Today, we’d like to introduce you to Seneca Williams.
Seneca, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
As a therapist, I often say that your story begins in childhood.
Thursday nights were the highlight of my week. I looked forward to The Cosby Show, followed by A Different World. Claire Huxtable was the boss mom on The Cosby Show. Seeing a confident woman and mother, a charismatic lawyer, made me think, “Yeah, I wanna be like her when I grow up.”
And A Different World? I loved the ensemble of ambitious college kids who looked like me. They were juggling career goals and real-life problems while still having a blast. Watching them, I knew college was in my future for sure.
I’m a first-gen Caribbean immigrant. Navigating college and my career was like navigating a maze with no map, and my parents weren’t equipped to guide me. My undergrad years were all over the place. I bounced around between majors and colleges like a pinball. Eventually, I settled on a BA in Psychology and tacked on a Paralegal Certificate. I spent my twenties chasing that legal dream from childhood.
For years, something wasn’t right. I felt like I was drowning in confusion and uncertainty, and it led to some serious anxiety and even depression. Imposter Syndrome was my constant companion. I felt like I was faking it through life, which was tough. Life threw some curveballs, like the Great Recession of 2008, which prompted a career change. Plot twist! I no longer wanted to be a lawyer.
I discovered that the part of the law I liked was helping people to change their lives. My calling was in mental health, so I returned to college for a Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling. It was a hard shift. I was a single mom, working two part-time jobs and attending a full-time program with internship requirements, but after four years, I became a licensed psychotherapist! I spent my thirties diving headfirst into this career path.
Then came another unexpected twist. I ventured into entrepreneurship and started an online business. Entrepreneurship wasn’t always part of the plan, but it felt like the natural next step.
Entrepreneurship has led to me meeting phenomenal entrepreneurs, experiences and opportunities I never imagined. For example, this year, I was nominated as Vice President on the board of Behind The Leaf, A 501c3 Public Charity based in Miami, Florida. Behind The Leaf helps women entrepreneurs get investor-ready through training in an online membership and yearly conference where businesses can pitch to investors in shark tank style.
Also, this year, I’m very excited to contribute to an anthology with actress Kim Coles called “Wisdom G.I.F.T.S. of the Entrepreneur.” My chapter is called “Conquer The Imposter” and I share my experience with imposter syndrome throughout my life, career, and business. I know many entrepreneurs can relate.
I recognize that many entrepreneurs struggle with mental health, so I decided to specialize in working with them in various capacities. Today I empower entrepreneurs to build mental wealth for life, work, and business through therapy, coaching, speaking, and now writing!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The hardest part of entrepreneurship was not starting a business. It was overcoming my doubts and fears (sometimes other people’s doubts and fears). I experienced what I now call “business anxiety.” I used to self-sabotage by hiding, procrastinating, and talking myself out of opportunities.
There’s been a time I was exploited for another business’s financial gain; I undercharged and over-delivered, or I played small because I didn’t know my worth. You live, and you learn.
After conquering my “business anxiety,” I learned to fail forward, built confidence in my ability to start a business, overcame my fear of selling, and grew the courage to embrace marketing and networking. This is why I help other entrepreneurs conquer their business anxiety, so they don’t have to go through what I did.
Every entrepreneur experiences challenges, personal and professional. My advice is to ask for help before you think you need it.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Conquer Network, LLC?
The Conquer Network supports entrepreneurs in start-ups to break through “business anxiety” and beat business burnout. Entrepreneurs can sign up for courses or therapeutic coaching. Many business coaches focus on “the business,” but I focus on the entrepreneur.
Entrepreneurs need support to navigate the emotional shift they experience when they’re no longer employees. It can feel lonely navigating business on your own.
It’s so awesome when I see my clients owning their business game, seeing them tackle their fears head-on and really step into their role as “the boss.” Also, when they learn how to manage and prevent their burnout so they can achieve their goals, it’s amazing when they push past their social media anxiety and start shining online or when they conquer sales anxiety. It’s like watching them unlock a whole new level of confidence as they launch and promote their services fearlessly.
Some of my rockstar clients have gone on to do some seriously impressive stuff a TED Talk, LinkedIn Course, Media features. One of these clients is Peta-Gaye Daniel, a Mom of 2, with a full-time job that started a travel brand “My Cruisin Family”. She realized she didn’t have to quit her career and build her confidence to start a successful online business.
I also worked with a few clients who kept their jobs but created coaching programs and courses that allow them to do what they love while having financial security. Some have expanded their networks to secure paid partnerships. All because they got coached to break through business anxiety, manage burnout, and build mental wealth.
What’s really cool is seeing how past clients keep leveling up even further. Some of them have moved on to work with other business coaches in my network, fine-tuning their skills and scaling up even more. It’s like watching them go from strength to strength, and it’s just the best feeling ever.
Being a therapist has been really rewarding over the years, but coaching? That’s a whole different kind of energizing and fulfilling. So far, most of my work has been done directly with clients, but I am moving towards doing more work with other businesses that have entrepreneur incubators. There’s this quote I heard on a TV show called The Resident that really stuck with me: “I no longer want to save people from drowning. I want to teach them to swim.” And honestly, that’s exactly how I feel. I can only save one person from drowning at a time, but I can teach groups of people to swim at the same time.
That’s why I’ve created programs like Business Anxiety Breakthrough, Permission to Pause: Beat Business Burnout, and soon-to-come Conquer The Imposter. I imagine these as more than just programs – they can be events and retreats where entrepreneurs can come together to not only build mental wealth for life, work, and business but also have a good time doing it. Self-improvement can be fun!
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those just starting.
Here’s what I wish someone would’ve told me when I just started a business. Fail fast, fail forward. I learned that by reading “Failing Forward” by John Maxwell.
Start developing a growth mindset for business. It’s hard to run a business with a fixed mindset. Build confidence to make better life and business decisions. I learned this in “Successful Women Think Differently: 9 Habits to Make You Happier, Healthier, and More Resilient” by Valorie Burton.
Success leaves clues; business moguls Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Dale Carnegie knew the importance of accessing each other’s minds for business support. You need a business community of like-minded individuals. You’ll find them at business conferences, retreats, and mastermind groups. I learned this reading “Think & Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill.
1. Invest in learning. Coaching, courses, and conferences.
2. Financial security. Keep your 9-5 position until you can match and replace your salary.
3. Operate Lean. You can upgrade and improve as your business makes more money.
4. Income streams. Choose services that can be scaled, such as digital products.
5. Diversify client. Business-to-client, business-to-business, business-to-governement.
6. Assemble a team accountant, attorney, bookkeeper, and virtual assistant.
7. Start Hiring Now. A virtual assistant to help with lead generation, customer relationship management, and email lists.
8. Digital Footprint. Host webinars for potential clients.
9. Document your journey. Business journals, pictures, videos, and documents.
10. Consistently create your opportunities to show and sell your services.
It’s important to remember that your career is not your whole identity. Entrepreneurship has ups and downs, and it does not define you as a person. Your career and business are just part of what makes your life fulfilling.
I’m more than just a therapist, coach, or speaker. I’m passionate about various causes. I have lots of interests and things I’d like to try. I’m a mother who enjoys exploring life. I look forward to releasing the book “Wisdom G.I.F.T.S. of the Entrepreneur” in September 2024 and creating more services for entrepreneurs with business anxiety and burnout.
Life is about exploring different paths. Follow your passions and talents to see where it takes you. Life’s too short not to go for it.
Pricing:
- $250 and up
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconquernetwork/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconquernetwork/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/askcoachsen/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@theconquernetwork
Image Credits
https://www.flourishmedia.org/ and https://femforceshoots.com/
