Introducing Intelligent Office of Alexandria’s Client, Denise Minor
When Denise Minor first launched her coaching and leadership training business, she set out to develop training programs that could be customized to an organizations’ particular needs. Her company has grown to offer a variety of effective programming that she is passionate about. With over 28 years of experience as a retired Special Agent with the FBI, Denise has extensive training in leadership development and has her coaching certificate from the Coactive Training Institute. Throughout her career as an FBI agent, Denise has had a knack for teaching and coaching people. She speaks French and served as an FBI Legal Attaché in Northern Africa.
As a valued client at Intelligent Office of Alexandria, we are pleased to introduce Denise Minor and her business, MindSpring Metro DC, to our community and to share her experiences and practical advice as a business owner.
About MindSpring Metro DC
MindSpring Metro DC is a boutique, professional leadership development firm. They work with a variety of businesses and organizations, such as corporations, government agencies, and non-profit entities, and provide business solutions in the areas of leadership and professional development, diversity and inclusion, professional speaking, and networking. All of MindSpring’s business solutions can be tailored to meet specific client needs. For example, a client based in Abu Dhabi requested a customized leadership program for senior, intermediate, and junior level employees. The goal was to measure the capability of their staff and make them eligible for promotion.
Denise appreciates opportunities to customize the business solutions and finds great reward in helping her clients meet their needs. “I enjoy when people experience facilitated learning. I get to understand the internal feelings and thoughts of individuals. Our development sessions are interactive and adapted to the Zoom platform. Because they are so interactive, people want more,” says Denise.
Additionally, with the recent social discoveries related to the death of George Floyd, diversity inclusion and unconscious bias has become a vital component of MindSpring Metro DC’s programs. Denise has studied diversity inclusion and unconscious bias since the mid 1990’s when she first took a course with the FBI. Since then, she has studied the topic from a neuro- science perspective. Denise earned her coaching certificate using neuro-science techniques and strategies and specializes in team coaching.
When it comes to inclusion, Denise always asks her clients about the outcome. She prefers to work with clients who seek to move past “checking the box.” It is the result or change that matters most. “From a neuroscience perspective, we are geared toward finding people who are like us. Being diverse and inclusive is about moving past that habit. We are not bad people. We naturally prefer to hang out with other people who look like us or who went to the same college. Once people understand this, it is easier to become more inclusive,” says Denise. The inclusion is the most important part. MindSpring Metro DC focuses on that as an important part of diversity and provides written materials, post-development materials, and helps clients intentionally make the change that they want to make.
Advice for Other Business Owners
As a business owner, Denise has learned the value of growing slowly. “To grow your business, it is important to take your time and realize that you can’t have it all in the first six months or a year. Have a business plan and be flexible about your ideal client.” At first, she was just happy to have clients, and any client was a good client because they were buying what she was offering. However, Denise has discovered how important it is to focus on her ideal client, grow slowly, and know who she wants to be in business.
When she first started her business, Denise tried to handle everything herself down to setting up her own website. She has since realized how important it is to have trusted people and systems in place so that she can focus on her strengths and grow her business. For example, Denise recommends finding a trusted attorney to help with contracts, an accounting firm to handle taxes, and a system for invoicing such as FreshBooks, and having a marketing person to handle graphic and website maintenance.
Notably, Denise Minor has had her office at Intelligent Office of Alexandria since 2016 and utilizes our virtual reception service. “Partnering with Intelligent Office of Alexandria was one of the greatest investments I ever made.” Having her phone calls answered by our virtual receptionists gave her business the professional look and feel that she desired and she never misses a call. She also chooses to have her mail sent to our office instead of to a Post Office Box, which she feels is much more professional. Denise appreciates that the mail is on her desk when she comes in and that we will accept her packages as well. Everything that she needs can be handled in one place, including help with her CRM and notarizing her documents.
Most importantly, when Denise’s client from Abu Dhabi came to the USA to meet her in person before hiring MindSpring Metro DC, she had a professional, private office space in which to impress her soon-to-be client. Utilizing our conference room, refreshments, and professional ambiance was a selling point for her business. “The investment in professionalism has been worth the cost because it has improved my business and how people see me,” offers Denise.
For more information on MindSpring Metro DC’s leadership programs, please contact Denise Minor at denise@mindspringmetrodc.com or 703-224-8945.
To learn more about how Intelligent Office of Alexandria can help grow your business, contact Chanel Lewis, clewis@intelligentoffice.com or call 703-224-8800. Click here to learn more about our services.
