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Founder@ Interview
Interview with Dana Hayes-Burke
Credits@Liselle Modeste
“Take some time to find what you are passionate about. The purpose-driven business owner has a greater likelihood of success than the one who is just chasing the dollar. Running a business is tough at times. In those times, it’s your vision and purpose that keeps you going..” – Dana Hayes-Burke
Today we feature Dana Hayes-Burke, the founder at DHB Vision Strategists. We hear their story in their own words, their successes, their challenges and their insights.
Let’s start by getting to know you. Can you please tell us a little bit about you and what you do?
I am a Vision Strategist and Business Coach. I work with entrepreneurs and small business owners in the Caribbean and the diaspora helping them to transform their profitability in their business.
I believe that business is a tool to help us to create our ideal life design. But too often, because of lack of know-how, entrepreneurs build a life of hustle instead of a solid, scale business and give them sustainable and growing income and the life they want.
My job is to help transform their business model so that they can live the life they love while operating the business they love.
A great introduction and start to this interview. Can you please tell us, how did you start, from what age, and what made you decide to change direction and start?
My starting point in business was as a successful professional, holding a management position in a million-dollar company in Trinidad and Tobago. My career trajectory looked good but it also looked grim to me when I thought about the lifestyle I would have.
As I looked around my company I saw managers who were stressed out, had no time for family or things they loved- they were just living to work. I was getting ready to start a family of my own and I knew that this wasn’t the future that I longed for myself.
This took me back to my long-time dream of working for myself. In 2012, I started my first business and within 12 months, I transitioned to my business full-time.
Thank you for that insight. So can you tell us…What does your business do and where is your company based?
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DHB Vision Strategists provides business coaching, consulting and training services. While our base of operations is in Trinidad and Tobago, most of our service offerings are virtual and this allows us to serve persons across the globe.
We have worked with entrepreneurs and small business owners in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Grenada, St. Lucia, Jamaica, the USA and the UK.
What’s the story behind your success? What led to your aha moment? how did you get to where you are now?
My vision and the willingness to commit to what I actually want rather than what is easiest to accomplish are my secret ingredients to success. What do I mean? DHB Vision Strategists isn’t the first business I started when I launched into business.
My first business was an event management firm. I started it because it was the easiest to start, there was a low cost of entry and, I had the skillset and know-how. It was a great business and, I thoroughly enjoyed it. However, it wasn’t my dream business.
My dream business was to have my consultancy firm. While I was running a successful event business, it wasn’t my passion. When you aren’t in your passion business, it limits your success. My passion is to help people who are building from scratch like myself.
I see the ability to build successful, scalable businesses as a pathway to leaving a legacy (especially if you never inherited one). I looked around me and saw business owners who could not take a vacation. If they weren’t physically there, they made no money. I saw business owners were afraid to get sick because they wouldn’t make any money.
I saw business owners who, after 10+ years, had to work the same amount of time to make ends meet. I teach business owners and entrepreneurs to do it better. This is my passion – to help persons build a legacy through their business and, it is the birthing place of DHB Vision Strategist. To get me started, I completed my master’s degree – my focus was the internationalization process of SMEs.
I scaled back my events business. Then, I redirected my focus to my coaching and consultancy firm. I curated a coaching process that will support entrepreneurs and small business owners. I hired a coach to keep me accountable through the transition process (at this time, I was already a mother of two so, coaching gave me the time to work on my business).
Before I started marketing my business more widely, I worked within my network to secure private coaching and consulting contracts. That helped me to build up my client references, as well as refine my process. This entire transition to DHB Vision Strategists took approximately two years but created the foundation of success that we stand on today.
Credits@Liselle Modeste
Thank you for sharing that. What’s been your life’s biggest lesson so far?
My biggest lesson is business to stay committed to your vision. The way that you will accomplish it may change but you must remain focused on what you are trying to do and experience. I have been in business for just over 8 years and in those years, I have experienced both challenges and wins.
When I got into my business, I understood what I was trying to accomplish in my life. But the reality is, in those early days, if you aren’t seeing the money you make “compromises” to get money coming into the bank account.
Compromises like reducing your fees, giving more than the package or product required, or even, giving your product or service for free. I remember this one occasion where I took on a job at less than 50% of my usual rate. The client knew that the price was discounted. That job turned out to be a nightmare. Instead of being a gracious client, they demand more and more.
Why? Because the relationship with the client started with a compromise and this set in their minds that they could keep asking for more. The end of the contract was also the end of chasing the dollar like that. I learned that it was better to wait for the right client than to take any client.
To help me to do differently, I focused on putting systems in place that would keep me on track and to keep emotions out of my pricing process.
In business, I learned that no matter how saturated the market is, there is room for your voice and what you have to offer. At first, I was very concerned about how to carve out a space for myself. I learned that the key is to replicate the processes that work but never try to be the exact duplicate of anyone else or any other business. Step into yourself and what you bring to the market.
If you were to go back in time, what piece of advice would you give to your younger self?
I would assure her that it’s okay if your family or friend don’t see what you are trying to accomplish. It is your vision. It’s not for them therefore, believe in yourself! You have everything within you to carry the vision and God will send people along the way to support you just when you feel like giving up.
I chose to leave my Manager job – many didn’t understand. Thankfully, I had my husband’s support, mentor, and trusted friends who stood with me. They may not have always seen what I was trying to build but they believe in my abilities. That was the beginning and I have never doubted whether I made the right decision.
I am exactly where I am made to be. Along the journey, there were other tough times but as it was then, you align with the right people at the right time to help you navigate the difficulties. This holds as long as you keep the vision at the forefront of your mind. It is the only way to avoid ending up where you don’t want to be. So I will tell my younger self, chase the vision, the money will end up finding you.
We’re nearly halfway through our interview so it’s a great time to ask how does your business run. What three tools make your business run better?
There are three tools that I use in my business that has really been instrumental in the growth of my business. First is my scheduler. When you work on your visibility, persons who need your services may find your content or website at any point in time.
My scheduling app allows persons to freedom to book calls with me at the time that they are ready and not have to wait for office hours. The second tool is my website. Doing business is so much easier with a website because it allows you to have all of your information in one space as well as facilitate payments. My third app or tool is my payment processor. As much as persons may feel like they are rational buyers, most buyers are actually compulsive. You can use valuable income-generating opportunities if it is too difficult to make a purchase.
These three tools and capabilities were the first three that I worked on when I wanted to scale and grow my global business. Here is how I came to the conclusion that these were the first steps: social media. We spend a lot of time promoting, building visibility on social media so that persons would buy from us. All of the hard work is lost though if you are unable to move them from window shopping to checkout.
The more difficult or cumbersome that process is, the less likely that people will buy. So all of that time and energy has very little ROI by way of income. That’s why there are businesses with 10K followers and low income.
The next tool that I am looking to integrate into my business is an app that I am in the process of developing. Why? Because the ownership is your platforms is the way that you elevate your business.
What do you know now that you wished you had known before?
In business, I learned that no matter how saturated the market is, there is room for your voice and what you have to offer. At first, I was very concerned about how to carve out a space for myself. I learned that the key is to replicate the processes that work but never try to be the exact duplicate of anyone else or any other business. Step into yourself and what you bring to the market.
What has been your greatest or proudest achievement or moment?
I am most proud of the footprint of my business coaching across the globe. I have successfully coached over 30 entrepreneurs across the Caribbean, and I have impacted thousands more through my television show, social media engagement and books. It is extremely fulfilling to see persons apply things I have taught and get results.
What future life goals do you want to achieve and why?
When I look at my future, apart from continuing what I love, I want to share on a TedX stage. The importance of this is not solely for personal achievement. I want to be an encouragement and an example for other men and women from the Caribbean. I built from scratch and started from a place where nothing was handed to me. If I can have a global impact on the world, they can too.
To finish our inspire questions…”We believe that sharing inspiring words can inspire others.” If there was one positive thing you would say to someone to inspire and empower them what would it be and why?
Take some time to find what you are passionate about. The purpose-driven business owner has a greater likelihood of success than the one who is just chasing the dollar. Running a business is tough at times. In those times, it’s your vision and purpose that keeps you going.
“Thank you it has been great learning more about your founder story and DHB Vision Strategists”
To learn more about DHB Vision Strategists Visit danahayesburke.com
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