ONCE UPON A TIME 5 YEARS AGO

You really made a difference...

It was January of 2018 when I made the major life decision to walk away from my stable career of 21 years–with one company–to pursue the next chapter in my professional career.

I had opted for the road less traveled as I chose to build a leadership development and coaching enterprise. Yep, that cushy six-figure paycheck with full benefits was no longer linked to direct deposit into my bank account twice a month.

I had never run my own business before, but I did see a need for what I envisioned my future would look like. For many years in my corporate role, I took notice of the many companies where I was retained to recruit talent because they simply weren’t retaining the top talent they had hired. Following hundreds (if not more) of conversations with the talented professionals that decided not to stay at various companies, I learned more and more about the leadership deficit that existed. Good leadership was simply void within many of the companies we had agreements with, and yet I knew the solution on how to possibly fix it. 

The most significant gaps often involved those employees not feeling valued. There was a big disconnect in the culture that they were “sold” during the interview process. The reality was the company culture frequently did not mirror what was initially described. And here is where YOU made a huge difference...

When I first launched my business in January of 2018, I didn’t know what would become of it. I trusted in the process, and I stayed true to my faith in my vision of helping develop good leaders to be great leaders.

Let me be clear, there were many years leading up to my business launch which allowed me to merge my business experience with the years of my own self-development through the training which I sought out. Once I launched my business, I raised my hand to coach anyone who would let me gain practice in my craft, and I volunteered to speak at any organization that would give me the time to share an inspirational message on leadership. Often, my message would resonate, and those who I would coach would frequently share the tangible results they experienced from our time together.

If it weren’t for people who believed in what I could do and that I had something of value to offer, I wouldn’t be celebrating five years of The Kelly Merbler Company his month –that’s right!

It’s my little company’s five-year anniversary! I am so fortunate to be able to reflect on my success because YOU presented me with the opportunities.

You showed up to hear me speak.

You referred me to companies where I could add value to through my services.

You took the time to read my weekly inspirational messages (like this one) and sent me a note to tell me how much you enjoyed it.

You believed in me, and you supported me over the last four years in your own special way.

You really have made a difference in my life with your ongoing support, and I truly hope you know how much it has meant to me.

The fact remains that most businesses fail within the first five years. That is especially true through something as difficult to navigate as Covid, but I continue to work toward building my business to the next level to serve more organizations and more leaders. I feel as if I always have someone out there rooting for my rise.

I value you.  I appreciate you. I couldn’t have made it this far without you.