We had the good fortune of connecting with Therisa Means and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Therisa, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
As a 35-year-old woman, I have had multiple businesses over the years. Some were short lived, some were more side hustles and some were extremely successful. Of course, each time I started out on a new adventure in business I wanted it to be successful. I always pictured the end being successful, however, successful was not the outcome for all of them. At some point or another, I had to decide whether to keep going or to give up. There were a few questions I asked myself when I came to these crossroads.

1. Am I aligned with God?
At the end of the day, God gave me the ideas, talents, and favor to pursue my businesses. If I was going to follow my purpose of bringing the love of Christ into different industries, I had to ensure that I am always in alignment with God. That meant I had to be certain that I was seeking Him first and getting His input in my business.

I will be honest and say that it is definitely easier said than done. A LOT of times I would get caught up in the hustle and bustle of every day life as an entrepreneur and forget to consult my Creator. When I realized this, I would have to realign myself and see what God has to say about my business and if I should keep going or give up. This alignment would guarantee that my heart posture was right for providing exceptional services to the world.

2. Am I aligned with my original business plan?
After I would check my heart posture, I would check the original plan. I would have to analyze if I was currently doing the business as it was intended. If I’m being honest, a lot of my unsuccessful businesses failed because I didn’t have a legit plan. I had the overall vision but I didn’t sit down and devise a legitimate plan in partnership with Christ (see how that first alignment with Christ is necessary). The businesses that had a real legit business plan that was in alignment with Christ always had a roadmap to follow. When I looked at my business, if it wasn’t in line with the original business plan, that meant I had exited the roadmap at some point and I needed to get back in line with the plan. This alignment would guarantee that I am, in fact, doing the business as it was intended to be done.

3. Do I have an exit plan or pivot strategy?
After considering the two alignment postures from above, I had to check on if I needed to do a pivot or exit. The business plan would help with that because there would have already been strategies in place for both.

Looking over the plan, I could see where my business lines up and access the pivoting strategies to see if I was in a position to pivot, according to the plan, OR if I was in a position to exit, again according to the plan. This is where a true self analysis, a business analysis and lots of prayer would happen.

Asking God to open my eyes to the truth and praying for wisdom and guidance were game changing moves during this part. You would be surprised at what God reveals when you simply ask.

Unfortunately, sometimes after these analysis, I would recognize that it’s time to exit and so, I would follow the directions that I had in my business plan for exiting. BUT most times, I just needed to pivot: whether it was pivoting back to the original plan or changing up how my services are offered to best serve my customers. Either way, a decision had to be made, a plan had to be followed and I had to be OK with the experience.

4. What can I learn from this opportunity?
After acting on whether to keep going or quit my business, I had to self-reflect on what I could learn from this situation. I look at situation, good or bad, as an opportunity to learn something. I want to ensure that I don’t make the same mistakes again and that I am ready to take action to avoid issues before they turn into failure. You must understand that you never fail if you learn a lesson.

Ultimately, asking myself these questions and truly being honest with myself about the answers is the key to knowing whether to keep going or to give up.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I would definitely consider myself a Creative, and as a Creative, I have a couple of different business avenues that I consider my art. I am a Keynote Speaker, the Podcast Host for Behind The Highlight Reels show, the Co-Founder of Happy Pup And Play Pet Care Services, and a Business Consultant.

As a Keynote Speaker, I speak at events about the paralyzing power of fear and how to overcome it, how to effectively manage your mindset, and how to stay motivated in today’s world. I use my stories and experiences to connect with different audiences to provoke their growth towards life changing transformations.

With Behind The Highlight Reels, I create platforms for authentic & powerful conversations by using my transparency, experiences and knowledge to provoke people to move beyond their fears and evolve as leaders, business professionals and more importantly, as individuals.

With Happy Pup And Play (HPAP), my Co-Founder Coco (my dog) and I help Pup Parents provide the best care for their Pups so that they can enjoy a happy life together. We do this by offering a uniquely phenomenal mix of pet services to take care of the needs of both the Pups and Pup Parents, creating wonderful long lasting experiences! With HPAP, we tackle issues like separation anxiety, nervous chewing, social anxiety, destructive behavior, etc., caused by lack of socialization or exercise with our interactive and unique services.

As a Business Consultant and Leadership Development Coach, I steer struggling creatives and entrepreneurs to clear & sustainable business success using my proven strategic roadmaps & coaching programs. It’s my personal mission to show others how to change their circumstances by shifting their perspectives, thoughts and words to create strategies and processes for business, relationship and life improvements.

Overall, with all of my businesses my goal is to ensure that everything I do reflects Christ’s love through service and life-changing experiences as I inspire others to do the same.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Honestly, I don’t really have a favorite spot in the city. I’m originally from North Carolina and I am just relocating back to North Carolina after living in Alabama for 6 years. I am relearning this area that I called home for most of my life. I am super excited about all of the fresh and new things that North Carolina has established since I have been away, and I am in the process of exploring it all. So, if my best friend was visiting the area from out of town I would continue to explore my state with him. We would check out some of the marvelous outdoor artwork that’s plastered on the buildings around the city by some amazing local artists. We would go walking downtown to stop in at some of the interesting restaurants and small businesses tucked away in the alleyways of Charlotte. We would laugh until we cried at a couple comedy shows at The Comedy Zone. We would walk some of the breathtaking greenways and gardens with my dog, Coco. Maybe even do a little shopping at Concord Mills. Or explore some of the small vineyards right outside of the city. With so many events and activities in Charlotte and the Triad area, I doubt we would ever be bored.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My Shoutout goes out to God and my Grandmother.

Without Jesus Christ, I would never have had the talent, gifts, or strength to pour back into people the way I do. God literally gives me the power and authority to serve people in all of my businesses and if it wasn’t for Him or having a strong foundation in my faith, I would have quit a long time ago.

The last part of my Shoutout goes to my Grandmother, Ida Mae Caldwell. She would always tell me “I’ll pray while you work.” She taught me the power of prayer, fasting and loving your neighbors (even your enemies). I truly believe it was her silent prayers and petitions with God that gave me a hedge of protection around me and all that I do in life. Having a praying Grandmother is like a secret weapon.

Website: https://www.HappyPupAndPlay.com

Instagram: @Therisa_M

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TherisaMeans

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Therisa_M

Other: Email: TherisaSpeaks@gmail.com

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