About Sharon

I’m an entrepreneur, coach and consultant with 25+ years of experience in communication, marketing, publishing and broadcasting. I coach small business owners and solo practitioners to help them create and sustain successful, profitable businesses.

I’ve been blessed over the years to have had a wide array of exciting and diverse jobs, including talk show producer, newspaper editor, writer and teacher. For much of my career, I’ve been self-employed. In 2000 I left a lucrative position as executive producer at a marketing agency to fulfill my dream of launching a publication for high school students. As founding publisher of Louie, the Magazine for St. Louis Teens, I achieved the dream of creating a high-quality magazine that encouraged and celebrated local teens. But the business struggled because I wasn’t comfortable selling. I relied on a small team of salespeople, but never having managed a sales force, I was ineffective and we never reached the level of sales needed to pursue my goal of expanding the magazine into other cities. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006 I reluctantly sold the business.

Cancer-free since 2007 (amen!) I am committed to helping other small business owners avoid the problems that I faced in growing my business. Over the past several years I’ve become a student of marketing, and I’ve learned and developed techniques that help me – and others – push past the scary, unrealistic expectations around “sales and marketing” and simply tell my story to reach those who need what I offer.

I love what I do, and I’m passionate about helping entrepreneurs and self-employed professionals succeed. My strengths include strategic thinking, creative problem-solving and active listening. My style is warm, practical and encouraging. I’m a positive person and have a good sense of humor, which I think is important when working on life’s tough problems!

On a personal level, I’m a wife and mom, active in my daughter’s school and in our church. I love travel (favorite cities: New York and Vienna), photography and digital scrapbooking. My brain is evenly split between right and left sides, which means I’m highly creative but also detailed and structured… makes for an interesting life!

I’m a graduate of CoachU, the largest coach-training school in the world, and have a bachelor’s degree in communications.

As for why you should work with me, well… I love to see other people succeed. As a coach I work with you to bring forth your best ideas, to break down any barriers that exist for you, and to move forward to meet your goals. It’s an exhilarating, challenging and ultimately rewarding process.

But no web page can truly illustrate the essence of a person. The choice of a coach is highly personal and depends much on what you hear in my voice when we talk. I encourage you to schedule a 30-minute, no-obligation telephone coaching session to explore whether there’s a good fit between us.

Send me an email to schedule a time. I look forward to talking with you!

Note: This is who I am. If you want to see what I’ve done, check out my LinkedIn profile for a full resume. (Feel free to send me a request to link up while you’re there!) You can also follow me on Twitter.