Fueled by her desire to overcome her own health challenges, Madeleine stepped away from her career in nursing to embrace a more holistic method of healing through whole foods nutrition and supplementation. She now helps others walk on the same path that led to her recovery. Her interview inspires us to prioritize our own personal development and to focus on what matters most.

 

What inspired you to become a holistic entrepreneur?

Even though I had a nursing background and thought I knew all about how to be healthy, I had experienced some health challenges in my late 20’s that ultimately led to having a very rough recovery with my first pregnancy. Traditional medicine was not giving me any answers. I became very interested in holistic methods of healing such as better whole foods nutrition as well as how proper supplementation worked. This was what allowed my body to finally heal. Now I love helping others heal their bodies from the inside out and create the life they are looking for.

 

Tell us about your business or practice.

I partner with Usana Health Sciences and Inspire Health Team. Usana is a Network Marketing Company and our team is a group of super passionate women nationwide that love helping our clients integrate healthy changes into their lives. We use Usana as our product partner in the programs we develop for our clients to support their bodies to heal and become their best. Education is key for us. We want our clients empowered with the tools to succeed into the future. No quick fix options, as those are not sustainable.

 

What is your current business model?

Network Marketing. We help educate our clients through one-on-one coaching or webinars that we run weekly. We cover many different topics such as Digestive Health, Boosting Your Immunity, Beauty From The Inside Out, Understanding Supplementation just to name a few. Our target market loves this format.

 

What has been one of your favorite moments as a business owner thus far?

Helping other change their lives from the inside out. It’s so amazing to think I do this for a living when I hear the incredible testimonies from our clients.

 

What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced in running your business or practice?

Being able to effectively connect with people. I made so many mistakes in the beginning from not being my self, to not knowing my story and how to tell it, bad listening skills, you name it. Plus balancing it with raising a family and being a good wife.

 

How have you overcome those challenges?

I had to really accept the fact that I needed to focus on personal development for myself to grow into a better human being and leader as well as skill development and learning my industry of network marketing.

And keeping set work times outside family time. I call them my work power hours and then I have Love power hours for family.

 

How do you find new clients?

Word of mouth, networking and sharing what I do. It’s fun to try and meet new people every day. You never know when someone is looking for someone to help them find a solution – either for themselves or for someone they know. Share what you do in a classy way.

 

What have you found to be most effective in securing new clients to sign up for your services?

Providing the support they are looking for. There are many great coaches, companies and product lines out there but what people buy is ultimately YOU. If they feel you are giving great service, connection and information they can use effectively its more attractive to making a decision.

Know that you are serving them more than yourself is important to keep in mind.

 

What do you do to keep your existing clients engaged in the long term?

Provide excellent customer service, free product samples and clear communication and doing what I say I’m going to do. If I tell them I will follow up on a certain day and time – then I make sure to do it. The surest way to lose someone is to make them doubt you.

On the flip side, you have to also not take it personally when people do decide to disengage for whatever reason. Always try to keep a good relationship, many times in our industry people will come back to you either because the other products or person they work with are inferior to what they had with you or they are not getting the service they thought they were expecting.

 

As your own boss, what is your best strategy for staying focused and productive during your workday?

I focus daily on my top 3 priorities for that day. Try to do the one I least want to deal with before lunchtime, then the rest are easier. I always make sure those 3 are tied into my top 3 goals for my business and vision for my life. Any thing else that comes into my sight line is a solid no. Distractions are a killer when trying to build a solid business. You can’t be all things to all people. Focus on what you need to do. Darren Hardy teaches this in his books, which are incredible for personal development.

 

If you could start your business over again from the beginning, what would you do differently?

Focus on personal development and understanding my industry better, clearly telling my story, and how to listen better to people.

 

What were some of the first mistakes you made that you would tell a new holistic entrepreneur to avoid?

Doubting myself and holding back. Not having a clear definition of what I was creating for my future. And time management.

 

What are the top three business tools or resources you couldn’t live without?

1) My Passion Planner Calendar (I just do better on paper)

2) Social Media

3) Darren Daily from Darren Hardy

 

What has been your most effective method for growing your business?

Adding to my contact list/network every day. There are so many interesting people out there with stories to share. They can all be a potential network for you as well.

 

What is the craziest thing you’ve ever for done for your business?

Tried to talk to someone and did the whole network-marketing-this-is-a-great-business speech-vomit all over them. It was a total train wreck in my head as I watched it happening and could not stop it. I laugh about it now.

 

What is your favorite indulgence?

Dark chocolate or Fruit Pastry Tart

 

Most exotic thing you’ve ever eaten?

I guess wild boar stew in Belgium – clearly I need to experiment more exotically.

 

Most memorable place you’ve ever visited?

The grottos of Dahzu in China. This incredible valley where Buddhist monks have spent centuries carving sculptures into walls – spiritual stories and the deities of their religion. The energy there is mind-blowing and peaceful at the same time.

 

Last book you read?

So many great ones. Danielle La Porte The Fire Starter Sessions – working through her exercises have been a huge help

 

If you could only have one kind of food for the rest of your life, it would be?

That’s such a tough one as I love so many – Dark Chocolate.

 

What is your go-to breakfast?

Some type of healthy protein paired with a good low glycemic grain or one of our Usana Nutrimeal shakes as it covers all my protein, carb and healthy fat needs on the go.

 

What do you find most fascinating about the human body?

The incredible synergistic interplay of all the body systems to create the whole. A true miracle.

 

What do you love most about being an entrepreneur?

Creating the life I want on my own terms.

 

Madeleine Childers is an RN and Certified Health Coach living in St. Louis, MO. You can find out more about her and her business, 3 Powers Freedom, at www.madeleinechilders.com.