HI, I'M SUSAN
I have built businesses out of the trunk of my car. Now I help hundreds of creatives and thought leaders build a life and a business they value using the resources they already have.
After spending my early years in the entertainment industry and then 20 years building a 7-figure lifestyle brand from scratch, I have the skills, experience, and knowledge to help others build their life in a holistic and intentional way.
Not only do you get my 30,000-foot perspective of who you already are, but I also help you systematize it in a way that allows you to build confidence in all areas of your life.
I needed a system in order to figure out my next big thing.
That system, The Five-Stage Framework™, has become the "thing."
In that discovery, I have been able to use my unique talents and gifts to guide others in building any dream business. and prove that you can even start over again
The Five-Stage Framework™ proves:
- strategy leads to action
- the plan is the key to your kingdom
- building your structure from the ground up will be the biggest puzzle you have ever put together.
I always knew I was an entrepreneur!
As a 7-year-old kid armed with an old cookbook and a burning desire to help others, I baked my first cake from scratch - by myself.
Empowered by that experience, I created a sellable product, a toy that I sold behind the handball courts at my elementary school. I was kicking butt before Mr. Kravitz (real name, no joke), the principal called me into his office and told me to shut it down.
As I grew up I designed and sold jewelry, developed a unique recipe for carrot cake purchased by a local shop, and learned calligraphy in high school, offering that service to event planners.
I knew I might not take a traditional route.
I had a 20-year journey to success.
The early years
I spent 6 years in the entertainment industry working for icons and mentors, Bernie Brillstein and Brad Grey. I learned the art of networking and adopted the mantra “say YES first” and figure it out later!
I was young and I was fearless.
The trip to the lumber yard that woke up my entreprenurial spirit.
It was 1988 and all my friends were having babies. I lost my corporate card privileges and was faced with 30 baby showers and a limited budget for gift buying.
What I wanted to gift to these new humans, I couldn't find.
So I created it.
A simple trip to the lumber yard with patterns under my arm and a vision ultimately became:
- A 7 figure global lifestyle brand.
- Features on the pages of many lifestyle and shelter magazines.
- Appearances on shows like ET, Access Hollywood, Style, and Extra.
- Published a book, Rooms To Grow In, with Random House.
- Designed the iconic nursery for the set of Father of the Bride II.
- Was the featured guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
And then I had to pivot.
Within one year I lost my first mentor (my father), my business, and my identity.
I struggled with grief, self-doubt, felt like a loser. I was overwhelmed with the demands of being a mom to three little boys and being cut off from my purpose, which was my energy source. I was devastated.
I returned to thing that sparked me as a 7 year old--I started to bake.
The baking led to gifting, the gifting led to the branding, the branding led to blogging, and the blogging led to figuring out my "what's next."
My recipes and stories started showing up on the pages of The Chicago Tribune and The Huff Post via a syndication deal and people started paying attention.
Local businesses, brands, and those from my past started reaching out, telling me that they wanted to do what I was doing.
Pivoting to my next chapter, I attracted clients who wanted the same thing, and my role as a business therapist was born.
I used systems to pivot.
Wasn't so simple. Once again, I couldn't find the book or the manual or the "how-to" on how to create what I was envisioning.
So...I curated it myself. How?
After 10k+ hours, lots of reading, listening, and collating good information, I developed The 5 Stage Framework™, which helped me get closer to my end goal.
Now it can help *you* to bridge the gap between your idea and implementation.
I built my reputation as a bottom line, systems girl...
...and through the years learning how to scale that framework and this method is where you find me today.
And here is what I learned:
- those baby steps lead to action.
- action leads to momentum and momentum leads to accomplishment.
- if you don't know the end goal - then it's all pointless
- it's a struggle to claim your seat at the table
- without gumption and grit you won't get to where you want to go
- taking care of YOU first isn't selfish
- building something from scratch is not for the faint of hearts
- strategy leads to automation
Whether you want to build a 7 figure business, run your life like a COO, or walk dogs for a living, how you turn that idea into action is by building the strategy to implement it, the systems to support it, and then the structure to build on it.
In order for you to get to where we want to go, you need to invest. Invest in yourself and invest in others who can give you the instruments to sharpen what is already in your inner toolbox.
And, I can confidently say...I am your girl!
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Susan simplifies the complicated!
“As I was in the process of pivoting my career, I knew what I wanted to do but had no idea how to start. In a very distinct way Susan showed me how important it is to create a plan and a roadmap. Because she “simplifies the complicated”, she helped me break down all my big ideas into small bites so I can easily get from one step to the next. Her 5 Stage Framework helped me go from stuck to unstuck!”
- Brittany
I have been able to grow my business in ways I never dreamed possible.
"SSusan guided and supported me in connecting more deeply to the work I have always loved the most and, the way to create my business plan in an up-leveled, let’s get a serious way!! With her explorative tools to get to the core of who we are and our unique message, I got clear on what I needed to do to really move my career and life forward. I had been stuck and now I am growing my business in ways I only dreamed of."
- Lori K.
I was overwhelmed!
"As a mother who was becoming empty-nested and about to dive into my next chapter, I was overwhelmed with how to plunge. I didn't know where to start. Susan and her team helped pull all of this together to roll out my business with a social media marketing strategy and brand identity with incredible impact."
- Laurey
I have gone from unfocused to focused.
"Susan’s “What’s Next Roadmap (Stage 1) got the ball rolling again. Until I found this program, I wasn’t able to chart a clear course of action. By the end, I was organized, focused and released all the overwhelm. Susan’s lessons emanate her refreshingly genuine, hysterical, and relatable point-of-view, which I find very comforting and supportive. This community and the program has been life changing for me."
- Sheryl W.
