Lenora Edwards

"My results have been exactly what I hoped would happen."

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:12:03 -0800

Today, I'd like to highlight the case of Michael Birt, who created a truly unique and fulfilling role for himself. Please read on to hear of his experience in our work together...

Michael P. Birt, Ph.D.; Executive Director, Pacific Health Summit; Director, Center for Health and Aging
The National Bureau of Asian Research

Q: Why did you choose to work with Lenora?
A: Lenora was recommended to me by Brian Walter, who I had met through the local chapter of the National Speakers Association. When I started thinking about developing my own business, I asked Brian for a coach recommendation. He was as emphatic as anyone I have ever met when he said, "I guarantee that Lenora Edwards will be a great person for you to meet. I guarantee it." I called Lenora, we met a few days later and, over coffee, she explained her process. She talked about how we would work together in a way that was tailored to fit exactly what I wanted and needed. As soon as I heard her describe the process, I knew that it was exactly what I wanted. I called her the next day and said let's move ahead.

Q: What was it like working with Lenora?
A: When we began working together, I was really ready to do something. I wasn't quite sure what it was, but I absolutely knew that I didn't want to spend a lot of time in an indirect process. Our work together is direct and always problem-focused. When I'm looking to tackle a problem or plan something new, I know that I can work with Lenora to pinpoint exactly what I need to do and develop a plan...and then it's up to me to implement the plan. I love the energy and the intensity of that focus.

Q: What are Lenora's qualifications?
A: Lenora is uniquely qualified to do this work because of her varied life experiences and her own business success. I didn't decide to work with her based on a credential or title. What convinced me to pick up the phone initially was the recommendation from someone I respected, but what convinced me to hire Lenora was my belief that she really knew what she was talking about. Once I started working with Lenora, I quickly realized that she is a capable professional with success as her foundation and that's what I wanted. She's sharp, dependable and very responsible. And she delivers results.

Q: What else does she bring to the table?

A: Lenora is very perceptive and a good listener. Because of her varied perspectives, she helped me see the trends and issues that affect me personally but also to see opportunity from a larger viewpoint. It helped me to recognize that some of my issues were also shared by other entrepreneurs. Ideas that worked for them could work for me as well. She used examples and insights from her own life that made our professional relationship all the richer for it. Her approach is a step-by-step process and she paces it well by not going too fast or, if you're in a hurry and can keep up, not going too slowly.

Q: How have you benefited by working with Lenora?
A: I have a clear sense of who I am and what my strengths are so I can focus my energy more effectively. And, as my staff has grown in numbers, I think I've become a better manager as well. I've always had the ambition, but Lenora's process and support has given me the means to realize those ambitions in a steady and dependable manner. My results have been exactly what I hoped would happen. And it's not the end. I continue to work with Lenora as new ideas and opportunities come my way. And out of this great professional relationship has come a great friend--for me and my wife. You can't do better than that!

"She's probably the most intuitive person I've ever met."

Thu, 15 May 2008 06:31:27 -0800

Meet Larry Kaminer, President, Femme Safety...

Q: What led you to work with Lenora?
A: I was referred to Lenora by Alison Whitmire, our young company's primary advisory board member. Alison has worked with Lenora extensively and recognized that I needed someone to help me take what was clearly a viable business that had gone beyond proof of concept to the next level. I did not have the clarity to reach the market efficiently and was running out of steam. Alison recognized that.

Q: Tell us about your first encounter with Lenora.
A: The thing that impressed the most during our first telephone call (which lasted an hour) is that besides being an exceptional listener, she is conceptual thinker and someone who grasps a business model in no time. I realized that during that first call she already had a very strong idea of where I was, what my challenges were and what needed to be done. It was so obvious that she'd been coaching for a long time and "rehabilitated" a lot of "Larry" type situations. I hired her immediately.

Q: How would you describe the impact working with Lenora had on you personally?
A: Huge. She very quickly had me understand why despite the clarity of my broader vision I was running out of energy and feeling frustrated; with all good intention, I was heading in the wrong direction and did not even realize it! Once she got me back on track, my passion and motivation returned immediately.

Q: How about on your company?
A: Again, it all had to do with focus. Lenora helped me gain clarity on where I needed to invest my time and energy and that shift in mindset and vertical concentration bore fruit immediately. The business is growing; I am busier than ever and enjoying every minute of it!

Q: Tell us more about your impressions of working with Lenora.
A: She's the consummate professional and probably the most intuitive person I've ever met. Her previous work experience clearly gives her insight into nearly all aspects of a business: marketing; business development, managing people, strategic alliances; the whole lot. All these factors come together synergistically in her coaching style. It's almost like having a focused and highly motivated business partner at your side.

Q: Anything more you'd like to add?
A: Lenora doesn't operate in a vacuum. She consulted with experts in various target markets to buttress her recommendations before advising me to make what were very large shifts in vertical focus. She also has a very strong professional network of clients and associates and I have been pleasantly surprised by the benefit of being introduced to them. It's a fringe benefit. Her relationship with you doesn't end when the coaching ends.

"I have total trust and confidence in Lenora."

Tue, 06 May 2008 19:54:55 -0800

In the 4th installment in this case study series, I'd like for you to meet Randy Kim, Owner, R.W. KIM & Company (Financial Planning & Wealth Management)

Q: What led you to work with Lenora?
A: After thirty years of being in the corporate world and in the same industry, I wanted to go into private practice. I wanted to create an entirely new and unique business model. I had a lot of previous exposure to industry coaches with marketing and branding expertise as well as practice and organizational management skills. I wanted an outsider's perspective....something different.

Q: What did you work on?
A: I began working with Lenora to hone my business model and brand.
Lenora's work with me was very personalized, not a class where one size fits all. It was customized to focus on achieving a few specific goals. I was a good student. Everything she gave me I took seriously and I did my homework and came prepared.

Q: What has been the impact of your working with Lenora?
A: I believe I would have been successful regardless. But I know that our success has happened faster and it's been easier and more enjoyable.

She's also provided access to a wealth of resources, through her Roundtable and Study Group, for example. It's like a virtual Board of Directors with whom I can consult.

Q: How would you describe Lenora's professional skill set?
A: I have total trust and confidence in Lenora. I don't expect her to know the answer to every question, but the resources that she brings to me through all the people she has access to are great. And I think her countless experiences with other business owners has given her tremendous insight. And, unlike a lot of the material you get from a textbook, her techniques are tried and true.

Q: What's it like working directly with Lenora?
A: I feel she genuinely cares about me and my practice. I know she doesn't take on everyone; she's selective, as she should be. I like to work with people who are good quality human beings--people with integrity. I like to uphold these values in my business and personal life, and I believe Lenora does too.

Q: Anything you'd like to add?
A: Perhaps a bit of advice to anyone considering hiring Lenora: Every business is cost-conscious, but it's vital not to be so cost-conscious that you miss great opportunities. The investment I made with Lenora has been the single most profitable investment in my practice. But more important, it's returned tremendous value to us in terms of quality of life.

"I easily got the value of the full coaching fee back many times over...within months."

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:25:42 -0800

Welcome to installment number three of my Case Studies Series, shared with you in interview format. Please read on where, in his own words, Brian Walter, describes our work together and its results:

Brian Walter
Extreme Meetings
Communications Consultant and Corporate Humorist

Q: How did you meet Lenora?
A: A friend of mine--a VP in advertising--knew Lenora and told me, "Your energy and hers are so similar, you've got to meet." And we did, a short time later. I was impressed enough to hire her.

Q: What were the first sessions like?
A: Lenora first helped lead me to recognize the true nature of my business. I didn't consider myself a consultant, but, rather a combination speaker/writer/performer/infotainer. She convinced me that I was, indeed, a consultant and that I should charge accordingly. Today, I proudly call myself a consultant and I'm paid well for my contributions to businesses such as Microsoft, Starbucks, Pitney Bowes, Genentech and many others.

Q: How did the process develop?
A: What I really liked was how Lenora's coaching was so customized to me and my needs. It's not some A-to-Z, 10-step program that's the same with everyone no matter what they need. Instead it speeds up and slows down--and takes some twists--to get you to your goal.

I have never had any more robust conversations about what I do than with Lenora. The things I learned during our sessions I could take action on immediately. Sometimes the desired results came right away while others came later, on the foundation that Lenora and I had built together.

Q: What are some of these foundational ideas?
A: Here's a quick list:
--Being clearer on my value proposition
--Being clear about my brand and how to articulate it with confidence
--Expanding my offerings
--Charging more for my work while enjoying it more
--Building a more efficient sales process
--Collaborating more effectively with my business associates

Q: What about the cost?
A: When some people consider hiring Lenora, they say, "Ooh, that's a lot of money." But the simple fact is, working with Lenora pays for itself. I EASILY got the value of the full coaching fee back many times over...within months.

Q: So it sounds like you'd recommend her services to others.
A: Not only would, but have--many, many times. And it's gratifying to find out later, after the clients I've recommended have gone through their sessions, that they continue to keep in touch with Lenora. It's because Lenora really cares about their success and they want to share it with her.

In fact, I myself continue to be a client on occasion, hiring her to help me get the most from new opportunities.

"During the year I worked with Lenora, I increased my revenue twenty percent."

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 15:21:52 -0800

This is the second installation of my Case Studies Series, shared with you in interview format. Please read on where, in her own words, Linda Keith, CPA, describes our work together and its results:

Linda Keith, CPA
Helping Lenders Say "Yes" to Good Loans
Web site: www.lindakeithcpa.com/

Q: How did you meet Lenora?
A: She was recommended by three colleagues, all of whom were associated with the National Speakers Association.

Q: What did you do together?
A: We did a three-month, business coaching process. We met once a week, although when I was out of town my staff person met with her, so she ended up helping the entire company, not just me personally.

Q: What was it about your work with Lenora that was particularly effective?
A: What I needed and what she provided was the ability to work through the many options in my business at that time. She helped me winnow them down to those on which I should really focus.

I'm much clearer about the direction I want to take. I have less to do and more time to do it. The unexpected bonus was better defining the roles of my staff person. I was able to delegate more of what I had been doing and take on more of an oversight position. That was a huge relief.

Q: You mentioned that working with Lenora had benefits for the entire company. What kind of benefits?
A: Well during the year that I worked with Lenora, I increased my revenue by twenty percent. I sustained that level of increase the following year while laying the foundation for a major addition to my services and products mix. I now expect that new addition to double my revenue within three years.

Q: How have you benefited personally?
A: I have elevated myself from being a worker in my business to being the visionary in my business. Lenora helped me see that that was a more productive role than the way I had been running it. A direct result of that change in focus led me to a new idea that is going to make me a lot of money and provide better service to my clients. I would not be in this place if Lenora had not lifted my vision beyond the horizon.

Q: How would you describe Lenora's professional skill set?
A: I don't think in terms of professional skill sets. Lenora's depth and breadth of background brings so much to the table. She combines her business knowledge and her exposure to lots of different kinds of businesses with a counselor's ability to ask questions. She listens to answers, and then--well, I'm not sure whether she gently guides you in the right direction or just nudges you as you find your own way.

She's also driven to get her clients the results they need. So even though it wasn't always obvious to me where we were headed, she had an internal sense of timing to move us where we needed to be by the end of our time. You get the feeling that you're the only client she's thinking about all the time.

Q: What does your work with Lenora provide you that you can't get anywhere else?
A: Perspective. For 29 years, I was running my own show, charting my own course. There are few people who could just sort of step along beside me at my level and help me. And because she was so highly recommended by close friends, I was able to place trust in her quickly. Her reputation precedes her.

"She made my peas touch my carrots."

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 09:38:46 -0800

This is the beginning of a Case Studies Series, shared with you in interview format.

Please read on where, in his own words, Ken Boynton of Boyntunes describes our work together and its results:

Ken Boynton
Communications Consultant. Writer. Actor. Musician.
Web site: www.boyntunes.com

Q: Peas. Carrots...Huh?
A: When I first started working with Lenora, I was accustomed to presenting and positioning my talents and services individually. If a client wanted a voice talent, that's what I was. If they wanted a writer, I was that. I could provide different services, but I tended to keep them compartmentalized by client. Kinda like those takeout containers that separate your food Your beans from your rice. Your peas from your carrots.

Lenora recognized and illuminated for me that my talents and services were all related and could (and should!) be presented as a whole. Instead of marketing them individually, I started to present them comprehensively. When someone called me about, say, writing a script, they would be delighted and relieved that I also did voiceover work, and the scope of work would expand. I realized that clients are more interested in solutions than options.

Q: Besides vegetable metaphors, what else did Lenora give you?
A: Two big things: Awareness and inspiration. She taught me to recognize opportunities that I may not have seen before, and helped me to capitalize on them. She even told me about areas that she felt fell inside my expertise, but I had never considered adding as services. Today, those previously undiscovered gems are a big part of my business. Plus, as part of that discovery process, Lenora really stoked a fire in my belly. I became more enthusiastic about finding ways to grow and do more interesting things.

Q: "Artistic, creative types like you aren't generally known for their acute business sense. Did Lenora help out on that account?
A: Well, I've been an independent business person for twenty years, and have always done pretty well. But, it's true...I do come from the "art" side. I'm not a typical corporate guy. But one of the greatest things Lenora does is that once she finds where your passion is, she is amazingly adept at helping you turn it into satisfying, income-producing work.

Q: What was it like for you to work with Lenora?
A: You're always on her mind. She's constantly on the lookout for ways for her clients to get ahead and help them achieve the results they're after.

She asks questions, which you answer in the way that you always have answered them. Then she uses those answers as a mallet to crack your head open and get to the deeper answers. Then...she takes those deeper answers and challenges you with them. The result is that at times working with her is frustrating, at times it's a little scary, and at times it can be maddening. And that's how it should be.

Q: Would you recommend Lenora to others?
A: I already have, to about 15 other people. And everybody who jumps in and commits fully has achieved great results. The only time I've seen somebody not see huge positive changes is when they merely gave lip service to her suggestions. So if you're really ready to commit...sign up and fasten your seatbelt.

The Reluctant Coach

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 16:41:48 -0800

I am not a formally trained coach--nor am I college-educated. As I have never been fond of structured learning and prefer the experiential route, the best way for me to get it is to JUST DO IT.

Cruising with Clients

Sat, 08 Sep 2007 21:14:33 -0800

I've been an executive member of the World Trade Center Seattle for over three years. I like belonging there because, like my business, the treatment they give is very personal. They have world class hospitality and everyone there remembers your name!

Welcome

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 11:47:03 -0800

Welcome to my new website! It has been about three years since my site was originally launched and I wanted to make sure that I walked my marketing talk by keeping my image up to date. Toward that end, you'll see that my logo has become a bit more ego-centric and beautifully designed by Nancy's Schulte's Talizon. And, you'll see an updated list of clients and some testimonials that make me blush.

Another addition is this blog. Something that I've been hearing over the course of my coaching career is , "You should write a book, Lenora." Well, this is probably about as close to that as I'm going to get! Those of you who know me well know that I resist making recommendations to clients in the form of "proven systems." My style is much more anecdotal, and I believe that sharing these stories can influence the way an entrepreneur goes about creating his or her own sustainable business.

While I promise not to bore you with what I ate for dinner last night, I will share with you what I hope are meaningful lessons (a.k.a. "moments of truth") that arise in my coaching practice that is based on my commitment to building a community of entrepreneurs who prosper financially from doing what they love to do.