IAM2168 – Business Development Strategist Inspires Leaders and Guides Them on How to Run their Business

In this episode, we have Lynn Howard, a business development strategist who has started and sold multiple businesses across the globe. Lynn has over 20 years of experience and has worked with leaders and entrepreneurs in C-suites to support, inspire, and guide them on how to run their business as a business and not as a hobby.

Lynn shares her journey as an entrepreneur, her early experiences in sales and entrepreneurship, as well as her global business ventures. Empowering others to be more, do more, see more. It's also about personal responsibility, continuous learning, and evolving into a better version of yourself.

Lynn highlights the impact beyond personal success and the responsibility to create a positive ripple effect.

Website: Lynn Howard
LinkedIn: Lynn Howard
Facebook: Lynn Howard
Instagram: lynn.a.howard

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Transcription:

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Lynn Howard Teaser 00:00

Sometimes they have great success, but it's short term because they don't have the backbone, the fundamentals, and they're not building upon it. They haven't trained themselves, have good habits, if you would. And so we help them be more, do more, see more by building all of that, by being in a supportive environment, by absolutely laying the foundations, strengthening that foundations, and creating habits to be able to sustain that.

Intro 00:28

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 AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:55

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 Lynn Howard. Lynn, excited to have you on the show.

Lynn Howard 01:04

Super stoked, Gresh.

Gresham Harkless 01:06

Yes, I'm stoked as well too and Lynn's doing so many awesome and phenomenal things that I wanted to of course jump into the interview but before I do that I want to read a little bit more about Lynn so you can hear about some of those awesome things that she's working on. And Lynn, in her profession, would be classified as a business development strategist. People and possibilities, they are her jam, as well as her life's purpose. Leadership and entrepreneurship runs through her veins, as well, too.

She has started and sold many businesses across the globe for over 20 plus years, done the whole COO thing with a global company in 26 countries, president and ambassador for Global Women's Network, and on leadership boards of NGOs with a global footprint as well. Today she works with leaders and entrepreneurs in C-suites across the world to support, inspire, and hold accountable and guide them on how to run their business as a business and not as a hobby. She's award winning author, international keynote speaker, MC, podcaster and many, many more. In living in her purpose to leave each place better thing than she found it before.

She's leaving legacy for her grandkids as well too. Being the change, living the change and inspiring the change. And I absolutely love everything that Lynn is doing. And I had her co-host as well on been on their podcast, also had them on the show as well too. And I think I love, of course, the work that they do, but I love even more their why their energy and all the awesome things that you're doing. So when super excited to have you on the show, talk about all the awesome things you're doing, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

Lynn Howard 02:30

I am. Yes, I am. I'm super stoked. Got up early to do this.

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Gresham Harkless 02:36

Yes, we appreciate you so much. Burning the midnight oil on both sides the morning and the evening.

Lynn Howard 02:42

Always. When you're a global person doing global work, my schedule is not a normal schedule. So like I will work really late or sometimes work really early, but especially for friends. Make exceptions.

Gresham Harkless 02:54

I appreciate that. We love that you consider us our friends. And what I wanted to do to kick everything off was rewind the clock. Tell me a little bit more on how you got started. What I call your CEO story.

Lynn Howard 03:03

Oh man, that's a big fan door to this box. I can say just an overview of I've always had to find my own way in various ways just with my life story, which we can open up that box if you want to later. But essentially I was in sales right away. I had to learn how to be a cosmetologist or not had to, but I learned to be a cosmetologist when I was in the group home that I was in. So the boarding school slash group home. So with that, you rent out a chair. So you're your own entrepreneur at that kind of age. I graduated when I was 17, but then I went directly into sales as well. And so these like skill sets really compounded and built upon one another.

And I just, I think born with like kind of a hustle mentality and in the era where we had hustle. Number 2 is I had to do it. I had nobody supporting me. I had to make it, especially being I had kids pretty young and more or less a single mom. So that kind of aspect. But then also the skill sets that I learned from being a cosmetologist and having my own business, but also taking sales positions, it really pushed me to be the person that I am today. I think though I do believe in destiny in a lot of ways and I think this was just kind of part of my path to be able to have such a great impact and I don't think I would do that from a C-suite position, even though I've held one.

And I definitely enjoyed it. It gave me the exposure, but being able to beat to your own drum, the horse of a different color type, the lone wolf, all those kind of quotes around it is definitely more me. And so, yeah, and how I got global though is I did live out of country when I was first married to my ex-husband 20 some years ago and helped start businesses when we lived in Saudi Arabia, which was quite funny because a lot of people, even though we were on his contract, they joked that I worked more than he did. I helped launch a couple of schools.

But really it was because I joined an international networking organization when I lived in Hawaii and I became area director. I started going to the global conferences and really just got a taste for that global exposure, even though I already knew. I loved living out of country. I definitely was more of a global citizen even before, but to understand that I could do business more than just like living there. And like I said, in Saudi, because I joined the network after Saudi, just gave me the ability to believe in myself to say, I can do this, of all these other individuals are doing it. And there's the entrepreneurship is a lot more supported in a global manner than I can do this. So I built my network and yeah, started launching and selling businesses.

Gresham Harkless 05:58

So I appreciate you so much and sharing that. And I almost wonder, is that a lot of like how you're working with and serving clients? What does that look like? How do you make that impact? And we'd love to hear, of course, more about your books and everything that you're doing as well too.

Lynn Howard 06:10

The thought to be more, do more, see more is the way I raised my kids. Like they have heard that saying so many times. I just want to give you the ability to be more, do more, see more than what I ever thought was possible. And I, even though I lived in the environment, I grew up very poor. I didn't have great people around me to be pillars, to show me differently. I did along my way, but not in my family, family nucleus, but I want to do that for my kids. And so I do that for individuals as well, my business partner and I, or on my own business, because I have multiple businesses, but we help others really set the foundation's fundamentals, the SOPs, all that good stuff, and give them the tools, the support, and the environment for them to go to the next level.

Because I know how that is to not feel supported. I was adopted, but my adopted dad, I call him dad, because he raised me. I saw him struggle, even though he was a hateful, bitter man, which I think I know it was part childhood, but also just because he couldn't get out of his own way, he suffered. He could have done anything. Like, he was so brilliant. And yet he allowed his circumstances, he allowed his minds, and he allowed his past and the skeletons of his past, his environment, to dictate who he was as a man.

And that was not fulfilling, and it made him even more bitter and even more hateful. And I don't want others to be that way. Like life doesn't have to be so difficult, and business doesn't have to be so difficult. And business doesn't have to be so difficult. Now, entrepreneurship, obviously, it comes easy for me. You have your zones of genius who are able to let people take their technician, the technical side, and really still love that because a lot of times people start to not love what they do because they don't know how to run a business. They create a job for themselves or they have a hobby and it sometimes they have great success but it's short term because they don't have the backbone, the fundamentals, and they're not building upon it.

They haven't trained themselves, have good habits, if you would. And so we help them be more, do more, see more by building all of that, by being in a supportive environment, by absolutely laying the foundation, strengthening that foundations and creating habits to be able to sustain that. Because we want people who want to, we take them in different phases, but sustain, scale or sell. Like mostly it is we want to get them to scale and sell but sometimes we have to help them create sustainability in the sustained aspect of their business.

Gresham Harkless 08:57

Nice. I love that and I appreciate you so much in sharing that journey. I almost wonder if that is what is your secret sauce, what helps you see the forest for the trees is because you have put in that work, you have the ability to be able to see the forest for the trees and put those things together like people that are able to do that have those varied experiences.

Lynn Howard 09:14

Absolutely. I'm going to put that book on my list. No, I haven't read that book. Absolutely. And I will say that is also a gift of mine. So it's almost like I get it from both sides. I've absolutely used my abilities, the lessons, the ebbs and flows, the trials and errors, the failures and the successes to be able to help others. Literally, between a man and I, we've been in business, I've been in business 30 years this year. I am 40 years old. And actually 31 years because I was 17 when I graduated, I had to rent a chair as a cosmetologist. That was my business. I took in the cash, I paid out. That was my first business.

And so I think what sets us apart is we definitely have learned a lot of lessons. We definitely look at it through a different lens, if you would. But also it is like our technical side. We do have the sales part and etc. We're great at that. But our technical side is the entrepreneur. That is our technical. You're good at SEO, you're good at this, you're good at that. We can help you be a better entrepreneur. That is our technical side if you would. If we're looking at the e-myth example we're teaching people how to be leaders and entrepreneurs right you focus on your skill sets will help you up level your actual business right so that so it is part absolutely, absolutely.

We bring all of our history with us, but it's also our gift. So it's just, I think it's something, I know it's something that's also just like I was born with to be able to help people navigate and teach other people how to like hone in on that so that way they don't have to stay up underneath the coach their whole life or whatever that is or more of a consultant but or a team because we have a team of global people. So yeah.

Gresham Harkless 11:19

I love it. I love it. So I wanted to switch gears a little bit and 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?

Lynn Howard 11:30

So I would say, because this is across all platforms, or not platforms, platforms too, but across all professions and mindsets, but understanding that you are in control of your calendar. Even when I was a single mom of 3 teenagers living in Hawaii. I was still in control and they were active. I was still in control of my calendar and we would sit down as a family and kind of look at, obviously, I'm not going to leave my kids stranded, but looking at it from this is my calendar and how to put in the appointments and understanding that each one you're gonna show up differently it's just not a blanket appointment although when I talk to people and I'm like yeah I've had 8 meetings since or 8 appointments since before noon that doesn't mean that they were all business. I could have went to the gym, I could have done this, like I plug in things that are also for me.

So when you actually create your calendar, one of the first things that you should put in there are absolutely the me time as well because we are our best client. We should be our number one client and if we don't treat ourselves that way and we allow others to dictate how we operate, where we're going, how we're doing that, then we're going to continue to live by somebody else's demands. And so mastering your calendar. One other phrase I use a lot is we train others how to treat us. The second we start giving in, and I'm not saying you don't make exceptions, but when it comes to our time we cannot make back. It is the most precious thing. So if you are not living in your own patterns and in your own way, in your own driver's seat, not patterns, then life is happening to you.

Gresham Harkless 13:14

Yeah, absolutely. So now I wanna ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition, what it means to be a CEO. And our goal is to have different quote unquote CEOs on the show. So Lynn, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Lynn Howard 13:25

Oh, it means so much. When I actually took the C-suite position, the global, it was like a franchise kind of model. I joked about, and everybody called me actually the CSO, the Chief Spiritual Officer. I was CO of, not CEO, but I was CSO. And to me, what that represents in its the way we perceive it and also more of a broader aspect is just being the one in the driver's seat. I'll go back to my quote. It's the one being in the driver's seat of the business, of the life, but also understanding that that driver's seat might be like the big bus. It might be like a sports car.

My favorite African proverb is if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. Now my purpose, people on possibilities, You read that earlier. I believe in that community and stuff and there are many reasons around that. But I feel as a true C-Suite, especially our CEO, in this kind of mindset or In this time of day, like this time in our lives, I should say, it's not just about self. Where back in the day, it was more like about the personal hustle, the personal grind. Now, I'm not talking that's still there, that personal accountability, that personal hustle, that personal grind, but it is about the ripple effect that we have outside of ourselves that is far more impactful than the things that we can do for ourselves.

And for me, that's what a CEO is. It is about being conscious about and making sure that the ripple effect that we are having is at least intentional and purposefully put out there to be productive, to help people be more, do more, see more than what they ever thought that they could do, but also taking the personal responsibility and continuing to learn, to grow, to evolve into being better than what we ever thought that we can be. So for me, that's what I would say being a CEO is.

Gresham Harkless 15:30

Nice. I absolutely love that. And Lynn, of course, I appreciate that. I appreciate your time even more. So what I wanted to do now is 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 a hold of you, find out about the podcast, the books, all the awesome things you are working on.

Lynn Howard 15:47

Yeah, definitely hit me up on my socials. I love getting messages from people once they've listened to a podcast or a video that I've been on. So definitely, I'm sure you're gonna have it in the show notes, but also the books. So yeah, and all of it you can get on Amazon. Yeah, and that's pretty much it.

Gresham Harkless 16:04

I truly appreciate you, Lynn. Just as you mentioned, we're gonna have the links and information and the show notes that everybody can follow up with you. You get to copy the books, listen to the podcast, find out about the employers, all the awesome things that you all are doing. And I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

Lynn Howard 16:16

Thanks, Gresh. Thanks for having me.

Outro 16:18

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by CBNation and Blue16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co. I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and everywhere you listen to podcasts. Subscribe and leave us a 5-star rating. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless, Jr. Thank you for listening.

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