Today we’d like to introduce you to Jackie Martin.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am the CEO and founder of A Matter of Motivation LLC. I consider myself a life-long learner, a leadership junkie and a serial entrepreneur. Since I was in grade school I took every opportunity I could to exercise one of those passions. Throughout the last 20 years I’ve been a solopreneur running multiple small businesses including several direct selling businesses and a contract corporate training service.
I can’t tell you why, but being entrepreneurial always came natural to me. I always loved to create things, but was just too practical to do it just for fun. I figured that if I thought it was cool enough to create, then someone would think it was cool enough to buy. It started with paper flowers in front on my house when I was in middle school, to crime prevention products when I was in my early 20s, to scrapbooking supplies as a direct selling business.
Working for myself allowed me to be there as my kids grew up as well. My husband was our financial anchor and that allowed me to be able to volunteer for every committee and participate in every event along the way. They are now 20 and 23 and appreciate that even though I wasn’t in the traditional corporate track, I was still able to provide an income, earn incentive trips, and still serve clients all around the country and the world.
Has it been a smooth road?
My early struggles were to balance my family life and my business life. Because I was self-employed when I didn’t work, I didn’t make money. So, how I spent my time was crucial all the way around.
When my second child Troy was born and I was just 1 year out of the corporate world, my husband suffered from anxiety and depression so badly that he was unemployed for months and hospitalized for a portion of that time. I had a 3-year-old, an infant and a brand new business that we survived on. It was emotionally and financially the scariest time of my life. He recovered and got a new job that brought us from Texas to Atlanta. It took some time to get back on our feet, but we made it.
10 years later our daughter was diagnosed with anxiety as well. My husband and I both believe God had equipped us well with my husband’s experience to be the best parents we could be for her.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
5 years ago I became a certified John Maxwell leadership trainer and coach and that’s when I began my latest and most exciting venture. This time I wanted to develop a company that was a collaboration of like-minded, growth-focused people who wanted to help others transform their lives and their workplaces.
A Matter of Motivation was born as a training, speaking and coaching organization designed to motivate and equip individuals and business owners to connect to their better self at work and at home.
Research says that 70% of the American workforce is disengaged at work. To me, that’s a crying shame. Life’s too short to be miserable doing what you do every day. Business owners, leaders and ultimately customers want to do work with happy people who care about their work.
We’ve created workshops, motivational presentations, an online course, and coaching opportunities to help create more connected lives and workplaces. But, more personally I want to create a uniquely connected group of individuals to work with me. So, I’m practicing what I’m preaching others to do in order to keep the individuals on my team focused, happy, and connected to each other, to their purpose, and to the end goal of transforming lives.
A Matter of Motivation is on a growth journey right now. We are blossoming and fine-tuning our brand. In the days when I did contract training I was a master communicator and whatever topic a company wanted me to facilitate I would design the custom training and provide that topic. I was a Jackie of all trades.
However, that kind of business just doesn’t work in today’s world. Specialization is important and having to narrow down has been one my greatest challenge. I hate saying “no” to something but I’ve learned that unless it’s a “heck yes!” it needs to be a “heck no!”.
Consequently, we specialize in helping people who feel disconnected from their passion and their purpose to find their fire and fan that flame! We also help business owners who have disconnected employees and workplaces to find the spark that ignites their team through strong leadership and employee-centered motivation.
Our topic specialties include: Leadership, Purpose, Team Engagement and Change Management.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Absolutely! The Atlanta area is a perfect place to grow a business. The business outlook is bright and the general attitude is focused on growth. I live in Forsyth County and am very involved in the Chamber of Commerce. The positive, business-focused atmosphere we experience encourages business owners to expand and grow!
Contact Info:
- Address: 3578 Hope Road
- Website: www.amatterofmotivation.com
- Phone: 678-457-4778
- Email: jackie@amatterofmotivation.com
- Facebook: A Matter of Motivation LLC
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