Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Kunzie.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
As a kid, I grew up with entrepreneurial parents. My dad owned his own plastic company, and my mom had a home store. After School, I would spend my days pricing items, merchandising, calculating the daily sales, and closing shop. Retail was in my blood, so naturally, it was what I studied in school.
Shortly after graduating with my degree in retail management, I landed a spot into a training program with an amazing company that would ultimately launch me into my dream job as a buyer. A retail buyer three months out of school? Unheard of. I was living the dream! Or so I thought.
Shortly into the new gig, I realized that this dream — what I had thought about since I was little — was draining me. At the end of the day, I felt incredibly empty and unfulfilled. So I changed companies and went to work for another retail company with an amazing boss in the city I loved most. It was fulfilling for a while but sure enough, that gig fizzled out as well and I was feeling that same pit in my stomach.
This pattern continued for the next four years of my life. As that pressure built to figure out my next move, it became unbearable. My mental health declined. I needed to make a drastic change. I needed to stop living the life that I thought others wanted me to live. I needed to start living the life that I wanted.
While I was chasing “my dreams” and going after all of the things I thought I wanted, I ignored my values — what was important to me, and the need to help others. One of my biggest passions is supporting others to realize their full potential and challenging them to do the things they never thought they could. Luckily, I was doing this along the way here and there with coworkers, but not so much for myself. That was my breakthrough point.
After multiple frantic and desperate calls to a friend, I was introduced to a career coach. I had an inspiring conversation and at the end of it, I realized I too had been coaching friends and co-workers. It was my “side hustle” before I even knew what that was.
Less than a year later, jumped right into a training program, obtained my certification in coaching, and never looked back. By coaching professionals in the retail industry, I’m able to combine my love for retail and coaching into my dream job. I now work with individuals, teams, and companies to help them become the best versions of themselves.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Of course not, but that’s what made it exciting — and worth it. One of the biggest struggles was coming to terms with who I was and what I really wanted. It was easy and comfortable going from job to job, working for someone else and climbing the corporate ladder.
But deep down inside I knew I was born to be an entrepreneur. It was in my blood. I always knew I had the drive that would be necessary to open my own business — and now I had the tools and certifications necessary to practice my craft.
But the one thing I didn’t expect to stand in my way? Fear. At some point, every direction I turned felt so wrong, that facing my fears and finally striking out on my own became my only option.
Mark Your Dash – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am a Certified Professional Coach! So ‘what in the heck does that actually mean’ you may be asking? I help people who feel “stuck” get unstuck. I work with individuals and teams to go from good, to great!
When you work with me you can expect to dig deep into who you really are, what you really want, where you want to go, and what your dream life looks like. From there, we develop a plan to get you living the life you didn’t think you could. I love pushing people out of their comfort zone, pushing them further than they thought they could go, challenging their current beliefs, and supporting individuals to realize that they shouldn’t be asking themselves “What am I capable of?” but instead “What am I not capable of?”
Whether it’s working with teams to be more efficient and achieve success or working with individuals to get that next promotion, achieve their goals, feel happier at work, or figure out what exactly that next step looks like, I work with people to reach their best. Even if you don’t feel like you’re struggling, you don’t need to be sick to get better!
What sets me apart? I would say my experience in the industry, and love for making it a better place. Retail can be challenging, especially with so much changing and shifting over to e-commerce. But it can also be a very challenging and rewarding field to work in. I have experienced the challenges of the industry, therefore I can truly relate to my clients. I became the coach that I needed most several years ago!
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I love this question, mainly because of how much the answer has changed in the past few years. If you had asked me this question five years ago, my answer would have been based on what I thought others wanted for me. Now? I would define success as living my life on my terms, and not letting anyone else define my success.
It’s been a journey and a process. But I can truly say that I am living my life on my terms, according to what I want. Everything I do is aligned with who I am, my values, and what is important to me. It is through living the life I want, feeling aligned with who I am, and knowing exactly where I am going, that I can be the best coach possible, and help others to define, and live their own definition of success.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.markyourdash.com
- Phone: 8152453989
- Email: laura@markyourdash.com
- Instagram: markyour_dash
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markyourdash/
Image Credit:
Lisa Beard
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