Rachel Lubchansky is an entrepreneur, #COBossMama, eternal optimist, and creator of REL Impact. Her mission is to help talented and passionate women create businesses that allow them to live the life they’ve always dreamed of through her Business Bootcamp and 1:1 customized coaching and consulting. Rachel is passionate about empowering women with the tools, skills, and support they need to save them frustration, time, and money in their business-building journey.
What motivated and inspired you to start your own business?
I have an entrepreneurial spirit so starting my own business is in my blood and REL Impact is actually my second business venture (I sold the first one in 2009) – nine years after having my children (triplets!). I was eager to start a business where I could work on my own time and terms.
I was seeking freedom and flexibility while enjoying a career that’s truly fulfilling, and ultimately, I found that so many other women want the same thing, too. So I became motivated to pull together all of my experience and expertise to empower these women with the structure and support they need to launch and grow their own businesses.
Tell us about your business.
REL Impact (that’s real impact) is a compilation of all the wisdom, tools, know-how, and experiences I’ve acquired through multiple business-building ventures. As a business success coach and consultant, I guide women to experience the freedom, flexibility, and fulfillment that comes with building their own business through one-on-one coaching and consulting as well as through my group Business Bootcamp: From No to Go in 90 Days, which takes women from idea to launch in 3 months.
As women, we give so much of ourselves to everyone else, and I believe that it’s never too early to reclaim your own time and make decisions based on what YOU want rather than what others expect of you. So this is exactly what I do at REL Impact: help women do more of what they love.
Are you currently running any promos/contests/giveaways that you would like our readers to know about?
Yes! Here’s a free 5-Day Business Startup Challenge which you can join here!
And, I’m booking 1:1 customized coaching and consulting clients for early 2018 and offering $150 off (a 3-month or 6-month packages)! Learn more about these services and reach out to Rachel here.
Where is your business based?
Denver, Colorado and online at www.relimpact.com.
What were the first few steps you took to get your business up and running?
- Connecting. Coffee. I met with and spoke with anyone who would give me time to pick their brain.
- I read a lot of books and blogs, learned something new everywhere I could, and attended webinars to learn more about my particular field.
- Right around the time I was launching my business, a new friend suggested that we form an accountability group. Since January 2017, the three of us have met every 6-8 weeks to check in, share ideas, find ways to collaborate, and work through struggles. Having this group of professional gal pals whom I can trust and learn with and from has been priceless.
What has been the most effective way of raising awareness of your business and getting new customers?
The most effective way has been networking and referrals, but managing active social media accounts is a really close second. There’s huge power in having a strong brand reputation and having your clients pass along your name, so I’ve invested a tremendous amount of time into developing solid relationships with people who find my services and products valuable. As my husband says: I get a lot of coffee!
What have been your biggest challenges so far?
- Keeping my family at the highest-level priority while also having enough time to do #allthethings I want to do in my business.
- Identifying my ideal client and marketing messaging. Even after I launched my business, it took me several months to get crystal clear on who I wanted to serve and what they needed most. Once that happened, the messaging and language became so much easier to craft.
How did you overcome these challenges?
I worked with my own business coach as well as that gal pal accountability team I mentioned earlier. I guide women through this process all the time, but I found it hard to do that work “on” myself. After determining the exact support I needed, I found the right coach to help me move forward.
How do you keep motivated through difficult times?
First of all, I’m obsessively positive and have the mindset that every experience has value. When you look at the world – or your work – through that lens, there almost isn’t such thing as “difficult times.”
Also, REL Impact isn’t my first business, so I know from experience that building a business takes patience. Progress sometimes looks like putting one foot in front of the other, and just remembering that each step is leading me to my bigger picture goals, is what keeps me going.
How do you distinguish yourself from your competitors?
I’ve distinguished myself through my visual and experiential branding and also, by just being ME. That connection is what draws my clients in.
What is the best advice you have received recently?
Progress not perfection.
My tendency (self-identified as Type-A) is to work on something and not share it until it’s “perfect.” What I’ve come to realize is that just sending that email, releasing fresh content, or launching that new product is what gets me to the next level. So I can’t delay that for perfect. My best has become good enough and helps me continue moving forward towards my goals.
Progress not perfection: I keep this top of mind now!
What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs?
Be kind to yourself, keep learning, and surround yourself with people who believe in you.
What are your favorite business tools/resources and why?
I recently wrote a blog about my favorite tech tools because they have dramatically increased my productivity – check it out here.
- Tailwind for Pinterest automation. So easy to use and source the right content!
- Canva for designing social media and blog images.
- Acuity Scheduling for managing my client sessions and other appointments. Before using Acuity, I didn’t do a great job of managing my various meetings and appointments… and now Acuity acts like my very own personal assistant, doing it all for me.
- Convertkit for email marketing and segmenting lists.
- “My Parking Lot” which is the document where I keep all of my ideas and future projects. Having them out of my head frees up that space and keeps them in a place until I’m ready to act on them.
What is a good article or book you have read recently?
This is a hard one because I am almost always deep into at least 3 business books at a time! Two really great recent reads include The 4 Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss and Find Your Extraordinary: Dream Bigger, Live Happier, and Achieve Success on Your Own Terms by Jessica Dilullo Herrin.
What are you currently learning about for your business or looking for help with?
I just started learning about Design Thinking and considering ways in which I can incorporate the process into my Business Bootcamp. I think it would greatly enhance certain parts of the business launch process.
What are your goals for the next few months and how are you striving to achieve them?
My goals for the next few months include:
- I am enrolling now for a new cohort of the Business Bootcamp!
- In late 2017, I launched my new #COBossMamas Meetup group as a space for business-building and sanity-striving moms to connect, share, and learn from one another, and I’m working on expanding the reach of the group in 2018.
- Creating and hosting a conference for women entrepreneurs here in Denver. Details forthcoming soon at relimpact.com!
What social media outlets do you use? List them below.
Instagram @rachellubchansky
Twitter @relimpact
Facebook www.facebook.com/relimpact
Facebook Group www.facebook.com/ groups/FemaleEntrepreneursCircle
Website www.relimpact.com
Email connect@relimpact.com
Hashtags #relimpact #businessbootcamp #fromnotogo