Today we’d like to introduce you to Allison Todd.
Hi Allison, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have been in business for 17+ years now. I attribute the jump into entrepreneurship to an experience that is unforgettable. At the time, I was a single mom trying to climb the corporate ladder. One day my twin’s school called to say one of the twins was ill and needed my attention ASAP. I immediately ran to the person I was reporting to at the time. I ASSUMED she would think this was as much of a priority as I did. NOPE! She asked me to make a choice between the work I needed to get done and the well-being of my child. Well, there was no choice to be made. I left without a plan or destination. What I knew was my family would always come first and I could get another job. On the way to my child, in tears, I called a good girlfriend. She reminded me of my value, reassured me I was not alone, and offered her expertise to help me get started.
I established my business SiMar Enterprises, LLC. I named it SiMar (SImone + MARie) after my twins, so I NEVER forgot my WHY. I didn’t look back. From that day forward, I would drop my twins off at school with my daily goals in mind. And the ability to see my daily goals turn into bank deposits motivated me to scale and grow. I strongly believe the way in which I started my business framed the mindset with which I coach my clients to this day. And now we are a full-service digital agency. I continue to coach my clients to see, do and be all they are intended to be!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Absolutely NOT! I’ve encountered the things that many business owners do – wrong choice in team members, tons of different logo designs and websites over the years, scam artists, the wrong choice in clients and so much more. But the best part about it – WE CAN LEARN FROM EACH STRUGGLE and it empowers us to do more, be better and grow greater.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about SiMar?
After 17 years in business, I am the first to tell you, I do not know it all but I have learned a lot. One thing I realized in my entrepreneurial journey is we are pioneers, creating our own path. Each with a different vision and goal. As a confidence coach, I help you reanimate your confidence and create clarity in your business. And when you have a coach like me, it’s like having someone who will run ahead of you, clear the path and plot the progress plan.
I love to take your big picture, create the progress plan and plot the profit with my SCALE TO PROFIT SYSTEM. With the support of my digital agency, we ensure we will get your team tight! This includes all things digital marketing to deliver your creative solutions, onboarding your teams with our automating SOPs, and loaning you the productivity of our team while eliminating all the go-between. If you are a time-starved entrepreneur hungry for clarity and confidence, a good entrepreneur but a bad CEO, or a type “A” risk-taker and rule-maker, let’s connect and GROW. It all begins with HELLO.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
My parents. It was a different time and saying you want to be an entrepreneur did not align with the legacy of a double degreed family. It was their investment in me as a person that gave me the confidence to leap and soar. As such, by the time I achieved my degrees, I determined I would use all of that value to build a business vs. climb a ladder. And it takes a ton of courage to do that when everyone before made a different choice.
My Twins. Taylor and Tyler improved my value of time and sped up my go-get-it plan. They were also my first employees. It was important for me to teach them about a company being created for them. It was also the best way, as a single mom, to teach them money, investing in their future, being of service, and how to be a hecka great leader. Now they jump in when I need them for large projects and live events. It also continuously exposes them to the power of possibilities.
The Love of My Life. He recognized early on my commitment to business and serving others. He is literally my biggest fan. And he supports the lifestyle of a business owner and that starts with the perfect cup of coffee to start the day and the best hug ever to end the day. I couldn’t do all I do without his support, motivation and counsel.
Akilah Collins. She is my childhood BFF from 6th grade and beyond. She was the call I made when I left my job. Her entire family (except the dog) are all things entrepreneurship, including her husband and all three children. She and her family have believed in me from day one and always send work and referrals my way to this day. She is presently a Learning and Leadership Development Lead at Accenture for Anti-Racism, Blockchain, Extended Reality, and Quantum Computing.
Shun Melson is an Atlanta-based Celebrity Fashion Stylist, Educator, and Entrepreneur. She was one of my first Atlanta clients. She taught me so much more beyond the fact that there was more than one Peachtree! She recognized my business value early on and gave me tons of business exposure. Working with her, I landed in Ebony with Steve Harvey. And this was a normal day at work. It wasn’t unlike her to show her team members appreciation from style makeovers to a day at the spa. But the best thing she ever did was teach me how to take the emotion out of the business process. She modeled business best practices that helped me transition and grow. And she made me a superstar with my kids with her incredible celebrity clientele.
Jai Stone, Master Brand Coach. She has seen value in me since day one. Always offers her stage to me (and she has a huge following) with a live mic to do my thing! She consistently coaches me with what I need to hear vs what I want to hear. And after spending years with her, I doubled down during the pandemic and said YES. Having her as a coach during 2020 was pivotal to my growth.
Natasha Harrison, President & CEO of Community Build Ventures. She is the truest form of the community! Natasha and her company have been a client, friend and family for 7+ years now. Working with her has added bonuses like being seen, playing big and working in brave spaces. She consistently sings my praises, supports my business advice and encourages all of my creativity ideas. As a direct result of this, I have new clients annually and have been positioned to hire more team members and expand the agency. If collaboration over competition was a person, she is it.
Contact Info:
- Email: Atodd@simarinc.com
- Website: https://allisontodd.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachallisontodd/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AllisonToddConfidenceCoach
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALLISONSMILES
