There’s something absolutely remarkable and beautiful about women who are not afraid to speak their mind; those who use their voice everyday to put attention to things that need discussing, especially for the betterment of the world.
I’ve always admired Tori and her dedication not just to her business and her clients, but to her communities. She’s a perfect example of a strong, undeniably smart, modern woman who won’t let anything get in her way, and I am so honored to put the spotlight on her for this edition of Women Helping Women.
What inspired you to be an entrepreneur?
I started going down the corporate path in an effort to find “stability” and after about three years of trying to make it work, I realized it was not where I was meant to be. I felt like I was living for someone else’s dream and didn’t like being told what to do and how to do it.
When considering the type of business I wanted to start, it honestly felt like coaching found me. I was always the friend people came to for guidance, and through a series of coincidences I realized I could make a career out of it. As an entrepreneur, I’m inspired by the opportunity and ability to create something out of nothing. And if you think about it, that’s what entrepreneurship really is. It’s taking a risk, believing in the not yet seen, and then going out and creating it. I’ve always been committed to forging my own path, breaking through circumstances and allowing my creativity to guide me towards high service, fulfillment, and freedom.
How are you making a positive difference in the world?
I’m deeply committed to creating a world of harmony, beauty, and justice through my business. And my vision is simple: to empower as many women as possible to financially thrive. In order to do this, I get to go first and allow my life to be an example of what’s possible. My deepest joy is amplifying the voices and visions of female entrepreneurs and leaders who have a desire to make a long lasting social impact. At the end of the day, I believe heart-centred, embodied entrepreneurs will be the ones that shift the way the world operates in a positive way.
What has been the greatest positive impact you have seen your clients or customers face from working directly with you?
I teach my clients how to weather the ups and downs of entrepreneurship with more confidence, integrity, and pleasure. I get messages weekly from clients who are doubling their income, infusing more pleasure into their launches, and reaching a wider audience with their message.
My client, Brielle, went from wavering in her business making $3-$5k a month to having her first five-figure month, creating a scalable breathwork course, and high-touch mentorship experience in just a few months.
Another client went from always worrying about the rug being pulled from underneath her to feeling financially clear about her future.
I see my clients go from having a business in a box—trading dollars per hour as a service provider—to finding their voice and creating authentic, compelling brands online in a way that doesn’t just make them more money but also makes the world a more elevated place.
What does being a purpose driven business mean to you?
In my eyes, a purpose driven business is one that has a social mission, not just a profitable product or a service. When you have a social mission, you’re being led and inspired by something bigger than you. Your business goes from being a machine that needs to perform for you, to being a living, breathing representation of what you stand for in the world.
How did you pivot your business during the pandemic?
The pandemic put a lot of things into perspective for me. It woke me up to the racial injustices that I knew existed but wasn’t consciously giving my attention to (out of survival). I’m half black (dad), half white (mom) and immediately noticed how each side was experiencing the pandemic differently. My dad texted me weekly that people were dying all around him—these were black family members, colleagues, friends, etc. It was clear that my black community was getting hit harder than my white community, and it brought up a lot of emotion for me around my race and identity. I began going inward and dismantling the unconscious privilege and colonization in my business. Little did I know that three months later, we’d experience the death of George Floyd and then a civil rights movement.
As a multi-racial entrepreneur, it was my responsibility to decide a long time ago that I was going to break-free of the odds that were stacked against me. I believe in my unrealistic dreams and that unshakeable faith is what got me where I am today.
In my experience, the online coaching industry lacks depth, true safety, and embodied leadership. It’s a lot of the same regurgitated messaging. So, it was clear to me that my mission is not to just help coaches make more money but actually contribute to larger, deeply important cultural conversations and solutions. I pivoted by calling forth leadership within my industry. I spoke into the uncomfortable truths, provided resources for my community to share, started real conversations, and let go of needing a perfect plan. This created another level of trust, intimacy, and connection with my community.
I look at your business and your spiritual evolution as one in the same. In fact, your business gets to be a spiritual practice for humanity to rise. So as you wake up to unconscious parts of yourself, it gets channeled through your business and then, it becomes a service to the world.
What are your top 5 tips to scale a business or use social media to attract new clients?
1. This isn’t the sexiest answer but hands down, THE best thing you can do for your business is heal unresolved trauma. Particularly, when it comes to money. Understand where your money roots come from and do your part in breaking the chain so you can create consistent, sustainable wealth. Your spiritual growth and business growth are intrinsically connected. And in my experience of growing a 6-figure online business, this is some of the most rich work you can do.
2. Share your most authentic message. Consistently. Show up as the most real version of you—not the version you think you should be to make money. When you do this, you will naturally attract people who resonate with what you have to say and what you stand for. These are the humans that will eventually turn into ideal clients.
3. Focus on building community, not just profit. Of course you need to make money and provide solutions in order to have a successful business, but unless you have a community that can’t wait to change the world with you, it will be a lonely ride uphill. I always remind my clients, “You’re here for the long-game.” This isn’t just a season or quick $10k month. When you say yes to entrepreneurship, you’re saying yes to being the visionary of a new world. You’re saying yes to leadership. In order to create a community that is ready to take action, there needs to be depth, intimacy, and consistency. There’s an edge of depth, consistency, and intimacy that every entrepreneur needs to find within themselves so they can then provide that to their community.
4. Keep it simple. At the end of the day, scaling is simply serving more human beings. You don’t need more bells and whistles to scale, you need powerful transformational offerings and a community of people who deeply trust and resonate with your message.
5. Get wildly comfortable using InstaStories. Think of your instagram stories as your personal reality TV show where you can talk about what you’re creating and reveal the behind the scenes of who you are. Selling online is simply telling people about your offers and programs. Instead of focusing on ‘the sale’, focus on the mission. What’s your mission and how can your InstaStories be a living, breathing representation of what you stand for in the world? Show up consistently with this and you will absolutely see growth.
Where can people learn more?
Follow along on Instagram: @iamtoriwashington or check out my website toriwashington.com