Today we’d like to introduce you to Lynn Abaté-Johnson.
Hi Lynn, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been customer-facing since I was nine years old. My immigrant grandparents started businesses in the Detroit area, where many Chaldeans settled outside of Iraq. That region still has the highest population of Chaldeans in the U.S. San Diego County in California has the 2nd highest population (outside of Iraq).
In my younger years, I learned the value of putting customers first; being a servant-leader. My grandparents put everyone in the family to work in some capacity, so it’s always been natural for me to be customer-facing, even when I was nine years old and barely tall enough to see customers over the counter at the snack bar of my grandparent’s roller skating rink.
Today, I am developing my transformational leadership journey through all of the joys and sorrows, wins and losses in my life thus far. From a very young age, I have heeded the teachings of my grandparents. They taught me things like deep listening, looking directly into the eyes of others, warmly greeting people, and many ways of thinking about what is possible, being creative about solutions in life and business. As I have developed these life-skills, they have served me and my community well. I continue to hone these characteristics. I am on a constant path of learning how to navigate my own leadership, as well as guiding others through my online courses and 1:1 work with brands and collaborative teams who want to attract more customers that return and refer others.
When I realized that utilizing social media channels is an additional tool for promoting business, it became critical for me to translate social/digital outreach in the same way we always attracted and retained customers face-to-face, before digital media. For many brands, it’s a challenge to “speak human” on digital channels. Many do not understand that people do business with humans, not logos or boring (and often irrelevant) brand promises. People are not avatars and personas. This is especially challenging to convey warmth and “come hither” vibes through keyboard and screen.
I do this.
I speak human. I teach brands to speak human, and how to translate this to win customer loyalty, and even better – referrals. Digital channels can make this easy, when done properly, and from the heart of the business, where real people offer real value, passionately leading the business. I love teaching others how to #ShowUpYOU, as I am also doing the same for my brand, on and off line. Now, as a two-time International bestselling author and speaker, it’s even more important for me to “walk my talk”, so I’m “in it” every day, constantly learning.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The road to my success has been a circuitous roller coaster. There is no linear path. Things beyond our control can bring many dips, twists, turns. Therefore, I’ve learned to be more discerning with the clients I accept,
I’ve learned to be more specific and to manage expectations on both sides of my relationships,
And most of all, I’ve learned to let go of things I cannot control, and stay in “my lane” – focusing on my gifts and attributes, which I’ve shaped and re-invented over the 20+ years I’ve been sharing my unique approach to True Community building, which leverages digital marketing channels in powerful ways, speaking human-to-human.
One example of a painful lesson is that in my younger years, because I was too casual in taking on one particular entrepreneur, without managing expectations up front, I had to “fire” my highest-paying client. Being a recovering people pleaser, it was extremely difficult for me to come to that conclusion, and do it in a way that my grandparents would have been proud of. It was a huge financial loss, and yet an extremely important lesson, which I’m fortunate to say has not been repeated.
Today, I’m proud to work with each and every brand/entrepreneur, and collaborative team that I engage with. I seem to attract a caliber of clients who are eager and happy to compensate me what I am worth, after decades of experience in building communities on and off line, globally.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am first and foremost a global Community Builder, which means that I identify extraordinary, conscious brands, and I lift them up into the spotlight in very natural, human ways. I speak human, and I teach others how to do the same, to attract the best, most loyal clients and customers. Over time, organically (without ad-spend), the brands I work with magnetize people who fall in love with them and return again and again, and, leveraging digital channels, easily refer friends, family, colleagues around the world. True Community is who I am. What does this term mean? It’s uplifting everyday people in your community by engaging, making them feel seen and heard online. It is not always easy, and yet, I believe it can be learned and have a massive impact over time.
One of my most recent accomplishments is that (for a global brand, and 100% organically) I built a community single-handedly, with a 160% increase in membership over almost 5 years. That means, in real numbers, the community membership (across four social channels) started out at 50,000, and I grew it to 130,000. I’m proud of my body of work over decades of growth – and the real impact I’ve been able to generate with my clients.
I’m well-known for my specialty in Community Building online. Many people are referred to me due to my social media presence and effective content strategies. I also teach this in my 1:1 consulting and course trainings called #ShowUpYOU, which centers human relationships that scale over years and across geographical borders and cultures.
Meanwhile, I’m also known for being a 3X published author, including two International bestselling books and my inspirational speaking with groups, small and large, on and off line. I love to share my personal experiences of transformational growth through being a family caregiver, and someone who has overcome obstacles that I used to be ashamed to speak about. Today, I realize that only by speaking about my lived experiences am I able to give others, especially women, permission to do the same. This is why I love being an author as well.
I love to roller skate and design jewelry. Speaking to groups invigorates me as well, especially in the areas of health & wellness and leadership development. These are more ways in which I express my creativity, which is integrated into my unique ways of growing businesses.
I am an empathetic, authentic, ever-evolving, forever-learning human being, and I’m here to help empower others as I learn and grow in my own leadership journey.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Being surrounded by loving and conscious humans who are eager to learn and grow alongside me makes me happy. I love the ocean and the beach, people watching.
Roller skating with a close knit community of diverse and fun-loving humans is a treat.
Cooking healthy food and becoming more and more fit as I move through the years is a big part of my physical fitness and wellness journey.
Living out my purpose to reveal new horizons and have adventurous experiences gives me a “touchstone”, even when life seems out of control.
I believe that building a successful business and being happy and prosperous are not mutually exclusive.
I believe that we can only help make a difference in the world to the extent we are willing to be curious and do the “inner work” to develop our own leadership, day-by-day, in small and big ways. Making a difference means showing up exactly as I am. Thank you for reading and I look forward to connecting with you.
Pricing:
- My rates are competitive and fair. They vary depending on the scope of each unique project I accept.
Contact Info:
- Website: LynnAbateJohnson.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/lajbiz
- Facebook: Facebook.com/lajbiz
- Linkedin: LinkedIn.com/in/lajbiz
- Twitter: Twitter.com/lajbiz
- Youtube: YouTube.com/@lajbiz
- Other: LynnAbateJohnson.com/offerings
