This story is about…
Female Entrepreneur: Jeanmarie Bills
Location: USA
Company: Live a Life Without Limits
Industry: Coaching
She started her business because: her daughter’s death led Jean to move of course and she became engulfed in the corporate world, trading time for money and not doing what she truly wanted – so she quit and started her own business.
Age range: 50s
What motivated you to start your business?
Here is our story, and motivation…
Little Girls Don’t Belong In The Emergency Room
As the back doors of the ambulance closed I struggled to catch the last glimpse of my daughter before they drove away. I struggled to see her face, but all I could see was her chubby little arm, the kind of arm a 15 month old has.
I was 30 years old and the mother of two girls and one boy. It was five in the evening and I was cooking dinner when I noticed the house had gotten quiet. I wiped off my hands and thought to myself, “what the heck is she up to.”
My youngest Serena was a whirlwind, full of energy, and curious about everything. She had blond curly hair with big blue eyes, and She was as cute as a button. But she was always on the move and a quiet house was not normal for us.
When I passed the front door and saw it was partially open, my heart sank, and panic set in.
At that moment everything became a blur, one moment I’m cooking dinner and the next, paramedics are rushing Serena off to the emergency room.
When we got to the emergency room they had already rushed her to the back.
I felt out of control, we didn’t belong here.
I wanted to take Serena home.
I bargained, promised, and prayed with god.
“God I can’t do this, I’m not strong enough, Please, please don’t take her.”
“God just tell me what to do, I’ll do whatever it takes, please just let me take her home.”
We waited 2½ hours, before two physicians came to the doorway. Their arms were crossed, and they were noticeably uncomfortable.
“I’m very sorry we did all we could, it just wasn’t enough – it just wasn’t enough to save her,” they said.
I stood there numb.
How could she be gone?
Why didn’t I hear her go out the front door?
How could I let her drown?
How do I tell her big brother and sister that they don’t have a little sister anymore?
I went home and became a stranger in my own life.
I planned her funeral.
I felt guilty, angry, lost, sad, and empty.
Slowly, I found forgiveness and acceptance. I started to find things in my life to be grateful for, and that was how I found joy again.
We can live in the past as a victim, or we can live the life we want now and in the future. I chose to learn from the experience and to move forward.
Serena’s death was a hard lesson and years later; I realized my life had slowly moved off course. I had become engulfed in the corporate world. I was trading time for money. Life is too short, and time is too precious to waste. The things that were most important to me, time freedom, family time, making a difference in the world, and leaving a legacy, were taking a back seat to my job.
I quit my job, took all the experiences and skills I had learned and became an entrepreneur. That was one of the scariest and best decisions I have ever made.
My oldest daughter, Elena and I are passionate about helping women “Live A Life Without Limits.” Our mission is to help you use the power of telling your story and entrepreneurship to help you share your passions and gifts with the world, and to help you leave your legacy. We help you become unstoppable, and to live your life without limits through successful entrepreneurship.
To Your Life Without Limits,
Elena & Jean
Tell us about your business…
Live A Life Without Limits is a mother daughter, female entrepreneur coaching team. We are Jeanmarie Bills, and Elena J Forbes. We believe that every one of us has unique gifts and talents to share with the world.
We help you to bring out your own unique self and create the lifestyle you desire, “A Life Without Limits.”
We start by discovering your goals and passions, and then we lead you to your niche market.
To “Live A Life Without Limits,” includes not just building a profitable business, but also includes your spiritual connection to your true self, nurturing your physical and mental health, and helping you to make a difference in the world through your unique self.
We are passionate about helping women have the lifestyle of their dreams through entrepreneurship. Our mission is to teach 1,000 women how to have a hugely successful business while being true to themselves, happy and living a life without limits. We help women become successful entrepreneurs, to transform your life story into being unstoppable as you bring your true self to the world and live your life without limits.
What is a day in the life of you like?
What has been such an awesome gift from building our business and becoming work from home female entrepreneurs is that our day is so varied and flexible.
I usually start my day with a few minutes of being grateful for what the universe has provided for me. I exercise each morning.
I believe my physical and emotional health are essential. Without them I can’t share with you entrepreneurial tips and strategies, or support you at my peak level.
The remainder of my day is flexible, but I have found my most creative time is in the morning, so I usually schedule the next few hours on creative activities, such as product creation or blog posting, connecting with clients and potential clients. I also schedule coaching time with our clients.
But to be honest our goal as female entrepreneurs was to have flexibility so it is not unusual for me to change my schedule and work in the evenings instead, or to batch my work activities all into the beginning of the week and take the end of the week off.
What have been your biggest challenges so far with running your business?
Fear has been my biggest challenge. Fear can show up wearing so many different,”disguises.” It can show up as, overwhelm, anger, frustration, procrastination, resistance and so many other ways. Fear of the unknown, fear of making a mistake, or of what other people may think.
These thoughts can creep into our mind and suck out our dreams and passions, then leave us in a paralyzed zombie state that prevent us from achieving your dream life, a life without limits.
How did you overcome these challenges?
Knowledge is power. Understanding fear is essential for you to develop the skills needed to overcome your fears. Here are some tools you can use.
1. Know fear is not reality based, but is a thought that you have control over. Know that fear is blocking you from your dreams and goals.
2. You have a choice, a paralyzed life lacking freedom and passion or you step into the fear and live the life you are here to live. When fear shows up ask yourself, what life do I choose?
3. Live in the moment fear is usually a false projection of the future.
4. Take your first step forward as soon as possible. The sooner you take a step the easier it gets!
Think of fear as a door that you must walk through and on the other side of the door is the life you want for yourself and your family. To achieve your life without limits you must embrace the fear and walk through the door. Your success is waiting for you on the other side.
What have you found to be the most effective way to get new clients?
Connecting with people and building relationships is the only way to get new clients. You can build connections and relationships in many ways. Social media sites have been our biggest connection tools, but we also use women’s social networking groups that are offline.
Which tools you use are up to you. Start with whatever you are comfortable with and expand from there. Networking is one of the funnest parts of our business. We can make it fun for you too!
What advice would you give to other business owners?
Follow your heart and passion. Have faith and be persistent and success will come.
How do you keep motivated through difficult times?
We believe that every one of us has unique gifts and talents to share with the world. We help women become successful entrepreneurs, to transform your life story into being unstoppable as you bring your true self to the world and live your life without limits. If we don’t show up to the best of our abilities then all the women we could of helped to share their unique message and vision to the world are left struggling. We are here to help other women share their gifts. That’s what we remember, that’s why we show up, that’s who motivates us.
What’s your favourite quote?
“It’s Possible”
{Les Brown}
Simple, too the point and true!
Who inspires you?
The many women that have shared their amazing stories and success with us. That have not only survived, but blossomed, despite their obstacles and their difficult past.
Do you have a business philosophy?
We all have a unique story. Our unique story is a combination of our experiences, and beliefs that have made us who we are. Your story is uniquely you and sets you apart from anyone else.
Your own unique story will share your message to the world more effectively than anything else.
We all have greatness in us to share with the world. It is through the art of story telling that we can share our own unique self. Telling your story is all about sharing your life, your values, your hopes and dreams, your experiences and challenges. Storytelling has been around since the beginning of mankind.
As an entrepreneur, your story shares your uniqueness to the world in a truly engaging way. We believe that every one of us has unique gifts and talents to share with the world. We help women become successful entrepreneurs, to transform your life story into being unstoppable as you bring your true self to the world and live your life without limits.
Get in touch…
Website: livealifewithoutlimits.com/
Twitter Name: twitter.com/#!/jeanmariebills
Facebook Fanpage: www.facebook.com/LiveALifeWithoutLimits
