I interviewed Jennifer Hardwick at the end of June. She is the owner of Perfect Union Wellness, a fitness & nutrition studio where she offers Mental Health & Addiction Coaching.
Before I finalized this article, her just opened business had to close again, but this time into the parking lot. So, it is with this pandemic. The recent spike of COVID 19 in our States new cases, prompted my question, “How are you doing now?”.
Leadership Qualities a Perfect Union
Before I continue sharing about Perfect Union, I wanted to complete last month’s list by Peter Agnew’s, eight leadership qualities. Assuredly Jennifer exhibits these, but the final four were omitted from the previous month’s article:
5. Leaders are courageous; possess a strength of self
6. Leaders demonstrate a commitment to service
7. Leaders have humility and are aware of their limitations
8. Leaders have wisdom; having the ability of perspective & human understanding
Jennifer’s upbeat and positive demeanor is most notable. “I am thrilled to be still open and in business, able to do what I love.” Why did you start your business, I asked? What motivated you to address the addiction aspects of your work, being in the fitness world? “In my experience, working with clients, I could see how many addictions they have, often rooted in their past, including myself.” Her work addresses the core issues of behaviors: a nutritional consultant, personal trainer, group fitness instructor, life coach, and addiction and mental health nutrition specialist. Impressive.
What she also discovered was her ability to pivot her business to survive. She had mentioned at the first closing how she had to find ways to reach her clients and needed online presence. Recognizing her limitations, she launched into action and relied on another business that understood her industry and the technology she needed. She contacted AvNow, www.avnow.com. They were able to help her take her classes and create an online presence, which she needed to do to scale her business into an online presence quickly.
How have you survived so far?
What do you think kept you from closing your business down (during the first COVID 19 shutdown)? “Thinking about everybody else and not myself. When you think about others first, you are
more motivated to get things done. Thinking this way took me out of my emotional self, and I was able to see more clearly.”
Jennifer likes people and believes in what she has to offer. “I never thought I would be doing online and virtual training. But it has allowed me to reach more people. To me, there is always a silver lining
if you are ready to look for it.” Her survival strategy was to recognize the problem, make quick decisions that strengthened her skillsets, and launch them. Moving her fitness program online and outdoors into the parking lot was her pivot into business survival.
Join her fitness and wellness programs: www.perfectunionwellness.com 831-471-8526.
Janet Janssen is a Sales Consultant and Business Coach, ja***@ja**********.com. She offers workshops with the SBDC Santa Cruz and customized programs. On August 11th, 4:30p, her Power Up Your Online Speaking Presentations is available to the public FREE with registration only: https://form.jotform.com/201975443342051 Gain Tips, Tools & Techniques for online presentations.
