For the past year, Courtney Muller has been on an inspiring journey, one that takes place outside the confines of her corporate 9-to-5 job. During weeknights and weekends, she has been diligently working towards a profound mission—to help ambitious corporate millennials find their path to success in the professional world. Today, I'm thrilled to introduce you to Courtney and her remarkable career coaching business, a venture driven by passion, dedication, and an unwavering commitment to empowering the next generation of corporate leaders.
Courtney's recently launched website, courtneymuller.com, is a testament to her determination and vision. In a nutshell, her mission is clear: to assist ambitious corporate millennials in confidently navigating their job searches, ensuring they secure positions they love, and providing them with a clear trajectory for career advancement. Courtney's work is more than just a career; it's her life's purpose. She aspires to inspire millennial job seekers to not only succeed but also to find happiness and make a meaningful impact as corporate leaders.
As Courtney embarks on this entrepreneurial adventure, she invites you to explore her new website and discover the wealth of knowledge, resources, and guidance she offers to those striving to excel in their professional lives. Your feedback is invaluable to her, as she seeks to continually improve and provide the best support possible to her clients.
I'm proud to have had the opportunity to photograph Courtney for her website. Join us in celebrating Courtney Muller's journey as she empowers and inspires the corporate millennials of today to become the influential leaders of tomorrow.
KPP: What inspired you to start your business?
CM: I was inspired to start my career & leadership coaching business to bring my learnings to others struggling with various career advancement challenges. I wanted to give corporate professionals the roadmap I wish I had to navigate my career changes. I wanted to help make the job search process easier & more effective. I also coach people on how to be amazing leaders throughout any stage of their career. Ultimately, I want to help my clients navigate all the career advancement obstacles they experience so they can be happy & successful in their careers.
KPP: What sets your business apart from others in your industry?
CM: My key differentiator is that not only am I a certified career & leadership coach but my career background is as a senior people ops & talent acquisition professional over the last 15 years in various industries. I've led the hiring of hundreds of people across various positions and know what it takes for job seekers to be successful in their job search and stand out from the crowd. My expertise as a coach combined with my corporate background in hiring gives clients great insights into the hiring process and how they can achieve better results. My expertise in corporate leadership development also helps clients to level up their leadership impact.
KPP: What do you love most about your work?
CM: I love helping people achieve their career goals! Whether it be landing the role they've always wanted, getting the promotion they've been unable to get on their own, or just developing leadership skills, my client's wins = my wins. I want my clients to walk away feeling more confident in their abilities than when we started working together. The coaching partnership is powerful and when you see your clients succeeding, it is the most rewarding feeling of all.
KPP: Can you describe your ideal customer and how you serve them?
CM: My ideal customer today is corporate millennials who are struggling to make a career change and/or seeking to develop their leadership skills & have more of an impact. That career change could be various things - changing jobs internally or externally, changing roles/industries, or needing help to figure out what exactly they want to do in their careers. On the leadership front, they could be a new manager navigating the fundamentals of managing a team or someone who has been in leadership roles for years and wants to improve their skills. I serve my clients by establishing a customized roadmap to help them get closer to whatever career advancement goals are most important to them.
KPP: What do you want your clients to feel when they work with you?
CM: I want my clients to feel excited and empowered by our work together because they are FINALLY seeing meaningful progress toward their goals. I want them to feel confident they have a true partner who is there for them to help them navigate the career challenges they are facing and that it can be fun along the way! I want them to feel they have the tools and resources to be more successful in their careers with me and after our work is done.
KPP: How do you stay motivated and inspired in your work?
CM: My motivation is fueled by seeing my clients take action. When clients are showing up, doing the work, and making the changes that allow them to achieve bigger results, that shows me they are committed to the process. That commitment drives the greatest results and reinforces the value of coaching. I'm inspired by people making an investment in themselves and wanting to invest in self-growth through coaching.
KPP: What has been your biggest challenge as a business owner and how did you overcome it?
CM: My biggest challenge is time management because I have two jobs so I'm always pushing myself to be more productive and efficient with how I spend my time. I am a full-time people ops leader & coach in the corporate world and my secondary role (the side hustle) is a business owner. Both are important to me and by default, the corporate role takes up the majority of my time. At my core, I'm a highly ambitious and motivated person so it's not uncommon for me to work long hours/weekends because I love what I do. At the same time, a focus on health & wellness is critical to this equation to ensure that I can show up as my best self for all the people I work with.
KPP: What advice would you give to someone just starting out as an entrepreneur/business owner?
CM: Be patient with the process and aim to learn something new every day. Results may not come as quickly as you want but you have to stay focused on the end goal. If you put in the work, the results will come. Surround yourself with people who are experts in your field who you can learn from. One of the best investments I made in myself was to hire a business coach who helped me navigate how to launch a coaching business. Having someone to hold me accountable and provide me with the roadmap to get where I wanted to go was invaluable. I continue to seek out new learning opportunities and certifications that will allow me to be even more effective as a coach and support my clients better. I would recommend anyone to be on that constant learning path so they can continue to level up their skills to those they serve.
KPP: How has personal branding photography helped your business?
CM: Personal branding is critical, especially in an industry like coaching where it's highly saturated. You have to find ways to stand out and celebrate your unique qualities and offerings to clients. It was very important to me to have a strong website that showed who I am and how I serve my clients. The photography component was essential to telling my story and for people to connect with me and envision how coaching with me could help them achieve great results.
KPP: What advice do you have for other business owners looking to invest in personal branding photography?
CM: I cannot stress enough that personal branding photography is 100% worth the investment. How you show up online (website, social media, etc.) and through your marketing materials is a reflection of you and your business. Find a photographer who is skilled in this area and who is thoughtful, creative, and dedicated to helping you achieve the results you're looking for. Kelly Power was an amazing fit for me and I couldn't be happier with the photography she created for my business website. She had a thorough process and the results were excellent. She was also just great to work with and I would highly recommend her to anyone!
KPP: Where can people learn more about your services?
CM:
Behind the scenes:
Makeup & Hair - Lauren Garcia
www.Instagram.com/laurengarciamakeup
Locations:
Lady Bird Town Lake Running Trail
PeerSpace Rental
CoWorking Space
