"Take messy action" with Allison Woodley

Photo Credit Rodrigo Diaz Mercado

Allison Woodley is a Self-love & Mindset Coach, the founder of the Self-love Academy, and the Award-winning Author of the book The Unicorn Syndrome. Stop trying to be unique. You already are. Allison empowers heart-led female entrepreneurs to break free from comparison, self-doubt, and self-sabotage and take back control of their health, time, and freedom by cultivating unstoppable confidence through her Spiritual Weight Loss Method. Her mission is to show women that the beauty they seek is already within them.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

Ten years ago, in 2012 I was graduating from university, eager to pursue a career in the glamorous and fast-paced advertising industry. At the same time, I was battling mentally and physically with my body.  I'd completely lost touch with myself after gaining some unwanted weight and many unhealthy habits. After finishing school, I was ready to start a new chapter in my life and I decided it was time to get back into shape and better health. After about six months of completely changing my diet and lifting weights, I lost 20lbs. I borrowed a sparkly bikini from a friend and entered my first bodybuilding competition. I placed dead last but it didn't matter. I'd gained so much than a worthless trophy by facing my fears and gaining confidence in myself. I'd discovered an inner strength and confidence within myself that I didn't know existed. I'd broken past the fear of being seen and not feeling good enough. I stood proudly on that fitness stage reserved for dedicated athletes and a fire was lit in me.

After that, I became a Certified Personal Trainer and worked at a top-ranked national gym. I later went back into the advertising industry but continued my health and fitness journey as just a passion. It was hard to balance building a career in a highly demanding industry, eating healthy and going to the gym but it was my priority, so I kept it up.

Eight years later I competed in my second bodybuilding competition and placed 7th. The second time around I had a new perspective. I focused more on who I was becoming than how I wanted to look. I locked eyes with the vision beyond just how I would look but how good I would feel to be a transformed person. The success in my journey was due to my growing sense of self-worth, self-love, and a deepening connection with my heart and soul. I learned that success in anything; life, business, health, is an inside-out job.

What inspired you to start your business?

In March 2020 the pandemic happened and I was let go from my job at the ad agency I was working for. At first, I was struck with a wave of fear, then within 6 seconds, I was overcome with a strong feeling of gratitude. I had a knowing that the universe was aligning everything for me and not against me. I leaned into this trust and I followed the signs. I took the time during this life transition not to worry but to rest, to heal, and to take care of myself. During this time I instantly felt a strong calling to help women emotionally, mentally, and spiritually heal their relationship with their bodies and create a healthy foundation of health and wellness. I wanted to help women break free from soul-sucking chronic dieting and exercise routines and help them connect with their bodies and find joy in life again. That then became my mission, to help women love their bodies and create healthy and abundant lifestyles similar to mine but in a much quicker and easier way.

Where is your business based? 

I have an online coaching business, meaning I can work from anywhere in the world. My home base though is in my home in Toronto, Canada. The great thing about working from home is being in control of my schedule, being able to travel and bring work with me, and being able to work with clients from all over the world. 

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

Back in 2020 just two days after I was let go from my job. I reached out and connected with a Lifestyle and Business Mentor who shared with me an opportunity to start an online wellness business through a Network Marketing company. Even though this was something I never in a million years would have even considered, I knew in my gut it was the right next step. I'd had women reach out to me about joining this kind of business before and even though I used the products I still never even considered it. But this time, something in me told me it was time. I was ready to take a chance. It was time once again to take a bold leap of faith, just like I had when I stepped on stage for my first bodybuilding competition. 

That one simple decision to say yes to starting my wellness business was the catalyst to jump-start my online wellness business instantly. Three weeks later I had my launch event and had a hugely successful turnout of supporters. From there my business began to bloom and has since grown into what it is today. Once I started to see success working with my first handful of clients I invested again in myself by taking my Pure Coaching certification. I wanted to further develop new programs and help my clients create greater transformations. It was a lot of worth but well worth the time and investment. 

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

In 2020 as I followed my calling to start my business I also began to follow the inner guidance that encouraged me to start writing my first book, The Unicorn Syndrome. Stop trying to be unique. You already are. Sharing my self-love & fitness journey online through social media and then sharing the journey of writing my self-help book helped me to get my story out into the world. When I launched my book in 2021 I had so much support and have had close to 100 downloads/purchases of my book. Writing my book was an incredible way of raising awareness of my business. Since then I've spoken at events, had interviews published in Authority Magazine and Thrive Global, and have been interviewed on a handful of incredible podcast shows. All of this has helped my business to gain visibility and awareness.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

For most of my life, I was terrified of public speaking and thought I was a terrible writer. Now I'm a published Author and Speaker. Life is supposed to have challenges. Our purpose is to overcome them and learn from them. Often we have to make many attempts at these obstacles though before we learn the lessons.

Overcoming challenges is hard when we try to physically take on more, and try to force our way through to the end goal. Most of us are taught that in life to be successful we must work harder or be the hardest worker in the room. But in the spirit world, that's not true. In the spirit, world success is about vibration and attracting the experience you want to create through good feeling thoughts.

The lesson through all of life's obstacles is discovering that enjoying the process is the goal, not the end result. In my signature coaching program, I teach my clients how to break free from limiting beliefs and self-sabotaging habits. I help them do this through mindset work. The same kind of work I did on myself to go from being terrified of being seen and heard to feeling calm and confident. I did a lot of inner healing with self-love and acceptance to get to the point where I am today. You might also be terrified of public speaking or just talking about your stories on IG but know that I was too at first. All you need is just five seconds of insane courage and you can overcome it too.

I knew I was never going to make an impact if no one ever saw or heard my story so I had to get over my fears. I rewrote my life story to be the one I wanted to live with rather than allowing the fear of judgment and failure to control me. Self-awareness and taking radical responsibility for your life is the real work that needs to be done to overcome your biggest challenges in life and business.

How do you stay focused?

I wouldn't say that I grew up with many natural talents although I had many passions and hobbies. I learned early in life that if I wanted something I was going to have to work hard for it. Often that meant I needed to put in extra time and effort to learn the skills and gain the experience needed to get good at something.

When I started lifting weights and taking care of my health I was focused, consistent and disciplined with my program because I was in need of change. But I was also clear on my vision. It was so clear I could see it and feel it like I already had it. I've taken this habit and made it a daily part of my routine in my life and business.

Every morning I spend time focusing on who I am becoming rather than making endless to-do lists filled with unlimited tasks and priorities. Rather than working harder, I focus on the feelings I want to feel when I sign a new client or have a successful launch. I used meditation, visualization, and manifestation techniques to get clear on my vision, stay focused and attract success. I allow that to push me forward into success within my business. This creates a strong mindset that keeps me focused on my mission to help inspire and empower women.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

The majority of the fitness industry is focused on physical health. Most personal trainers or nutritionists design meal plans and workout programs for their clients and then hold them accountable. I don't do either. Instead, I help my clients heal through the four dimensions of health; spiritual health, emotional health, mental health, and then physical health is often an outcome of this inner healing process.  

My unique coaching method helps women to unlearn the bad habits and the limiting beliefs that keep them stuck, unmotivated, and unhappy with their bodies. We work on emotional healing first and how to develop self-love. Once this deep groundwork has been established I help guide her to listen to her body to learn how to fuel and nourish herself with the right kinds of foods and movement.  I help guide her to creating a holistic and healthy lifestyle true and unique to her body. I give her the tools and knowledge on how to do it for herself so she has a lifelong transformation and not a quick fix.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

I've been building my business through vulnerable and authentic connections with my audience. I use a lot of social media marketing to build genuine relationships with women who relate to my journey. This strategy isn't the fastest path to success that I've found but it does build true connection and trust with potential and new clients over time. I find that through doing this when people are ready to invest in themselves they jump on in at the right time for them. 

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs? 

Take messy action. As women, we have this grand vision of ourselves and how we think our businesses should look before we even start. This grand vision of greatness often paralyzes them from even taking the first step in following their dreams. This often looks like perfectionism, indecisiveness, or comparison syndrome. Many aspiring entrepreneurs compare their start to someone else's great success. They become afraid to start, or they jump from great ideas to great ideas in their heads but never take action on anything. You have to get something out into the world and then adjust if you want to learn and grow and be successful. You've got to get over the fear of it not being the right thing or good enough.

Just start. Everyone who is and was ever successful started before they were ready. The only way you’re going to get better at creating content, speaking on stories, talking in publishing, coaching clients, selling your products is by taking action and just starting.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favorite book is Becoming Supernatural by Dr. Joe Dispenza. It's the first spiritual and personal development book that I ever read and it was a catalyst in helping me transform my life from regular to extraordinary.

Because of that book, I started waking up early to meditate. This new daily practice helped me truly to transform my life and manifest more money in my career, pivot my business, write my book, become a speaker, and so much more. I highly recommend it!

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why? 

The Goal Getters Facebook Community led by Rebecca Cafiero is an amazing resource for female entrepreneurs. It's full of inspiration, guidance, and collaboration. I've taken part in all of the free business strategies & PR training provided within the community this past year and I've seen my business grow so much this last year. 

Who is your business role model? Why?

Jennifer Szpigiel, founder of Becoming Iconic is my business role model. Jen is smart, kind, passionate and she walks the talk in her business. She's an amazing role model because she's taken leaps of faith in her career, she's pivoted a few times, and she's built multiple 6 and 7 figure successful businesses from home while raising tiny humans. 

As women, we often feel like we have to choose between work or family so when I see powerful women who find balance in both I celebrate and admire that. Jen preaches that you can really have it all. You can do less and be more. You can find harmony between work and family and you don't have to choose one or the other. As a young female who is building a business with the dream of one day also having a family I desire to create that same kind of work-life balance in my own life. 

How do you balance work and life? 

I know how it feels to be burnt out. For a long time, I thought that my work-life balance was the fact that I could work 9-12hours days and maintain healthy eating habits and the gym 5-7 days a week. As much as I enjoyed work and fitness I was burning out due to sheer volume.

Setting boundaries and making time for daily spiritual practices has helped me find a harmonious balance between work, fitness, hobbies, and time with my husband and family.

I make it a priority of mine to take 1-2hours each morning for alone time with myself. I use this non-negotiable time to sit in stillness, meditate, visualize, do breathwork, read, write, stretch, workout and/or sip a cup of coffee. It's a non-negotiable for me to spend time alone with myself getting to connect with my soul on a deeper level. This spiritual work fuels me for the rest of my day.

What’s your favorite way to decompress? 

I love lifting heavy weights and running outdoors. Moving my body and getting my heart rate up while listening to some feel-good music has an uplifting way of melting away any stress. I have such a routine fitness regime that I don't get stressed or experience much anxiety because I am consistent with prioritizing my wellness. When you take care of yourself daily, you feel good daily. It really is worth it to take care of your help and prioritize your self-care.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

Big things! It's been my dream to live by the beach during the winter and to launch a group coaching program. This winter both those dreams are coming true. I'm going to be spending this winter doing a handstand in the sand in Cabo Mexico while launching my brand new group coaching program The Self-Love Academy!

I'm also allowing space for opportunities and abundance to flow. Because one thing I've learned is sometimes the best things are unplanned spontaneous gifts from the Universe but if we're too busy we miss them.

How can our readers connect with you?

I love connecting with and supporting like-minded women who are passionately building the business and life of their dreams!

Feel free to follow my journey on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/allison.woodley/

Join my free Facebook community here https://www.facebook.com/groups/1396070730783154.

And you can find my book and more ways to work with me at allisonwoodley.com

"It is very important that you maintain faith in yourself and your idea because you CAN do it!" with Cherie Climent

Meet Cherie Climent, age 32, from Seattle, WA, wife, and mother of 2 small children (under the age of 3!). She is one extremely sleep-deprived entrepreneur and co-founder of Paragon Technologies, SL – a smart transforming furniture company, started in Seattle but is now based in beautiful Spain.

·      Can you tell our readers about your background?

I have a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies, with a minor in Resource Management, and a Law Degree in Environmental Law and Regulation. After graduating, I began working for a small business in the maritime industry. After I became pregnant with my son, I left that position to co-found a startup, with my husband, who at the time was an engineer for SpaceX. Shortly after my son was born, we made the decision to move to Spain, with a plan to primarily conduct our business in the U.S. In 2021, we secured funding for the company, finalized product development, and I gave birth to our second child. 

·       What inspired you to start your business?

Four years ago, we were living in our nice apartment in Seattle – but it had one problem – it was tiny! For $2,000 a month there was not even room for a dining table. This meant no hosting friends or family members for meals, and having to cut a steak dinner on your lap, while sitting on the couch. So my husband, this accomplished aerospace engineer, and I had this idea – what if we made a transforming coffee table to dining table? That’s when the idea for our first product, the Paragon Table, was born. 

·       Where is your business based?

Originally, we were based in Seattle, but now we are operating from Spain. We primarily are selling in the U.S., and are hoping to move back in the not-too-distant future. Operating in Spain has allowed us to conduct research and development and set up the manufacturing part of the company at a very low cost – think a small town in Idaho, with no health insurance premiums.  

·       How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

Well, first we started in Seattle. It’s so easy to legally start a business in the U.S. – you can simply Google search it, and you’ll end up at a US government website and the process is very straight forward, and inexpensive. From there, we set up a website – purchased a domain name, which probably was the lengthiest process because you have to think of a business name that you not only like, but can find the same or very similar domain name of. Next, I learned how to make a website on WordPress, and set up emails. Then I learned how to 3D model in a software called Maya, so that I could come up with designs of our table. I learned this by watching YouTube videos, mostly. It took a bit of time and dedication, but was such a fun skill to learn. And all the while my husband was working on the engineering and structural design portion of our table.

·       What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

To be honest, we are still figuring it out. Social ads have been very good at driving traffic for us, mostly Facebook and Pinterest. Google Ad Words drove a bit of traffic too, but we haven’t seen the amount of conversions that we would like for Ad Words to be cost effective for us. We are still exploring distribution channels and are always learning as we go.

·       What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

One giant challenge has been to not run out of money before generating revenue and profit. Additionally, finding the right distribution channel is a real challenge also, for all start-ups, and at different stages of your start-up. For example, social media ads were great for us to raise awareness, but not for conversions. So we will need to hustle a bit harder and find out which distribution channel will work for us. And on a side note, if you have children, especially small ones still in diapers, you are in for a really intense experience. It definitely can be done, but there will not be a lot of sleep involved and coffee will be your hero.

·       How do you stay focused?

The stress, mostly, is what keeps me focused. I am in a high-risk, high-reward situation, that only has the best chance of success as the amount of time and energy I can dedicate to it. Some days I am tired, or feeling burned out, or want to quit, but I keep my eyes on the end goal. One tip that has been very helpful for us, is to constantly remind ourselves of not how far we still have to go, but of all the accomplishments that we have already made. You’ll be surprised at how much that can help boost morale.

·       How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

For us, we’re somewhat fortunate because there’s not a whole bunch of direct competition, because there are no other smart transforming tables out there. But, we of course have to look at regular furniture as competition, and see how can we differentiate ourselves as much as possible, and what can we do to our product that has never been done before in furniture? What new technologies exist now that have never been used in our industry? We have been watching another electronic table start-up, and it has been eye-opening for us to see the mistakes that they have made, like for example, I have read many of their customer comments complaining about a damaged product when it arrives, and horrible customer service. So in this case, we see this information, and we make decisions in our company to ensure we do not make the same mistakes.

·       What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

So far, our best distribution channel has been offline marketing. Sounds so old school, especially when we are promoting ourselves as the furniture of the future. But, at the end of the day, a large portion of our customers are people who live in apartments and condos – and the best way to get in front of their eyes, is to go directly to their building management and have them promote us. So, flyers, handouts for new client welcome packets, special resident discounts, etc. has been a really good strategy for us at this stage.

·       What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

That you can quite literally do anything yourself. You can learn how to build your website, how to market and sell your product, how to 3D design if needed, how to manufacture – albeit this is a little trickier – but you can almost certainly make your own prototypes. You don’t need to have a lot of money, you don’t necessarily need to pay someone, you don’t need a fancy degree – all you actually need are 3 things: 1. Perseverance, 2. Access to YouTube where you can literally learn how to do anything and everything, and 3. Faith in yourself.  It’s really, really easy to become discouraged. You may find your close friends and family even doubting you or trying (or not, but still succeeding) to bring you down. I have had my own mother tell me to my face, “you know this is not going to work, right?” So, it is very important that you maintain faith in yourself and your idea because you CAN do it!

·       What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

I would say it’s more of an essential than a favorite, but Traction: How any startup can achieve explosive customer growth, by Gabriel Weinberg. I think this is a must-read for any entrepreneur. And read it as soon as you can in the product development stage because it will really give you a leg up on what you can be doing now to ensure marketing success, even before your product is ready to go.

·       What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Probably Google Analytics, because it provides such valuable information regarding who is coming to my website, how many people, from where, what pages and links they’re clicking. Without it, I wouldn’t be able to see what is effective in terms of phrasing, pictures, pricing, etc.

·       Who is your business role model? Why?

·       How do you balance work and life?

I’m not sure there is such a thing, especially if you are an entrepreneur. You just try the best that you can and try to take care of yourself when you need to. One important thing is if you can, try to figure out the value of your time, and if it makes financial sense and you are able, try to offload time-intensive tasks that are not actually worth your time. This could be hiring a cleaning person every other week to deep clean, or getting pre-made meals.

·       What’s your favorite way to decompress?

I love to watch a good show or movie with husband, whenever time allows. I do love to play video games – Occasionally, I’ll play a couple rounds of Battlefield or get lost in the beautiful game of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

·       What do you have planned for the next six months?

We are planning to go to several trade shows and conferences throughout the U.S. and Europe. I am hoping to ramp up our production of the Paragon Table and hire some new employees. This is really the best part of being an entrepreneur – when all of your extremely hard work begins to pay off and you can see that you are succeeding. How amazing your first sale feels – there is hardly anything like it! And then you get your first amazing customer feedback, and then another, and another… it all becomes worth it when you­ realize you are making a positive impact in peoples’ lives.

·       How can our readers connect with you?

Through our website, www.paragonhome.com or email directly, Cherie.climent@paragonhome.com

How a Business Failure Turned One Woman into a Rockstar Mobile Home Park Investor with Amanda Cruise

Photo Credit: Amy Blackmer

Amanda Cruise explored beyond the W-2 world in 2017 by starting her first business. That business ended up being a total failure! In 2018, she pivoted into real estate investing. Single family homes at first, and ultimately into mobile home parks. She works with her husband - it has its benefits and its challenges! They have 80 mobile home park lots today and are looking for more.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

Of course. I have traditional parents when it comes to employment - they both have W-2 jobs. My mom recently retired from a public school system. I graduated college in 2008 and followed in their W-2 footsteps, getting a job analyzing war gaming scenarios for the military. After a few years, I moved from that to a large credit card company where I worked my way up to managing a team of data analysts. It was around 2017 when I fully realized I never wanted the job of the person two promotions above me - that person couldn’t take vacation without checking their emails and that really just didn’t appeal to me. I began researching businesses and just after returning from maternity leave for my first child, I decided to jump into the business world. I started a gender reveal business and worked many long nights, weekends, and holidays to get it going. After a year it was gaining a bit of traction when I started hearing of product safety concerns.

A few days of intense contemplation was all it took for me to realize that business needed to end. I pivoted into real estate investing and never looked back. In 2018 I bought and renovated a duplex. In 2019 I did something similar with a single family house. My husband and I became interested in mobile home parks and really found our niche there. We bought our first park in early 2020 and now have 80 mobile home lots and counting! We help investors use their savings or retirement funds to get great returns through passively investing in mobile home parks while we take on the heavy lifting of finding the parks to invest in, managing those parks, and increasing their value.

What inspired you to start a business?

I’ve always been curious about owning a business. After several years working in the W-2 world and seeing what was in store for executives, it really opened my eyes to the possibility and excitement of creating something on my own.

Where is your business based?

We are located in Raleigh, NC with our four year old and one year old! Raleigh is a great area for the mild temperatures year round. It’s also growing like crazy!

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

Once I was sold on real estate investing, the first step for me was to find a good property to purchase in order to jump in and learn. I worked with a broker to find a duplex for sale that needed work but that had great bones. We took the plunge and purchased it and started learning how to fix it up!

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness about your business?

Most cities have real estate inverter organizations. Through the North Carolina Real Estate Investors Association, I started a commercial real estate investing subgroup. Being a subgroup lead has helped spread the word about what I do with mobile home parks!

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Getting enough real estate deals at a good price is a big challenge right now. We are always calling and reaching out to owners of mobile home parks to make sure we can get the lead on any potential parks for sale prior to those parks being listed by brokers. By forming relationships with individuals who built these parks a few decades ago, we can make win-win deals that get them great money to sell their park and also result in great investments for us and our investors. Truthfully, being in business with a spouse is also very challenging. It can be difficult to balance. For us, we have really separated our duties in the business so each of us has autonomy and this has been incredibly useful in ensuring we are working alongside each other but each on our own specialities. Jonathan handles the acquisitions and asset management of parks. I handle investor relations and deal analysis for potential parks.

How do you stay focused?

On a daily basis, I take a few minutes to organize myself by considering the top things I’m trying to accomplish and which key tasks will make progress on each of those items. It’s so easy to start the day with inbox management, but inboxes are full of other people’s priorities! Just taking 10-15 minutes to organize at the beginning of the day to ensure I’m focused on the right items makes a huge difference. I also try to plan times for walking and/or going to the gym most days. Having that break in the day really helps re-energize for the rest of the day!

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

My husband and I are not huge fund managers. We are a local couple from Raleigh, NC with ties to our community. We make sure our investors know we would never do a deal that we aren’t confident in. We’ve walked away from deals where we weren’t 100% sure it would be a win. That’s hard to do when money is already on the line, but something we will do every time if necessary.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

For us, deal flow of potential mobile home parks to buy is the key. We’ve hired virtual assistants to help catalog and reach out to mobile home park owners to increase the number of parks we see and number of owners we talk to. I’m a big fan of outsourcing where possible. Being able to outsource the lower dollar per hour tasks and allowing us to focus on the highest impact items has made a big difference in our growth.

What’s your best piece of advice for an aspiring entrepreneur?

Set a goal that scares you. Too often we set goals based on past performance. For example, if I bought one investment property this year, I can buy 1 or 2 next year. Or if my business had $300,000 in revenue this year, next year it can get to $350,000. There is no reason for this thinking though, other than it feels comfortable and attainable. I try to set goals I have no idea how to achieve. It makes trying to achieve them more exciting and it gives me more energy and drive to go after them! I’d love to see more people taking that leap. Failure in the unknown is ok. I think a lot of people are afraid to fail, but failing at a massive goal likely still means an amazing outcome.

What’s your favorite app, blog, and book?

My favorite app is probably Evernote. I’m a big note taker and it allows me to share my notes with virtual assistants or anyone else. I’m not huge into blogs so I’ll trade that for podcast :) My favorite podcast is ‘How I Built This’ with Guy Raz. That podcast highlights a company’s story in each episode and it’s just fascinating. I really loved the book ‘The ABCs of Real Estate Investing’ by Ken McElroy. It was a great depiction of the power of real estate given hard work.

What’s your favorite business tool or resource?

I got into Monday.com recently to track tasks for my assistants & I really love it. I can keep organized, prioritize items, and track conversations with them through the site.

Who is your business role model?

I really appreciate Tim Ferriss. He’s a hard worker and is all about efficiency and lifestyle. He focuses on outsourcing anything possible so he can focus his energy where he wants.

How do you balance work and life?

I have hard cutoffs for family time. I stop working each day by 5:30 to spend time with my husband and two little kids. If needed, I’ll log in after the kids go to sleep to complete something, though I really try not to do that

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

I go for silent walks. It’s amazing how powerful silence can be for centering my thoughts, working through anything troubling me, and feeling energized!

What do you have planned for the next 6 months?

We will be purchasing another mobile home park and turning it around. We are also starting to scout RV parks and plan to be under contract on one in the next 6 months.

How can our readers connect with you?

https://voyageinvesting.com/  I have a free case study on my website where I highlight exactly how we added $400k in net worth in 18 months with a single mobile home park!

Instagram: @Investingwithamanda I post a ton of tips about real estate investing in general

“A woman with a voice is by definition a powerful woman” with Priyanka Ghosh Murthy

Priyanka Ghosh Murthy is the CEO and co-founder of Access79, a tech-enabled try-before-you-buy fine jewelry service that helps women discover pieces from today's most talented independent designers. She’s also the founder of Arya Esha, an award-winning and celebrity-favorite fine jewelry brand, which counts Jennifer Lawrence, Kerry Washington,  Jennifer Lopez, and Julia Roberts as fans.  Priyanka holds a law and undergraduate degree, cum laude, from Northwestern University.  She’s also a former Fulbright Scholar, which took her to Denmark to study European foreign and security policy. Before entrepreneurship chose her, Priyanka was a litigator, specializing in high-stakes and high-value cases.

Can you tell our readers about your background? 

I am a lawyer by training.  By all accounts, I have an illustrious legal resume -- I went to a top-10 law school, was an editor on the Law Review, worked for two renowned federal judges, and litigated at white-shoe law firms.  The longer I stayed in the law, the more I realized that I loved the law but I didn’t care for the practice of law because I wasn’t building anything. I come from a family of entrepreneurs and always had an interest in jewelry.  So, as I was practicing law, I started a side hustle of designing and selling fine jewelry.  I was pleasantly surprised to see my pieces sell and to learn I could make a living from this.  The idea of being my own boss also appealed to me.  So, I quit my day job as a lawyer and launched my own jewelry business.  As an outsider in the jewelry industry, I found myself learning a lot and also questioning a lot of the way things are done.   I skipped the wholesale route and went direct to the consumer early and this allowed me to learn a lot about my client and what she wanted.  I learned that most women do not like the intimidating and drab jewelry shopping experience and were looking for a more relaxed and personalized way to shop.  On the supply side, I learned that 80% of the fine jewelry produced were by small independent jewelry designers who didn’t always have the know-how, resources, and temperament to market and sell their jewelry in a way that could earn them a good living from their craft.   Based on these learnings, I launched Access79, which is a tech-enabled, try-before-you-buy fine jewelry service that matches clients up with a personal jewelry stylist who curates pieces from independent designers based on each client’s individual taste and needs. 

Then the client can try the pieces for seven days before she commits to purchase. We are giving independent jewelry designers a sales channel and giving our clients a tailored, convenient, and fun way to discover and purchase unique fine jewelry they wear every day.  I think it is the analytical training that I have had as a lawyer along with the experience in and insight into the jewelry industry that makes me uniquely qualified to build and lead this company. 

What inspired you to start your business? 

I launched Access79 for three reasons: 

• One, I wanted to flip the antiquated, intimidating, and inequitable experience of luxury shopping on its head.  Traditional luxury brands reserve the privilege of shopping from home for the uber-wealthy, who spend hundreds of thousands of dollars with the brand. Access79 is democratizing the jewelry buying experience by giving all women the opportunity to try pieces at home before committing.  

• Two, I wanted our brand to support and promote the work of small-batch, independent designers and craftspeople, whose work represents eight percent of the jewelry produced yet it lacks access to the innovative retail channels dominated by a handful of deep-pocketed legacy brands. Our designers and craftspeople are small business owners in their own right and are either women, women of color, or members of the LGBTQ community.  During Covid-19, our marketplace single-handedly kept our designers and craftspeople, otherwise hurt by physical retail closures, in business.  We are extremely proud of this. 

• Three,  I wanted to build a brand that attracts, validates and celebrates the multifaceted woman who is equal parts substance and style.  In doing so, Access79 is tearing up the traditional playbook for legacy brands, which dictates a seemingly oblivious or neutral posture in relation to the heady civic and social issues of our time.  Our team and community of clients, brand partners, and ambassadors are passionate about and deeply committed to making a difference in their world.   Nowhere is our commitment more evident than in this quarter’s “ScienceWins'' campaign.  We partnered with eleven female physician-scientist clients, many of whom were and still are on the frontlines of the pandemic, to design a limited edition S-C-I-E-N-C-E necklace.  The goal of the campaign is to celebrate the win of science above all else in the last eighteen months and to give our community a way to show their belief in Science. Our campaign has caught the interest of Michelle Obama and Jessica Alba, and necklace sale proceeds are supporting ProjectHOPE’s vaccine and PPE distribution work. 

Where is your business based?

My company is based in Jacksonville, FL. 

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

By helping my parents’ small jewelry business off and on for 20 years,  I learned a ton about the jewelry industry. It’s a bittersweet industry to be in because, on the one hand, the jewelry industry is responsible for so much creativity and art in this world, yet it’s also dangerously dated and archaic. The industry is a microcosm of destructive stereotypes about the role and place of women in society in relation to men; it also mirrors society’s entrenched inequities and arbitrary delineations about who is “worthy” and who “belongs.'' The challenge of keeping the art and creativity, yet modernizing the industry is what inspired me to start Access79. Through our business model, we are dismantling two legacy pillars of the status quo fine jewelry industry: 1. an antiquated notion that fine jewelry is not something a woman chooses for herself, rather it is primarily chosen and bought for her by men; 2. a deeply held belief that for fine jewelry as a product category to be considered luxurious and desired, the industry needs to shroud it in opacity and pitch it as exclusive and attainable for only a handful of people. 

At Access79, our proprietary digital curation technology is premised on the woman being the browser, the shopper, and the final decision maker regarding what piece(s) are purchased.  90% percent of our clients are women, and the other ten percent are men who are on our platform to execute purchases based on the explicit choices and preferences of the woman. We’re living in a social climate where much of women’s choices are constantly up for debate and often dictated by men. By building a business model and corresponding technology dependent on choice by women, we are taking a position on the large societal issue about the role and place of women.

Additionally, we are flipping the antiquated and inequitable experience of luxury shopping on its head. From the ark and drab wood-lined stores, jewelry locked inside showcases, armed guards following you, and pushy white-haired salesmen peddling last season’s designs -- the status quo luxury fine jewelry shopping experience is stressful and high-pressure. We believe the fine jewelry shopping experience can and should be more inclusive. Access79 is democratizing the jewelry buying experience by giving everyone the opportunity to try pieces at home before committing. We intend to private label our proprietary technology, which facilitates the complex logistics of our try-before-you-buy service at scale. In doing so, we will encourage other luxury brands to incorporate our try-before-you-buy model into their business, thereby making the shopping experience accessible to many.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

The most effective strategy for raising awareness for my business has been to treat existing clients and the community of fans like superstars first and foremost because they deserve it and they organically spread the word and word of mouth is the most powerful and long-lasting marketing tactic.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them? 

We are a marketplace that supports the work of independent craftspeople.  The biggest challenge I and my company have had to overcome this year is trying to fulfill our orders in light of the supply chain issues faced by the fine jewelry craftspeople we support.  All of them work with only ethically sourced gemstones and diamonds as well as recycled gold.  Their discerning and honorable methodology regarding the chain of custody meant that they were limited to only certain materials and thus couldn’t use other more readily available substitutes.  So we had the challenge of educating our clients about why the supply chain issues experienced by our craftspeople, and in turn, our company were even more acute than those experienced by other brands.  It was challenging and we did lose some business, however, it also allowed us to lean into our values more publicly.  Ultimately, we gained more clients and 2.5X’d our revenue and were able to attract mission-driven people for our startup team. 

How do you stay focused?

I stay focused by exercising and making sure I turn off the wifi on my phone. 

How do you differentiate your business from the competition? 

I’m the co-founder and CEO of Access79. Access79 is challenging traditional fine jewelry retail experiences, which are geared toward men buying women's jewelry as gifts and overlooking the nuanced needs of the main wearer of fine jewelry -- the woman. Our mission is to help women feel confident and educated in their choices, including how and where they shop for fine jewelry.  Founded and led by female, AAPI luxury industry veterans, Access79 is a tech-enabled marketplace and try-before-you-buy service that introduces women to ethically sourced and produced fine jewelry pieces created by independent, small-batch designers and craftspeople who prioritize uniqueness of design with everyday versatility. Our platform empowers women to discover fine jewelry curated for their specific needs, from the comfort of their own homes.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs? 

A mentor of mine, who’s a startup investor and runs an accelerator, has a quote that he always shares.  In fact, it’s on the wall of the building his accelerator operates out of:  Think big, start small.  I’ve really embraced this advice. I keep reminding myself of the big picture and the big goal for the company I’m trying to build because it’s easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day grind and details of running a startup. On the flip side, sometimes a big goal -- like disrupting the $80B  jewelry industry for both the consumer and the designer -- can seem really daunting, so it’s helpful to remember that several small steps, i.e. starting small and doing things nimbly and lean fashion will provide us with a sustainable foundation to grow.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

I’m really inspired by the NPR radio show/segment This I Believe.  It was a modern reboot of Edward R Murrow’s show from the 1950s, where notable and everyday people read personal essays about what they believe.  These essays, read aloud by the authors, are so poignant, powerful, and instructive.  I’m a deeply analytical person -- I’m great with logic, data, and science but it’s not natural for me to be spiritual or pay attention to the soul of something.  Listening to This I Believe is amazing because a person’s belief system is an amalgamation of what they think in their mind AND feel in their soul.  One essay that had an impact on me was from a NASA scientist -- he talked about how he got to the heights of his career and was mesmerized by the science of outer space only to be equally mesmerized by love and kindness and even god, things that, to him and other people of science, are inexplicable.  His essay implored me to also pay attention to and give credence to the inexplicable, and I think this has made me a better leader and parent. 

What is your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

I like Slack because it keeps all communication in one place without the hassle of email.

Who is your business model to follow? Why?

I'd like to say Sara Blakely because she built and cultivated a mission-driven brand without receiving outside funding.

How do you balance work and life? 

I want to start by noting that I don’t think I’ve achieved the ultimate balance or equilibrium.  I do believe that this is a constant work in progress and I’m not sure there will ever be a time where I can say “okay, I’m totally balanced.” With that out of the way, I’ll say that the first step for me was becoming a mother. My child didn’t radically change who I am, rather it added to my identity. The pure joy I experience daily from being a mom and molding someone else’s life has made me want to assess my work priorities to spend time with my family and have more of a balance, so to speak.

Second, I consciously redefined what balance means, specifically and personally to me.  I’m exceedingly ambitious, and I’ve learned not to be bashful about it. I  have big goals for my professional and personal lives and I want to achieve them all. Not only do I want to grow a multimillion-dollar, innovative, mission-driven business, but I also want to teach my five-year-old long division and take him on a multi-leg trip to the islands of Indonesia. My aspirations mean that what balance looks like for my neighbor may not look the same for me. I work on vacation, but I also take time off in the middle of the day to go to my kid’s school to teach his class about Diwali. This is atypical of most people around me, so the best thing I’ve done is acknowledge to myself out loud the big goals I have and give myself permission to choose the atypical method of achieving it. Once I did that, I felt closer to achieving equilibrium. 

What’s your favorite way to decompress? 

I would definitely say running.

What do you have planned for the next six months? 

For the next six months, I have innovative ideas planned and in addition to our tech stack, an exciting brand partnership.

 How can our readers connect with you?

@access.79 on Instagram for my company

@aryaesha on Instagram for me personally

www.access79.com 

"Be consistent, stay the course, and have faith" with Alisha Wielfaert

Photo Credit: Lindley Battle

Alisha Wielfaert is a creativity coach who lives by the motto “We rise by lifting others” She’s the creator of the Yoke and Abundance Wise Women Podcast. Her debut book, Little Failures: Learning to Build Our Resilience Through Our Everyday Setbacks, Challenges, and Obstacles will be published by New Degree Press in May of 2022. Alisha is an avid traveler, writer, and speaker who enjoys working with anyone who has a propensity to take action towards their dreams.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I grew up in Toledo, OH, and after high school headed down to Greensboro, NC to attend Guilford College. Greensboro really got its hooks in me because 20 years later, I’m still here. For me, Greensboro is the type of place where you can be a big fish in a little pond. You can find your place as a person and it’s easy to see where you can make a difference, which is what I love the most.

What inspired you to start your business?

Yoke and Abundance isn’t my first business, actually. In 2012 I opened a yoga studio. I was still working a full-time job, so I’d run payroll and the newsletter on my lunch break, teaching classes before work, after work, and on the weekends. I really burnt myself out. I was bootstrapping everything, and it was exhausting. After five years my business partner, who had come on a few years earlier, and I decided to sell the studio. I gave myself time to mourn the loss of the studio and then started thinking about what was next. What had influenced me the most during those five years was the coaches I’d worked with. I realized that I wanted to help others be able to find their way, too, and that’s how Yoke and Abundance was conceived.

Where is your business based?

I run my coaching business, Yoke and Abundance, out of my home in Greensboro. But since I’m virtually based, I’ve got clients from coast to coast and sometimes internationally and that’s pretty exciting.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I began by thinking about the types of people I wanted to coach—who they were, how old they were, what problems they were encountering—and how I could help them get to where they wanted to go. I thought about what a coaching package with me might look like and what the pricing range might be. I also took Mario Forleo’s B-School, a phenomenal program for any entrepreneur. She coaches you to interview 25 people or more about the type of product you want to sell. So, I did just that. I made a list of as many women I could think of who might be in the market for coaching and interviewed 25 of them, asking questions like “Have you ever worked with a coach before? If you were to work with a coach, what would you want them to help you with?” and “What would your goals be for working with a coach?” and of course, “What would you expect to pay for this?”

I had already loosely built out a 3-session coaching package and priced them. After each interview I let the interviewee know that I was starting a coaching business and, to thank them for their time, offered them 10 percent off my 3-session coaching package. I booked 75 percent of those interviews as clients and that’s when I knew I had a solid business idea. From there, I took all of the information they had shared with me and used it to write the copy for my website and shape my product development. If there is anything I could go back and do again, I would interview 50 women and ask each of them to recommend one other person for me to interview.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

My business is now five years old and different things have worked at different times. It’s constantly growing, evolving, and changing. My coaching is built on the principle that everyone has their own wisdom within. I don’t give advice or answers but guide my clients to access their own inner wisdom. In the beginning, one major component of my work was blogging. Each week I did a “Wise Women Wednesday” interview, highlighting different women who were doing something creative and living from a place of abundance. Early on, I decided to host Wise Women Panels where I’d facilitate a discussion of women I’d already interviewed on the blog.

It was great because we would start with 30 minutes of what I called “Friendraising” or facilitated networking (I made these exercises as fun and friendly as possible), before moving into the panel discussion. These events helped me build community, raise awareness about my work, and build my email list. Eventually, they also generated a small amount of revenue as well.  

As my work expanded, I started a podcast around this same idea to continue to raise awareness about my work and reach women who weren’t local. I also participated in and hosted online summits. Most recently, I’ve been writing a book, Little Failures. The pre-sale campaign helped me raise awareness, land more speaking gigs, and further build my email list. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by what a great strategy writing a book has been for awareness building of my work.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

I’ve learned that so much of building a business is about having faith, taking consistent action, and staying the course.  I underestimated how long it takes to build a thriving business, and how long it takes to land on the products to help me bring in consistent cash flow.

There are no quick fixes. In the beginning, when I was having cash flow problems, I was forced to get creative to supplement my income. At one point I took on a part-time job with a non-profit building a community for local female entrepreneurs. It felt like a win-win for everyone involved because I could earn money while also networking in a way that helped me build my business.

Sometimes, though, when the amount of work on my plate felt overwhelming, I’d have to stop and ask myself, “Is what I’m doing income producing? Is it a long game or a short game income-producing strategy?” Then I’d re-evaluate from there.

Through all of the ups and downs, taking consistent action while having faith that I’m on the right path has been what keeps me going. I love what I do and know I make a difference in the lives of my clients. Year after year, I’ve had continued growth. At the end of the day, knowing all of that fills me up, so I stay the course.  

How do you stay focused?

I’m a professional, and I hold myself to professional standards. I believe that if you’re going to be in business for yourself, you need to take yourself seriously and hold yourself accountable. I’m also a single woman supporting myself completely off of my business income. There is so much power that comes from having no other choice but to do the work. There’s no net, there’s no backup plan, there’s no one else that is going to bail me out if things get tough. Not being focused isn’t even an option; each week, each day, each month, I have to be focused on what will build my community and therefore my revenue. I know what needs to be done to get me to where I want to be in my business and make the mark on the world I need to make.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

What makes me different as a coach is that I’ve married creativity and positive psychology for my clients. When I decided to become a coach, I knew I wanted to provide research-based interventions with my clients so I became a certified positive psychology practitioner. I encourage my clients to cultivate their creative side, exploring it through writing, painting, fashion—whatever makes them feel creative—but I also share strategies backed up with science, like gratitude practices, core values work, meditation, and yoga.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Different strategies have worked at different times but recently I’m having a lot of success hosting free masterclasses. They position me as an expert and serve my current email list with something that will be useful to them, while also attracting new folks. At the end of each class, I offer an opportunity to purchase tailored coaching for those who need 1:1 help.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Be consistent, stay the course, and have faith. Surround yourself with people who are pushing to get better, and who have been where you want to go.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

Well, I’m a runner so right now my Garmin Running app that connects to my watch is my favorite. I love seeing how fast (or slow) I’ve gone and watched my miles for the month accumulate.

As for my favorite blog, I’m always on the lookout for good ones. The blog I always read when it lands in my inbox is The Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau. I’ve been reading his work for over a decade and there’s always a concept that sticks and makes me ponder what he’s said for days to come.

A book I come back to over and over again is The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery. One of its main themes is reflected in this quote: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is inviable to the eye.” I believe this is often true, especially in business, even though it flies in the face of conventional wisdom. This book is my reminder to keep my heart in what I do.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

My favorite business tool is my journal and my pen. Every single day I get up and write morning pages, created by Julia Cameron. Morning pages are three pages of writing stream of consciousness, whatever comes out. My best business ideas, blog posts, and writing starts in my morning pages. If I didn’t give myself time to think away from screens, away from alerts and apps, I’d never get anything done. I think we forget that often our best resources are within ourselves.

Who is your business role model? Why?

Bonnie Christine is one of my role models because she has built a flourishing business over the last decade. I met her in a yoga teacher training in Asheville about eleven years ago and I’ve watched her diligently build a successful surface pattern design business and teach others how to do it too. She is the epitome of professional, strategic, and wise when it comes to a creative business.

How do you balance work and life?

I believe the idea of work-life balance is a complete and utter myth. It’s elusive and paints a picture that we can someday get there, wherever “there” is. If someone looked at my life, they’d see an entrepreneur who often works 60 hours a week but also has weeks that are as low as 20. I don’t strive for balance; I strive for alignment and I teach this to my clients.

The most important question I ask myself is “What are your Core Values?” I’ve identified my core values and made sure I’m in alignment with them. When I’m out of sorts and frustrated, overwhelmed, and overcommitted with my schedule, I change my choices to be in alignment with my values. If my values aren’t reflected in my calendar and appointments and the workload I have in front of me, something’s wrong.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Taking time to prepare a nourishing healthy meal is always a great way to lower my stress levels; pulling out my watercolor paints is another.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

My book Little Failures has a publishing date of May 2022 and so for the next six months, I’m finishing rewrites and marketing the book.

How can our readers connect with you?

They can find me at my website www.yokeandabundance.com

Or on Instagram @yokeandabundance

"Pursue an idea that you truly and whole-heartedly believe in" with Dr. Ashleigh Kennedy

Photo Credit: Valberg Imaging

Dr. Ashleigh Kennedy is the CEO and co-founder of Neurovine. She is an NCAA All-American with PhDs in Human Kinetics and Exercise Physiology and a post-doctoral fellowship in Neuroscience. Before founding Neurovine, Ashleigh ran a successful consulting company that validated new innovations for health technology startups and large medical institutions.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

My father played professional football in Canada. Growing up, I witnessed the impact of repetitive concussions on some of his teammates. In fact, when I was very young, one of my dad’s friends committed suicide. And it was related to CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). These experiences drove me to learn as much as I could about the brain.  

As a teen, I ran track and represented Canada internationally in the 100 and 200-meter sprints. I attended Stanford on a Track and Field scholarship and studied Human Biology there, pursuing my love of neuroscience. I became involved in researching how the brain heals and have not looked back.

 I focused my schooling on the study of the brain and human performance but felt that the years of research were stuck in the laboratory. My husband and co-founder, Dr. Matthew Kennedy spent the beginning of his medical career with concussion patients. He also believed there was a critical need for new technology and research. Together we founded Neurovine and have been performing innovative concussion research since 2019.

Neurovine aims to empower concussion patients by measuring brain health and optimizing their recovery process. Our team has worked with Canada’s leading experts in the MedTech space, conducted trials in the Digital Health program at the Elizabeth Bruyère Research Institute, and worked with individuals diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome to refine the technology.

What inspired you to start your business?

I was working as a post-doctoral fellow using an electroencephalogram (EEG) to examine brain recovery after stroke and concussion. In my practice, I saw patients doing really well in the clinic, but they would not continue their healing journey once they were discharged. This led to a series of discussions with Matthew Kennedy, my husband, and co-founder. Matthew was looking for a way to better support the concussion patients in his family practice. He felt concussion was such an invisible injury for these people and so we created Neurovine to make this injury visible to patients and those caring for them.  

Where is your business based?

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

As a researcher by training, my first step was a literature review to discover what technology existed and what was lacking in concussion recovery. Next, I spoke with concussion patients and doctors and decided to make the simplest version of our minimal viable product, or MVP, to test our solution. At that point, we needed to hire an engineer, so Matt and I worked overtime on evenings and weekends to help pay someone to create the first version of our technology.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Digital marketing has been really effective for amplifying our message. We maintain a regular social media presence and have created the Virtual Vine Blog to provide thought leadership and education on best practices in concussion recovery and brain health. This reaches patients as well as health care providers who are always searching for additional ways to help their concussion patients. The Neurovine research team has presented our technology and evidence-based research findings at concussion conferences. This has been a key component in engaging with health care providers in North America and has established our team as thought leaders in this space.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Our biggest challenge has been raising capital to build this AI-driven platform. Our team is very talented and experienced. My focus has been to support them financially and steer them as they develop and continue to refine this incredible technology.

How do you stay focused?

We deal directly with patients who are desperate to recover and return to their normal lives. That keeps all of us focused on our mission to connect concussion patients with their own brain data so they can take control of their recovery.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

Our competition is focused on clinic-based care for patients. Our differentiator is to walk alongside patients as they heal and to connect them to their data and their clinician so they can take control of their recovery.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?  

Thought leadership has been a really important part of connecting with the clinicians caring for concussion patients. This has been facilitated through our blog series, our conference presentations, and social media engagement.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

For aspiring entrepreneurs, my advice is to be sure you only pursue an idea that you truly and whole-heartedly believe in. Once you find your killer idea, jump off the cliff and learn how to fly on the way down. You can prepare and prepare, but you’ll never feel totally ready, so you just need to go for it.  

For new entrepreneurs, my best advice is to be sure you have some boundaries in place to keep yourself emotionally and physically healthy. That is critical for your success.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why? 

Audible is one of my favorites right now. This allows me to continue to learn as I get exercise. Recently, I have really loved the book Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. Entrepreneurship is gritty and the highs are so high and the lows are so tough. Phil Knight does a great job of capturing the heart of entrepreneurship. As a runner, I identified with every line.

I have been listening to the Thrive podcast by Startup Canada a lot lately. Again, it’s the real story of people pursuing their passion. It’s inspiring and relatable.

I love the blog Still Small Moments. It’s food for the soul in a wild world of deadlines and fear. It brings a little bit of music, literature, and wisdom to my desk every Friday.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Visible and Canva. They keep me connected to my community and get my message out with style.

Who is your business role model? Why?

Sonja Perkins. She's one of the first female venture capitalists in Silicon Valley. One of the reasons she inspires me so much is because she was brave enough to enter rooms with only men in them. This paved the way for female entrepreneurs like myself.

How do you balance work and life?

I don’t balance work and life well but I do give myself grace. I leave my phone at home during my daily dog walk in nature. I take time off for massages and dates with my kids and then I work until midnight. This is a sustainable rhythm for me, but it’s definitely not balanced. I don’t know any entrepreneur who is also a parent who has found balance during this global pandemic. But if you are passionate about your company, you find a way to make it work.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

I run in the woods with my dog and without my cellphone. If I can get myself lost all the better. It’s a moment to be surrounded by something grounded and solid and to test my limits physically rather than mentally. While I run, I think and pray and zone out, all of which allows me to be more present for the rest of my life. I also play the guitar with my kids. This is a silly time for us to laugh and it reminds me of what the important things are in life. Finally, I take time to eat good food with my husband. This usually does not happen until after 9 pm and the kids are in bed, but it’s always worth the wait.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

We are launching a large-scale Beta program in the United States in the next six months. We are looking for 200 concussion patients across the country to join our program.

 We are in the process of building our own EEG headband for our patients. This is the first time I have brought a product from start to finish through the manufacturing process. It’s exciting and a little daunting at the same time. We are looking forward to placing our first small batch order and receiving our first physical product in six months' time.

How can our readers connect with you?

You can find me on LinkedIn or send me an email. I’m always happy to connect with new people.

·      Audible

·      Thrive Podcast

·      Still Small Moments Blog

·      Visible

·      Canva

·      Sonja Perkins

·      Ashleigh Kennedy’s LinkedIn

·      Ashleigh Kennedy’s email

·      Neurovine website: https://www.neurovine.ai/

·      Neurovine’s Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

"Being an entrepreneur requires a certain mindset" with Royce King

Royce King is the perfect example of what a thriving female founder looks like. As a 20 year veteran in the startup space, she has the grit, the experience, and the wisdom to help guide other female founders on their road to the top. After rebuilding herself and her brand, Royce was able to prove to herself and others that she could overcome any obstacle--going from destitute to global in under 2 years.

Today, her business spans internationally and she is acclaimed as an author, speaker, writer, and consultant. After the release of her book “Scale Up Your Profits: The Secrets of Online Marketing” Royce was endorsed by original “Shark Tank” member Kevin Harrington as being “passionate about working with entrepreneurs to create a compelling message and deliver content that converts.” She leads by example to show women that yes, you can do it all!

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I’ve been an entrepreneur my entire life, and to date have owned 12 businesses. Some have failed, some have succeeded. I’ve had the pleasure of working in a variety of industries which has been fascinating.

What inspired you to start your business?

As an entrepreneur, I began volunteering with MBA students, Startup Weekends, and business plan competitions. It excited me to be around this creative energy and encourage other entrepreneurial-minded people. I found my passion in 2012 when I began developing marketing strategies and writing content for friends as a hobby. By 2014, I made it my full-time business, and by 2016 it went global. While it’s taken some iterations and evolved as I’ve defined more about what I enjoy doing and who I enjoy serving, the foundation has been the same. 

Where is your business based?

I reside in Colorado; however, I run a global business.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I was mentoring quite a few startups one year, and a friend who observed me told me I was effective. However, she asked why I didn’t start a business. In resisting what she said, I feel I found my calling and can use my skills today. Her prodding was a pivotal moment in me starting my business. 

First, I chose a business name and printed business cards. Like many people, I didn’t officially incorporate until I saw that it would work. I also found a mentor and began networking, telling people I was “open for business”. Finally, I continued to hone my skills. To this day, I choose an educational investment each year to make sure my skill set and my mindset don’t get stale. 

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

I use a variety of ways to market my business. When I began, it was primarily through local networking. Today, it’s through referral partners, LinkedIn, podcast appearances, and my books. 

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Being an entrepreneur isn’t easy, and there were several days I woke up wondering, “is it worth it?” I’ve lost everything twice and had to start over; that takes resilience and self-confidence. Also, I had so many interests, and I tried being a jack of all trades and keeping my market broad. That hurt! I wasted time and money. I’ve said “yes” to projects I didn’t know how to complete. I’ve underpriced my services. I’ve doubted myself and my ability. But, you overcome challenges by getting up one more time than you get knocked down, and you take the experience and learn from it. 

How do you stay focused?

Practice and discipline. I’ve always been disciplined naturally; however, I have daily practices that help: starting each day with a mantra, looking at my goal, positive self-talk, reading, and prayer. 

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

I’ve been fortunate to have a wide range of experience and education that gives me a wide lens to help my clients see their roadblocks. My business experience includes everything from luxury fashion to horses. The variety also keeps me creative when writing content. Additionally, I’m a self-made, 6-figure female founder who appreciates the journey. 

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Although it’s changed through the years, I’ve established myself as an expert and regularly appear on podcasts and sell the six books I’ve published. 

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Being an entrepreneur requires a certain mindset. You have to be disciplined and self-motivated, not leaning on others to give you a push or swaying with your emotions. But, staying firm in your resolve and doing what needs to be done. Also, you need to be OK with the unknown and a lack of security. There is no weekly paycheck, retirement plan, or PTO. You’ll often work weeks or months without pay. But, if you become successful, you’ll make more than you ever would at a job and you’ll have the freedom to determine when you take time off. 

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favorite apps are Audible to read my books and PayPal to get paid. I don’t have a favorite blog. As an avid reader it’s hard to pick a favorite book; but, my recent reads have included Winning by Tim Grover and Chase the Lion by Mark Batterson. There are some classic favorites too, such as Think and Grow Rich and Rich Dad, Poor Dad. 

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Writing content daily means I use Grammarly often. It helps edit and check my work. I enjoy LinkedIn as well because it connects me with virtual mentors and my ideal audience from the comfort of my home. 

Who is your business role model? Why?

Sara Blakely is one who has recently made headlines. Her success has broken the glass ceiling and show women they can have entrepreneurial success and a family. I’ve often heard mentors say you can have both, but we don’t always believe it. 

How do you balance work and life?

I schedule times of self-care in my calendar and I plan several mini-getaways every year. 

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Massages and being on the beach are two of my favorite ways to relax. 

What do you have planned for the next six months?

To increase my business by 50%, appear on more podcasts, and spend more time at my beach home. 

How can our readers connect with you?

www.YourStartup.Coach has all of my social links and contact information. 

"From Social Worker to Ghostwriter – and Everything in Between" with Catherine Nikkel

Photo Credit: Jeff D. King, Mamic Media

Catherine Nikkel is a content creator, ghostwriter, and the founder of Mindful Media. She specializes in helping CEOs, entrepreneurs and influencers create copy that engages and converts. Her work has appeared in Huffington Post, Yahoo!, Authority Magazine, The LA Tribune, and more.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

Parts of my personal background consist of growing up in a middle-class home, the eldest of my parents’ two daughters. I was always involved in sports; I excelled in school and I experienced unconditional love (even at a time I felt it was unwarranted).

When I became pregnant at 15 years old, my life completely changed overnight as you can imagine.

Having said that, with the support of my family and the opportunities and values they instilled in me, this experience led me to unimaginable wins in my adult life.

I pursued and thrived in a social work career for 15 years, working with youth involved in gang violence, substance use, abuse, and mental health. I loved working with young people that the world gave up on because at one time, I believe I had found myself in similar shoes.

Like many social service careers, however, I was faced a lot of ‘red tape’, a lack of funding and I found myself burning out – both mentally and physically. It was at this time I decided to walk away and pursue my passion for writing and storytelling.

What inspired you to start your business?

Do you ever feel like you are the ‘go-to’ person for a skill you possess? Over the years, I had been called upon regularly by friends and colleagues to help with some type of piece they were writing – reports, blogs, letters, and so on.

Truthfully, I loved. It. What I loved most was helping others share their stories through a variety of mediums like social posts, articles, from stages, etc.

Since much of my social work career involved helping to teach others to use their voice, I was confident this would translate well in a ghostwriter capacity, thus creating a greater impact for others.

Where is your business based?

My business is based in Toronto, Canada. However, I have the privilege of serving clients virtually, worldwide.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

Initially, I had no idea what I was doing. I quickly learned to lean on those around me who were already well into their entrepreneurial journey. I registered my business in the Province of Ontario (where I reside) and reached out to my networks letting them know I was available for freelance work.

Cliché or not, the saying ‘if you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room’ was the primary focus when I started my business. I knew I needed to be around the right people who were living a life I was striving to achieve. I asked an infinite number of questions (I still do) and immediately took action on suggestions made.

I attended networking events, joined online groups and forums and more than anything else, I stayed consistent in my own writing on both social media and through my website.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Social media has been the fuel for my business. From the content I share on my personal Facebook page or the commitment I’ve made to online communities, these have been instrumental in my success. Second to this has been referrals.

I knew if I wanted people to hire me to write their content, I needed to show them what type of writer I was by consistently sharing my own.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

My biggest challenges through this journey came around my third year. I found myself complacent and comfortable. I had let the proven strategies I had been so consistent with fall to the side. I was taking on contracts I did not feel passionate about, and I believe it showed. Clients were happy, but I wasn’t putting out work I was proud of.

I found myself working 18-hour days and was right back to trading my time for money and that is never fulfilling.

I took this opportunity to close several contracts that were not serving my soul, and this is where I revisited why I started my business in the first place.

Since that time three years ago, I have not taken on a project that I am not passionate about. As a result, I have continued to attract clients and opportunities that serve and fuel my passion.

How do you stay focused?

When I made the transition from working full-time outside of the home to working full-time inside of the home, I lacked focus, immensely. As a result, I knew I needed to create a similar routine in my every day, which is exactly what I did.

However, I also ensured I implemented events throughout my day that I enjoyed the most. My morning coffee takes place outside each morning, a trip to the bookstore to fuel ideas in my work happens weekly, and I consistently brain dump into my collection of notebooks.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

People’s stories fascinate me. The ones that really happen, along with the endless versions we tell ourselves. When I help clients tell their stories, we get up close and personal – my background in social work has helped me extract the necessary details to share those stories and the clients are much more at ease in allowing me to do so.

I can get to the heart of what a client really needs to say, and I understand the unique way their soul wants to say it.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

The most effective marketing for me as I touched on earlier has been writing and sharing content on social media. I should also mention that this has not necessarily been through paid advertising either. The bulk of my clients to date are people I was connected to through ‘Facebook Friendship’ and later on, through their referrals.

Additionally, being mindful in the content I produce has been key. Every piece of writing, meme or picture I share is posted with something intentional in mind. The more mindful we are in our media, the more we inspire consumers of this media to think and act differently.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Stay committed to your vision. You will easily be swayed with bright shiny objects or feelings of self-doubt. When you are committed to your belief that your business is possible and the vision you create(d) around that is one that you deserve, you will get there. Your mindset will be your biggest asset.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favourite app would be Spotify – probably not what people would expect. However, it’s because I love music, particularly instrumental music when I’m writing. A great playlist helps set the tone for the day.  

My favourite blog would be by Brendon Bouchard because he has this intricate way of bringing business and personal growth together – and I love that.

My favourite book and one I continue to recommend to everyone is the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. This book had been highly recommended to me during a dark turned turning point in my life and I believe it all helps us truly learn to appreciate the present moment.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

My favourite business resource has been the course created by Selena Soo called ‘Impacting Millions’. This was the first ‘big ticket’ course I purchased, and it changed my business life. As the title suggests it’s about impacting people positively, and it’s done so through publicity.

It is a course I still refer to when I am pitching the media outlets in some capacity or another.

Following its brilliantly laid out curriculum, which I should note, is easy to follow; I believe it has secured a variety of media publications for me from the Huffington Post to podcast interviews, etc.

Who is your business role model? Why?

Although a little less traditional in the world of a business role model, I have to say Shonda Rhimes (and not solely because I am a huge Grey’s fan). I am truly inspired by the barriers and adversity she has overcome. Rhimes’ interpretations of ideas and perspectives on situations is incredible and she continues to be unapologetic for the way she chooses to live her life.

I also believe Rhimes takes real life issues, stories and circumstances and ensures she brings them to life despite how others may react – she amplifies the voices of the voiceless, which I love and respect so much.

How do you balance work and life?

My background in social work does not just help me connect well with clients; it has allowed me to take the necessary steps to ensure I don’t burn out again. My goal is to be mindful of the time I am committing to both work and life, with the awareness that these two things can often overlap in a healthy way.

Boundaries with clients has been key along, this includes not feeling guilty for taking Saturday’s off.

I have also found it helpful to schedule ‘life’ things into my calendar and making them non-negotiable, the same way I do with my work commitments. This way the stress of over-committing or forgetting important aspects of life does not exist for the most part.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

A notebook, my fireplace, a favourite pen and a glass of red wine. My brain feels as though it’s forever working, and I used to want to resist that. However, I have found embracing this brings so much more relief. Writing out my thoughts, ideas, feelings, lists I love making lists!), dreams, and everything in between is among one of my favourite things!

What do you have planned for the next six months?

Over the next six months there are a lot of big things happening! I will have completed two additional books for clients, launched a Virtual Vision Board Experience, released my signature Storytelling for Business course, launched my course on Mindfulness (and how it relates to business and life) and I will continue to create Mindful Media while helping others use their voice to make an impact.

This past year was a year for creativity. Moving forward is time to execute. 

How can our readers connect with you?

I would invite your readers to visit my website and learn more about Mindful Media, my online communities and resources and, they are welcome to connect on Facebook and Instagram.

"Patience truly is key" with Sharon Cancio

Photo Credit: Sharon Cancio

Sharon Cancio is a 23-year-old full-time content creator known as “Just Sharon.” She is a YouTuber that is most known for her text pranks, reactions, period videos, and revealing secrets videos. She has over half a million subscribers on YouTube and is also active on Twitter, Instagram, and Tiktok. On TikTok, she is known for her Marvel Movie date nights, where she makes drinks, desserts, and meals based on Marvel Studios movies. 

How did you become an influencer? What inspired you to go down this path?

I started watching youtube videos when my older cousin showed me parody videos as a preteen. I immediately fell in love with the idea of creating content to make people happy, laugh, and share with others. So I asked my cousin to sign me up for YouTube and teach me how to make YouTube videos on Windows Movie Maker. My first ever video was a Jonas Brothers picture slideshow with random images I pulled from Google. I really just did this for fun, didn’t take it too seriously until I was 15 and YouTubers were really starting to become a source of entertainment amongst my friends and people our age. My best friend at the time and I really enjoyed watching a collab channel together and we thought they were so cool and we wanted to be just as cool as them so we started making our own YouTube videos. Our first videos were challenges that were popular at the time like the cinnamon challenge, hot sauce challenge, and more. I genuinely just wanted to be cool. 

What markets do you serve?

YouTube is my main platform, I’m also active on Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram, in that same order by usage and preference. My audience is mainly females in the United States, ages 18-24. Right behind them are females in the United States ages 13-17. My audience is 93% female!

How do you grow your following/readership?

I think the best way to grow is to shake things up. You can’t expect things to change if your content isn’t. I like to follow an 80-20 rule, where 80% of the content I make is content that I know my audience likes. The other 20% is content I’m experimenting with. This can also be reversed as well, just depending on how adventurous one is feeling. Whenever I make a video that I see has been very successful with my audience, I try to replicate it to an extent. For example, let’s say I make a video titled “Embarrassing Things Girls do but Won’t Admit” and it was a hit! I’ll go ahead and make a video with a similar topic, but still different on its own, maybe like: “Things Only Girls Understand.”

How do you secure sponsorships?

I am signed with an agent, so my agent is responsible for finding me sponsorship deals and negotiating with brands on my behalf. Before I signed with an agent, I used a lot of influencer platforms but didn’t really enjoy them because there wasn’t much room for negotiating and you had to apply, it was always “this is how much we’re paying, we want x, x, and x from you.” Obviously, I don’t want to lowball my work, but sadly if I won’t do it, there is someone out there that will. I’m hoping platforms are a lot different now but I never bothered with them after finding an agent. If I were to find my sponsorships, I’d reach out to brands via social media! Either through Instagram or Twitter DMs and be directed in the right direction if need be. Also finding PR emails on their websites too. I’d say something about how much I love their brand, how I’d love to work with them, and if they’re interested in working together. I’d ask for their email, then send over my media kit and rates!

How do you come up with rates?

Since I have an agent, I don’t have to come up with rates myself. Before I was signed, I genuinely didn’t know how to come up with rates and still struggle with it to this day -- definitely something I’m constantly working on though! When I was in college, I had a professor that shot commercials on the side and he told me to charge $500 a minute. That’s what I used for a while but I wasn’t getting too many deals to begin with, which is why I sought out an agent in 2018 and signed with one then. 

What are some ways you measure the success of brand campaigns?

I measure success by how many reactions I get to the brand campaign, meaning how many people are in the comment section actually interacting with it like “oh I love that brand too”, “I gotta try this product!” One thing I do know for sure and hate when brands request is a minimum of views is required. Views do not at all equal a successful campaign, I could have 100,000 people watch my video but only 10 actually sign up or purchase whatever it is that I’m promoting. Going off of that, I don’t like when brands ask for a minimum of sales as well. These are things a creator can never guarantee, every time you work with an influencer you’re taking a gamble -- just like you would with Facebook ads, a billboard, flyers, a commercial, whatever else. They don’t guarantee anything but exposure!

Do you work with talent management? If so, how did you find the right manager/agent?

I found my agent through a mutual friend that is also a creator. I knew this friend was receiving a lot of sponsorships from a lot of reputable and “trendy” brands so I asked for a meeting with her agent and signed with them not too long after. I’ll never forget when my agent and I first spoke, they were so shocked by how little money I was making just because I didn’t know how to negotiate on my own. At the time I had maybe about 300,000 subscribers but my wallet definitely didn’t reflect that.

How do you weather slow times?

Luckily a lot of my content is subscriber-based and I have a very active relationship with my followers. For example, I have a series on my channel where I read secrets or stories from my subscribers anonymously. I’ll give them a topic and they’ll submit their stories and I’ll share them. With that, comes a lot of video ideas and video requests. That also gives me the ability to post multiple parts of the same topic, but with different submissions. If it’s a slow time, I’ll pull a “fan favorite” and ask for submissions! Some are so successful that I upload the same topic every month, once a month -- specifically my Period Horror Stories series. 

What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve made?

As easy as it is to have an agent, I think my biggest mistake was signing with anyone. In a perfect world, I am in full and total control of everything I do, including negotiating and handling brand deals. The only reason I have an agent is that they have a skill that I lack, but once I have the skill then the need for an agent is gone. This is also a mistake I can work on though, it’s not something I could never fix. I do regret not learning how to do this sooner though!

The only other thing I would definitely consider a mistake is undercharging for sponsorships. It was a struggle to really and truly understand my worth, especially when there really isn’t an “industry standard” for influencers quite yet. For some reason, I used to feel bad charging a higher price for my work, which is crazy because if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that: brands have a usually very high budget and will always lowball you at first. Unless you’re working with a really small business or mom-and-pop shop then that’s a different story. That being said, shoot your shot. The worst thing a brand could say is no, so then you simply negotiate and find something that works for the both of you.

Just don’t settle and don’t sell yourself short! Not only are you creating content, but you’re also editing it and promoting it. On top of the effort that goes into setting up whether it be clothing needed, products you’re using, going out to shoot locations, even writing the copy for these posts. Demand every penny for that work. 

What advice do you have for aspiring influencers?

Make sure it’s something you actually want to do and something that you are genuinely passionate about. If you don’t love it, it will be a long road. Also don’t expect too much, you could make content for a week and go viral, and be set for life. You could also make content for 10 years before you get a “big break.”

Patience truly is key. Also, find a niche for your content but don’t be afraid to experiment as well! Social Media is a lot of trial and error, just keeping trying until something sticks. It’s not going to happen overnight (unless you’re lucky) but that’s the beauty of it! Another thing is, be genuine and be yourself. The internet and social media are already full of a lot of fake things, and people have gotten really good at noticing what’s fake and calling it out! You’d be surprised how many people genuinely enjoy you for just being you, I never thought someone random would ever care about what I’m doing or what I think, and boy was I wrong. 

Which books and/or celebrities have influenced you the most?

Honestly, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen comes to mind first. It was one of my favorite movies when I was younger and still is to this day. I definitely feel I resonate with Lindsay Lohan’s character, Lola, in the sense of loving to be the center of attention. I always thought she was super cool and I wanted to be just like her when I was younger! She also taught me a very valuable lesson -- fake it ‘til you make it! LOL

How can our readers get in touch with you?

You can get in touch with me through the following channels:

www.youtube.com/c/JustSharon

www.instagram.com/sharoncancio

www.tiktok.com/@sharoncancio 

www.twitter.com/sharoncancio

www.facebook.com/justsharoncancio

Magic of Marketing with Katrina Kroetch

Photo Credit: Prestige Video Production

Magical Katrina Kroetch is a 5-time award-winning magician. She has performed her unique blend of playful and whimsical magic worldwide for many companies and household brands such as Salesforce, NASA, Amazon, and more. She has been a cast member of the international touring show Champions of Magic and a performer on numerous network television shows including Masters of Illusion and Penn and Teller: Fool Us. She has written for and been featured in a variety of magazines and newspapers including The Linking Ring, Vanish Magazine, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. Despite a changing world she continues to dazzle audiences with both interactive virtual magic shows and live in-person performances.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I grew up in rainy Portland, Oregon watching Turner Classic Movies and as a child I fell in love with the magic of old Hollywood.  Even at the young age of three, I was enthralled to watch all of Judy Garland’s movies including Meet me in St. Louis and Wizard of Oz. I had big dreams of being a musical theater actor. In high school I was in the cast of the local community theater’s performance of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. That began my love of strange and alternative types of live performance entertainment. I started to do swing dancing, burlesque, circus arts, juggling and even stilt walking at private events in San Francisco and the Bay Area. At 18, after graduating clown school I performed as a princess at children’s parties doing magic shows, face painting and balloon twisting. That was my gateway “drug” to performing magic. Although I never went to college or went the traditional route of normal entrepreneurs I devoured every marketing, self-help, psychology, sales, and business book I could get my hands on, preferring to focus on what I desired to specifically learn instead of paying for a generic business degree. Over the years I’ve discovered that in the business of show business clients focus more on your experience, style, and abilities over whether you have a college receipt (oops! - I mean) degree.

I’m glad I chose that route because I have zero student debt and I’ve become extremely successful in the magic industry not only as a respected performer but also in the financial aspects of the business.

What inspired you to start your business?

I knew that I always wanted to do live theatrical performing as a living, at first being an actor. Over time -- living in LA -- I grew to prefer magic. As a magician I’m not held back anymore by someone else’s scripts or perceptions of who I should be. I get to do, say, and act how I want. I love the creative freedom I have performing magic. Not to mention the pay at corporate events is way better than being an actor in the local community theater.

Where is your business based?

I live and work between three main cities (but I am fortunate that I get to fly all over the world doing what I do) I frequently perform in Los Angeles and San Francisco, but I also do magic in Las Vegas, Dallas, Miami, and even in New York City.

At 17 I started performing in San Francisco. In the Bay Area much of the economy is reliant on the tech industry. Starting out there as a young performer I wasn’t sure where I fit in. Many successful artists in the Bay Area eventually realize that they don't have to quit their dreams to survive and become a web developer. In fact, they can make a decent living doing what they love - all they have to do is market what they love to the industries where the money is. In San Francisco that is the technology industry. That’s why I do many magic shows for holiday parties and corporate events for companies like Google and Amazon. I get to do what I love, run my own business, and get a slice of that yummy corporate tech pie.

My main home bases however are Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I began my business as a freelancer and independent contractor working for agents and event planners directly who would hire talent for private parties, festivals, and events. As my resume grew and I gained recognition as a talented performer I began booking shows directly with clients. In the beginning I googled “private events San Francisco” and “corporate events San Francisco. You can google whatever your industry is plus your location and look at the first few websites to come up. I reached out to agents, event planners, and talent reps that booked entertainment for corporate events. These are the people who came up in search engines for the type of work I wanted to do. I personally emailed them info about me and what I offered. Often, people just ignored me, other times those emails started life-long relationships with event planners who’ve watched my growth and that still book me for events today.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Say yes to everything! Do every podcast, article, documentary, and interview request no matter how big or small. Getting your name out there is extremely important. I’m fortunate to be a female in a male dominated industry at a point in time where that’s seen as “cool,” “inspiring” and “trendy”. If you aren’t having people reaching out to feature you in publications or shows then you need to take the reins yourself and make your own opportunities. I have written articles in several industry defining magic publications and lectured for prestigious online magic brands simply because I reached out and pitched them. I created those opportunities for myself by making it easy for them to say yes and hire me. I would email pre-written articles and lists of ideas for magazine columns to the editors so everything was packaged up and wrapped in a neat little bow. It was a no brainer for them to say yes. When I was on the TV show Penn and Teller: Fool Us and Masters of Illusion I spent days recording videos of acts and writing scripts and alternative jokes so that, again, there was no choice for them but to say yes. You must show that you are dedicated, passionate, and hungry. Prove that you’re a breeze to work with and that you’re willing to go that extra mile to make it easy for people who help you and give them opportunities to hire you. It’s super important to create your own way. Nobody else is going to do that for you. Especially when you first start out. You must be your own agent, advertiser, assistant, Public Relations (PR) team, and cheerleader.

Also, on a more practical note: I find Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to be one of the most effective tools for marketing and advertising. I like to hire freelancers on www.upwork.com to create my SEO blog posts and copy. Just be sure you double check their work so that it's original and not plagiarized.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Being a woman in an extremely male dominated industry that’s socially and culturally well behind most other performance art genres can be difficult. Amongst some other magicians I’m often not taken seriously even when I work hard and bring value to the community. Especially with my hyper-feminine style and my liberal beliefs about sexuality and social norms. (Thank you, Rocky Horror Picture Show!) That can be daunting and sometimes disappointing.

That being said, being a woman in magic’ is both a gift and a curse. On the good side of that ledger, I’m often gifted with opportunities purely because of my gender and tokenism. I don’t always agree with this sort of reverse discrimination but I always try to work hard to earn that privilege and so that magicians are seen in a positive light when I  represent them. The rest of society is becoming increasingly hip to sexual discrimination so that more and more female magicians are being recognized and celebrated.

Sometimes I dwell too much on what my peers think of me. I try to focus that energy into positive actionable things such as creating more art, writing lectures, articles, and giving back to the community. I like to let my art, magic, and work speak for itself. Being constructive with that energy helps me accomplish more and get things done.

How do you stay focused?

Coffee, coffee, and coffee!

How do you differentiate your business from the competition? 

I try to differentiate myself with design and luxury branding. It certainly helps to also be a female in a mostly male industry but I am not satisfied with being hired just because of gender. I want to be perceived as the best, most high-end and most qualified choice. A lot of that comes down to marketing and thinking about my branding. I spend more time focusing on the clients' experience throughout the research and booking process than I beleive many magicians do. My website and marketing materials such as photos, video demos, and client communications are thought out in extreme detail and I have organizational systems for everything. On average most clients say I’m the only one who called them to talk on the phone and personally quote them, I had the best website, and that I seemed the least creepy. (I’m fortunate that the expectations regarding magicians are pretty low I guess.) Of course this is not true of all magicians but the few that pay attention to these details and don’t seem “creepy” stand out.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Being featured in major publications and on national television shows has been the best way to grow my business. I know it’s easier said than done but “don’t be afraid!” I never went to college, never hired a PR person, but I was able to make those things happen. If I can, then you certainly can too. Again, this comes from reaching out and creating your own opportunities. Don’t be afraid to be rejected. 

“Failures quit when they fail, but winners fail until they succeed.”

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Don’t wait. Just do it. Don’t ask for permission. Make your own way.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

4-hour work week by Tim Ferris, - basically anything Tim Ferris does (his podcast is amazing!)

Also, the Canva app is the best do-it-yourself design app. INK is an amazing app for mailing thank you cards and holiday cards to clients. Little personal touches like this will make you stand out over the competition.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Hoostsuite is great for auto posting to social media. This is ideal if you want to avoid getting addicted to those type of apps and still put out content daily.

Who is your business role model? Why?

For business, I’m constantly inspired by Dita Von Teese. She doesn’t compromise who she is for anyone and she has an impressive business and empire with multiple streams of income. I was fortunate to get to meet her and perform virtual magic for her. It was a dream come true!

For magic, there are so many talented and successful ladies in magic that I look up to like Lea Kyle (America’s Got Talent), Lisa Menna, and Carissa Hendrix (to name a few). They are inspiring more little girls (and older girls) to pick up magic wands and learn card tricks at younger ages.

How do you balance work and life?

I removed all social media apps such as Instagram and Facebook from the  phone that I use for work but can get sucked into. Those apps are still easy to access on the iPad, but I find that it’s a more conscious choice to do so. I also set timers to end the workday around (depending on what projects I have going on) 6 or 7 p.m.. If something is really time sensitive, occasionally I’ll have to work until it’s completely done. I generally sleep in until 10 or 11 a.m. That means that when I’m working till 6 or 7 p.m.  I will have a 7-8 hour workday. It is truly difficult sometimes to have a balance because I work from home and I don’t really ever have “weekends” or entire days off.

As a magician I perform when everyone else has fun. Weekends are busiest for me and when I have the most shows and gigs. Monday through Friday people call and I do admin work, sales calls, book gigs and events, and do general business maintenance. I’m always on call 7 days a week because someone may book me at any time. However, if I receive a quote request or a phone call after 7 p.m. I try to have some self-control and wait to respond during normal business hours, between 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. When I was younger I would drop everything at any time of day to respond to clients and book gigs and that was not particularly healthy. Also, I am better with clients when I have a clear head and am in the work zone. I book gigs way more often when I’m not subconsciously annoyed at them for texting me at 2 a.m. It’s important to have self- control and a work/life balance for sure. It makes you better and your business better.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

A glass of wine, a hot bath with lavender bath salts, and a good book. - Also swing dancing!

What do you have planned for the next six months?

My life is a little up in the air as I’m waiting to see if I get a touring show contract which would be life changing. If I don’t end up in the show then my plan is to focus on marketing and PR so that I can get more high-end clientele. I also am sending pitch videos for TV shows so I can be featured on TV and maintain relevance in broadcast media.

How can our readers connect with you?

Find me on all the social medias! @magicalkatrina

Mywebsite: www.magicalkatrina.com

And if you want more business tips, magic performance videos or other insights into my crazy life you can subscribe to my Patreon for more content:  www.patreon.com/magicalkatrina