We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chastity Jeff. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chastity below.
Hi Chastity , thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
I had a very difficult time in middle school, like many teens and preteens, today. I was often called names and excluded. I learned how to mask really well. I participated in literally every extracurricular activity available. I tried to be nice to everyone. I was a really good student. None of that kept me protected from the projected insecurities of others. I found myself not wanting to be alive. I often had dark thoughts that I never shared. As a matter of fact, I covered that pain with a smile and more people pleasing.
As a result of being a good student I was invited to participate in an awards ceremony hosted by the Lions Optimist Club in my hometown. At that dinner, they had a printed copy of the Optimist Creed. As we stood to recite it, it began te resonate deeply with me. That night I took my copy and taped it to my mirror and began reciting every day (before daily affirmations were a thing, I didn’t know that’s what I was doing).
The rest is really history. People didn’t get nicer, but I chose and still choose to see the world through the lens of that creed.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My first business is Arete Learning Group, a Learning system designed to support the growth of non-traditional learners. We operate a microschool, small group learning sessions, and learning coaching session for students ages 6-18. The program and microschool spawned from a desire to create a space for my own children’s who are all divergent, out of the box, thinkers. At 8 years old my middle child started seriously studying oncology, while her then 6 year old sister was adamant about owning a business and learning about financially responsible decision making. My oldest, at the same time was struggling to navigate traditional high school. I knew they each needed something unique. I set out to create what I wanted for my kids and find a way to leverage it to support other families.
During this period in my life, I realized my gifts for teaching were being merged with my previously professional career of developing leaders. The only difference was the age of my client. Arete was born from this merger.
I knew my craft. I knew how to grow people. I knew how to get amazing results with children. I did NOT know how to run a business and after 2 years of trying, my bank account and my family life proved that.
I dug deep and went back to school, but this time pulling together resources customized to growing me in the areas I needed to be developed in. I created my own version of post-secondary learning for myself.
In true Chastity fashion, I struck out to put this new found knowledge in the hands of anyone who would listen. This launch proved to really help start ups and entrepreneurs.
From this experience ForTwelve Consulting was born. I knew this support had to be different than anything in the market, so I started customizing support for business owners like I had done with students in our learning programs. I started seeing these businesses have crazy results, like 37% net increase in 10 weeks, with this model.
Much like the Optimist Creed affirmations. The rest is history and yet we are still creating historical outcomes in both arenas.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The single most important quality in business is operating from a place of personal integrity. Be real with your self about where you are and get the help and support you need to accomplish the goals you have. If you don’t know how to assess, start with the hard data. The numbers don’t lie, so don’t lie on the numbers.
The best way to improve in this area is to seek an industry expert. The investment will pay for itself. You have to trust that.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
Go all in on your strengths! For years people have encouraged leaders and business owners to take time and become well rounded. I strongly disagree. You need to know enough to be dangerous in the areas you are not an expert. That means know enough to hold people accountable for the work they do with or for you. Then, hire or contract the services of experts to support your business. I run an entire team with contractors. We meet as a team and help one another grow in our pursuits. They often tell me they’ve never been treated as a team member because they too are entrepreneurs and being in our environment makes them lean into their true sense of purpose and the community equals accountability.
Contact Info:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/g72o8m6qkDgnPooz/?mibextid=qi2Omg
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/chastity-jeff-ed-s-8977469a_alright-alright-alright-mark-your-calendars-activity-7111116231314722816-_7o1?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@chastityjeff?si=HWorLAgSLKR3WFHD
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
