173 - Unleashing Your Potential Through Coaching and Mentorship: A Client Conversation with Carolyn Minutillo
In this episode, I sat down with Carolyn Minutillo, a seasoned floral business coach with over 30 years of industry experience. Carolyn shares her passion for helping floral professionals excel in both creativity and business.
Discover how she sharpened her marketing message through the Business Building Boutique Program and how she tailors her coaching to suit the unique needs of her clients, whether it's enhancing design skills or optimizing business operations.
Listen in as we discuss the benefits of coaching and how it provides valuable support, guidance, and a fresh perspective for businesses to bloom and thrive, no matter the niche!
👉 Connect with Carolyn:
Email: mybloomingbiz@gmail.com
Website: www.mindyourbloomingbusiness.com
👉 Create a profitable business that looks good and sets you up to be respected through the Fast Track Business Building Boutique Program
👉 Check out my FREE Canva Workshop and learn how to create stunning graphics for your coaching business!
👉 Watch the episode on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts!
👉 Book a free Coaching Business Assessment with me
Don’t forget to connect with me on social media:Instagram | Facebook| Pinterest
Transcript
Preview: I think the other benefit of having that coach too, is being able to touch base with them and just say, Hey, can I run something by you? Or here's what I'm thinking. And it's almost like you have a private, not a therapist by any means, but you have a private person that's going to get you and it's not going to go any further. There's no judgment. We're here to help. And I think that To me, that's the biggest thing that I've learned from coaching and being coached is that there's no stupid questions. You don't know what you don't know. And, once you do, it's like, oh my gosh, like you just said, I wish I knew this earlier.
Intro: Hello, I'm Debbie Shadid, the host of the Life Coach Business Building podcast. If you are ready to have more clients in your life coach business, then you're in the right spot. Each week I'm gonna teach you super simple strategies to grow your business without feeling overwhelmed and without spending money on paid ads. If that sounds interesting. Stick around and let's get started.
Debbie: Welcome to today's podcast. I'm excited to introduce you to another amazing client. Carolyn is a floral business coach. She's worked in the floral industry for a long time and she is supporting other people in the floral industry. So take it away, introduce yourself, tell us more about who you coach and how you got started.
Carolyn: Thank you, Debbie. I'm glad to be here with you. I am Carolyn Minutillo. I am a floral coach, and my goal of working with clients is people that are currently in the floral industry. My main client that I would typically work with is going to be somebody who is either a business owner or a shop manager or someone that is a solopreneur. Those are my main people that I tend to work with. I'm also a business owner myself. I've been in my own business for over 30 years. So I feel like I bring a lot to the table for people that I coach because I understand where they are at, where they've been and where they can go.
Debbie: Yeah. Well, everybody here knows I have a background as a wedding business coach as well, and I know that it is so desperately needed honestly. I think creatives have a desire to create beautiful, I'm sure Florals in your case, and to work weddings and to do events and all that, but oftentimes the business side of their business is what they're not very well suited at.
Carolyn: Right. Creatives tend to sometimes be more focused on the creative end. And it's not that we don't understand the technical end. But as we all know, in business, there's so much technology changing so many new things that are available to us now to be able to use.
And you can't master them all. But I think a lot of times if you can get someone to kind of help you decode things and learn how to use things properly to see what benefits you. That's a big part that makes the job a lot easier.
Debbie: So tell me a little bit about your coaching because it's interesting. You mentioned creative and you actually can support clients in both creative and business. Do you want to share a little bit about that?
Carolyn: Yeah, I definitely can work with a client on both ends however they choose to reach out to me. And I have a little bit of that information on our website as well, because some people might say, as I was recently contacted, they were shop owners and they said, I need help on the design end of things.
They said, I would like to work more specifically on the wedding-related end. So I'm going to work with them on specific design skills that relate to creating bouquets, as well as stuff that is relating to say a ceremony or reception and relating to the wedding industry. And then she also said, along with that, I would like to have you help me learn how to best find the right clients for me as far as wedding people. What's the best sequence to reach out to them and then follow up so that we don't get ghosted as well as so that we get the right rapport started before we even get a chance to meet. So I can work on that end of it or the business end.
Somebody might reach out and say, Hey, I need help with my staff. Maybe we're not hitting our sales numbers the way we should. So do you have a plan of action that we could follow? For best, you know, start that client, even if they're new and how you want them to perceive your shop by using the right sequence to sell and then upsell and retain them as a customer. So I can work with them in a variety of different ways.
Debbie: Okay. You sound so very experienced as I know you are. And so very business smart. So let's talk about why you reached out to me and what your objective was in working with me, a business coach to a business coach.
Carolyn: Yeah, well, I reached out to you because I had worked with a couple of other coaches, but they were more. I was kind of testing the water to see what I was missing, possibly as a coach. And so I wanted to see where I could improve on that end of it. And I felt like I did have a lot to bring to the table. So I knew that some of them did not necessarily bring a little bit more than what I already currently had.
And I knew that what I was looking for was what's the best way to develop my message to reach my client better. And when I saw it, I think it was your Canva thing, your Canva teaching. And I'm like, um, I need to talk to this lady. So. I went ahead and I got into watching that first, Canva tutorial that you had done and it was great and I, you know, follow the podcast and the whole thing And I'm like, this is the person that I need to be working with. And I think that's the same approach I take for me is like finding that client that I feel is the right match. And how do I get the correct message to them? I can teach you a lot, just like you can. And how do you get the right message to the right ears at the right time?
And the timing might not be right. And even though I followed that Canva one, I wasn't ready to sign up yet because I'm like, I need to hear more, which is exactly what I did. And then I followed up and it was a very good choice because I feel like the questions that I had where I felt the gaps were still missing got filled and that made a big difference for me.
Debbie: Yeah, you mentioned your message, your marketing message. And that is something that we talk about a lot because it's the words that they read on the page. And then they're basically making a decision without seeing you in person since we're all doing all this online. They can make a decision just on a few words. So you really, it is important to get that right. And you did re kind of work on your message.
Carolyn: Yes, definitely. And for me, my situation is a little bit different from some other coaches because I also do because of what our work is, I can work with people. If it's just the business end of it, we can do that virtually. But if somebody wants to work one on one and improve design skills for me, the best way to do that is in person. So I do offer that, which is a little bit different. But again, it's also getting that message fine tuned so that somebody realizes like, wow, I'm going to have to take myself out of my business to go work on my business. And sometimes you just have to set that time aside. And with what I do, that is an option for people as well.
Debbie: You know, I think for people who might want to improve their floral skills, they probably are worried about asking somebody locally, actually, to come work with them. So I can see a great advantage of having, like, you fly in or travel in whatever it would be driving or flying to come to their city and not be one of their direct competitors or know them in the marketplace to be able to get your help and support.
Carolyn: Right. And we can, you know, work that timeframe, whatever suits them. And honestly, the person that most recently reached out, they're not even in my area. They're planning to travel to me. They're wanting to take that downtime away from their own business, away from their own staff and be able to really have that almost like a CEO weekend of like, I'm going to work on business.
I've got business questions. They want to work on design things, and then they want to be the person to bring that back to their staff and say, this is what we're going to do. And so that continuing education end of it could be business or it could be hands on. And for them, knowing maybe where their weaknesses are, that's what they can work on.
The thing that I found is sometimes people would love to have that hands on opportunity like some people can work in larger groups, but as a creative, sometimes you feel like you don't want to be judged with your work, whether you don't know enough, or you're not up on the latest technique and sometimes that holds people back from wanting to get education, even though they really want to do it.
They're kind of afraid of being outed for lack of a better description. And a lot of people, they like that one on one so they can have your undivided attention. And we also do small groups. We can work with somebody and their staff. And so that way, again, it stays within their own shop and their own little family of flower people to feel comfortable among each other and then be able to learn.
Debbie: Yeah. So what is your plan for kind of that you've come up with for the next few months or next year to grow your business. What do you see for marketing ahead of you?
Carolyn: Well, for me, I definitely want to implement more email marketing with Flodesk and I know you have a tutorial or, you know, a program with that as well. And although I have downloaded, I haven't fully implemented that. So that is one of the things that my goal is to do better at. Also, Instagram, you know, just putting that stuff out there and I know you saw something that I put out there the other day, I was working early and I thought, I'm just going to shoot some video here.
And honestly, that really has been a good thing too. It's like, just get over what you look like and just go do it and just get the message out there. You know, you don't know who's looking or who's ready to hear that message. So that also is a big thing. I plan on promoting more of the hands-on classes and the opportunities of what I can bring to somebody, whether it's floral business or even on the financial end of it, we can talk and that's the goal is to just get that message out there.
I also plan to work with some of the floral groups or floral chapters that are across the U.S. And I'm really looking forward to possibly going overseas to teach as well. So I've got a few things that I just have to refine and really get the details on. But the message is just truly getting the message out there that I'm available and I can really tailor a program to suit the needs of whoever the business owner is.
Debbie: One of the things, as I saw your Instagram reel that you did, which, by the way, you looked gorgeous, it sounded perfect, and nobody wants to do them, right? I mean, it's so awkward and so odd. But one of the things that I think encourages that, at least when people are working with me is, you know that I'm gonna ask you on Monday, Carolyn, tell me what you've done. Bring me up to date.
Carolyn: Yeah. Our meetings that we have every week, with your coaching and it's a group thing, so it's nice to be able to hear what other people in this group are doing. Everybody's coaching topic is going to be different. And so it's nice to hear what other people are doing and go like, you know, does any of that apply to what I could do?
And that's always really nice to be able to hear those other ideas or just kind of take some notes while those meetings are going on. And as you know, there's been times where I've not been able to be physically in front face to face, but I'm listening, you know, while I may be working, or driving someplace, you know, so there is a lot of opportunity for you to not say I can't make it because there's lots of ways to get online and still be coached, which is great because that's not always the case with other coaches.
Debbie: Yeah. Well, our Facebook group is very active. People post all kinds of things there. So that's another way to stay connected. And I have to say, I think on every one of these podcasts, I've bragged about this group of women. They are go-getters. they're taking a lot of real big action steps and to me it's like, Oh wow, if she can do it, then I need to do it, right? If she's out there doing that I should do that, which is really the benefit of being in a group, but everybody's going for it.
Carolyn: I think it's really nice to know that you are being supported by other people. And even if you're coaching topic is not the same, or your client is not the same, to even know like that you are supported and then you can bring that back to the clients that you teach and coach because you realize what the need is and how you've personally benefit from, like you said, sharing, whether it's, you know, getting on that text or on the chat box and just putting in words of encouragement or following up later on. And you realize that all that connection really does benefit to a successful outcome.
Debbie: Yeah. Well, all right. So tell us what your coaching superpower is.
Carolyn: I would say probably bringing a long time of industry to the table of my certifications in the area of design that I specialize in, being a business owner, understanding the daily, understanding the stresses. And feeling like I can help to solve problems by just taking a step back and saying, okay, let's look at it this way. What else can we do as far as the teaching end of it? And then with the hands on end of it, because of my Background in design. I feel like I have a lot to bring to the table. I'm constantly doing continuing education.
So what I learn, I bring to the table and to be able to share that with somebody. I feel like those two areas in particular, I'm just loving being in business. It's challenging. Every day is different and can be scary, but it's like, you know, just keeping your wits about you and being able to just say, I can do this. I've got this. So I feel like I can bring that to somebody to help keep them calm, but also keep them encouraged and moving forward.
Debbie: You and I have both been in business a long time and I know that, boy, oh boy, it would have been so helpful for me years ago. If I could have had somebody to say, look, let me just help you. Or let me just tell you, I know in my local market, when I started my business, as I'm sure would be yours, it was like, Everybody kind of wanted it. If there was a secret, they wanted to kind of keep it to themselves. Like, I don't want to tell her. And my philosophy is like there's enough business for everybody. Just help people.
So, wow. If you're young in business, you know, or new in business, not young at age, but young in your business experience. Gosh, get some help. It saves you headache and overwhelming uncertainty and sleepless nights and so much.
Carolyn: I think the other benefit of having that coach too, is being able to touch base with them and just say, Hey, can I run something by you? Or here's what I'm thinking. And it's almost like you have a private, not a therapist by any means, but you have a private person that's going to get you and it's not going to go any further. There's no judgment. We're here to help. And I think that To me, that's the biggest thing that I've learned from coaching and being coached is that there's no stupid questions. You don't know what you don't know. And, once you do, it's like, oh my gosh, like you just said, I wish I knew this earlier.
And yes, we did not have Instagram. We did not have social media, our approach to being able to grow a business was so different. And I feel like in a way it's easier and yet it isn't because there's so much more competition that's visible. So how do you stand out from somebody else? And I think coaching helps you to get to that next level, regardless of what type of work that you're doing. If you can have a coach mentor type of a situation, it truly is like having an extra bonus person. That's just your cheerleader, your personal cheerleader to say you can do this and I can help you.
Debbie: You know, in business, I think that we're also busy doing our business. that again, I'll just add as, you know, we get ready to wrap this up that you're so busy doing your business that you can't stand back and take that CEO view of what exactly is even working. You're just sometimes buried in order to get the tasks done.
And you're not really paying attention to the bottom line or to like, how do I sharpen up my marketing message let's say since you talked about that. Or how do I get myself on Instagram in a way that seems to convert better? You just don't take the time to do that because you're so busy trying to keep afloat.
Carolyn: Right. And I think the other side of that is also that we don't always take the time to acknowledge that we did do a good job or that we were successful with this. And sometimes I think we're our worst critics with something. And we have to also be okay with accepting a compliment from someone else, as well as, Giving yourself the compliment, even if you say it in your head, like, Hey, you did really well on that one. And I think that it's just, just learning to just, like you said, take that information from outside as well as acknowledging it from inside. It makes a big difference.
Debbie: Yeah, so good. Well, is there anything else you would like to share either about our experience or, our coaching or about your business that you think somebody needs to know as we wrap this up?
Carolyn: Well, I would say if you are watching this or listening to the podcast because of being a potential client here with Debbie, I would say do it because what you will learn will be incredibly helpful to help move that needle and push you to where you need to be. That would be the first thing.
And, it is time and money well spent because you get out of it, what you put into it. And, once you apply everything, you see the progress. So that would be the part of it with regards to the boutique and with regards to myself. Yeah, I would say I would love to work with somebody if they're looking for that opportunity to have some one on one time, whether it's.
Hey, can I just buy some time to pick your brain? Here's some things I'm looking at, or if you want that design time to be able to really work one on one in a private session, I'm available to you in any capacity, you can send me a DM. You could follow us on Facebook or Instagram, and then we can go from there. And if it works great, because I would love to help people and let them know really how good they can be with the right guidance and they could just grow their skills right now with help.
Debbie: Yeah, sometimes it's just a few small shifts that can change everything. So good. We will leave all of your, your website, your social media, all those things. And I will say, I think I'm correct. You can correct me if I'm not, but you have a way for somebody to basically kind of hire you as a, without committing to a big long process, they can just, like you said, pick your brain for an hour or two, which is really kind of unheard of. I mean, I work with people for six months and you're talking about. Like, let me just sort of solve whatever's going on, which is I think the main thing.
Carolyn: Right. Yeah. Because sometimes it is just one or two things. It might be like, Hey, I've got an employee that's doing whatever, like, what do you suggest? Or how do you handle this? Or what's your method for onboarding somebody? Or what are your expectations? And how do I communicate that to somebody? It could be that end of it. It could be just a technical question, as I mentioned the other day in that live or the video that I did, I had said, I'm on location. If you're looking for, how do I get more corporate clients?
That's something you could call and we could talk about that and just, you know, buy some time and say, take notes and here's what I do. Or I could send you templates or whatever, but yeah, you can do that too. It doesn't have to be necessarily hands-on. I can work with you in whatever capacity you need.
Debbie: Great. I love it. All right. Well, Carolyn, thank you so much for being here. for the amazing work you do to support people in the floral business. Lord knows we all need help. So it's great work that you're doing. Thanks for being here today and for choosing me. I appreciate that so much for selecting me to coach you too. So everybody, have a great week and we'll see you next time. Bye bye.
Outro: Okay, ladies, that is it for today. Before we go, I want to invite you to head over to debbieshadid.com. I have this incredible Canva training, specifically designed for life coaches where I'm gonna teach you how to use Canva to create beautiful graphics to market your life coaching. All right. Have an amazing week. I'll talk to you very soon. Bye bye.