By Lauren Bedford
bhamnow.com
Have you ever thought about starting your own business, but realized maybe the million reasons why it would be extremely difficult, and then just given up? Or are you a small business owner who just needs a little extra push with administrative tasks? Enter Retha Nichole, a small business and life coach.
Nichole has spent her life working hard to get to where she is today, and she wants to work with you to make your dreams and goals a reality.
What does a small business coach do?
In short, a small business coach can do or be anything that you specifically need in your small business. On a day-to-day basis, Nichole does everything from helping with administrative tasks to setting up systems for her clients, and even encouraging and helping them focus on their goals. She refers to entrepreneurs as ‘visionaries’.
“Daily, I coach small business entrepreneurs on how to make their business more efficient and better. What I’ve found is, it’s not necessarily that small business people don’t have the ‘business gene’ — it’s that they need someone to keep them accountable,” she said.
She added, “Most small business people are visionaries, and they want to do and run and be everything. But there has to be someone in their world that says “’let’s stay focused on this, because this is where we are.’”
Where does being a certified life coach fit in?
“The reason I started to get into life coaching is because I found that for small business people, if there are pieces of their life that aren’t right, it hurts their business,” she said.
For many small business owners, their business is their life, Nichole said. So, while we may not think of one small thing in our daily life affecting our work life, it is not the same for entrepreneurs. When something is off in their day to day life, it can greatly affect their business. However, most people do not think that way — something that Nichole is hoping to change. She works to make entrepreneurs aware of this so that they can adjust and grow in their business as they need to.
Nichole’s Background
Nichole has had a wide range of jobs. She grew up in Texas, and after college, she worked as a flight attendant so she could travel. She then moved to Atlanta and worked in high end real estate. She eventually got into the real estate business and learned about entrepreneurship and business-building.
“I’m a southern girl at heart,” she said. “I spent the majority of my life in Texas-I was born in Houston and attended the University of Texas at Austin. After college, I got to see the world as a flight attendant. I loved working with people and discovering new places, but deep down, I knew I needed to plant some roots.”
Nichole said she moved to Atlanta, G.a to be closer to her parents. “There, I ventured into the real estate world, where I became one of the top-producing agents with [a real estate company]. Now, three boys and a bakery later, I make my home in Alabama.”
Following a move to Birmingham and the unexpected passing of her husband, Nichole decided to open a bakery. However, she soon learned how much personal life can affect business, and made the difficult decision to close the bakery.
She decided to put her passion and talent for helping others in the small business field to work by creating her own business, Retha Nichole. She works with all different kinds of businesses.
Next Up: Coaching
From her time in Atlanta, she was “bit by the small-business bug”, but she also had another unique talent: she loved helping people in the field of small business.
She uses her real-life experience to help clients maneuver the tricky work-life balance that is especially difficult for entrepreneurs. Nichole has since gone through many seasons of life and is now in the process of getting her life coaching certification to help people even more.
“Loving people and helping uncover their purpose in life is in the fabric of who I am,” she said. “I’ve lived a full story flavored by both pain and joy, and it’s my hope to use my experiences to connect with others.”
God-Given Purpose
Nichole speaks at Christian women’s conferences throughout the year on a number of topics including finding your God-given purpose; pursuing everyday balance; finding God in trials and suffering; living in community and prioritizing abundance in Jesus.
Nichole has her own office space at Forge in downtown Birmingham, and she loves the energy of the co-working space. In addition to the cool, modern space, Nichole said she loves being around others who are working hard to achieve a goal.
“For entrepreneurs, we are in a world of the internet,” she said. “So it allows you to work from home; and while I think you can be successful working from home, it takes a lot of discipline. There is something about being in a space with others that drives you and pushes you to be better. I chose to work at Forge for that exact reason.”
If she had one message to communicate to the women in her generation, Nichole said it would be, “life is not a dress rehearsal. That’s the . . . message I’m resolved to relay as a mom, friend, podcaster, and coach. It’s time to get off the back burner of our own lives and prioritize abundance in Jesus. It’s time to rediscover balance. But we can’t do it alone.
“I believe reclaiming our sense of self starts in the context of community: community with others, and most importantly, fellowship with God,” she said. “It’s my desire to cultivate that community–one that inspires us to love God and love ourselves so well that we can’t help but overflow into the world.”
For more on Retha Nichole visit, http://www.rethanichole.com/
For more on the modern, mobile guide to Birmingham, visit www.bhamnow.com
