Lena (like Jenna with an “L”) aka Baddie Business Coach aka the OG Baddie, is a 2x corporate dropout turned business owner, helping ex-corporate professionals generate sales from their social media content by embracing their authentic ‘Baddie’ selves. She believes in attracting dream clients who are not only ready to invest big and achieve remarkable results but are also the ones she initially started her business for. Through the Baddie movement, she empowers women to showcase their true selves in their content and business, attracting high-caliber clients they are truly passionate about.
What’s a specific event that sticks in your mind that is a big reason you decided to start your business?
The most memorable event that sticks in my mind that was a big reason I decided to start this 7th business after my first 6 business ideas failed was when I was asked to create a schedule for a project I was on at my corporate job for the 8th time. We were building a website and I was trying to convince everyone to take an MVP approach so we could make the timelines but they kept wanting to add everything and go through 4 rounds of approvals. Every time I created a schedule, we’d miss the timelines and I’d be forced to create another one (& was almost blamed that people weren’t following the schedule.) That’s when I realized I wanted to do things my way AGAIN and I had to quit my job to become an entrepreneur.
What does your website do for you right now & what do you want it to do?
My website right now is under construction as I’ve been undergoing a massive pivot in my business and also have been changing website platforms to make it so I can easily update my website (just switched from Kajabi to Showit.) But it’s an important touch point for my ideal clients who discover me on social media or Google and want to learn more about me. I want my website to become a sales machine for me with clear funnels that lead visitors into my offers. I also want it to be my corner of the internet that feels like me so people get a good idea of what I’m about when they land on it. I also want my website to help me come up in search results. I have high-performing blog posts I need to migrate to my new website that have reached top results on Google but need to be optimized in terms of leading to a clear funnel.
If you could go back in time on your journey and do something differently, what would you do and why?
I would take more scary action for sure. I would do more things that scared me and not let the “but will it work?” thought get in the way of executing and trying new things. I would also not ever sell 1 high-ticket offer but have multiple offers at different price points to allow my potential clients to come into my world in different ways. Finally, I would unleash more of my personality in my content from day 1. Really be loud, be myself and not be afraid to repel the wrong people.
What was your most difficult moment in business, what happened, how did you move through it & what do you think of it looking back now?
My most difficult moment in business was when I knowingly took my business into the red for 3 months because my husband was having major surgery, I was running a group program and needed to make sure my business would stay afloat so I hired a VA at 80h/month. It was really difficult showing up confidently on social media while knowing that my business was not making a profit and feeling a bit like a fraud as someone who helps their clients get clients when my business was in the red. But it taught me how to keep moving forward even when things aren’t working out. It showed me how much resilience I have and that my client results are sometimes separate from what’s going on in my business and the season I’m moving through. I don’t regret it because now being profitable is such a good feeling and I treasure it a lot because not everyone is turning a profit all the time.
Do you have an email list? If so, did you start it when you launched?
I started my email list in 2020 when I first became an entrepreneur and have been very consistent with it since despite going through multiple pivots over the years. I email my list 1-3x per week and am looking to get more consistent with it in 2024 and really monetize it in fun ways.
What’s the most unexpected way you’ve made money in your business?
I once gave a talk about how to give a good product demo as a product manager at a conference in Vancouver and at the end got approached by the CEO of an ad tech company who wanted me to coach his product managers on how to give good product demos. It was a 3-month retainer and really supported me through the first few months of my business and was so much fun. I did not expect to get asked to coach people I was just speaking on a topic I was super passionate about that not many people cared enough about.
What do you have coming up for 2024, and how can people work with you?
I am launching SO many offers in 2024! 😍 I’ve relaunched my membership Baddie Money Method which helps you get consistent with posting the right content that brings in dream clients while infusing your BADDIE self into your content. I’m also launching a brand new 3-month group experience called Next Level Baddie that’s for the Baddie who wants to build out a massively scalable offer suite in 2024 that will take them to $100k+ in sales while working with the dreamiest of clients. I plan to also drop a lot of micro offers to have fun ways for Baddies to join my world and loooooots of free masterclasses, free challenges & fun community events!
If you could give your younger entrepreneur self one piece of sassy advice, what would it be?
Your time is coming, young padawon. Don’t expect the world when you haven’t yet put in the reps required to build the momentum necessary for big results. And stop playing in the kiddy pool — get louder with who you are and shameless about where you’re going.
You can Praise Santos McKenna all over the web here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lenasesardic/
