Meet Nancy Barnett of eL3

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nancy Barnett.

Hi Nancy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I never saw myself as an entrepreneur or small business owner. Most of my career was in corporate America. My last position was the Director of Training for AAA, and I loved it. However, in 2008 a friend approached me about starting a business together that would blend both of our skillsets. I was intrigued. A month before the economic crash occurred in 2008, we jumped without much planning but with great energy and hope. Our first business, Apis Business Solutions, was launched. It was an accounting firm focused on small business owners that included educating them about good financial management. In 2009, we won a national contest through QuickBooks, which offered free money to a few startups in every state. There was an intensive qualifying process, but it helped us solidify our direction and gave us a boost of confidence. We started teaching financial management in the SBDC network, which became a sales funnel. Because of my teaching and consulting background, I began designing other training for the SBDC and became a business consultant for them. Apis Business Solutions was one of the three finalists for “Emerging Business of the Year.”

In 2011. In 2015. I designed a new curriculum for the popular Leading Edge class. We formed a new company, eL3, LLC, moved the curriculum to an online platform, and started selling it to the SBDC network. The curriculum is an intensive multi-module course that teaches people a) how to think like a business owner, 2) design a financially viable business model before they invest time, money, and effort, 3) create a business plan/strategy that can execute and if needed, obtain funding.

In 2021 we made another pivot. The pandemic forced us to teach on Zoom, and we discovered it worked wonderfully. Classes are still connected and learned in the virtual classroom. We decided to revamp the program and get ready to deliver it directly to the American public. That would allow us to reach individuals that did not have access to some of the great resources we have in Denver. We launched our beta cohort class a couple of months ago with great reviews. The program will be released to the general public in September. 2022. We are also working with other marketing professionals, human resources, insurance, and commercial real estate experts to create mini-courses on each subject.

We love seeing people turn their dream into reality.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Absolutely not. We always tell our students that their new middle name is PIVOT. We have made our share. Not only did we start our initial business during the 2009-10 recession, we now own two companies with very different needs. With our first business, we had a lot of passion and energy but not a lot of planning; I initially believed my corporate skills would transfer over and make me this brilliant business owner. I was in for a rude awakening. We learned on the fly. We made some mistakes. We learned and adjusted. The knowledge we gained from our first business enabled us to create the 2nd one. I taught or consulted with 1000s of people over the last 11 years, which has helped us design entrepreneurial training that is pertinent and valuable to our eL3 students. Running two businesses presents its own set of challenges. I have a business partner, and we have been able to overcome the difficulties together. Being in a partnership has made us so much stronger and more resilient.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We specialize in teaching entrepreneurs and small business owners how to 1) think like a business owner, not an employee 2) how to create a financially viable business model and test it before spending money, time and effort. 3) Understand their financials, create an effective marketing strategy, write a business plan/strategy and understand their funding options. Our goal is to give them the tools to create a business model that will match the lifestyle they want to live and give them the desired financial result. Our online courses include interactive live webinars on individual topics and “Meet the Expert” webinars with attorneys, CPAs, HR, marketing, and HR professionals. Our course navigators answer questions submitted by the students. We also provide information on the free resources available to them to help them start and grow their business.

Our main goal is to become a trusted resource for our students. Our message is “You do not have to do this alone.”

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I would have to say resiliency. Not everything will work out as planned. Outside events can affect any business i.e., recession and pandemic to name a couple. Paying attention to trends and continuous learning can help you adapt more quickly. Being able to get back up after a disappointment or a loss has enabled us to weather adverse business conditions and disappointments.

Pricing:

• 10-week Plan Forward Online Course $597.00

Contact Info:

• Website: https://el3hub.com
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/eL3hub/