Life, is a mere one syllable word, yet is the most volatile entity that ever existed. It encompasses a subtle blend of scintillating moments of joy and a few unbearable gulps of remorse, regrets and heartbreaking circumstances. As humans, to strike a balance between these contradictory emotions is our ultimate test and the ones who excel in this test are those who’ve accurately comprehended the true meaning of life – persistence. One person, who has commendably persisted through thick and thin and has emerged as a beacon of inspiration, is Connie Pheiff.
Connie is the Founder and CEO at Pheiff Group, Inc., and an innovator who is ridiculously dedicated to helping executives transition from the corporate life to activate their power, become unstoppable, and live their dream as a lifestyle entrepreneur. In 2006, Connie’s life experienced a turmoil when as a CEO, her position was eliminated due to a corporate realignment; at the same time a certain issue regarding her family, compelled her to face her fears of rejection and overwhelming disappointment. But that didn’t break her spirit and today, she is an example of ’what is possible when you shift your mindset and believe in yourself.’
After leaving corporate, Connie spent two years as an extensive seminar addict, learning all she can about building a lifestyle business and transforming into a global business leader. She has many accolades to her name and cumulating of experiences from the school of hard knocks, Connie is an expert in business, leadership, and marketing and making things happen.
Connie is a master story-teller, an energy-filled, and award winning speaker on multiple levels with Toastmasters; a producer and award winning host of one of today’s leading podcasts for Entrepreneurial leaders named, the Connie Pheiff Show, and a five-time author and also a business coach. She is a former executive turned lifestyle entrepreneur and a philanthropist. She has served as the President of the National Speakers Association, Greater Los Angeles Chapter, and Division Director for Toastmasters, District 12. As a Business Woman, entrepreneur, speaker, business coach, author, and an avid Podcaster, she quickly makes an immediate intimate connection with her audience, inspiring them with a practical message for taking control and growing a business comprehensively.
In 2007, Connie founded the Pheiff Group, Inc. and since then she has developed her signature programs, such as the Activate Community, the Leadership Masterclass, and her most popular program, the Business Accelerator Academy. Connie always shares a part of herself with her audience, which includes the instances about a life of spectacularly enlightening failures, or more precisely, lessons. She believes that through all the experiences, her success hasn’t come in spite of her failures, but because of them.
The extensive list of books which Connie has authored, includes – Finding your Passion for Action; The Art of the Ask: Get into your fundraising groove; The Art of the Ask: A collection of fundraising letters & telephone scripts; Marketing Masters: ready, set, grow your market; Business Accelerator: Become a highly paid lifestyle entrepreneur; and The Unstoppable Stories of Connie Pheiff which is set to release coming Spring of 2019.
Building the Leaders of Tomorrow
The enormous recognition Pheiff Group, Inc. has received from the media has been the result of releasing relevant services at the right time. For instance, the Activating the Power of Women release represents all women without a voice, who wish to keep their power and not give it away through a march or protest. The organization’s Activate My Power community represents all lifestyle entrepreneurs who need the tools to survive in the sea of today’s highly talented marketers. “When we learned that most entrepreneurs lack the skills for marketing themselves we designed the PG Speakers Bureau as a unique agency where we are more than a booking agent. We are a publicist, agent, connector, friend and coach all wrapped into one package adding greater value for our clients to shine,” states Connie.
Thus, her organization’s community simply provides the tools for entrepreneurs to do it themselves and the bureau will do the rest of the work. By understanding the clients’ pain, the Pheiff Group’s team was able to target its media outreach accordingly, which results in increasing visibility to a larger network of its perfect client.
Whenever the question of strategizing the business comes up, in the organization’s team meetings, Connie’s first question is how to do it differently. Connie always quotes Steve Jobs, stating, “You can’t look at the competition and say we’re going to do it better. You have to look at the competition and say we’re going to do it differently.”
Defining Benchmarks
When asked to describe her concept of ideal entrepreneurial attributes, Connie provides a list of traits which every entrepreneur or leader should possess.
Following is the list in Connie’s own words:
- An unwavering passion. This is a cliché, ’to find your passion.’ A life of an entrepreneur demands dedication and commitment – this is what I call stick-a-bility.
- Read and Reflect. Hit the ground running doesn’t mean an entrepreneur’s lives a life of chaos and confusion. Rather, highly successful entrepreneurs start their day reflecting in silence.
- Fuel up. Highly successful entrepreneurs eat food that tastes great and which is nutritious. Since work long hours, it is important the food on their plate fuels their body.
- Work hard – Play hard. Highly successful entrepreneurs work hard because they enjoy their work, so work feels more like play.
- Work smart. Successful entrepreneurs work smarter. They set and prioritize goals. Then each day they take steps to achieve those goals.
- Don’t Complain. The life of an entrepreneur if filled with peaks and valleys. They are not immune to bad things happening. Highly successful entrepreneurs learn to stop focusing on the event, and instead, learn from the cause of the event, pivoting and moving forward.
- A exercise routine is part of a successful entrepreneur’s daily To Do list. This not only nourishes the body, but also nourishes the mind. You’re in better shape and have better decision making skills.
- Serving others. Contrary to popular opinion, highly successful entrepreneurs focus on serving and giving because they know it creates value. We all know that Value can lead to financial reward. Successful entrepreneurs focus on creating value and serving others.
- Invest in Yourself. Successful entrepreneurs never stop investing in themselves. They are always eager to increase their wisdom from current events to new technology. They will attend conferences, take classes, hire coaches, and often join a mastermind group. Of all the personal habits of successful entrepreneurs, investing in yourself is by far the most powerful.
- Forward-looking approach. Successful entrepreneurs are always thinking ahead. They set clear goals that will keep them from moving backwards. I recently took an assessment that indicated I am clearly futuristic, always looking to the future, which at times is surprising to me because I enjoy antiques and history. As a colleague put it, back to the future for me.
Transcending Adversities
Connie is of the opinion that many of the challenges faced by women occur in corporates or as an entrepreneur. In her personal experience, at one time she believed there was a glass ceiling, and she even taught collegiate programs on this subject. But she believes the view from the ceiling has changed and that today women have opportunities to shatter the glass ceiling and make it theirs. She believes that many of these challenges continue to exist, but the most prominent challenge she sees is women worrying they’re not enough and are becoming obsessed with perfection and thus, failing to perform.
She admits she had the Impostor syndrome. Although, she left a position as a CEO of an organization, she felt unworthy. She expresses that initially her ego led her to believe that anyone would want to work with her. She applied for positions from Maine to Miami and found no positive response. Then her recruiter and husband suggested she complete her college degree. Considering that advice, she went back to school and completed her Bachelor of Science in Business and later went onto earn her Masters of Public Administration. “The degrees permitted me the confidence to start my own business and here I am starting my twelfth year and never looking back.” Connie expresses.
Advising the future generation of entrepreneurs, disregarding the gender bias, Connie states that “As women if you want to be treated equal then you need to work hard and surround yourself with successful entrepreneurs.” She recommends creating networks, hiring a coach, or joining a mastermind group. “You will be surprised to learn there are many entrepreneurs offering the same programs and products as you. You must begin by identifying your Unique Selling Proposition (USP),” she adds.
She also advises on not trying to be better, but focusing on how you are different and sticking to it. “Remember Stick-a-bility, the one who sticks to his/her focus longer, wins. Secondly, you can’t do it alone. It does take a team and embracing diversity because, that is the only way you will learn how to play the game of a successful entrepreneur,” Connie asserts.
Beholding the Future
As a smart entrepreneur, Connie has her future designed and has already begun the shift in the business. Her online platform for radio has a greater presence with the Connie Pheiff Show and online TV. She has reduced her speaking engagements in order to increase her coaching and the reason for founding the Activate Community, where she is able to provide today’s lifestyle business leaders, the tools to activate faster; and the PG Speakers Bureau where her team of experts work with clients to build a successful practice.
Connie still enjoys speaking and her success in the spotlight, but she is at a stage in her life where she prefers to serve others and help them find their success. Her five-year goal is going home to the Great Smoky Mountains where she and her husband plan to build a conference and training center for lifestyle entrepreneurs.