Jess Glazer is a multi-million dollar entrepreneur and coach whose sole purpose is to help numerous individuals achieve their business goals. So far, Jess has created multiple 6 and 7 figure businesses and helped her clients do the same. However, getting here was not an easy job for her. 

In this exclusive interview with RedX Magazine, Jess Glazer shares how she transitioned from an elementary school teacher to a business coach and quality advice for anyone striving to achieve success in her industry.

1.How did you transition from an elementary school teacher to a business coach?

I love this question because it’s the most bizarre, non-linear, unplanned transition that I could have never dreamt up or imagined without simply surrendering and focusing on where I “was at” rather than where I “was going”. 

During my 8 years working as a teacher, I always had a “side hustle” consisting of personal training, online training (hosting challenges/selling workout programs), blogging, and hosting monthly women’s fitness events even international retreats. Why is this important? Well, when I left teaching, the only plan I had was to “do what I had to do to make ends meet,” and I knew it would be in the industry of health/fitness in a multitude of capacities. 

When I left my job, we moved to NYC, and I focused solely on my personal training and building my online business. My cute “side hustle” very quickly exploded into a 6-figure business, and it sparked the interest of many of my trainer friends. 

They started asking me “how”? How did I build online? How was I making so much money with such a small follower? How could they learn the skills like creating a landing page, building an email list, etc.? One friend quickly multiplied into 2, then 3, and within a month, I was helping 5+ friends once per week at the gym, and I realized I was not only capable of helping more people, but I could also start charging (because my friends were getting amazing results).

After running both online health/fitness and business coaching (while still personal training in person) for 1.5 years, I made the tough decision to leave the health/fitness industry (after 18 years) behind and go “all in” with just business coaching. The moment I let that part of my identity go and focus on my business, we scaled into a multiple 7-figure business and grew to a team of 11. 

Besides investing in myself (courses, masterminds, reading, events, podcast), I’ve never taken any formal business or marketing classes before. This journey was never the plan, but it’s exactly where we’re meant to be. Impact and education are the North Star in which guides all of our decisions.

As our business has scaled, I “retired” my husband, we left NYC and are living the nomadic RV life full-time, and we’re expanding our company; there is another small pivot on the horizon!

2.What’s your business model, and how have you grown your revenue?

Our basic business model is centered around the coaching industry, which means offering different small/large group coaching programs to clients. They’re run just like a semester in school with a start and end date. We also have other niche coaches on staff that teach what I can not (like an accountant, lawyer, technology coach, etc.).

Over the years, I’ve expanded from being a solopreneur running the entire back/front of the business and doing all of the coachings to now an entrepreneur with a team of 11. This has allowed me to stay in my “ZOG – Zone of Genius” and delegate the things I’m not great at. 

By doing this, I’ve opened my space for myself to continue creating/coaching. I credit my revenue growth to my personal growth. The more I expand myself, stretch myself, my network, and my education, the more our revenue grows!

I’m a huge advocate for diversifying your streams of revenue, so at the current moment (stepping into 2021), our business model looks like this:

– Empower: 3-month group coaching for new entrepreneurs (typically 40-50 students/cohort)

– Elevate: 4-month small group mentorship for higher-level entrepreneurs (10-15 student/cohort)

– 1:1 coaching: 6-month container (3-6 clients at a time)

– Affiliate partnerships: I work with several brands/coaches helping sell their programs/products that I know, like, trust, and use for a kickback

– Events & Retreats

– Physical products

– Real estate rentals

– Investing in startups

What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in your business, and how have you gotten over those challenges?

Aside from minor challenges that everyone faces like difficult conversations (letting team members go), technology issues, investments where you don’t see your return, and so on, the biggest challenge has been ME!

Building a business, building a company, putting yourself out there in the media, and stepping up as a leader require a ton of inner work. I’ve had to navigate my ego getting in the way of making decisions, imposter syndrome holding me back, perfectionism becoming an excuse to procrastinate when something is hard, releasing expectations of others, becoming a master of letting go, rewiring my relationship with control so that I can pass off tasks and delegate, getting over fears, judgment, and becoming more strict around my own needs and boundaries. 

Building a business has been the most intense and expansive “course” I have ever taken in the personal development field. All of the challenges, whether an internal/external challenge; they’re just lessons and growth. 

With those lessons and growth, I’ve had to lean into my inner wisdom; I’ve taken my meditation practice from 3-4 days per week for 15 minutes to 6 days per week for 45-60 minutes, I utilize journaling daily, and I’ve invested in spiritual teachers and unbiased outside help to give me a space for processing. 

What are your goals and ambitions for 2021?

When I look at my goals and intentions for 2021, they’re all related in the sense that they start with me, my health, my happiness, and my energy before anything related to business. 

As I previously mentioned, my husband recently left his job to work in my business full-time, and we took our life to the road. That said, our number one focus and goal is building this business AROUND our life, not our life around the business. 

I was personally struggling with the idea and concept around not having a “home” with this new life, which we absolutely do have (it’s just on wheels). That said, my 2021 intention (and bracelet I wear as a daily reminder) says “Anchor”. A reminder that home is within me. I have the power to ground myself wherever I am. My husband and I both are focused on using 2021 as a year to get back to our foundations. The purpose is to ensure we’re taking care of ourselves, working out, playing, having fun, unplugging, dancing, laughing, cooking, getting in nature, etc.

As entrepreneurs, our health and energy are our number one assets, so the business will thrive when they’re taken care of properly. 

In terms of the business: we’re launching 2 new programs/products this year, getting involved with some physical products, investing money into new startups, and going through an entire brand build-out/rebrand. We will be placing an umbrella company on our current offerings to create its own brand identity and prepare it for expansion. 

While we’ve doubled our revenue year over year, this year, we are less concerned with doubling it again and more excited to increase it by only 25%-50% so that we can have more space in our lives to enjoy this new life on the road.

5.  What is your biggest piece of advice for other entrepreneurs?

My biggest advice is so cliche, but it’s too cliche a reason. Just start. There is no such thing as perfect; you’re always going to want to make it better, change it, or do it again. If you wait for it to be perfect, you’re going to miss your chance. Take messy action and fall in love with feedback. Feedback isn’t failure; neither are mistakes; it’s all neutral and simply information you can use to grow and get better.