the PDF

Transcription

the PDF

WWW.SARAHFINKS.COM
the happy entrepreneur
NO. 01/WINTER 2014
sonaya williams:
5 steps
to hiring and
training a
team
6
TIPS
for
eurs
n
e
r
p
e
entr
if you want it
you can have it
ways to blend
entrepreneurship
with lifelong
health
laura simms:
get
paid
love what you do
just for being you!
do what you love
find out how inside
live your life
stella orange: 3 things not to put on your homepage
CONTENTS
Editor in Chief
Sarah Finks
Assistant to the Editor
Tiffany Manley
Art Director
Shari Miller
Phone: 734-272-1371
E-mail. inquiries@sarahfinks.com
web. www.sarahfinks.com
19.
What a
Former Approval
Addict
Can Teach
You About
Success
Amy
Pearson
ALSO:
6.
recommended book index
7.
free gift index
26.
34.
38.
Eleni
Jaima
Jennifer
How to Engage Your Audience by
Engaging Yourself
Iadequate to Amazing
You aren’t “Just” anything
Blending Entrepreneurship with
Lifelong Health
Kelakos
2
Schutt
Powter
LAURA
SIMMS
shows you
how to get
paid for being
you!
44.
86. Locey, PH.D
Elizabeth
The Abundance Zone
Toolkit
94. Dodge
Jenna
60. Cornais 80. Bock
Stephanie
Mama and
Baby Love
Summer
5 Lessons I’ve Learned from
Being an Entrepreneur
The Detox Difference: Re-building
Your Gut
49.
56.
70.
Sonaya
Stella
Stephanie
5 Steps to
Hiring and Training a Team
3 Things NOT to put on Your
Hompage (and the Fix)
Unstoppable Stephanie
McWilliams
Williams
Orange
McWilliams
3
EDITOR’S NOTE
A Letter from the
Editor
WHY DID YOU START THE HAPPY ENTREPRENEUR MAGAZINE?
A few months ago I was walking through the airport on my
way to a conference. My flight
was delayed so I went to the
new-stand to pick up something great to read. I wanted
something full of great tips
and inspiration for my business but all the entrepreneur
magazines had men on the
cover and were directed to
those folks who seem to live
their business 24/7.
gone before.
So I started looking at the
women’s magazines; Better
Homes and Gardens, Shape,
O Magazine. After trying to
make my decision for 20 minutes I ended up leaving with 6
magazines: Entrepreneur, Origin, Domino (thrilled that it’s
back!) Oprah, Vogue, and Self.
As I go up to the counter a
thought flashes through my
head. I should put together a
magazine for people like me.
This magazine will be released
quarterly with new experts
each time sharing their best
tips for growing your business.
It will also include health,
beauty, and life tips from those
women who know what they
are talking about. And the best
part? The online version will
always be free.
I wanted tips for women
entrepreneurs like me who
are building 6-7 figure businesses, who have a life, love
their home, value their health,
and loved to be inspired and
guided by those who have
So I did.
Welcome to the happy entrepreneur magazine. It is an
extension of my business the
happy entrepreneur- a place
for women entrepreneurs to
get the steps they need so they
can stop spinning their wheels,
make great money and have a
life they love.
Welcome to the communitymake sure you join us on
facebook and let’s keep in
touch.
If you would like to be featured as an expert in future
editions please email us at
inquiries@sarahfinks.com
xo,
Sarah
Sarah Finks
Business Strategist & Productivity Expert
www.sarahfinks.com
4
Sarah
Finks
5
recommended books:
CLICK TO SHARE
THE HAPPY
ENTREPRENEUR
WITH FRIENDS!
6
free gifts:
The Money Makin’ Homepage
How to Write + What To Say
7
CLICK HERE FOR
E
E
R
F
!
T
F
i
G
1. “Brazen Self Promotion” audio mp3 program
(download and listen to in the car, while washing dishes, jogging… whatever!)
Simple mindset tweeks and proven strategies to stop hiding under your
desk when it comes to all things self promotion so you can get out there
and make an impact doing your thing.
2. Opportunity to apply for a Live Brazen Strategy
Session
For action takers who are ready to invest in growing your business and
living a big life. If chosen I’ll evaluate your business strategy thus far
and help you come up with a game plan to practice the principles of Live
Brazen directly in your business so you can start magnifying your tribe
and monetizing your magic. This evaluation is (valued at $250) will be
provided to a limited number of qualified applicants at no charge to see if
and how I might be able to help you take your business to the next level.
So please make sure you are ready to stop being stuck and start investing
in the business and life you dream about.
8
CLICK HERE FOR
FROM ELENI KELAKOS
E
E
R
F
!
T
F
i
G
30 Days and 30 Ways to Touch the Sky: A 60
page E-journal with Motivational Musings by
Eleni Kelakos.
Change a habit that is holding you back and create a new
habit that will move you forward with the pdf/digital version of Eleni Kelakos’ popular 30-day journal. Start your
day by reading a motivational musing designed to get you
to you to think, feel and take new action. Then, fill the
journal’s blank pages with your own musings, or simply
document the daily steps you are taking to be everything
you can be!
This free gift also comes with a bonus: A subscription to
Eleni’s wise, often witty and always motivational Monday
Morning Musings e-series. These weekly emails will keep
you focused on being genuinely and powerfully present
in your work and life so you can Touch the Sky on a daily
basis!
9
CLICK HERE FOR
FREE
!
T
F
i
G
10
FROM JAIMA SCHUTT
CLICK HERE FOR
FROM JENNIFER POWTER
E
E
R
F
!
T
F
i
G
-Finally, a book that speaks the
truth about all the weight loss
myths out there. Learn why
losing weight has become so
hard and so frustrating for so
many women. Jen shares her
personal weight loss transformation story (30+ lbs) and the
5 biggest challenges women
face to getting the body they
want.
11
CLICK HERE FOR
E
E
R
F
!
T
F
i
G
FROM LAURA SIMMS
Get Paid for Being You
These free training videos and play sheets teach you
how to connect the dots between You and Money in an
authentic, simple 3-step process.
•
•
•
12
Connect Who You are to What You Do
Learn your Hidden Value
Find the People You Need to make it all work
• Bridge the gap between who
you are and how you earn.
• Learn your hidden value.
• Find the people you need to
make it happen.
CLICK HERE FOR
FROM SONAYA WILLIAMS
E
E
R
F
!
T
F
i
G
13
CLICK HERE FOR
E
E
R
F
!
T
F
i
G
FROM STELLA ORANGE
The Money Makin’ Homepage
How to Write + What To Say
Hey there hot biscuit.
let’s get down to
business!
Glad you got this far.
Before we go any further,
there are 3 things you
need to know about what
we’re doing: 1) I want
you to make a fabulous
living doing what you
love, serving people you
love. 2) I believe you can
do it—even if you aren’t
sure. 3) I will make this
simple, but it ain’t easy.
My intention is to give
you a great free resource
to help you get this project done. If you need personal attention, or more
guidance, I offer that, too.
Oh—and one more thing:
Trust that your train is
bound for glory, my dove.
Now, let’s get down to
business.
14
CLICK HERE FOR
FROM STEPHANIE CORNAIS
E
E
R
F
!
T
F
i
G
BE SURE TO
ENTER
PASSWORD:
SarahFinks
From Your Freezer To Your
Family, Slow Cooker Freezer
Recipes. So that the women
entrepreneurs can save time
in the kitchen and spend more
time working on growing
their business.
15
CLICK HERE FOR
FREE
!
T
F
i
G
FROM STEPHANIE McWILLIAMS
Here’s what’s included in your “NO MORE PLAYING SMALL” Starter Kit ($631
Value):
• The TRUTH About Finding (the Best!) Clients — 90-Minute Webinar
• Your Money Wake-Up Call — a 2-part training (with 5 Bonus Action Guides)
• Your Next Bold Move – Training + Transcripts to get your next 5 clients
• 3-Part “Unstoppable Money” video training series
• Unstoppable Strategy Sessions — Cheat-Sheet
• The 10 Commandments of the Unstoppable Entrepreneur (Poster)
• 31 Days and 31 Ways to Get Unstuck -- FAST! (e-Book)
• 1 FREE Month in the “Unstoppable You Inner Circle”
• Instant- Inspiration Cards
• Unstoppable Manifesto
• Free subscription to the Unstoppable weekly e-Zine (and UnstoppableTV)
Plus — I’m throwing in my wildly-popular “YOUR SPACE FOR SUCCESS” Starter Kit ($97 Value):
This is some of my best Feng Shui insights from my popular HGTV show, “Fun Shui” — to show you how to USE
your home and office as a manifesting MACHINE – designed to attract people, situations and opportunities to
you (as if my magic) — and to lighten and loosen any life-long stuck spots or limiting beliefs.
* 2+ hours of audio training, workbook and transcripts.
Click here to grab your FREE copy — while supplies last: www.JoinTheUnstoppables.com/happyentrepreneur
16
CLICK HERE FOR
FROM SUMMER BOCK
FREE
!
T
F
i
G
www.gutrebuilding.com Check out my free video series to understand more
about the human sewer and what you can do to end digestive struggles like
heartburn and constipation with super simple tricks I’ve been using for years
on myself and my clients.
17
CLICK HERE FOR
E
E
R
F
!
T
F
i
G
FROM ELIZABETH LOCEY, PH.D
abundance zone toolkit
This audio file walks you through how to
recognize whether your energy signature in any given moment is one that
will make you magnetic to everyone
(friends, family, potential leads or lovers)
or ... ahem!.. repellent. There may be
certain people in your world which you
want to repel, and that’s fine, but for
your business to thrive you can’t be repelling ideal clients. In addition, I’ll show
you through how to flip your energy out
of repellant to attractive like a switch, so
you’ll never have to have an important
encounter wearing the wrong kind of
energy again.
This audio also takes you step by step
through the Divine Love Bubble; it will
help to keep your energy signature in
the Abundance Zone. And it also takes
you step-by-step through the Human
Pendulum from Donna Eden, which can
help you make on-the-spot decisions
that are also spot-on. All entrepreneurs
know that the faster we can make
decisions, the better our business goes,
especially if those decisions don’t have
to be un-done later.
18
APPROVAL
addict?
No More
19
Amy Pearson’s
Radical Authenticity
www.livebrazen.com
WHAT A FORMER APPROVAL
ADDICT CAN TEACH YOU
ABOUT
Success
Hello my name is Amy and I’m an “approval addict,”
recovering with the occasional relapse.
Confessions of a Gold Star
Chaser
Wrong.
The Hamster Wheel
If I could get the
Entire Known
Universe to like
me, I figured I’d
always be invited
to the best parties, make great
money at a job I
loved, I thought my
life would feel as
sparkly and shiny
as it looked on the
outside.
20
I’m a Performer with a touch
of Hero Worshiper and Perfectionist. What this means is
that for most of my adult life,
I’ve been chasing “gold stars”
to get other people to approve
of me.
Not just approve, actually,
to adore me. I wanted people
to see me walking down the
street and say, “there goes
Amy. Did you know she solved
the hunger problem? How
does she do it and stay so
thin?”
If I could get the Entire Known
Universe to like me, I figured
I’d always be invited to the
best parties, make great money
at a job I loved, I thought
my life would feel as sparkly
and shiny as it looked on the
outside.
My life was a hamster wheel
of constant striving -- seeking
out one accomplishment after
another (and I had to look
perfect doing it.) There was
always another ten pounds to
lose, another person to impress, another incomplete task
on my enormous to do list.
I didn’t know it at the time but
I was living in a self-imposed
prison. I was trying to be
someone I wasn’t so anxiety
was my only real companion.
The gold stars I was chasing
were leading me further and
further away from the life I
really wanted. I was trying to
win over people I didn’t like. I
was in a prestigious job for the
prestige, nothing else. I was
letting a hunk of metal dictate
my self worth and I was rack-
You Can Do It!
ing up more and more credit card
debt trying to look perfect.
My Life Didn’t “Fit In” with Me
My Life
Didn’t “Fit
In” with
Me
I had created a life
that didn’t fit me at
all, just to feel a sense
of belonging, to fit in.
I was maintaining a
persona that wasn’t
me, so I could feel
good about myself.
I had created a life that didn’t fit
me at all, just to feel a sense of
belonging, to fit in. I was maintaining a persona that wasn’t me, so I
could feel good about myself. But
it wasn’t working and I couldn’t
figure out why. I thought the solution was to achieve more, lose more
weight, do better, be better.
Does any of this sound familiar?
It’s Normal to Want Approval
The thing is, wanting approval
is normal. In fact it’s a biological
drive rooted in the human need for
security.
The problem is that a lot people
internalize the idea that parts of
themselves – their quirks, stupid
things they did, stupid things others did to them, even stupid things
that happened in their family– are
NOT fit for human consumption.
So they hide. They hide parts of
themselves they don’t want other
people to know about. Because
they’re certain if people knew the
truth…
“Well they definitely wouldn’t
hang out with me, or invite me to
their parties and they certainly
wouldn’t hire me.”
I call it an “approval seeking façade.” Contrary to popular belief,
not everyone goes into “people
pleaser” mode to get approval.
Which is why I created eight “approval seeking personality types.”
The truth is we all have a persona,
lots of them depending on the circumstance. I act different when I’m
coaching a client than I do when
I’m hanging out with my kids.
The problem isn’t the persona.
The problem is when you use it to
extract approval or avoid rejection
from other people at your expense.
You start to think that persona
is Who You Really Are. You end
up living a life that your true self
would never recognize.
Flash forward ten years:
I’m still a total gold star “whore” – I
chase accomplishment like a dog
chases squirrels. But I don’t do it
for other people. I do it for myself.
21
I have “heros,” but I don’t worship
them. They remind me of what’s
possible. I can still be a perfectionist but I don’t let it keep me from a
shitty first draft when that’s what
it takes.
It’s not because I’m better than
you. It’s not because I’m smarter or
better looking…
I’m no longer hiding behind a persona that doesn’t fit. And because
of that my business is a true reflection of who I am, quirks and all.
YOU are magnetic. YOU are fascinating. And YOU have the power to
attract a tribe of raving fans who’ll
practically throw money at you to
do what you do.
I’m not trying to be all things to all
people.
This is what allows my people to
find me, hire me and pay me good
money to do what I do (let the
other one unsubscribe!).
It’s also why I have something new
to contribute to the conversation
(some people call me a thought
leader!).
And with all the talk about branding, this is how I created a compelling brand without really even
trying.
It’s because I’m willing to be myself, uncensored, no apologies.
If you stop hiding.
Is Hiding
Worth It? 5
Questions to
Ask
1) How do you hide? Do you try
to appear smarter or more competent than you think you are?
Maybe you wear certain clothes
to “fit in.” Or hold back when
you think your opinion might
offend someone? These are examples of hiding.
3) What do you lose by hiding?
Consider the “costs” of hiding.
How much time do you spend
trying to figure out what people
will think? How does this impact you in your business? Your
productivity, creativity…are you
having any fun?
2) What’s the “pay off ”? All lot of
people think they benefit from
hiding. The truth is you’re preemptiveley rejecting yourself out
of fear of potential rejection. Is it
worth it?
4) What are you afraid might
happen if you to drop the persona? People render themselves
invisible to their ideal client by
trying to please the haters. Trust
me, the haters are gonna hate, no
matter what you do.
22
I’m not trying to
be all things to
all people.
5) How do you link your persona
with your sense of self? Approval
seekers and rejection avoiders
spend so much time chasing approval that when they do decide
to stop, many don’t know what to
do with themselves. Trust me, it
can be scary, but all the good stuff
waits for you on the other side!
Take The Approval
Quiz now at
www.approvalquiz.com
to find out your approval
seeking
personality type.
A Letter from Amy
Dear Reader,
AN OPEN LETTER FROM AMY
I am a happy entrepreneur. But
make no mistake, I am not comfortable. You show me a “comfortable” entrepreneur and I’ll
show you one whose business is
stagnant.
Strong words, maybe. But I’m trying to make a point.
Too many entrepreneurs think it’s
supposed to be easy. They want
to look good climbing the ladder
to success. They think that the
Danielle LaPortes and the Brene’
Browns made it happen with their
eyes closed.
I want you to know something
important.
Bio
Here’s what happy entrepreneurs
know. It’s about the journey. And
behind all the glitz and glam,
if you pull back the curtain, I
guarantee you every road is
paved with dashed hopes, botched
launches and projected income
that didn’t pan out.
Happy entrepreneurs know it’s all
a grand experiment. And that success lives right at the very edge of
a best laid plan gone wrong.
Don’t quit right before the miracle.
Xoxo
-a
It isn’t true.
Amy Pearson is a master certified Martha Beck life coach, a coach mentor and instructor for Martha Beck’s life coach training. She’s a teacher,
coach, writer and speaker. A former approval addict (with the occasional
relapse), she is now addicted to success. Her mission is nothing short of
world peace by empowering every heart-centered entrepreneur to magnify their tribe, make great money and an epic impact while doing their
unique thing in the world.
23
Inspiration
I call it Radical
Authenticity. It’s about
being YOU uncensored in
your business...
CLICK TO SHARE
THE HAPPY
ENTREPRENEUR
WITH FRIENDS!
HOW I CAME TO RUN A SUCCESSFUL BIZ:
I’m not an overnight success
story. I’ve invested tens of
thousands of dollars into my
coaching practice. Let’s just
say I spent a lot of time writing
business plans, thinking about
a niche and rehashing my ideal
client avatar.
But none of these things helped
until I discovered that my “approval addiction” – the very
thing that was keeping me stuck
in my life, was the exact same
thing keeping me stuck in my
business.
I wasn’t seeking approval from
other people. Instead, I was
using my business to feel good
about myself. I thought if I
could fill my practice, get lots
of comments on my blog, hit six
figures… I’d finally feel worthy.
I’m not the only one who uses
her business to validate her.
It’s a trap. I call it The Approval
Trap. It’s a hidden epidemic
among entrepreneurs. It leaves
you feeling like an “imposter”
in your business, it’s the reason
why you feel “cringy” about
marketing and sales, and it’s
why you don’t stand out in a
24
crowded marketplace.
cessful people.
When I stopped comparing myself to other coaches, took down
the glossy portraits I thought
I was supposed to have on my
website, and started to write
how I talk… I finally started to
see results -– my first five figure
launch, a full 1:1 practice, and
yes six figures. I found a tribe
of fans who are happy to pay
me good money to do my unique
thing in the world.
Quoting Jeff Olsen, “success is
the progressive realization of a
worthy idea. Successful people
do what unsuccessful people are
not willing to do.”
I call it Radical Authenticity. It’s
about being YOU uncensored in
your business, no apologies +
doing the brazen shit you need
to do to get results. It yields a
fascinating brand, more clients
and a truly epic impact.
My Favorite Book:
The book that changed my business is The Slight Edge by Jeff
Olsen. I used to think “successful people” were somehow better
than me – smarter, more charismatic, more gifted at business.
After I read this book, I learned
the truth about success and suc-
In other words, success is about
showing up each day to do
what is easy to do BUT just as
easy not to do. So thanks to The
Slight Edge, I know I have to
show up, each day, in honor of
my goals to do the little things
that compounded over time
make all the difference. Trust
me, it works.
1. “Brazen Self Promotion” audio mp3 program
(download and listen to in the car, while washing dishes, jogging… whatever!)
Simple mindset tweeks and proven strategies to stop hiding under your
desk when it comes to all things self promotion so you can get out there
and make an impact doing your thing.
2. Opportunity to apply for a Live Brazen Strategy
Session
For action takers who are ready to invest in growing your business and
living a big life. If chosen I’ll evaluate your business strategy thus far
and help you come up with a game plan to practice the principles of Live
Brazen directly in your business so you can start magnifying your tribe
and monetizing your magic. This evaluation is (valued at $250) will be
provided to a limited number of qualified applicants at no charge to see if
and how I might be able to help you take your business to the next level.
So please make sure you are ready to stop being stuck and start investing
in the business and life you dream about.
e
r
e
h
Cgleictkit now!
to
25
www.theelenigroup.com
delivering dull, dry content?
Engage Your Audience by
Engaging Yourself.
By Eleni Kelakos, Chief Transformational Officer of the Eleni Group
...It was my job to find a way to fire
up my passion for the material I was
delivering.
26
I am always reminding
my clients that the way
to fire up the hearts and
minds of their audience is
to embrace my Fifth Commandment of Great Acting
and Great Speaking: Turn
Thyself on so you can Turn
Others On. Because when
your passion is engaged,
your audience is too.
“But what if my material
is as dry as the Sahara
desert?” a client will complain. “After all, I’m only
delivering the monthly
numbers/quarterly report/
status update on a project.
How do I engage my passion over that?”
It’s a good question. Because while you might find
the passion to motivate
and inspire others in situations like delivering an
annual keynote, launching
a new product, or announcing
a new direction for your team,
it’s an awful lot harder to drum
up the required passion at the
weekly team huddle over stale
donuts and bad coffee.
As an actor, I understood that
it was my job to find a way fire
up my passion for the material
I was delivering, no matter how
dry or boring or unpleasant it
was. I had to do everything I
could to make the material my
own, and to inspire the engaged
(and engaging) performer in
me to come out and play. That
meant I had to do two things.
Choose a clear and compelling
intention (“What do I want?
What am I here to do.?”) And
then support that intention
with every fiber of my being,
making choices to keep me interested and engaged, moment
by moment.
the same responsibility as an
actor to find a way to deliver
a dull or difficult message to
your people. Here’s how to do
it:
As a business leader,
you have the same
responsibility as an
actor to find a way to
deliver a dull or difficult message to your
people.
Eleni Kelakos,
The Eleni Group
As a business leader, you have
s
’
e
r
e
H
o
d
o
t
how
it
1. GO DEEP
Choose an intention that truly drives you,
that gives your words meaning. I.e. “My
intention is to challenge the compliance
team to continue to maintain their excellent record so we can keep our customers
and attract more business.” Or “my intention is to connect deeply and authentically with every member of my audience
so that they have a genuine, human expe-
rience with me.” Use action verbs that fire
you up—to inspire, to convince, etc. The
more the intention engages you, the more
you’ll honor it—even when something (like
your slides freezing) or someone (like the
yawning guy in the third row) threatens to
knock you off course.
2. GO BIG
Connect the message to something larger.
For example, if you’re an entrepreneur
leading a team of people in the development and marketing of health care products, fire up your presentation, your
team and yourself by reminding your
people that their daily grind helps people
live healthier lives. That’s what a client
of mine recently did when she delivered
27
the opening presentation at her pharmaceutical company’s annual meeting. Faced with the daunting task of
having to reveal not only dry but discouraging data that
reflected a tough and frustrating year for the members
of her sales team, she knew it was imperative to bring
a sense of hope and possibility to her words. And so
she told her audience that she felt like England’s famed
King Henry, when he faced the daunting task of motivating his dispirited troops on the eve of an epic battle
for which they were, theoretically, sorely outnumbered.
Quoting passages from King Henry’s gorgeous Saint
Crispian’s Day speech from William Shakespeare’s play
Henry V, she encouraged the members of her team to
fight with a renewed commitment to selling their medical products in the name of changing people’s lives for
the better. Connecting King Henry’s story to her presentation not only fired up my client’s passion and made
the dismal annual numbers she was sharing more palatable, it re-connected her team members to their value
and purpose.
BE
and
t
n
e
s
pre entic
auth
When your intention is compelling, and you’ve turned yourself on so that your passion is
a burning, contagious flame,
you will substantially raise the
engagement level in the room
-- no matter how how-hum the
material.
3. GO PERSONAL
Put your unique spin on the presentation
by infusing it with material or an activity
that gets you fired up and lets people see
who you really are. What do you genuinely love to do? What could you do, show or
share that could help make your presentation more compelling, energizing or memorable? The sky’s the limit: Juggle, read a
poem, tell a personal story that illustrates
your point, show a YouTube clip that’s on
topic and makes you laugh, etc. When you
layer in content or activities that let you
reveal yourself and that you can’t wait to
share or do, your audience members will
feel and respond to your genuine energy
and enthusiasm.
Take, for example, the presentation a
coaching client recently gave involving
the reporting of quarterly numbers that
suggested inefficiency and waste in her
company’s three year initiative. As an
28
avowed efficiency nut, my client abhors
waste. That holds true for her passion for
gardening. Which is why, at the onset of
what could have been a dry as toast presentation loaded with numbers, my client chose to tell her audience about her
general philosophy about gardening: If a
plant takes too much daily maintenance,
and tends to wither in spite of her efforts,
she lets it die. Why waste time on a plant
that is robbing you of valuable time? The
same holds true, she explained, of the initiative she was discussing: It was taking
too much time and effort to maintain, for
too little in return; and therefore, it was
time to jettison it like a dying plant, and to
replace it with a new, less wasteful initiative. Framing her data in the context of
gardening allowed her to make her point
more clearly and compellingly; and it also
let her have more fun and be more present
and authentic.
eleni
BIO
kelakos
Eleni is the founder and CTO (Chief Transformational
Officer) of The Eleni Group. As a professional actress,
nationally touring singer, songwriter and recording artist
with four acclaimed music CDs, she spent over 20 years
learning how to bring her most authentic and effective
self to interviews, auditions and performances on countless stages across the nation. Eleni learned the tools of her
craft from master teachers at Brown University (where
she earned degrees in both Theatre and Semiotics) and in
New York City and Hollywood. She shares those tools with
business professionals who want to feel more confident,
impactful and influential in their speeches and presentations. Eleni has helped hundreds of clients radiate their
Transformational Presence, which she defines as the
ability to be so fully and authentically present on and off
the speaking platform, that you shift the way others feel,
believe or behave.
As the go-to presentations skills coach and trainer in the
Ann Arbor/Greater Detroit area since 2003, Eleni has
boosted the Transformational Presence of hundreds of
individuals at companies ranging from General Motors to
entrepreneurial start-ups.
As a motivational speaker, Eleni challenges herself to
walk her talk and embody Transformational Presence
whenever she steps onto the speaking platform. She
presents her flagship programs—TOUCH THE SKY, STOP
PLAYING SMALL and USE YOUR WORDS TO CHANGE
YOUR WORLD—which combine original songs, stories and
actionable content—to professional groups and associations across the country. She’s particularly zealous about
working with and speaking to women, encouraging them
to Stop Playing Small in their lives and work, and to use
their words, body language and actions to convey confident leadership.
Eleni is the author of the recently released book, Touch the
Sky: Find Your Voice, Speak Your Truth, Make Your Mark.
She’s a past president of the National Speakers Association
of Michigan, and a proud member of the Actors Equity
Association, the Screen Actors Guild and The American
Federation of Radio and Television Artists. She’s also
sung the national anthem three times at Shea Stadium in
front of more than 30,000 people. When she’s not speaking, coaching or training, Eleni is busy with three grown
step-kids, three crazy cats, and her beloved hubby, music
agent Jim Fleming.
www.theelenigroup.com
29
Motivation
a note to
entrepreneurs:
from eleni kelakos
As I am continuously proclaiming
from the speaking platform (or from
the couch in my office, when working with coaching clients), nobody is
served when you play small. You are
meant to bring your highest, best self
to this planet. Your unique presence is
powerful and necessary. The gifts that
are uniquely yours are not meant to
be closeted away and left to languish
or atrophy. They are meant to be harnessed, honed and shared in service
to the purposeful work you’ve chosen
to do.
Be willing to stand in who you really
are, and to share your wisdom, your
product, your service without apology—whether you are speaking to one
person, or to a thousand.
Be willing to risk sharing the best of
you on a daily basis—and let the business you are building build a better
planet and be of genuine service to
others.
Be willing to believe that the world
needs exactly what you have to offer,
so that you can find the inner resources you need to push forward through
inevitable obstacles.
Because you matter. And I believe in
you.
30
“Because you
matter. And I
believe in you.”
Eleni Kelakos
ceo the eleni group
eleni kelakos:
If someone had told me when I graduated from college
that I’d someday be running my own, successful business,
I would have said “What have you been smoking?” Never
in a million years did I conceive of myself as an entrepreneur. And yet, pursuing my initial career as an actress in
N.Y. and L.A. taught me foundational entrepreneurial skills
and habits. For one thing, I seriously followed a mentor’s
advice when he suggested I treat my acting career as if it
were a donut shop with a storefront. “Get up and make the
donuts every day,” he said, “even when you don’t feel like
it.” This notion, that it is both my right and my responsibility to take daily steps to actualize my dream, fuels me
(and my business) to this day. I also learned the value of
building relationships, building my personal brand, and
building up the fortitude to keep going in spite of a daily
barrage of no’s—all useful entrepreneurial skills.
I built my current business the way I’ve built everything
that led up to it: By paying attention to what I like to call
the Cosmic Clues (what you love, what you’re good at,
and what you know deep in your gut is right for you. The
Cosmic Clues led me to my work as a professional actress;
which led to my becoming a nationally touring, recording
singer-songwriter; which led to my work as a workshop
and seminar leader focused on helping others find and
develop their unique voice (literally and metaphorically);
which led to creating a personal empowerment program
for teenage girls called The Tallest Poppy.
At that juncture (2002), I moved from California to Boston
to care for my ailing mother. By “happenstance,” I attended a music conference in Jacksonville, Florida, where
I met my husband, Jim. I promptly listened to my gut,
which was screaming “move to Ann Arbor, Michigan to be
with this man,” and moved to the Midwest with my mom,
two cats and three guitars. Once the dust had cleared, I
looked around and thought “how can I help myself make a
better living using my love of performing and the teaching skills I’m developing?” That’s when my current business was born. Convinced I could use theatre techniques
to help others become more confident and impactful in
their presentations, I printed up some business cards, put
together a website, and joined the Ann Arbor Chamber of
Commerce. Clients started coming. And soon those clients
My Story
were enthusiastically referring me to their friends and
colleagues.
Since then, my business has grown exponentially due not
only to referrals, but to what I call the showcase marketing strategy: I speak as often as possible, for fee and
sometimes (strategically) for free to targeted groups. I
invariably get coaching clients (and more speaking gigs)
by speaking. And I also have a coach who kicks me in the
tush, keeping me accountable for taking the steps I need to
take to move my business forward.
my favorite book:
My initial response to this question is to rhapsodize about
a book that changed my life: Ayn Rand’s grand work of
fiction, Atlas Shrugged, which kept me turning pages late
into the night my senior year of high school. Its bright, articulate and ambitious heroine, Dagny Taggart helped me
feel good about being a strong, capable woman who cared
about realizing my personal best. But as far as a book that
changed my business, I’d have to point to one that is far
less epic and far more practical: Mark LeBlanc’s slim little
volume, Small Business Success. This good natured, readable, thin blue book (along with Mark’s personal coaching)
helped me shift from being a performing artist to a successful business owner. In seventy-five short pages that
you can read in under an hour, Mark gives you the tools
you need to get and stay focused on what you want to create. And he spells out a simple, do-able system that drives
you to fulfilling consistent, targeted acts of marketing
that will grow your business
exponentially.
(www.smallbusinesssuccess.com)
31
30 Days and 30 Ways to Touch the Sky: A 60
page E-journal with Motivational Musings by
Eleni Kelakos.
eleni kelakos:
Change a habit that is holding you back and create a new
habit that will move you forward with the pdf/digital version of Eleni Kelakos’ popular 30-day journal. Start your
day by reading a motivational musing designed to get you
to you to think, feel and take new action. Then, fill the
journal’s blank pages with your own musings, or simply
document the daily steps you are taking to be everything
you can be!
This free gift also comes with a bonus: A subscription to
Eleni’s wise, often witty and always motivational Monday
Morning Musings e-series. These weekly emails will keep
you focused on being genuinely and powerfully present
in your work and life so you can Touch the Sky on a daily
basis!
32
E
E
R
F
!
T
F
i
G
get it here
CLICK TO SHARE
THE HAPPY
ENTREPRENEUR
WITH FRIENDS!
33
Jaima
Schutt
Jaima
and her
family
www.ringaroundtherosies.net
Inadequate to Amazing
you aren’t
anything
“Just ”
You are amazing. You really are. As women, despite all of the women’s rights
movements, we can feel inadequate. That we are “just” a mom, or “just” a wife
and the person that is truly inside of us is dead. We lack passion and enthusiasm and to often give up on the dreams and ambitions that we had in our
younger years. I am going to debunk that truth. You are enough, and you are
certainly not “just” anything. As women, we have so much power, but too often
we keep it buried deep.
34
Not so long ago, I was one of those women. I decided to
be a stay at home mom as soon as I became pregnant – as
a young girl, all I wanted to be was a mom. I wanted to
love on babies, and I thought it would fulfill me. And it did
during the “brand new mom” stage. But the reality of diapers and dishes quickly wore off, even though I loved my
daughter with my every being, and still wanted to be with
her every day. But, I lost myself. My dreams were suddenly
at a halt. I was beginning to settle for mediocre and had
come to terms with being “just a mom and wife”. I didn’t
even know who I was anymore.
It wasn’t until I decided to begin blogging about our lifestyle and reach out to begin my own community that my
thinking was radically changed. At my first ever blogging
conference, after I had kind of found my place in blog
world, someone reached out to me and said, “Jaima, you
know you’re not JUST a mom, right? You should take that
off of your profile. You are so much more that “just” anything.”
Wow, what? I am?
At that very moment, my thinking changed. My confidence
was boosted, and I both decided and realized that I AM so
much more.
As a full-time mom, and now a full-time blogger / writer,
I realize the power I have in my voice. We all have that
power. The power to share your story. And while you may
be sharing your story just to vent and get it off of your
chest, you will never know just who you might influence,
or what one person may really need to hear what you have
to say that day.
As moms, we all feel inferior at times. We settle down into
the thinking that wiping butts and changing the laundry is
our duty. But I am here to tell you that while those are two
very important things in nurturing your children and taking care of your home – you were made for so much more.
I heard a quote this past week that changed my life, and
perhaps it will change yours too. The guy said, “don’t leave
this world with everything left inside of you” and it got me
thinking about all the things that I ever wanted to do in
life.
It is my passion to help women be all that they can be and
live up to their full potential. Like I stated above, we all
have an incredible power as women and moms. Whether
we are in Corporate America, work at home moms, or just
busy women taking our homes, we have the power.
We have the power to change lives, inspire others, and
spread our passion and enthusiasm throughout the world.
While we are all passionate about different things, we are
almost all passionate about a better world.
As a mom, who suffered great loss and tragedy when I lost
my mom and 18 year old brother, and essentially my entire
immediate family on that cold December night, I decided
to turn my hurt and my story into helping other women. I
love helping others deal with their circumstances, and improve the balance and health within their home and within
their lives. As an added bonus, I now make a living off of
that, but the true satisfaction is in simply sharing my story
and helping those women through it.
Everyone’s story is different. Everyone’s dreams and
desires and passions are different. But whatever they are –
they are enough. Turn your dreams into reality. Why do we
do anything else? Why do we do things we hate to “make a
living”, when you should be living for our passions.
Today, I simply encourage you to think outside the walls of
your home or your cubicle and dare to dream! Dare to let
passion fuel the fire within you, and you will become unstoppable. Everything starts with your dreams. Dig deep,
what is it that you really want? How serious are you about
your WHY? And furthermore, when will you take action to
live it out loud.
35
My
Story:
At 24 year old I became a mother, and after a past miscarriage, it was all that I had dreamed about. What I didn’t
dream about was all of the tragedy and loss that would
lead up to my daughter’s delivery. At 3 months pregnant,
while home for Christmas, my mom and little brother were
suddenly taken from us in an automobile accident. My
husband and I were jobless and were relocating over 1,000
miles from our home in Connecticut, back to my home
town of Nashville, Tennessee. To make matters worse, after delivering a perfectly healthy, and gorgeous baby girl,
I was severely depressed. Call it postpartum, call it grief
or shock, or whatever you may, I was depressed. I wanted
to be a stay at home mom – it was all I ever wanted be. But
I was depressed. If it weren’t for her precious cries and
need for my milk, I honestly wouldn’t have gotten out of
bed most days. I felt defeated and miserable every single
day. Maybe you can relate? When our daughter turned a
year old, my husband and I decided that despite my passion and desire to be at home, we simply couldn’t afford
it anymore. Though we were blessed that he had found a
great job, we were going $450 in debt each month – and
not out of excessive living, but just to pay our bills and buy
food. I submitted various resumes, but at 24, I didn’t’ have
a whole lot of experience with the exception of management, but this was 2010 – I had very little college education, and nobody would hire me. I felt even more defeated.
So, I decided to write. I opened up ringaroundtherosies.
net in August of 2011. It was my outlet, but it was also my
opportunity to share my story in hopes of inspiring others
and perhaps make a little money. My initial goal was as
little as $500 / month to stop us from going in to debt. I
spent many late nights writing, researching, and networking with other successful bloggers. And within my first
six months, I had attracted over 3,000 readers and began
increasing my income. Fast forward a year, and after tons
of personal growth and the help of expert coaches, in 2012,
my husband and I were able to pay off $54,000 in debt and
for the first time in our marriage, claim to be “debt free”!
Almost an entire year later, we are still debt free, and my
income continues to rise. Simply because I made a choice
to be fueled by passion, and the power of my voice, to help
other women.
My Favorite Book:
The book that has most inspired
me isn’t a traditional “entrepreneur” book, or a “self-help
/ self-taught” book. It is my
favorite book, and chances
are you’ve read it right along
with the millions of other, is
Elizabeth Gilbert’s, “Eat Pray
Love”. I’m assuming you already
know about it and know what
it’s about, but essentially, this
woman goes off to travel the
world to find out who she was
and to find her life’s passion.
It was just so powerful to me
and motivated me to figure out
what it was I wanted and who I
really was in life. Now, I didn’t
travel the world physically, but
I definitely took many many
mental and spiritual journeys
36
until I figured it out. I have
to share with you my favorite
quote from the book, perhaps it
will help you today… “Happiness
is the consequence of personal
effort. You fight for it, strive
for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the
world looking for it. You have
to participate relentlessly in
the manifestations of your own
blessings. And once you have
achieved a state of happiness,
you must never become lax
about maintaining it. You must
make a mighty effort to keep
swimming upward into that
happiness forever, to stay afloat
on top of it.”
Bio:
Jaima Schutt, born and raised outside of Nashville, Tennessee, is the founder and editor of Ring
Around the Rosies, a site dedicated to helping
busy women just like you create a healthy balanced
home. Ring Around the Rosies was born in 2011
after a season of tragedy and loss, but was fueled by
Jaima’s passion to provide for her family financially,
but while nourishing her family and being present
at home. Within one year of launching her site and
turning her dreams into a business, Jaima began
making a full-time income, working only 15 hours
per week. At two years, she crossed over 100,000
subscribers and reaches about 400,000 readers per
month. Jaima’s success is due in part of her zest
and drive for life, and for her organic lifestyle and
way of thinking.
CLICK FOR
Note:
Free
Gift
Dream Big! Yes, it
sounds cliché, but if
you’ll never know how
far you can go until you
dream it and decide to
do it! You’re much more
likely to achieve a huge
success by dreaming it
than not dreaming at all.
Find out what fuels your
fire and make it your
life’s testament to be the
best at it.
37
Blending
Entrepreneurship
With Lifelong
5 steps to make
Health it easy
www.jenniferpowter.com
If you’re like most women I know, you’re busy. You
have your work + deadlines, maybe you have kids and
their activities, volunteer commitments and probably
a million other things on the go. I often get asked,
“Jen – how can I fit in fitness and be more healthy
when I just don’t feel like I have any time for myself?”
The hard truth is until you decide to make yourself
and your health as important as everything else (or
more so) it will always be the first thing to slip off
your priority list.
The real problem I see, is that high achieving and
high capacity women are often running on empty because they’re treating their business (and sometimes
other parts of their life) like a sprint, when in reality
it’s a marathon. If you were to try to run a marathon
by sprinting you’d burn out, hit the wall and literally
be unable to keep going.
The way you do this is by overcommitting, saying yes
to a million things which ultimately leads to a massive collision of the expectations you have for yourself and what you can achieve and the reality of your
life. How this looks or feels is:
38
• All you ever do is work
• At night when you are tired and want to relax you’re
working
• You feel guilty if you see your friends or if any waking, breathing moment is not being spent on your
work
• You constantly feel like you never have enough time
therefore meal planning or exercising seems like a
total indulgence as it takes way too much time.
HERE’S EXACTLY
HOW YOU CAN
CREATE THAT
CHANGE IN YOUR
LIFE:
What this all boils down to is a lack of planning. Say what? Yep. It’s true. I know this because I lived it. In the early
years of my business I had two little ones that I was a full time stay at home mom to and then I worked at night. I had
massive expectations of myself and absolutely no outside help or support. The result wasn’t pretty. I was 30 lbs overweight, chose to wash the floor instead of workout, and drank wine and ate chocolate chips at night as a “treat” after a
long day.
Then it happened – my mini breakdown when I realized I simply couldn’t continue like this. I felt miserable and knew
things had to change. Luckily as a life coach, personal trainer and exercise physiologist I had the tools to create a massive life change. In 8 months I’d lost the weight, had more energy than ever before, competed in Ironman Canada and did
a complete overhaul of my business so I could actually love how I spent my time everyday.
1
3
Regain control by planning. I hated
constantly feeling like I had to run to the
grocery store to get one or two items in
order to make dinner. It was stressful. So,
I started meal planning. You should too.
Take 30 minutes before you do your big
grocery shop for the week and write down
your dinners for the week (bonus points if
you do lunches too). And you don’t need to
make this hard for yourself – don’t spent 3
hours pouring over 18 cookbooks (unless
you enjoy doing that and have time for it).
Instead, with your family, brainstorm all
of your favorite meals. Try to create a list
of 15 – 20 things. Then slot them in to the
week. Always include 1-2 nights to use up
leftovers, there’s no reason you need to be
cooking from scratch every night.
Set a goal for yourself. Something that
excites you, something that helps you
wake up that 30 minutes earlier to get
moving. The goal needs to be personal
– maybe it’s a 30 day challenge of some
sort (walking, getting to the gym) maybe it’s registering for your first 5 km,
10km or 1/2 marathon. Without a goal
it can be really easy to opt out in the
moment and put the workout off until
tomorrow. But having a goal creates
commitment. By sharing that goal with
friends and family or joining a group of
people who share that same goal, you
create accountability.
2
Preparing: Spend 30 minutes and save 3
hours. After you’ve gone grocery shopping don’t just put all of those veggies
away. Take 30 minutes to wash, slice,
grate, & chop them up so that it’s easy to
incorporate them into your snacks and
main meals. Here’s what I do and I get
my kids involved too:
•
Wash everything in my sink
•
Slice: carrots, celery, cabbage
•
Grate: carrots, beets
•
Chop: broccoli, cauliflower
This leaves me with a fridge full of easy
to grab veggies for salads, veggie plates,
and stir fries. The time spent up front is
100% worth it as it allows you to become
efficient in the kitchen.
By sharing that goal
with friends and
family or joining a
group of people who
share that same goal,
you create
accountability.
39
5
4
Take action and schedule fitness in. Once
you set that goal for yourself you’ve got to
take action and literally schedule fitness
dates with yourself. As the CEO of your
business, you keep important appointments with your clients so keep this one
with yourself. If you have to do this while
your kid is in an activity, so be it. Just get it
done. Our body is our forever home and the
better we take care of it, the better it works
for us
Get the support or help you need and don’t feel guilty about it.
There’s a big myth out there that I find women buy into and its “I
can and should do everything on my own” and honestly, nothing
is further from the truth. Getting the help and support you need
is critical for success – both in business and life. We all have different gifts and areas of expertise but it’s ridiculous to think we’re
experts in everything. Having someone in your life who already
possesses the knowledge and skillset that you need to learn is a
huge time & stress saver. It allows things to become easy and for
the struggle to end. Women give so much of their energy to everyone and everything else sometimes you simply need someone
there to support you. That’s ok. In fact it’s courageous to admit it.
TAKE
action
MY
STORY:
I hate to say it but I’m not lucky. Taking my business from
something I wanted to throw under a bus and never see
again and turning it into my daily passion and something
I make a lot of money from wasn’t simply “luck” either. Let
me back up a bit though…
Ever since I was in my 20’s I knew that I wanted to have
my own thing – although I didn’t really know what that
meant. No one in my family was an entrepreneur so that
whole world was foreign to me yet no matter what job I
was in I simply wasn’t content (even with great money,
great vacation time and great people to work with) – I
wanted more.
Having kids was a turning point for me – when I was pregnant with my first I simply couldn’t imagine being away
from my baby all day while going off to work at something
I wasn’t passionate about. I finally found my calling and
40
completed a coach certification program and promptly set
up my own website and declared myself open for business. And honestly, things were good for a while – word of
mouth marketing was working.
And then it stopped. And I found myself with no clients,
no money, no plan and I had no idea what to do. I realized
that while I was a great coach I knew nothing about any
of the other umpteen responsibilities that go along with
running a business. So I set about learning those things
by investing in little marketing programs here and there. I
learned about social media, list building, creating products,
writing newsletters and effective “conversion campaigns”
(whatever that meant) and after spending thousands and
thousands of dollars I was still wasn’t really any further
ahead. Actually, I was even more behind because I’d decided something must be wrong with me or my business –
that I was working so hard but still not seeing any results.
How could that be?
The single best decision I’ve ever made in my business was working with a
mentor/coach at a high-end level. Someone who not only had built up her
own 7-figure business but had also helped many other coaches just like
me cross over to 6-figures often within 1 year. Someone who could help
me build a strong foundation to my business and then sequentially lead
me through taking action on the right steps at the right time. Two hugely
important factors. I realized that I had been doing a few good things in my
business but it had serious gaps. Having someone walk me step by step
through the actions I should be taking, holding me accountable to getting
things done and being there to guide me and be a sounding board for my
ideas is the single best thing I’ve ever done for my business (and myself).
How
could
that be?
My favorite book is The
Alchemist by Paul Coelho
Today, I can’t imagine doing anything other than what I do. I have two
little children who I get to drop off and pick up from school everyday, I
have a team supporting my work, I have incredible clients that I’m priviledged to work with and creating a consistent flow of money in my life has
never been easier.
NOTe:
If you are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur or already are one
then I’m sending you a double fist pump and a high five wherever you
are in this world for having the courage to go after what you want to
create in your life. In my experience nothing has ever been so terrifying or so fulfilling as taking the leap to design my life the way I want
to live it. And let me tell you, I know how scary it can be but if your
intuition has been guiding you on this path then listen to those nudges
and go after it with everything you’ve got. Magic happens when you do
that. Promise. Xoxoxo
My Favorite Book:
Although not a traditional “business book” The Alchemist,
by Paul Coelho was both life and business changing for me.
It’s about a shepherd boy, Santiago, who sets out on an incredible journey from the markets of Tangiers and across
the Egyptian desert to a fateful encounter with the alchemist. He faces many challenges, hardships and setbacks.
I read this book at a time when there were many struggles
in my life – both personally and professionally. It was so
important for me to be reminded that even though my
journey felt hard sometimes there were incredible treasures I was receiving along the way, just like Santiago.
That when my head and heart were arguing and pure logic
was trying to convince me to do one thing but my heart
was vying for me to do another – I needed to trust my
heart. And that no matter how bleak or dark things looked
in the moment I needed to pay attention to the signs from
the universe that were present and were encouraging me
to stay connected to my dreams - keeping them alive was
the most important thing. So I did. And I wouldn’t have
gotten to where I am now without the dreams. This book is
still on my bedside table.
“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires
in helping you to achieve it.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
41
BIO:
Jennifer Powter
2-time Ironman athlete and 6-time marathoner Jennifer Powter is also a certified exercise physiologist who
specializes as a Weight Loss + Fitness Expert for regular
people with imperfect lives who want to look and feel
amazing. She could train Olympic athletes — if she
wanted to. Happily for us, she doesn’t.
With her tried-and-tested weight loss + exercise system
— ENERGY to Thrive™ — Jennifer takes the science of
transformation and breaks it down into six empowering steps. It’s physical, mental + emotional reinvention
for non-athletes + very-busy people — made playful,
inspiring + simple.
As a mama of two and successful entrepreneur and
athlete, Jennifer has a unique approach to creating and
living a full life and has appeared on CityTV, Global and
CTV to talk about her one-of-a-kind programs & workshops which have also been featured in over 30 different
journals and magazines across the country.
She could train
Olympic athletes
— if she wanted to.
Happily for us, she
doesn’t.
42
click here
for your
Free Gift
-Finally, a book that
speaks the truth
about all the weight
loss myths out there.
Learn why losing
weight has become
so hard and so frustrating for so many
women. Jen shares
her personal weight
loss transformation
story (30+ lbs) and
the 5 biggest challenges women face
to getting the body
they want.
JENNIFER TAKES THE
SCIENCE OF
TRANSFORMATION AND
BREAKS IT DOWN INTO
6
empowering
steps
43
Laura
simms
44
www.createasfolk.com
Laura Simms
CEO & Founder
Your Career Homecoming
My background is an as actor.
For about a decade, I worked
professionally in theatre, film,
television, voice-over, and print.
I worked in regional theatre on
the East Coast for several years,
got my MFA at the extraordinary program at UC Irvine, and
worked in Los Angeles after that
(catch me in syndication).
I was madly in love with this
career for many years, but
eventually the spark faded and
I wanted to do something more
service-oriented. After considering several options, I decided to
become a career coach to help
people navigate career change
and all questions of finances,
purpose, identity, and worth that
My
STORY
on my signature career change
process, Your Career Homecoming. It’s a highly structured, finely honed one-on-one program
that has a tremendous success
rate, and I love the people I’m
working with. By investing in
the development of this one service, I’ve streamlined my admin,
actual time with clients, and
marketing efforts. Some days I
feel like I’m cheating because
I’ve found something that really
works for me.
I finally feel like I can breathe
a little easier in my business.
Now, some of my most profitable
months don’t come from sweat
and hustle, but from leveraged
activities and having built a
strong community. My business
has grown slowly but steadily,
and the rewards come much
more easily than they did just a
few years ago.
accompany such transitions.
I opened the digital doors at
Create as Folk in January 2011.
Almost three years later, I’ve
learned so much about online
business, who I work with best,
and how I can be of service
while making a living.
Just in the past 6 months I feel
like I’ve really hit my stride, in
part by putting most of my focus
45
Bio:
Laura Simms,
Career Coach
Laura Simms is a career coach,
helping purpose-driven people
find careers that feel like home
at createasfolk.com. She’s the
creator of Get Paid for Being
You, and she enjoys talking to
the animals and reading paperbacks from the “my strange
family” genre. Laura has been
seen in US News & World Report, Tiny Buddha, and over 30
blogs on entrepreneurship.
Laura has been seen in US News
& World Report, Tiny Buddha, and
over 30 blogs on entrepreneurship.
46
Free Gift:
CLICK HERE
FOR
FREE Gift
Get Paid for Being You
These free training videos and play sheets teach you
how to connect the dots between You and Money in an
authentic, simple 3-step process.
•
•
•
Connect Who You are to What You Do
Learn your Hidden Value
Find the People You Need to make it all work
47
A Note to Female Entrepreneurs:
Dear Entrepreneur,
I want you to know how much I admire
you. You do what so many people dream
of but don’t have the guts to do. You do
work that’s often deeply personal, driven
by purpose, and makes a real difference.
Is someone handing out awards for this
stuff?
Because regardless of if you’ve “made it”,
what your sales are, or how many blog
visitors you have, you are doing it. And
that’s more success than most
people in the world will know.
48
Keep holding the torch for what matters
most to you; you’re the beacon someone is
looking for.
Gathering light,
Laura
Lum arum aut pe
volor arum qui alit
etur, seratior
5 Steps
to Hiring and
Training a Team so
that you can finally
stop doing everything
yourself ( and trust
that its getting done
right )
www.sonayawilliams.com
• ARE YOU STAYING UP LATE, TRYING TO GET
EVERYTHING DONE? OR DO YOU HAVE NO
LIFE BECAUSE OF YOUR BUSINESS?
• MAYBE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN’T
EXECUTE ON THE VISION FOR YOUR BUSINESS BECAUSE YOU DON’T HAVE THE RIGHT
TEAM.
• OR YOU ARE AFRAID TO DELEGATE
BECAUSE YOU CAN’T TRUST YOU HAVE
THE RIGHT PERSON TO GET THE JOB DONE
RIGHT.
• MOST ENTREPRENEURS FEEL THEY DON’T
HAVE THE MONEY OR IT’S IMPOSSIBLE
TO GET SUPPORT.
TRUTH IS:
It’s Possible!
THE SECRET TO CREATING SUCCESS…
IT’S NOT THAT YOU HAVE MORE TIME.
IT’S THAT YOU AREN’T DOING
EVERYTHING YOURSELF!
Sonaya Williams,
Time 2 Profit
I am going to provide you with 5 Steps to
Hiring and Training a Team so that you
can finally stop doing everything yourself
(and trust that its getting done right)!
49
Before you hire anyone you need to get clear on what
this person will be doing. List out the tasks you will
have this team member responsible for. Listing out the
tasks will help you identify what skills are required and
the type of person you want to hire. If you need a lot a
graphic work completed, you’ll want someone with an
eye for design. Or, maybe you need some who will be
calling your clients; you’ll need someone who will be
warm and personable on the phone.
Once you have your list completed you can estimate
how many hours will need the person to work per week.
You can also create a clear job description, which will
set the stage for anyone that applies.
The 1st person I recommend all entrepreneurs to hire is
a Client Relationship Assistant. Once you have reached
a full client load this person will be responsible for client
care management in your business, so you can focus on
business building activities. This person will help you
maintain an excellent client experience for current and
new clients.
STEP 2:
INTERVIEW TO HIRE THE
RIGHT TEAM
It’s more than just hiring someone, you want to hire the
right person to join you. Having a powerful team will
make you more successful. There is a process to interviewing the right team member.
During the interview I ask scenario-based questions;
they give me the opportunity to get a story from the applicant. Scenario-based questions tend to start with ‘Tell
me about a time when’ or ‘Give me an example of a time
when’. They are open-ended questions that lead the applicant to explain by telling a story. You will learn a ton
about an applicant with these questions.
50
STEP 1:
IDENTIFY YOUR DELEGATION
STRATEGY
5 things a Client Relationship Assistant can be
doing for you:
1. Handle all responses to email in your support inbox.
2. Manage your calendar & schedule your
meetings.
3. Answer client phone calls and address
general inquiries.
4. Process all your client charges and follow
up on late or declined payments.
5. Enter in all your cards from networking
events & schedule follow up sessions with
hot leads.
An example of a scenario
based questions is “Tell me
about a time when you were
overwhelmed by your tasks,
how did you know what to
prioritize what was
completed 1st?”
STEP 3:
CREATE A TRAINING PLAN
As you’ve narrowed down your selection and made
your decision to hire someone on there should be a 30
– 90 day trial period. During this period there should
be an agreed training plan. This plan would provide details of what the new hire will learn and identify a date
as to when it should be completed by.
An example or a training item is “Have a complete
understanding of contact follow up process & systems
by X date”.
The training plan should be made clear and agreed to
by your new team member.
It is important to bring the team together so they can
work effectively. Setting up regular team meetings will
allow you & the team to get a full picture of what is
happening in the business.
Reviewing all your client work and projects consistently on weekly team meetings will allow you to engage
with your team members, get feedback, and brainstorm
new ideas. Take this opportunity to resolve problems
and refine your business processes as a team for seamless operations.
Here’s the interview process I share with my clients:
Round 1 Interview – This is where you learn about the applicants’ skills, experiences, and find out how they match up
to what you are looking for in your business. You want to get
a clear understanding of what the applicants past job roles
were and how they performed. I recommend you have someone close to you or on your team complete this step and pass
on the qualified leads to you. You would provide them with
the job description and have them ask scenario-based questions to find out what skills the applicant have and how they
fit with the role.
Round 2 Interview – In this round you will meet with the
applicants and see if their personality fits with you and your
It’s also important to make consistent time to train
your new team member so they feel supported. Having
documented step-by-step processes allows this period
to be smooth transition.
STEP 4:
TEAM ENGAGEMENT
business. Continue to use scenario-based questions and look
for how the applicants answers to handling situations.
Mini Projects – After round 2 interview, you are going to
narrow down the applicants to a minimum of 3. This round
allows you to test the applicant skills, giving them each the
same project. By giving them the same project you will be
able to measure the results on the same level.
An example of a mini project for an assistant is proofreading
a newsletter or calls to a client to schedule a meeting. You
want to intentionally put errors in the newsletter or maybe
provide an incorrect number for a client. Think of this as a
way to figure out how they handle situations.
51
STEP 5:
UNPLUG AND
Relax
Now that you have a team it’s time to step back and
trust that you’ve built a team that handle all issues that
arise. Start by planning and blocking off your time in
the calendar in advance. If you don’t you’ll never take
that much needed vacation.
It’s really not about business. It’s about the life you are
creating by having a successful business. Know that
you don’t have to do it alone!
Sonaya’s Story:
I didn’t grow up in an entrepreneurial family. I was raised
to go to school and do well, get a job and be happy.
the timing wasn’t right. I decided to find someone who had
built a successful business to show me how it was done. I
am a risk taker but I wasn’t ready to leave my cushy job.
I did just that!.
I worked through college so I would have work experience
by the time I graduated. I worked for a few top Fortune
500 companies like AT&T, E*Trade, & TD Ameritrade.
I had a great six-figure job with lots of flexibility, and
travelled monthly. My team was outstanding we delivered
high quality projects on time, what more could I ask for.
Who would give that up to become an entrepreneur?
As a child I was the one who my family would ask to figure
something out and show them the easy way. To this day I
help people experience ease & order in their lives. Believe
it or not this is something that comes naturally to me and
took me some time to accept.
In 2012 I became bored with my fancy corporate job. I
started to experiment with what else I could do with my
experience. I started helping a few friends and family
launch side businesses. I would create a plan and find
technology to make the process of being and entrepreneur
seamless for them. This work was very similar to what I
did in my corporate job and it was more exciting. I helped
a cousin launch a hand crafted jewelry business that
started selling in boutique stores. My mother launched a
catering company.
At the time the economy was taking a hit and I watched
several peoples’ lives change dramatically from losing
their jobs and homes. As much as I loved my side hustle
52
After working with a coach and running my side hustle
for a year I left my job. No one told me the experience of
being an entrepreneur is like getting a degree in personal
development. I learned more about myself in 12 months
than my 32 years. I discovered my fear of being seen, truly understood what commitment meant, and really worked
on trusting others with something that was close to me.
I attribute my success to:
• Being coachable
• Taking action no matter what
• Course correcting when things didn’t work
• Seek help when I know I need it most
• Acknowledging my fears and then overcoming them
quickly
Most importantly I came to the realization that the lifestyle I am creating will not only benefit me but those
around me. Entrepreneurs give up a lot in the beginning
for triple the benefits in the future.
I am passionate about building a business that will allow
me the freedom to be home with my family, travel the
world, and give back to my community. My goal is to create the same freedom for all women entrepreneurs.
Bio:
Sonaya Williams is a the
founder of Time 2 Profit,
a small business consultancy that helps rising
entrepreneurs hire, train,
and manage an empowered
team. Sonaya takes her
clients from overwhelmed
and overburdened to enjoying the business they are
building. After graduating
with a B.S in Computer
Information Systems &
Global Business, Sonaya decided to take the traditional
corporate route. Working
at fortune 500 companies
she gained years of experience in IT project manage-
ment, web design, customer
experience, and business
and operations process
management.
Sonaya is a Team Development Expert and specializes in automating processes,
designing systems, creating
step-by-step documentation, and training teams to
deliver results. She is committed to helping the many
entrepreneurs who are
buried in the day-to-day
hassles of their businesses
flip the switch to seamless
systems & operations.
Sonaya BELIEVES:
It’s not about the business. It’s about life.
Life is about joyful experiences.
Entrepreneurship does not have be done in isolation.
Entrepreneurs don’t want any team, they want the right
team.
Every entrepreneur needs to master the skill of hiring &
managing a team to be successful.
Since diving into entrepreneurship two years ago, she has
spent the time helping entrepreneurs build thriving businesses. She works privately with clients who are ready
to build an empowered team. She also teaches virtual
workshops and writes about these topics.
The 4-Hour
Workweek by
Timothy Ferris
favorite book:
This is a popular book that is a must read for all
entrepreneurs. It was given to me by one of my very
1st business coaches, when I was just thinking of
starting a business. In the very beginning I had no
idea what being a CEO entailed. Reading this book
help me step into my CEO heels and take my business seriously. I began to realize how important life
experiences and time off are to my business.
My purpose statement is to help people experience
ease & order in their lives. I use many tips from this
book with my clients. Outsourcing team support and
automation became a signature offering for my business.
The idea of a 4-hour workweek is a goal for most
entrepreneurs. It’s also important to make time to
enjoy what you are creating, so you don’t start to
resent your business.
Remember it’s really not about business. It’s about
the life you are creating by having a successful business. Know that you don’t have to do it alone!
Sonaya is based in New Jersey. Find out more about her
at sonayawilliams.com
53
A note to all women
The
and toPersuit
come:
Hotel
entrepreneurs now
There’s this old way of thinking that women can’t have the best of both worlds. Which is a great career & time for a happy family. Being in corporate I heard this over and over again and I started to believe it with the 40+ hour workweeks.
Women entrepreneurs are proving this wrong everyday. In 2013 Women-owned businesses are generating revenues of
$1.3 trillion and employ
people. These numbers will only continue to grow.
Aped7.7utmillion
exceaquundae
rerorposaligentquatiusae
re nam, quam, conseculpa
numquodi cum dolenist
as es que ditasitia volorernatet est aspeditios
I Believe:
It’s really not about business.
It’s about the life you are creating by having a successful
business.
You are creating a lifestyle that your business support.
You are constantly inspiring those around you by being in
business.
Entrepreneurship does not have to be done alone.
You do not want any team; you want the right team in your
business.
You are creating the possibility for women to have the best
of both worlds with your business.
Let’s change that old school way of thinking and empower
women to know and experience the best of both worlds!
Tur, ea de etum quam
ut volescilla cus excea
volorrupta cus et qui
tempern atiurio bla
54
FREE
GIFT
CLICK TO SHARE
THE HAPPY
ENTREPRENEUR
WITH FRIENDS!
In 2013 Women-owned
businesses are generating
revenues of $1.3 trillion and
employ 7.7 million people.
These numbers will only
continue to grow.
55
by
Stella
Orange
Your Unique
Web Presence
56
The world needs more real people on the internet. Think
about it. There are a lot of really, really bad websites out
there. Bad, as in fake, ugly, or repulsive. Bad, as the smile
on that headshot looks so forced, you wonder if someone
was holding a gun to their head. Bad, as in it feels like it
was written by something that is only pretending to have
actual human emotions.
If you’re reading this, and you’ve seen some of these bad
websites, then you have promised yourself that you will
never make a website like that. Which is great. But how do
you actually live up to that promise? Especially when a lot
of business coaches and marketing gurus teach “follow the
formula”… putting you at risk of looking like everyone else
online?
www.stellaorange.com
3 THINGS Not TO PUT ON YOUR
HOMEPAGE (And the Fix)
Here are 3 things to avoid putting on your homepage (and how to turn it around):
1.
A problem that’s “nice” but not urgent. Many coaches and
service professionals know they help their clients… but
when it comes to putting it into words on their website,
they come up blank. They talk around the big problem
they solve for their clients… they mention 10 things they
help people work on… or they resist mentioning that
there’s a problem altogether.
The fix: You want the people coming to your website
to be able to tell what you do in 5 seconds or less. Is it
relationships? Money? Women’s empowerment? Pick one
area, and then make sure your audience gets it, quickly.
Then, learn the difference between a problem people
will pay for, and something that’s just “nice.” “You want
a great relationship, but can’t figure out where to meet
your soul mate” is an urgent problem. “Expressing more
of who you are,” “being more creative” or “shining your
light” are just nice. People pay money to solve urgent
problems, so make sure you mention the urgent problem
they are having on your homepage, too.
2.
Vague language about struggle and overwhelm. Most business coaches and marketing folks teach writing about the
problem on your homepage like this: put “are you struggling with ______?” and “are you overwhelmed with ____?”
The problem with this time-tested formula is that everyone
and their mother is doing it. And it’s really superficial.
Worst of all, it tricks you into thinking you’ve talked about
the problem in a meaningful way. When you haven’t.
The fix: Dig deeper into what struggle and overwhelm looks
like for YOUR ideal clients. The more specific you can be
about how struggle shows up in their day-to-day lives, the
better. For example, if you are a weight loss coach, avoid
“are you struggling to lose weight?” – instead, ask yourself, “what does struggling to lose weight actually look and
feel like? What are my people seeing, feeling, hearing and
believing about themselves every day? How would they talk
about the problem to someone they trust? What have they
not told anyone else – that I KNOW they are secretly saying
to themselves?” And write from that. It can still be really
simple. But you just want to be more specific, so that it actually resonates with your ideal client. (Hint: not everyone is
your IDEAL client!). For a great example of simple, specific
questions like these, check out the page “Is OA for you?” on
the Overeaters Anonymous website.
57
3.
Words that sound great to you, but actually send your
ideal clients running for the hills. I had a student in one
of my production labs who was a marketing expert.
Her homepage was all about marketing. Marketing this,
marketing that. We were working on her powerful story
for her About page, and I asked her how she used to feel
about marketing. She said, “it felt like sticking pencils in
my eyes.” I asked her how her ideal clients feel about marketing, before they work with her. She said, “they hate it!”
Can you see how it’s a problem to have a homepage that’s
all about something her ideal clients can’t stand? It’s like
dragging a vampire out into the sunlight. When I told her
this, she instantly got it, and we had a good laugh. But
this is what business owners do on their homepages all
the time – use words that their ideal clients don’t actually
want.
The fix: If you are using words like marketing… selling…
or even coaching… proceed with caution. Ask yourself:
how do my people feel about this word? What’s their
relationship with it? Many times, you’ll find that YOU like
it… but your ideal clients feel WAY differently. This is about
speaking their language on your homepage, so that they
feel like you “get them.” One way to shift this is to ask
yourself, “what is this, really?” or “how else can I say this
so it’s conversational + clear?” In the “marketing” example,
Anne decided to say “attract great clients online.” One of
the business owners in my Writing Brigade decided that,
for her people, selling was “having conversations with
potential clients” and “getting the right people to say yes
to working with you.” See the difference?
58
Let’s get real – this writing about your
business is a marathon, not a sprint. As you
grow your business online, you have plenty
of writing to do. And plenty of chances to
practice and get better over time.
So don’t put pressure on yourself to make
your homepage perfect… when “good
enough” will connect with your ideal clients,
and move them to reach out to you, or sign
up for your list. Just keep these ideas in
mind as you go, and play around with them
as your write your homepage. Before long,
you’ll notice that your message is clearer,
more compelling, and calling in clients you
love.
Because I Said So: How I
Convinced the World That I Run A
Successful Business
by Stella Orange
I got tired of paying for therapy. So, five years ago, I started a business. And now, I work through my issues… and
get paid do it. I like to say that running your own business
is the most lucrative form of therapy. All your fears. The
way you think about life. The crazy sh*t you make up about
yourself and other people.
Either you face it and get over yourself… or you don’t eat.
It’s pretty motivating.
I’ve always been an adventurer. My first job out of college
was teaching in Japan. I didn’t speak Japanese. A few years
later, I got a job as a long distance cycling guide… taking
12 kids on a 1,500 mile bike trip, London to Rome. Through
the Alps. Before that, the longest I’d ever been on a bike
was 3 hours. Are you seeing a pattern here?
become an award-winning playwright by having a desire
to give myself a nice birthday present (and writing every
morning). Could I become a copywriter the same way?
I can tell you now that the answer is yes.
I believe that business is not just lucrative therapy – it’s
an adventure. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows. But man,
what a ride. I really do love it all. As Simone de Beauvoir
said, “one is not born, but rather one becomes a woman.”
The same is true about being a playwright, a copywriter,
and an entrepreneur. And the way I see it, doing is the
best way of becoming. It all falls into place.
I didn’t know it then, but this is actually how I learn –
through experience. I’ve managed to train myself to try
new things, without being too attached to doing it right the
first time. As a recovering perfectionist, that doesn’t come
naturally to me. But it’s either that, or I don’t eat.
When I was a kid, I used to write and direct plays with my
next door neighbor, Sarah. When I turned 30, I decided to
start writing short plays again. The local theater picked
them up. I started directing. I performed with an improv
group. I unhooked the part of my brain that said “you need
a theater degree”… and just started doing theater. Another
adventure.
I’ll never forget the day someone called me a playwright.
I realized that the only reason she saw me that way was
because I’d decided it was so. I wrote plays, so I was a playwright. It sounds so simple, but for me it was huge. All my
life, I thought I needed some authority give me permission
to be who I wanted. In that moment, I saw the truth: we
are the captains of our own lives. Give yourself permission.
Declare who you are. Then go do it. It all falls into place.
Long story short, I came to run a copywriting shop because
5 years ago, I gave myself permission to give it a shot. I’d
59
A Letter from Stella
Dear Sister,
I know you.
I recognize the fire in your belly.
The twinkle in your eye feels
familiar.
Your intensity, while not always
expressed aloud, is striking in a
crowd (even if, at times, you feel
weird for it).
My advice?
Love the victories. Your first
clients. Getting the website up.
Being told you changed someone’s
life. Getting all prettied up to go
networking. Getting paid.
Love the failures, too. Getting
walked on before you learn to
stand your ground. Being told
you’re too expensive. Crying when
it all gets to be too darn much.
Love it all.
Also?
It helps to think of this whole
thing as a game. Get good at playing the game. But, more importantly, be good at life. Breathe.
Tell people yes when you mean
yes, and no when you mean no.
Ask for what you want. Make
friends with money. Communicate
openly with everyone, even when
it’s hard. Stop working when
you’ve done enough. Do all the
things you love about being alive.
I’ll see you on the road.
-Stella
Bio
Stella Orange teaches service professionals how to write about what they do so people
want it. As a copywriter who grew her business to 6-figures in less than 2 years, Stella has
written for some of the most successful coaches and thought leaders in a range of industries, helping them grow their businesses to multiple-6 and 7-figures. Trained as a high
school teacher and playwright, Stella learned the art of copywriting as a fundraiser for a
non-profit art center in Montana. She is based in Coconut Grove, Florida. Find out about
upcoming production labs and events at www.stellaorange.com.
60
My Favorite Book:
The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks. I think
about it all the time and think all rising business owners should read it. He talks about
the Upper Limits Problem, basically the idea
that we all have this set point of success
that we think is “okay.” When you bump up
against that limit, things go haywire. Weird
illnesses. Accidents. Self sabotage. This
happened to me after I crossed six figures.
I ended up in the hospital for 3 days a while
after that. It’s because growing a business kicks up all the stuff in your life you
haven’t looked at and handled. Pretty much
every successful entrepreneur I know has
experienced something like this -- the trick
is to anticipate it, so you can dance with it
instead of having everything come crashing
down.
...the trick is to anticipate it, so
you can dance with it instead of
having everything come crashing
down.
CLICK FOR
Free
Gift
61
Stephanie
Cornais
62
www.mamaandbabylove.com
stephanie cornais
Stephanie’s
STORY
I don’t have the classic childhood story that most
entrepreneurs tell you where I hustled it on the
corner selling lollipops or lemonade. I was too busy
just surviving my childhood. But at 18, I became
a massage therapist, yoga instructor and energy
healer, and I knew I would always work for myself.
After having two different kinds of businesses, I’ve
proven my ability to reinvent and build up new
businesses, and I know I will always be able to
make money, no matter what I am doing.
63
As a toddler, I bossed my friends around, and even as a
teenager I was the “charismatic leader” type. I have a natural entrepreneurial personality, meaning I am creative,
resourceful, and I have mad hustle. Drop me in the middle
of the desert and tell me I have to protect myself, take care
of myself, I will not only survive, I will make a living. I
figure shit out.
I went into business because I wanted to help other people
and make money at the same time. But I also went into
business because I couldn’t tolerate anyone else telling me
what to do. At 18, I started my own business as a massage
therapist and yoga instructor, freelancing where I could as
I finished my bachelor’s degree. After college, I tried to do
something with my college degree and gave the corporate
world a whirl. However, that lasted less than a year. Being
in an entry-level position where I was told what to do with
my time and how to do it from a person in power-triggered
abuse and trauma I experienced as child and teen. Having
had the experience of having my power and control taken
from me, it was hard to do that for a living. So I spent all
my time in the office researching my next business idea.
After I left that behind, I worked from my home for a
while to build my practice. At 24, I opened up a 2,000 sq.
foot yoga studio and boutique. It was complete insanity.
Looking back, I realize either I had massive balls or was
totally naïve. I did everything myself. During the build-out
of the space, I was the General Contractor and negotiated
the work with electricians and others. Once the business
opened, I did everything - I did all the marketing and PR,
and even cleaned the toilets, all while I taught 20 yoga
classes a week. AND I was a full-time nanny to Irish Twins
during the day. Did I mention it was absolute insanity? I
took out a $30k home equity line and put everything else
on credit cards (I racked up $100k in credit card bills!).
By the end of my first year in business, I was sort of
breaking even with a revenue of $120k, but I had no working capital, I was living check to check from my nanny job
and I never, ever paid myself a single penny. After two
years of working 100+ hours a week and never making a
dime, I was done. I was so burnt out. And totally defeated.
I knew that even if I went on like this for a couple of more
years, the most I could ever accomplish was $50k a year
for myself. I wanted financial freedom so I could have flexibility for my future family, not just have a business that I
was a slave to.
So I folded. Closed up shop. Filed for bankruptcy. I eventually went back to the office, and it was just as sad and gut
wrenching as you’d imagine. To me, my failure in business
was a huge blinking light saying I was a failure at EVERYTHING. It meant I hadn’t triumphed and risen above my
abuse. I may have been a survivor, but failing at business
64
meant I wasn’t thriving and meant, at least to me, that I
was a worthless person of no value just like my abusers
thought.
Surprisingly enough, I actually liked my office job this
time. I was working in marketing and PR, writing and
doing project management for a non-profit that helped
people with their finances, and most importantly, helped
moms and babies. The pay was shit, but I had a great boss
and lots of flexibility in my schedule. If I hadn’t gotten
pregnant with Penelope and her health issues after birth, I
probably would have stayed there for a long time.
While I loved staying home with Penelope and taking care
of her, I knew that if I didn’t have a career or financial
freedom that my mental health was gonna go south fast.
Since Penelope couldn’t nurse, I was pumping to keep her
exclusively breastfed. I spent a lot of time at the computer
while I pumped and started reading blogs. Very quickly, I
was all like, Wait a minute! I can do this! I had an
And very quickly, I was all
like, wait a minute! I can do
this!
email list, MySpace page and Yahoo group for my yoga
studio. I was doing social media before it was really social
media. I was blogging at my office job. I had mountains of
content and topics to write about from all my trainings,
classes I used to teach, and from life experience. The light
bulb went off: I was a perfect candidate to become a blogger.
And so the Mama and Baby Love blog was born. First, just
to give me something to do and a way to continue connecting with and helping moms. Then I figured out I could
make money online and I have not looked back since. Just
like any business, it took me about two years to start making money. Once I started making money, I have doubled
my income each year.
My big plans are to make as much money as possible, to
keep being of service by reaching and helping as many
moms as possible, and turning my pain into gifts to myself
and others. One day I would love to have amassed so much
wealth and be such an amazing money manager, that not
only I am truly financially free and safe, but I have the
ability to invest in other businesses and contribute to nonprofits that also help mothers and babies.
I was doing
social media
before it was
social media!
65
Bio:
STEPHANIE
cornais
Stephanie is the Founder and
Creative Director of Mama
and Baby Love. She is a writer,
healer and businesswoman.
Mama and Baby Love is a brand
all about real food, motherhood
and healing. For the past 14
years, first through her brick
and mortar yoga studio and
now a thriving online business,
Stephanie has worked with
moms to help them heal and be
the healthiest moms they can
be, on all levels - emotional,
spiritual, mental, and physical.
...her greatest joy is to be of Service
to other moms who are struggling.
66
She is a Licensed Massage
Therapist, Certified Yoga
Instructor, Certified Itsy
Bitsy Yoga Facilitator, Certified Infant Massage Instructor,
Certified Reiki Master Energy
Healer and Certified Doula. She
was a Birthing From Within
Mentor from 2005 to 2010. In
2012, she was trained in Mayan
Abdominal Massage by the Arvigo Institute and will complete
her advanced training next
month. She also apprenticed
with an Acupuncture Doctor
to learn Cupping, Acupressure
and allergy clearing healing
techniques. She is trained in
Trauma Release Exercises and
has studied extensively with
other healers to learn how to
help moms process and release
abuse and traumas. By the end
of 2014, she will be a Certified
Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology Educator. All these trainings and certifications have
greatly influenced her life and
parenting style and her greatest
joy is to be of service to other
moms who are struggling.
Free Gift:
BE SURE TO
ENTER
PASSWORD:
SarahFinks
CLICK HERE
FOR FREE
Gift
67
A Note to Female Entrepreneurs:
Work on clearing your money junk and
issues - beliefs and patterns that are holding you back - before you start a business.
If you are already in business, stop and
make this your number one priority. If
you have personal work/healing to do in
the area of money, things will be harder
than necessary for you if you don’t work
on clearing them.
And if you fail at first, just get right back
up and try again. I know the success I
had in my second business came from the
lessons I learned from my early failures.
Passion and persistence pays off in the
end. Just keep chugging along and put one
foot in front of the other.
Stephanie
68
my favorite book:
Let My People Go Surfing, The Education of a Reluctant Businessman by Yvon
Chouinard.
I love this book so much. One, because I
am a surfer, and two, because Yvon built
an empire with authenticity and integrity.
He was the first businessman I learned
about who I could look up to. All the
other businessmen I had learned about
before him were scumbags who didn’t fit
my vision of making a difference in the
world AND making money at the same
time. Yvon Chouinard showed me it was
possible.
69
www.jointheunstoppables.com
UNSTOPPABLE
Stephanie
70
Success
My
Story:
My success actually came as a total surprise to the people
around me…
Who knew that a shy, sensitive, depressed, red-headed
basket-case from the Midwest would land her own show
on HGTV, teach spiritual principles to millions AND run a
6-figure business?
Well, it all started when I crashed-and-burned at age 19.
And I spent the next decade healing an intense eating disorder, severe depressions, non-existent self-esteem, etc.
I made so many 360° transformational spins, I was dizzy —
and life-changing mentors appeared out of nowhere.
I walked downstairs and gave my notice at Disney (where I
held a very cushy job as one of their lead designers).
My father was also there in the background, too — healing
2 terminal brain tumors through hypnosis and visualization — and showing me the miracles that are possible, no
matter what your circumstances.
I saw with crystal-clarity how short AND precious life
was — WAY way too flippin’ short to play small 1 minute
longer!
That’s when I began working with others, part-time –
teaching them all the tools that had so profoundly changed
my own life. And after a decade of feeling more happiness
than I ever imagined possible, I thought I’d finally landed
on the soulful shores of Shangri La…
I had no real plan. I had even less ideas how I’d pay the
rent. But I knew that standing still and staying stuck was
literally going to KILL me.
Then I got brave enough to do what I’d NEVER done before…
(But little did I know, my journey was just BEGINNING.)
I gave up.
In my early 30’s, a black-hole of depression swallowed me
up out of nowhere. And it was deeper, scarier and more
painful than all my previous depressions, combined.
I turned control over to something bigger than myself. And
I got down on my hands and knees in my Brooklyn kitchen, day after day, and sobbed a teary vow to the Universe:
(What the F#*@%?)
“No matter what you hand to me, I PROMISE I will do it!“
After a few weeks of almost unbearable suffering — a profound epiphany struck me up-side the head:
And I meant it. This was no spiritual lip-service.
I was depressed because I was still living at only 4%.
No matter what other’s might think, I knew I still wasn’t
living up to the big, bold calling bubbling down in my belly.
As if that weren’t enough, around that very same time my
dearest friend, Ronna, committed suicide… and that was
the “wake-up” straw that broke the red-headed camel’s
back…
If Source gave me clear signs to go work at Wal-Mart, then
I’d be the freakin’ giddiest Wal-Mart greeter that company
had ever seen…
And if Source handed me something so B-I-G it made my
pee my pants with terror, then I’d pull on a pair of Depends, and the go do that scary-huge thing, too.
Then, SURPRISE-SURPRISE: After less than 2 weeks of
my sobbing surrender, I found myself at a holiday party
71
gazing into the eyes of a sparking, gorgeous pixie-of-awoman who said: “You should be on TV!”
(Who knew that little pixie would turn out to be a TV producer?)
Without any teaching, speaking or TV experience, I was
signed my very own TV show — the first person to ever
teach feng shui to the world.
Sure, I was scared shitless — but I followed my vow, and
stepped into a brave stream of unstoppable energy buried
deep down within…
But the saga continued…
After my show ended, and I found myself back in civilianclothing, trying to make a living via feng shui, I discovered
that I had NO clue how to run a business.
was born.
After hitting the 6-figure mark in less than 12 months (doing intuitive spiritual mentoring, of all things!)— I started
teaching other soulful entrepreneurs how to do the same.
And that’s where I am today… helping women use their
soulful businesses AS their Spiritual Practice — inspiring
them not only to make money as they change the world,
but also to become more confident, empowered, strong and
Unstoppable, down to their very pretty core.
…All while having more fun than most people have on
vacation!
Plus I get to combine all my favorite talents: wild intuitive
work, powerful mindset strategies, politically-incorrect
humor, and savvy marketing skills.
Yup, I have the BEST F-ing job in the world.
I charged my way into over $100,000 in debt gobbling
up high-end business trainings and programs, hoping to
figure it out. But no matter what I tried, nothing seemed to
work. And I ended up going bankrupt.
So if you’re a woman who’s on a BIG mission to live big,
change the world, and embrace a soulful, abundant, joyful
journey along the way — WELCOME TO THE UNSTOPPABLES!
That’s when I bravely began working with my first business mentor, exploring my money baggage; sales phobia;
and debilitating fears of being rejected and judged.
And that’s when my current business, Unstoppable You®
I can’t wait to get to meet you…
72
www.JoinTheUnstoppables.com
Message to Future
Entrepreneurs
Sure, I’m known as an “Intuitive Business Mentor”. . .
But there’s something most don’t know about me:
I actually don’t give a RAT’S ASS about your business.
But here’s what I AM dedicated to: your freedom. Your
spiritual path. And your big, juicy, gushy heart.
‘Cause boy: Being a soulful entrepreneur is not for the faint
of heart. Oh no.
Running a soulful business goes WAY beyond just making
moolah, or serving other people.
Your business — when faced bravely and boldly — will
turn into your SPIRITUAL path (whether you like it to or
not.)
So as you build your thriving business — your hidden dark
sides, sneaky stuck spots and lousy limitations will whisper sweet-nothings in your ear. That is: until they get the
awareness, understanding and love they so desperately
desire. (From lil’ ol’ YOU, of course.)
And through this process, you will grow. Expand. Become
outrageously UNSTOPAPPABLE…
If ya ask me? = It doesn’t get any better than that.
So BRAVO — you brave, bold wonder-woman with boobs!
Go forth and create boldly; shine your light brightly; live
at your unique 100%; love others (and yourself) with wild
abandon; and live out your divine mission on this planet
— all while having more fun than most people have on
VACATION!
THAT gets me off.
(It’s also the best news EVER as far as this red-head is
concerned).
When you’re a soulful entrepreneur (ie. a coach, healer or
service-professional), you’re not selling shoelaces. Chicken
nuggets. Body scrubs. Or toilet paper.
That’s the game I’m playing. And I’m pretty darn sure
you’re playing it too…
BIG love comin’ attcha, Sistah — I can’t wait to dance with
you!
Stephanie
Nope. You’re selling Y-O-U.
That’s a rare and intimate thing — requiring a whole lot of
Lady-Balls.
So while you’re transforming lives, lovin’ people up, and
making a ridiculously-delicious difference on the planet —
you’re also transforming your life in the process.
(Can I get an “Amen?”)
Every single slippery place where you believe you’re not
good enough, thin enough, pretty enough, smart enough or
worthy enough WILL (without a pretty pink shadow of a
doubt), bubble up to the surface.
At some point. Somewhere. Someday. Promise.
73
Bio
Founder of Unstoppable You®, Stephanie McWilliams is an Intuitive Business Mentor, award-winning International Speaker, and
the former host of HGTV’s smash-hit design show “Fun Shui.” She
shows coaches, healers and service professionals how to win more
clients, money and freedom -- as they dramatically up-level their
businesses, and their lives. Stephanie’s surprising mix of practical
business savvy + spiritual sass helps women build smart, thriving,
6-figure businesses filled with passion and heart. Her mission: to
inspire women to change the world AND reap the financial rewards
they deserve!
With her vast training over 25 years with many of the most cuttingedge, outside-the-box thinkers, teachers, healers and business gurus
on the planet, Stephanie remains a bold student of life - continually
expanding herself and her business so that you can do the same.
Stephanie has appeared on programs such as: Good Morning America NOW, Martha Stewart Morning Living, HGTV, People Magazine,
Sirius Radio, San Diego Living, Women’s World Magazine, ABC
News, John Edward’s Infinite Quest, Your Time with Kim Iverson,
and INside Indiana Business, to name just a few.
FAVorite book:
My favorite business book is, hand’s-down: Think and Grow Rich (by
Napoleon Hill).
After reading countless business texts over the years, I go back to it
– over and over, year after year. It’s what I lovingly call the “Business
Bible”.
This book has the core information vital for all entrepreneurs — not the
typical left-brain business-building “strategies” but rather the very CORE
FOUNDATION of all success – filled with powerful spiritual concepts
AND mindset strategies that are requirements for anyone who wants to
make a huge difference in the world.
And get this: Just a few months ago, my father passed away. And as I was
going through his belongings, I found 2 brittle, yellowed copies of “Think
and Grow Rich” hidden in the back of his office desk – filled with endless handwritten insights, epiphanies and musings scribbled within the
margins. Many of those notes described his dream of teaching Napoleon
Hill’s concepts to countless others one day...
And as I read his words, I was moved to tears — realizing that my father’s
dreams are now my REALITY – as I now teach these very same concepts
to thousands of women around the globe.
His legacy lives on . . .
So if there is 1 book you re-read every year (from now until forever!) it
is Think and Grow Rich. It’s the rule-book for “Unstoppable” if I’ve ever
seen one…
74
75
Get ‘Er Done!
The Most Politically-Incorrect Strategy to Accomplishing
ANYTHING in Your Biz (Especially things you’ve been putting off for years… or that scare you silly!)
At your core, you’re unstoppable. You have dreams bubbling around inside of you.
But just because they’re bubbling, that doesn’t mean they’ll
ever become reality.
What we each long for most is to live a life that is fearless,
creative, and impacts the world in powerful, positive ways.
Yet rarely does anyone actually ever achieve that. That is,
until today…
The longer you block your deepest aspirations, the more
your emotions turn into a pressure-cooker of muck –
turning your life into a squirting-stream of depression,
self-sabotage, wheel-spinning and other painful forms of
procrastination.
The reason why those things you care about MOST are the
very things you AVOID the most, is because your brain is
scared silly.
Ancient DNA programming causes you to feel fearful
when stepping outside the box, speaking out, or going
against the grain. And for GOOD reasons: In the past, you
could be eaten by dinosaurs, speared by a warring tribe, or
burned at the stake.
But thank god, it’s not that way for you and I anymore.
But this inner turmoil causes a split: PART of you longs
to take brave actions… and the REST of you longs to run
screaming for the hills.
And unfortunately, rare is the person who can manifest
their dreams under this type of internal warfare.
So now, when that happens to me, I pull out my sure-fire
“Back against the Cliffs” strategy.
It’s a way of artificially creating a ramification MORE
painful than your brain’s inner turmoil. You purposefully
place yourself in a situation where there is only 1 exit
route: to leap toward your dreams! It’s a way of arranging
your COMMITMENTS so that you can NOT compromise.
There is NO turning back. 0. Not 1 single, teensy-tiny bit of
wiggle-room.
Here’s an example…
Recently I found myself fighting an inner creative battle
with 2 important projects:
1.
I wanted to write a book (that I’d put off my ENTIRE life)
2.
I wanted to start shooting videos (something that
had tugged at my heartstrings for years)
Thing is: These 2 tasks kept getting brushed under the rug.
76
And in turn, I was becoming less and less excited about
life, feeling dull about my work, and experiencing more
sickness and fatigue. Yuck.
And that’s when I knew it was time to bring in the BIG
guns:
DICK CHENEY.
Now I don’t mean to ruffle any political feathers. But you
need to know that my brain’s not too fond of Mr. Cheney.
Which is why I wrote out 2 checks (each for $2500) made
out to: “Vice President Dick Cheney”, and post-dated for
January 1, 2014.
Then those 2 checks (1 for each goal) were mailed to a
trusted friend, for safe keeping.
Why Dick? Because Mr. Cheney is the LAST human being
on the Earth that I’d want to have my moolah. Plain and
simple…
By January 1st, 2014 my trusted friend HAD to receive 12
finished videos AND my book manuscript.
Or else.
And if she doesn’t receive the goods, as promised? Well,
she would forward those checks to Mr. Cheney (while I
sobbed shamefully from some dark, undisclosed location).
So do you think there is ANY way that I won’t meet those
2 goals?
…Oh HELL no!!!
Sure, it takes cojones to do this. It’s not for the faint of
heart. BUT the results are always quite surprising . . .
And of course, within a week of putting my back against
the cliff, I’d written THOUSANDS of words, and shot 4
videos. (Things I had NEVER done before.)
But I’m not the INVENTOR of this “technique”. Many other
unstoppable people have used this to reach their goals, too.
Dr. Oliver Sacks, when writing his book “Migraine” – kept
hitting a writing roadblock. No matter what he did, or how
much he struggled, NO words would come. Nothing. Nada.
And he was left with blank, empty pages, day after day.
That is, until one quiet, cool September day . . .
That’s when his Braver-Self (the one who KNEW he could
do it) told his Resistant-Self these chilling words: “If this
book is not done in 10 days, I will commit suicide.”
(Yikes!)
And while that sounds pretty off-the-charts HARSH, here’s
what sprang forth from this oh-so-serious threat:
His creative inner-floodgate opened. Wide. And he experienced 9 days of endless energy, productivity, joy and…
well… FUN!
The damn was burst. The blocks were blown to smithereens. Success was his!
(He even finished his book 1 day early.)
Then there’s a sweet, 80-year-old woman named Zelda who
lives on Martha’s Vinyard.
Zelda was a lifelong smoker. I’m not talking a few puffs
now and then – this was chain-smoking at it’s very best.
She’d suck down 2 packs a day, easy.
But one day she decided it was time to quit.
Zelda tried for countless years to stop. Throw them out.
But no matter what negative image she would play in her
mind: pending death, cancer, her kids, the smell, sheer guilt
– she would ALWAYS pick up the cigarette again.
With intense resolve, she would quit. Then start again.
Quit. Start. Quit. Start. Quit. Start.
And them one day in 1984 — after trying EVERYTHING
with no lasting effects — she stated in exasperation:
“If I EVER smoke again, I’m going to give $5000 to the Ku
Klux Klan!”
(The most horrible, heinous organization that she knew.)
But this was no lip-service. She was as serious as taxes.
So she wrote that $5000 check, and gave it to her BFF,
Mary. If Zelda EVER lit up again, that check would get
sealed, stamped and plopped into the nearest mailbox –
on it’s way to that hate-filled, sheet-wearin’, lynch-lovin’
group.
And guess what? She never smoked again.
So while I’m a very soulful, spiritual gal – who loves
positive-thinking, woo-woo wonders, intuitive guidance,
and connection to the beyond… this (seemingly) “negative” technique is the very VEHICLE that allows me, and so
many others, to do great things in the world.
Make no mistake: Resorting to this serious strategy doesn’t
mean you’re weak. And it only feels daunting BEFORE you
actually commit, full-out. Best of all: it always – ALWAYS
– unleashes the hidden superheros living right inside you
(whether you knew they were there, or not).
And watch out: When you commit 1000%, divine forces
come to your rescue – and choreograph guidance, resource
and outright miracles to help you get ‘er done!
These self-imposed icky ramifications ACTUALLY inspire
amazing optimism, momentum and soulful delights…
(Who knew?)
So now it’s up to you: How can you put YOUR back against
the cliff this month? Think of something you’ve longed to
do (or something that could dramatically change your life
for the better) — and set your deadline AND icky ramification today.
…Then step back and watch the magic begin.
Because the dreams you hold inside ARE meant to be expressed. And you’ve got to be willing to do ANYTHING to
make them happen.
Tons of folks are waiting for your unstoppable greatness to
emerge. But life is short — It’s now or never, babycakes!
Come join me. Hip-to-hip. Hand in hand. As we stand on
life’s ledge together:
1…. 2…. 3.... LET’S LEAP!
PS: Want to know what happened with my videos, and my
book manuscript? Come over to UnstoppableTV.com and
get the tell-all results . . .
Until next time – BE UNSTOPPALBE!
Big love,
Stephanie
© Copyright 2014 Stephanie McWilliams LLC
77
ATTENTION: WOMEN ON A MISSION!
For a limited time, I’m giving away $731+ of my most SOULFUL business trainings — to help you get the
“Unstoppable Factor” in your life + biz:
“No More Playing Small!” Starter Kit ($631+ Value)
“Your Space for Success” Starter Kit ($97 Value)
…For FREE!!!!
If you’re a woman on a mission, you want to make a HUGE difference AND make great money doing what you
love.
But… if you’re like me, you also have a hunger to become more soulfully fulfilled, too.
That’s why I’ve created the “No More Playing Small!” Starter Kit — a rare (+ irreverent) mix of practical, nutsand-bolts business training, mindset strategies AND soulful insights.
Mix ‘em together and whadda ya got? = A way to use your business AS your spiritual path. (While making
money AND making a difference, too. Woot-woot!)
Nope… this is no ordinary “FREE GIFT” with some boring report or checklist (that you’ll never ever use). This is a
power-packed business-building tool chest — filled with OODLES of my best tips, tools + trainings.
78
Here’s what’s included in your “NO MORE PLAYING SMALL” Starter Kit ($631
Value):
• The TRUTH About Finding (the Best!) Clients — 90-Minute Webinar
• Your Money Wake-Up Call — a 2-part training (with 5 Bonus Action Guides)
• Your Next Bold Move – Training + Transcripts to get your next 5 clients
• 3-Part “Unstoppable Money” video training series
• Unstoppable Strategy Sessions — Cheat-Sheet
• The 10 Commandments of the Unstoppable Entrepreneur (Poster)
• 31 Days and 31 Ways to Get Unstuck -- FAST! (e-Book)
• 1 FREE Month in the “Unstoppable You Inner Circle”
• Instant- Inspiration Cards
• Unstoppable Manifesto
• Free subscription to the Unstoppable weekly e-Zine (and UnstoppableTV)
Plus — I’m throwing in my wildly-popular “YOUR SPACE FOR SUCCESS” Starter Kit ($97 Value):
This is some of my best Feng Shui insights from my popular HGTV show, “Fun Shui” — to show you how to USE
your home and office as a manifesting MACHINE – designed to attract people, situations and opportunities to
you (as if my magic) — and to lighten and loosen any life-long stuck spots or limiting beliefs.
* 2+ hours of audio training, workbook and transcripts.
click
here
for your
Free Gift!
79
The Detox Difference:
Re-building Your Gut to To Stay Energetic and Clear All Year Long
80
www.summerbock.com
You grew in a bacteria-free environment in your mother’s
womb. But from the moment you traveled through the
birth canal and began drinking breast milk an ecosystem
of probiotic bacteria started to form in your intestines.
You could almost think of this ecosystem as a rainforest. A
lush, jungle filled with plants and animals.
What would happen if you dropped a banana on the floor
of this jungle? If not eaten by an animal the banana would
be turned right back into soil within a few days. This also
is the natural state of our body’s “rain forest”. When you
eat the food needs to be fully broken down and composted
back into “healthy soil”.
What happens when you take too many antibiotics, eat too
much processed foods, and live a high stress lifestyle is
that you slash and burn your rainforest converting it into
a concrete jungle. Imagine throwing a peeled banana on
a city sidewalk. What happens? Over the course of a few
days it turns into a rotting pile of sludge.
It’s similar inside your body, except all the good bacteria
have been replaced by a metropolis of bad bacteria eating and excreting. Their excretions are absorbed directly
into your bloodstream, filtered by the liver, and clog all
your channels of elimination. You are now a human sewer
(gross, huh?). These toxins deplete your nutrient levels and
can cause gut-related health issues like:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
★weight gain
★skin issues
★anxiety and depression
★food cravings and addictions
★energy slumps
★brain fog and memory loss
★PMS
★getting up feeling like you didn’t get any rest
★feeling uncomfortable in your own skin
Sound familiar? If so you know there are bad bacteria
growing in your intestines creating a slew of toxins. This
is the cause of many illnesses - just go to the drugstore
and check out the over-the-counter-medication aisle to
get a feel for how many. These types of problems are often
written off as aging, but this is inaccurate. These health
concerns are curable.
People think that taking probiotics is the primary solution to helping this situation, but that’s like throwing apple
seeds on the sidewalk and asking them to grow. It’s not going to happen. They need rich soil, clean water, and ample
light to thrive.
Instead, the terrain must be cleansed and rebuilt to create an ecosystem where probiotics can thrive again. Most
people turn to cleansing as a way to get quick results, so
I want to give you the best information about choosing a
cleanse that is right for you.
These are the components to an effective cleanse.
1.
Reduce toxins
coming in.
Outside toxins are also called environmental toxins. These toxins are
poisonous for the body. They enter your body through your mouth, nose,
skin, and lungs. They come from chemicals in your house, inhalation of
fumes, eating food that is made from chemicals, artificial sweeteners,
artificial colors, flavors, trans fats, partially hydrogenated oils.
81
2.
Reduce toxins
produced
inside through
Gut Rebuilding.
Inside the body toxins are created through bad bacteria in the gut. How
did they get there? By taking antibiotics, not having been breast fed long
enough, medications, high stress and trauma, and eating processed foods.
Cleanse your gut of all the bad bacteria, dysbiotics, parasites, and processed food sludge that is keeping you sick. These dysbiotics are informing what you eat by sending chemicals to your brain to tell you to crave
the foods they want to eat like simple sugars and refined carbs.
The main reason you need to cleanse your gut of the dysbiotics is because
every time they eat, they excrete creating the human sewer situation.
THIS extra load of toxins was something the body was never meant to
endure.
Bonus tip: Eating certain fermented foods cover one of the steps in the
gut rebuilding process to reduce bad bacteria and replace them with
healthy bacteria! I fully cover this component in my Gut Rebuilding program to help people cleanse more safely and effectively.
3.
Open up all
your channels
of elimination
To facilitate the release of toxins you need to unclog the liver, colon,
kidneys, lungs, skin, lymph, and blood. Think of a janitor trying to
clean a school each night that where no one puts anything in the
garbage cans. The janitor would spend all his time picking up all the
trash off the desks, sweeping the floors, and clearing all the food off
the cafeteria tables. By the time school starts, he never got a chance
to mop, buff the floors and do his normal job. He was too busy doing
everyone else’s jobs that he couldn’t get to his. There are priorities.
He can’t mop the floor until it’s been swept.
This is exactly what happens in the body when the liver gets overworked. Instead of being able to do its normal job of filtering toxins
out of the blood and making bile and regulating hormones, it is
filtering toxins from the bad bacteria and trying to eliminate them
properly. The liver gets so overworked it has to hand off jobs to
other channels of elimination like the lymph and skin. This is what
causes issues like eczema, acne, and psoriasis to arise. Other habits
contribute to the liver being overworked like eating right before bed,
overeating, eating while stressed, and taking medications.
Cleanse your gut of all the
bad bacteria, dysbiotics,
parasites, and processed
food sludge that is keeping
you sick.
82
4.
Last but not
least, the
cleanse has to
feel good.
If it doesn’t, you won’t do it again. It’s a survival mechanism designed to protect you. Even if you increase energy and clear up your
skin - if you break the cleanse with a binge because you suffered
your way through it, you can’t get wild horses to drag you back to
that cleanse again.
The ideal situation is to work with a highly skilled cleanse professional to help you create a cleanse that perfectly matches your pace
as you develop your cleansing muscle. Developing your cleansing
muscle is one of the major steps of healing your body. You need to
be skilled and proficient in cleansing so you can take your health to
levels you never realized were possible.
Remember, cleanse and rebuild; rinse and repeat. You will have to
build your cleansing muscle, nutrient levels, probiotics in order to
heal your body. Don’t settle for all the nagging health concerns that
you chalk up to aging. You deserve to live a healthy, energetic life
free of illness. It’s your responsibility to get the support and knowledge to make that happen.
Check out summerbock.com to learn more about cleansing and gut
rebuilding to help shift your human sewer situation back into a lush
rainforest so you can glow and enjoy high energy to be more productive and mentally clear.
CLICK TO SHARE
THE HAPPY
ENTREPRENEUR
WITH FRIENDS!
83
Summer’s Story:
When I was young my Mom had us eating tofu and lots
of veggies. I grew up thinking that we were the healthiest
family on our block because we rarely ate red meat.
But I also drank Mountain Dew, ate Taco Bell a couple
times a week, loved fast food, biscuits and gravy, and hushpuppies. I liked McDonalds, Pizza Hut personal pan pizzas,
and Baskin Robbins. A LOT.
anything anyways. And you know more about this than I
do. So what are you doing here? “
It’s true. She was sending her patients to me regularly for
health coaching.
I began researching the gut and discovered something that
changed my life forever. I realized that ALL MY HEALTH
CONCERNS STEMMED FROM MY UNHEALTHY GUT.
I thought by eating fake meat on my nachos instead of
ground beef meant I was healthy.
After high school I certified in herbal medicine at the New
Mexico College of Natural Healing where I learned how
to properly do a cleanse. While on it - about 7 days in - I
felt like a wool blanket had been pulled out of my brain. I
looked around at the crystal clear world around me feeling
grounded and comfortable in my skin for the first time in
my whole life and realized - this is how normal people feel!
I learned how to rebuild my nutrient levels, properly
cleanse my body, and make my digestive tract a place
where only the healthiest of all probiotics wanted to live.
For the next 5 years I did everything I could to get back to
that place of clarity and comfort. But I continued to watch
my health slip out of my hands. I was diagnosed with ADD,
environmental allergies, food allergies, I developed multiple chemical sensitivities, daily hives, rashes, allergies
to laundry detergent and then the panic attacks started. I
was waking up in the middle of the night with a full blown
panic attack - heart racing uncontrollably.
I wanted to teach others to do the
same so I developed my Gut Rebuilding Program and my Probiotic Power
Cleanse where I coach people to end
their brain fog, low energy, and food
addictions for good.
It got so bad that I could only eat about 20-30 foods
without a reaction and my digestion was terrible. I was
constantly bloated and overweight. I wanted to take off my
skin and step outside. I was uncomfortable, emotional, and
scared. I tried everything from allergy clearing to chiropractors, acupuncture to cleanses. I Googled these health
concerns on the computer every night looking for answers.
I even went to the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and
and got certified in Integrative Nutrition through Columbia University.
Things were helping a little, but nothing was really working all the way. In desperation, I went to my doctor again
with swollen puffy allergy eyes, a runny nose, high anxiety, and a desire to make it all stop.
She said, “What are you doing here?”
What? You’re my doctor. You’re supposed to help me!
“Summer, you know more about this than I do.” She said,
“This is what’s going to happen. I’m going to write a prescription, you’re not going to fill it. I don’t think it will do
84
Amazing things happened. My efforts snowballed. My
anxiety went away. I healed myself of multiple chemical
sensitivity. My food allergies started clearing up. My environmental allergies got less and less until the next year I
only sneezed twice during pollen season!
I learned that raw unpasteurized sauerkraut is the premier
way to do this so I opened my regional gourmet sauerkraut
company, OlyKraut, in the Northwest.
My body calmed down and stopped being so hyper reactive
to any little thing. My rashes and dandruff went away. My
digestion got better, the bloating decreased, and I started
having healthy normal bowel movements. I lost weight.
But the best part was that for the second time in my entire
life, I felt comfortable in my own skin.
I wanted to teach others to do the same so I developed my
Gut Rebuilding Program and my Probiotic Power Cleanse
where I coach people to end their brain fog, low energy,
and food addictions for good. I also created the Fermentationist Certification Program where I train wellness practitioners how to use fermented foods as medicine so they
can help their clients heal their digestion naturally.
Favorite Book:
My favorite book is The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks. This book taught me how to calm down
and stop getting so stressed out. I noticed a bad
habit of freaking out when things got either really good or really bad. I learned how to create an
even keel steadiness that makes it super easy to
stay comfortable as my business goes through its
normal ups and downs. In fact, this is the book
that made me able to stop self-sabotaging when
things were going great. This has made it possible
for me to break $350K in both my businesses
combined without having a heart attack about it.
A note to all women
entrepreneurs now
and to come
Click here
for your
Free Gift:
Our global society has some imperative decisions to
make over the next few decades regarding the survival
of many animal species, cleaning up the pollution,
and feeding a growing human population. For better
or for worse, as women, we are trained to think about
everyone all at once and plan accordingly with this big
picture in mind. I encourage women to do the mental and emotional work it takes to be a leader in the
world, stand up for what you believe, and demand to be
fully supported and backed in the process. Trust your
thinking. You will be right most of the time. I want you
to settle for nothing less than absolutely everything.
I believe that if we stick to our values and imbue our
businesses with that level of integrity the necessary
global changes will fall into place.
www.gutrebuilding.com Check out my free video series to understand more
about the human sewer and what you can do to end digestive struggles like
heartburn and constipation with super simple tricks I’ve been using for years
on myself and my clients.
85
www.elizabethlocey.com
the abundance
zone toolkit:
3 essential tools
to start using today if you’re
not making the
money you desire
By Elizabeth Locey, Ph.D.
If you have a massively successful business with more
income and clients than you know what to do with: Congratulations! I love you, and you can go ahead and turn the
page now. This article isn’t for you.
This article is for you if you’re scratching your head because you know that you’re amazing at what you do, yet
people aren’t lining up around the block to hire you.
That was me about 2 years ago. It all turned around (and I
mean on a dime) when I developed these tools. My income
octupled that year. I’m no math whiz, but I’m told that’s a
700% increase.
If you’d like some of that, here are 3 things you need to
start doing right away:
1. Know your energy signature, and make sure that you are
in the Abundance Zone.
2. Use your intuition to make every step you take in business easier.
3. Co-create your success with your Higher Self and the
86
Universe.
I’ll briefly outline each of these concepts here, and if you
want even more, you can go pick up an mp3 I call the
Abundance Zone Toolkit, where I walk you through all of
the exercises, step by step. Find it at http://www.elizabethlocey.com/happy-entrepreneur-free-gift/ and it’s yours to
keep, my gift to you. If you want to share it with others,
please do. I ask only that you send them to this link as well
so that they can download their own free copy.
Know Your Energy Signature
Einstein teaches us that everything is energy, and in the
Akashic Records I see that all energy is located on a Loveto-fear spectrum. I like to call the Love end the Abundance
Zone. All good things come to you when you operate from
Love.
The Abundance Zone includes the following energies: expansion, luck, joy, laughter, wisdom, connection, gratitude,
generosity, strength, intuition, laughter, fun, trust, faith,
surrender, acceptance, grace, ease, flow, and also both giving and receiving. It’s the open energies: open hand, open
heart, open mind. Relaxation. Aaaaaahhhh.
The Scarcity Zone includes struggle, control, anxiety, pain,
jealousy, greed, hoarding/witholding, (self-)doubt, (self-)
judgment, separation, stress, depression, giving up, anger,
dishonesty, overwhelm. It’s the closed energies: closed fist,
closed heart, closed mind. Tightness. Ack!
Our ego-brains like to think they are in charge of our destiny, and in so doing, screw us up incredibly.
Our brains like to think that they are driving the bus, but
really it’s the Universe or our Higher Selves doing all the
work and letting the brain take some of the credit.
You may have noticed that stress, doubt, and overwhelm
often come with the territory of being an entrepreneur.
Maybe even struggle, too. If you spend too much of your
time in this energy, I guarantee that you are going to be
less successful than you want to be. (You are actually repelling people when you operate in this frequency.)
Here’s the problem with letting our ego-brains do the driving: it can’t see where it’s going! Our poor human brains
cannot know what’s coming around the bend, and they are
constantly thinking that disaster has befallen, when really
that’s just the first chapter, not the end of the story. To
make an omelet you have to break eggs, and the ego brain,
seeing the eggs broken, decides all is lost. Not so.
The Abundance Zone Toolkit mp3 features a delicious
meditation that you can do everyday to set your personal
frequency to Love. When you are broadcasting Love on all
channels, there’s no room for scarcity to come in. I also
share a few other simple tools for switching you out of
Scarcity to Abundance in an instant. Gratitude and laughter are 2 of my favorites.
You can know that if you’re struggling with something—
anything—that you are not co-creating but resisting the
delicious goodies that the Universe is trying to bring you
on a silver platter. When you notice that you’re struggling,
simply slap your forehead, laugh, say “Silly me!” and try to
relax. Do not go into self-judgment (that’s fear) but do stop
pushing against the gift the Universe has for you.
Use Your Intuition
These tools, which I still use on a daily basis, made all the
difference in my outlook and my business. I trust that
they’ll work just as well for you, and invite you to share
your stories with me at elizabeth@elizabethlocey.com. I
love hearing from people, so don’t hold back! Remember:
connecting is Abundance Zone energy.
Every entrepreneur needs a business coach. (Don’t have
one? Put this magazine down and go get one now. I mean
it—right now!) And every entrepreneur needs to be using
her intuition.
Why? Because even the most brilliant business coach can
only know you from the outside. Your intuition comes
from that Divine part of you within; it knows your past,
present, and future as no one else can. Also, it’s available
24/7 (even the most generous coaches won’t offer that), and
it’s 100% FREE.
My income octupled
that year, I’m no
math whiz, but I’m
told that’s a
700%
Oh, and did I mention that it’s right every time? The only
time it’s ever “wrong” is when you misinterpret it.
Believe me: your intuition is your friend. It will help you
decide which clients to take on and which to run away
from, who the best mentors are for you, what product or
service to launch next and the most effective launch window… You name it, your intuition can help.
In the Abundance Zone Toolkit, I walk you through an
exercise I use every day called the Human Pendulum. It
comes from Donna Eden of Energy Medicine fame. Use it
to make decisions on the spot that are also spot-on.
Co-Create Your Success
In other words, get out of your own way.
increase
Elizabeth Locey, Ph D.
Read
!
e
r
o
M
87
Motivation
dear woman
entrepreneur:
from elizabeth locey, ph d.
Hooray! You opted into the
fastest track to spiritual growth
that exists when you decided
to run your own business,
especially if you left behind
your other income streams in
the process. If you’re new to
this land, welcome to a roller
coaster of amazing transformation.
In the hopes of saving you
some frustration, struggle,
and heartache, I’ll share with
you the gems of wisdom I’ve
gleaned in my several years
in business. Notice where you
resist them, because there’s a
lesson there that can be learned
the easy way or the hard way:
up to you.
Here they are:
• You’re here for a reason. Find
out why, and then go do something about it.
• You know more than you
think you do. I promise.
• You are Divine. A perfect being full of Love. One moment at
a time, I invite you to start living in your divinity rather than
88
your humanity and see what
that feels like. I know we’re
all over-achievers here, but
no self-judgment allowed: you
can’t do it 24/7. If you could,
you wouldn’t be here anymore,
right? I bet you’re gonna love it!
• You get to choose. That’s
right: struggle is a choice.
Trusting your intuition to make
the best decisions is a choice.
Overwhelm is a choice. Ease is
a choice. Happiness is a choice.
It really is up to you to decide
how you want your life and
your business to be. (Did I just
blow your mind a little there?
Be honest.)
• Everything is energy. Einstein
teaches us this. All energy is
located somewhere on a Loveto-fear spectrum. Check out
my article on the “Abundance
Zone” for more info on how
to keep yourself in the Love
end. Giving is here, but so is
receiving. It’s stopping the
flow (hoarding, or not daring
to give or receive) that’s in the
fear end: the Scarcity Zone.
Scarcity isn’t just about fear
or anxiety: it’s also about guilt,
overwhelm, judgment of self
YOU
ARE
DIVINE
and others, jealousy, greed, pain, depression, doubt, anger,
struggle and control. These can crop up a lot in the life of
an entrepreneur, so it’s good to know how recognize when
you might be repellant in your business and how to switch
back into magnetism.
• Surrender and giving up are opposite energies. Surrendering the “how” to the Universe or your Higher Self is
the best way to get things done, and is one of the highestfrequency actions you can ever take. Giving up—being
defeated and losing hope—is one of the lowest-frequency
energies out there. Know the difference and act accordingly.
• Co-creation (surrendering the how + taking right action)
is the best way to get anything you want. Don’t let your
ego-brain fool you into thinking you know better than the
Universe! (I’m not proud to say that I’ve done this, but I
have. I’m a recovering control freak, and I have to watch
myself all the time.)
• Your human vision is very short-sighted. When you
experience something like a job loss or a disease, you are
likely to see it as “tragic,” whereas in reality it’s just Step
One of giving you exactly what you want. Accept that it’s
not the full story, just the opening chapter. The story is
never over, so stop judging it and freaking out; just let it go
and go with the flow.
• Struggle is nothing more than you trying to stand against
the combined wisdom of the entire divine Universe. It
sounds kind of silly for you to do that when put this way,
right? It’s like one mosquito deciding to hold back all the
wind in the world: it’s very tiring and completely futile.
Don’t be the mosquito. Be the Wind.
• Partnership is the best way to do business in the new
world order, bar none. The age of competition is over—
leave that to those with more testosterone in their systems. It’s no longer working very well for them anyway.
Women are natural connectors. Use your connections to
create powerful partnerships where everyone wins.
• Apply the 80/20 Rule: You do 20% of the work (take the
actions you are guided to take), and leave the other 80%
to the Universe. It will create + deliver all of the brilliant
ideas, all the finding of correct partners and setting them
right in front of you, all the good “luck,” the fabulous opportunities, everything. It knows exactly how to fulfill
your wildest dreams, and will bring them to you quickly if
you’ll just get out of its way!
them, the better your life will get, and the more presents
you’ll see, everywhere.
• Contrary to what you’ve been taught, this is not a zerosum game. There are infinite resources available to those
who choose to see them. And infinite support. We live in
an abundant Universe.
• Gratitude is an anti-inflammatory. Slather it liberally on
relationships, situations, or emotions that are getting tight
or heating up in an uncomfortable way. Like a lubricant, it
makes everything work more smoothly. It even works on
pain: try applying gratitude the next time you get a headache before reaching for the Advil.
• Use your intuition. Why cut yourself off from the most
clairvoyant and powerful (=divine) part of you? Intuition
helps you to be in the right place at the right time, and to
say and do the right things to help you get exactly what
you want. It’s foolish, in my opinion, to turn your back on
this amazing resource, which doesn’t cost a single cent to
use. And if you’re already using your intuition: great! Now
go use it more.
• Stay grounded. If you’re a spiritual type like me I know
can be hard to want to keep our feet on the ground, because sometimes we feel judged or misunderstood by the
less-awakened people around us. Just remember that if
you ever want to create something in this world—a business, more impact, anything—you have to be here. Think
of Scooby Doo: when he wants to run away, he jumps into
the air and spins his paws around like crazy but doesn’t get
anywhere. It’s not until he hits the ground that he gains
traction and starts moving. Remember that the next time
you’d prefer to float around in the ether but still live your
calling.
• Now, go have fun! It’s fun (not to mention fulfilling,
rewarding, and inspiring to others) to live your brilliant,
divinely-guided and inspired life! Fun is something the
Keepers are always telling people to have more of. Don’t
take life, or your spiritual practice, too seriously. Life on
Planet Earth is all about using the senses: seeing glorious things like sunsets, the faces of children, the sacred
geometry in the petals of a flower; smelling the ocean or
freshly-cut grass, or a lime spraying out its juicy freshness. Enjoy your food, enjoy your body, enjoy sex, touching
and being touched, running through the fields, laughing,
and shouting for joy. You’re here for a reason. Have fun
while you live it.
• The Universe loves you and wants you to be happy. Look
for the presents that it brings you every day. The more
you open your eyes, see the gifts, and express gratitude for
89
Elizabeth Locey
elizabeth locey: My Story
If you’d told me back in 2008 that I would soon be leaving
my successful life as an academic, I would have suggested
you get your head examined.
At that time I was the picture of the young academic with
a brilliant career: tenured, popular and award-winning
professor, chair of my department, a respected scholar,
holding a top elected position in my international professional organization.
A year later, I decided to walk away.
It was a painful year, in which I realized that my new
so-called superiors had some very different ideas about a
university’s purpose than I did. I thought universities were
about fostering learning in young people, and they thought
universities were for making money, so I left.
And I didn’t just leave that university: I left the whole
often-wonderful, sometimes-screwy academic world.
It was the only world I had ever known. You see, I was
born into a family of professors, and had never had a job
outside the university except for summers waiting tables
in college and a stint as a step aerobics instructor during
graduate school.
What was an out-of-work intellectual such as myself to do
to make ends meet and do some good in the world at the
same time?
Why, channel Akashic Records, of course!
My first encounter with the Akashic Records blew my
mind and changed the course of my life forever. The first
question I asked was: “Who am I on a soul level?” The
answer was so right that it made me cry: “You are a Truth
Teller, with capital T’s. And when you sing your Truth
90
song, imprisoned angels are set free.”
It turns out that being a professor was just a stop on the
way to what I do now—setting angels free and putting
rocket boosters on the careers of high-achieving entrepreneurs out to do massive good in the world. My last day as a
professor was 1 year + 362 days after that first answer…
Lots of people asked me how I had the courage to leave
a guaranteed job for life (that I loved for years and had
been groomed for since birth) in the middle of the worst
economic downturn in 75 years. Frankly, it didn’t feel like
courage at all to me: I knew, I really knew that everything
was going to be okay (much better, in fact) if I left. And it
was.
That’s the power of intuition.
Fast-forward 3 years, and I’m on top of the world. I’ve got
a thriving international practice giving business leaders their intuitive edge as a spiritual business coach and
Akashic Records consultant. I’ve never had so much fun or
felt so fulfilled in my entire life.
If you’d like more clarity, confidence, or confirmation in
your work, I invite you to connect with me at elizabeth@
elizabethlocey.com. You can also follow me on facebook
(Elizabeth Locey) or Twitter (@ElizabethLocey). I’d love to
hear about what you’re doing to make the world a better
place.
BIO
Elizabeth Locey, Ph.D., is in the business of making other
businesses soar.
Back in 2008 she was enjoying her life as an award-winning professor, department chair, respected scholar and
leader in her international professional organization. But
then she encountered the Akashic Records, and things
started to shift for her. Less than 2 years later she left the
academic world and her guaranteed job for life behind her
for good.
my favorite book:
Much to her surprise, within her first 2 years in business,
she created a thriving 6-figure international practice as
a spiritual business coach and Akashic Records channel.
Ask Your Guides: Connecting to Your Divine Support System
Yes, the professorial life was good, but it was nothing
by Sonia Choquette
compared to the high she gets starting waves of change
around the world every day!
Today, she empowers entrepreneurs + business leaders
who are on a mission to do massive good in the world,
to achieve that faster than they could ever imagine. As a
clear channel, she’ll help you to create more fun, income,
and impact in your business, and to get the answers +
tools you need to propel yourself forward on a quantum
level.
Connect with her at http://elizabethlocey.com for more
information, to get on her calendar, and to listen to recordings of live channelings of the Akashic Records on a
plethora of topics. You won’t be disappointed.
I’m an iconoclast and proud of it. A free-thinker. A rebel with
a cause. So when I was asked to share my favorite business
book, you can be sure it wasn’t going to be by Stephen Covey,
or even Gay Hendricks.
Nope. I stand for leveraging the Universe in business, so the
book I chose to feature is a practical guide to Divine Connection. It changed my life, well before I had any inkling that I
would ever be anything but an academic.
Ask Your Guides outlines all kinds of divine support that’s
available at a moment’s notice, from Archangels (this was my
introduction to angels, and I was wary at first) to deceased
celebrities. Yes! You can call on famous people from the past
to help you tease out the answer to a problem or bring you
brilliant ideas. Trouble with math? Call on Einstein. Writing
a musical? Ask Rodgers and Hammerstein for help. I like
to ask Steve Jobs now that he has transitioned: his business
wasn’t too shabby.
So, enjoy, and Think Differently.
91
click for
E
E
R
F
!
T
F
i
G
abundance zone toolkit
This audio file walks you through how to
recognize whether your energy signature in any given moment is one that
will make you magnetic to everyone
(friends, family, potential leads or lovers)
or ... ahem!.. repellent. There may be
certain people in your world which you
want to repel, and that’s fine, but for
your business to thrive you can’t be repelling ideal clients. In addition, I’ll show
you through how to flip your energy out
of repellant to attractive like a switch, so
you’ll never have to have an important
encounter wearing the wrong kind of
energy again.
This audio also takes you step by step
through the Divine Love Bubble; it will
help to keep your energy signature in
the Abundance Zone. And it also takes
you step-by-step through the Human
Pendulum from Donna Eden, which can
help you make on-the-spot decisions
that are also spot-on. All entrepreneurs
know that the faster we can make
decisions, the better our business goes,
especially if those decisions don’t have
to be un-done later.
92
CLICK TO SHARE
THE HAPPY
ENTREPRENEUR
WITH FRIENDS!
93
5 Lessons
I’VE LEARNED FROM BEING AN ENTREPRENEUR
I’ve always been kind of a numbers girl.
At that moment, I knew that deep down, helping people
with their businesses was what I wanted to do.
But I never thought of myself as a business person.
My parents were both in business. They were entrepreneurs before I was born, and have been involved in business in one way or another for my whole life.
But, shortly after graduating from college with a degree
in Math and Physics, and realizing that I didn’t want to
work in either of those fields, I started my first business Bridger CrossFit.
I was in love.
I loved being an entrepreneur. I loved setting my own
schedule. I loved having only myself to report to and to
rely on.
Within the year, I had friends asking me for help when
they wanted to open a CrossFit gym of their own. And a
couple of years later, I had people I barely knew - or in
some cases had never met in person - emailing me, asking
for advice about their gyms.
I really enjoyed helping others, but never really thought to
make it my business.
Then, about 4 years after I opened my gym, I decided to
move on. My family and I were looking for a change.
I sold my gym, for an amount beyond my wildest expectations.
I moved to Bend, OR to help an acquaintance with his
CrossFit Gym - and so my husband could open up his own
bicycle repair shop. I wasn’t yet sure what I wanted to do,
so I took a part-time coaching job at a local CrossFit gym,
and took the winter to think about it.
That next spring, I coached my husband and his business
partner through opening up their bike shop.
I was in love, again.
I love being an entrepreneur - and what I found I really
loved was helping other people become entrepreneurs, too.
94
Eventually, after confessing to enough of my friends and
mentors that I really wanted to help people with their
CrossFit gyms - and enough of them telling me that that’s
clearly what I should be doing - I decided to focus on being
a Business Consultant specializing in helping CrossFit gym
owners.
No sooner had I made that decision than an old friend
contacted me, looking for help with his CrossFit gym. Suddenly, I had my first client, and I didn’t even have to look
for him!
www.forgingelitefinances.com
My journey to where my business is today has taught me
a lot. Here’s just a sampling of what I’ve discovered:
1.
Sometimes, what you should be doing for your job is so obvious you don’t
even see it yourself. What is it that everybody always asks you to help
them with? What’s your super power - the thing that you’re so good at,
and you can’t understand why other people can’t do what you do? THAT
is what you should be doing for your work.
As cliché as it sounds - you have to follow your passion. When you’re doing
what you’re passionate about, for work, it’s easy to get out of bed and get to
work. It’s a lot harder to sit down in front of your computer on a gorgeous day
if you’re not really into your work.
3.
2.
Listen to your friends. The people that know you well are the ones who
will be able to tell you what your super powers are, or your true passion
is. They’ll know what subject makes your face light up when you’re talking
about it, and what you’re so good at that you don’t even realize. If you have
three friends telling you that you should be doing something for your work
- listen to them. They’re probably right.
95
4.
Brawn, not brains. As much as I don’t like to admit it -- because I’ve
always identified with being really smart -- running a business is more
hard work than smarts. Sure, being smart helps. But what you really
need to run your own business is a solid work ethic and an unbelievable
amount of guts. You need to be willing to step outside of your comfort
zone every single day. You also need to be willing to fail - because the
path to success is not a straight line pointing up.
You need a mentor. While running a business is more hard work than brains,
it doesn’t mean you have to try to re-invent the wheel. Put another way, there’s
no sense in banging your head against the wall for a year learning the hard way
what a mentor can teach you in a month.
5.
The bottom line is that you have to listen to your gut and follow your heart. I truly believe that decisions should be
made intuitively. I spent far too long trying to rationalize why I shouldn’t be a Business Consultant for CrossFit gyms,
before just following my heart and going for it.
Now, it’s been almost 6 months since I jumped in, feet first, to this business. I’m loving every minute of it. Of course it
hasn’t been all sunshine and roses - but I know I’m doing the right thing and serving a lot of business owners who need
my help. I’ve got a big vision for where I want to take this business over the next 3-5 years, and I plan on listening to my
gut to get me there.
One thing I know for sure is that I will always be an entrepreneur. Once I had a taste of the freedom and satisfaction
that comes from running my own business, I just can’t go back to working for anybody else.
96
A note to female entrepreneurs:
To all women entrepreneurs - all my sisters: You are a
rare breed of woman. Fierce. Driven. Passionate. You
aren’t content to keep your talents a secret or to be just the
“woman behind the man”. You inspire me, as I hope I to
inspire others like you. The world needs more of you in it.
Just remember, when the going gets tough or the decisions
become burdensome...listen to your gut, follow your heart,
and make your own road if you have to.
favorite
book:
The book that changed the way I thought about
business was “Think And Grow Rich” by Napoleon
Hill. Actually, I never read it, but I did listen to it
on CD many, many times. What it did for me was
solidify the idea that your thoughts control your
reality. You have the ability to succeed or fail,
and the choice is really yours.
It also taught me the sobering statistics of just
how many people will never be successful. In
fact, the vast majority of the people in the world
are content to merely exist. It’s like they don’t
think there’s a better way -- or they think they
don’t have a choice.
degree & certifcations
• B.S. Mathematics and Physics, 2006, Montana State University
• CrossFit Level 1, June 2008
• CrossFit Running and Endurance, September 2008
• CrossFit Kids, August 2009
• CrossFit Level 2, September 2009
• CrossFit Nutrition, October 2009
• CrossFit Olympic Lifting, October 2009
• CrossFit Endurance, December 2010
• CrossFit Mobility, March 2011
• CrossFit Endurance (intern), July 2011
• CrossFit Powerlifting, August 2011
• CrossFit Kettlebell, December 2012
After listening to that book on CD so many
times (on repeat, in my car), I became even more
determined to succeed -- on my own terms. I
recommend that everybody who is thinking about
becoming an entrepreneur pick up a copy of that
book (or CD), and see if you don’t feel more driven
to achieve your goals.
visit me at
forgingelitefinances.com
97
CLICK TO SHARE
THE HAPPY
ENTREPRENEUR
WITH FRIENDS!
DON’T MISS OUr NEXT ISSUE
subscribe NOW

the PDF

Transcription

Similar documents

Magazine Spread | 2016 PowerWomen

a social entrepreneur - Universiti Tenaga Nasional

Grzegorz Kepinski - Joanna Susabowska, ARiMR Poland

I love my body just as it is. I do things I truly enjoy in life.

Untitled

Name of presentation

a Brochure - The Entrepreneur Experience

January 2016 - Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce

August 2016 - Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce

to your copy.