Meet Yvonne Shepherd

Yvonne Knew She was Capable of More…

Yvonne Shepherd has created a unique experience for women centred around fitness and adventure. Her business, Women’s Fitness Adventures, facilitates a women’s fitness community. They go on adventures – sometimes just a walk down town, but other times a weekend trip to New Zealand – to build friendships and muscles.

A few years ago, Yvonne’s business was doing really well, and she was attracting a lot of customers, but she knew she was capable of more.

Even though her business was growing, she wanted to take it to the next level. She watched the Making It webinar, and realised that finding a mentor was the next step for her business.

She knew she wanted someone who wasn’t going to just tell her what to do, but rather guide her and teach her so that eventually she could do it on her own.

She knew she wanted someone who was going to be objective, someone who didn’t know her or her business and could challenge her.

She knew she lacked a trusted advisor like that in her life, and the best way to get one was through the HerBusiness Mentoring Program.

 

She Took Action…

And instead of letting that knowledge just be knowledge, she took action and booked four sessions.

“You can read all the stories – especially about the Hall of Fame women – and see that everyone has a mentor, and it’s what all successful women have in common. You can know that and think ‘yeah, yeah, I need a mentor whatever’ and not do anything about it. It’s one thing to know it and it’s another to actually do it. That’s the difference of successful people. It’s good to have another person you are accountable to besides yourself who will help you keep moving from just knowing things to actually doing them.”

Once she put that knowledge to action, her mentor was able to guide her into implementing many more of her ideas.

“I now have thought and acted on things I probably wouldn’t have otherwise. He challenged me to look at the things I didn’t want to do – like accounting. I started doing more of the things I was uncomfortable with – things I previously thought I didn’t have the skills or abilities for.”

Women’s Fitness Adventures has now quadrupled in revenue since Yvonne started meeting with her mentor, PJ. It serves many more people and continues to grow.

One of the reasons for growth is her marketing skills. PJ said she is a great marketer, but needed to learn how to do it specifically for her own small business. “She is a great writer who is driven to have success. Before this, she was in corporate marketing, and she needed to understand the difference now for a small business,” said PJ. “There is a lot more responsibility when your bank account depends on the sale, but her driven attitude made is possible for her success.”

Yvonne also believes she is successful because PJ changed the way she viewed her business and herself. She now sees herself as a confident businesswomen and her business actually as a business.

“PJ helped me believe in my business. I learned to actually view it as a real business, not just a ‘work from home’ hobby. I realised it’s just as much as a business as someone who goes to an office everyday, and I learned to treat it as such. He has also changed how I see myself. I know that my struggles are normal, and I will be able to get through them.”

PJ says that part was easy due to her “can-do” attitude and hard work. They worked through the challenges, and he helped her believe she is worthy of owning a successful business.

To be successful, she needed to see the big picture. PJ taught her how to see it rather than the details, and that proved to be instrumental in planning for the future. The details don’t help you grow or push you forward she says.

Another way she pushed forward is by using her time wisely. She never wasted a mentor session says PJ. “She always knows what she wants to talk about and work on. She has a plan and makes a list for us to work through. That’s part of her excitement and determined attitude to make this business succeed. Even on her worst days, she’s excited.”

Willing and Ready to Learn…

Because she was always willing and ready to learn, she gained a wealth of knowledge from PJ. The most powerful and challenging thing she has learned through mentoring is that mentors always tell the truth, no matter if it’s good, bad or ugly. No matter what the truth is, it is for the benefit of the business.

She said, “It would have been quite easy to keep my eyes shut on some parts of the business and shy away from others, but he didn’t let me do that. Instead, I had to do things that were uncomfortable that worked out for the best in the end. He really challenged me to step up, grow up and be a better business leader by telling me the truth.”

Her mindset is really powerful and has allowed her to push through the challenges. “She is determined because she knows if she puts in the work she will see a breakthrough,” says PJ.

Her attitude to take action and always try makes her successful. Her attitude is what differentiates her from others, and it has made her mentoring experience extremely successful.

You too can adopt her can do attitude and take action for what will grow your business. If you are thinking about mentoring, Yvonne says, “If you are serious about your business and moving forward, then you need to take action for your business. You don’t have anything to lose and everything to gain.”

Instead of just reading the stories and knowing what you need to do, she says to do it. Put those thoughts into action.

Find out more about Yvonne and Women’s Fitness Adventures here.

Learn all about the HerBusiness Mentoring program here.

This article was co-authored by Mary Klepzig. She is currently completing a journalism internship at HerBusiness. She is pursuing a degree in Communication Studies at the University of Tennessee in the United States.