Meet Ana Merlino | CEO at Coaching Fusion & Speaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ana Merlino and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ana, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I used to work for an HHRR Company that had a very small Coaching School. When I started there, there was only one edition every year with about 4 students. By the time I left, there were more than 4 full editions / year with more than 10 students each. The following question started popping up every morning: Why not do it for yourself? I was earning much more than people around my age and had a very comfortable life, but it was not what was making me feel happy. Getting divorced also helped me with the process. If I had made that decision and survived, I could leave the comfort of the company and defy myself into new experiences. Once the idea appeared I started visualizing myself as a freelance and after that, there was no turning back.

Please tell us more about your business. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today business-wise. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
The first years of entrepreneurship were exciting and at the same time very draining. I remember I decided to enroll into acting school and was combining attending classes with starting my business. I would not recommend it. At least not for the first two years of starting a business. I cried many nights, not because I was sad, but because I was so exhausted and not getting the results I imagined when I developed my business plan. It is very important to distinguish being good at something and having the skills to run a business. If I would go back I would definitely do things differently. I would ask for a credit and invest in mentors that could help me out in all the areas that I don’t know about. I would optimize my time and use most of it in what I am good at.
Despite the tons of mistakes I made, I don’t regret any of them.
They made me stronger, wiser and there was maybe no other way to get here.
How did I overcome all the challenges? That is an easy one. There are two main factors: A) Never giving up; B) People that supported me during the way. Most of them still do.
As a matter of a fact, I was thinking the other day. What am I most proud of? Was it climbing Mt Kilimanjaro, getting divorced, moving out of the city, getting all the international certifications that my Coaching Program has or some of the speeches I’ve ever given? No. The answer is my team.
Building this team that behaves like a family is my greatest achievement.
The team always reminds me why we are doing the work we are doing.
We all have one goal in mind: One million lives transformed.
It doesn’t matter what we do: The Coaching Fusion Program, In -company workshops, one-to-one sessions, we always remind ourselves this is not about us. It’s about all of us.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Let’s go for a great coffee at Pablos (1300 Pennsylvania St Ste 102, Denver, CO 80203, Estados Unidos).So the best parts of Colorado is the mountains. I would try to go to either strawberry hot springs or valley view hot springs. Strawberry is probably easier and steamboat springs is my favorite mountain town. In Denver I’d say Uchi is my favorite restaurant, it’s sushi with a twist. Pricey though. For Mexican food I’d get kikes red taco’s, it’s heavy, but delicious. Rino is a cool area for drinks and food. Also the music scene is great, always good live music. Red rocks is close by, try to go to a show if you can, if not you can go during the day and hike there. Water world is a blast if it’s hot outside and you wanna go on some water slides. Denver also has tons of parks that are great such as city park, cheeseman, Sloan’s lake. Also tons of breweries here with great beer. You can’t really go wrong. Oh! Also! Don´t miss Meow Wolf! Great experience! 🙂

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My dad has always encouraged me to go further. Thank you dad for being tough and loving at the same time, for verbalizing that I could be good at anything I proposed myself to do if I was perseverant. I owe my dear friend and colleague Keco Pujol for the final jump. Without him it would have not been possible. I feel so much gratitude for all the people that believed in me and especially for those who didn’t. Funny wise, their lack of trust in my vision brought out the rebel inside of me and with it, the strength that you need in order to initiate an entrepreneurship.

Website: www.coachingfusion.com

Instagram: @ana_merlino_

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anamerlino/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnaMerlinoCoach/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTExlmFQcfw3ZQ1JiDF1GJA

Image Credits
@swingyourpics