Tripling Growth in Uncertain Times And Go From Crickets to $30K Amid Chronic Illness

I'm so excited to have Renee back on the show. Like, you are a featured guest of the show multiple times. Thank you. And I love it because everybody knows my story with you and how we're just close beyond just business stuff. We're spiritual sisters and just living both of our lives the best we can in this world that we have.

Speaker B 00:00:29

Family, man, I'm so proud of what you've created here. It's so exciting. Yeah.

Speaker A 00:00:35

I am excited to talk about so much of has actually changed since the last time we talked because I think.

Speaker B 00:00:42

I was looking at the episode.

Speaker A 00:00:43

The last time I had you on the show was like, around episode 30, 40. And we're now probably whenever this launches well into the 130th episode or something like that.

Speaker B 00:00:55

It's crazy. It really is crazy. Congratulations.

Speaker A 00:01:00

Thank you. Well, tell everybody who might be first hearing from you, who you are, what you do.

Speaker B 00:01:07

Okay, well, okay. So my name is Renee Hughes, and my brand is the aroma specialist. And what we do is we help aromatherapists and holistic practitioners to stabilize and advance their business using messaging and captivating speaking. That is our bread and butter.

Speaker A 00:01:30

Oh, my gosh. I feel like during the pandemic, so many things shifted for all of us.

Speaker B 00:01:35

Oh, yeah.

Speaker A 00:01:36

We've had so many different iterations of what our businesses have looked like, right?

Speaker B 00:01:42

Yes, absolutely.

Speaker A 00:01:44

And one of the things I'm super proud of that I got to do during the pandemic was one work with you in the mood makeover method, which we'll talk about, which we didn't talk about. It wasn't even existent the last time we had, was it not? No, we didn't talk about it. Yeah, I don't think we talked about it on the show. And then also, holistic champions. I am a graduate from that as a certified essential oil specialist. Now so many things have changed, but ultimately from the foundation of where this has all begun was like the journey of becoming and being, finding a healing, but living with chronic endometriosis adomyosis. And look at what this has created.

Speaker B 00:02:32

Yeah. It's insane. It's insane. You wouldn't think yeah. Because when you're trying to build a business and you're not feeling well every other day, you think, no, I'm not going to be able to do this. So it's been a blessing to be where I am. I surprised myself, and I'm kind of like, really?

Speaker A 00:02:52

Me? Yeah. I wanted to have you back on the show for that reason specifically because I feel like so many of us might be in the trenches right now and thinking, like, I feel like it's around that time where people, they're in their business right after this pandemic, and we're getting into the new normal. Living with the pandemic and everything, like, can I still thrive? Can I still deal with all of the things living with chronic stuff where new things come up? If I've had new diagnosis since the last time we spoke and you've gone through different changes. So how has it been possible for you? Renee?

Speaker B 00:03:33

Oh, goodness. I pray a lot. I'm just going to put it out there because that is the truth a lot. I really do think my spiritual health is what I know, that that's what keeps me going. And people like you who are in my life that I'm not good at reaching out the way I should. But when I do, there's such rich encouragement and strength that comes from my friends and my spiritual family and my fleshly family, and it keeps me going. But through the pandemic, before I had the endometriosis, Adamiosis, all that kind of thing, and we talked about, I think before that I had a hysterectomy, but it doesn't always mean that the symptoms go away.

Speaker A 00:04:20

It doesn't.

Speaker B 00:04:20

I was still getting really sick and then since then, I found out I've got adrenal fatigue and recurring adrenal fatigue and having the sickle cell trait, which we were always told growing up that as long as you don't have the disease, there's no symptoms. But now we're finding that's not true. So a lot of just still figuring out some of these symptoms where you just are sick. But through the pandemic, I think, like you said, it was such a shift because I was able to focus a little bit more on what I wanted. And our business really tripled during that time. At a time we were really scared that we would be one of the ones that would close their doors because prior to the pandemic, we were okay, we were steady, but I was like, there's no way we're going to make it through this. But just making a few shifts and being able to pace myself and find out what I really wanted, we actually tripled in growth. So that was surprising, but very welcome.

Speaker A 00:05:22

Yeah. I love that you said that point about figuring out what you really wanted.

Speaker B 00:05:30

What was really for you.

Speaker A 00:05:32

Right, yeah. When that happened, what became easier?

Speaker B 00:05:40

That's such a good question. When that happened, what became easier was my messaging. I knew exactly what to say to people and how to say it because it was coming from deep within and I was sure about it. And then just building the thing out where sometimes when we're a little bit back and forth like, oh, maybe I'm going to do it, I'll do it like this. No, I'll do it like this. But when you can step back and you always talk about this, just kind of stepping back and getting clear because we have those ups and downs, too. In fact, after the pandemic, during the pandemic, we did better than after the pandemic. We had like a six month period where it was crickets. But what we did during that time was test out a lot of stuff and step back. And we came back, we emerged with something even better. It's insane. And now we're right back on the path that we were on during the pandemic, but we had to tweak. And it's what you always say about clarity, taking that step back. So that's what we did both times when there was danger, it's like, oh, we're not going to make it. But that was at the beginning of the pandemic, and it was just like, oh, we're not going to make it. Took that step back, got really clear and quiet. And then the same thing after the pandemic when it was just like, whoa, what we were doing is not really working the way it was before. Quiet people aren't signing up. So did the same thing just, okay, let's step back, get quiet. What do you want right now? And making that change, we went right back. So it's pretty powerful, the whole thing that you talk about around clarity, you have to have it.

Speaker A 00:07:24

Yeah. I feel like that's something I learned during the pandemic. How much of the fact that clarity is a skill that you have to exercise like a muscle, it's not something that is as easy as people talk about. Like, find clarity in your messaging. You're like, you hear all these things, and they're like, but how? Exactly how? Right. And so that's what I love about seeing the trajectory of the aroma specialist. Like, everything always had a purpose, and it was a very clear purpose, and it was also very connected to Renee. It made sense.

Speaker B 00:08:04

Definitely.

Speaker A 00:08:06

Yeah. Something I wanted to ask you, and it's about investing during the quiet time. I know you talk about that very openly, and I talked about it, too, a lot more, because I feel like so many people are afraid of the quiet times. Usually in the quiet times, we quit and we're just like, this is it. It's over. Versus this. Yeah, right. Versus, like, doubling down and being like, no, this is not over.

Speaker B 00:08:33

What do I need to do?

Speaker A 00:08:35

Right. So how has that helped you as far as the investing in your business? Even when everything felt like, don't do it? I know.

Speaker B 00:08:46

I'm so glad you asked that, because it's such a big question, and I know for sure it is why we stayed afloat. So that first time I'll take you back to the pre Pandemic, and it was not only my business, but also my husband's, too. He's a CPA. And we both were like, oh, and we both really started investing in our business. But I took more of a pause than he did, and I figured that women can kind of relate to that because it's like, the guys will just be like, okay, let's do this. Whereas me, I wasn't bringing in nearly as much money as his company was, and I was just like, the person I wanted to work with. I was like, I can't afford what she cost is a few hundred dollars more than I make in a month. But I just said, I feel sure she can help me. And I've probably told the story a million times, but I remember her saying to me on our sales conversation, she said because I told her, I said, I'd love to work with you, but I just absolutely can't afford this. And she said, Let me ask you something. If you made your investment back, plus maybe let's say you did a few thousand more than you usually do in a month because you took my coaching, so that means you would have gotten your investment back, and then you've gotten a little over top of that. Would it be worth the discomfort of putting this on your card right now? And I told her.

Speaker A 00:10:14

I said absolutely.

Speaker B 00:10:16

It'd be worth it. So she said, So then let's do it. And I did. And it was the first time that I had invested in a big way in my business. It was a high ticket thing, and my business just absolutely took off. And I will say she was wrong about what she said, because my very next event, I did not double, I tripled that very next one. The very next one after working with her. And I was just like, this is insane. And so the same thing happened when it got quiet again. So I had stopped working with her. I had stopped working with anybody. I kind of finished, and I was just like, oh, we're so busy, because we had gotten really busy. And I'm like, I really don't have time for the coaching and all this kind of stuff. And this is what I'm saying. I want people to really hear this. There's something that happens when we invest in ourselves, in our business, instantly.

Speaker A 00:11:07

Like, the moment clarity, the moment you pay it, you're like.

Speaker B 00:11:15

Think I'll ever go back? Because I remember making that decision. I was like, we're busy. Really don't need anymore, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And then when it got quiet again, I thought, I would love some help getting clear in another plan here. Same thing I invested. And of course, as people grow, their packages grow. And so I invested quite a bit, and I'm thrilled with it, happy to do it, because my very next event after that, I went back to what I was doing. It was a $30,000 event, and I'm like, from crickets to $30,000. You know what I'm saying? So it's just like, we have to get out of our way and get over that whole conversation of, well, I can't afford it. I'm just going to figure it out, and I'll just try, and it doesn't work.

Speaker A 00:12:05

Yeah. I think it's so powerful what you're saying, especially when you invest with someone who has done the thing that's it, who has done the thing, who's knowing they know, you see the fruits of it. My first big investment was with you, was with him. And I was like, I remember having that very uncomfortable conversation with my husband, like, look, it's either this or I don't know what be going back to a job, because I can't I physically cannot do it.

Speaker B 00:12:45

Cannot do it. I'm telling you, Nikita, that keeps me going so much. Those of us with chronic thing, you know, how many times do we wake up in the morning and can't do a thing?

Speaker A 00:12:54

Yeah.

Speaker B 00:12:54

How can you go back to regular.

Speaker A 00:12:56

Work and you become really accustomed to this lifestyle of living with chronic illness and having the flexibility and freedom in your business to still make money when you're in the bed?

Speaker B 00:13:12

Yes, that's it. How many times have I made money with my laptop on my tummy, propped up on the bed doing the thing?

Speaker A 00:13:21

Yeah.

Speaker B 00:13:22

It's a gift, entrepreneurship. It really is.

Speaker A 00:13:25

Yeah. So tell us, Renee, about the aroma specialist, because that's a completely new it's new in so many different ways because I feel like there's so many different facets of the aroma specialist that I feel like so many people might feel really called to check out and learn more about. And what does that look like for them in their lives right now? Is that something that might serve them?

Speaker B 00:13:54

Yeah. One of the things that we did because there are so many facets to what we're doing, but one of the things we did post Pandemic is merge everything. So what we had been known for were two different things the Moot makeover method and then helping people to grow their aromatherapy or holistic business, integrate aromatherapy and grow those businesses where we really merged the two. And our messaging now is helping to people to master their mood, their microphone and their messaging. So we put it into one program, and it's called Holistic Champions Mastery Program. We still have aromatherapy certification for those who want to get their certification as an enrollment therapist, but for those who want to work with us to really master a holistic business, we have the Mastery program. I'm only working with four to six people a year. It's a big difference. Right now we have three. And it's amazing because what we really are focusing on I use my expertise in psycho aromatherapy to help them with their mood, which integrates right into their speaking ability, which works right into how they're able to advance their business by being captivating. And there's so many layers to that to become captivating, to be able to connect, to have clear messaging. And so you have to have your mind and your mood in check, you know yourself, you know what's going on, you know what that message is. So we help with all of those things and then we help them to speak it. And in doing that, they develop an entirely different audience and relationship with themselves, with their business, with their audience, and they're able to advance their business so that's what I'm really prior before, I was working with a lot of beginners. You and a few others were my advanced folks. And it was after working with two, three, four of you that I said, that's who I want to work with. I want the advanced people, I want the people who are already doing it and just want that next level integration type of thing. So that's what we're doing now and it's pretty special.

Speaker A 00:16:05

And I want you all to really pay attention to what she just said. Four or five clients, I feel like so many of us feel because what we see on social media, especially about businesses, a lot of people are building businesses and there's no like, if this is what you want to do, that's totally fine. If you want to have a lower ticket business where you're more about how many people come to you, that's great. But what I have found to be true is that higher ticket allows you to have more flexibility in your time and energy. And also when you're in a higher ticket, you're also able to have systems and team, a small, very team to support you in that without feeling extremely overwhelmed. One of the things that I was talking about recently, and I would love to hear your thoughts on this, is like the fear of investing in a coach. When you have chronic illness, the fear is usually, well, I don't know. And I always tell people, like, just assume that you're going to be sick at some point. I don't understand why anybody is like being chronically sick is what's the word they always say. You just don't know. It's just like it's so random. But you know that, you know it's coming. It's coming. It's a fact that at some point you're going to have a flare up, there's going to be new symptoms, there's going to be something that triggers you. It's a fact, it's going to happen. So building a business with the fact in mind, people are afraid of investing sometimes in their business because of the fact that this may will happen. And I always like to say that for me, I built my business with the fact that that will happen and the way I deliver my coaching. So for you, Renee, working with people living with chronic, like you yourself live with chronic stuff, how have you found investing even while going through the ups and downs of dealing with flare ups and life others?

Speaker B 00:18:14

And that's just personal, we're just talking.

Speaker A 00:18:17

About personal life stuff on top of the chronic stuff. How have you found that investing in yourself, in your business, it actually served.

Speaker B 00:18:27

You a couple of things because when you're not well, let's see how I want to say this. It's like things become easier. I know I said this thing about clarity already, but you're clear and the path that you're taking is easier because there's nothing worse than not feeling well and also having no idea what you're supposed to be doing that day because you don't have any guidance. You're figuring it out. You were going to jump on some free thing and hope that it's going to explode. Your business or scrolling through and looking at everybody else living their business or dreaming about what your business is very frustrating. But when you invest in someone, you know exactly what it is that you're doing, when you're doing it, how you're doing it. And you can then maneuver your days around what you're able to do during that time. It takes away the confusion and you don't feel always behind because it's almost like one of the things that I do and I encourage my clients to do now is that I actually build in sick days so that I don't have that feeling of I was supposed to do this business. I take a sick day. I have a certain amount of sick days. I take them personal days. Just like it's a corporation. I teach my business like a corporation. I give myself personal time and sick time, and so there's no guilt around. Yeah, I was in bed all day and I also didn't do anything because there are times you can work even when you're in bed, and there are other times it's like, no, I'm going to just recover today or just be sick and go through these symptoms and be grateful for what I was able to do. So I think the fear of, oh, goodness, will I even be able to do a business? Because how many days am I going to be sick? What if I'm in the hospital? But when you are working with someone, you're not going to feel that same. I'm behind, I don't know what to do. I can't catch up because there's a plan in place and you can jump just right back into it. Does that make sense? I don't know if that answered it.

Speaker A 00:20:29

Yeah, no, it makes sense. What I think and hear and agree with you is that when you have someone with you right, who is like external, but can also have the compassion of understanding. Yes, that's where you are. But let's assess what you can do versus focusing on what you can't do and getting confused in what you think.

Speaker B 00:20:53

Yes, so confused and so frustrated. You know what else it does too? When you're working with someone, you yourself work with a different caliber of clients. You work with quality people, and you're not just grabbing for whoever will take your services. Your confidence grows because this person believes in you. You now have said to yourself, there's all this inner work. I believe in you because it's the reason. It's one of the number one reasons people don't invest. They don't really believe that they can do it. But when you swipe that card or you give that card number, you have said and you've put it out there and you have said to yourself, we can do this.

Speaker A 00:21:31

Yeah.

Speaker B 00:21:32

And I'm investing, so I'm taking that step. And when you do that, things change in who you work with. And when things change with who you work with, you can be sick and have somebody on the books and say, you know what, I'm having a flare up. Let's do your coaching session. Such and such a day. And they're fine with it, and they're going to go do their other assignments, and they're going to go do other things. They're not stuck, they're not complaining, they're okay. And it completely changes your world because you're not nervous and, oh my goodness, I'm supposed to be servicing this client, and I'm supposed to be teaching this class, or they understand you're working with different people on a different platform and at a different level.

Speaker A 00:22:14

Yeah. Something you said just made me think about how that ripples affects into your life, personal life. Right. There are people then you start either I had a moment this year with my hairdresser that no longer is my hairdresser, where I was like, I don't need to be dealing with.

Speaker B 00:22:35

It.

Speaker A 00:22:37

Right. You start reevaluating the mind and energy space that's containing you. When you invest in yourself and invest in your business, things just shift. It is one of those I will never forget. Every time a client says yes to me, working with me, they're always like, literally within the next 24, 48 hours, they're like, Nikita, such and such thing happened. And I'm like, that seems about accurate.

Speaker B 00:23:08

That's right. That's about right.

Speaker A 00:23:10

Yeah.

Speaker B 00:23:12

Because it's so funny. It's because you've made this agreement with yourself and you don't have time to mess around anymore, no excuses or whatever. You have put a real amount online. And that's why I love high ticket. I love high ticket, of course, because of what it does for my own life and my lifestyle, of course. But I promise you, it really helps the clients because the more you invest, the more your eyes are wide open. I don't have that to just give away, so let's get to work. And they do the work and they scrape everything they can because they're like, no, I am not wasting that investment. Most do. I'm not saying that all do. There are people who join and they pay a lot and then never show up. There's still that. It blows my mind and I can't stand it.

Speaker A 00:24:02

I don't understand. I've had other coaches tell me that and my brain is like, but I've had a client. I've had one client who paid high ticket and literally I was like, what is happening? How did you amount of money and nothing is happening.

Speaker B 00:24:17

Gone.

Speaker A 00:24:18

It's amazing, right? I definitely have come now. What are we what year are you in now in business.

Speaker B 00:24:30

For the aroma specialist? It was well, the foundation of aroma specialist started in 2013. It wasn't called aroma specialist, but I started in Health and Wellness in 2013. Yeah, but I've been working for myself since 2009.

Speaker A 00:24:49

Yeah. So to get here feels good, right?

Speaker B 00:25:01

It's worth it. It's worth it, and it's worth even the ups and downs. And we're not finished with downs. We're going to have downs again. And that kind of goes back to your other question. It's okay. I love this thing. I heard on TV, somebody said, don't rehearse tragedy. Don't you love that? It's like, no, it's okay, it's okay. You're going to have these times. But right now, here and now, you're alive. You have a beautiful idea, and you want to turn it into a business or you want to take it to the next level, then let's do that. Do that. And then we will deal with the other as it comes. And you look at people like you and I that we're doing it. We've got chronic stuff. We have to take time off. We have days. We don't want to get out of the bed and go to bed early.

Speaker A 00:25:55

Yes.

Speaker B 00:25:56

I was supposed to be writing an article for a magazine last night, and I missed my deadline because guess why? I feel good. I said, I'm not going to make this deadline. It's okay. The world keeps spinning.

Speaker A 00:26:10

Oh, that's such a powerful thing. You get to a point in your business and with yourself to not view opportunities as scarce. Yes.

Speaker B 00:26:23

I love that.

Speaker A 00:26:25

You start to realize, well, even if I miss the deadline, this isn't the only opportunity coming my way.

Speaker B 00:26:31

That's right.

Speaker A 00:26:33

And I'm not going to sit here and stress myself into more of a flare up or more pain worried about this not deadline, you know what I'm saying? To that point where you're just like, oh, there's just going to be other opportunities. And you don't even think about it that way because you've done so much more, done so much like inner work.

Speaker B 00:26:53

That's exactly right. That inner work is so important because you feel solid and a six day or a month is not going to deter your business. Our business, like I said, was quiet for like six months. That's a long time. We had people come in here and there, we had some wins here and there, but that's a long time. That's enough time for people to be like, oh, this isn't working anymore, but not for 1 minute. That we think that it was just a matter of, okay, what's now? What needs to happen now?

Speaker A 00:27:22

And I think there honestly needs to be more conversation about the normalness of ups and downs. I even think when it comes like corporate and they have ups and downs too, you think of Target. I always go to Target because that's my go to thinking. I'm like their charts are not always the same. They're not always making a profit exactly the same way.

Speaker B 00:27:46

That's right.

Speaker A 00:27:47

They have lower seasons as well. Every business that's literally the humanness of business.

Speaker B 00:27:54

Right? Exactly. True.

Speaker A 00:27:56

So it's like, just because it's quiet doesn't mean that you should give up that's right.

Speaker B 00:28:01

Please don't. Or just because you may have a long spell with your chronic illness and you think you know what, that just means that it's not for me. No, it's not true. You may emerge from this with a bigger, brighter business than you ever had, because every time we go through these things, any setbacks, it's just another brilliant story. And stories are what really move your business and have people connect to you. So just believe that this is just a stepping stone.

Speaker A 00:28:31

Yeah. That's so powerful. That's so true. So, Renee, tell us what is something that you have come to appreciate about Speaking? And that being an avenue of marketing your business to create the results in your business.

Speaker B 00:28:49

So how has Speaking helped to create the results? Yeah, I think what it is is that speaking is what we do now for advertising. It's the thing that tells who you are and it's the thing that helps you to get connected to people. Your message and how you relate that message is the difference between a yes and having a tribe of people who want to work with you and who want to be with you and people being confused by you or just completely detached because you're like everybody else. So your Speaking brand is as important as anything else. Who you are, how you sound, what you make people feel like. People forget what is said because we all say similar things, but they remember what your presence felt like for them. And so that is what we're teaching people how to do, is to change that experience because people need and want an experience, and that's what you can give to your folks.

Speaker A 00:29:54

So how can people find you? How can they connect with you?

Speaker B 00:29:59

Well, I'd love to have them come over to a specific website for your audience. Bolden Booked. So Bold and Booked is our next Speaking event that we're doing, so you can meet us over there. And I'm going to be doing a little master class in February, actually. But Boldenbook.com is where you can find us. Awesome.

Speaker A 00:30:19

I'm excited for everyone to check it out. It's great. I spoke at one of the last speaking you did?

Speaker B 00:30:26

And I'm going to be asking you to do it again.

Speaker A 00:30:32

All right, great.

Speaker B 00:30:36

You didn't know that part.

Speaker A 00:30:37

I was just like, no. I have enjoyed, I will say, this year for me and my business, I did a lot of virtual summits, and same as you, Renee, my business was quiet. So quiet. I just continue to focus on connecting with people. That's all I focus on.

Speaker B 00:31:01

That's it.

Speaker A 00:31:01

Besides my inner work and connecting with people. And for a lot of people, December is quiet. December has not been quiet for me. I have clients. I have speaking engagements coming up for the new year. In person. In person.

Speaker B 00:31:16

I see you're doing one. I'm so excited about that.

Speaker A 00:31:20

I'm excited too. So many cool things come when you share your story. You guys.

Speaker B 00:31:27

You know what else is great about you, Nikita, is you're so authentic. I love watching your content. Whenever I watch it, I learn something and I feel like a better, stronger entrepreneur. Especially because you're speaking to people like me, who it's like. You always remind me, it's okay if you don't feel good. It's okay. You're still awesome. You're still going to get things done. And you're always on brand, and you're always real, and it's just such a joy what you're doing. So keep it that up.

Speaker A 00:31:57

Thank you. Well, thank you so much for being on the show again. Thank you. Yes, anytime.

Speaker B 00:32:03

I'm happy to be here.