Walking Away From a 6-Figure Salary From Microsoft to Start Her Own Business with Michelle Evans
Episode 273: Show Notes
Welcome to another episode of The Strategy Hour Podcast, where we give you the tools, tips, and tricks to get your biz hopping and popping! Today on the show we are joined by Michelle Evans who is going to talk us through her journey of giving up a secure, well-paid job at Microsoft to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams. This obviously has great relevance for most of us as we have either made the switch or would still like to. It is just a part of doing this thing we do! Michelle now runs her own marketing company helping business owners achieve their dreams and coaching them towards the kind of success they hope for.
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In our conversation, we go through this all important process and how it played out for Michelle. Her story is really inspiring and has lessons in it for all of us for following your own path and playing to your own strengths. We chat about what led up to the decision to leave and then the all important action steps Michelle took following her departure, which led to her paving her own way ever since. Michelle gives us great strategy pointers and you are not going to want to miss those so stay tuned right to the end of the show!
Michelle’s Background and Where She Worked Before Going Solo
Our guest had pretty much always dreamed of making it out of the corporate world she inhabited. She was in a high profile job, running global marketing programs at Microsoft and despite the comforts of this job, she was always imagining a way out. For a long time the way was not clear and she could not see how she could do it, but she knew the high cost of the corporate job just was not worth the benefits. Girl, we get you! And at the end of the day she just was not having the impact on the world that she wanted to. There was also always a host of reasons and obstacles standing in the way of her dreams. The final straw that made Michelle take some action was getting passed over for a promotion and raise she really deserved. Most of us know that feeling, right? This was the kick in the butt that she needed and it eradicated her excuses and she started to get into gear. Go Michelle!
The First Steps Michelle Took in Her Own Business
Before she actually stopped worked for Microsoft, Michelle starting reaching out to people she already knew and had relationships with, connecting, networking and setting up what would become her own business clientele. In fact she managed to line up enough potential marketing work that she could potentially earn more than she had been making at Microsoft! This process she began really helped her to grow in confidence and affirm her decision to step down from her position. For Michelle, these conversations she was having in person with future clients were way more important than setting up a slick website and having a banging portfolio. The friction that had always been present in Michelle, the need to go it alone, was starting to evolve as she followed her passions with her signature strong will. She had sharpened many of these tools in her prior high powered position and now she was going to have the chance to use them for her own ends. The beginning of this process obviously had elements of learning and trial and error and Michelle quickly found that she needed to be proactive in her approach with potential business.
Joining a Mastermind and Improving on Sales
To this end, Michelle joined a very high-end mastermind to learn how to really sell her work. Although the lessons she learned in this process were ultimately great for her, the first few months were difficult as she tried to emulate her great coach. The trouble was that her coach had a completely different personality and set of gifts in the sales game. This method was not the one for Michelle and she found that she was really struggling to find any success in this lane. When she realized there is more than one way to be a great salesperson and playing to your own strengths is the only way to find real and lasting success, she started seeing very positive results immediately. Let’s say that again, you need to find a sales style that suits your personality and needs. Remember this, it is important! For Michelle, this meant going back to her email funnel and by focusing on that she was instantly able to bring in about 60k worth of revenue, all through trusting herself! We often think we need to be like the people we look up to, when really we all just need to be more like ourselves and lean into our own strengths!
Michelle’s Own Recipe For Success in Her Business!
An important lesson that really started Michelle’s upward turn was the framing of the sales conversations she was having. This meant she was clear from the outset about what a meeting would be about and her intentions in sitting down with someone. This led to more direct conversations and less time wasted on dead end leads. She would choose which conversations to have based on the interest that they generated. Her email marketing really came in handy and she created a few simple PDF documents where her list could opt in and this process led to a face-to-face meeting with Michelle where she could really show them how much she had to offer! This process was really about setting the stage for the kind of conversations she wanted to be having. Another big step that helped her shift into a much higher gear was moving her focus towards how she could really serve her clients, help them solve their problems. In this way her business has continued to evolve and grow for the last five years as she has recognized more and more ways to improve it. It has become more streamlined and systematized and all of you know how much we love the sound of that! Michelle has also learned the power of saying no and how well this can serve her work and peace of mind. Of course this has become more of a reality as her clientele has grown and she has more freedom to seek out the best business that she can. Go Michelle!
Quote This
There is no box that an entrepreneur needs to fit in.
—Michelle Evans
Highlights
Michelle’s Background and Where She Worked Before Going Solo. [0:04:02.5]
The First Steps Michelle Took in Her Own Business. [0:09:58.7]
Transferring Passion and Talents into Her Own Business [0:13:48.2]
Joining a Mastermind and Improving on Sales. [0:18:35.9]
Being Yourself and Trusting Your Own Style. [0:27:15.5]
Michelle’s Own Recipe For Success in Her Business! [0:29:11.3]
The Evolution of Michelle’s Business Over the Years. [0:34:11.2]
#TalkStrategyToMe [0:37:59.6]
Find A Problem You Can Solve.
Create An Offer that Speaks to This Problem.
Give Your Permission to Evolve.
ON TODAY’S SHOW
Michelle Evans
Michelle L. Evans walked away from her global marketing strategy role at Microsoft in 2012 after a successful 16-year corporate career spanning many industries. Now Michelle helps coaches & experts go from simply surviving to predictably SOLD OUT using the automation power of marketing funnels. Check out her best tips on adventures in building a business, marketing hacks and more at michellelevans.com.
KEY TOPICS
Corporate Jobs, Passion, Evolution, Trust, Mastermind
