Carolyn Herfurth – 58 and counting…

About me

Carolyn Herfurth is the woman you call when “success” starts to feel more like a straitjacket than a badge of honor. An original thinker with 30 years across business design, franchising, licensing, training, entrepreneurship, and sales, she’s equal parts strategist and truth-teller — the kind who can map out a streamlined revenue model and burn the BS in the same breath.

Her superpower? Making sense of all the things. She can take in all the moving parts of you and your business — the assets, the ideas, the layers of complexity — and spin them into simple, profitable, fully aligned solutions you didn’t see coming. Female founders hire her to re-architect the business around who they’ve become — and align it for what’s next. The result: an average 11x ROI and a ripple effect of impact that extends far beyond the balance sheet.

What do you do and why do you do it?

I had no idea what was going on the times I’ve felt restless throughout my corporate or entrepreneurial career. Because I’m a risk taker, I’d make (what I now know to be unnecessary) radical moves. Like walking away from a multi- 6 figure business — or dropping several multi- 6 figure revenue streams because I was burned out, bored-out or fading out.

The mental dissonance often felt so intense I’d impulsively hire gurus, join masterminds, or buy programs for exorbitant fees with the promise to help me figure out my next move. I spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and ultimately got to a point where I couldn’t trust anybody to get my desired result.

I’m not alone in this. *looks around room*

I now realize that was my rite of passage. But I don’t like seeing other female founders suffer this same financial or emotional burden when they know something is “off” and are looking for what’s next.

What changed for you after age 50?

I used to love running my accelerators for female founders and watching them transform by understanding HOW to think, not WHAT to think.

Then one day I hit a wall. Not so much with my clients — but with all of the moving parts it took to support the type of business model I was operating.

I took a sabbatical (hello, Singapore and Cambodia) to re-center.

When I came back, I re-architected my business model to better reflect who I’d become — and where I wanted to go.

I decided to focus ONLY on the parts of my business that feel light and keep me in my zone of genius — where I’m able to make sense of complex situations and develop simple solutions.

I only work and play (not mutually exclusive) with people who are looking to grow, don’t settle for the status quo, and want to make a contribution to make life better for others.

What would you tell the 20 or 30-year-old YOU?

👆🏼 get to the after-50 conclusion now. Go with your instincts, they’ll rarely lead you astray. And be gentle with yourself along the way.

What do you think you’ll tell yourself in retrospect at the end of your life?

I did my best — I made a difference — and I’ve got more lifetimes to evolve even more. ♾️

What impact do you think increased visibility can have on your business?

Because I like to discuss ideas and challenge the status quo, increased visibility can (should) lead to more of the right people learning something new about themselves, their business, and/or the world around them.

Who or what inspires you and why?

Too many people are handcuffed to their current level of success. Afraid of losing status, reputation, income, and/or clients if they were to make a move to become more aligned.

The people who inspire me have the courage to change despite their current level of success.

Example, I met a young woman, Anna, who had been coaching around the same topic for 5 years. But she felt drawn to another direction — and followed that calling. I met her shortly after she launched a new membership program (my idea of hell, but fun for her) — and although she has financial ground to regain, she couldn’t be happier.

Something else I’d like to share

Be ready to recalibrate when you begin to notice signs of burnout, bore-out, or fade-out. It’s your first clue that it’s time to change something up to optimize meaning and impact.