Motivational/career coach Faith McKinney wants to help others develop their personal brand. One way she is doing this is through her new book, “Schmingling-The Art of Being Well-Connected Through Blatant Self-Promotion.” She also leads a popular networking organization in Indianapolis.
TNJ: ?When did you launch your company, Faith McKinney?
Faith McKinney : My company officially launched with the release of my book Schmingling-The Art of Being Well-Connected Through Blatant Self-Promotion in 2013 however I have been in the business of connecting and building credibility and ?Instant Celebrity? since 2010. I wrote Schmingling-The Art of Being Well- Connected Through Blatant Self-Promotion because I wanted to teach new entrepreneurs, coaches, trainers and speakers how to gain credibility in their crowded industries even if they didn?t have a formal education or work for a Fortune 500 company. My goal was to produce a simple, practical system which I call a ?Tool Kit? ?for people to use to gain even more credibility. As a result my clients gain what I refer to as ?Instant Celebrity?
TNJ.com: How did you fund the startup?
FM: I used capital from my own savings to fund my business.
TNJ.com: What were some startup challenges and how did you overcome them?
FM: Some of the startup challenges I faced was finding a complete online system where I could operate my entire business. The challenge was finding a webmaster who understood the needs of a professional coach. I found Coaches Console is a coach?s best friend.
TNJ.com: What niche do you hope to fill?
FM: My business serves new coaches, speakers and trainers who need tools to stand out in a very crowded market. I find that many entrepreneurs are shy or introverts and my ?Instant Celebrity? Tool Kit is geared toward this population.
TNJ.com: Goals for this year?
FM: My goal this year is to take my business to Singapore. Singapore is a very hungry market and they are open to new ideas and concepts. ?I?m also preparing for ?The Instant Celebrity Bootcamp? later this summer. There will be 300 attendees from all over the country.
TNJ.com: Longterm goals?
FM: My longterm goals include writing more books to help entrepreneurs build their network as well as creating a process for creative like me who need support with administrative and financial details of day-to-day business in order to help them thrive from using their own gifts and talents.
TNJ.com: What do you enjoy the most about it?
FM: Meeting new people and seeing the look in their eyes when they understand and appreciate what I am sharing with them.
TNJ.com: What has been the most important business lesson?
FM: The most important business lesson for me is that I am enough.
