Member since September 2022
Entrepreneurial Roots
Over three decades of entrepreneurial successes and missteps has given Cheri Ruskus her real world experience to bring to the table, not just theory. In 1985 she began her entrepreneurial journey creating a business services company which she owned, operated and sold in 2000. She has spent the past 22 years coaching women entrepreneurs to bring to their businesses all that they can be while managing a happy and productive life in the process.
Speaking
Over the course of the last 15 years Cheri has also presented hundreds of live workshops, breakout sessions, keynote talks and webinars to assist small businesses and organizations in understanding the complexities of running a business from marketing to time management while creating the seemingly impossible work life balance.
Through her insights and hands-on approach those attending her in person and virtual events have been able to take away comprehensive action plans for business and personal growth while keeping one’s sanity in an often-insane world.
Speaking, Workshop, and Mastermind Facilitation.
In her quest to ease the stress and solitude for women entrepreneurs in her community, in 2006 Cheri began facilitating in person Victory Circle Masterminds creating a compelling curriculum that has stood the test of time. The program went virtual in 2020 during the pandemic. Her connection with her audiences in private masterminds or public workshops has allowed Cheri to speak on a full range of topics as you will see on this page.
Writing
In 2001, Cheri followed a dream to become a published author with The Victory Letters – Inspiration for the Human Race. This brought to the printed page her passion for this email/blog publication she has now continued to share every Monday morning for the past 22 years. A reminder to enjoy the small victories along with the big ones. Her second book, Victory One Moment in Time – Unlocking the Power of the Master Mind that was published in 2012 sharing her experience with running Masterminds.
She is currently working on her next book, Way of the Luminary, and sharing this topic of finding the focus to bring ideas to light with her audiences.
Podcasting
With over 140 episodes recorded the Business Victories podcast has recently been relaunched as the Bright Shiny Object Project. In this podcast Cheri interviews women business owners from around the country sharing the Bright Shiny Objects that get in their way as well as the ones that have brought them great success.
Through perseverance, hard work, and consistency, starting at a young age Coach Cheri Ruskus has always known she was destined to create her own path, her way. Entrepreneurship was the career solution she chose after feeling suffocated by taking "traditional" routes to success. Given the opportunity to start her own business at the age of 27 she has persevered through several recessions, drastic changes in technology, and so much more. When she was first asked to become a speaker for Constant Contact in 2008 in order to share her success with their email marketing platform, she found a new passion in speaking because it was a natural fit. Since then she has spoken on hundreds of stages, given workshops, keynotes and break out sessions on a variety of topics from marketing to mindset. All while running a successful business coaching practice and running women's masterminds.
We have all have had them at one time or another, the bright shiny object of a new idea. You know the ones that either takes us completely off course or spark a new innovative path. Those thought patterns that can give us permission to go towardsthe ideas that generate belief, hope, and making a difference.
The truth is there are so many great bright shiny objects to follow, and many serve to only distract and take the small business owner completely off course. We will explore where participants sit with the bright shiny objects in their life and business. Cheri will share the power of understanding the Idea Cycle formula and which new ideas to implement, which ones to consider down the road, and which ones are leading to distraction.
By getting focused on the Bright Shiny objects that matter most, participants can begin to not shy away from the idea of bright shiny objects, but to ensure a new idea is the best idea to bring to life at this point in time. With the end result in mind, and clearly defined short and long term goals in place, participants will walk away with tools to gain a stronger focus to achieve those goals, as well as the ability to cut down on anxiety and stress by knowing when and how to implement new ideas.
Here is what several participants had to say after a Lunch and Learn Bright Shiny Object workshop:
Cheri combines both youthful energy and extensive experience to create passion to help attain goals and dreams. – D. Reilly
Cheri has an amazing way of sparking thought provoking questions and turning a roundtable into a think tank. – J. Sparks
Compelling content is required in so many elements for today’s small business world both online and offline. This workshop/breakout session will share with audience and participants the tools and mindset needed to consistently create everything from compelling emails, website content, reports, articles, and even online programs.
Time is our greatest commodity as business owners and human beings in general.
In this 30 to 60 minute talk, we will dive down into five key components in honoring our time. The elements that are required to keep us from reaching burnout and becoming productive based on outcomes.
Did you know that most business owners don’t go out of business because of lack of money? The biggest resource they lack the energy to keep going when they keep hitting the proverbial brick wall. The wall is built from lack of proper self-care and managing their time in an efficient manner.
This workshop/breakout session begins with the participants first using the tools of the Strength Finders 2.0 strength's assessment prior to the live workshop. The assessment will assist them to gain a stronger understanding of their overall strengths. Together we will then focus on how those strengths can tap into the audiences authentic leadership style in touching the lives of those they lead.
This interactive experience has been designed to work in either a workshop format of no more than 20 people, or in an executive team retreat setting. The goal is to build a confidence culture around the strengths and contributions that everyone in the leadership team brings. To allow each participant to come together to clearly see just how the pieces can fit together in order to make a collective whole.
Note: This training can also include pre-work with the Gallup Strengthsfinder 2.0 assessment for each participant. The assessment will assist individuals to gain a stronger understanding of their own individual overall strengths. Then together everyone can focus on how those strengths can tap into not only their own authentic leadership style, but each other’s in touching the lives of those they lead.
Here is how what the experience from their recent strategic planning retreat was summed up:
“I reached out to Cheri having worked with her before on a myriad of different trainings to see if she would facilitate our Chamber Board’s Strategic Planning Retreat. She said “yes” and by far it has been one of the best decisions I’ve made this year.
Cheri suggested changing up our “normal” routine to include a bit of leadership training at the beginning. This type of training set the stage to move into the next phase of Goals and Objectives. But this year, my Board looked at the Goals and Objectives through the lens of what “leadership skills” they (the Board members) brought to the Chamber Board and how that fashions the Strategic Plan.
When you have several Board members share with you how significant the leadership portion was for them as we moved forward to establish the Strategic Plan, I knew we hit a home run. That home run was achieved by hiring Cheri to facilitate this event. Honored and humble to call Cheri my friend as well.” - Deb Miller, IOM, President Greater Woodland Park Chamber
Through perseverance, hard work, and consistency, starting at a young age Coach Cheri Ruskus has always known she was destined to create her own path, her way. Entrepreneurship was the career solution she chose after feeling suffocated by taking "traditional" routes to success. Given the opportunity to start her own business at the age of 27 she has persevered through several recessions, drastic changes in technology, and so much more. When she was first asked to become a speaker for Constant Contact in 2008 in order to share her success with their email marketing platform, she found a new passion in speaking because it was a natural fit. Since then she has spoken on hundreds of stages, given workshops, keynotes and break out sessions on a variety of topics from marketing to mindset. All while running a successful business coaching practice and running women's masterminds.
We have all have had them at one time or another, the bright shiny object of a new idea. You know the ones that either takes us completely off course or spark a new innovative path. Those thought patterns that can give us permission to go towardsthe ideas that generate belief, hope, and making a difference.
The truth is there are so many great bright shiny objects to follow, and many serve to only distract and take the small business owner completely off course. We will explore where participants sit with the bright shiny objects in their life and business. Cheri will share the power of understanding the Idea Cycle formula and which new ideas to implement, which ones to consider down the road, and which ones are leading to distraction.
By getting focused on the Bright Shiny objects that matter most, participants can begin to not shy away from the idea of bright shiny objects, but to ensure a new idea is the best idea to bring to life at this point in time. With the end result in mind, and clearly defined short and long term goals in place, participants will walk away with tools to gain a stronger focus to achieve those goals, as well as the ability to cut down on anxiety and stress by knowing when and how to implement new ideas.
Here is what several participants had to say after a Lunch and Learn Bright Shiny Object workshop:
Cheri combines both youthful energy and extensive experience to create passion to help attain goals and dreams. – D. Reilly
Cheri has an amazing way of sparking thought provoking questions and turning a roundtable into a think tank. – J. Sparks
Compelling content is required in so many elements for today’s small business world both online and offline. This workshop/breakout session will share with audience and participants the tools and mindset needed to consistently create everything from compelling emails, website content, reports, articles, and even online programs.
Time is our greatest commodity as business owners and human beings in general.
In this 30 to 60 minute talk, we will dive down into five key components in honoring our time. The elements that are required to keep us from reaching burnout and becoming productive based on outcomes.
Did you know that most business owners don’t go out of business because of lack of money? The biggest resource they lack the energy to keep going when they keep hitting the proverbial brick wall. The wall is built from lack of proper self-care and managing their time in an efficient manner.
This workshop/breakout session begins with the participants first using the tools of the Strength Finders 2.0 strength's assessment prior to the live workshop. The assessment will assist them to gain a stronger understanding of their overall strengths. Together we will then focus on how those strengths can tap into the audiences authentic leadership style in touching the lives of those they lead.
This interactive experience has been designed to work in either a workshop format of no more than 20 people, or in an executive team retreat setting. The goal is to build a confidence culture around the strengths and contributions that everyone in the leadership team brings. To allow each participant to come together to clearly see just how the pieces can fit together in order to make a collective whole.
Note: This training can also include pre-work with the Gallup Strengthsfinder 2.0 assessment for each participant. The assessment will assist individuals to gain a stronger understanding of their own individual overall strengths. Then together everyone can focus on how those strengths can tap into not only their own authentic leadership style, but each other’s in touching the lives of those they lead.
Here is how what the experience from their recent strategic planning retreat was summed up:
“I reached out to Cheri having worked with her before on a myriad of different trainings to see if she would facilitate our Chamber Board’s Strategic Planning Retreat. She said “yes” and by far it has been one of the best decisions I’ve made this year.
Cheri suggested changing up our “normal” routine to include a bit of leadership training at the beginning. This type of training set the stage to move into the next phase of Goals and Objectives. But this year, my Board looked at the Goals and Objectives through the lens of what “leadership skills” they (the Board members) brought to the Chamber Board and how that fashions the Strategic Plan.
When you have several Board members share with you how significant the leadership portion was for them as we moved forward to establish the Strategic Plan, I knew we hit a home run. That home run was achieved by hiring Cheri to facilitate this event. Honored and humble to call Cheri my friend as well.” - Deb Miller, IOM, President Greater Woodland Park Chamber
