Bootstrap Trap: The Hidden Cost of Being Thrifty that will Keep You Away from the Place of Growth

Bootstrap Trap: The Hidden Cost of Being Thrifty that will Keep You Away from the Place of Growth

My parents happen to be a bunch of mad thrifty & handy people. They don't suck at anything. They sure know how to "get by" with a limited amount of resources.

Because of it, it's been engraved in my brain so much so that, if I left myself to my own device, I don't have a moment where I don't say to myself, "How do I get that with the best deal I can possibly find without wasting time? Ah heck, I'll just do it myself."

I had to 'unlearn' this mentality entirely when I left my corporate life. By the way, the process of 'unlearning' is an ongoing process; it never ends.

Here's the ultimate question for you that I had to ask myself:

“Do you want to just... ‘get by’?”

Likable vs. Relatable: Why Your Innate Desire to be Liked is Killing Your Business (and What to Do about It.)

Likable vs. Relatable: Why Your Innate Desire to be Liked is Killing Your Business (and What to Do about It.)

“The Courage to be Disliked” has been a Japanese’s bestselling self-help book for the past few years.

It is a big deal as this probably is the last group of people on earth voicing their desire to be "different" and to be totally OK about it. It is a long time coming.

Born and raised in Japan, I have the first-hand experience in failing miserably at being a “girl next door.”  I have been (and still am) more like Wednesday (Christina Ricci) from The Addams Family or Lydia (Winona Ryder) from Beatlejuice. Not the most approachable in the eyes of a well-behaved collective. 

Clients from Hell: 51 Ideas You Can Implement When Your Top Paying Clients are Ruining Your Life

Clients from Hell: 51 Ideas You Can Implement When Your Top Paying Clients are Ruining Your Life

You must have a horror story or two that involves "clients from hell." This may be a no-brainer, but I was surprised to find a website dedicated to sharing those horror stories. (https://clientsfromhell.net/) It seems they even have a podcast about it.

On the flip side, if you haven't had any experience dealing with clients from hell in your service business, you are leaving money on the table. 

“What?!,” you might ask.  You heard it right the first time. You are losing money.

Recap: Spring Clean Your Business – Master How to Declutter, Streamline & Protect Your Business Like A Pro

Recap:  Spring Clean Your Business – Master How to Declutter, Streamline & Protect Your Business Like A Pro

I get it. This is not the sexiest topic you want to consume as a business owner. 

It's not about making millions of dollars or getting 10,000 additional subscribers on your website in one month or running a successful launch and make 6 figures out of it.

On the contrary, the April live event was all about getting your (business) house in order.  

But if you are like me trying to live somewhat seasonally, I bet you will find this post helpful.  When you start spotting subtle signs of spring, overall – personally & professionally – you are in the mood to hit the “refresh” button.  So why not push the refresh button on your business, too?

How to Niche Down Your Services When Your Business Has So Much to Offer Pt. 1: The Fine Dining Menu Strategy

How to Niche Down Your Services When Your Business Has So Much to Offer Pt. 1: The Fine Dining Menu Strategy

Who says you can’t learn anything by just watching Netflix?  You can.  If you pay attention, that is.


The Netflix series, Chef's Table, is a secret obsession of mine.

The show is about the stories of highly regarded fine dining chefs who take you through their journey by candidly sharing their anguish, failures, creative process, adversity, breakthroughs, desire, resistance, recognition, and perfecting their craft as a chef as well as a business owner by finding their own voices through food.

No Budget? No Problem: The Magic Blueprint to Overcome "No Budget" Objections with Confidence

No Budget? No Problem: The Magic Blueprint to Overcome "No Budget" Objections with Confidence

This topic popped up when I was leading a strategy session with a video production duo the other day. 

They were feeling puzzled and slightly defeated.  I empathized as I knew these guys have been gun-ho about going after new leads to create more opportunities for their business.

Good news is, this is something you can fix. Here, I'm going to show you how to tackle “no budget” objections.  In a way, THIS IS THE GREATEST INDICATOR that you need to revisit your outreach strategy. You are lucky to face this problem (that you can totally fix.) So, read on.

The One Task These Leading Entrepreneurs Will Not Delegate or Automate: A Quick Guide to Deciding Which Tasks NOT to Delegate or Automate (and What You Can Do Instead to Leverage Your Time.)

The One Task These Leading Entrepreneurs Will Not Delegate or Automate: A Quick Guide to Deciding Which Tasks NOT to Delegate or Automate (and What You Can Do Instead to Leverage Your Time.)

"Delegation & automation" is a hot topic among business owners who are on the hunt to find ways to leverage their resources to grow their businesses without killing themselves in the process. 

The challenge is to do this process right.  Why do I know it's a challenge?  I know this because I get, frankly, underwhelming emails on daily basis as a result of doing this process all wrong.

Getting it wrong is one thing but losing opportunities by doing something else is another matter.  Might as well, don't do anything, right?

Recap: “The Million-Dollar, One-Person Business” – The Secrets to Building a Million-Dollar, One-Person Business Revealed!

Recap: “The Million-Dollar, One-Person Business” – The Secrets to Building a Million-Dollar, One-Person Business Revealed!

There's a new breed of entrepreneurs who are ruthlessly focused on delighting their customers while pursuing their ultimate goal of having freedom and generating 7 figure gross annual revenues without being tied down to managing full-time employees.

 

How do they do it? 

What are their secrets?

What's the catch?

 

How to Show Up Like a True Entrepreneur: Working ON (Not IN) Your Business Made Easy with 5 Growth Drivers

How to Show Up Like a True Entrepreneur: Working ON (Not IN) Your Business Made Easy with 5 Growth Drivers

You, as an entrepreneur, recognize the importance of working ON your business and not IN it.  But, how often do you end up pushing this vital task aside because of your day-to-day (a.k.a. putting-out-fires) hands-on tasks?

“Too often” would be the most common answer to this question.

Let’s face it: We all tend to blame on getting caught up on imminent but unimportant tasks (in the big scheme of things) for not keeping up with our big vision sessions that can act as a leverage to grow your business exponentially. The truth is, that is not the real hold-up. 

What’s standing in our way is not having a robust and sustainable system that we can stick with.

Days of No Wins: How to Defy Your Emotional Gravity and Stay Productive.

[Fact] Every entrepreneur experiences "Days of No Wins" on a regular basis. In this post, I will share my 3 tips for making those days meaningful and reveal the reason why I don't look for small wins.
 

Seeds have been planted.  This is the point of no return.   Leading up to that point, you have mapped out your strategy, your intention was clear, you poured yourself into it, and you went for it. All in.

Now what?

Behind the Scenes: From Transactional to Transformational Workshop Creation

Behind the Scenes:  From Transactional to Transformational Workshop Creation

Do you have a signature workshop that showcases your expertise? 

If not, I strongly encourage you to create one because what sets a live workshop apart from other marketing activities such as Facebook Live, and short videos that are embedded in your site talking about your offers is that people get to see you in action.  It serves as a good sample of what their experience might be to work with you.

I have met too many agency owners and service business owners who have never considered this as part of their biz dev effort or their sales funnel.  That is truly a shame.  

Think about this for a second by putting yourself in your prospects’ shoe:

How to avoid FOMO by Creating Bold Themes that Ground You

How to avoid FOMO by Creating Bold Themes that Ground You

My biggest take away this year was how effectively creating clear themes helped me to stay on the right path. 

It had a tremendous impact as I managed to avoid chaos and FOMO (fear-of-missing-out) often triggered by hot new trends and crazy sounding success stories from the online world.

In our head, we all know that we should not get side-tracked by the noise coming from social media posts and relentless ads full of ridiculous success stories. But, let's face it; it is so hard not to get sucked down the rabbit hole. It's because those are designed to tap into your emotions.

Recap - Make Your Mark: A Winning Strategy that Translates Your Brand

Recap - Make Your Mark: A Winning Strategy that Translates Your Brand

Our guest, John DeMato, went all-in on the topic at the Nov 14th event by sharing his personal journey as an entrepreneur, his special approach to connect with his clients and why, what the role of great visual assets plays in branding, and what is supposed to happen when magical moments are captured by a skilled branded photographer who does not take his eyes off of the ultimate goal of translating his clients’ brands.

He held nothing back.

Mouth-watering value bombs after another, the 2-hour session flew by so quickly that I almost did not want the session to end.

A No BS Guide to Beating Generosity Burnout

A No BS Guide to Beating Generosity Burnout

The holiday season is fast approaching. Do you feel the rush of excitement from gift-buying suggestions, travel planning, and an increased communication among your family members? 

I get giddy from sparkly lights that illuminate long, dark nights. I reminisce over cheesy holiday music. I cleanse my brain by breathing in cold air loaded with the sharp, green smell of spruce. I feel hopeful seeing holiday-themed gratitude quotes that are passed around over social media...

Instantly, this season puts many of us in a generous, giving mood. It's simply contagious.

But then...what goes up, must come down. Ying and Yang. I sense a fuzzy dark cloud forming and it’s coming my way. Every so often I come down from a holiday hype high, and I don’t feel well at all. What’s really going on there?

Recap: Entrepreneurial Fears - A Practical Guide for Overcoming 3 Types of Fears that Slow You Down

Thank you to those who attended the Sept 2017 event, Entrepreneurial Fears: Practical Tips for Overcoming 3 Types of Fears that Slow You Down.

You were the most integral in making the entire experience unforgettable. Also, special thanks to those who bravely shared their business challenges, which was immensely helpful for me from an event planning perspective.

Is Being a Generalist Bad as an Entrepreneur?

Is Being a Generalist Bad as an Entrepreneur?

If you ask me, my answer will always be, "Absolutely not."  Being a generalist is a must-have requirement for all entrepreneurs.

That’s the answer to the question.  As much as I just want to finish this post right here (as I tend to look for excuses not to write), I know I need to explain, not only how to become a good generalist, but also why it is important to be one. I will do exactly that. So, stay with me. 

Recap: Battle-Tested Tips to Create Explosive Growth in your eCommerce Business

Recap: Battle-Tested Tips to Create Explosive Growth in your eCommerce Business

Here are the take-aways from my June 19th fireside chat with Tai Odunsi (Wizker.com), to discuss his entrepreneurial journey as an eCommerce brand owner.

We experienced a massive tropical rain storm in NYC, that night. As my luck would have it, it was the biggest one yet this summer. Still, there were plenty of eager attendees who braved through the storm to witness firsthand the testimony of an author turned into an owner of a product-based brand. It turned out to be a very intimate, and special event.

10 Leads in 10 Weeks Challenge: Sales 101 for Creative Entrepreneurs Who Hate Sales

10 Leads in 10 Weeks Challenge: Sales 101 for Creative Entrepreneurs Who Hate Sales

In my previous post, I wrote about how to take the entire December off without feeling guilty (and having battle plan for January) by start planning for it in late summer. The whole point of this idea was to accentuate the importance of understanding what your top three must-accomplish projects are for your business. (You can revisit that post here.)

Now in early September, we only have 10 solid weeks left this year, not including the time after Thanksgiving week. That’s right, just 10 weeks!

How to Take the Entire December Off: A Guilt-Free Method for Service-Based Entrepreneurs

For many, December is sort of a wash in terms of operating a business. When I was in the music business many years ago, getting the last two weeks off in December was a “given,” and I don’t quite recall what I was doing during the first 2 weeks of December other than cleaning out my office and going to holiday parties or hosting one for the label I worked for.  I’m sure those holiday parties did not help in sharpening my memory… Those darn parties…

As an entrepreneur, though, it is incredibly difficult to draw a clear line to be able to say to oneself, “Okay, since no one is really working, I’m turning everything off in December.” In your mind, there is always something to do, and there is always something to fix.

Master This and You'll Never Have to Chase Prospects Again.

Master This and You'll Never Have to Chase Prospects Again.

Recently, I was very fortunate to have Pia Silva as the guest for my live event in NYC (www.meetup.com/GrowthDrivenEntrepreneursWorldwide) to celebrate the release of her book, "Badass Your Brand - The Impatient Entrepreneur’s Guide to Turning Expertise into Profit."  The whole room was energized after the interview, and we all had a blast! 

Among all the value bombs Pia dropped, I handpicked a few major takeaways to share in this post so that you can apply them to your own business or side hustle projects.