Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Watkins.
Hi Ashley, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I am originally from Buffalo, New York. I grew up very poor so I always dreamed of living in Los Angeles. I can remember daydreaming about living amongst the palm trees. I was an overweight child. I struggled with my weight, self-identity, self-esteem and mental health from as early as I could remember. My dream was to grow up and be healthy, wealthy and free from pain. My obesity affected my childhood so much that I ended up in physical therapy for my aching joints by the time I was 14. After graduating from college, having two children in my early twenties and observing poverty, violence and depression everywhere in Buffalo, I knew I had to transform my life for my sons. My estranged dad had moved to South Central when I was eight years old. We had remained in contact so I began to rebuild my relationship with him. So I did it. I lost 100 pounds, flew to LA and started my new life.
After receiving a paralegal certificate from UCLA and struggling as a single parent in South Central, I was determined to dig my way out of the inevitable path of struggle. I started Body by Ashley in 2012, a traveling personal training business, where I pulled up to anyone, anywhere to help them transform their bodies like I did. At the same time, I grew a very supportive following on Instagram and the word started to get out that I was the one to go to if you wanted to get in shape. I grew that business to serve thousands through in person and online personal training including helping seniors get in tip top shape. Life was good until a serious of unfortunate events wiped it all away. On New Year’s day in 2017, I received a devastating call at 3am from my mom. My younger brother had been murdered in Buffalo. That event snowballed into multiple murders in Buffalo and my past had come back to haunt me. Shortly after my dad passed away from stage 4 lung Cancer. All while I had been planning to grow Body by Ashley to Atlanta and other states. My boyfriend at the time ghosted me and my life seemed to be spiraling out of control. I exhausted my savings trying to funding these losses and trying to be the best parent I could be and still lost it all. Little did I know, this was going to be my testimony. After going to therapy, doing the emotional, spiritual, and physical work to get back in shape, I utilized the same business strategies to rebuild my entire life.
Through that journey, I found my true passion: to support and teach entrepreneurs how to organize, strategize and grow their businesses. During those most trying moments, it was my entrepreneurial spirit combined with the emotional and mental healing I needed to rebuild my life. I realized most people do not bounce back from experiences like this. There are so many people that come from traumatizing childhoods, neighborhoods, relationships and families that have heavy burdens that get in the way of pursuing their dreams. I realized how much our communities of color do not have enough motivation for entrepreneurs. So Coach Ashley, the business consultant was born. I now help hundreds of entrepreneurs with business goal setting, strategic goal setting and marketing. As a full-service consulting agency, we help entrepreneurs who are where I was when I started Body by Ashley. I teach techniques to help business owners attract leads and build relationships and a community. It was a community that saved me and my family. I believe life is about serving. If you find a way to serve and live in your purpose, you can monetize your dream and save yourself.
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?
The road has been more than rough. From being born into a family filled with addiction, mental illness, drug use and violence, it has all been rough. I used to cling to the narrative of being a struggling Black mother who came from nothing. Now I use my transformation to remind people that they can release the victim mentality and create the life they want, no matter what struggles they have along the way.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
My consultancy is an agency dedicated to entrepreneurs looking to organize, reach their ideal client, and increase sales. We specialize in business planning, digital marketing and content marketing, which is the future for most entrepreneurs. I deliver one on one mentorship through business coaching for entrepreneurs that may not know the “ropes” of starting and running a business. Many entrepreneurs need support and accountability to grow their business and survive inevitable pitfalls. I teach clients research and development skills so they are creating valuable offers for their market. We develop and implement branding, marketing and sales strategies then analyze market data for improvement.
We also provide done-for-you marketing services. Our approach is that we do not support overworked soloprenuers. Once entrepreneurs reach the appropriate stage in their business, marketing projects can be delegated to our dedicated team to give business owners the freedom they deserve. Most people are afraid to hire because they are not meeting sales goals, which is why we focus on developing content strategies to attract more sales and make the business profitable first.
I also have a private community on Facebook of over 500 small business owners who network, engage and support one another. One of our visions is to create a safe community for entrepreneurs to learn valuable skills to grow their businesses through genuine networking opportunities.
I launched Big Business Planner and now available on my website. The Big Business Planner is our biggest project so far. It is a digital, interactive planner designed to help entrepreneurs write their business plan, marketing plan, sales plan and more. With this planner, entrepreneurs will be able to reverse engineer their goals, breaking them down into daily tasks to move their businesses forward faster and eliminate confusion, procrastination and disorganization.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I attribute a big part of my success to my mother and father. As an adolescent, we don’t appreciate our parents. We blame them for why we are the way we are, especially our negative attributes. Once I matured spiritually, I thank God for my parents, the sacrifices they made, the decisions they made. I now understand, they did the best they could. I also have to give a big shout out to my therapist. Margaret Mitchell in Inglewood, not only was she my therapist, she was a safe place, a mentor and a toolbox of resources, books and affirmations that changed my life. Lastly, I give credit to my social media audience. People underestimate the power of a group of people who believe in you, support you and see you for you.
Pricing:
- $25 – First Consultation
- $299 – 2 Hr Business Strategy Call
- $600 Private Monthly Coaching
- $1800 Done-For-You Marketing Package
- $150-$200 Collaborations
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.coachashleywatkins.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/coachashleywatkins
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/accountabilitycoachashleywatkins
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIejt63ZM50
Image Credits
Photo Credit : Vanessa Vaz, Derek Bean
