Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Butler.
Hi Kimberly, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I always wanted to do a job that had “purpose”, so when I graduated college and ended up in a cubical job that I felt like wasn’t serving a grand purpose, I quickly became discouraged. Looking back, I’m grateful that I had that season to teach me that I could live with purpose in any job or circumstance. In a lot of ways, that job was the beginning of The Whiteboard Room. In my attempt to live with purpose from my cubical, I started having more intentional conversations with my co-workers and finding ways to serve in the community. A few years later, I went to the mission field for a year. When I came back, all I knew was that I didn’t want to go back to the same type of work. I began picking up odd jobs for a while and ended up getting a few larger contracts as a project manager. One of the contracts was with a wedding photography company, and through them I started meeting other creatives in the Atlanta area. As I began working with more and more creatives, I realized there was a need to help visionaries bring structure and systems to their ideas and companies. That is when I started doing more consulting with small creative businesses and began the process of establishing it as a business.
While I loved helping people in their business, my heart was for the people behind the business. At the time, I had no idea how to monetize that so I started a passion project and launched a mentorship program. It quickly became apparent that there was something to the mentorship program, but I did not want to start two businesses. In taking a step back (and with a whole lot of prayer), I realized that what I was doing for businesses and what I was doing for people was essentially the same thing, it just had different terminology. Ultimately I launched both under one brand, and The Whiteboard Room was born. After about 18 months, I hosted a goal-setting workshop for creatives and from there, developed an accountability program. Now I get to work with creatives on both a business and personal level.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There is at least one moment every year (usually whenever taxes are due) that I question if I still want to do this. Running a business is hard and remembering what it was like to get a paycheck and benefits and be able to leave work at work makes me assess if it’s all still worth it. And every year, I decided that it is. I think that if you can face those moments and really count the cost and still love it and believe in it enough to pay those costs, you should keep going.
Another struggle has been remembering what success is for me and not comparing or defining success by numbers on social media. For me personally, success is first obedience to Jesus, and then it is about how my clients are doing. If my clients are succeeding in their goals, that matters far more than any other metric.
We’ve been impressed with The Whiteboard Room, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My team works with leaders, writers, artists, and small businesses specializing in ideation, goal setting, and accountability. I have associate coaches who work with other demographics, but I primarily coach creative female leaders. It gets lonely at the top, and I get to come in as an objective voice looking at not only the business or the goal but the person. Typically I’m working with leaders who have been doing their thing for a long time. I tell each of them that I am not about short-term results or seven steps to anything. It is more like the Olympics. If we are working towards a big goal or a lifestyle change, it is going to take time to get there. But the results will be lasting, and more importantly, the process is about the person they are becoming. My favorite quote is by Henry David Thoreau. It says, “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” That is at the heart of what I do.
I am really proud of the unique method we have created and am looking forward to continuing to build on that foundation.
What matters most to you? Why?
From my time in that first cubical job, my mission has been to inspire people to their potential for greatness. It matters to me that people understand the potential they have and that they get the support and encouragement they need to keep fighting for it. In my own life, having people encourage me in my own goals and dreams has been invaluable. I want to stand in the corner of others and do the same.
Contact Info:
- Email: consult.kimb@gmail.com
- Website: www.thewhiteboardroom.com
- Instagram: @thewhiteboardroom
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/THEWBROOM
Image Credits:
Personal Photo (Headshot): Kayla DeSimone Additional Photos: Ramuel Galarza
