Unlocking Your Entrepreneurial Superpower: How to Discover Your Gift and Turn It Into Profit

Do you know what you're gifted at as an entrepreneur? We're often doing work that we're good at and we've become professional, implementing it and selling it. But often we've lost track or even weren't really aware of what the true gift was. We've been so good at commercializing what we do that we're not necessarily aware of that we maybe have a story. Maybe we're not even sure of that story. If you're in this place where you're doing work, but you're not entirely sure what your gift is and you're wondering how to make a story that's compelling and engaging. My guest today is going to be perfect for you because she helps business owners to identify their gift, but also to help make that gift into a story that then becomes part of their brand. She's working particularly with businesses and helping women entrepreneurs to find the confidence and the mindset that they need and to expand into the kind of roles and the opportunities that they are capable of taking. Welcome to the show. Jody Turner, who's joining us from a company called Elevate5, where she is the co founder and CEO with her sister. And we'll talk about siblings and maybe sibling rivalry later on. Jody Turner in Colorado, welcome to the show.

Thank you, Jim. I'm so excited to talk about gifts and story with you today.

Well, we talk a lot about story and you're the first guest that I've had on the show who raised the issue of the gift of an entrepreneur. Why does having a gift matter? Surely customers just want results. They want service at the lowest price possible. So why is it important that an entrepreneur has a gift and that they identify what that gift is?

Absolutely. That's a beautiful question. So it's a loaded question, too. So my answer is going to be a little, a little loaded in the return, but, but worth it nonetheless. So as you know, when, when clients, when our clients, when entrepreneurs are growing multi six, multi seven figure businesses, you know, they're, they're, they're knocking off a lot of challenges. You know, they're figuring out how to have the perfect service, you know, so, so good that people can't help but say, yes, sell me more, tell me more, let me tell my friends. Then they're figuring out their processes and their, their delegation and growing teams and they're really figuring out the operations side of things and they're leaning into their leads and their marketing and they're mastering all of these pieces. But yet we've found, and there's certainly lots of authors and lots of research and yourself included. That story is what really sweetens the pot and gets those of us in their potential audience, their audience to listen. But the nugget behind that, or the glue between their company and their marketing or their company and their outreach, where their business is going, is actually their gift. And it's the thing that those of us in running our businesses, the founders, the CEOs, the presidents, we're the last ones to know. We are the last ones to know what our gift is. It is, it is inexplicably tied to your purpose, and it's hiding just out of plain sight where everybody but you most likely knows, you know, that it, that it thrives and lives behind the scenes. And Jim, we were talking about your gift before we come on today, and I was saying, I was making an educated guess from, from listening to your show in the past, that, that your gift is finding the interesting nuggets behind this, behind the scenes, behind the curtain of these entrepreneurs. That way, when you have these discussions, it's gold. You know, you're really finding out what makes them tick and what that interesting piece is. Where do their passions lie? And, and I would say it's the same thing for us as we're, you know, working as an agency to write, to craft the story for our clients as they're going out to market. It's really about their gift. Because if you're not talking about that, you're not talking about the right thing.

Jody well, thank you. And I take that as a huge compliment, by the way, especially coming from you, that, that you felt that I'm getting these nuggets, and, and I'm very blessed that people like yourself come on the show and want to share their insights and their wisdom. So I'm really very blessed. I just stand here with my, my hands open and people kindly drop those nuggets into my, into my palms. But, Jodi, why is it that the gift isn't obvious?

You know, I think as entrepreneurs, it's difficult to see the forest for the trees. We know so much about our businesses. We have to challenge ourselves to be learning continually. Whether that's in the different areas I already mentioned, certainly mindset. As we're trying to grow and reinvent ourselves at each new level that our company achieves, the gift is that unwritten or that unseen piece that, let's say, let's say it's the software. It's the, it's the software that's running behind the scenes that you don't quite identify unless someone points you in the direction of it. So, so often our clients come to us and they'll say, I think examples are good here. So I'll, I'll give a couple. Jim. And, you know, maybe it's the. The million dollar home builder. And they say, I don't know why people just want to work with me. They just trust me. Well, there's a nugget there. Why do they trust you? Why do they want to work with you? He said, well, they think I'm interesting. They like my personality. Well, what. So it's running just beneath the surface, and all I have to do is dig. And we're able to then craft the correct story, which really resonates with his audience. And the same is true for our other clients. And, you know, we serve in a lot of different industries. You know, let's say the wellness industry. Sometimes we've had clients come in and say, you know, I'm really good at helping identify where someone isn't feeling well so that they can, you know, rest better and live. Live a better life. Well, after you ask a little bit and find out why they do that, they tell you this revolutionary story about how a traditional, you know, nurse practitioner turned to functional medicine to help his autistic, nonverbal daughter go to mainstream school. I mean, the, the right. I mean, you just tap a little bit and you get to this gold that's underneath, just underneath the surface, running everything that they just haven't seen themselves.

And Jody, I think what's so powerful there is that you're helping people to identify possibly a quality, a personality trait that they take for granted. Because as entrepreneurs, we're so busy thinking about the business model and often feeling insecure about selling who we are and rather think about how we monetize what we think people might need that we almost run away from the gift, don't we? Because the idea of monetizing that for most of us with some insecurities, that seems a very, very difficult challenge, doesn't it?

Yes, it seems difficult. It seems unclear. It seems potentially unimportant. We've got all these very important tasks on our multiple devices and post it notes, and our gifts don't typically surface when we're trying to be effective each week. So I'm blessed to get to tap into that for our clients. I love that piece of what I get to do.

And at Elevate 5, what seems incredible is if you're helping people to identify the gift, the story then is authentic, isn't it. Because one of the challenges that many people have with developing a story is that it's not really sustainable because it doesn't come from a very solid foundation.

Right. That. Oh, oh, you just. You've hit it direct. That was a direct hit, Jim. I love that. Because if we all have stories, and you and I covered a lot of ground before we talked today, you know, some more professional, some more personal, some about journey and. And finding where our connection points, you know, where they lay in that. In that those parallel journeys. And the same is true for. For growing your business is you can tell all the stories in the world, but if they don't have a clear purpose or a clear connection to that client, and they don't say, oh, me too. Oh, you like story as well, Jim? Me too. You have a sister that you've worked with. Me too. It's in our connections that the real. The real authentic, juicy growth lies in our business and our lives. I mean, that. That's where it's at. So if you can. If you can tell a purposeful story, a meaningful story in a way that engages the listener and helps their heart, say, me too. That's where all the goodness begins. Right.

And Jodi, I think it's. Les Brown says every story has a point and every point has a story, which I think is such a great way of flipping those words around. But, Jodi, you've got a story which is you've got a sibling business. You and your sister have had Elevate 5 for, I think, how many years now?

10 years. We've passed the. We've. We've passed that decade birthday, which felt like a big achievement.

Yeah. Congratulations.

Thank you.

You've called it Elevate 5. We'll talk a little bit about working with your sister and also what that means in terms of the client base and the marketing. In a moment. But first of all, what's the story behind Elevate 5? I like to know about company brand names and the origin story of the names, because that in itself can be part of the proposition when it comes to your public relations, to your pitching and to your marketing. So tell us about Elevate5 as a brand name. What's the origin?

Yeah, absolutely. So that's so good. As, as Karen and I, my sister and I were founding the company, what we really wanted to do was shine the light on these small businesses, these, these businesses that are growing and, and they're just not quite sure how to show up online. You have an element, too, of, you know, where you're helping your audience with tech. You know, there was a piece there. So my sister's brilliance is in the tech that's running these beautiful sites behind the scenes. And then we overlap in our love for branding and design. We have multiple degrees in those areas. And then I love the marketing, the communication side of things. So as we were combining skill sets and looking at growing the company and we were working through the naming, what happened was that it was all about elevation and it was all about light. And we felt, you know, there's a Christian element to our beliefs. And we feel that Matthew 5 was put in front of us, verse 14 through 16. And it is all. It is about shining your light and you are placed on a hill and you're not to be under a basket. And you know that God wants you to shine your light. And we felt that we were both called to do so, but then we were also called to do so for our clients. So that's. For 10 years, that has been where we show up. And we continue to be on purpose doing that. Very, very much on purpose.

And that's wonderful. I think that we talked earlier on about the authenticity of the story, and I'm sure it's no coincidence that your agency has lasted for so long because you have that authenticity and integrity and higher purpose. Right. I mean, the successful companies managed to radiate that through the organization and to their. And to their customers. Now, in terms of customers, Jody, you're serving small businesses, but also you've got a range of businesses.

True.

It's fashionable to niche. You are being unfashionable by not niching. Now tell me who you know, why you're not niching down and just serving the same kind of clients with the same kind of service. Why. Why are you being unfashionable?

I love that question. So I find that the opposite of what is currently fashionable is true. So, yes, there is. You know, we hear the, the. All of the sayings and the. And the, the little puns of, you know, riches are in the niches and all of these pieces. And there's certainly lots of proven examples of that. I am not breaking that apart for anyone yet. For us, success has really come in our depth and our breath. So that. And that's reflected in helping these clients, you know, not only tell that story, but then tell it very purposely on their website and radiate that through their brand. And then, oh, how does your marketing show up? So we're able to help them across those ranges. So why couldn't it be the same for our clientele. So as we're, as clients are attracted to us, what we usually find the through line is Jim, is that they have, they're very purpose driven. You know, they're coming in and they say listen, you know, I'm trying to do something good in the world. My website, my brand, my marketing has gotten in the way. I want somebody that sees something deeper going on here and can help us formulate that clearly. So where we've worked between you know, functional medicine to accountants, to financial advisors to construction industry to ranches, I mean you, you wouldn't believe the, the, the range but you know what it does, it makes us interesting human, interesting individual, interesting humans and we are then able to turn around to the client that comes in and feels they're in a. You know, just this week we had a home health care agency come in with our team. We're excited to be serving them and right alongside them was the largest class AA Motor Coach RV park in Florida joined us at the same time and we're so excited to serve them both and they have so much in common. But we're, because we are not so niched down, we are uniquely positioned to, to really speak to both their challenges.

And Jod, I think you've raised a really well, lots of good points there but you know, as we know from the David Epstein book range, you know, he talks about how we bring experiences from diverse industries and that's why as a show I have a common through line is entrepreneurs and their marketing. But I decided not to niche into just for example SaaS marketing or just tech because actually we can learn from other industries and other practice but also as individuals, as humans, we need to be inspired. Right. And if you're turning up and just doing the same kind of client the same time every day, then you're going to struggle with motivation. And I've also found working with some clients from the UK that they work with specialist agencies and actually all the output for all the companies looks the same. I was working with a company in the kitchen design area and actually they have agencies that focus in kitchen design and of course all the websites look the same. Right. So the diversity of insight and perspective that you bring from Elevate 5 really keeps the client feeling and looking unique in their own, in their own sector as well. So personally I'm a, I'm a big fan of, of that diversity of ideas. So, so great for you.

I love it. We unfashionable together, Jim.

We, we, well, we both Got caps on. Jody looks infinitely more fashionable in hers than I do. You can, you can see her on YouTube if you're listening to this. She's got a very nice Elevate 5 cap on. So looking very fashionable. Jody, let's just turn our attention a little bit to the kind of clients that you serve and we wonder whether, you know, you talk about the gift and your approach to that. And we were talking a little bit before we started recording about how some, some entrepreneurs struggle, if you like, with self confidence before actually building their brand. Do you want to just talk to us a little bit about the work that you think some entrepreneurs benefit from and is a foundational piece in order for them to scale their companies?

Yeah, absolutely. I think I. Check me on this and make sure I'm answering what you're asking here. But as we're starting working with clients, we start them all the same. I mentioned all of those different industries. We have a one on one meeting. Myself, the client and their, their team lead who's going to be writing their copy and working through asset generation with them and pulling existing assets from the client. So it's, it's, it's, you know, it's, it's functional and unsexy. But then on the other hand, the meeting is very much about poking in all the corners. Right. I get to ask all of the uncomfortable questions that the entrepreneur goes, why are you asking me that? But, but there is, that's where you get to that little underlying software that we have talked about earlier is to ask all of those questions in that first call. And then very strategically, the copywriter is hearing them firsthand. They're hearing the word choice. You know, we're, we're learning of each other during this call, Jim, and I'm learning what you're about and the words that you choose, that you're a voracious reader, that you like education, such a passion for that. But yet you never once said that directly. It's just because we're listening. So it's very much that type of a, what do I want to say? An organic call where we're just asking questions and, and we know that we're onto something because when, when the entrepreneur says, oh, I'm really excited about that, you know, we lean in, our energy elevates. You can about feel the energy pop off of them and you go there, there it is. That, that's it. So while we don't have a, I don't have a three step set of questions that we ask to answer that it's always the same result. The questions poke around where they are passionate, why they're doing what they do, what sometimes keeps them up at night, what they're most proud about and their accomplishments. And you'll uncover it very quickly. And I would challenge, you know, yourself and your listeners to do this. Go do it on your next date. Do it on, you know, whether it's your spouse or it's someone you've never met. Do it with your teenage daughter at the coffee shop and watch them light up and their, their body position change and they'll glow and tell you they won't be able to help themselves. They'll tell you everything.

I'll, I'll try that with my teenage daughters next time out there. They deign to go out with me. I'm allowed to drop them off and drive off. That's about, I'm at the, I'm at the Uber dad stage. Jody. But you do have a methodology which is for free, scaling a framework which at the end of the show, we're going to give a link to. So, and I think, having spoken with you, your ability to identify the gift will become a methodology very, very soon, I think. Jodi, won't it? I think that's absolutely something you articulated brilliantly. And then I think the next iteration, I'm sure, will come out for everyone to enjoy. But you have also then, I think, launched some coaching and training especially for female entrepreneurs, haven't you? Do you want to just tell us a little bit about that? Because I know from my own experience that some entrepreneurs are struggling with self confidence. I guess that's what we're talking about, isn't it? They've got a lot of gifts, which is why I started this show. The Unnoticed Entrepreneurs. A lot of people have got great gifts to share, but they have to feel confident in themselves before they can move forward. Just tell us a little bit about the work you're doing there, Jodi, as Elevate 5.

Absolutely. And this certainly is a place where you and I, our passions align here. So while we serve that wider breadth of clientele where we dive in and help the female entrepreneur who's, you know, most typically, they're looking to hit six figures or multiple six figures, but they're in their own way a little bit. And we know this because my sister and I, you know, certainly had the same challenges and struggles. We're just able to identify the needs and build out a mentorship and a community and a training that helps them get past those hurdles very effectively. So it's very intentionally, you know, a low barrier to entry in terms of cost and time because we know they're a busy, busy. We know they're looking to, to grow and lead productive lives. But what we're able to do in that give back area, that passion project area of our business is see these women, you know, just change their lives. They truly change their lives by changing their business. And we're honored to get to feed into, you know, everything from mindset and branding to, you know, website and funnel creation and, you know, it really becomes this community is the sisterhood of support where these ladies can come in and we hear everything from, you know, the teenage daughter that doesn't want to have the deep conversation to, you know, I have, I have the, I just put out my first six figure bid. I've never, I've never done that. And seeing the confidence escalate. So it's, it's where life and life and business meet in this beautiful little community.

Jody, if there is one recurring theme, a one recurring solution that you offer these women. Yeah, could you give me one? Is, is there a recurring, is there a recurring theme?

I think they need to not do it alone. And that's really the, the backbone of what my sister and I have been blessed with in growing our company is we had each other. So during seasons where there were very real life challenges or very real, you know, evolutions happening, the other is able to step forward and lift the other one up, you know, and remind the other one about that light that we're shining. Right? And so we were very blessed to be able to do that. And you've done that for, for your siblings, and I'm sure they've done that for you as well. Not everyone has that sister, you know, that, that business sister that they're in partnership with. So we wanted to create something that really helped remind them of who they are and relight that fire when it needs to be lit.

And I think that idea of not going it alone is an essential. You know, whether it's through masterminds or finding a mentor or a business partner is essential because being an entrepreneur is hard enough. And even if you have found your gift and you've built an authentic story, the challenges of scaling a business, then remaining true to that story can be very, very challenging indeed. Jody, you've been an entrepreneur now for over 10 years, so congratulations on that. And, you know, it's an accomplishment if there's a mistake from a marketing perspective, as you know, I focus on that specifically on this show that you might say that you and your sister have, have experienced, let's say. What would that be?

I, I love this question. I think best described by, you know, the infamous Steve Jobs. But, but one idea expressed clearly. I believe that is the gem and the mistake that we made because there's, you know, there's the, the double edged sword to, to serving so many industries and you know, serving them in so, so many different ways. You still have to be able to boil that down to one idea expressed clearly. And if you can't do that, people don't know how to say yes, I need your help or yes, I want to work with your team or yes, I need that result. So really at the end of the day, what we found is people knock on the door because we do websites. So if, you know, if you ask me to boil it all down to one piece, we do websites, we just do them exceptionally well because we employ all of these tools around that result.

Isn't that interesting that for all that theory, all that mindset, all that encouragement, amazing websites from Elevate5 is the functional need.

That's the delivery. Right? That's the deliverable.

Yeah, but then as you say, at the end of the day there's a transfer of money from company to company, company and there needs to be some tangible result.

That's right.

And if it's a website that's part of that program that the entrepreneur needs from you, but you're helping them to get to a place where that website represents them truly and is engaging and helps take their business. Because a website is the storefront, isn't it?

It's not, it's your, it's your VP of sales. And really, truly, your website should be generating leads. And if it is not, it is not doing you the service that it should. And that doesn't mean you have to, you know, we, we have a lot of people that come and knock on the door and they, they, they're embarrassed about their ugly website. And no, you know, they're, it's bootstrapped, you're growing it. I don't care if it's on wix, I don't care what you did to get started. I don't care if you just have a Facebook page. If it grew you to six figures and beyond, it was a success and now it needs to grow up to the next level to catch back up with your business. And that's a very natural evolution and in a, in a powerful one. You know, you were cash positive in that season because you you bootstrapped it in the beginning, and that's okay. And we use those, we use those wins and then create that next iteration of their website to be more powerful and, and more real about who they are at that time.

So, Jody, you've articulated what people come to you for. What's your number one tip that you would give to the unnoticed entrepreneur? When I'm putting on the spot there.

A tip for the unnoticed entrepreneur.

Do you need to ring your sister for call a friend, call a sibling. There you go. I'm buying you some time. I'm putting you on the spot for number one tip.

You like it? The number one tip. I mean, it's going to sound like a broken record, but I truly, truly believe if you can figure out what that gift is and how that creates the story, the very real and true story about who you are and the results that you create for your clients and you can translate that into your website and brand. That's the, that's the formula. That is, that is the formula. At the end of the, at the end of the day, that is what makes people say, hey, I want to speak with you. I, I want you. I want Elevate5 to do my website, not the, you know, hundreds of thousands of other solutions out there that are very talented in their own right. You know, people have to connect to what it is that makes you different, and that's the formula that helps them identify. Ah, his different is my flavor, and that's who I want to work with.

And if you want to work with you, Jodi, where can they find you?

Yeah, absolutely. So elevate5.com, the word elevate and the number five. There's our portfolio, some of the, some of the beautiful clients we've worked with and the results we've gotten to create. So they can pop in here and check through our portfolio, look at about through our blog for different resources there. And then on the homepage or even at that top right, you can see our scaling framework. And that is, comes from the heart and the soul of what you and I have been talking about throughout the interview here, Jim, is, you know, how do you grow this business? That is what you want the business to be. You know, we can be. Yes, financial success is the result we're after, but let's have that financial success packaged up in a framework that makes you thrive, it makes you happy, feel, you know, you're not coming home at the end of the day feeling exhaustion. Instead, you're enthralled because of the type of work that you're getting to do and the people that you're helping and this framework really helps them identify how to grow with that, that alignment in mind.

That's wonderful. And so you can go to elevate five that's the numeral five and it's the five pillar framework to gain clarity and up level your it says hey business sister. So I shall send my sister to your Jody Turner final question. A podcast or a book from you please.

I gotta give you two so I'm gonna, I'm gonna go totally you know, business minded on one for the podcast. I love the Game by Alex Hermosi. He is out pushing the edges of of theory and really how to authentically market and he has a little bit of a different flavor about it which I appreciate. I'm probably the least likely to be in his target market. So that is a very genuine nudge for that. And then book wise the Alchemist by Paulo Alto I love Qualo Alto. I love, love, love that book. I think I've read it I couldn't even tell you 20 times probably it's the epitome of the beach read and it's what can lull you to sleep at night but still has the packs a lot of punch.

The Paul Coelho the Alchemist.

Yes, yes.

Funny if Jared Leo just mentioned the the same book. Yeah. So if anyone's listening and you haven't misheard two guests have actually mentioned the same book. I love that great minds think alike. It is a great read. Jody Turner if you want to find out where to contact you. How can they do that?

Find out where to contact us. Jody J O d e e levate5.com and come to our website elevate5.com as well find us on social. You can jump in about anywhere and we would love to love to support any questions that someone might have.

Jody Turner, thank you so much for joining me from road in Colorado. Sounds gorgeous.

Ah, thank you Jim.

So you've been joined by Jody Turner and she is the co founder of a company called Elevate 5 with her sister. Over a decade of experience and she is someone I think if you want websites but I think she's got so much more to offer so do find her on social. Thanks for listening to me Jim James, your host on this show. I think you know a couple of key takeaways. One is that there's a lot of talk about story but we have to look upstream. We have to look at the gift that we have because it's identifying the gift that will supply the fullness of the story. And it's with the story then that we can build the business, and we have to get all three of those into alignment in order to scale over time. Thanks to Jody for really bringing that home for us today, because it's a fresh insight on a very, very important fundamental if you've enjoyed this, do please share it with a fellow unnoticed entrepreneur, because we don't want anyone to go unnoticed. And if you've enjoyed it, leave a review because it really helps me to know what you think of the show. And until we meet again, I just encourage you to keep on communicating.