Meet Adina Kroll... Business Coach, Author, Sales Expert, & Speaker
Jul 02, 2020
Interview with Adina Kroll.
About Adina:
Adina Kroll is an international Business Coach, Sales Expert, Author, Speaker & Defender for women who DARE to desire more money, impact and freedom. She originally hails from Germany and now works with women all over the globe to put more money into women's hands and make selling feel like a breeze.
What kind of work do you do?
Business coaching with a high focus on money mindset and Sales especially for Women.
The reason I focus on women is because sales and money mindset feel different to us. Thanks to social conditioning we’re typically brought up to be selfless, nurturing, self sacrificing etc. And these are good traits. But women tend to dial these up 100 fold and then these become self destructive when we take starting a business for example.
What inspired you to get started as an entrepreneur?
Initially? Tim Ferris’ “4 Hour Work Week”. I was working as a sales executive for an IT company back then and it didn’t even occur to me that I could become my own boss. Over the time this has morphed into what I do now.
Working in IT there weren’t that many women there and I asked myself what it would be like to have more women in leadership roles anywhere really.
That’s when Pandoras Box opened and I realised that many women (myself included at the time) weren’t conquering these roles because they just didn’t know how to SELL themselves, their vision or their services.
Most of the women who come to me find the prospect of charging 5k or more for their services daunting and often give a lot of their time, energy and sanity away for free.
And honestly, if more women were financially independent, felt safe because they knew they could afford to provide for their family, leave relationships that are toxic or were able to speak into existence the world they wanted to create the common denominator is often money.
So here we are now.
What was your biggest struggle to get things going for your online business?
Oh dear, lots of things really. Back then I would have said getting clients was my biggest struggle. Because, technically it’s simple, you get clients, you get paid, you grow and BOOM Bob’s your uncle.
Except, I didn’t anticipate that running a business would come with different struggles.
So looking back now, my biggest struggles were actually getting clear with what I wanted my business to look like, having the patience to understand that it’s NOT going to change overnight, understanding that I was starting from 0 and I was comparing my journey to someone who was on chapter 33 in their life and the fact that I was indoctrinated into believing that time is money ← really, if working longer meant more money in the bank we’d all be rich working 24/7.
Was there a time you thought about giving up? What kept you from quitting?
Oh hell yeah. I still do sometimes. Mostly when I come up against an upper limit that keeps me from crushing my goals. (so pretty frequently xD) And let me preface this by saying: I believe that entertaining the thought of wanting to quit is normal. I believe it’s almost part of the initiation to be an entrepreneur. Because this journey is not for the faint of heart. It’s like getting your first refund request, or troll commenter, or your first red flag client, etc ← welcome to the club, you are going places!
Not to say these thoughts and experiences are pleasant, but they are part of it.
I think the key is to understand that there’s nothing wrong with finding things hard, and the ego will always want to take the path of least resistance. Meaning: “What if I just quit? Life would be easy if I didn’t have to wear all of the hats at once” but what keeps me from quitting is that I enjoy what I do.
And this is something no salary could ever give me. If there is one person I get to help make more money and feel confident in the process so THEY can help more people? ← well that’s really the best for me. It sounds cheesy, I know, but no job in the world could ever replace the feeling of a women sending me an excited Voxer note sing-screaming that she sold her first 5k and that the month before she didn’t think this was possible and now what ELSE can she do?
(And where else can I reply with a “FUCK YES!” without having to answer to anyone eh? ;) it’s too much fun to give up really - everything comes with a Shit-Sandwhich as Mark Manson likes to say. You just have to decide if you want the one with the Olive or the Pickle.
What have you learned since beginning?
How much time do you have?
The biggest lesson, one I still learn and I believe we never get to NOT learn, is mindset.
I dismissed the mindset entirely at the start because “What do self worth, confidence and limiting belief have to do with how you execute on your job?”
And honestly, it affects EVERYTHING!
I always say to my clients that the only reason they haven’t been making as much money as they’d like is because they think they’re missing something.
So they buy into people’s strategies, and blueprints and formulas and don’t get me wrong, strategies and such have their place. In fact, I have a lot of strategy in my business.
BUT no strategy is going to be acted on if we don’t feel confident enough to do so.
And that’s the biggest thing. Because confidence from experience and experience comes from DOING. ← but most of us wanted to wait until we had confidence.
So really, mindset - and the fact that just because we worked on mindset once doesn't mean we’re ‘healed’. (that was another favorite excuse of mine ← “BUT I worked on that LAST WEEK!”)
What’s the best advice you’ve received?
“It’s not about you!” ← this is everything. When a client said I was too expensive, or I didn’t get the vanity metrics on Social media, when I was teaching and didn’t think it was good enoough or if people would recommend someone else instead of me, if people unsubscribed from my email list etc, honestly? It’s not about you is the best advice I’ve ever been given.
What advice would you give someone just starting out?
The kind of advice that made me roll my eyes because it’s true: “Fuck all the systems, just start spreading your message and just get out there!” ← it’s so tempting to want to have the ‘perfect’ website, the ‘perfect’ pitch, even the ‘perfect’ niche etc nailed down when you’re starting.
We always think that when we start out everyone is judging our posts, and that we have to ‘sound’ like the people who we look up to.
But honestly? Allow yourself to suck at the beginning and have fun. Because I promise you it doesn’t suck and you stand out more when you have fun with what you talk about.
Get that first client, then the second, the third and before you know it you make consistent income that you can use to hire out some stuff you don’t like doing. ← don’t be like me, have a website sure, but don’t spend 2 months writing out every exquisite word with the perfect font and placement. I changed that copy 4 months later and HATED what I wrote. And changed it 2 months later still.
Allow yourself to change your mind, don’t beat yourself up if you realise that the ideal client you wrote down is a PITA and you’d rather work with someone else. Cut yourself some slack and ENJOY what you do.
What’s the professional win you’re most proud of?
In my first year in business I was featured In TEDx Lincolnsquare. That was pretty awesome - but if we’re talking achievements? I’d say my when I launched my membership program.
I LOVE my clients. And I get to lead a group of women who are so kind, and supportive among each other it makes my heart melt.
Is there a book you’d recommend to help with success and personal development?
Ash Ambirge’s “The Middle Finger Project” is a must read for anyone in my eyes.
Steven Pressfield “Do the work” ← he’s hilarious in his truth. A great read
Mark Manson “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck!”
I could name so many more - maybe give you a screenshot of my kindle library ;)
Do you have a routine that you attest to your success? If yes, what is it?
YESS! And it is ‘break your routine’ ← All jokes aside, I my routine is very loose. I don’t do well with hard and fast rules.
I know I start my work at 10am and I like to journal or meditate in the morning, I HAVE to have my morning coffee + breakfast. But most importantly, I prioritise my emotional state.
I don’t start working until I feel good, supported and confident. And when I can’t access that, I give myself some slack, maybe take a long bath in the morning, and just listen to my body. So my routine is really to feel good. And it’s the biggest thing I teach my clients too when it comes to their business and honestly? It’s a money maker!
How has social media played a factor in your success?
Oh yes! It has taunted me and it has been my ally.
Facebook and Instagram are my main two platforms, but soon with the help of my social media manager I’ll branch out into Pinterest and maybe even Twitter.
What are the biggest social media mistakes you see commonly made?
Wanting to be on too many platforms at once. Pick 2 at max, be fucking awesome on these two. You can spend a lot of energy trying to not only post but be active on too many on every possible platform.
And the second biggest mistake?
People don’t build their own audience and then end up DMing strangers with a pitch. I like a d*ck pic in business. Not cool.
What is the business tool that’s been most helpful?
Siri! Siri has been my VA since I started. He records voice notes, sends messages, reads my emails when I drive, puts stuff in my calendar, reminds me to take a break, etc.
Is there something you wish everyone knew?
YES! If you want to work with someone but you’re afraid you can’t afford them, just SPEAK with them. You never know if they have a payment plan available or if they offer lower cost programmes etc.
The amount of times people hop on a sales call with me to tell me they were scared to book the call because they worried about the money is scary.
I did that with my first coach, I didn’t know how much she charged, and yes, it was a lot of money but she had a really good payment plan.
And also most of the time, even if you don’t work 1:1 maybe they have smaller programs to help you or point you in the direction of where to go next.
That clarity can sometimes be the thing you need.
What’s coming up for you in the next few months?
I’m launching a brand spanking new group program called “The Sales Mastery Bootcamp” and I’m super excited because I get to take 10 women under my wing and really help them master their sales game to convert their calls with ease, and grace and so they get paid well for the privilege of working with them!
What has being successful taught you?
That nobody knows what the fuck they’re actually doing. We’re all just making it up as we go along but we see social media and think “Hey Jenny over there is always happy how DOES she do it?!” ← and it’s bullshit. We have the same fears, the same worries and the same thoughts and honestly I find that refreshing.
Because it takes us back to what really matters. And that is being human.
And if everyone is just making it up as they go along?
Well that means we can take the pressure off ourselves a little to always be perfect and exquisite.
What are some fun facts about you?
- I am a total nerd. Video games are my guilty pleasure.
- I’m German and I moved to the UK at the age of 19.
- I believe that there is a wrong way the toilet roll faces.
- I read every Harry Potter 9 times now. 8 times in german, 1 time in english
- I hate smalltalk but I prefer smalltalk over awkward silences
Connect with Adina:
https://www.facebook.com/adinakroll
*Some clickable media, usually the book recommendations, are affiliate links, and should you choose to buy through using those links then The Infinite Power of You Inc. may earn an affiliate payout commission. This is at no additional expense to you, and helps keep this blog going.
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