Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Jones.
Julie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have always known that the way you show up: your appearance, your demeanor, your communication skills, and the way you relate to people is a catalyst for opening doors of opportunity. These lessons were taught to me during my childhood by my mother and were reinforced to me in college as a member of the Kilgore College Rangerettes as well as through my sorority, Chi Omega.
I realized these skills were not known to everyone during my 15-year tenure as an elementary and middle school classroom teacher. Educators work very hard to prepare our students for the next chapter of their lives. Every year, we were told the feedback from the business community was, “They are not ready. The students are not prepared for life after school.” It was frustrating to not only me but also to my peers. We were all working very hard, but it seemed as though our work was not producing a prepared workforce. I knew there was a disconnect between what we were being told and what was happening. So, I started researching what was missing and discovered companies were hiring etiquette consultants to work with their team members to help them build relationships and represent their company (and themselves) in a better light. It was the soft skills that were missing. Research shows that 85% of a person’s success comes from their ability to relate to others. I thought to myself, “I can do that.”
In 2011, I attended training at the Protocol School of Washington and became a certified Protocol and Etiquette Consultant. In 2013, I left education to work with companies who wanted to teach their team members interpersonal skills.
Things were moving slowly for me, and in 2015, my now ex-husband left his corporate job to start a residential plumbing company. It was all hands-on deck, and I put my etiquette business aside to learn how to operate a plumbing company. That was a wonderful experience for me as I taught soft skills to all of our team members. Image, communication, and relationship-building were extremely important when we were guests in someone’s home, and they had an issue with their plumbing. People naturally don’t trust plumbers, so building trust was a priority for us.
We sold our plumbing company in 2021. During all of these years, I continued to work my etiquette business as a side business. Today, it is my full-time job, and I love it. The post-COVID work environment has left us with situations in which there is no precedence. Zoom meetings, working from home, and a more casual dress code have blurred lines that used to be clear. We now have a generation of young professionals who were raised with cell phones and who don’t know the business etiquette protocols for communication and the office environment. Working in the business world is a new frontier for college-to-career students. I consider what I do as filling the gap between what their boss expects them to know but no one taught them.
My most popular classes are on image, business entertaining, and professional networking.
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?
Building this business has had many ups and downs. In the beginning, I thought I would be working in the school systems, but quickly realized it was the business world that wanted me to work with their team members. It has taken 12 years from the time I went through training to get to this point. I have had to learn so many things and each time I thought I was getting pulled away from my business was actually a necessary step to help me gain the knowledge I needed to get here.
By starting a company, growing it, and then selling it, I developed skills that are now invaluable to me as I work with young professionals. My communication skills, professional networking skills, business operation skills, and my people management skills grew exponentially. I now have a well-rounded skill set of developing curriculum, facilitating classes, and relating to the business world.
Everything happens for a reason. The struggles of starting this business, creating a solid business plan, and the long way to get here all happened because they made me stronger in this field. My path has come full circle.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Today’s Professionals Consulting & Development?
It is through the development of our interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence that marks the level of success a person achieves. At Today’s Professionals, our mission is to instill in every person a sense of confidence and value while understanding that personal growth is a lifelong journey that leads to his/her destiny.
We want individuals to know their value is not simply as an employee who clocks in and out each day but as someone who has natural talents that are needed as the missing piece of a team whereby together the team can accomplish more than anyone can imagine.
When people are valued as team members, they are more likely to stay with their company. Long-term employees establish solid business relationships. These relationships elevate a company’s brand value and increase market share.
Our most requested classes are: Elevate Your Professional Image, Entertain Like an Executive, and The Power of Your Professional Network. We work with companies, organizations, and individuals.
“It warms my heart when I get feedback from participants telling me they got a scholarship, a job, or that a person wanted the training to be longer because of the value they received. This is my passion, and I am blessed to get up every day to do what I love.”
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
To me, success is defined by internal peace. I knew I had become successful when the stress of my life was reduced. I spent so many years in the “daily grind.” The fast-paced day of running from the time my feet hit the floor each morning to the time I fell asleep (mostly as soon as my head hit the pillow).
I remember thinking I was running as fast as I could every day, meeting quotas, attending meetings, sending emails, returning calls, and putting out fires. I have worked most weekends for my entire life with no way to increase my pay.
Now, I do all of the things above, but with little stress. It feels right.
At my last birthday, I was at brunch with my daughter. I looked at her and said, “I’m headed into the 4th quarter of my life.” She didn’t like that comment, but it’s true. We can’t stop time. But we can reframe how we look at aging.
I said, “Life is like football. During the first half, we are learning about the other team and finding out what works and what doesn’t work. We are trying different things; at halftime, we make adjustments and during the 3rd quarter, things begin to fall into place. We have it figured out…mostly. But it’s during the 4th quarter, where games are won.” It takes a lifetime of experience and knowledge to gain the wisdom needed to win the game of life. There is a saying, “It’s not how you start; it’s how you end that matters.” Well, It’s the start of my 4th quarter, and I’ve got the ball.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.todaysprofessionals.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealjulieajones/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TodaysProfessionals
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliewakefield1/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/realjulieajones
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUb4IjMGWitZJuUrEl63gOA
- Other: https://bit.ly/3uTB0Cz
Image Credits
Illuminated by Lanay
Elena Thornton
