Georgiana Kovell

Story and Interview by NATALIE O'CONNOR

Business in Uncertain Times - A Sales and Performance Coach Perspective

Our world has changed drastically within a few months. Our way of life is completely different. We do not go out unless we work in essential services, and we must socially isolate and keep to social distancing. What does this mean for business? How will this affect the economy – locally and globally? These are the questions that many economists and politicians are now asking. No one knows the answer to these questions as we are in uncharted territory right now. We don’t know how long we are to socially isolate. We don’t know the impact. We do know; however, businesses are changing or needing to change (if possible) to adapt as much as they can if they are to survive.

With all that is going on in the world with COVID-19, the business world has been in a huge upheaval and is in the process of adjusting to this new world. Technology is enabling many businesses to adjust, pivot their focus or completely change direction. The agility of business to respond will likely make or break them. It is also sadly a time that many businesses have had to close their doors if other options were not available. This then has flow-on effects of people losing

jobs and people losing livelihoods.

In approaching this month’s piece, I was torn. Who should I interview? Would the business I interview close its doors? How hard would businesses be hit? The more I thought about it; one woman kept coming to my mind. She wears many hats. She is a respected and world-renowned sales, marketing and business coach. She prides herself on being of service for most of her adult life as an entrepreneur and coach. She is deeply honest, is on your side and shoots from the hip with honest and tack that you don’t get to see much these days. She is a dynamic and empowering person who is an advocate to promote and support women in business. Her name is Georgiana Kovell. Who better to ask about the business climate right now than one who coaches entrepreneurs, salespeople and empowers women with a group called “Millions of Women Strong.”

Welcome, Georgiana. Thank you for being a part of this interview for our magazine.

You’re a woman of many talents. Could you briefly tell our readers a bit about your background and what made you start your consulting business as well as Millions of Women Strong?

Yeah. I’ve been a serial entrepreneur. I started my first business when I was 16 years old. I show jumped horses, and with horses comes all the bells and whistles that everybody wants, it’s all the fad. And my dad said, “I’m paying for your horses. I’m paying for your shows. You want all the bells and whistles, get a job.” So as soon as I turned 16 and could drive, I created a business. Horse’s manes and tails needed to be braided for horse shows. And so, I learned how to braid the horse’s manes and tails, and I would go out at three o’clock in the morning and go braid all the horses’ manes and tails before the show, just to make some extra money. That was my first sales business or my first business that I had to sell myself. And it kind of went on from there.

So, I’ve done a lot of different things in my life, but the one thing that I knew for sure was I don’t like to be told what to do. I’m 55 now, and throughout my whole career, from the time I was 16, I’ve either been a 100% commission or have had my own business. So, I’ve always had a say. And that’s kind of led me to start my own business to be able to bring forth to other entrepreneurs my experience and my commitment to entrepreneurs to thrive. Listen, I’m on a mission to have women thrive. I think that we are the change in this world and everything I do is in service of that. From my sales coaching business to Millions of Women Strong, all of it is about empowering women.

One of the goals of your clients is that they are running a heart-led business that heals, inspires, and improves lives. What does that mean for you?

Well, we talk about a conscious society, maybe a spiritual society and especially during this time with COVID-19, I mean things are changing where people are getting connected to what’s important. Working with so many other coaches, healers, entrepreneurs who are in the service-based industries, they didn’t get into business to sell a car. They got into business because they have a passion about something that they’re doing that makes a difference for another. So that’s that conscious heart-led business owner is committed to something bigger than themselves, not just the almighty dollar. That’s what I mean by that.

Why is it important for women to connect and empower each other in business?

Well, I think we’re in it together, and it goes back to believing that we are going to be the change in this world. When I left my corporate job, which was a very masculine driven kind of business, there was a So, when I left and started my own company, then it was about that feminine energy and that win-win kind of listening, interested in one another and that just felt so good. It was like I had lost an aspect of myself that was important. I was just arrogant enough when I first left to think that I had found this whole feminine/masculine energy thing, which was hysterical. I mean, looking back at it now, I really thought I’d come across something, but of course, it was already out there, but at the time it was like, “Oh, I learned something big!” and for me, it was something big.

What do you wish all women would do or learn in business?

They’re worthy. They deserve it. There’s nothing that they don’t have that they need to find, nothing is missing. Nothing wrong with who they are, anyway, they are. Business owners, entrepreneurs, come in all shapes, sizes, sounds, technical knowledge or simplicity of things. I spent a good time of my career in this instant coming into all the available technology. I’d never had an online business prior to this. I spent a good amount of time just making myself wrong for not knowing all this technology, which was, again, in hindsight, ludicrous. Because, why would I? But I see that a lot in women business owners that there’s always something they “should be” or they “should know”.

Worthiness is so important. With Millions of Women Strong, we do a fundraiser every year with organisations that help women or girls. Last year we did a fundraiser for ‘Girls on the Run’, which I think they’re only here in the States. But you think it’s about running, and they do use some running, but it’s really about teaching young girls in a summer camp that they can do anything. And I’m just thinking, gosh, now what would it be like? Who would we be if we got that message at that time of our life? That’s amazing, isn’t it?

You have two business arms, your consulting arm and your Millions of Women Strongarm. Could you briefly just tell us a bit about Millions of Women Strong?

Millions of Women Strong I started about seven years ago. I had just moved to a town that I didn’t know anybody, and I wanted to meet some like-minded women. Of course, there’s all the traditional networking and stuff like that, which mostly I’d rather stick a needle in my eye than go to. I wanted to create something where I can just connect with people, not have people throwing their business card at me or anything like that. So, it started out as women connecting, and I did that, and it was amazing. I met some amazing women. There were about 25 of us that just started it up in Meetup. It was just amazing. I met some brilliant women doing all sorts of things; some even retired, some philanthropists. It was awesome. Then I found myself, moving again, did a different kind of iteration of it and it became A Thousand Women Strong. Part of it was that I was going to give away a thousand hours of coaching, free coaching. So, an hour of coaching to any woman, no strings attached, no pitch. It was just designed to empower them, but then it felt too small. So, then it became Millions of Women Strong, and it just kind of went dormant for a little bit until I found myself moving yet again to somewhere that I didn’t know anybody. I thought this is the time because again, there was a lot of the traditional kind of networking. I call it the masculine driven scarcity conversation. So, I started again to meet like-minded women, but this time it had legs.

Somebody came up and said, “I like your idea. Have you ever thought about having another chapter?” So, I started one here in Eugene, Oregon, where I am, and then somebody started one in Corvallis, Oregon, and now we have an online global chapter that we meet online. And then I have three more chapters that are starting. But that kind of started because it got you out of that traditional networking

and into building relationships, which is what it’s all about. People do business with people they know, like and trust. And if you don’t take the time to get to know somebody, they’re not going to trust you. One of my clients says, and this is so brilliant, she says, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” That is kind of the whole relationship building. We all know that men do this too, by the way, right? It’s the poker games. It’s the golf clubs. They do it in that very different way than women. And for many, it’s just so uncomfortable, or they have to shape themselves to be that kind of masculine kind of way to fit in. This is why I think it’s going to take the women being different to change things.

Our ethos in Millions of Women Strong is connection, collaboration, education, giving and celebration. We do a lot of celebrating and having fun, and yeah, it’s a good time. And a lot of business gets done, too.

What do people come to you most for?

Certainly, for sales. I do a lot of work with people for sales, and that’s something that I’m super passionate about, but Millions of Women Strong is tugging at my heartstrings. It’s really about connecting people. I think that’s a lot of what people come to me is for to be connected, whether it be through education or with the coaching or whether it be connecting to other people and how they can grow their business and kind of take it to the next level. So, I guess that’s one way to put it. Connection.

What do you love most about what you do?

Oh boy. I got this email from a client just recently, actually in February and we had worked together in December. And I got this email, and it says, ‘I just closed the biggest deal of my life’. And I love getting emails like that. Working with entrepreneurs who have been struggling or are just not clear, or they have concerns and considerations. And they just hate the sales, but it’s a necessary thing. And that same client in that same email told me that she was, 30% on her way to her stretch goal, in February. It’s hearing the successes of not just clients, but any entrepreneur, female entrepreneur who has this big success, who has gone beyond their own limiting beliefs. I mean, there’s just nothing better than hearing those stories.

You have many success stories of people landing their dream jobs to others, doubling their sales. What has been your most memorable success story with someone you’ve coached?

There’s a lot. I think the one I just shared with you is probably the most recent. I’ve had a lot of clients that have doubled and tripled their revenue, but the overarching besides the revenue is they’ve gone beyond what they ever thought was possible.

I saw one of your testimonials from a lady that said through your coaching, she got clear on what she wanted and then landed her dream job. I think a lot of people in business do get caught up in making money, and never actually asked, what is it that makes them happy? This is such a magical gift of yours that you do get to the heart of what makes people happy.

Thank you. Yeah. There’s got to be something else that we deal with in the world. And Simon Sinek talks about it in our why. What is it about our jobs that we love so much? It’s generally, at the end of the day, we’re not going, “Oh, I love my job because I make so much money.” I love my job because I get to make a difference, or I get to do this or whatever it is.

Although you’re based in the U.S., you work with people all over the world. Given that we are living through uncertain times with COVID-19, are you noticing any differences locally or globally with regard to how businesses are adapting?

That’s a big question. I mean, on the smaller side of business owners, I mean it’s sad that there’s a lot of people that are losing their businesses and will probably not recover from this, at least not in that business. I think once an entrepreneur, always an entrepreneur.

I have a client in Hong Kong, and for a while, all that we were talking about was the riots that were going on earlier in the year and last year. And it was something I could have compassion for, but I couldn’t understand it. I couldn’t get it because I’ve never had to live in a city that was full of riots.

So, I think for the first time for business owners and people alike, this is the first time that as a global community, we have ever had to deal with the same thing. I’m in lockdown. It’s like the first time everybody around the world is dealing with the same thing. And there’s another level of understanding that we can bring into our conversations with one another that we can now get. Like we’re not separate. We’re not different. In the end, there’s no difference between what we’re all dealing with, anywhere. I think that’s the biggest thing, is being able to be compassionate and understanding and bring a level of listening that probably wasn’t there before. And honestly, that’s everywhere, not just globally, but even here in the States, people are going to have to deal with themselves and others in a whole new way.

You’ve said in one of your Facebook Lives that businesses must be creative and not give too much away for free even during these times. Could you elaborate a little on that?

Yeah. Of course, the very first part of the response to COVID, there was a lot of people going, “Oh, here’s this, use this. I’m going to get this out, and I’ve got all these free things, I want to give to people that need it right now.” And then it became, I feel bad charging for stuff because so many people are struggling financially, or they’ve lost their jobs or their business. I had clients coming to me, saying, “I don’t know what to do.” And I said, “You know what? You’ve got to know it’s absolutely okay to make money right now.” As a matter of fact, it’s important to continue making money right now and spending money right now. That’s how our economy goes.

It’s so important to charge for what you’re doing and keep it going. So, you may offer something that is high value and maybe less time of yours at a cheaper rate. I saw so many coaches wanting to lower their pricing of what they do. It’s like, no, don’t do that. Create something new. Get creative about what you can do and how you can serve and how you can bring super high value so that you’re still able to contribute to people and serve people but not give away the farm. Your freebies are your freebies. Your offerings are not. So it’s really important to get creative and find new ways to serve the people that you want to serve that maybe can’t afford your full price, but you know what, that is all the time, every day, COVID-19 or not.

You’ve also run an online workshop about selling in turbulent times. What was the standout lesson that came from that workshop?

The standout was first how you’re speaking to people in your marketing, it’s got to be sensitive to what’s happening, and getting creative about how you’re going to serve to the highest good for people—and then getting creative about your packages and your pricing and what you want to do and who you serve and all of that. I’m running it again because it’s important to keep people going.

Could you provide some advice to our readers who may have a business that has either closed, needs to adapt or to expand quickly? Would you say that would be the same advice?

Yeah. I’m a certified Fix This Next coach as well, through Mike Michalowicz. We have the hierarchy of needs as human beings, but then there’s also a business hierarchy of needs. When we start a business, we don’t have a business until there’s some kind of money exchanging hands. Right? Sales and marketing are always the very low, basic part of owning a business that has to happen; otherwise, you don’t have a business; you just have some great ideas. Focusing on sales and marketing is the thing. And listen, there’s going to be new industries, new businesses that arise out of this. I’m just clear about that. Again, that’s part of that getting creative. Like how can you completely pivot what you’ve been doing?

The restaurants had to get creative about how they were going to continue. We can’t eat in restaurants, but we can get takeout. So, there’s a whole new way. And then there were these conglomerates that kind of, I don’t know if that’s the right word, but restaurants that came together and they offered specials. And then I was driving somewhere, and there was a brewery that had the big tent out front, that you can go fill up your growlers with their beer and get food. The table was out on the street. So, People are getting creative to how to just get by, and it’s kind of like you got to get scrappy again.

When you were starting out and getting your business going, you got scrappy and figure it out and try different things. And by the way, I’m making a difference for people, oh, that worked. Oh, that didn’t work. Oh, that was well received. Oh, that one wasn’t. Okay. Stop, shift, go. It’s always like getting scrappy, getting in there and figure it out. And that’s the beginning part. If no sales are coming in, there’s no money coming in, and you don’t have that stuff figured out, you don’t have a business.

With regard to your own business, what are your service offerings?

I do private coaching, and I’ve currently gotten creative so that I can serve the customers that are dealing with stuff right now. So, I have a group program, a very small group program that I’m doing for a very low cost that is giving them my private coaching but in a small group. We’re going to be starting that in May. So, I’ll have different groups going because they’ll be maxed out at five people.

So, it’s coaching and obviously Million Women Strong as well.

Yeah, Millions of Women Strong, we have our free public group and our paid memberships. So please join our Millions of Women Strong Facebook group. It’s an amazing way to connect. We have many people, and it’s growing globally, which is my intent. We had some people from India, which was amazing. I was so excited to see that. There was another gal who joined who was from a country I’d never even heard of. So, I love that. And so, people all over the world and it’s heavy here in Oregon, but what can I say.

So how could people find you?

Oh, well, I think the easiest way is LinkedIn or Facebook, and of course, my website is georgianakovell.com and also millionsofwomenstrong.com. I’m pretty easy to reach.

Is there anything else that you’d like to add?

The only thing I want to add is a great big thank you to your readers that are business owners that are out there. They have families, they have employees, and they have customers and then themselves that they’re putting themselves out there, whatever they need to do to get through this time. People are resilient, and it’s amazing, and sometimes we don’t just say thank you for what you do. So, thank you to all the business owners, all your readers, for everything that you’re doing right now.

Thank you so much for your time and generosity today, Georgiana.

Thank you.

To connect with Georgiana, please visit:

Websites: georgianakovell.com and millionsofwomenstrong.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ georgiana-kovell/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ gkovell

Millions of Women Strong Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ millionsofwomenstrong/