Podcast - She Did It Her Way

Are you feeling overwhelmed by work or personal life? Do you look at your life and wish that it consisted of more? Do you know where to begin to find out what that could be? If so look no further than Arielle Loren, who owns a marketing agency that focuses on advancing female entrepreneurs in their careers and in their life, as well as growing their businesses through online campaigns and product launches. Right out of NYU she began working for marketing agencies and start-ups, but felt really uncomfortable being boxed into a space, and operating by a locked in schedule. She felt like there had to be more to this adult thing, and wanted to find something engaging and meaningful in her personal and work life. Upon hearing that her role and duties at her job would change, she decided to cut the ties with her agency, and shake up her life. To her anything would be better than continuing down the path her life was headed and she needed to take a risk. Having always felt a spiritual calling to Brazil, she started prepping her life to actually move there. However, she forgot a few necessities: a plane ticket and the funds. But headstrong in her gut feeling, and armed with her security deposit and final paycheck, she made the move. While living in Bahia, located in the central region of Brazil, she was able to separate her energy from the anxiety of time, and learned a lesson in humility due to drastic changes in her lifestyle. She began to reexamine what truly made her happy in life, how she could obtain them, and implement them into her daily functions. One way she did so was by expanding her hobbies into possible careers, and because she moonlighted as an online sex writer, she began an erotic magazine called Corset. Running the magazine caused her to feel in tune with her sensuality, and basking in the sunshine of Bahia improved her mental and physical health. More importantly, she had a very high degree of self-awareness and was firmly in control and confident in where she wanted to be in life to thrive.  By the time she left Brazil and returned to New York City, she had a newfound appreciation and respect for marketing, but wanted to return to the field in her own way. After a brief move to the Dominican Republic a few months, she took her marketing skills to Miami. It was there where she finally found the perfect mix of the hustle and bustle of metropolitan life, and the calm and Zen of beach and sunshine, with a prevalent Latin culture. There her energy was balanced and she was able to live the life that she had been searching for and build her own unique marketing business. One thing she said she coaches her clients on is finding what their energy consists of and locating where it is they are the happiest, because the energy they approach their business with is the key to fulfillment in their career. Once her clients are in a career that their energy can flourish in, she gets them to start considering long term businesses goals through her Driven Workshop. The workshop is for female executives and CEOs who are looking to develop business strategies through self-discovery. She said that there are three parts to women that need to be examined: ourselves, our sex lives, and our spirit. In order to master ourselves, we have to master our thoughts. This is achieved through observing our thoughts to know if we are positive or negative thinkers, and how they make us feel. By becoming aware of how our thoughts influence our feelings, she said we can then see how they affect our behaviors. To tap into their sex lives, she creates a safe space for women to talk about their experiences with pleasure and energies like orgasms. She said she aims to help women discover their sensuality and heighten their senses in general, and their relationships with their bodies. She feels that the strengthening of that relationship is essential in the release and flow of creative energy, and if it that connection isn’t achieved for women through sex, it could be by simply doing and finding more things that bring us pleasure. She then asks when to observe how that practice influences their performance at work. She said when she does small things like taking the time massage lotion on her skin or take baths instead of showers, she arrives to work more alert, intuitive, and with a relaxed energy. When it comes to approaching the spirit, she wants her clients to find a connection with something greater than themselves; whether that be people, the universe, or another energy. She used kundalini yoga, which is a positive and spiritual form of yoga, for 90 days and did asana early in the morning. From 4 a.m. to 6:30 a.m., she chants, meditates, and does kriya poses that involves breathing exercises and posture poses. She doesn’t do it every day anymore, but the practice connects her to higher energy, and saw how it changed her life and attitude for the better. She is able to let a lot of negative energy go because of the balance and peace that kundalini helped her obtain, and because of that she has gained clarity, and positivity in her thoughts and perspective, and wants the same for others. Come and hear more about the other ways Arielle helps her clients work on their energies in order to better their outlook on their lives! In this episode you will… Be able to find the perfect place for your energy Learn how to reinvent an industry to fit you Know how to channel positive energy into your business development Begin to observe your thoughts in order to master to yourself See how experiencing high amounts of pleasure can improve your performance in business Find ways to connect to something greater than themselves INSIGHTS “My job balances between being this hard core business strategist whose very numbers oriented, and really helps a lot of women entrepreneurs grow financially in their businesses, but at the same time I also become like the therapist because these women, these CEOs, they are also human and so human things come up in the process of business development. And so for me, just the intimate role that I take for my clients, I feel like it is part of my role and part of my calling to really be able to show up for women in an authentic, powerful, and beautiful way.” –Arielle Loren “I look at Driven very much so as an experiment, because I never wanted to position myself as this guru or coach that has all these answers. I think for everyone it’s going to look different…what’s it going to look like to observe your thoughts? What happens when you actually make the intention to speak positively or to surround yourself in an environment that feeds that self, so that you feel that a better vibration day to day?” –Arielle Loren “There are so many women who are unfortunately walking around with these clogged up portals of energy that are waiting to be released…and sexual energy at its core is creative energy. And so what I like to do is to encourage the women that I’m working with to observe how you function in your business when your experiencing more pleasure, whether that’s through sex…or just see what happens when [you] pay more attention to [your] body, or infuse more pleasurable things into [your] body.” –Arielle Loren “I think it’s important to realize that it’s not just you in this business, and this energy of producing things, and creating things to serve the world. There’s definitely something much greater than all of us that influences how all of this plays out…and comes together. And so for me, when I talk about connecting to spirit, I like to give women different tools to be able to do that.” –Arielle Loren RESOURCES Arielle Loren Website Arielle Loren LinkedIn Arielle Loren Facebook Arielle Loren Instagram Arielle Loren Twitter Paulo Coelho Books

Hi Friends! This is the last episode in the 6 part series. The 10 things I’m about to share have really helped me in my business from a growth perspective whether it was my mindset, revenue and adding team members. 1. Track Your Time 2. Create a Resource Library 3. State Your Revenue Sources 4. Ask These 3 Questions in Your Business 5. Set Goals 6. Set Up An Ideal Week for Yourself 7. Protect Your Calendar and Goals 8. Take Advantage of Free Content 9. Seek Mentorship 10. Level Up Tune into the podcast to hear exactly how I did each one of these so you can too! :) Happy Thursday!

The biggest thing here is to remember that everyone’s journey is different. For some of you when you walk in and take THE leap you could have a sense of calm come over you, excitement and for others it may be something like “Oh my gawd. What did I just do?” and that is okay. Those feels are totally normal. One thing I have noticed is that the journey of an entrepreneur the first year in business is different from that of second year, third year and so on. If you can get through the first couple of years, have a strategic plan and surround yourself with the right people you can continue growing your business long-term. For the sake of this podcast I’m going to walk through some of the first year woes ;) Also, stay tuned at the end of the show to hear from Tess Wicks who will be presenting on how to price for profits. 

In this podcast episode I’m going to cover what to do when you want to start a company and know exactly what you want to start and what to do when you want to start a company but have no clue or too many ideas that it becomes overwhelming and you shut down. Write down the list of ideas you have: Keep in mind what you're good at. If you're in a full-time job, what is it that you do well at and what do you enjoy doing This is a judgement FREE zone. Let your mind and creative process flow. Be patient. Ask yourself what are some daily frustrations you have? What are problems that you want solved in your own life? Focus: Circle the top 5 ideas that you have that you're excited about Number them 1-5, 1 being the first thing you're going to explore and 5 being the last thing you're going to explore Iterate: Remember that iterating is a process. In the beginning you may feel overwhelmed because you're doing so many things, that is okay. That is part of the process. Each time you do whatever it is that you do, you get to iterate it, make it better.  Be patient. Entrepreneurship and creating a business requires a ton of patience and persistence.  Once you're in the the thick of it.... If you're struggling because you can't figure out the name of what you want the business to be, use what I like to call a place holder. Create the content and the meat of your biz and then go back. Don't get hung up on trying to create the best name for your business.  Chose the correct business entity Apply for an EIN in order to obtain a business checking account to help keep personal and business expenses separate  Create a one-pager business plan. Be sure to include a marketing plan, path to revenue and service/product that you're offering and what need are you solving. Check out this interview for a full rundown of what goes into your one-pager.  Hope you guys enjoy! And for today's mini episode I'm sitting down with Katie Lord who will be covering all aspects of marketing at the She Did It Her Way Summit. 

Is your passion in life really what you should be building into a business? How would you go about figuring that out? Megan Minns, went all through that painful epiphany, and her business today offers project management services to higher level business owners. However, she spends most of her time helping new business owners develop productive systems to keep them organized and efficient. Her underlying passion and fulfillment in her work comes from helping people make their dreams into reality by encouraging them to see their potential and start building their brighter future.  One area she flourishes in, and offers the most guidance in with her services, is the technology realm. As a kid, she was able to master new technology with ease, and with her programs and tutorials she offers simplified methods to navigate scheduling and organizing software and apps; such as Asana. Originally, she almost went into the medical field with a concentration in psychiatrics due to outside pressure. While she loved science and the medical field, she found herself spending a lot of her free time sketching because half of her heart belonged to the arts. She eventually gave into practicality and stability, and with her degree in psychology, she got a full time job in human resources and recruiting. In this role she felt that it was a nice blend between the creative and science thought process. She also found a way to mix her two loves with a blog she started in college called, Organized Meg. Admitting that her blog wasn’t that good, she said it introduced her to the blogging world, as well as website building and design through blogging platforms like Zanga. She said she also learned that there was a way to build a business without a college degree, and following a structured corporate ladder. About a year later she began to actively seek a creative outlet, and in May of 2013, she officially launched MeganMinns.com in which she offered creative services. Through MeganMinns, she offered branding, web design, and custom handwriting for projects like logos and wedding invitations. As her business began to take off, she started to live an unhealthy lifestyle due to balancing a full time job, gaining a masters in organizational and human resource development, and MeganMinns. She started working during the nights and weekends and isolating herself socially, butby January she had relaunched her MeganMinns as an LLC. While she was proud of her of her growth, running her business became a chore and the creative workload was no longer something she loved. She said being in the art industry left her in a bad mindset where she was comparing herself to other artists, and felt less than when she didn’t meet their skill. Art and creativity was something she loved expressing for herself, not for other people, and she didn’t like having her creativity up for debate. And so, she took a break in 2014, and began re-evaluating her business direction. With the help of a mentor she curated her strengths and found what passions she could express in a business. She asked her what are some things that she was good at, what comes to her with ease, and what projects are people thrilled with of hers in the corporate world. Through those questions, she found that she was good at identifying areas of improvement within companies, creating a plan for improvement, as well as managing and executing that plan. She also remembered her savvy-ness for software and tech, and concentrated that skill into the world of corporate HR. From there, she relaunched MeganMinns with virtual assistant services focusing on implementing new tech systems, establishing new work flow and processes, and organizing digital files. In an instant, she was booked out via Facebook groups she had been blogging through. By summer 2015, she successfully launched her first online course, and the positive reaction from clients showed her that she can launch a profitable product, and it validated that she could develop her business so it would provide a steady income. By that November she finally quit her full time job. Hear more about what it was like for Megan making that transition, uplifted her clients, grew her passive income with downloadable products, and learned how to be a CEO! In this episode you will… Learn how to balance and blend your opposing passions Figure out if your passion is better expressed for yourself or for clients Find what strengths and passions are applicable in a business Be able to evolve your business as well as your personal brand Learn how to remain the CEO of your business while keeping the personal touch with your clients Find a place for yourself within your business once you have a team INSIGHTS “My deeper purpose in business and in life is kind of helping people realize that they…can accomplish their dreams, and just encouraging them to take the action, make the commitments, and start actually doing the work to make it a reality.” –Megan Minns “I can do web design…I can do handwritten logos, but it really boils down to this realization that even though I can do those things, that’s really not what I should be doing. And it was this painful, but really good ‘Aha’ moment…this has all been a path of self-discovery for me, and that was a harder one for me to learn.” –Megan Minns “I was amazed at the reaction, and I was amazed at how happy my clients were, and I loved doing the work because it was finally back in my zone of genius, things I felt good about doing, things that felt easy…it was this awesome validation and it totally made the pain of pivoting and the fear totally worth it.” –Megan Minns “I’m a huge fan of change and pivoting and evolving, and I think as a business owner you have to evolve, and be open to that, and even though it’s hard and scary you’re supposed to evolve. All businesses are supposed to evolve.” –Megan Minns RESOURCES Megan Minns Website Megan Minns LinkedIn Megan Minns Facebook Megan Minns Instagram Megan Minns Twitter Megan Minns YouTube Channel Asana Brain FM Slack The Pomodoro Technique Productivity Planner She Means Business by Carrie Green Profit First by Mike Michalowicz You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero

Today's solocast is part 3 of a six part series in honor of She did It Her Way Summit and I'm sharing how to create flow and focus in your business.  What is flow and how do you create focus? Finding flow is about managing your time, energy and attention which results in creating focus. If we can understand how to manage our time, energy and attention better we can produce better results in our business.  1. Identify your big 3 for the day. What will move my business forward? Will this help me achieve my goals? Will I feel good after I accomplish this? 2. Eat clean. Remove as much processed food from your diet Limit the amount of sugars as possible, especially added sugar. Sugar causes you to have increased energy but quickly followed by a crash 3. Manage caffeine intake. Note effects on adrenal glands. Adrenal fatigue is when you put your body under emotional, mental and physical stress. You could have trouble getting out of bed, tend to be tired or in a state of fog, struggle to think clearly. I am not a doctor only someone who has gone through adrenal fatigue Find ways to destress (meditate, yoga), eat a clean diet, regular sleeping habits. 4. Create buffers to avoid stressful situation. I wrote about this in last week’s blog post. Create buffers, not the bowling ones but time buffers. If you think it will only take you 10 minutes to travel from one meeting to the next, double it. 5. Avoid checking email right away when you wake up. Create space in your day to get the important things done. Spend time doing those activities that require your full attention and energy. Tim Ferris Energy ZAP theory Create space to accomplish your big 3. 6. Attention and focus are muscles. The more you practice using them in the right way the better they will serve you. Being able to maintain focus is like exercising a muscle. If every 5-10 minutes we’re being distracted by our cell phone we’re actually conditioning our muscle to only hold attention space for that short 5-10 minutes. Similar to practicing meditation. In the beginning we may only start out at 5 minutes but over time we grow to 10 to 15 minutes because we’ve built up that practice. 6. Limit distractions Airplane mode Clean desk Shutdown email Close all tabs 7. Become aware of time leaks. Start to purge the items on your to-do list that don’t produce results Start to outsource tasks that don’t need to be done by you If you’re having trouble outsourcing, don’t think about “Who am I going to outsource to?” think about the tasks and then record yourself on your computer (screen flow) doing them and start collecting a database of tasks so that when that moment comes you’ve already created a library. 8. Take advantage of your time gaps. These are the 30-45 minute time gaps in between appointments or while we’re waiting somewhere. Take advantage of them, do tasks that don’t require a ton of energy to get done, quick email, make phone calls. 9. Get outside. Fresh air. When working from home it is soooo easy to roll out of bed and go straight for the office or wherever you chose to work and start diving in. First, take a moment and step outside, do a quick 15 minute walk around the block. I don’t do this every day but on the days I do do it I feel much better and more awake. 9. Schedule time with friends who feed your soul. 10. Give yourself grace. No one is perfect This has been something that I’ve been working on and I was talking to a close girlfriend of mine. All of us listening to this podcast I bet are go-getters and as go-getters we tend to take a ton of responsibility for our actions and we’re always striving to grow and move everything in life forward. So that when that moment comes and we feel like we’re stuck or we made a mistake we can be hard on ourselves. Which friend, serves no one, not us, not the people we surround ourselves with, not the people we do business with. Because if we can’t give ourselves grace first, we can’t give others grace. Remember that no one is perfect, perfect doesn’t exist. We are all right where we need to be in our journey and living life with grace is way more enjoyable than if we don’t.

On today's solocast, Part 2 of a 6 part series I am sharing the 5 things you must do before quitting your job. These 5 things I'm sharing is a compilation of my own experience along with many other women whom I've interviewed, coached and worked with.  1. Do Your Research and Maximize Your Time Start attending events that are entrepreneurial focused to start surrounding yourself with like minded people and also to better understand what entrepreneurial life is like. Start asking questions to get you in the mindset of what to expect when you’re fully out on your own. For example: What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced as an entrepreneur? What is something you’ve experience that could have been avoided? What is something you wish you would have done prior to quitting your job that you didn’t do? This is a time for you to get really focused and maximize your time. Create an ideal schedule from when you wake up to when you go to bed. When are you scheduling these events, when are you sending emails, when are you meeting people for coffee? What are you saying yes to and what are you saying no to? 2. Make a List of What Needs to Happen Before You Quit Your Job First, the biggest thing to remember is that everyone's risk tolerance is different. This is only for YOU to determine what are YOUR goals and what is on YOUR list. Write out what sort of savings goal you need to hit in order to feel comfortable, how many clients you want to have before taking the leap, write out your fears, what's holding you back, what are you afraid of?  Use these as talking points during our conversations with other entrepreneurs...chances are they went through the same thing you're going through and can help navigate the waters with you.  3. Know What You're Good At Not everyone who wants to be an entrepreneur knows what they want to do. You might know exactly what you want to do while others have no clue and some of you don’t know which idea to chose to grow. Knowing what you’re good at can help you figure out what you want to do. Email 10 people in your network (or call them) and ask them what is it about you that believe you’re really good at Take the fascinate me quiz HERE. Use Lewis Howes code "schoolofgreatness" Identify the activities that give you energy and makes the time pass quickly 4. Set Goals Now that you've identified and collected information you are now ready to put it all together. Assuming you want to start a business and leave your job, take a look at your calendar and selected the date one year out from when you are reading this post. I recommend at some point getting a paper calendar that you can write on that shows all 12 months. There's something about being able to see the entire year in front of you that makes you thing BIGGER.  Okay, now break that year into 2 parts - first 6 months and the second 6 months. Let's say that right smack dab in the middle is when you're going to launch your business. That means the first six months are focused on researching, collecting, prepping for your big launch. Then after your big launch your focus is around the new set of mini goals you've established in the second half of the six months.  For Examples: Goal: 1 year I am leaving my full-time job and taking the leap First 6 month goal - Prepare for the launch of my business Second 6 month goal - Grow my business to replace 75% of my monthly income Then, within each of those 6 month buckets break it down into quarters, months, weeks and put goals to each of them. Here are some questions to get you started for the first six months: What business do I want to launch? What am I good at? Who are the people I need to surround myself with? How much money do I want saved before taking the leap? How do I get there? What does my ideal schedule look like? When am I going to make time for my business? What entity will I be? How will I manage cashflow? What does my marketing plan look like?  5. Take Action Planning is always fun but then it is time to take action my friend. Find an accountability partner, someone who is either going through the same thing you are or someone who is one step ahead in the journey. Stay connected to stay inspired.  Today's mini interview She Did It Her Way Summit series is with Helena Swyter. All about accounting - you know, the fun stuff ;) Be sure to tune in and listen all the way until the end.  

SDH189: The Journey to Quitting Your Job and Landing On Your Own Two Feet, Solocast with Amanda Boleyn

How many times have you heard us and other entrepreneurs on this podcast rave about Jen Sincero'sbook, You Are a Badass? Isn't it about time you guys heard from her yourselves? Well today's the day She Did it Her Way listeners! We've gotten Jen, author of You Are a Badass and You Are a Badass at Making Money, on the podcast today! We are so jazzed, to quote Amanda, to share with you her journey towards becoming a successful author and a life coach! Jen's entrepreneurial story started when she was in her 40s, and after living a good life for a while as a writer and a musician, she was still broke and living in a garage. She knew she had ample amount of talent, but could not understand why money just seemed to evade her. She didn't really have a wake-up call or epiphany moment, she just got really tired of living below her potential. She knew that she was capable of more, and couldn't watch herself waste her gifts anymore. She decided to swallow her pride and look for some financial guidance. She started reading self-help books, going to coaching seminars, started her online coaching business, and writing books. However, it was a life coach that she met at a coaching seminar that had the greatest impact. With her fee being a quarter of Jen's annual income at the time, she took a huge risk by hiring her. But Jen connected with her story, because she too had lived the life of an experienced broke person, and was now making six figures by just helping people. Terrified, she took out another credit card, despite her debt, and was all in. She did everything she told her to do and soaked up as much guidance as she could as she helped her with coaching business for writers. Through the process, she learned to get over the negative stigma involved with focusing on monetary gain. One exercise she repeats in both of her books is writing a letter to money as if it were a person. This helps people get over their fears of being judged for focusing on money, and bring money into a relatable mental space which makes it easier to obtain. For her, the letters revealed that she felt like money wasn't available to her, and was the root of a lifestyle she could never see herself being a part of. As she grew her business and projects, she also found that her fears around making money stemmed from losing a source of affection from her father. One way her dad would show his support and love for her was throwing her $20 or $100 dollars every now and then. If she made a lot of money, she felt that they would no longer have that connection, and outshine her father. What led her to this notion was when she wanted to work with a life coach she really respected, and that cost $85,000. To even be in the head space to consider spending that much money made her think about her father, who was an Italian immigrant.  She pictured him in his yellow vee neck sweater, with his hands in his pockets, staring sadly at his feet because he felt he couldn't take care of her anymore. But she had to move past that thought, allow herself to prosper, and realize that her dad would always see her as his little girl who needs $100 bucks once and a while. Through it all, she has learned to disprove her excuses and learn to love the thrill of living outside of her comfort zone. She has also learned to love herself and help others learn to love themselves as well, by reminding readers at the end of every chapter of her book. She knows how easy it is to be hard on yourself and feel as though success is equated to perfection. So she reminds readers, and herself, that there is beauty in our flaws and we have to be okay with things not being perfect; whatever the hell that means, as Jen would say. Hear more from Jen in this week's inspiring episode! In this episode you will... Learn to become savvy about making money and live up to your potential Get over negative connotations revolving around money Find out where your fear of money lies and stems from Remember to love yourself Live outside of your comfort zone, and do things that scare you Begin to realize your excuses aren't true INSIGHTS "I just got so freakin' sick of hearing myself talk about being broke...and not just sick of struggling, and scraping by...but more importantly...I knew in my soul that I could do better. And the fact that I wasn't...it just got too excruciating... And that's when I made the decision to get some freakin' help. To do whatever it took to learn about money...and really go for it in a way I had never gone for it before." -Jen Sincero "We're all struggling, we're all doing our best, and the most important thing is to just get in the game and go, and not wait until everything's perfect [and] you're 100% ready...just do it who cares." -Jen Sincero "Do something that scares the living crap out of you every day, and that moves you in the direction of where you want to be...if you really want to change your life, you had better be scared. If you're not scared you're doing something wrong." -Jen Sincero   "That commitment to our excuses as opposed to that commitment to miracles...you really gotta be open if you want to grow. You gotta be available to be wrong, which is what we hate...but to be right about our excuses is very important to us. And when we'd rather be happy than right, then we open up a whole new world of possibility." -Jen Sincero RESOURCES Jen Sincero LinkedIn Jen Sincero Website Jen Sincero Facebook Jen Sincero Instagram Jen Sincero Twitter

What is your driving force? The ultimate thing in your life that gives you direction and purpose? For Steph Crowder, Head of Member Success at Fizzle.Co., her motivators are her 14-month-old daughter and Fizzle. Fizzle is a company that helps creative entrepreneurs build their businesses via online courses, and weekly articles, podcasts, and small business guides. Their ultimate goal is to set up individual business owners with every resource, and tool they need to feel supported by an understanding community of like minded individuals. It is because of their mission and morals that Fizzle has become Steph's north star and passion. She refers to herself as the 'Den Mama' of Fizzle because she is so invested in the company, and takes care of everything and everyone, from clients to coworkers. Starting as a customer of theirs, she joined the company as a part-time customer service rep two years ago, and took a 60% pay cut from her previous job as head of a department at Groupon. Since she has become part of the leadership team, hosts Fizzle's podcast, as well as her own, Courage and Clarity. When her daughter came into the world, her heart and dedication became split between being a devoted mom and an ambitious leader. She wanted her career and role at Fizzle to continue to grow and move at the upward pace it was, previously. But she needed to do so in less time, because she didn't want her daughter's life to be consumed by day care, and wanted to be an involved parent. She wanted to do it all, and compromise nothing, and felt she could do so with rigid scheduling and time management. She quickly realized that that was a no-go. She began to see that this way of thinking and living was being reactive to her conundrum, but not actually proactive in changing anything. So she started delegating her work load, and saying no to things that were miniscual, and weren't what she wanted or needed to be doing; such as getting trapped in email jail, and handling Fizzle's social media prescence. By eliminating unneccesary tasks and distractions in her life and at work, she was able to be the mother that she wanted to be and spend quality time with her baby. Stay tuned and hear more about how Steph worked her way up at Fizzle, how motherhood made her a better leader, and how her and her partners are evolving Fizzle with a fresh identity and purpose! Also, check out Steph's original appearance on She Did it Her Way two years ago! In this episode you will... Be okay with not getting constant feedback on your performance as an entrepreneur Learn how to merge skills as a mother into being a leader in your professional life Know how to delegate certain tasks at your job, and projects so you can focus on your personal or family life Learning other behaviors to increase productivity, as opposed to working harder and longer, and burning yourself out Discover what your business or start up wants to evolve to once it's hit the 5 year mark Not make your happiness conditional, and be happy with where and who you are at the moment INSIGHTS "There are a lot of lessons, and definitely a border between start ups and pregnancy, and also motherhood. You learn so much about business. I think business and entrepreneurship can teach us a lot about how to be the CEOs of our families. It's really cool to see how these two different systems can play together when you're doing both in your life." -Steph Crowder "If I have an activity...or a project that I want to take on, now I just stop and I say, 'What would be the result of that? Is it going to reach my number one objective, which is growing Fizzle?' That is my north star...I really tried to put myself in the driver's seat.... I'm just trying to support myself and show my daughter an example of what meaningful work can be." -Steph Crowder "Working harder, longer is not a strategy...if that's your sole strategy...you're going to hit a wall. I have not seen someone not burn out on that model, and I am an example of that. You will reach a point in your life where thatno longer becomes a viable strategy. It might work in the short term, but [when] you get to a point where your priorities change, it doesn't feel good to live from that place." -Steph Crowder "It's challenging, as well as incredibly invigorating, to be in part of a company that's doesn't know what the answer is...everything in your business is a hypothesis...even when you're as far along as a business like this...we have to test and tweak and iterate, and it's really exciting to be on the precipice of, where are we going to go from here?" -Steph Crowder "Get yourself in a place where...no matter what happens today I genuinely feel good...because inspired action is so much better and more effective...I feel like I'm doing more meaningful work...and that's a really new mindset for me to explore." -Steph Crowder RESOURCES Special Fizzle 5-Week Free Offer! (fizzle.co/courage) Steph Crowder LinkedIn Courage and Clarity Steph Crowder Instagram Fizzle Website Fizzle Facebook Fizzle Instagram Fizzle Twitter The Start Up Pregnant Podcast Mimi Ikonn YouTube Interview with London Real Academy Part 1 of 2 Priming with Tony Robinson Jess Lively Website

As you're tumbling along your road as a creative entrepreneur, don't you wish you had someone to look to that's tumbled down that road, too? And because of those ups and downs, and twists and turns, can offer you honest wisdom, clarity, and reassurance as you figure out what passion of yours can become a profitable and sustainable business? Look no further than Abagail Pumphrey and Emylee William, the cofounders of Think Creative Collective!  Referring to themselves as biz fairy godmothers, TCC offers a multitude of business courses and acts as a resource hub for creative entrepreneurs. The two met through a Facebook group centered around encouraging other creative entrepreneurs and supporting their businesses. They connected on helping entrepreneurs find the confidence to charge what they were worth, and begin building businesses around what they were passionate about. The two ended up hosting a webinar and co-selling a course together, and within two weeks of knowing each other, they decided to start TCC while brainstorming on the floor of Abagail's office. The company started as a marketing and branding boutique in September of 2015. They offered photography, design, and marketing for creative small business owners. As of January 2016,  it evolved into online course selling, and now features a blog, and a podcast called the Strategy Hour. Another new addition to TCC's website is the course, 4 Days to a Sexy System. This system challenges clients to stay organized to increase productivity in their daily lives in order to drive their businesses and accomplish personal goals. By following this structure, Abagail and Emylee feel that it will create a productive system that will hold up throughout the year, and increase the sustainability of their business. The challenge begins by asking clients where they keep their information and can they stream line it to one place. Day two consists of planning out their goals for the year, finding out what they have to do to reach them, and figuring out how those goals will lead to profit inside their business. On Day three, they break down those goals and set up achievable tasks, with day four pushing you into action. The two are extremely dedicated to giving creatives an epicenter for advice and guidance by creating a community for new and tenured entrepreneurs. They want to be the mentors that they wished they had when they were building their business. They also know what it feels like to be a hot mess in an intimidating and scary time in your career, because they had a rocky take off themselves. Originally, Abagail had a dream of living the corporate life and working for big national brands, with her degree in design and fine arts. After college she began working for a small agency and knew right away that she did not belong in that world. Like so many people with the heart of an entrepreneur, she simply couldn't work for another person or company any longer. She also had a lot of moral conflicts with the company because she felt that a lot of their practices were illegal. Her conscience was relieved when she was laid off, and with her husband's trust, she started her own company. When she felt her layoff coming, she started a blog and a website within a weekend. She began blogging five days a week, and gained clients through networking and reaching out to people she saw needed her help. She dabbled in a little of everything and helped non-profits, start-ups, and worked on in-house design projects to build 8 foot banners, brochures, and full websites. You name it, she was your girl. She was also able to start with zero debt, and continue with no in-house expenses. Within 30 days she had replaced her income and was making more than he was! Emylee, on the other hand, wanted to go into social work and eventually wanted to become a college professor. Two weeks before grad school started, she unenrolled and walked away from school. When she returned home she had a crisis moment in her nana's guest room, unsure about where she wanted to go in life. With a degree in fine arts and photography, coupled with graduating in a recession, there was absolutely no job to be had.  However, she knew she wanted to be in control of something, and wanted it to be a passion. So she started her own photography business in Oklahoma and eventually grew it to obtain a five figure salary. She loved working with other creatives and collaborating on projects, but she also loved that she got to lead and give others constructive criticism on their businesses and inspiring entrepreneurial confidence. Learn more about TCC's origin and how the two met and have grown their business in today's episode! In this episode you will... Find the support to take a risky career change Learn how to not make excuses for yourself and drive your business Figure out how to micro-tweak your business to where it fits what you want to be doing Know how to solidify the sustainability of your business Learn to get your ideas out of your head in order to create content for your business Decide on how much of your income goes towards your business, staff, and yourself INSIGHTS "I didn't make any excuses for myself and I was willing to do anything to make it work, mostly because I felt like I had this timeline of [how] I have to prove it to other people...but I work well under pressure, especially when the pressure is outside of myself." -Abagail Pumphrey "You have to see where these small opportunities are for you to maybe shift your business a little bit, just to try it, and see if that's even what you like doing...and seeing what that opportunity then opens up for you in the future." -Emylee Williams "We truly believe that there's a formula, and there's a structure, and a system and a work flow for every single piece of your business...As long as they have a process and a system they're going to be able to actually get done...so you can really see the results of those things and know what to pivot and tweak in your business when you're faced with opportunities in your business." -Emylee Williams RESOURCES Think Creative Collective Website Think Creative Collective.com/Community The Strategy Hour Think Creative Collective Facebook Think Creative Collective Instagram Think Creative Collective Twitter Present over Perfect by Shauna Niequist Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert Trello

Who is the summit for: If you’ve ever wanted to start your own business but not sure where to start or let alone afraid and overwhelmed Maybe you recently launched your business (and could be a side hustle)  but uncertain if you’re doing all the right things to make it sustainable What you’ll get out of it: Confidence. And I don’t just say that to say that. If you think about fear and what inspires fear it is usually the unknown. So if we can get familiar and educate ourselves on steps and processes to go about launching a business, I promise you it will be less scary and you’ll have the confidence to take action. Curated coaching circles. When you purchase your ticket you’ll receive a survey that will take roughly 20 minutes to fill out but what it’ll help us do on the back end is make sure we select coaches that will add value to you and your questions. Speaking of coaches and speakers, all coaches and speakers have been hand picked for the summit. The reason why I did this instead of a call for speakers is because I’ve seen these women speak before and I know the value of content they deliver. I had specific requirements for them to fulfill. I wanted them to be able to deliver a workshop styled engagement, where it would be interactive and you as an attendee would actually put pen to paper vs. listening to someone speak for 45 minutes. I’m a firm believer in the doing in order to build confidence. I also know that these women have built their own sustainable business practice as well. Topics include: Finding your sweet spot - uncovering what truly lights you up and to let that guide you in your business that produces profits Understanding the basics of marketing - who are you going after, who’s your ideal client, getting niched Sales - understanding how to position your offering in a way that gets potential customers to convert Power of Connecting - how to strategically and intentionally connect with others during events that will influence revenue Accounting - what can be deducted, how to organize and what systems to use Pricing - how to price your product or service to ensure there’s built in profit Operations - maybe what some might consider the non sexy stuff - types of insurance you should have as a business owner (health and disability) and retirement options Systems - all about hacking and organizing yourself to be productive and get stuff done Goal setting - putting a nice bow on it at the end Curated coaching circles - interacting in small groups with women who have launched their own business Actual concrete steps and learnings. I’ve been to many events (including ones I was a part of) where the event itself didn’t have a strong purpose, we filled speaker slots for the sake of filling speaker slots. This summit is specifically designed with you as the attendee in mind. Goal setting. Before we even get started and our first speaker, we’re going to take some time to reflect on why you’re at the summit, what brought you here and what you’re looking to get out of the day. Then before we wrap up we’re going to take time to map out immediate goals, 90 day goals and we’re going to dream about what life will look like in the next 1-3 years. And I mean, how can you have an event without a sweet swag bag? It will be loaded with products made by female founders. Why: When I first stepped out, took the leap, quit my job I was 24 years old. Even though at the time I thought I had it “figured out” it hindsight I had no clue what I was doing. Haha I suppose that must have been my ego talking ;) When I was still working in corporate America I only knew a few people who worked for themselves and while I am so grateful for their inspiration and guidance that I had, it didn’t provide structure or a game plan when I did take the leap. I had no goals, no understanding of business banking, how to track expenses, no one asking tough questions to help me flesh through what I wanted. I built the plane as I flew it. And while that is part of entrepreneurship, the other part is seeking out mentorship, guidance and a plan. What took me years to figure out, I want to serve that up to you in one day. So you can build and create faster and more sustainably. I also know that launching a business can be scary and even scarier if you’re leaving a job that provides you a steady income. My desire is to have you know that you’re not alone and provide confidence in yourself to continue doing great things. When I first shared with some folks the idea of an in person summit, they asked why not an online course or a virtual summit? And I got to say that in the world of technology and ability to be “online” so easily, actually meeting someone in person is a loss artform and I want to bring that back. Plus, I enjoy meeting people in real life :) Recap: Saturday, October 21st - one-day Friday, October 20th - Welcome kick-off, early check-in 8 speakers Curated coaching circles Action plan Confidence A supportive community of women Space is limited to help ensure that attendees get the most out of their time, energy and resources :)

The adrenaline rush of hustling can be insatiable. The payoff even more satisfying. But how much longer can you go? Do you know when to take a step back? Ashlyn Carter, founder of Ashlyn Writes, became very familiar with the adrenaline rush of hustle. Her previous career in corporate PR, and her type A personality, had always pushed her towards perfection. But when the stress from her job as a publicist, coupled with planning a wedding, led to her developing an eating disorder, she knew she had to make a career change. She became inspired by Lara Casey's book, Make it Happen, during her recovery time, and was introduced to the online world of creative female entrepreneurs. Already in love with working in female dominated work environments, due to her time as a traveling leadership consultant for her sorority, Alpha Delta Pi, she knew she wanted to be surrounded by that positivity again. She also had a immense desire to help the careers of female entrepreneurs and get their feet off the ground, and the specialization of creative entrepreneurs online added an exciting twist to the mix. However, when she returned to the work force after her leave of abscene, she went right back to her demanding job as a publicist. With her stress, anxiety, and depression on the rise just two months after coming back, her fiance gave her the extra push that she needed to leave her corporate job once and for all. With a journalism degree under her belt and a talent for calligraphy, Ashyln Writes was born in February of 2016. In her role at Ashlyn Writes, she acts as a copywriter and calligraphist, and specializes in helping creative female entrepreneurs with launch pages, sequence mapping, and sales page copy; with her primary customer base being small wedding businesses. When Ashlyn Writes first started, though, it did not have a specific direction. She was taking any work that she could get. From doing marketing work for corporations, ghost writing for people in Atlanta, writing editorial pieces, and calligraphy work, Ashlyn did it all. She loved the work that she was doing, but she soon got overwhelmed and her business struggled to find its identity. What made her business into the polished organization that it is today was the Illume Retreat in Austin, Texas. The retreat was geared towards creative female entrepreneurs, and acted as a networking event, and helped them relax all while connecting, and learning from professionals in a variety of fields on how to grow their business with intention. They also learned to infuse their story and heart into their business's message and brand. It was here where she gained a lot constructive criticism from these seasoned professionals, and made the ultimate connection with Jenna Kutcher; a wedding photographer and blogger, artist, and educator. Jenna became a significant impact on Ashlyn's business by asking her to design her launch copy and email sequence for her online course, and because of the great job she did, Jenna recommended Ashlyn Writes to almost everyone in her network. From there, Ashlyn became the go-to-girl for launch copy and all that her company specializes in today, and gained her niche audience which allowed her company to grow and mature. One of the greatest lessons she's learned along her journey, though, is knowing when to step away from the hustle, and work from a place of rest. Since she naturally is a high strung person, who truely loves to work, she has to remember take that time away to regroup mentally so she doesn't run herself into the ground. Not only that, but making time for the priceless moments and people in her life fuels her genuine happiness, too. Check out today's episode and listen to the tips and tricks Ashlyn gives on how you can polish up your launch copy, and more about her personal growth and road to finding joy in her workplace! In this episode you will... Find the value in whittling down your target audience Know when to take a break from hustling so you can rest Figure out a way to get face-to-face with experienced entrepreneurs in your market who can help you launch your business Learn how to transition your customer service skills and attitude according to your market and clientele Understand figuring out a price point for your services Make sure your copy is eye-catching, but retains clarity and doesn't become overwhelming Be able to find what differentiates your business from others in your market INSIGHTS "There's just so much value in going for one thing...and trying to find something in a space that's not being served...the more I wised up about being a business owner...stepping into that fully and calling myself that and rebranding...that's been the biggest change." -Ashlyn Carter "If you let me, I would work 24/7 because it is so fun to me, especially being a business owner. You get to be the one who toggles the dials and switches things up, and tries things and I'm just kind of an addict to it at times." -Ashlyn Carter "No matter what the service is that you offer giving that really elevated, high level experience with touch points, client magazines, gifts, [and] making sure that it feels just as luxurious as booking something else...[I saw] how that really gave a lot of value. It helps me command the prices that I knew were worth it." -Ashlyn Carter RESOURCES Ashlyn Carter LinkedIn Ashlyn Writes Website Ashlyn Writes Facebook Ashlyn Writes Instagram Ashlyn Writes Twitter Illume Retreat Paul Jarvis Jenna Kutcher's Website Make it Happen by Lara Casey Design your Day by Claire Diaz-Ortiz 90 Day Year by Todd Herman

What was the weirdest diet you've ever tried? What work out infomercial have you bought into recently? If not a super pumped infomercial, what workout trend have you gotten swept up into?  How long did you stick to these? Did they even work? Well today's guest, Nagina Abdullah, has been on the weight loss rollercoaster herself. Always athletic, and trying every diet from Weight Watchers to South Beach, she was never able to achieve the body that she wanted, or keep off any weight she did loose. More importantly, nothing she ever tried got her excited. And so, like every other method, her health and fitness motivation faded. However, her determination returned after she had two kids, and she found that adding certain spices to her healthy meals helped her loose weight without exercise! This eventually led to the creation of her weight loss program and blog, Masala Body. Masala Body is all about helping women on the go find easy and healthy ways to loose weight, by using spices like cinnamon, tumeric, and cayenne in their meals. Growing up in an Indian household, Nagina was always exposed to meals loaded with a multitude of spices and flavors. She said the joy of life was in her childhood dishes, and by learning their health benefits and strategically adding them to her snacks and meals, she was able to loose 40 pounds in nine months! After struggling with her weight for 35 years, she ended up being 20 pounds under her pre-baby weight, and had finally reached her dream body. Not only that, but she had gained an excitement in her new diet that she hadn't had before, which made her stick to her regiment and keep the weight off. She had to share her progress and her method with others, so she started her blog that has now evolved into a coaching business. Since its creation in 2013, Masala Body has helped over 500 women loose up to 40 pounds. When Masala Body first started, she had no intention of monetizing it or really expanding it. The blog simply acted as an escape from her demanding job as a management consultant in New York City. It was when she hit an audience of 500 people that she got her first paying client, gained two more, that she knew she had a profitable business on her hands. She kept her full time job, though, for the income and stability. So she switched to a less demanding role at her company so she could invest time into her business and grow her blog. Before she switches to her blog full time, she wants to increase its profitability, and match what she has to invest in Masala Body for its success. These expenses have included classes in becoming a perfect copywriter, learning different softwares, tips in increasing her blog's publicity, and hiring business coaches. But she has faith in her business and the power of her guidance, and with stats like hers and her own experiences with her diet, Masala Body's effectiveness goes without saying! Hear more about the benefits of adding spices in your diet, how she juggles two jobs, and how Nagina makes loosing weight fun! In this episode you will... Learn to obtain profitability in your business so you can have the confidence to take the leap from a stable job to become a full time entrepreneur Make a business out of a personal struggle in order to help others Know what your key metrics are that signify growth in your business Get comfortable with investing a large amount of money into expanding your business and becoming a CEO and founder Figure out what elements in your life can be eliminated or cut down so you can focus on growing your business Find the health benefits of adding certain spices in your diet INSIGHTS "I was just amazed and thoroughly thrilled that people were paying me to help them for something I did...I had always had a full time salary and that's just how I thought you made money. And so for me to actually pitch my services and coach women to loose weight, something that was so personal to me and help other women do the same thing, and see them go through that; it was completely fulfilling." -Nagina Abdullah "There's multiple health benefits of adding spices to your diet, like high inflammation, less water rentention, increased fat burning, and decreased appetite...I lost 10 pounds in my first month without any exercise by changing what I was eating and adding these fat buring spices...and over the course of nine months, I lost 40 pounds." -Nagina Abdullah "After a lifetime of struggle, to have my dream body after two kids...I couldn't believe it. I would look at myself in the mirror everyday and say, 'How could this have happened so easily when I struggled for the last 35 years,' and that's when I started my business." -Nagina Abdullah RESOURCES Nagina Abdullah LinkedIn Masala Body Website Masala Body Facebook Masala Body Instagram Nagina Abdullah Twitter Sweet Spice Cheat Sheet (MasalaBody.com/Shediditherway) The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks

How much longer are you going to represent a brand that doesn't fulfill you? When will you take the leap and showcase yourself as your own boss, with a business that encompasses your passions? For Britney Kolodziej, founder of JAM Marketing Group, that moment came when she received the message that she was going to be a speaker at a blogging convention in 2016. As head of the marketing department at a fitness corporation, she had been dabbling in the blogging world personally, but primarily professionally as a marketing tool for the company. On a whim she decided to apply to be a speaker for the convention, but when she unexpectedly landed the gig, she began questioning if she wanted to use that platform to represent the company or herself. The opportunity had showed her what she was capable of achieving, and ignited her drive to start her own business. She knew that her business would be marketing based, because she was in love with the concept of intentionally growing a business and building a business's worth; which she had done with her department at her previous job within two years. She decided her business would specialize in online marketing, and her clientele would be small businesses. However, she had a few more ends to tie up before the convention. She began working on her business's minimum viable products (MVPs) , which are basic features that any start-up should have in order to adopt early consumers. Her MVPs were a company name, website, a few blog posts, at least one client, and an enticing factor in exchange for emails. To focus on this, she realized she had to leave her corporate job once and for all, and gave them a four-week notice. After her last day, she shared her business with her peers on social media, and accomplished the goals she had set for her herself by the convention! In order to effectively grow her business, while navigating life without a steady income, she had to set up a minimum viable income. By giving herself a budget that she could operate by comfortably, she was able to gain confidence in how she managed her business. This empowered her to make smart business decisions when entering into new contracts, pitches, and gaining new clientele. Even though she was making great strides in her budding business, she was met with the loneliness involved in the early stages of entrepreneurship. One piece of advice she offers to new business owners is to never do it alone. She stresses the importance of finding a community of people like you to talk to or offer guidance. If you can't find your tribe,  you could end up feeling isolated talking to people who don't understand the stage you're at in your life, or work yourself into a depression. So, she created her podcast, Marketing in Yoga Pants, to offer support for women like her who were just getting their foot in the entrepreneurial door, and needed to know what to do, and have a network of women to talk to. Tune in and learn more about how Britney started her business and got it off the ground within 90 days! In this episode you will... Know how to represent yourself as the owner of your own company for the first time When to let go of an old job to focus on growing your business Be able to pull together your Minimum Viable Product when your building and presenting your business. Determine and operate off of your Minimum Viable Income Learn the importance of having a confidant in the early stages of being an entrepreneur Make every move and decision intentionally INSIGHTS "This whole building a business world is much more of my thing...[it is] where my heart is...I got bit by the bug...I think I've always been destined to be my own boss...and it's...the best thing I ever could've done for myself." -Britney Kolodziej "I took a hard look at my living expenses...and it was smaller than what I had even though it was, and that allowed me to kind of operate not out of a place of fear, but out of a place of empowerment, and I think that is what allowed me to succeed...I wasn't fearful that I wasn't going to make that money." -Britney Kolodziej "Those...girls on our couch in our yoga pants, top knot tight, hunched over a MacBook, alone, trying to figure this business thing out...I am working to bring us together so we don't feel that isolation. So we can support each other while we're supporting ourselves, and maybe find a little place online...and in real-life to connect to each other, because I don't think you can do this alone." -Britney Kolodziej "You don't have to have every single thing planned out...but [also] every single decision you haveto make, try to make it intentionally. Try to think it about what you're grounded in, and where this decision may take you, and that's where it becomes fulfilling. That's when you start making meaningful changes." -Britney Kolodziej RESOURCES Britney Kolodziej LinkedIn Britney Kolodziej Twitter JAM Marketing Group Website JAM Marketing Group Facebook JAM Marketing Group Instagram Marketing in Yoga Pants Website Marketing in Yoga Pants Instagram The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah The Search for Significance by Robert McGee Man Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl Asana Acuity Scheduling