Women-Owned Business Spotlight with Nancy Landrum, Founder of Nancy Landrum Enterprises

As a part of our interview series on women-owned businesses, I had the pleasure of interviewing Nancy Landrum, renowned relationship coach and author.

Nancy brings her Masters in Psychology, personal experience and research-proven strategies to coach couples communication and conflict resolution skills. Nancy has eloquently conveyed her transformational skills through her streaming course, "The Millionaire Marriage Club." She's written eight books, including "How to Stay Married & Love It!" and "Stepping TwoGether: Building a Strong Stepfamily". Nancy will be hosting her new weekly TV show for Bold and Brave TV in April 2022.

Thanks for joining me! Tell our readers about what you do.

I coach couples, teaching them the communication and conflict management skills that enabled my late husband and I to transform our highly conflicted relationship into the loving, respectful relationship we both craved. To support that endeavor, as well as to teach about related topics such as codependency, healthy boundaries and inner child work, I’ve written books about these topics. I am also an expert in the dynamics and strategies that help stepfamilies succeed. I wrote an empowering book called Stepping TwoGether: Building a Strong Stepfamily.

What does being a woman-owned business mean to you?

For me, it means reaching more people and couples who have hope for their relationships to be healthy and loving and then giving them the skills to make that happen!

How did you come up with the idea for your business?

The idea chose me! As a child I dreamed that I would have a more loving relationship than it appeared my parents had, and by the time I learned to read I knew that I would write books to help others have happier, more loving relationships. What I didn’t know was that it would take about forty years and much heartache before I would learn anything worth sharing with others.

After we got our marriage on track, it was my late husband’s idea that we teach others what we had learned in order to prevent them from going through the same pain we had experienced. I developed the curriculum and we taught together for eleven years before he died. During those years I also completed my masters degree and wrote the first two books, How to Stay Married & Love It!, and How to Stay Married & Love It EVEN MORE!.

After his passing I realized the only thing I wanted to do with whatever time I have left is to continue teaching and coaching others in these transformative skills. Since that time I’ve worked two and a half years for a nonprofit that teaches marriage education courses all over California, then resigned to get back to my own coaching and writing. So far I’ve written eight books and coached hundreds.

Okay, coming up with a great idea and actually taking the steps to become an entrepreneur and launch your company are two very different things. How did you know it was time to start?

At first I was just following the dream because I deeply wanted a happy, loving marriage. Then I found myself following the dream for others, wanting to pass on what we’d learned so they, too, could have happier, more loving relationships. After Jim passed, I built my coaching practice by word of mouth and Yelp ads. I wrote three additional books to teach how these same skills can be used to improve any relationship!

In 2016 I was trying to think of a way to reach a couple that was continuing to have trouble in spite of learning the skills. The inspiration struck for The Millionaire Marriage Club streaming course. One of the eight modules in the course focuses on changing negative belief patterns for more positive beliefs that will support the practice of transformational skills. Beliefs are the engine that drives a relationship with or without the skills! This goal forced me into a learning curve that was quite daunting… learning the technology for designing powerpoints, recording and editing the lessons on Camtasia, and choosing a platform for hosting the material, and on and on.

For me it was never about building a big business, but about reaching the maximum number of people with these powerful skills. Now that I’ll be hosting my own TV show, the business is becoming what I secretly have been dreaming about for so long…that thousands, or dare I say millions…will be positively influenced to learn and use skills that produce healthier, happier relationships!

Becoming an entrepreneur is no easy feat. What are some of the lessons you learned along the way?

Ask for help when you don’t know how to do something! The support staff of the programs I’ve had to learn have been invaluable since technical skills do not come easily to me.

Only share your dream with those who believe in you and will support you emotionally through the tough times.

Trust God, or the Universe, to give you what you need at the right time.

If you had to list three traits or attributes that have been pivotal for your success, what would they be?

1. Learning to manage the negative voice in my head that has insisted all along that I couldn’t do whatever the next step was with multiple reasons why, mostly that I’m too old and not good enough. Her voice isn’t as strong as it used to be because my “loving parent” voice catches her words and stops her more quickly. She’s just a scared little kid trying to keep me safe.

2. Believing that I’m being guided. Fortunately I’m old enough now (77 to be exact) to look back and see how perfectly my life circumstances prepared me for the fulfillment of my childhood dream. And it’s not over yet! I believe that I will live every day I am meant to live, and God willing, the message will live on beyond me.

3. Tenacity is a trait that I mostly admire about myself. Sometimes it means I don’t know when I really should quit, but I am tenacious when I decide to do something and feel clear about it. I won't quit until I see it through.

How is your company making a difference?

According to the reports from my coaching clients and readers, my message is helping them transform their lives personally and in relationships…for the better!

I know you probably have many, but what’s your proudest moment as a founder?

May I mention two? One is the day I opened the shipping box to find multiple copies of my first book! I was euphoric! We called our kids and asked them to meet us for a dinner celebration where they each got a copy! The second is every time a couple breaks through by using the skills they’ve learned from me and express profuse appreciation to me. It’s pure magic!

What's one myth you'd like to debunk about your line of work?

There are myths on both sides. On the client side, there is often a reluctance to seek help because they believe that nothing will help, but when the first scary step is taken and the rewards are so powerful, there is a burst of excitement for more, which is pure gold! On the coaching side, the myth is that working with couples is hard. Yes, some sessions are challenging. A few couples are not ready to learn, to grow and be willing to exchange poor habits for better ones. But for those who do, which is most of the couples I coach, I get to see that transformation over and over again and it’s priceless. Overall I love what I do and find it exhilarating!

What advice would you give to burgeoning entrepreneurs?

They always say, “Find something you love and believe in, then do it, trusting the answers will come as you need them." They always have for me, regardless of how daunting it may seem in the moment, and always beyond my highest desires and hopes.

What does the future look like for your company?

Until last week I would have said that I’ll just keep doing what I do, helping a finite number of couples at a time to transform their hurting marriages. But with the launching of a TV show, the reach of this message is limitless. I’m just as eager to see what the future brings as anyone!

What words do you live by?

I am walking in peace, trusting the path to unfold.

Any final words of wisdom?

Do not pressure yourself with anxiety about making it all happen immediately. Keep your life balanced while taking one step at a time. Rest and creative activities make the mind fertile for inspiration and restore energy for growth.