Sandy Hansen-Wolff – Navigating the Entrepreneurial Journey

[00:00:08.550] - Candi Broeffle, Host
Good morning and welcome to Green Tea Conversation, the radio show that delves into the pages of Natural Awakenings magazine to bring you the local experts, who share their progressive ideas and the latest information and insights needed so that you can lead your best life.

 

[00:00:23.190] - Candi Broeffle, Host
I'm your host Candi Broeffle, publisher of the Twin Cities edition of Natural Awakenings magazine, and I am honored to bring these experts to you today in our studio. We welcome Sandy Hansen-Wolff, a coach, business consultant and strategist as well as accidental entrepreneur. Welcome to the show, Sandy!

 

[00:00:43.560] - Sandy Hansen-Wolff, Guest
Happy to be here. Always humbled to participate in any sort of podcast from other brilliant leaders. So thank you.

 

[00:00:51.360] - Candi Broeffle, Host
Well, thank you. Sandy and I met several years ago when she was a keynote speaker at a workshop that I was at for female entrepreneurs. And this was taking place in Duluth. And during that workshop, she shared her personal story about her journey of becoming an entrepreneur. And it was interesting because it was in a very male-dominated industry. And it's also why I say she's kind of an accidental entrepreneur. So the story has stuck with me all these years later.

 

[00:01:29.190]
And it is the reason why I wanted to invite you to come on to the show today and share your inspiring story with our listeners. So if you don't mind just kind of explaining to people your journey.

 

[00:01:45.060] - Sandy Hansen-Wolff, Guest
For sure, I'm always happy to share my story.

 

[00:01:48.750]
So I never really identified as an entrepreneur or a business owner. And then most of my growing up or early years of of being in the work world, and when I look back now, definitely, you know, I was the each president and was always trying to finagle new ways to do things. At any rate, how I became the accidental entrepreneur or business owner...you know, I always thought everything in life is...sometimes things just happen to you.

 

[00:02:24.000]
And what I realized and now all these years later, is that we're always that choice. Back in my late 20s, I met my first husband, Randy, and a month before we were married, he was diagnosed with leukemia. And although he never had a terminal illness as part of his repertoire at the doctor's office and so on, we knew that having a diagnosis of cancer and leukemia meant that something something drastic might happen with him passing away.

 

[00:03:00.900]
So fast forward, we went through treatments and bone marrow transplant. And unfortunately, a year and a half later, he lost his life to I would say the complications of going through treatment. So all of a sudden, I was responsible and the owner of a venture Feed and Seed, which was the company he had owned and led for ten years and had bought it from the previous owner then. And we owned it together on paper because we had just gotten his partner.

 

[00:03:36.450]
And my plan and his plan was pretty basic. If I don't make it, I'd sell the company. And we were only married for a year when he passed away. So we didn't really have time to do a lot of strategic planning or, you know, any sort of estate planning or anything if something like this would happen. And besides, we were very young. He was thirty three.

 

[00:03:58.050] - Candi Broeffle, Host
I would say you were very young and you were I mean, that's a lot to go through. You're going through a health crisis, besides. So it's really at the top of your mind to consider what that strategic was.

 

[00:04:10.110] - Sandy Hansen-Wolff, Guest
Well, exactly. And so,  and the fact that we were just married, we thought, "Oh, we'll figure this out later once we get settled," you know, as many couples do. And when he passed away, we had a we had a power of attorney set up and and a will, but no real plan for who would lead us company.

 

[00:04:32.190]
And after he passed away, what I discovered was my plan still was also the company. And what I discovered after he passed away was the company wasn't on solid ground financially. The only thing that I would say was keeping us together was we had great employees and customers who trusted in what we were doing and also the financial situation. Wasn't outward facing, it was something that was internal and I only discovered in my first days of going to a venture to figure out what we were going to do.

 

[00:05:11.570]
So at that point, I guess, you know, I thought it was the biggest. Not only do I lose my first husband, it was kind of one of those "you've got to be kidding me" moments where it's like I just lost my first husband and now my bookkeeper's telling me that the company is in peril financially. And we had new loans in the tune of about a half a million dollars that we didn't have a real way to pay off.

 

[00:05:42.590]
And in today's money, there'd be about a two-million-dollar loan. So to fast forward, I decided, you know, you have nothing to lose, but I realize we have nothing to lose. It's kind of a great entrepreneurial journey. And there is a lot of lessons. I obviously learned the hard way, but again, great employees that stuck with us during this time and great customers who gave us gave this lady and agribusiness a chance were to offer things and then just figuring out the path.

 

[00:06:21.050]
But I decided I'll just maybe "naively" is the word, I'll just give it six months and then I'll sell it. You know, I'll fix this problem and then I'll sell it. And many, many, many years later, actually, in the December of 2020, I did sell the company after 20 years. So that's the fast track. And there's many lessons in between the things I did horribly wrong and things that that I did right. And it was through a lot of different decision-making processes.

 

[00:06:57.200] - Candi Broeffle, Host
Well, your story is so interesting to me because if you take a look at it, it's something that you were really just thrown into. And oftentimes, that really is what happens with business owners. There isn't really a cognizant decision to do it. It's just something that you start and then all of a sudden you're a business owner thinking, "Oh my goodness, now what do I do now? I have to actually learn how to be a business owner."

 

[00:07:27.470]
And, you know, like you said, it was you were perhaps a little bit naïve in it. But that's to be expected. I mean, you were 30 years old, you said when you started.

 

[00:07:38.600] - Sandy Hansen-Wolff, Guest
Yes, I was 30. And I always think the positions in life that you had previously prepare you for what you're doing now. And my first boss, when I was twenty-two, and I worked in a nonprofit community development organization, and I was her Number Two as a as a shy kid out of college. And she would put me as the facilitator and leader of many Baltic county initiatives. And it was because we didn't have other staff. So guess what, you're it.

 

[00:08:11.600]
And so she taught me that everything was for figureatable, a platform, and how to scrap like we were a nonprofit. So, you know, huge resources weren't part of the picture. And so definitely that meant that scrapper mentality came back full-fledged into "How do we do this now?"

 

[00:08:35.060] - Candi Broeffle, Host
And so here you are, this young person who is in this very male-dominated industry. I mean, I can't imagine there were a lot of 30-year-old females who owned feed and seed stores.

 

[00:08:46.790] - Sandy Hansen-Wolff, Guest
Right? Yeah. Well, you know, and now the face of agribusiness has definitely evolved and changed and in beautiful places. And it's very, very exciting, actually. And 18 years ago, back in 2003, there were a few women, but not a lot. And I one of the pivotal moments early on was when I decided, "Well, I'm just going to give this a good old college try" for the lack of a better way to put it.

 

[00:09:17.060]
I remember going to my first meeting because I'm the owner of the company and we had our first meeting of other dealers that it was like a vendor meeting. And I'm like, "I deserve a spot at the table and all this." And I open the door to the room and it was myself and about seventy-five men. And I just remember thinking, "Wow! What have I gotten myself into?" But guess what, I sat down at one of the front tables in the room and, and kind of just owned my own place and didn't mean inside.

 

[00:09:57.230]
I wasn't thinking "What the hell? I do it. Here or how am I going to figure this out?" and all of those imposter syndrome kinds of questions. But, you know, it was kind of like the situation I was in. And I think this is very relevant actually to a lot of business owners now and leaders now, not just owners, but leaders of companies during this pandemic, which is a perfect example of something we are thrown into that's so unfamiliar to us and figuring out that pivot or turnaround strategy.

 

[00:10:34.670]
I think it's fascinating now to help businesses do that. I didn't appreciate it back at that time.

 

[00:10:42.980] - Candi Broeffle, Host
I didn't appreciate getting the education that you were able to get.

 

[00:10:46.410] - Sandy Hansen-Wolff, Guest
Right. Yes, but I'm so grateful for it now because it's a great tool kit for helping other business leaders and owners getting through times of peril.

 

[00:10:56.900] - Candi Broeffle, Host
And we're going to go into a break now. But when we come back, we're going to talk about the the work that you're doing today. And before we get started with that, we're going to delve a little bit deeper into your journey and some of the lessons that you've learned. So for people who want to learn more about what Sandy does or to book an appointment, visit SandyHansenWolff.com and that's S-a-n-d-y-H-a-n-s-e-n-W-o-l-f-f. To read the online version of Natural Awakenings magazine, visit NaturalTwinCities.com. You can find a podcast of this show on AM950Radio.com, on Apple and Google Podcasts, and anywhere you get your podcasts, you're listening to Green Tea Conversation on AM950, the Progressive Voice of Minnesota. And we will be right back.

 

[00:12:07.450] - Candi Broeffle, Host
Welcome back to Green Tea Conversation, where we delve into the pages of Natural Awakenings magazine and talk to the professionals who share their expertise on natural health with you. I'm your host, Candi Broeffle. And today we're talking with Sandy Hansen-Wolff, a coach, speaker, and business consultant. So, Sandy, just before the break, you were starting to share with us the importance of entrepreneurs being able to pivot and being able to be flexible in our thinking and in our ability to to make decisions.

 

[00:12:44.830]
So that was one of the lessons that you learned early on in your career, in your career as an entrepreneur. And one of the questions I had is in those early years, did you have a mentor or a coach who you worked with?

 

[00:13:00.010] - Sandy Hansen-Wolff, Guest
I didn't. And that is why I believe in a coach or/and a peer group so strongly. Doing it alone was my goal too. And sometimes people do that because it's more of a pride and ego play. And I you know, looking back, I definitely had something like "I can figure this out. I don't know who to trust. And people are just trying to take my customers and all of this and, you know, I can conquer all."

 

[00:13:33.730]
And once I got through those early years, I really started to see the error in my thinking. However, I neither had resources to get any help nor did I know who I should trust or could trust because it seemed like a lot of people were watching this situation unfold. And this young woman who wasn't even involved in this business prior to her husband's passing is now going to take over this company.

 

Alright. So the competition was challenging, and even our vendors, you and I, to their credit, would have felt the same, like "She likely may not make it," or "This is a state of peril". And we want to preserve the customers that we held together. Yes, it was just like chips stacked against me with not a good outlook for where to turn to get solid advice.

 

[00:14:28.170] - Candi Broeffle, Host
And so one of the lessons that you would have learned in that is and I know you had told me before that as soon as you could afford it, that's when you did end upstart working with the coach.

 

[00:14:41.160] - Sandy Hansen-Wolff, Guest
Yes. And and have ever since. I believe in the adage that even a coach needs a coach because we are just too close to our own lives and our own businesses to see any sort of outside perspective. And also, I'm a lifelong learner and I'm always listening to a podcast or always going to an executive education course or something like that because it interests me. You know, winding the clock back, hiring a coach back then was the best thing I ever did and it definitely was an investment.

 

[00:15:15.190]
But I think about all the money I could have saved that I lost the hard way through poor decision-making would have paid for my coach, I don't know, 50 times over, probably so.

 

[00:15:27.800] - Candi Broeffle, Host
So you said it as this was all transpiring and you had just gotten into the business and discovered that it was in peril, that it wasn't on solid financial footing. You did have a lot of competitions or a lot of the competitors that were kind of after your business. How did you how did you go about kind of overcoming that or working with that?

 

I think it's important, you know, no one to own your own hutzpah, I'll say it. And I wouldn't say I did that very effectively in the beginning because that whole imposter syndrome wasn't even really an imposter syndrome.

 

[00:16:07.690]
I really didn't know what I was doing, but to my credit and I didn't give myself credit back then. What my first boss taught me in my first eight to 10 years of my career set me up very beautifully because she challenged me to lead when I didn't have all the answers. So yes, not only was our competition coming on strong because we had very good firms that we did business with, provided the feed to the farms, some of the people that likely should have been on my side were also wondering if we were going to make it and trying to protect customers and so on.

 

And so, I remember having very pointed conversations where my employees were listening, where I said I was just kind of tired of what was going on. Competition you can't really do a lot about except for watch and learn, but try not to follow that. I mean, I think that's just good advice across the board, like understand what they're doing, maybe take what's working for your competitions that you like, but create your own path and become the leader, not let's just be a copycat of them.

 

[00:17:21.260]
But I remember having conversations with the areas that I could influence, and that was with our current vendor pool of who we were buying product from and who we worked on the farm, and our two main vendors. I remember having very direct conversations that said we are not going anywhere. We are here. You will either choose to do business, what with us or against us. And the dynamic of products, what is being played out here has to stop, and it did, but it took me standing my own ground and I think that's important for any business owner or leader.

 

[00:18:00.620]
And that doesn't mean being a bully. It means owning your own place at the table that you deserve. I do think you can be kind and nice and compassionate in business and still be a good leader and be firm and fair and all the rest.

 

[00:18:17.990] - Candi Broeffle, Host
That is great advice. So one of the things that you talked about was...one of the things that you mentioned earlier is really not knowing who to trust and then it had to have been really hard in those early years is trying to discover that.

 

[00:18:35.600] - Sandy Hansen-Wolff, Guest
Yeah, it definitely was.

 

[00:18:37.790] - Candi Broeffle, Host
So what did you do? What kind of advice would you give to a business owner nowadays about that trust?

 

[00:18:45.590] - Sandy Hansen-Wolff, Guest
OK, that's a great question. It's number one on that. We find it difficult to trust because in business, it's always like "watch your back" type of thing, and all of a sudden, there's some truth to that.

 

[00:19:00.860] - Sandy Hansen-Wolff, Guest
Definitely. What are people's agendas and all of this? And so the quandary that at all is if you trust no one, you will not have a business because you need support and you need to find those team players that will help you.

 

[00:19:18.590]
And, you know, over the years, what I've learned is trust, but document or trust and document, have a written policy or agreement in place of how we work together. Back then, we didn't have anything. You know, I didn't know who to trust. I didn't go to my parents who were...they own the farm. And I look up to them now and see them as great entrepreneurs and business owners.

 

[00:19:43.130]
But back then, I didn't go to my parents. They were already heartbroken over the fact that their 30-year old daughter just lost her husband. And over time, what I learned was there were some key people in my circles, you know, from the vendor companies that are my employees and some good customers who were giving me advice. But in the first, I would say six months, let's just say I just kind of "let it go in one year or the other" because you're just in such a state of shock and overwhelmed, which is is too, you know, very pertinent things right now.

 

[00:20:20.600]
Unbusiness-like. I'm just so overwhelmed. I can't make a good decision to save my life. But then I'm like, "You know, if I start listening, listening, instead of avoiding what people are telling me, perhaps some of the answers are sitting right in front of my face." That was a pivotal moment.

 

Well, we're going to come back and we're going to continue our conversation with Sandy and to learn more about the lessons that she learned. You're listening to Green Tea Conversation on AM nine fifty, the Progressive Voice of Minnesota. And we will be right then.

 

Welcome back to Green Tea Conversation, where we delve into the pages of Natural Awakenings magazine and talk to the professionals who share their expertize on natural health with you. I'm your host, Candi Broeffle. And today we're talking with Sandy Hansen-Wolff, a coach, speaker, and business consultant.

 

Sandy, just before the break, you were starting to we kind of, talk about your early years in your business, Egg Ventures, Feed and Seed and some of the struggles that you had. And one of the things that you talked about was in those early years, there wasn't really anyone who you had reached out to. There wasn't a mentor who you were working with. And that didn't come along until later. But but where do you think it kind of changed? When did it change? Where you started to determine that maybe "I can't do this all on my own, maybe I need to reach out?"

 

I think it changed when and this is going to sound really soft, and soft skills in business, by the way, are to me just as important as the hard bookkeeping. Yes. That textiles, all that mindset shifts is what comes to mind for me is when I change my mind from what am I going to do when this company fails because every day was a burden to go to the bank because I was afraid that that would be the day the banker would shut us down. It was that. Yes. And to "How am I going to make this work today?" And I would say that was the that was the mindset shift that I would start with anybody because when we think something isn't going to work, we direct our attention to it. And it's like that down downward spiral into the dark cave. And when we wake up with the conviction of "How will I make this work today?" it doesn't necessarily mean that the literal situation has changed.

 

But it gives us a different lens, a a new lens and a different sort of energy to consider. I would say it's not out-of-the-box ideas. It's more than that. It's more like "How can we turn this whole thing on its head and, you know, transform this this old paradigm of an industry or whatever it is?" And when I see the nice part it is when I start seeing a few successes. It sure helps your energy. It sure helps you try the next thing.

 

[00:23:52.200]
And so we started seeing some successes and then I kind of realized in my new listening with my new listening ears, but perhaps I should get somebody like a mentor or a consultant to kind of guide me, even if it's only once a month or whatever it might be, keep me on track and basically to teach me what I wasn't learning fast enough. And back then at that stage I did hire a coach.

 

[00:24:21.030]
I also joined a peer group of other actually at that time. And I'm still in the group of other other business owners. And it was just hearing from others that have gone through it, which is the reason why I started my coaching and consulting business 10 years ago. On the side,  was having others about we're going through it and like, "Oh, they have the same challenges I have." And it doesn't if I always, you know, people would say, "Well, you just don't look like a feed lady, you know, like someone that should be like, "What exactly should a Feed Lady look like?"

 

[00:24:58.080]
Anyway, it's kind of funny. Like that old farmer with a pitchfork picture or something like that, you know, like it does to me. So people, it doesn't matter if you're selling feed or yo-yos or candy, a lot of the principles are the same. And so getting into that peer group and just seeing that I wasn't alone was so amazing to me and inspiring.

 

[00:25:22.290] - Candi Broeffle, Host
And when you say peer group, what do you mean by that? Because I think there's a lot of us who people get into different networking groups in order to try to build their business. But a peer group is something very different.

 

Yes. And thank you for asking that question because I believe that is a great distinction. I encourage everyone. Well, if you're looking for a coach, get a coach who has raised the bar on their business higher than you are now or substantially higher. And put yourself in a peer group where it kind of scares you, where those people might be a little more advanced in their platform than you and prove to yourself that you fit there, that you belong there.

 

[00:26:10.980]
And I when I joined one, that it was all multi-million dollar business owners and we definitely qualified it. But I didn't feel like I have that mindset that I was that person. And so sitting around the table, you realize. So I think that a peer group should be run like a networking group is amazing. And sometimes you do find really good peers who will challenge you and push you in a networking group. So I do both, of course, but the peer group is for the direct learning and the direct challenges, and it's more guided and structured and they should push you and challenge you and support you.

 

[00:26:54.300]
So it's just this great confidential environment where you say "This isn't working" or "This is", and you share ideas back and forth with everybody else. It's amazing, which is why... I've read Mastermind Groups last year, too.

 

Yes. Yeah. So Mastermind Group is is that type of group as well. And it really is. I always think about it as a networking group. We're always putting our public face forward. So we're always trying to tell people how wonderful everything is. And you don't want to get too real.

 

[00:27:28.110] - Sandy Hansen-Wolff, Guest
As  marketing yourself

 

[00:27:30.780] - Candi Broeffle, Host
positive light. But a peer group is somewhere where you can go and really get down and dirty, and get some good advice and be able to really discuss things that you need help to figure out.

 

[00:27:43.680] - Sandy Hansen-Wolff, Guest
Yes. And to vocalize. I'm not. Doing well right now or my company is really struggling right now, is really tough, but that is where the magic starts happening.

 

[00:27:56.810] - Candi Broeffle, Host
Hmm. So one of the things that I think makes you such an important coach for business owners is your ability to really understand intuition and how that plays into being a business owner. And I think a lot of the times people think that intuition is really worthwhile. And I always like to say to people, "It's really your gut reaction, right? It's really that trusting what you feel to be true to how this intuition played its part in you, in your journey."

 

[00:28:36.690] - Sandy Hansen-Wolff, Guest
Oh, you know, looking back, I don't know that I gave it gave intuition the credit it deserves because I never saw myself as intuitive or the intuitive type until, however, the last 10 years I've been on my own what mainstream would call a very good journey. So I openly and unapologetically, apologetically said the magic of business is taking that intuitive and divine guidance side, whatever people want to call it, and put it with literal business strategies.

 

[00:29:16.650]
And that intersection is where the magic started happening. And I think that although I always like the metaphysics and a lot of psychology type of books,  I never realized until about five years ago that that's what I was doing with business. And because there were a lot of things that I still use it today and actually even stronger where someone said that a very "educated" person in the industry or someone who has much more experience than myself.

 

[00:29:57.600]
So that will never work or don't go down that road. And my intuition on it, you know, proved it just did either felt right or it didn't. And the times that I move forward, one instinctively it didn't feel right is when. It didn't go well and I lost money and guess what, you back up and you go down the path that your instinct and intuition told you in the first place. But there were a lot of times I was doing intuitive strategy because I didn't want to plan.

 

[00:30:31.700]
You know, I didn't want to write. I didn't know how to write a proposal or any sort of business outline. However, that said, one thing I had to suggest here is the first one of the first things I did was I started developing written procedures and protocols because we had none. And to our demise, we didn't know a lot of the information that was lost when my first husband passed away. So, I think that's where the intersection lies, like there's there's a literal piece of business and developing that intuitive side and owning it. I don't even know if it's developing, the owning it and allowing it to come into the picture is, I'm still blown away and fascinated by it. Yes.

 

And I think people who once you start to really listen to that intuition, it makes it so much easier when you do and things work out when you when you trust that intuition, when people are telling you, "don't do it," you trust it. And it worked out. You really you gained so much confidence by it that it's easier every time you do it. But it's it's a lot of people have been taught not to listen to that voice, not to listen to that instinct that you have.

 

[00:31:49.850]
And we really have to get people out of that to return them to to trusting that. One of the things that you said, too, was with the planning. And that's one thing that I that I think a lot of business owners are not the best at. Entrepreneurs are great at having ideas. And we have thousands of ideas a month. But that planning and that really getting processes and that type of thing in place is so important. But you said that you actually have kind of a unique strategic planning process that you use with your clients. Tell us a little bit about that.

 

[00:32:31.100] - Sandy Hansen-Wolff, Guest
Yes. Well, number one, I have to say that everything that I do in business requires simplicity and quick understanding. And the reason why people don't like strategic plans is it makes our eyes glaze over, including myself. So if somebody wants to hire somebody to do this inclusive strategic plan, it's not me that will put the budget together for you at all. I do have partners that I work with that do that for my side of the coaching business.

 

[00:33:07.760]
I'm not as detailed as that. However, I believe that you can gather quick clarity and quick kind of getting out of the ruts of where you're in or start points. And so I use my simple works. Complicated doesn't approach and also my intuitive nature to develop a system that I call intuitive strategy.

 

We're going to come back and we're going to talk into this a little bit more, and I want you to tell us more about this particular strategy.

 

[00:33:41.960]
So for people who would like to learn more about what Sandy does or to book an appointment with her, visit sandyhansenwolff.com. And again, that's Sandy with the y, Hansen with an E, and Wolf with two F's. To read the online version of Natural Awakenings magazine, visit naturaltwincities.com. You can find a podcast of this show on AM950Radio.com, an Apple and Google podcasts. And anywhere you get your podcasts, you're listening to Green Tea Conversation on AM950, The Progressive Voice of Minnesota. And we will be right back.

 

[00:34:35.290] - Candi Broeffle, Host
Welcome back to Green Tea Conversation, where we delve into the pages of Natural Awakenings magazine and talk to the professionals who share their expertize on natural health with you. I'm your host, Candi Broeffle. And today we're visiting with Sandy Hansen-Wolff, a coach, speaker, and business consultant, and business strategist.

 

[00:34:54.250]
And I say that because just before the break, you were starting to tell us about your your kind of unique approach to strategic planning with businesses. And I'm afraid I had to cut you off a little bit to get into the break. So why don't we come back and you tell us again about this approach and complete your description of it?

 

I'm happy to. Well, what I discovered, you know, going back to the simple works, complicated doesn't strategy for my own of running companies and so on or businesses. I thought about strategy and all of the execution of it becomes so cumbersome, which is why people don't do it. And so I thought about "How do we incorporate our intuitive knowing and strategy and make this a simple process?" And so I developed the intuitive strategy roadmap that I take.

 

[00:35:52.930]
You know, it can happen in teams for companies in it. And it also happens one-on-one with my coaching clients, where we start with an analysis of, Number One, creating a safe space to just talk and get to the root of things and then assessing what are the obstacles. And then I go through some intuitive practices or maybe a little bit of teaching on how to trust our intuition more and what is intuition. And we go through some actual practices or sessions of using our intuition, again, either as a team or an individual.

 

[00:36:35.650]
And from that, from going through those exercises, we do a dream what I call a dream-storming. What are the greatest possibilities for this align building next steps for the business, whether that be individual or again, group. And that is just magical and fascinating because it's kind of been an experiment for me. it's like how fast can clarity come and how fast can a line actually come? Because a lot of people and companies well, we're into an energy of the universe that's on a speedy path anyway.

 

[00:37:13.570]
So we need speedy results here. We need clarity. We need to get on the right fast. And this is just so rewarding for me because I see the elevation happening within hours, which is strategic planning can sometimes take months.

 

[00:37:29.680] - Candi Broeffle, Host
Oh, my goodness. I remember back when I worked at the college, we would do strategic planning for almost a year. Yes. And year plans. And that was, you know, 20 years ago. So when you take a look at a 10-year plan, that doesn't even make sense anymore. Not so. Then they went to a 7-year plan and then it kind of went to a 3-year plan. But really, you almost have to be more nimble than that nowadays.

 

[00:37:58.630] - Sandy Hansen-Wolff, Guest
Yes. And I do agree that having a long-term vision of I want to grow my company to this many millions in five years is great. And so from this intuitive strategy roadmap session we come to, that's great. And what do we do now? Because that's that's the gap. And so at the end of this, we have clarity, we have aligned action and we have new energy and we're in go mode. And we're elevated both as a as a professional.

 

[00:38:33.250]
We don't feel as tired and overwhelmed. And now we can see it more clearly. And then if, you know, if people allow, I'll actually bring some of my own intuitive nudges into it, you know? If not totally fine, too.

 

[00:38:46.950] - Candi Broeffle, Host
So that is something that you can do both with businesses and with individuals. And you also have another practice that you've been using with your clients as well. So tell us about that.

 

[00:38:58.870] - Sandy Hansen-Wolff, Guest
Yeah, so so I offer for coaching, for example, for individuals. I offer high-level leaders and business owners coaching. And I used to only do 6, 12- and 18-month programs. And what I have discovered last year is sometimes people are so overwhelmed with their schedule being packed that they aren't really ready or interested in, you know, massive coaching right now. But they also know they need something to to get out of the wheels spinning.

 

And so I developed what I call the above the Summit VIP Experience, and again, it kind of ties into that intuitive strategy where I take them as a 3- to 4-week max quick hit, where they do a little bit of prep work to get ready. And then we do a two to 3-hour, half-day session where it's it's fun, it's energetic, it's dream-storming, it's using intuition and it's coming again to those quick results.

 

And then and then I have a follow-up session after that where we're kind of sealing the accountability piece, you know? And some will decide this was fantastic and they'll hire me for longer-term coaching and others will decide "That's the quick hit. I need it."

 

Yes.

 

And and it is just so rewarding for me because I do feel like it's a challenge for me is, like how fast can we get to clarity and align the action steps because. There's so many paths we can go down.

 

So you've said that now a couple of times. So I want to expand on that a little bit. What do you mean by aligning the action steps

 

so aligned? You know what I would say I'm guilty of this many times, which is why I stress it now...Is people will tell me or tell your company, here's what you should do because it makes logical sense that you would go down this growth strategy path and it doesn't feel right, nor does it feel fun and exciting for you. And if you can't feel it, you're going to have a really tough time executing it as successfully as you should. It's going to feel very forced.

 

And and so getting into alignment with what are the goals that resonate that, like, I can actually jump on and get passionate about. And here's the piece that I always throw in, like we have to make a profit doing it to add another soapbox item, but we don't have time for today is speed to profits is something that I am totally into. How do we negotiate? How do we price ourselves? Because we leave so much money on the table and it's something to incorporate in this too. It's like "What is your pricing strategy and are you maximizing this for your skillset?"

 

Then it's so important and and it is something that so many people do not understand what their business is, how to properly price their services, how to properly price their products. You bring something really special into this. Sandy, you became that accidental entrepreneur. You grew the business and then you prepared it for sale. And now you just recently sold it as well in starting this or continuing, growing your coaching business now.

 

Well, Sandy, thank you so much for being with us today. It really is a pleasure to have you on the show. And we look forward to hearing where your journey takes you next.

 

Well, thank you, Candi. And I'm a fan of your your entire platform, and it's always humbling to be a part of podcasts. I really do have a passion for seeing other others succeed.

 

Exactly.

 

Well, thank you. So again, for people who want to learn more, visit sandyhansenwolff.com. Thank you for joining the conversation today as we awaken to natural health. You've been listening to Green Tea Conversation on, AM950, the Progressive Voice of Minnesota and I am wishing for you a lovely day!