Laura specializes in personalized mentoring and life coaching, helping clients tackle their biggest struggles and achieve their career goals.
They discuss Laura's unique approach, which combines personal and professional development, and her belief in the importance of continuous learning and pushing past comfort zones.
Laura also highlights her book ‘Do Leadership' and her group Goal Achievers Gang, which supports individuals in setting and achieving their goals.
Laura can be reached through her website, topfloormentoring.com, or on LinkedIn at Laura in the Round.
Website: www.topfloormentoring.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lauralorenz
Facebook: www.facebook.com/laura.lorenz.568
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Transcription:
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Laura Lorenz Teaser 00:00
So what I do is I come alongside them where they're at today. And we work through, what are your goals? Where do you want to be in, in your career? And then we start talking about the struggles that they are going through. And then we, pick whatever the biggest struggle is that they're having at that time.
And we work through how to change that into not a struggle anymore. So it's all based on the needs of my clients.
Intro 00:32
Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of.
This is the I AMCEO podcast.
Gresham Harkless 01:00
Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast. And I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Laura Lorenz. Laura, excited to have you on the show.
Laura Lorenz 01:08
I'm excited to be here today.
Gresham Harkless 01:10
Yes. I'm super excited as well to talk about all the awesome things that you're doing.
And of course, before I do that, I want to read a little bit more about Laura. So you can hear about some of those awesome things and Laura helps professionals dominate their marketplace by diving into a transformative Adventure where you're not just enhancing your skillset, you're mastering the art of market domination.
She is your guide on this journey, offering both one-on-one and group mentoring sessions, tailored to catapult you to the pinnacle of your profession. And it's not your professional development. It's a revolution of your capabilities. And preparing for this, I was reading a little bit more about Laura.
Laura has a wealth of experience, 35 years, Of experience over 35 years of experience. She was also the principal of a successful marketing company, which I think is super cool. But one of the things that when I was listening to one of the interviews that she did is it would really stuck out to me is she really, truly understands that human part of business that I think so many times we zoom over.
So Laura, excited to have you on the show. Are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?
Laura Lorenz 02:10
Absolutely.
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Gresham Harkless 02:10
Perfect. Perfect. What I wanted to do to kick everything off is rewind the clock a little bit, hear a little bit more on how you got started. What I call your CEO story.
Laura Lorenz 02:19
Wow. Way back when 35-plus years sounds very long.
This particular business that I have, I started because I believe that everybody should have a mentor or a coach to help them because it's hard to do it all by yourself. And I specifically got started working with young professionals because I believe when they come out of college, they've learned a lot of What do I want to say?
Esoteric business information, but not a lot of how do I get out there in the real world and actually use my knowledge to gain the success that I'm looking for. So I love what I do. I love working with young professionals, but I also work with entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Gresham Harkless 03:09
Nice. I absolutely love that. And especially that esoteric part. Cause I think a lot of times you hear the book knowledge versus the real world knowledge and trying to differentiate with that. And I feel like a lot of people probably struggle. I don't know if that's the right word because of the execution of those things.
And I imagine that's the translating book knowledge, which might be important, but you just want to make sure to actually translate over to that street knowledge. So it can be used.
Laura Lorenz 03:32
Absolutely, and that's what I help people do.
Gresham Harkless 03:34
Nice. Nice. Could you take us through a little bit more on what that looks like, how you're working with those clients and making that impact?
Laura Lorenz 03:40
Sure. So what I do is I come alongside them where they're at today. And we work through, what, what are your goals? Where do you want to be in, in your career? And then we start talking about the struggles that they are going through. And then we, pick whatever the biggest struggle is that they're having at that time.
And we work through how to change that into not a struggle anymore. So it's all based on the needs of my clients.
So I don't have a set. Program that I work through, because I feel like then they're getting exactly what they need instead of me going, let's talk about communication today. I love that just because it sounds like you're meeting people where they are.
And I think that, starting out with that question, which is so powerful. It's like that Alice in Wonderland quote, where it's like, where do you want to, where do you, what road should I take? And it's like, where do you want to go? And if you don't ask that question, then it could be. Many different ways to get to, to where you ultimately want to be.
So I think it's so powerful that you asked that question to start.
It helps because they know they have struggles. And so they're able to tell me, today I'm here. I want to be able to, maybe we start with, I want my boss to give me a raise. Okay, let's start from there and talk about how you, the things that you need to do to get him to actually see what you're doing and see the kind of things that you're giving to the company, just an example of how that works.
Gresham Harkless 05:17
Yeah. And I appreciate you sharing that example, because I feel like so many times I feel like maybe get into more of the heart of the human. We always want to be valued and seen and appreciated.
So what would you consider to be a little bit more of what I like to call your secret sauce? This could be for yourself, the business or a combination of both, but what do you feel sets you apart and makes you unique?
Laura Lorenz 05:37
I think it's the fact that I. Do put together the personal or individual mentoring.
So the life coaching, because if your life is a mess, it doesn't matter what you're trying to do. You're not going to get to where you want to be or learn or any of that. So I think the combination of that, and then the soft skills for business really sets me apart because I'm looking at the person holistically.
Through their eyes and through the business that they're trying to conduct and achieve the goals they're trying to achieve.
Gresham Harkless 06:14
I love that. And, I think so many times because you've been able to accomplish so many things. I feel like I don't know if that provides like a greater awareness because I think we sometimes can so stuck in or siloed in what exactly, we're doing, whatever our superpower is that we don't have the time to look at other people's superpower.
Don't have the time to tap into that to understand exactly what the others is. But it sounds like being able to actually see things holistically is because you have such awareness around the person, but also to have being able to have those experiences that I'm sure people are both.
Laura Lorenz 06:48
Absolutely.
Gresham Harkless 06:49
I said that I feel like, it's such a great advantage for you to be able to have that understanding holistically, because you're able to have those experiences. And you're able to lock in on the person because I think.
So many times we can get siloed when we're thinking about, Oh, this person needs X or this person needs Y. When in reality, to understand the whole picture and be able to have those experiences that you can lean on helps people to be able to meet you for you, to be able to meet them where they are, but also for you to be able to make.
Laura Lorenz 07:16
The thing I think is, I have been in business for those 35 plus years. And so I have. Worked with so many different companies, owns my own companies that I have been able to look at things holistically and then apply them to the people that I work with it. It's all about the wisdom. It's not about the age.
Gresham Harkless 07:40
Yeah. I love that. And especially it's so funny when I was preparing for this, I was listening to one of the testimonies you had. And that's exactly what the person that's spoke to of meeting them where they are. And I think so many times you walk into like meetings or virtually, meet at these meetings and you're like, this is what we need to do.
This is the program. This is a plan to get in or get out. But I think it speaks so much to you to be able to meet people where they are. In addition, you have, the experiences that you can lean on. So I think a person feels like they're not by themselves and they're not going about that journey or the steps or whatever it might be.
Laura Lorenz 08:14
I'm my client's biggest cheerleaders. Never was in school, but I am now.
Gresham Harkless 08:23
Nice. I absolutely love it. So I wanted to switch gears a little bit and I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an Apple book or even a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?
Laura Lorenz 08:34
One of my favorite books and I actually had the pleasure of meeting the author is The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, which also proves how wise I am.
Cause book came out a long time ago, but I just. I reread it at least once a year, just because of the way that he talks about things. And what's urgent and what's important and also, the paradigms.
So one of the first stories he talks about is there's a man on a bus and he has two little Kids that are just running around crazy and a person is watching that thinking what a horrible daddy was.
But in reality, what had just happened is his wife had died and he was trying to cope with his feelings. So, and that goes back to what we were talking about is really being able to look at situations, not from our bias, but what is really occurring out there. So highly recommend that book. It's one of my favorite books.
And I do reread it. I think knowledge reading in general for anybody, it's, you don't just stop learning when you get out of college. I know a lot of people that are like, Oh I'm done. But you're not, not if you're going to be a great employee and a successful human being and run your business, because there are new ideas that come out all the time.
When I think back on the stuff I was learning in high school, it's all almost completely obsolete, right? So I that's, that's my biggest hack is. Just keep learning. Keep, keep being hungry to get more knowledge.
Gresham Harkless 10:17
I absolutely love that.
Laura Lorenz 10:18
You know, most of my clients, I come very close with them because they're telling me their intimate feelings about things and I'm helping them.
And so I had one client who used to call me mom teasingly. I was like Oh, but it's important if you, I said in the very beginning, it is so important to find a mentor or a coach, but if you're not happy with the results that you're getting or comfortable with the person that you're working with, find somebody that you are.
That's hugely important. And we all have our own styles.
Gresham Harkless 10:57
Yeah, that makes sense.
Laura Lorenz 10:58
I know I couldn't have done what I've done in my life without having to coach myself. And I've had various kinds of coaches too. You don't have health coach. You have this coach. It's just so important to have, again, people behind you to hold you up and hold you accountable.
Like you said, that's the hardest part about being an entrepreneur, a business owner, a successful professional is it's hard to keep yourself comfortable. You need I know when I have to put together a presentation, I always wait till the last minute. But if I tell somebody. That I'm going to get it done at this day in this time.
And I know they're going to hold me accountable. I'm going to get it done. Whereas I might wait until the night before, if I didn't tell somebody I was going to do it at that time.
Gresham Harkless 11:46
There we go. I love that example. So I wanted to ask you now for what I call a little bit more of a CEO nugget. This could be a word of wisdom or piece of advice.
It might be something you would tell your favorite client, or if you have to do a time machine, you might tell your younger business self.
Laura Lorenz 11:59
It's a quote and I can't remember who said it, but everything in your life begins at the edge of your comfort zone. So Push past. I actually, in my life I jump out of airplanes. I scuba dive.
I try stuff that's scary because it helps me grow as a human being, right? Because then I see, wow, if I could do that, then I can do almost anything. So it's pushed past that comfort zone.
Gresham Harkless 12:26
Nice. I love that.
Laura Lorenz 12:27
When you make this a list of. What are your strengths and what are your weaknesses? We are all better at.
Writing down our weaknesses, then we are tooting our own horns and so to be able to take that inventory and put together, these are all the things that I've done for this company and the outcomes of the company, then you shouldn't be afraid at all, because look, exactly what you've been able to do, so.
Gresham Harkless 12:52
Yeah, absolutely. And that's why it's always helpful to be able to have that, people or person that you can lean on that, that definitely helps, bring that to light too. So now I want to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO and our goals to have different quote-unquote CEOs on the show.
So what does being a CEO mean to you Laura?
Laura Lorenz 13:11
I'm the chief cook and bottle washer of my company. So I'm everything, but being a CEO, I think It's about leadership and I can break that down. Even though right now I am a solo. It's. How do I lead myself, right? Or am I a servant leader to if I'm in a corporation, am I that servant leader for my employees?
So I think it's all about how you lead and that's, that's what CEOs do, our leaders.
Gresham Harkless 13:42
Absolutely. And I think it's so powerful to be able to look at that because I think so many times we can forget that, the leadership, ebbs into every aspect of our lives and what we do.
If you have a board, if you do have employees that are whatever it is, you have that opportunity to lead on a daily basis. And if you start with yourself, as you said so well, but then it starts to extend in other ways and you truly become I think a great CEO.
Laura Lorenz 14:06
Absolutely. Absolutely.
Gresham Harkless 14:09
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Laura, truly appreciate that definition. And of course, I appreciate your time even more. So what I wanted to do now was pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional that you can let our readers and listeners know. And of course, how best people can get out of you find about all the awesome things you're working on.
Laura Lorenz 14:25
Sure. So I think I'm most proud of a book that I wrote a while back called do leadership. It's a step by step approach to becoming a thought leader, right? And that, it's great for marketing, but you also have to be a thought leader in your business and with your clients and things like that.
So, wrote that book. I am insanely excited to be leading a group called Goal Achievers Gang, where we get together once a month, set our goals, talk about the steps that you need to take them. And then I have a Facebook group where we all cheer each other on and hold each other accountable. So that's awesome.
That's really fun. I like the group stuff because everybody, takes village. You need a community. We've talked a little bit about that earlier, people behind you helping them. So I think those are awesome things. I, you can get a hold of me. My website is topfloormentoring.com. My email is laura@topfloormentoring.com. And you can find me on LinkedIn as well at Laura in the Round.
Gresham Harkless 15:30
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Thank you so much again, Laura, to make it even easier. We're going to have the links and information in the show notes so they can find out about the book, the groups, coaching, all the awesome things that you're doing. And I think it's so powerful. I think Einstein had a quote where he says, You can see so much further by standing on the shoulders of giants.
And I think I love everything you're doing, because I think so many times we think that to see further, we have to stand on our own shoulders and have to jump up and climb up and do all those things. But the reality is that there's people that are there to help you out. And a lot of times, whether it's Other people in your group, or there's mentors that have experienced, or sometimes even people that don't have experience can sometimes mentor us in some ways, but we have to be open to doing that.
So thank you so much for leading that charge, do all the, doing all the awesome things you're doing. And I hope you have a phenomenal,
Outro 16:15
Thank you for having me. Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO podcast. Powered by CB Nation and Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co. I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community.
Want to level up your business even more? Read blogs, listen to podcasts, and watch videos at cbnation.co. Also, check out our I AM CEO Facebook Group. This has been the I AM CEO podcast with Gresham Harless, Jr. Thank you for listening.
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