I know because I’ve been there.

My first attempt at building a business failed.

I had directed career centers in higher education  for over twenty years when I heeded the siren’s call of being my own boss and left to start a private practice.

I had some OK years, but it was tough. I had clients, but not enough of them and not on a consistent basis. I struggled to maintain a predictable stream of revenue.

Finally, I closed the doors and set off to figure out where I’d gone wrong and how to fix it.

I joined a local women’s business organization and got some good practical know-how about how to succeed as an entrepreneur. That gave me the foundation I needed, but I still didn’t know how to build a pipeline of leads that would keep my practice filled and profitable.

I wasted a lot of time and money chasing after this solution and that, but they all involved sales techniques that felt too pushy and “salesy” for a coach. Then one of my mentors introduced me to personal branding, and it was the right solution for me.

As a career coach, I used assessments for years to help clients make career transitions, but personal branding added a new element – feedback..

Personal branding integrates personal assessment with targeted feedback to create an authentic brand that represents your unique vision, passions, values, and talents.

I set out to learn everything I could about personal branding and ultimately joined the rarified ranks of Master Personal Brand Strategists specializing in LinkedIn.

I used my new-found knowledge to build a lead-generation system for LinkedIn, and I worked it every day. It wasn’t long before it paid off, and I started getting the high-quality leads I wanted.

I tested my system by volunteering with a local women’s business center, teaching other women how to use my strategies and tactics to generate their own high-quality leads on LinkedIn. It wasn’t long before my students started getting results.

It was gratifying, exhilarating, and most fun I’d had in years!

I decided to change course and work with other entrepreneurs, helping them get the high quality leads they need to be successful.

That led me to launch Dumont & Associates, a boutique firm where we help coaches, counselors and other heart-centered entrepreneurs generate more leads, more clients and more revenue on LinkedIn.