Building Her Dream is excited to learn all about Esther Avant of EA Coaching. She is from Germany and has been in business for 8 years.
Esther, why don’t you start by telling us what your dream life looks like? Are you currently living in it?
My dream life looks like being able to spend lots of time with my son and husband. He’s in the military so also having the flexibility to work around his schedule and deployments.
Being able to prioritize my own health and wellness, having the financial freedom to travel and have amazing experiences with my family and friends, and having a fulfilling career where I know I’m doing some good in the world.
I would say I’m both living my dream AND still working on it.
I’m a big believer in that the easiest way to maintain your results is by continuing to do what you did to achieve them in the first place.
For me, that means building my life in such a way that I have time for my family, health, and travel, while building a business that I love and that helps amazing women all over the world.
I like that you prioritize your family and your well-being. Tell me more about what you do and who you help.
I am a sports nutritionist and personal trainer who’s worked in the industry since 2007. I have owned EA Coaching since 2015.
My mission is to help women live their happiest, healthiest, and most confident lives and to change the fact that the majority of us are so preoccupied with our weight and our bodies that we never fully pursue our passions.
I know that if more women prioritized their health, they’d be able to unleash the confidence and focus we all need to leave our mark on the world.
My team of coaches and I provide all-encompassing health & weight loss coaching to women with a lot on their plate who have put their own health on the back burner and are ready to make a change.
We help them develop the confidence, commitment, and consistency they need to be successful at this and any endeavor by learning & mastering the exercise & nutrition “Big Rocks” that will help them get better results with less overwhelm, providing the comprehensive support they need at every phase of the journey, and helping them take compassionate ownership over the process by developing the tools & skills they need to overcome any challenge they face.
It sounds like you do great work. What inspired you to start this business?
I lost my mom, one of the most kind & compassionate women you’d ever meet, to cancer in my early 20s.
In the back of my head, I’ve always wondered if she had access to the type of coaching that we provide, if it would have made any difference.
When I created my coaching program, Gone For Good, I thought about what I think would have helped her overcome her struggles with her weight and make lasting changes to her lifestyle.
I couldn’t imagine her (or most women!) thriving in a hardcore, drill sergeant type environment where she felt belittled for her imperfections.
She – and all women – need comprehensive support, simplicity, and to learn how to take compassionate ownership of her future, so that’s exactly what we provide.
Your coaching program could help a lot of women. Where can we learn more about it?
You can check out www.estheravant.com/coaching and from there, see our 2 options. Book a call with us if you’d like to chat about which is the best fit for you, and you’re always welcome to message me on social media with questions!
You’ve been on the entrepreneurial journey for 8 years. What’s a challenge you’ve faced along the way?
One of the biggest challenges I faced as an entrepreneur just starting out was getting clients!
I knew I had so much value to share but didn’t know how to get myself in front of the people I was best equipped to help!
It took a lot of trial and error to find my way but ultimately the lesson was one that I teach clients, as well: anything can work, you just need to pick something and be consistent for long enough!
For me, that ended up being making a name for myself in a handful of Facebook groups where my ideal client was hanging out, growing and nurturing an email list, and eventually developing a referral program to thank clients for sharing about us by word of mouth.
Do you think being an introvert has affected your business?
Initially, I think I let being an introvert negatively affect my business.
I was very uncomfortable putting myself out into the world —the internet, specifically— and shied away from making videos, using my photos on social media, and just having conversations with people.
Now I’ve turned it into a superpower but using it as an opportunity to grow out of my comfort zone, be relatable, and empathize with how uncomfortable it may be for potential clients to reach out to me or sign up for coaching with us.
How do you bring in new clients?
Now that my business is better established, I have more avenues for marketing than I did the first few years.
If you’re just starting out, I’d recommend picking a couple that appeal to you AND are where your clients are likely to already be and just focus on doing those well and consistently.
What that looks like for me these days is continuing to engage in Facebook groups filled with ideal clients.
Posting consistently on my own Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn pages, doing a weekly podcast, emailing my list twice a week, being a guest on other people’s podcasts, doing virtual speaking events/panels/summits, and having a generous referral program for past and current clients.
What about networking events? Are they a part of your marketing strategy?
I have only attended a handful of in-person networking events and always left them feeling like they’d been a waste of my time. For the last few years, I’ve lived overseas where networking events aren’t an option.
In that time, my confidence as a business owner has grown immensely and I’m better equipped to overcome my introvertedness to be more engaging and I’m actually looking forward to attending more in-person events when I move back to the US.
How do you define success for yourself and your business?
Success is having happy and successful clients, having a team of coaches whose lives are enhanced by working for EA Coaching (both financially and from a fulfillment standpoint), having the financial and time freedom and flexibility to travel & do fun stuff with my husband and son, and knowing that I and my business are helping people change their lives for the better.
What advice would you give to other introverted women who are just starting their own businesses?
Be willing to stretch outside your comfort zone.
If all you focus on is how introverted you are and how uncomfortable it is to talk to people, put yourself out there, etc, you’ll never get comfortable doing those things!
Let your introversion be an asset rather than something that holds you back.
Thank you for taking the time to share your story. Where can our readers find more information about you?
You can learn more about me and EA Coaching on our website at www.estheravant.com,
On Instagram at www.instagram.com/esther.avant,
Or on my podcast, Live Diet-Free at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-live-diet-free-podcast/id1543658046
Photo credit #1: Ekaterina Yaltykova
Photo credit #2: Lolphoto06
