: Yeah, you can either pay the money to the government, or you can pay the money to a coach.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: To a coach to help you.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: To make more money.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: Yes, yes.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: How do you help people but me? Do you work as do you work one on one? Do you have group coaching? Do you have. How does all that look.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: Yes, I do. I do one on one, and I do group coaching, especially when I when I have a new client, I 1st do that one on one. I really want to get to know them. I want to get to know them and see where they're coming from, because it's important for me to get to know who they are, because
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::Bunmi Ajibade: most of the time when somebody is coming from the corporate world, you assume that they know exactly who they are. No, they don't most of the time. So I have a coaching framework, I call it ace a
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::Bunmi Ajibade: CE. The A is awareness, for you know we have the path we take them through getting aware of who they are, really. Who are you in your core? Your purpose in life. Who were you created to be? We kind of take them through that, really making them understand who they are, what is their vision? Because who you are.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: shouldn't be different from what
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::Bunmi Ajibade: the core of your business is going to be, because if there is going to be a difference.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: you'll be fighting yourself, and that business will not work. You know what I'm saying.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: I know exactly what you're saying.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: Another reason to hire a coach, because they can help you get clarity on what you think you want to do, and what you really is the core of who you are, and you should be doing.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: Yeah, because there needs to be an alignment, because if there's no alignment, there is nothing. And once we really have that, then we start to help them develop that mindset. What is you
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::Bunmi Ajibade: mindset? You know the entrepreneurial mindset, because the mindset where they're coming from is different from the mindset that they're going to use, you know, in the in the business. So we kind of help them with with that mindset. And then, when we come to the clarity. Once they have that awareness, then, with the clarity they have, we begin to develop a blueprint specific
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::Bunmi Ajibade: to them. I don't.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: My clients are not just like everybody else.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: Your blueprints that would develop for you will be based on where you are, you know, from the beginning. So once we have that blueprint developed for you, then we then have the execution, which is the E part. How do we then execute, based on who you are? Your learning style, who you are as a person.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: and because I also teach a personality. You know, I teach personality because I also teach leadership. So I'm able to identify your learning, style, and kind of put something together
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::Bunmi Ajibade: for that person. So even if you then attend a group coaching, you have a solid background of
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::Bunmi Ajibade: what your own what you're following, you know.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: And then the the group coaching is just
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::Bunmi Ajibade: you learning from other people. But the core of what you need. We identify that for you. So I don't just throw you. And you know everybody in the pot. You know everybody in the pot. No, I still have that individuality in my coaching practice.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: I love that. And it's really important. The group coaching is is also important, because
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: you never know what you're gonna learn. And the networking aspect of it is like.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: It's worth every.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: It's very important and.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: Hey! It!
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: But having an individualized blueprint for you and it it
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: as you're talking, I'm thinking about. Yeah, that's really important, because not everybody wants to to market, and it all always comes down to marketing, you know, you're going to know what you want to do, and then you have to tell other people about it. But there's so many ways to do that. And it really comes back to how are you? How do
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: you want to share your message with the world in a way that aligns with who you are and your core values, and
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: the way you feel about sharing your message.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: Yeah, you know I for me.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: when I do my sales calls.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: Because when I have conversation with with my potential client.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: one of the gifts that I have is listening.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: I will ask you a question, and I will listen.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: And here, in between lines for me to ask more questions.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: to really figure out what it is that you are struggling with, because we all struggle with different things, and at times they don't want to tell you first, st because they're meeting you for the 1st time. So everybody want to appear, you know. But look, let's put everything on the table so that we can know how to support you. It doesn't make you a bad person. It's just make you like.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: and I want to grow, and if you don't grow you can't grow the business.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: So I think during that sales conversation, listening and then making your potential clients to
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::Bunmi Ajibade: feel comfortable. Talking to you is very important.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: and then referrals. And but my thing is
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::Bunmi Ajibade: having that conversation is a product.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: And I know there's so many people on social media. I'm on social media. I mean, you know, we met at a networking event, right? The 2 of us. So we still do that. But we still have conversations.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: And when we have those conversations, that is, when I've heard some some of my potential clients talk to me about. Oh, I heard this on on social media that you can only do one thing. What is the one thing that you want to
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::Bunmi Ajibade: help me that I need to do with you. I'm like, Okay.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: if there's only one thing that everybody needs to do, this world would be so beautiful.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: We'd all be doing it.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: Plus even one thing that worked for me last week.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: and it has worked for me over and over again this week might not work for me.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: That is life.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: That is why life is progressive.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: But when people and that is the problem that we see coaches see
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::Bunmi Ajibade: online, you know, with online social media thing and all that. But but when they begin to trust you
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::Bunmi Ajibade: that you make it all about them, it is not about that. Oh, you don't have to sell! Oh, put away all your silly thing. Don't sell again
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::Bunmi Ajibade: just one thing, and you will make 100,000 in in one week. I'm like, really, you know, all those kind of stuff. But when they begin to trust you and they see a process.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: But it's not about my process. It's about the process that we align with who they are and where they are going in their business.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: Help them see their own process.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: They. It is their own process. It is not. I'm bringing my one thing and throwing it on them.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: and then they try to put that one thing, align it with that and that one thing will not work.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: and then it's like, Oh, she deceived me. No, I don't want to deceive anybody.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: We all is a collaboration.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: I am the subject matter expert.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: but but this is your business. So let's come together with my expertise, and you also, you are the subject matter. Expert of your business.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: We come together and put together a business plan.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: and then let's let's go do it. And if something doesn't work.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: We tweak it, I see, and that's where the.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: The community part comes in, too, because you never know. Somebody will have an idea that just.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: An idea in the group. Yes, somebody will have an idea in the group. I say, oh, something happened. I did this.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: Oh, I can add that to mine, and then you put it, and it's like, Oh, my goodness, that's what I have been waiting for. So I think that one-on-one, coupled with the group
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::Bunmi Ajibade: it works.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: It sounds amazing. So how do people get in touch with you if they wanna learn more and.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: If they want to learn more. The 1st thing I would suggest for them is to take advantage of the test, step to success, test, step, guide to success. If they want to become a, you know, transition into entrepreneurship, even if you are already trying it.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: I still suggest that you go and take that assessment, because that assessment is really very important. It will help you to see where you are to see your readiness. How ready are you
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::Bunmi Ajibade: to go on this journey because it is a journey. It is a beautiful journey, right, Jill. We have been on this journey for, and we're not going to tell you that everything is 100% every day.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: It is not, but it is a beautiful journey, especially when you have people around you to support you.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: But there are some things you need to do.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: So that's assessment
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::Bunmi Ajibade: is the 1st thing. Once you take the assessment at the end, you have an opportunity to get a free clarity session with me, and I will answer your questions and and support you as much as I can.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: That is awesome. And so we will put the link for that in the show notes.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: Thank you so much for this conversation with me. I really enjoyed chatting with you. What's
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: what's the one thing you hope the audience takes away from our chat today?
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::Bunmi Ajibade: Today, I want you to know that
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::Bunmi Ajibade: if you are going into entrepreneurship.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: planning is important. Anything you want to do in life planning is important before you take a leap.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: please take time to plan.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: and that link that jail will send to you is part of that planning process, and also.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: Don't be afraid to take the leap. Don't be afraid, don't let the fear of the unknown
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::Bunmi Ajibade: make you get stuck in one place. It is beautiful out there. Can it be scary at times? Yes, don't let the fear of oh, the salary! Will I lose my salary. We have a way of working with you to plan. You know your financial safety net and all that.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: Don't be afraid. Take the step, take a move.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: put that 1st step out of the of the trap. Is that how you call it? Trap? Get out of the trap, get out of the of the net. We are here to support you
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::Bunmi Ajibade: and do it. This is the New Year. You can do it, and we are here to support you.
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::Jill Hart-The Coach's Alchemist: I love it. Thanks for joining me today.
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::Bunmi Ajibade: Thank you.
