We were lucky to catch up with Kim Ward recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kim , looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
When I was a child I watched my mom’s decisions affect us all. We had no vehicle, she spent our food stamps on her cigarettes and most of the time the only food I got was my school food. I’m thankful for those seasons of adversity because it sharpened my awareness, my desire and quite honestly my tolerance level for certain things. Not only did I learn how to set healthy boundaries but I also developed my work ethic from living a life that I never wanted to live again nor have my children exposed to.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I love community outreach. My family and I spend time outside of the business and school with our church doing amazing things together. Being able to humbly assist others, meet new people and learn through their lens and their perspective is what makes the experience so special.
This year my company is helping more family-focused entrepreneurs build a leveraged business or side hustle so that they can maximize profit as well as family time. Teaching leverage through tools like affiliate marketing will help other families and communities lower their stress by having more choice in their own life and that’s what we all want, options and choice.
One of the affiliate programs that I am mentoring people through pays 70% commission, which is huge and will help lower stress, create income which all help the family unit and in turn, the community.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
One quality that has been instrumental is what used to be called stubborn and we now call it perseverance (lol). I just don’t quit. Never have, never will. As an entrepreneur perseverance is everything. There is no employer setting your goals, your KPI’s or handing you a standard operating procedure to follow. You’re that person and many days you’ll find yourself switching hats between customer service, human resources, billing, marketing, etc. If God put it on your heart, He will give you the strength to keep going and push through challenging and difficult times and seasons.
An important skill that I learned is how to talk to people in marketing. This lesson was learned the hard way during my time on the Play to Win reality show but so worth it. I had an opportunity to sit down with the producer Hank Norman and he said “Do you know why people aren’t memorable? They come online and speak to the masses of people. Real star power is when you speak to the one singular reader or listener. That’s when the game changes.” I took his advice and my business has completely changed because of it.
An area of knowledge that has truly set me apart from other business coaches or digital marketers is having a specified corner of the marketplace that I have planted my flag in and teach like nobody else. For me that space is Pinterest. Who knew, right?
As you begin or continue your journey please remember to keep pushing through even when it feels impossible. Always speak to the one singular person and don’t be afraid to find a corner of the market to specialize in.
Many people are afraid to “niche down” because of that fear that whispers “You’re leaving people behind”. That’s when you shine. You become the specialist and not the general practitioner, and that’s what people want, need and are willing to pay for.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
Honestly, it takes a village but there are 2 people in particular. One of them is my pastor; Pastor Jason. He teaches the finished work like nobody I’ve ever seen and he always points me back to the word, not the world to remind me of who I serve, how to serve and what a Kingdom life looks like. The perspective allows me to focus on what’s truly important and that makes it easier through the tough days and rough seasons.
You see, we learn in reflection, not in the moment. That’s something I learned from my mentor, Ray Higdon. Ray is always guiding me in Kingdom business, what those principles look like and how to live them daily. I remember the first time I ever spoke on a stage holding a microphone, Ray leaned in and whispered “Have you spoken before?” and like a child looking for guidance I shook my head no. He quietly told me that the microphone is an extension of your chin and when you move your head the microphone must move with you. It’s little things to not so little things that mentors offer, even when you least expect it and even when it feels subtle.
These two mentors knowingly or not have helped me overcome challenges in business, in my own mind and helped me sharpen skills and dull things that I thought were skills but were maybe not so desirable traits.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.lifebydesignsolutions.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mrs_kim_ward
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kimberleyholloran
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lifebydesignsolutions
- Other: https://successwithkimward.com
Image Credits
Amber Larkins from Empowerogrophy
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
