Mindy Aisling | Serial Entrepreneur
You could call me a serial entrepreneur, a small business jack-of-all-trades. Both my parents were entrepreneurs, and both sets of grandparents were entrepreneurs. I grew up spending long nights in my mom's photo lab, entering receipts into my dad's Quickbooks at his auto shop, and checking in guests at my grandparent's hotel when I visited them in the summer. As an adult, I've successfully owned and operated 4 different small businesses. Entrepreneurship is in my blood, my bones & my soul. It forms the cornerstone of my value system. I believe that each person has a unique calling - and whatever yours is (selling dog cupcakes or importing airplane parts), I want to help you succeed at it.
When you are raised by entrepreneurs, you grow up living and breathing small business. In the series of photos above, it is midnight and I'm in my PJ's at my mom's photo lab helping her document a process for the employee handbook. You see, I began thinking about small businesses, and solving the challenges presented to small businesses when I was just a cub. I'm so grateful to my parents for teaching me from a young age how to be an entrepreneur, and I am thrilled when I get to use all my education and experience to help other entrepreneurs (and their families) thrive.
Mindy Aisling | History of Entrepreneurship
If there is one thing that I've learned through the process of growing up in small business, owning my own businesses, and helping other small businesses succeed, it is this: There is never enough time to do everything that needs to be done. Oftentimes, small businesses stagnant their growth, limit their potential - or even harm their success by not finding the support they need to continue to evolve. That is where I come in. I'm your go-to gal for all the support you need. Together, I have 100% confidence that we can take your business further than you've ever imagined.
I graduated high school and started college when I was 16. I opened my first business when I was 20. I started young, and my passion for small businesses has never decreased. In fact, I've even had people call me "too passionate" about small business success. Between you and me, I don't think there is such a thing. I believe small businesses help shape our communities, and our communities help shape our world. We need a foundation of flourishing small businesses in order to build a thriving world. Period. The work that you are doing matters.
My first business was launched with my husband at the time. We offered painting and maintenance services in all of Washington. Most of our business was in Bellingham, where we had contracts with all of the dorms at WWU, and local apartment complexes. Additionally, we painted custom homes from Blaine to the Cowlitz River and all over the San Jan Islands. We ran several crews, and I managed all of the bids, customer service, scheduling, HR, and back-end work, including bookkeeping & payroll.
At the NAMM Show in Los Angeles, Ca
My second business was a saxophone mouthpiece company. Together, with my partners, we took the business from an at-home garage business to a million-dollar manufacturing business in just about a year. I adored the unique problem-solving this business offered me (How do you get ligatures made in China? What is injection molding, and could it work for our mouthpiece covers? What is the best way to ship internationally? How can we shape our new mouthpiece to create the sound that musicians have been asking for?). I also loved working with musicians (like the great Jeff Coffin and amazing Tim Izo Orindgreff) and helping them find the tools they needed to achieve the sounds they were looking for. I also had the opportunity to work closely with our machine shop, learn lean manufacturing techniques, engage in constructive teamwork, and embrace conflict as a positive tool for optimal growth.
Mindy Aisling | Successful Life Coach
In 2010 I graduated from iPEC, one of the most highly acclaimed coaching schools in the world, and I launched my own Life Coaching business. I served clients all over the world (before telehealth was mainstream), and was highly successful both locally and internationally. In my second year of coaching, I was featured in the New York Times as a successful coach under 40. Locally, in Port Angeles, Wa (where I was located at the time), I co-wrote a grant that court mandated at-risk teens and their parents to attend a workshop that I designed to increase developmental assets. I wrote and developed 100% of the curriculum for this (and many other) educational courses. I was a keynote speaker for a variety of groups from the Soroptimists to Unity Church, I offered a series of classes and workshops across the Olympic Peninsula, hosted community enrichment & advocacy events in my community, and coached individuals and couples both locally and remotely.
Mindy Aisling | Serving The Community
My husband and I relocated to Bend in 2015, I moved my coaching business and I also began volunteering for Deschutes Circuit Court as a mediator, and the Downtown Bend Business Association (DBBA) as a business liaison. In 2018, the DBBA Executive Director had to resign suddenly, and the board of directors asked me to take over the position. Being excited to challenge myself with something new, I put my coaching business on hold and dedicated myself to the growth and development of Downtown Bend. Originally, I thought this would be a short-term gig until the board was able to find new leadership. It turned out, however, that I really loved the work - and furthermore, I was good at it. I was able to double the organization's income in 2 years, optimize programs to save money, and expand the scope of work so that the organization was serving local businesses in more ways. I successfully navigated the organization through the global pandemic that hit in 2020, and thanks to my previous work efforts, the organization had enough in reserves to operate even in the midst of a global pandemic canceling all fundraising events for two years.
Mindy Aisling | Coming Home
In 2022, it was time to move on, and I resigned from my position as Executive Director of the DBBA. After taking some time off to recover from burnout, I discovered that I wanted to combine all of my strengths and skills - so, I met with business owners and past coaching clients, and with their input, I designed my services.
I am thrilled to be returning to coaching. The truth is, I love helping people. I am a supporter at the core of my being. Coaching is a skill set that I am good at and a career where I can actively witness core coaching techniques producing positive results in people's lives - every single day. This is incredibly rewarding. As a coach, I am an expert at asking questions that unlock the wisdom and clarity that my clients already possess inside themselves. My logical, straightforward nature naturally lends itself to assisting others in mastering positive habits that have a direct positive impact on their goals and personal development.
We've all heard the saying, "Wherever you go, there you are", and I'm here to tell you that is the absolute truth. YOU are the cornerstone of everything in your life (including your business). It can be a bit frightening to realize the weight of this truth. However, after you accept this responsibility for yourself and your life - you can never go back. You now are the leader of your life, and anything you want to change about yourself, your life, or your business is completely in your power. Yeah, it's BIG... and it's pretty dang cool.
I am thrilled to be returning to coaching. The truth is, I love helping people. I am a supporter at the core of my being. Coaching is a skill set that I am good at and a career where I can actively witness core coaching techniques producing positive results in people's lives - every single day. This is incredibly rewarding. As a coach, I am an expert at asking questions that unlock the wisdom and clarity that my clients already possess inside themselves. My logical, straightforward nature naturally lends itself to assisting others in mastering positive habits that have a direct positive impact on their goals and personal development.
We've all heard the saying, "Wherever you go, there you are", and I'm here to tell you that is the absolute truth. YOU are the cornerstone of everything in your life (including your business). It can be a bit frightening to realize the weight of this truth. However, after you accept this responsibility for yourself and your life - you can never go back. You now are the leader of your life, and anything you want to change about yourself, your life, or your business is completely in your power. Yeah, it's BIG... and it's pretty dang cool.
Mindy Aisling: "Small Business Matters"
I believe that small business matters in big ways. I hope that you will allow me to help you and your business be the best that it can be. Contact me today, and let's talk about where you are, where you want to go, and how I can assist you in getting there.
Thrive and help thrive, it really is the way of the future!
Thrive and help thrive, it really is the way of the future!