Case Studies

Primary Goal

Spend more time on the business-related activities that Beth is passionate about, prioritize memories & experiences with growing children, and realign with the value of being around people (and planning client events).

The Challenge:

Beth is the owner of a highly successful boutique personal training & group fitness studio and has found herself buried in administrative, marketing, and accounting tasks that she is not truly passionate about. Her business is more profitable than ever, but she knows that something is missing for her when it comes to how she is spending her time. She is finding herself working “on” the business more than working “in” the business. She misses training clients, being more available during studio operating hours, and getting to know the community that she has built. In addition, Beth & Derek have young children that are growing up fast. They are worried about time going by and not creating enough family memories before their children go off to college. Finally, Beth & Derek both love planning or participating in large events, meeting up with friends, or mingling with new friends. They want more of that in their lives and find that they need to do a better job of making it happen.

In summary, Beth & Derek are hoping to work through the following situations / questions:

• Beth loves the studio that she has built from the ground up, but she is focused on too many tasks that no longer serve her. How can she delegate more things and make time for the business-related activities that she is passionate about? What’s holding her back?
• They’ve calculated that they only have 8 more summers until their twins go off to college. Time is flying! How can they be intentional about these next 8-years and create memories, experiences, and adventure as a family?
• A pandemic in 2020 threw off life for everyone. For Beth & Derek, they both missed large planned events with their respective clients, friends, family, and overall community. How can they both prioritize this now that life is somewhat back to normal?

As they look ahead, Beth & Derek are seeking guidance and accountability to make sure that the life that they deeply desire is the life that they are living day-in-and-day-out.

The Approach:

The first step for Beth & Derek was to sit down with someone who would objectively listen to their concerns, questions, and thoughts. They knew there were some communication blocks amongst themselves around business decisions and money. Therefore, it made sense for them to seek out the help from a financial coach & registered life planner. In addition, there is an understandable mixture of excitement and uncertainty when it comes to any major change as the owner of a successful business. By collaborating together, values, goals, & actions were able to be documented and put into a living life plan.

The Results:

After going through the EVOKE process with their registered life planner, Derek was able to gain a much deeper understanding of how important this shift was for Beth. In many ways it brought them closer and allowed Beth to trust in the process (delegating more, letting go of perfection, trusting others, etc.) in order to (1) spend more time on what she is passionate about and (2) live out the vision of life that both she and Derek share. By working through several exercises and activities amongst themselves and with their life planner, it became crystal clear on what actions needed to be taken. A comprehensive life plan was put together to move them in the right direction:

• Beth became serious about monitoring how she was spending her time as the owner of her boutique personal training studio. It became clear to her that she had a capable staff that could take on some of the responsibilities that she was not passionate about and outsource a few administrative duties. This allowed Beth to have more time actually training clients and building community - the things she wakes up excited for.
• A major part of making all of this happen related to Beth letting go of control, which was a big perspective shift - that did not happen overnight. The support from Derek (and him being aware) and the accountability by their registered life planner were keys to Beth’s success.
• 8 more years before their twins go to college - this was important to both Beth and Derek. Because of that, a major part of their “Life Plan” was centered around saving for and planning memorable experiences & adventures as a family. Beth and Derek were comfortable aligning their money with their values.
• Finally, by realizing how important planning events and being around community was to both of them, they made sure to incorporate this into their annual and monthly planning as a couple.

In addition to receiving recommendations on the best personal finance tools, apps, and software to manage their financial lives, Beth & Derek were also educated on different ways that they can save (and invest) for longer-term goals. Because Derek’s income fluctuates based on the real estate market, getting a strong handle of their monthly (and annual) cash flow was important. Their financial coach & life planner helped empower them in these areas by educating, answering questions, and pointing them in the right direction (whether that be professionals or other resources).