MEET LENKA LUTONSKA - ENERGETIC SELLING & MARKETING
Trailblazer, Entrepreneur, Mama & all-round Extraordinary Business Coach, there isn’t much that Lenka Lutonska hasn’t overcome and achieved since arriving in the UK from Slovakia at just 19 years old. Working her way up the ladder in hospitality to the award-winning business manager and then setting up her highly successful coaching business only to have it all come crashing down in a matter of months.
As Lenka puts it ‘I was totally wasting my talents and unable to afford a family dinner. I was deeply embarrassed and acutely aware that something had to change – right there and then. So I changed in that moment. I COMMITTED. I refused the struggle to be ‘normal’ for one more day, and decided to claim my brilliance and do whatever it took to succeed’
And succeed she did. Lenka currently runs some of the most powerful transformational coaching programmes on the planet and just to top off her incredible journey to success she has just released her first book too! Here we take a look into the world of a much loved and respected entrepreneur who, when you meet her, is simply beautiful inside and out. I am so proud that she has chosen our platform to bring her story to our readers, but that's just Lenka, always looking to support, encourage and spur her fellow females into action.
SO, LENKA, WHAT’S YOUR STORY?
Born in Slovakia, I moved to the UK at the age of 19. Initially, I started working as a cleaner in McDonald’s however I quickly climbed the company’s ladder to become an award-winning business manager, working with hundreds of incredible people and managing millions in turnover. In the meantime, I studied psychotherapy, counselling, hypnotherapy and, eventually, Neuro-Linguistic Programming. I was – and still am – obsessed with the workings of the human mind. I completed the highest level of NLP study and became the only UK based ABNLP (American Board of NLP – the largest certification board for NLP) trainer with a 100% certification score, it was then that I took a leap and set up my own training and coaching consultancy.
In order to make it happen, I sold my house, car and pretty much everything else I had – so there was no room for failure. I had to make it work. And that I did, from my then boyfriend’s (now husband, Tomas’) kitchen table. Soon enough I had a thriving business and started my family. However, one of my business partnerships went sour and I managed to lose my business in the space of just a few months. Everything was gone – my social media presence, my client database, my website, my money… and most importantly, my confidence.
I decided to start my business again but with a lack of confidence, I could not make any of the traditional selling and marketing techniques work for me. I was struggling. This forced me to look deeper within. When I started to pay more attention to the spiritual nature of my business and trust my intuition, remarkable things unfolded. By focusing energetically on five critical areas of my business, I began to experience rapid growth. And so my principles of Energetic Selling and Marketing were born.
The rest, as they say, is history.
YOU TALK ABOUT ENERGETIC SELLING AND MARKETING; CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT IT?
No matter how far you have come, or how far you have to go, your life and your business have more potential than you have perhaps dared to dream of. Tactics and strategies will not get you there alone but when you take a deeper, more energetic approach you too can create extraordinary results in your business. That is what energetic selling & marketing is about – integrating our spiritual nature into running and growing our business.
I have taught thousands of women the principles of energetic selling and marketing and often they lead to remarkable results: women increasing their fees five times and selling with greater ease; booking themselves solidly with their ideal clients; turning their annual income into their monthly income etc. When we marry business strategy and spirituality, truly anything is possible. That is why I have recently put all the principles into a beautiful book, with the intention to help millions of women worldwide to grow their businesses with much greater ease.
HOW WOULD YOUR BEST FRIEND DESCRIBE YOU?
Down-to-earth, funny, loyal, (sometimes too) honest, generous.
HOW DO YOU HANDLE CRITICISM?
It depends. If I am strong in my conviction, I can brush it off easily. However, sometimes criticism can press my unresolved emotional buttons and then it hurts. A few months ago a big tabloid in my country, Slovakia, published my ‘business success’ story. Hundreds upon hundreds of commenters called me all the horrible names on the planet and it didn’t phase me. But a few of them commented on my English and accent. That made me cry hard. It showed me that I need to get stronger in owning my accent.
WHO INSPIRES YOU?
Every woman who is willing to grow and change – and as such get uncomfortable – in order to live a life of purpose. My clients and women in my audience are my main source of inspiration.
They inspire me every single day
WHAT’S THE MOST EXCITING PROJECT YOU HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH FOR YOUR BUSINESS?
Writing and publishing my book has been a huge learning curve and an incredibly exciting process. I also like to create experiences that not only help other women to grow their businesses but stretch me as a person as well. As such, I created an annual event called Extraordinary Live – a luxury weekend event for women entrepreneurs that is rather unique in its nature and hugely transformative for those who attend. Hosting this event is a dream come true – but the process of putting it all together stretches me sometimes beyond my limits. I find it both terrifying and incredibly exciting at times.
AS A BUSINESS OWNER, ENTREPRENEUR, AUTHOR AND MOTHER OF THREE HOW DO YOU SCHEDULE YOUR TIME TO INCORPORATE EVERYTHING?
When my third son was born, my husband and I decided that the best thing for our family would be for him to resign from his day job and become a ‘stay at home dad’. At the time it was a slightly risky decision but it paid off very quickly - my business more than compensated for my husband’s salary, he is truly the rock of our family and he supports my business endeavours fully.
Apart from that, I have built a small, but incredibly efficient and loving, team of women who support me in my business. As such, thank goodness, I don’t have to work crazy hours. Typically I work no more than 6 hours a day, sometimes more during launches, so this gives me plenty of time to spend with my family and look after myself. Still, incorporating everything can sometimes be a challenge. I’m still learning.
YOU ARE CLEARLY PASSIONATE ABOUT PERSONAL GROWTH; HOW DO YOU TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF AND ENSURE YOUR OWN CONTINUED GROWTH WHEN YOU EXPEND SO MUCH ENERGY IN YOUR BUSINESS?
I always have a coach, typically more than one at a time, on my side. I am a coach but coaching is also my biggest business expenditure. I find it absolutely essential to have someone looking out for when I fall into small thinking, plus through my coaches, I learn new approaches and skills in order to continually grow. I am also an avid reader.
WHAT HAVE YOU FOUND DIFFICULT ON YOUR JOURNEY?
My biggest enemy, as well as my biggest ally, is my own mind. My ego is very strong and sometimes it’s very challenging to overcome its need for safety and security.
WHAT’S YOUR TOP TIP FOR THE AWESOME ENTREPRENEURS READING THIS ARTICLE?
Get to know how your mind works and learn to negotiate with your ego (the part of you that wants to keep you safe, and as such, small) effectively. Using healing modalities is great but it’s the moment-to-moment awareness that – in my experience - makes the biggest difference and can determine whether we grow as women and entrepreneurs, or stagnate.
WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE YOU’VE EVER BEEN GIVEN?
Once I complained to my coach, “Why are things so hard sometimes? When is it going to get easy?”, to which she replied, “Let’s be honest if you are growing, things ARE sometimes hard. But that’s what makes us different from all the people who sit on their sofas and do nothing. We go on even when things are hard. We always find a way. And we grow for it.”
I return to this advice when going through challenging times, knowing that ease is often just moments away.
WHAT’S THE NUMBER ONE PLAYED SONG ON YOUR IPOD?
I love classical music and piano, so it will be Ludovico Einaudi. I know…
WHAT DO YOU KNOW FOR SURE?
Nothing is sure and anything is possible.
DO YOU HAVE A BOOK OR FAVOURITE PODCAST RECOMMENDATION FOR OUR FEMALE CEO MEMBERS?
Apart from my new book, Energetic Selling & Marketing, I highly recommend The Science of Getting Rich by Walles D. Wattles. It’s a little gem. Napoleon’s Hill’s Outwitting the Devil is also a very useful read for all Female CEOs.
AND FINALLY, IF YOU COULD SIT AROUND A TABLE WITH THREE OTHER WOMEN WHO WOULD THEY BE AND WHY?
Arianna Huffington, Marianne Willamson, Oprah – I would love to talk to them about all things business!
If you want to know more about Lenka you can visit her website, or catch up with her on over on Facebook or if you have a question about Energetic Selling & Marketing- you can learn more here.
