Meet Kim Argetsinger | Business Coach & Mentor

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

Hi Kim, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Most of us start our entrepreneurial journey because we see a need in the market or because we have a passion and purpose for a kind of work we simply can’t ignore. At this stage, business is personal, it’s a dream, a desire, it’s a fire inside us, it’s our “baby”, and it’s often all about us, the entrepreneur.

I was no different. I started my business because I couldn’t shake my passion for coaching and business – I’d secretly do this work for free if I didn’t also respect money and need it in our 3D reality.

When I started this journey, my business defined me. I patted myself on the back for “eating, sleeping, and breathing” my work.

And, every milestone was personal and meant something about me, my abilities, my worth. Every failure hit me hard.

And, if you know anything about business, you can imagine, this is tough mindset to successfully run, grow, and scale a business from.

Yes, you need an idea you feel fired up about to get you to take that hardest first step to start your business, and the passion, desire, and perseverance to keep showing up during the more challenging start-up phase.

But, what I’ve since learned and seen to be true 7 1/2 years later that’s allowed me to grow into a successful, booked out, multi-six-figure coach, is how essential it is to define and own my role as a CEO, so you aren’t making or taking business personally, and able to treat and run your business like a business.

Shifting and redirecting your focus past yourself and onto your business and its needs instead of your own, as well as onto your people, the clients you serve, and your audience – who your business is really about – changes the game.

Because when you shift the focus off of ‘me, me, me’ and make it about ‘you, you, you’, the results that follow change.

Learning how to step into my role as a CEO and lead with a neutral mindset has made it possible to see my business isn’t personal or about me – even if I personally care deeply about it and my clients. This approach has supported me to build a business that runs like a well-oiled machine, instead of one that’s always at the mercy of my personal whims or feelings (I’m so here for feeling your feels, but not always using them to make strategic decisions or guide the actions I take in business).

Learning how to operate from neutral, like a CEO, allows me to identify and close the right gaps in my business, creatively and strategically problem solve, show up consistently for what the business needs to stay in momentum, grow and lead a team, and most importantly, show up to coach and serve my clients in a way that’s all about the person in front of me and their needs, not my own, so they can get their own big six, multi-six, and seven-figure results in business. Because my clients are the star and focal point of my business and why I do what I do. Ironically, being in my CEO role and not taking my business personally has allowed me to personalize my approach to support the people that make this business a success: my clients and my team.

What should our readers know about your business?
My path to coaching and business isn’t linear. I didn’t even know the coaching industry existed and stumbled upon it when I was in transition and found myself at a New Year’s Eve party talking to a very successful coach. I had no idea at the time, of course, all I remember is thinking, ‘What is this woman doing? My brain is clicking. I want to do THIS, whatever THIS is for the rest of my life.”

I had recently ended my ten years in LA and decade-long acting career and picked up to “start over” in NYC and had busted my behind to break into the advertising world as a director’s rep and junior agent.

A week later after meeting that coach, I enrolled in a year-long coaching program. And, fast forward 8 1/2 or 9 years later and as they say, the rest is history.

That’s how I got “here” and now run my business that brings in multi-six-figure years from my dream apartment in Dumbo, NY and live what I call my “pinch me happy little life” with my husband, doing the work that lights me up, leading a dream team of five that supports me behind-the-scenes, serving a booked out roster of clients I adore, many of who have worked with me for years and years and have created their own big results and scaled to six, multi-six, and seven-figures.

It really IS as great as it sounds, AND I say that because I think so often we hear stories like this, and the punchline is someone telling you how stressed out they are, how miserable they are, or how much they secretly want to burn it all to the ground.

Was it easy? Yes and no. Truthfully, I’ve found, business is as simple or as complicated as you make it. Me? I made it very complicated and way harder than it needed to be at the start. My biggest learning curve was getting out of my own way, and trusting myself and that what I knew and what I was doing was enough.

Do I work hard? Absolutely and also not all. I run a 1:1 coaching business, meaning I work a full week, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I picked this and this schedule, and it’s very much by design. But, I do absolutely show up to work, and it does take work to run and maintain my business. Is it “hard” work. Again, I think so many things are as hard or as simple as we make them. There have been countless challenges and seasons that *felt* hard, but that’s been more a mindset than about the work itself. As an entrepreneur, I do think you have to be willing to sit in discomfort and often take the actions others aren’t willing to take, but I love the journey and continue to love the process.

I think my background, and my lens and approach to business and coaching sets me apart. That, and I’ve very intentionally decided to focus on only offering 1:1 coaching in an industry where most coaches with my level of experience scale themselves out of 1:1 and into group programs of some sort. I’ve created my business by design and my success on my terms and my way. I’m most proud of this, and this makes the success that much sweeter to enjoy.

Instead of a traditional business background, I bring ten-years of experience as an actress to my coaching approach and philosophy, which is all about being the CEO of a small business. During this time, I not only learned what it means to develop a personal brand, the art of rejection, and the grit required to succeed as an artist and entrepreneur, but also what it means to to market and sell your craft and put your personal sh*t aside and show up as a professional on set where lots of people are counting on you to bring it, and big dollars are being spent to produce a product.

Being on productions and sets across the world and interacting with agents, producers, and directors has given me a unique lens for business. And, my special talent as an actress also means I have an understanding of people, relationships, and what drives human behavior, which is the core of what drives business success.

One of my coaching superpowers, thanks to my acting days, is being able to embody the ‘character’ of my clients’ ideal clients, so I’m able to better support them with positioning, and tapping into the words, content, and copy that connect with their people and sell.

I also often use the structure of film and television scripts to support content marketing and the kind of storytelling that captivates an audience. And, I love using character development to help my clients see being a CEO as a role they can define, own, and step into. Film sets are whole businesses of their own, and this is where my understanding of leading and running a team as well as strategically producing an outcome was informed.

This also means, like so many actresses, I spent a decade working in a bar serving cocktails. I think I learned more about human behavior here than I did getting my degree in psychology. Slinging drinks is also where I got my masters in customer service and sales, and it paid me very well.

Before starting my business, like I mentioned, I picked up and moved to NYC to ‘start over’, and spent a few years working as a junior agent representing directors in the advertising world. I had an incredible boss and mentor who was a small business owner. She taught me so much about what it means to be a CEO and run a successful and profitable business.

I also got insight into how some of the top companies decide to spend their advertising dollars and the kind of creative campaigns that made the cut and created conversions. So much of what I now teach and coach my clients around when it comes to marketing and sales was learned or honed in this job.

Being an agent was never my calling, but combined with background in psychology, acting, and the service industry, this has all brought me to where I am today business-wise. I don’t know anyone else with my unique background, level of experience, and personal and client results, and I believe this sets me apart from others. More importantly, I believe this why my clients get the kind of results that don’t make sense and aren’t the statistical norm, and why they often renew and work with me for years. For my small business and 1:1 roster of about 20 clients (up to 25), we’ve had 15 clients grow to their first six-figures, many more to multi-six, and two from early stages in business to a million+, with more clients on track for their first six-figures and one on track for their first seven-figure year in 2023.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Since I’ve moved to NYC from LA, I’m not as ‘in’ on the newer places to explore, but I know if I were coming back for a weekend trip to visit, I’d want to get a coffee and pastry or lunch at Urth Cafe. Then, I’d want to go to Malibu or Santa Monica for a walk along the beach and take a drive the long way there or back along Sunset. I’ve always loved that drive.

In the evening, I’d want to get drinks at Chateau Marmont and people watch. I might check out Dan Tana’s for dinner and some more old school Hollywood feels.

The next day, I’d get coffee in Silverlake at LaMill or Intelligentsia before going for a hike in Griffith Park. Then, I’d stop in Los Feliz at Little Dom’s for lunch. If I was feeling more like shopping, I’d hit Melrose and some of the high end stores the following day because it’s the kind of fun shopping you can’t do anywhere else. If I was wanting to people watch and feeling fancy, I’d get lunch at the Ivy.

There are so many incredible restaurants in LA, but in the evening, I’d go back to an old favorite up Laurel Canyon Blvd called Pace. I might get a drink at Bar Covell or see what live music is happening. Live music in LA is always magic because there’s some of the best talent in the world, and you never know who’s going to drop in to do a cameo or perform after hours.

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 coach and mentor of 5 years and going, Lacey Sites. Lacey is who taught and coached me to think like a CEO and run my business like a business. I’m forever grateful to her and for her support. She’s supported me through every stage of business, every mindset growth edge and wobble, and helped take me from making hundreds and thousands per month with a handful of clients to booked out making recurring multi-five-figure cash months. More importantly, I’m a better coach, human, wife, friend and able to support my clients and make my work about them because I have her support.

Website: kimargetsinger.com

Instagram: @kimargetsinger https://www.instagram.com/kimargetsinger/

Facebook: FB Group with 16.8k members, Business Besties & Creative Bosses: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessbestiesandcreativebosses

Other: podcast: ONE Question: Unapologetic Questions for Unapologetic Results iTunes: apple.co/3qFWHi7 Amazon: https://amzn.to/3S3YomT Website: kimargetsinger.com/podcast Spotify: bit.ly/onequestionpodcast

Image Credits
Arianna Sharfman http://www.ariannasharfmanphotography.com/