Age is just a number, we have all heard it but it hardly applies to the real world especially when you are trying to become an entrepreneur. This is a growing concern among women over 40 who are trying to establish their careers in the entrepreneurial world but are feeling stuck and not being catered to.
After realizing this void in the industry, Elsa Morgan made it her mission to fill it with her unrelenting spirit and passion to support aspiring women entrepreneurs. As someone who was born into poverty, Elsa realizes the importance of having an opportunity. Her hardships in life made her stronger and she introduced "The Queenie Effect", a business focused on teaching women to establish their business by curating strategies and helping them stand on their feet.
The Legacy Academy was also born with the same mission, where Elsa provides one on one coaching and group coaching to her students. Now that we have learned so much about her work. it's time to get to know her better.
1) Welcome to our platform Elsa. Our readers are eager to learn more about you and your work. So for starters can you enlighten us, what inspired you to start The Queenie Effect?
Thank you for the opportunity to share with your readers. It is an honour. I had been coaching for two years and after spending that time with many people across all age groups, it became apparent that there was a segment of women that coaching and mentorship was not focused on. I saw an opportunity to create solutions for these women so they could achieve breakthroughs and ultimately results in their businesses.
2) It's amazing to learn that you have taken such a thoughtful initiative in the industry. But what approach do you take in teaching your students about entrepreneurship considering they are above 40?
This is a tough one as I could write an entire article on this. Most people have developed bad habits and programming typically not in alignment with the goals they are working towards. My coaching program identifies those habits, routines, activities (or lack thereof) and we put together an action plan that they can work towards and I hold them accountable to that plan, and their goals.
3) If I am not wrong you had to face a lot of hardships and struggles while growing up. Could you enlighten us about your experience?
I was born into poverty and had two dining chairs as my bed for the first 18 months of my life. I grew up in a strict family, my father was in the military and as such I developed a strong work ethic from a young age. In 2009 I was in severe debt after making very poor financial decisions and a marriage break-up and Investing in a property investment that went wrong and as such filed for financial bankruptcy. I was living pay check to pay check and, at times, ate 2-minute noodles for dinner for a whole week, to make ends meet. I would sell off things of value I had in storage like DVDs, my golf set and even a lounge suite so I could make rent.
Whilst it was one of the most challenging times of my life, it taught me life lessons that no books or courses could ever teach me about overcoming adversity, respecting money and building resilience. Very few people knew of my situation back then because I showed up like a champion as I knew, somehow, that it was part of my story.
4) You truly are an inspiration for all of us, and speaking of being a CEO and a founder, how do you balance your personal and professional life?
I am organised and disciplined, I don’t always get it right. There are times when there are some areas of my life that take more priorities than others, but you do the best you can. I give myself grace. I have to, otherwise, I will be failing every single day. I teach this to my clients, about prioritising Family time, personal time and social time every single day away from work, away from building their empires. Because we need to be human. I love being a Mother and I love being a wife and a friend.
5) The Legacy Academy has also been quite a success. What would you say your initial challenges were while starting the academy?
We experienced momentum from the very beginning so we had make sure our content was relevant to maintain our audience.
We experienced some payment solution failures because we are based in Australia, and a huge portion of our clients are based in the United States. We had to adjust and find an alternative to accommodate the diversity in our clientele.
Initially we had created programs we thought the market wanted, however the market was demanding long-term coaching solutions and we had to create programs that the market was asking for, so we adjusted our plan to match the market demand.
6) Lastly, could you let us know more about your courses and how our readers can reach you?
We aim to have at least 4 6-week courses in 2022. We also have longer-term coaching programs to help women over 40 build their businesses online. You can find all the relevant information at elsamorgan.com