Full name?: Stacia Pierce
Position / Job title?: Business and Success Coach, author, motivational speaker, entrepreneur and owner of LifeCoach2Women.com
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a fashion designer when I was a child. I used to tear pages of beautiful clothing from magazines and catalogs and put them on my vision board. I’ve always had a real passion for fashion and style.
Fast-forward several years/decades. How did you land (or create) your current position?
I am a business and lifestyle coach and a catalyst for entrepreneurial success and lifestyle enhancement. I help women grow their business, increase revenues and achieve their most desired goals. With books, seminars, and specialized training, I empower women to upgrade their business and their life so that they can profit from their passion.
My career stemmed from my Women’s Success Conference. At first, I was just an author and speaker, and then many people requested me to help them launch their businesses. After my conference each year, I was getting many letters and calls for private coaching. People wanted to know how to do what I was doing, profiting from my passion. I began with about 20 clients, showing them step-by-step how to discover their passion and monetize it for a profit.
Once I started LifeCoach2Women.com, everything began to take off. We just launched the online business before we were really ready—but that’s what I teach. You can’t think too long, you have to get going on your new ideas while energy and excitement is high. The longer you wait, the more likely you’ll talk yourself right out of taking action. Only one month after we launched, we had grown to over 65 clients and it has been growing ever since.
Did you have to take on internships to get there? How important in general, do you think, are internships?
My father helped me start my first business at 13 years old. I’ve been an entrepreneur for a very long time. I haven’t had many traditional jobs because of this. However, I do think internships are great opportunities to gain experience while in college or transitioning into a new career.
Tell us what a typical workday looks like for you. What is your job REALLY like, both the glamorous and not-so-glamorous parts?
I start every morning with meditating and writing in my journal. Though I’ve never been into fitness, I can honestly say I love the feeling and results of my daily morning run and workout and another run at night. Yes, I really do it every single day. When traveling, I run in the hotel fitness center or run in place in my room.
My daily activities are never the same after that so here’s a list of all the things I do:
I write a lot: for articles, my blog, products I’m creating and my new book. I also write notes for my speaking engagements usually once or twice a month and I write script outlines for STACIA TV, my online show and we record them twice a week.
I always implement something daily, whether it’s a new strategy, program or small adjustments to our current systems. I believe you have to take massive action to succeed at your own business.
What is the biggest career mistake you’ve ever made?
When I was 19, I self-published my first book and ordered 15,000 copies with no marketing plan. I really had no idea how I was going to sell them. However, I eventually came up with a plan. I overcame this big blunder by starting my speaking platform. I used my background as a beauty class instructor to empower women to look and feel their best. At first, I landed about twenty different speaking opportunities, where I built a following that I could market to. Some engagements were paid and some were free. The more public speaking events I did, the better I became at presenting. I always mentioned my book in my presentation and sold as many as I could at the events. It took a while, but I eventually sold them all. My biggest mistake taught me my biggest lesson: Your marketing plan is just as important as your product idea.
What is the single most important piece of advice you would give to other career-minded women?
I would tell women to become conscious entrepreneurs. Manage your business from the heart and learn to market and sell what you have consistently.
Let’s talk about work/life balance. What does that mean to you? Is it important?
Finding balance is being able to make adjustments to do what is essential at the time. It is incorporating what has to be done with what you want to get done.
For example, when balancing work and family, you may have to get done with your projects during the week then take a day to hike or garden on the weekend. Go out with the kids and really enjoy that moment.
My secret to staying balanced is Meditation. Taking 20 minutes every day to sit quietly and relax while thinking about your dreams, goals and assignments helps you to realign what matters most. It’s also good to tune into your inner voice, to ignite your creativity and find solutions to achieve your goals. Meditation makes it easier to see solutions and stay optimistic about life’s outcomes. Plus it keeps your mind from going in a thousand directions.
If you’re feeling imbalanced, creating a plan can be life changing. Writing out a strategy to get your work done or even just creating a simple to-do list gives you a feeling of focus. You can plan everything in your life… your exotic vacation, time with family or a new business venture. Plans bring balance because you have a road map to accomplishing all that you want to get done. You’re more likely to do what is written. Reviewing your plans keeps you on track and reminds you of other commitments that you should give attention to.
On that note, do you think women can have it all? Both the baller career, and the happy family?
Yes, you can have it all. However, in order to do it you will need to work at it consistently every day and prioritize your efforts. It’s not a cut and dry formula to having a great family, loving relationships and an awesome career. All are demanding, all are important and you’re going to have to give your all to make it happen. I have found proper planning is the biggest key to success. It’s important to plan your life instead of being led by your emotions or running from crisis to crisis as the day take you. Without a plan, life can be frustrating because you’ll naturally give attention to the area that demands the most of you. Which also mean you’re giving less attention to other areas that are important. After a while, you can easily feel out of sorts and distracted or unfulfilled. Live by lists. Create “to-do” lists for what you want be, what you need to do and how you want to live. Set goals and work towards them.
Although things don’t always work out exactly like you planned, you are still more likely to get more of what you want by having a plan in the first place.
If you could look into a crystal ball and see 20 years into your future, what would you want to see?
I would see myself doing philanthropic work in my community and abroad on a grand scale. I also see me teaming up with creative companies on joint ventures.
Do you have any career role models? Who are they?
My late father was my first mentor. He introduced me to entrepreneurship. He helped me start my first business when I was only 13 years old and supported my ideas and efforts as I grew up. I became an avid reader like my father, who often told me successful people are readers. I had a book challenge with him, he would give me a book to read every week and when I was done, he would take me shopping for clothes. My father was a pioneer in our community and my first business mentor. He always taught me lessons to succeed in life, directing me to always write down profound insight that he shared with me.
When I was older I discovered Peter Daniels, the Australian business guru. He became my mentor by way of his books and audio programs. Then I finally had a conference and invited him to present. After that event, I had a chance to spend several hours with him, getting all of my business questions answered.
What is the best piece of advice that you have ever received – career-related or otherwise?
Peter Daniels advised me to get up every day and meditate, sit, think and always journalize my thoughts daily. I took his advice to heart and for over a decade I’ve kept journals for every month and labeled them January-December. I write my morning thoughts from meditation time and I close out the night by writing 10 things I’m grateful for today. I can truly attest when you think thoughts of gratitude that more things just keep showing up in your life to be thankful for.
Parents love to say, “just wait ’til you have to face the real world…” When you were in college or high school, what did you think the “real world” looked like? What is the difference between what you thought and reality?
My parents raised me with a positive outlook on the real world. They told me that I could do anything I wanted to do and that my reality was in my control. Because of this I’ve always had high expectations of what I could accomplish and how good life would be. I am now achieving all that I thought I could.
I always understand that you’d have to overcome obstacles to achieve success, but for me success has always been attainable.
Should you work for the money, or do what you love?
I think you have to do both. Pursuing money alone is unfulfilling and can result in you doing almost anything to earn a buck. If you are going to work, you should do something meaningful and something that you really enjoy doing AND do your very best to earn a living and achieve the life you want from it.
How important is money to you when considering a job?
You know, some people like to say it’s not about the money…but really it is. It’s about the money for both the employer and the employee. The company hires people to make more money, and you go get a job to make more money.
Once you come to terms with that, then you should value yourself, your skills and work ethic to determine your worth. Knowing your worth helps you to negotiate a better salary.
I think it is idealistic to not consider the importance of money when considering a job. After all, you have to live. Life doesn’t just take care of itself, you need, at the very minimum, enough money to pay your bills. When it comes down to it, we all want more money to enjoy life as well.
What is the single most important factor of a job?
Attitude is everything. Your attitude affects the work atmosphere, relationships and your overall productivity. As an employer, I look to hire individuals that have a positive outlook on life, who love what they do and act like they want to be working with me. Some people are very skilled, but have bad attitudes. Those kin of people don’t make it very far in their career. Your attitude determines your altitude.
If you married a millionaire husband and didn’t have to work, would you? (Be honest.)
I would definitely keep working, because I have a purpose to fulfill. I truly love what I do and a strong desire to make an impact in the world. My husband’s income would not be a determining factor in my choice to work or not. I will always choose to fulfill purpose.
I also believe that men are attracted to self-empowered women. They admire when who are achieving their own goals and working at their dreams.
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