Meet Laura Templeton, the Chief Instigator at 30 Second Success
Where did you grow up?
Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA
Where do you reside currently?
Bradenton, Florida, USA
Which industry do you work in?
Public Speaking
What is your professional role?
In my professional role as Founder and Chief Instigator at 30 Second Success, I get to create programs that help the most incredibly talented and successful professional women define their brand message the world needs to hear. As an International Speaker and Author of "30 Second success: Ditch the Pitch & Start Connecting!", I inspire audiences around the world to dig deep and define their authentic message that connects with the people they are meant to serve.
What is your top personal value?
My top personal value is faith. Having faith is trusting in a higher power to guide you through life, it's a belief that we are all called to do more with our lives than just accepting what happens. I find that faith leads to more creativity and deeper relationships with others because we are ultimately called to love one another When we use our creativity to serve others we are coming from a place of authenticity, a place of hope.
My story is one where I found myself wanting to help people in my network who were struggling with their 30 second message. I physically felt their pain, my heart hurt every time I watch someone I had come to know and care for deeply struggle to share her brilliance with the world. So, I started helping. I began writing 30 second commercial for the women in my network and coaching them on how to deliver their message. Watching these incredible women step into and own their message with clarity and confidence made my heart swell with joy and want to help more people overcome this struggle to communicate their authentic heartfelt message in 30 seconds or less.
What do you do when you aren't working?
Some of the things I enjoy when not working are hiking, biking, and shooting archery, all of which bring me closer to family, friends, Knox (my awesome rescue dog), and nature. I've always loved being outdoors exploring, our recent move from Pennsylvania to Florida gives me more opportunity to be outdoors exploring my new home and doing activities that I love. Being away from my desk and spending time outdoors allows my mind to wonder. Some of my best ideas and many of my client's messages come to me in moments of clarity when I am walking or biking.
Archery is definitely my Zen, it's where I find the most freedom of mind. When I am focused on my shot sequence nothing else invades my mind and I find peace in the moment. My family has been shooting together since my kids were young. In fact, my husband and I became certified Archery Instructors through USA Archery to help other families become engaged in one of few the sports families can enjoy together.
What makes you unique?
What makes me unique seems like such a loaded question since I have so much to give to the world. The one thing I will say that stands out most in my mind is that I have the gift of listening. I absolutely love hearing people's stories, their passions, their struggles, and their strengths. Networking and connecting people is a passion of mine. I love making people feel good simply by listening to them and hearing, really hearing, what the need, want, or care about. If i is within my power to connect them with someone who can help them, I do my best to make that happen. I truly believe that if we took more time to invest in one another, to give without expecting anything in return (other than a thank you), this world would be a much better place.
What do you love about what you do and how do you help others?
What I love most about the work I do is getting to know the people I work with, helping them really flesh out the words and emotions that define the work they do. When working with clients one-on-one or through online workshops and digital courses we start by digging deep into who they sever. Sometimes it's hard to define your ideal client or there is fear behind creating a niche that's too specific but diving deep into to the work my clients do helps us refine just who it is they are trying to connect with. I love to ask clients to define their absolute favorite client and if they could work with that one person every single day, who would it be? From there we can go deeper into how they serve their clients. The most incredibly rewarding moment for me is when a client has a message, we crafted for them or that they crafted by following the 30 Second Success Formula spelled out in my book and courses, is to hear the excitement in their voice and see their confidence shine through. I often hear..."you got me. You found the words I've been struggling to find for so long." To see them deliver their message with clarity and confidence is a true gift for me, in those times I feel like a proud Momma, and you'll most likely find beaming from ear to ear with tears in my eyes.
What is the number one goal you are trying to achieve in your professional life?
Teaching people how to connect with heart. When you love your work, your network, and your clients the world becomes a much better place. It all starts with bringing your heart to everything you do.
Can you define the word Entrepreneur?
I define Entrepreneurs as creatives who have started a business from an idea they acted upon. Entrepreneurs are business owners, but business owners may not be entrepreneurs if their business is founded on someone else's idea. I do believe that both entrepreneurs and business owners need to be very creative and resilient people who are smart enough to understand that your number one job is marketing/sales. I also believe that surrounding yourself with talented people who can help you reach your goals is vital to the success and longevity of business.
What did you do before you became an entrepreneur or business owner?
Before becoming an Entrepreneur/Business Owner I wore many hats. I worked in corporate for more than 10 years as a project manager overseeing the development of corporate offices and bank branches. After leaving Corporate America when my son was born, I became a Stay-At-Home Mom, Homeschool Educator, and COO of all things domestic related to the Templeton household. During my time as COO I explored in direct sales with several network marketing companies building teams and training the global community of leaders within the organizations I was drawn to. I stepped into the roles of President and National Director for two leading women's networking organizations while becoming passionate about supporting the people in my network.
What happened to inspire you to start a business or buy one?
During my time as a leader for a networking group, I had been asked to find someone to come in and teach how to write and present your 30 second message, something most networking groups encourage at the beginning of their meetings. I looked and looked and what I found was people who were teaching how to network, and while they could talk about your message, they weren't teaching that specifically. I knew how to do it and I knew my network, so I started teaching and then word got out that I was helping the people in my group and requests started pouring in to speak elsewhere.
When you started what mistake or failure taught you the most about running a business?
One of the lessons I learned the hard way was finding the balance between creation and my true job as a business owner. As a creative person, it was very easy for me to get lost in the creation and to not focus on the marketing and sales. Marketing and sales are critical to the life of your business. When I was developing my online courses, I found myself floundering for clients. I had gotten so wrapped up in the development and perfecting (yes, perfectionism is trait I struggle with) of my courses that I had lost sight of marketing and networking, both of which had provided me with a steady stream of clients for years. My Financial Advisor asked me one simple question..."How do your clients find you? (Networking) Do more of that!"
What support did you have?
The support I receive from my networking community has helped me in so many amazing ways. I have found mentors in the most giving people who freely offer support and guidance. I've built a core group of people who I turn to for guidance and support when I find myself struggling to define what's next and bring more of myself to my work. I recall getting tired of hearing myself talk about writing my book and finally telling my friend, accountability partner, and photographer, Brenda Jankowski that I was finally ready for help. She introduced me to Debby Kevin of Highlander Press because she knew our personalities would be a great fit to get my book out there. She was right. Getting good at what you do takes practice and a deep knowing. I had learned how to connect with people during my tenure in direct sales. The amount of training network marketing (a.k.a. relationship marketing) companies offer to their associates is an incredible gift, especially since their key focus is on relationship building. Practice builds confidence, confidence builds trust in oneself, this is a gift I give to my clients when they step into clarity and confidence that their message will connect with the clients they are meant to serve.
Share a success you are very proud of.
One of my favorite success stories is from early on in my business, it was the ah-ha moment when I knew that I had something to offer to the world. I was leading a chapter for Professional Women's Business Network and one of the women in our group that I had come to know, and love would literally begin to shake and stutter when it was her turn to stand up and share her 30 second message. After offering to help her by writing a message for her and coaching her on the delivery, I witnessed a powerful change in her. She literally stood up stomped her foot and delivered her 30 second message with more clarity, confidence, and joy that anyone had ever seen. The women in the room applauded her for her beautiful delivery as I sat there like a proud Momma with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat. In that very moment, I knew I needed to launch 30 Second Success. I began getting more requests from the women in the group, then word got out that I was helping people with their 30 second message and more referrals requests to speak started pouring in.
