It's ReLaunch Day!

Can I just tell you how excited I am that today is HERE?! I have been counting down the days, planning out the content, working with amazing people all to be able to show you (yes, YOU!) all about JS Goldsberry & Associates. I may not even need coffee today! Who am I kidding - of course I will need coffee today! 
I mentioned in my Instagram post that it truly has taken a team to get where I’m at today. You may be thinking, “But JoEllen, you work alone. How do you have a team?!” Well, I’m so glad you asked. The thing about owning your own business is that you’re really never on your own (unless you choose to be, but that approach doesn’t work for me). My team includes my husband, Joe Don, who is the CFO of our business. Literally. Joe Don handles all things numbers and we are all thankful for it. We have regular meetings about the numbers with our CPA, Robin (and we sleep better knowing she is in charge of all the like, really important tax-y numbers). Then, there’s the amazing professional colleagues who I share referrals with and get their thoughts on hard counseling things. All of these talented people make up my team. And I’m so, so grateful for them! 
Today 100% could not have been possible without adding several talented people to my team though and I’m so thrilled to introduce them to you! First, all of the incredible photos on my website and in my social posts were shot by my friend and photographer, Alicia of Alicia Leigh Photography. I first met Alicia in 2009 when we were both teachers and I had moved to Austin knowing exactly 2 people, my aunt and uncle. Oh, the journey we have taken since then! Alicia is truly the kind of person who makes you feel like you are the only person in the world when she is talking with you. I distinctly remember telling my husband in 2019, "When I'm actually making a profit, I'm going to pay the bucks to do a real photo shoot with Alicia!" Let me tell you, we laughed and laughed and laughed during the photo shoot! What a gift to me - again, just a heart full of gratitude. 
Second, when I say I struggled with creating a logo on my own, I s.t.r.u.g.g.l.e.d. It was then I was reminded, “Oh, hello there! You are, indeed, not a professional graphic designer. You are actually a very talented professional counselor, consultant, and leader! Let’s do those things.” So, enter my friend Michael Bergman of Berg Designs. Michael is, in fact, a professional graphic designer and storyteller. I literally gave him perhaps 4 sentences of what I was hoping for, what my company values are, and how I want my clients to feel (more on that Wednesday right here!) and he created a stunning, spot-on logo. How lucky am I to have talented professional friends? I will tell you - just the luckiest. 
Let me share 3 quick things I learned from the process of launching a business 2 years ago and now, re-launching it. 

• You may have a rocky start. It’s okay to have a rocky start. I officially was open for business in November of 2019 and did not have a single client (counseling or consulting) until March of 2020. I felt like a failure. What I realize now is that it takes at least 2-3 years to build a business. You cannot run out of perseverance. Dig deep. 
• You do not know all the things. It’s tempting to want to “muscle up” and just tackle everything yourself, either to save money or pride. Joe Don and I had a lot of conversations before we ever talked with a business attorney to actually see what it would take to set up a legit business. We chose to prioritize our resources for the things we knew had to be done right (like setting up an LLC and estimating quarterly taxes) and then did the best we could by self-teaching ourselves for the rest. And you know what, it worked! And when we could do more, we did. The learning never, never stops and I’m so glad. It’s a lot of what I love about owning my own business (second to working with my clients). 
• You need a team. However you decide to build your team, just build it. There will be days that you want to quit and you have to have people you can call to listen, be a sounding board, and sometimes, just let you vent. One of things that I’ve enjoyed the most this year is getting to work with other small business owners. Hearing how they’ve built their brands and businesses is so encouraging to me! If you don’t have someone who can be that encouragement for you, I’d be honored to coach you along the way. 

Thank you for being here and helping make today so fun and exciting! The fun doesn’t stop here though - Wednesday I’ll be back with another post about what it’s like to work with me as a client. Friday you’ll be hearing all about future plans and even some dreams. I promise, you won’t want to miss either of these! 

Be well,
JoEllen