Could you tell us about your education and professional experience?
Jane Pollak
I hold a BA in Studio Art and Theatre Arts from Mount Holyoke College.
I hold an MA in Art Education from Columbia University Teachers College.
I am a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (Coaches Training Institute).
When did you start your business?
I hung up my first artwork in July 1970. It marked the beginning of getting paid for my talent. I officially got into business-took out a sales and use license-in 1980. I incorporated as an S-Corp in 1991.
How did you spot the opportunity? How did it surface?
It wasn’t like that. I heard about the Pink Tent Festival (1973) and entered my work. I exhibited in several craft shows in CT over my first 10 years in business. I didn’t think of myself as a business, simply a free lance artist making money selling my work. Big mistake in self-perception, but a great learning experience.
How did any outside advisors make a difference in your company?
Continuing education has been a cornerstone of my success. I attended lectures, joined the Entrepreneurial Woman’s Network (Fairfield County, CT) and attended all of their programs learning along the way. I enrolled in FIT’s (Fashion Institute of Technology) Women Business Owners Program, AWED’s Mind Your Own Business program and hired consultants and advisors on an as-needed basis.
Mostly I took their advice, took action and either succeeded or failed as a result. In either case, I was always growing and moving forward, dumping what didn’t work and keeping what did. Since I’m still in business, clearly more worked than didn’t.
When did you decide to become a business coach and speaker? Tell us about the transition.
From quite early in my business development I was asked to speak on panels about marketing, getting press and setting goals, all things that colleagues noticed I did well. I LOVED speaking and being seen as an expert. It made me hungry for more, so I’ve continued the learning throughout my career.
I joined Toastmasters International in 1993, which was the beginning of my speaking career. I learned how to feel comfortable in front of an audience and how to develop my message.
Once I began speaking nationally it was only natural that audience members would look to me for advice. My phone began ringing regularly with requests to “pick my brain” and “have coffee to ask a few questions”. It dawned on me that a new service was developing for me-coaching. I sought out classes and ultimately went for certification training. It is what I was born to do. Although I needed to work for 30 years as an entrepreneur to realize that.
How do you balance your time between your businesses?
What really thrills me about my company is that I get to design it exactly how I want. I made the decision that I would do all of my one-on-one coaching on Tuesdays. I run coaching/mastermind groups on other days of the week, but not every week. That allows flexibility in scheduling. When I book speaking engagements, I have wiggle room in my days to fit them in or schedule around them. I’m lucky and creative.
Tell us about your business
My tag line is that I “lead remarkable women to uncommon success.” That sums it up. Women who are passionate about what they do seek out my services because they know that I accomplished something extraordinary with my egg business. They are willing to do what I did to get what I have. As a coach, I challenge them to dream huge and take them through the fire. Success does not come easily. There are daily challenges; most of them exist in our heads.
What I do is help my clients get down to the nitty-gritty detail that is stopping them in their tracks. Usually, they don’t even know that that’s the case. It’s defining what “more” money is, “more” clients, etc. I ask powerful questions and allow them to come to the answers that are true for them.
My speaking is sharing what I know, warts and all, with my audiences. I want them to identify with me and know that success is attainable. I break it down into stories that make a point about each area I discuss. I was never very good at learning straight facts. Tie a story to it and I’ll remember it forever.
In addition to coaching individual clients, I also run groups. Having 3-6 women business owners gather to share their successes, challenges and goals is a powerful model for growth. They inspire and support each other. My role is as coach, facilitator, mentor and fairy godmother. I hold my participants HUGE and they rise to that level. I get to see miracle after miracle of achievement. As I say to them, “This is the best show in town.”
Could you tell us about your books?
Decorating Eggs: Exquisite Designs with Wax and Dye is a how-to and inspirational text on the art of pysanky. It’s beautifully illustrated with photos of my art as well as several others who have used the egg as a canvas.
Soul Proprietor: 101 Lessons from a Lifestyle Entrepreneur catalogs story after story of my transition from stay-at-home mom to successful entrepreneur in pithy, funny anecdotes with a punch.
What were the most difficult problems to solve as you began to grow?
Anyone with a growing family, which was where I was when I began my business, knows that time is the biggest challenge. I worked around my family’s schedule from Day 1 of my business. There were many times where I felt resentful and sad. I believed I would be much further “ahead” if I only had more time. Little did I know that working my business into those available spaces taught me far more about myself and living than any early cash return would.
What do you find most rewarding as an entrepreneur?
I adore my life. I have enormous flexibility, control and power. I’ve designed a business that works with my life. All of my values are honored. I can’t imagine anything that could top that.
What are your plans for the future?
I plan to continue what I’m doing for 10-15 years. I want to reach as many women business owners as I can through my speaking and coaching. I am approaching larger companies to form alliances so that I can coach and they can promote me to enhance their brand.
The 5th anniversary special edition’s theme of WomenandBiz.com is Stay the Course.
Could you suggest the three most important lessons you have learned that has helped you stay the course and in business for many years?
- It is essential to find support for your business. I express daily gratitude to my Mastermind Group and colleagues who are always there for me as I walk through self-doubt and the challenges associated with having my own company.
- I’m crystal clear that none of us achieves success alone. I’ve delegated, hired consultants and partnered my way to success. If you can’t let go of the detail work and turn it over to someone else, chances are real success will elude you. There isn’t enough time for perfectionism. Something’s got to give. You get to decide, but letting go is essential.
- If you don’t love it, don’t do it. I’ve long been a believer in following your passion. I now believe that every opportunity is a test of that measure. Does it make you want to jump out of bed in the morning to do it? If a prospect or opportunity leaves you in doubt, move on. There’s a better opportunity. Trust that when you say “no” it is not the end, but an invitation to open the next better door.
Are there any other questions you wished I had asked, from which you feel WomenandBiz.com’s readers could learn valuable lessons?
Yes. On a scale from 1-10, How happy are you? 11
My measure of success is not a dollar quantity; it’s the quality of my days. I feel totally blessed to do what I do, feel tremendous joy in my work and well-compensated to boot. I want your readers to know what rings their chimes and to go after that, not some mythological brass ring touted in ads or on television.
For more information, please visit www.janepollak.com.