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By Morgan Shotko Before you dive into this blog post, let’s start with a mantra. But, I want this mantra to be repeated, one you specifically make for yourself, throughout the reading of this post. “I am an entrepreneur, a traveler, and the keeper of my financial future.” Currently, this is my mantra. Three things that I am fiercely passionate about and that I identify myself by daily. What is your mantra? Why is financial freedom important for you specifically? Write that down before you keep reading! Why Financial Independence for Women Is So Important Growing up, I instilled myself to not only be an independent person but to be financially independent. Unfortunately, it’s from watching most of the women in my life be financially dependent on their husbands and significant others. I can confidently say at around the age of six, I knew my independence and that I never wanted to rely on anyone but myself for finances. I truly believe that is why I decided to work in banking and to focus on women, specifically female entrepreneurs. Did you know that according to Inc Magazine, 48% of female entrepreneurs feel a lack of support and lack of advisors to help facilitate their business? Being an entrepreneur is more than just starting a business, as Leah and Rivka have stated before, it’s about being your own brand. Taking care of yourself emotionally/physically, marketing yourself, and financial independence, all fall under your human entrepreneur brand. Name your brand. Mine is Shotko Enterprises. Essentially, put your last name in front of a fancy word that makes it known that your name is your business. And once you name it, OWN it! Taking the First Steps with Your Business FinancesGetting started on paper as a business owner is probably the hardest part. You begin figuring out a name, if you’re going to be anything from a sole proprietor to an LLC, file with the state, go to the bank/credit union, and so on and so forth. But what if you’re not confident in yourself and your finances to get things moving, then where do you go? Grand Rapids/West Michigan has a ton of tools and resources for you and your business to be financially independent. If your credit is poor, there are banks and credit unions that offer secured loans and credit cards to boost your credit. If you need financing for your business, you can choose to go to your trusted representative at your financial institution, but there is also plenty of other resources for you to look at.
Find Your CircleIf you don’t have that trusted circle of people in your daily life to help support you in your growth as a person and a business owner, now is the time to step out and find them. Just like you look to your family and friends with trust, you should look to your financial institution for the same kind of trust. As a female entrepreneur, you deserve to feel as comfortable as a man does when looking for help financially. If someone in your immediate circle isn’t helping you achieve your goals and your dreams, look to your personal resources to achieve them. As a woman, there is nothing more empowering to know that you can take care of yourself, your family, and your business and know that YOU, did it all. I encourage you to make sure that you yourself, are not be taken advantage of financially and that your business isn’t as well. Reflect on the people you are surrounding yourself with.
I also challenge you to look at where ever your personal and business accounts are. See if that is truly being serviced the right way for you. Make sure that the person sitting on the other side of the desk at that financial institution is looking out for Shotko Enterprises and her business. “I am an entrepreneur, I am a traveler, and the keeper of my financial future.” Diane Von Furstenberg
References: 1 https://www.inc.com/lisa-calhoun/30-surprising-facts-about-female-founders.html?cid=search
2 https://www.inc.com/bill-murphy-jr/17-inspiring-women-entrepreneurs-on-how-to-be-successful.html
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 Business name and description: Christine A. Yared, PLC
I work as an “attorney and counselor” at law. I like this phrase because it highlights the fact that in addition to litigating cases, my role is also to provide advice. Each person is unique and comes to me with a unique legal concern or issue. It is important for me to determine my client’s needs, values and priorities, and provide advice which serves my client’s best interest. In a few sentences, tell us a bit about your upbringing. I was raised in Grand Rapids and attended public schools. My maternal and paternal grandparents immigrated to this country from Lebanon and Syria. My family’s ethnicity was the most central part of my upbringing. We had regular gatherings with my aunts, uncles, cousins and close family friends that was centered on family, great conversation and delicious Lebanese/Syrian food. In the beginning, what motivated you to become an entrepreneur? My father was an attorney and worked as a sole practitioner, before he became a judge. My interest in the law dates back to my elementary school days and I am sure that my father’s life work influenced my interests. After law school I decided that my goal was to start my own law practice. I wanted to be my own boss and be free to pursue the type of cases and clients that resonated with my interests, values, and sense of justice. What do you enjoy most about what you do? I highly value the individual liberties and rights contained in our Constitution, especially the freedoms of speech, press, religion and protest, due process and equal protection. I thoroughly enjoy working to secure these rights for my clients. I get joy from being and working for an underdog, to call out abuses of power. I have always been a social justice activist and I am fortunate to be able to also engage in this work through my employment. What’s an example of work that you do? One of my areas of specialization is employment law, which includes discrimination, retaliation and sexual harassment. An employer who engages in or ignores sexual harassment, often also engages in discrimination and/or retaliation. I start by gathering the facts and advising my client about the specific laws that apply to her case and develop a plan if she is still working for the employer and wants to keep her job. One possible next step is to communicate with the employer in an attempt to resolve the issue without the need for a lawsuit. If a lawsuit is needed, after filing I continue to develop the evidence. Most cases are resolved through a settlement process, but some cases will continue to a jury trial, and possible appeals. Tell me about a project or accomplishment that you consider to be the most significant in your career. I have represented many women in discrimination, retaliation and sexual harassment cases, including female police officers. In one case my client was first represented by an attorney in a state court. The case went to a jury trial and the jury concluded that the city and police departments did not violate the law. After losing the officer interviewed numerous other employment law attorneys seeking representation in a federal lawsuit litigating the same facts. All the attorneys told her she did not have a case or refused to take her case. I concluded that she did have a strong case and agreed to represent her. I worked the case, litigated it by jury trial and obtained one of the largest verdicts for that type of case in Michigan that year. The verdict was appealed to the federal appeals court in Cincinnati and I also won the appeal. What does a day-in-the-life of “YOU” consist of? Each day is different depending on the stages and type of my cases at that time. My work includes meeting with clients, attorneys, and judges, researching the law, writing letters, briefs and other legal documents, conducting depositions, court hearings, mediations, settlement conferences and trials. I am also writing a nonfiction book, and devoting regular time to the research and writing process. What entrepreneurial hacks have you developed to stay focused and productive in your day-to-day? While I start organizing documents and notes for my cases in file folders, once the case expands I organize my materials in three-ring binders using numerical or alphabetical tabs and a table of contents. One binder will be for court filings, another might be for medical evidence, and so forth. I am energized by colors yet work in a profession which has traditionally emphasized drap and dreary colors. One step I take is to purchase colored binders, instead of standard black or white. I always feel great walking into the courtroom, a meeting or deposition with my bright colored binders. It reflects my authentic self, sends the message that I am not one to merely follow the status quo and energizes my work. In order to keep track of and better understand the facts in a case I create detailed timelines, which I add to as the case develops. In addition to the organizational benefits, this process also helps me to more effectively analyze the facts, by identifying cause and effect, and other patterns. How does being an entrepreneur affect your relationships with your friends and family? I don’t believe that it has affected those relationships in a unique manner. Many of my family and friends are entrepreneurs or value it. There can be, however a lack of appreciation from some, not many, about the pressure involved in having your weekly income depend directly on your own time and work. I have had both lean and prosperous times and some people make inaccurate assumptions. How do you achieve work-life balance? I value that balance and do take time for myself. I learned this lesson in my twenties. This was however difficult during my childrearing years. My children are now all in their twenties. During those years I let go of many things that were just for me. My day-to-day challenges during those years were significant, yet my memories of those years are more rose-colored, and focus on the good times. Also, I was willing to make less money in order to have more family time. It is what eventually led me to having a home office. I do not regret those choices. What’s the single most important reason for your success? I am confident and know that I provide value for my clients. What’s the biggest thing you struggle with as an entrepreneur? I have never enjoyed, and have struggled with the financial aspects of running a business. What did you learn from your biggest failure? I take on many cases using a standard contingency fee. This means that my legal fees are a percent of the amount of money I obtain for my client on a case. No attorneys win all of their cases. If there is not a win, there is no fee. Most of these cases last 1-2 years, and some last for up to 4 years. During this time I devote significant time to these cases without generating income from them. The timing of the wins are not predictable. My biggest failure was not planning appropriately for my estimated taxes. This happened more than once. I finally realized that I needed to hire professionals to help with this process. This has been critical. Looking back, what’s one thing you wish you understood about entrepreneurship before you ever got started? I wish I understood the lesson above. I should have always had an accountant, or similar professional assist with my taxes, and financial planning for those taxes. What was the best piece of advice you ever got? The worst? The best advice was from my father, that the most important aspect of working a case is to work hard to obtain, understand and communicate the facts of the case. This is much more difficult than one would imagine. I have excelled at this and it has set me apart from other attorneys in many cases. There certainly are many attorneys who also excel at this, but there are also attorneys who fail to effectively gather and use the facts. My dad would say, “the facts are more important than the law.” By this he meant that attorneys know the law, and research unique questions and changes in the law. Yet the law, and research will be ineffective without a clear and complete understanding of the facts. I cannot recall receiving bad advice. I must have received bad advice along the way but I was fortunate to have good mentors, and knew who to ask and trust. I am in midlife and my mentors have passed away. Yet they left me with what I needed at the time and to move forward. I have an extremely strong foundation. One reason I joined Unstoppable Women however, is that I recognize my need to learn from younger professionals. I do not use social media, my website and other online resources effectively. I can also benefit from learning how others are conducting business in this current era. In addition, I want to keep up with current self-improvement practices and ideas. Finally, I am energized by being around younger people. This is not to say that I am the oldest, or the only older person in the group, nor is it to say that I do not continue to learn from and get energized from my contemporaries, rather it is to acknowledge that I needed to reach out to connect with younger professionals. I teach as an adjunct professor at Grand Valley State University. That endeavor, along with this group, keep me around and energized by people younger than me. What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever done as an entrepreneur? When investigating the facts of the case I often inspect, take photographs and measurements of places that are key to the case. For one case, I went into the men’s restroom at a public rest stop on the highway. Of course, I did not have the authority or means to close the restroom during this time and instead had to briefly explain to various men why I was in there taking photographs and measurements of their restroom stalls and urinals.  Thank you to Action Point Financial, and Lucy Shair, for allowing us to reprint this great information for you. Lucy, in addition to being an Unstoppable Women's member, is a fee-only fiduciary financial advisor at Action Point Financial. She loves helping her clients gain control of the finances to improve their lives and build a better future. She especially enjoys working with women and focusing on their specific needs. For more information about Lucy and Action Point, check out their website at www.actionpointfp.com/lucys-bio. The first phase of the Department of Labor’s “Fiduciary Rule” has been in effect for about a month now. This topic has been in the news a lot lately, so you probably have some idea that your financial advisor should be a fiduciary. The author of this Forbes article thinks that regardless of the rule’s legal future, consumers will hold their financial advisors to it, and I agree. You have been enlightened, and now I hope you will accept nothing less than your best interests as top priority. You already demand this level of care from your doctor and accountant so when your life savings are at stake, you should absolutely expect the same standard of care and ethical duty. But what does it mean exactly, to be a fiduciary?Essentially, a fiduciary is a financial advisor who is required by law to act in the best interests of the client. But there’s more to being a fiduciary than meets the eye. It’s not just a label you can slap on. Only one kind of financial advisor – one who acts exclusively as a Registered Investment Advisor or “RIA” – is required to act as a fiduciary at all times. That little three letter word “all” is really important. It is possible, and increasingly popular, for financial advisors to be dually registered, meaning sometimes they wear a fiduciary hat to provide investment advice while at other times not; getting commissions through an affiliated broker-dealer on other investments. So the question to be asking is not, “Are you a fiduciary?” but rather “Are you required to act as a fiduciary at all times?” These dually registered advisors are blurring the distinction between broker and advisor, which can be confusing to investors. Other key differences between these two approaches include the following:  The fiduciary standard goes beyond the traditional requirement that broker-dealers “reasonably believe” the recommended investments to be “suitable” for the client, based upon their needs, objectives and circumstances. The broker’s duty also remains to the broker-dealer by whom she is employed, not necessarily to the client. To make matters worse, many of these broker-dealers are publicly traded companies which means their duty remains to the shareholders. The fiduciary standard requires RIAs to maintain a “duty of loyalty and care” to their clients, which means the advisor is required to be on your side, regardless of whether it makes her, or her employer, more money. The essential difference between the suitability and fiduciary models is their primary focus: a product vs. client orientation. The licensing requirements for these two professions back this up. A broker is trained and licensed primarily to be a salesperson and has a Series 7 license to sell a product. An RIA, however, maintains a Series 65 license to provide investment advice. I can hear you protesting as I type these words - “But my Financial Advisor is a great guy!” or “We’ve been with XYZ Brokerage forever… of course they’re looking out for us!” I am not saying your Financial Advisor isn’t a great guy, or that you haven’t had good service from your brokerage. But the bottom line is that under the fiduciary standard, an advisor working with an RIA would be prohibited from putting your money in an investment from which she would receive a higher fee because it would cost *you* more money. The great guy at your brokerage would not, as long as that was one of many investments deemed suitable for your situation. In fact, a broker might even be incentivized to invest you in his brokerage’s products because he earns a higher commission on them, regardless of whether they are the best choice for you. Another byproduct of the sales or transactional orientation of most brokers is that once the sale is completed and they’ve received their commission, you may not hear much from them. I often hear people say they “feel like a number” or don’t hear from their financial advisor regularly which makes sense when you think about it - if they’ve already received their compensation and are not bound by a fiduciary duty to keep working in your best interests, why would they call more than they need to? Unless you’re an investor with a lot of assets, it is not cost effective for them to spend time on you. This is often true for many RIAs, as well, because they tend to be paid a fixed percentage of the invested amount. This is why many investment management firms have minimum account sizes that exclude less profitable clients. Which brings us to another problem in the scope of advisor compensation: in a compensation structure where everyone is moving to fee-only, and those fees are required to be “reasonable,” who is the arbiter of reasonableness? If everyone is charging around the industry average of 1.00% - 1.25% of assets under management – and we may see that increase as advisors seek to make up for lost commissions – investors don’t have many better options. So it turns out a fiduciary can act in your best interests, but still charge too much. Sometimes WAY too much! I don’t believe in minimums either. I currently help investors that range in size from just getting started to tens of millions. If you’ve got a little to invest, I want to steer you in the right direction. If you’ve got a lot, I want to help you avoid expensive mistakes. I want to help you enjoy your life and save responsibly for the future. The problem with this assumption is two-fold. First, this industry average range of 1.00-1.25% AUM is antiquated and has not adjusted for the current environment. As returns on money markets, bonds, and other fixed income based assets have come down over the years, advisory fees have actually gone up according to leading research firm PriceMetrix. The second problem is that “reasonableness” has historically been defined by, and interchangeable with industry-average. In other words, the financial services industry itself has been the arbiter of reasonableness. That’s right, the industry that is incentivized to make as much profit as possible is the same group that gets to determine what is reasonable. So while the fiduciary rule is a nice step in the right direction, it doesn’t go nearly far enough. Investors not paying attention are still likely to lose large amounts of money, just now in the form of annual fees instead of commissions. Keep in mind this does not even include the expenses associated with investment funds in your accounts, or any transactional costs. If you think that’s too much – and you should – what are your options? I believe that in the future, clients’ expectations should drive down the industry average AUM fee, and rightly so. There’s no surprise that what I advise you to seek is what I offer: transparent, low cost, fiduciary investment advice. How Do You Find a Great Financial Advisor?First, look for a fee-only advisor that acts as a fiduciary at all times, with all of your money. Remember that the new rule only addresses retirement accounts right now. So when it comes to any non-retirement money, including college savings, inheritance, etc. most advisors will still not be acting in a fiduciary capacity.
Second, look for an advisor that is dedicated to transparency, who will candidly discuss with you how she gets paid and how that impacts your investments. The more forthcoming an advisor is with you on these matters, the more likely she is to be truly operating in your best interests. Finally, look for an Advisor with a lower cost structure. Many firms have no flexibility when it comes to their AUM rates – these may tend to be part of big banks or franchised by a larger corporate entity – but some firms do. Ask to see the Advisor’s fee schedule and ask whether there’s any flexibility in those rates. As an example, our clients prior to arriving at Action Point almost always paid at least 1% with many between 1.20% - 1.30%. At Action Point, every client pays less than 1% for investment management. We pro-actively seek to set each client’s fee as low as possible. When compared to the “reasonable industry averages” we can typically offer fee reductions of up to 20-40%! Of course, lower cost cannot be the *only* thing you consider. Investors can and should be looking at both reasonable cost and value in exchange for cost. The future is now. Make sure that you are working with a fiduciary financial planner that is dedicated to a transparent, low cost fee structure that’s always well below industry average, regardless of your investment balance. At Action Point, weI charge less because I we can, and because it’s the right thing to do. We are all fiduciaries, all the time, which means we’re always working in your best interests and with no commissions on investments, ever. And we don’t believe in minimums, either. If you’re just getting started, I want to steer you in the right direction and help you build good habits. If you’ve got a lot to invest, I want to help you avoid expensive mistakes. I want to help you enjoy your life and save responsibly for the future. Q: What is your business?A: Women’s Business Solutions; I help women get promotions. Q: What was your upbringing like?A: Had a previous career as an educator/administrator. Currently, state president of a women’s organization. I am a longtime advocate for women’s causes. Q: What was your inspiration to become an entrepreneur?A: My passion for women’s equity and having the time to pursue this passion. Q: What do you enjoy most about what you do?A: Leveling the playing field for women and seeing them succeed. Q: What is an example of the work that you do?A: Providing practical strategies/tips for women in the workplace – individual, groups, and speaking engagements. Also providing written materials – books, e-courses, etc. Q: What is one of your biggest accomplishments?A: Being a strong advocate for women and elected as state president for a women’s organization. Also that I earned my doctoral degree later in life. Q: What does a day-in-the-life of “YOU” consist of?A: Coffee. I do my best “thinking” in the mornings so I work on launching this business and state president materials. Afternoons find me thinking ahead and reading professional materials. After dinner – my low time – relaxing. Q: What entrepreneurial hacks have you developed to stay focused and productive in your day-to-day?A: I am self-driven, intelligent, and well educated. I know my best times of the day to accomplish what is needed. I have a priority list that keeps me focused. I don’t have time of “fluff” and keep my boundaries. Q: How does being an entrepreneur affect your relationships with your friends and family?A: I am single and live alone. My time is my own – except for visits with friends and family – which is under control. I do have my priorities in order. Q: How do you achieve work-life balance?A: For many years I have been on my own and really enjoy the freedom is provides. I have already raised my family. Yet, I am spiritual and rely on those practices to ground me. I do have outside hobbies which adds to my balance. Q: What’s the single most important reason for your success?A: My passion. Q: What’s the biggest thing you struggle with as an entrepreneur?A: Social media. I need to get awareness out there. I need to “get” in front of my specific audience. Q: What did you learn from your biggest failure?A: Learn from my mistakes – I don’t want to repeat them. Q: What was the best piece of advice you ever got? The worst?A: Best- Be yourself – don’t let anyone take that away from you. Worst- Girls are to behave according to societal expectations.  Penny is one of our sponsoring members. You can find out more about her business and services at www.womensbusinessolutions.com or send her an email to connect. Q: What is your business?A: Ilka's Healthy Heaven; I'm a Spiritual coach helping people improve their physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. I use Young Living oils to do that: releasing their physical stress and pain through the Raindrop Technique and other essential oils and doing an Emotional release 1-on-1 consultations and group classes helping people assess which oils can help release which blocks, So they move forward free and create the life of joy, success and fulfillment they desire! Q: What was your upbringing like?A: My parents raised me to respect people and - Mother-nature and to work hard for everything I want; to study and constantly improve. I taught my daughter (and 2 step-daughters) the same. Q: What was your inspiration to become an entrepenuer?A: I wanted to make my own schedule/be my own boss; knowing that if I messed up - I can ONLY blame myself; wanted to do things in my business that fit my personality and I like the flexible hours. Q: What do you enjoy most about what you do?A: The "rewards" of seeing my clients healthier and happier, more empowered about themselves after a session or a group class with me; hearing their "Thank you! or - "I'm glad I came to your class!", etc.- that's what keeps me going! Q: What is an example of the work that you do?A: Having 1-on-1 emotional clearing (release) consultation with someone or doing it as a group class with a few people; scheduling and doing a Raindrop Technique individually on people or if I get (at least 3) people min.: I can teach a class. So- doing the emotional, spiritual and the physical health coaching! And - helping my partners that want to do the same - be successful. Q: What has been one of your biggest accomplishments?A: Writing my book on healing the Planet!!! It somehow happened naturally: I love helping PEOPLE heal, and- that's on healing our Earth! Originally I was ready and planning writing a health book but somehow it turned into addressing our MOST URGENT issue we have NOW...It just...went through me: I didn't have a choice...:) It's my MOST IMPORTANT MESSAGE to the world!!! Q: What does a day-in-the-life of YOU consist of?A: Calling people to answer questions, helping them with their oils (or other products) orders; scheduling classes; 1-on-1 appointments for the Raindrop technique/massage, Emotional release/Ancestral clearings or- chakra clearing. Q: What entrepreneurial hacks have you developed to stay focused and productive in your day-to-day?A: When I get overwhelmed and discouraged (taking "NO's" personally): to remember WHY I do what I do; that I might be dealing with people that don't feel good on every level, or are confused on WHAT they need and - FOCUS ON THEM: to try to understand and love them and PUT THEM first (not my ...own little feelings.) And learning to prioritize and write 1), 2) , 3) , etc.: first is the MOST important, and on and on. Q: How does being an entrepreneur affect your relationships with your friends and family?A: That is one area that I can always improve on/work on more: sometimes I work late; and I could have tried to finish up earlier. I'm working on being more effective in that area. Q: How do you achieve work-life balance?A: My body tells me when I need to take a brake and I do some "eye-closing" meditation, breathing techniques/running E thru my body, yoga, etc. I think (for being 54 now) I learned how to say "NO!" when I have to and... not pick up the phone... Q: What is the single most important reason for your success?A: NEVER giving up! I read/heard too many stories of people that inspired me on that, so when I have a hard day: I remind myself: they went through MUCH HARSHER situations in their lives!!! Q: What is the biggest thing you struggle with as an entrepreneur?A: Learning NOT to take "NO-s" personally and realizing that most of the time is the fact that people don't have a compassion for themselves: they struggle, but don't want to do nothing about it; they need help, but they don't want to get it. So 15 years ago or so, when I started my Healthy Heaven/the oils business, I was upset and confused with those kind of people: "You don't feel good, but YOU DON'T want to feel better?". So I learned to have compassion for all those people; I learned a lot more then I thought I'd ever need to learn!!! Q: What did you learn from your biggest failure?A: To trust that there is a Divine Intelligence out there, so I need TO ALLOW things to happen... instead of pushing and going nowhere with it. Q: Looking back, what's one thing you wish you understood about entrepeneurship before you ever got started? A: I wished I learned better the skills of promo and advertising!- I spent a lots of $$$ on things that I shouldn't had... Q: What was the best piece of advice you ever got? The worst?A: To trust my intuition and- when hesitating on something to ask myself: "Does that serve THE HIGHEST GOOD OF ALL?" and - if not- not do it. The worst: taking advice from others when it didn't feel right. Q: What is the strangest thing you've ever done as an entrepeneur?A: Well...many years ago I was awarded a prize for trying so hard and...going nowhere...! My one mentor at that time thought I need an award for being persistent and not giving up, I guess...
Q: What is your business?A: I am a life and entrepreneurial coach offering coaching packages that help people live in alignement with their purpose, power and potential. I do a lot of speaking and facilitating of workshop along with being a co-founder of The Wellness Collective located in Grand Rapids MI. Q: What was your inspiration to become an entrepreneur?A: Both of my parents were entrepreneurs and I have such a creative opportunistic brain, it actually never occurred to me NOT to be and entrepreneur. Q: What was your life like pre-entrepenuer?A: The only job I ever had was waitressing in high school and college. Other than that I have always created my own stream of income. I grew up on a farm, and had ADHD so I always struggled with academics. Both of these thing require you to work extra hard at life and looking back I believe that is what has given me such a strong work ethic. The ADHD has also contributed to me always wanting to do things my way so building my own company was really my only option. Q: What do you most enjoy about what you do?A: I love it when people “get it”. When a light bulb of clarity goes on or when the dots connect and they are able to leave or work together feeling so empowered. Q: What has been one of your biggest accomplishments?A: I created my own coaching methodology. It is exciting to me because it is not what I set out to do, it was more so given to me in the work that I was doing both professionally with clients and in my own life. I am so humbly grateful that I get to be the one taking people through this process that I have been shown. Q: What's an example of the work that you do?A: Working with a client in a 4-month to a 1-year program that is focused on helping them live their life in an entirely new way. We are making and integrating shifts at such a deep level that most people experience dramatic changes in how they navigate their life after our work. Q: What does a day-in-the-life of YOU consist of?A: 5am rising, feed and kiss all of the dogs, and then meeting myself on my meditation mat. Mid-morning I prep my day and am usually working 1-on-1 with clients until late afternoon. Evenings I wrap up my work tasks, usually go for a walk and then make dinner. Every Tuesday I work ON my business instead of IN my business to ensure that I am always moving forward to the next vision. About 3 times a year I will do a work retreat where I get to really let myself go deep into a creative project; usually writing new coaching workbooks or developing a new seminar. Q: What entrepreneurial hacks have you developed to stay focused and productive in your day-to-day?A: My “inner boss” and my “inner worker” have two different voices within me. What has developed over time is that my boss is a hard-ass bitch that doesn’t let me get away with much. Q: How does being an entrepreneur affect your relationships with your friends and family?A: I seclude myself so much more because I am an entrepreneur and this causes me to be in my head and developmental mode a lot of the time. I LOVE my work, it is an evil obsession that trumps my desire over most social casualties. I have noticed when I am not working on developing a new project or evolving the business, rather when I just “go to work” and do my job, that I feel like a balanced “normal” person. I like and crave that feeling but not enough to practice it for very long. Q: How do you achieve work life-balance?A: It is a fine line of a tight-rope that I am not great at walking, yet I do get better every year as I learn more about myself. One way is that I set some non-negotiables in my life as pillars that help keep some routine and balance in place. Things like my morning meditation and that I am in bed by 10 at the very latest – even if there is still so much to do. The work will never be done, but it took me way too many years to realize that if I am not getting enough rest, none of it is going to get done anyway Q: What’s the single most important reason for your success?A: I am really good at what I do. I remember that and do not let the fact that I am bad at writing, make mistakes all of the time, can be disorganized etc. make me think that I am not worthy of having my dream practice doing what I love. Q: What’s the biggest thing you struggle with as an entrepreneur?A: Knowing what to outsource and how to get organized enough to do it. Also, even though I have done this for 15+ years there are still times when it is an emotional roller-coaster. I do not think that you can put live your whole heart and soul into your business and not have some emotional attachments. Q: What did you learn from your biggest failure?A: To trust what my gut was telling me all along. Q: Looking back, what’s one thing you wish you understood about entrepreneurship before you ever got started?A: That there is a whole lot of failure involved, and that it's normal. That the path to more yes's also includes more no’s. Get over it. Q: What was the best piece of advice you ever got? The worst?A: The best advice I ever got what to keep it simple and that if you are good, you do not need to talk about how good you are, they will know. The worst is always about someone’s strategy and rules and regulations around that strategy. Strategies are great and I love them, but the truth is, if it is not in FULL ALIGNMENT with your unique truth and business – then it is worthless and even possibly damaging. Q: What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever done as an entrepreneur?A: OMG there are so many! What comes to mind as the most strange is just a general comparison to the things I have had to do to make my business go vs. someone who has a pretty typical 9-5 job. Things like staying up for days working so hard, doing crazy projects in the middle of the night, being scared out of my mind and facing my fears ALL THE TIME, procrastinating like I am a pro, approaching people who want nothing to do with me, gracefully dealing with people that I want nothing to do with, reaching certifiably crazy levels of indecisiveness, hating myself, being grateful to myself, and just generally living my life having no idea if I am totally stupid or amazingly courageous.  Leah Grace is the Co-Founder of Unstoppable Women Networking GR. You can find out more about her business and services at www.couragetothrive.com. Q: What is your business?A: Jobson Studios, branding & website design. Q: Where did you grow up?A: Growing up, my siblings and I were given a lot of time and freedom to explore our creativity. I remember spending countless hours building websites for fictitious businesses and designing graphics. It’s fun to think that a childhood hobby has turned into my career. Q: What was your inspiration to become an entrepenuer?A: I grew up in an entrepreneurial family, and it just seemed like a natural direction to go in. I’ve always loved the idea of working for myself and having the freedom to grow a business in a way that fit my life and priorities. Q: What do you most enjoy about what you do?A: I really enjoy the creative work of designing brands and websites, but my favorite part of my job would have to be getting to collaborate and strategize with so many other entrepreneurs and learning about their businesses. Q: What has been one of your biggest accomplishments?A: It feels impossible to choose one defining project, because each one is unique and exciting in its own way. Each of my clients run a business that is one-of-a-kind – because they put so much of themselves and their own purpose into it – and bringing that to life in a visual way feels significant each time. Q: What's an example of the work that you do?A: I help people create a visual identify for their business. Sometimes I’ll help them put their business online by building and designing a website that matches their brand and functions in a way that helps them achieve their goals. Other times I’ll help them build their brand from scratch – with strategy planning, logo design, print material design, brand guidelines (colors, fonts, etc.), and website. Q: What does a day-in-the-life of YOU consist of?A: It’s so different each day – and that’s one of the things I love most about running my own business! A typical day would consist of a large chunk of time spent working on client design projects in my office. I’d also have a client strategy call on Skype or in person, spend some time working on blog posts for my design & business blog, and tackle any administrative tasks on my to-do list. Most days, I’d add in a trip to a networking or mastermind meet up, a local class or talk, or a trip to a coffee shop to work on fun business development projects. Q: What entrepreneurial hacks have you developed to stay focused and productive in your day-to-day?A: A really simple thing I do to help me stay focused is make my daily to-do list the night before. I list my most important projects or tasks first, and then the other things I’d like to accomplish after that. The other thing that helps me stay motivated and focused is taking time to get out and be with other entrepreneurs. If I stay in my office too much, I start to get restless and unproductive. Meeting with other motivated people helps me get back on task. Q: How does being an entrepreneur affect your relationships with your friends and family?A: Working for myself gives me so much freedom to prioritize time with family and friends. While there are definitely busy seasons where I spend a lot of time working, I can always organize those hours in a way that leaves room for family life and social time. Q: How do you achieve work life-balance?A: I don’t know that it ever feels completely balanced. Sometimes I’m spending more hours on work than family or downtime, and sometimes it’s the opposite. It depends on what’s happening in our life at the time. Q: What’s the single most important reason for your success?A: Support from my family. There are a lot of things that contribute to success as a business owner – like a community of engaging peers, education, and persistence – but without the support and encouragement from my husband I doubt I’d be pursuing this career on top of raising a family. Having support is crucial. Q: What’s the biggest thing you struggle with as an entrepreneur?A: Dealing with the uncertainty. You have full control – and full responsibility – for your business. You never know what’s going to happen around the next bend, and in slow times or periods of change it’s easy to doubt your ability to make it through. That uncertainty is probably the hardest thing for me to deal with – but it’s also what allows for the freedom and opportunity to grow. Q: What did you learn from your biggest failure?A: That you can try again. As a business owner – especially in a creative industry – it feels like you are being constantly exposed and evaluated. When you don’t make the cut or you mess up on something, it can feel like you’ll never recover. I’ve had to learn to not take everything so personally and to just pick myself up and try again. Q: Looking back, what’s one thing you wish you understood about entrepreneurship before you ever got started?A: I wish I had understood from the beginning that businesses don’t grow in isolation. Being very introverted, I started my business “online” – working by myself at home and promoting my services and working with clients over the internet. I still work with clients from all over the world and the internet makes that possible – but getting out in the local community and building relationships with other business owners face-to-face is the best thing I ever did for my business. Being actively involved in groups and communities in person is so important to the sustainability of business, creativity, and entrepreneurship in general.
Q: What is your business?A: Guided Transformations is a healing partnership of skilled practitioners who take a team approach to finding and facilitating the connection between your authentic self and optimum health. Our mission is to demystify information about the body's energy system by providing the education and resources necessary to comprehend how the energy system functions and impacts health. We provide the self-help tools, healthy living strategies, and energy system balancing through various therapies that help clients achieve and maintain a healthy body, mind and spirit. Q: Where did you grow up?A: I did not have a typical childhood. I cannot sum it up in a few sentences, but you will be able to read about the impact it had on my life in my upcoming book Q: What was your inspiration to become an entreprenuer?A: I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit. Right after high school I sold Avon door to door, and have been part of several MLM companies. Before I became a nurse, I was in sales and marketing for nearly 20 years. I was planning on starting this business after I retired, but I was handed the opportunity to move up the starting date when the hospice I was working for closed. My husband who is also self-employed encouraged me to start my business instead of working for another healthcare provider. Q: What do you most enjoy about what you do?A: My favorite part of being self-employed is having control of my schedule. Q: What has been one of your biggest accomplishments?Returning to college at age 43 to fulfill my lifelong dream of being a nurse. Q: What's an example of the work that you do?A: I am a Healing Touch Practitioner and reflexologist. I use those modalities along with guided imagery and meditation to help my clients increase their level of health and well-being. A large number of my clients are older adults who have tried traditional medical model interventions such as surgery and medications, and continued to have issues. As a holistic practitioner, I help clients connect to their natural healing abilities using a mind, body, spirit approach. Q: What does a day-in-the-life of YOU consist of?A: We are early risers who start every morning with a meditation routine and energy exercises to balance the body. I see clients for individual sessions, do group presentations for stress management, attend networking functions, write a weekly blog, market the business and all the other typical small business functions that need doing. I also manage our home, market our rental cottage and attend the functions of our 9 grand kids. Sometimes I’m amazed at the number of things that get done in a day. Q: What entrepreneurial hacks have you developed to stay focused and productive in your day-to-day?I’m pretty self-motivated. I make a list of things I want to accomplish by the week and then prioritize. I further break that down into what tasks can be done in the car, my home office and studio. My best hack is using Siri to take notes for topics I want to blog about or not forget. Q: How does being an entrepreneur affect your relationships with your friends and family?A: My family loves it! My children and step-children are all grown and have kids of their own. I’m able to flex my schedule to help with the grand kids and attend programs and athletic events. My friends are supportive too. Q: How do you achieve work-life balance?A: We plan our getaways and vacations first and keep weekends for ourselves. Q: What’s the single most important reason for your success?A: The support of my husband has been amazing. He’s my biggest fan and cheerleader. Q: What’s the biggest thing you struggle with as an entrepreneur?A: Marketing has changed in the last 15 years. Learning how to use social media has been my biggest struggle. Q: What did you learn from your biggest failure?A: Every day is a new day…keep trying! I try to look for the lesson in the experience. Q: Looking back, what’s one thing you wish you understood about entrepreneurship before you ever got started?A: The hardest thing for me was moving from a having a regular paycheck to an irregular paycheck. I understood it was going to happen and take time make money, but I struggled with it mentally. Q: What was the best piece of advice you ever got? The worst?A: The best piece of advice was to believe in myself and my abilities. Q: What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever done as an entrepreneur?A: Sold bras at an outdoor event, and measured women in a portable, home-made dressing room I made with PVC pipe and shower curtains☺  Deb Timmerman is one of our Sponsoring Members. You can find out more about her services and business at www.guidedtransformations.net, or send her an email to connect. Q: What Is Your Business?A: Life Yoga Coaching is about life coaching through the process of yoga whether you're on or off your mat. It's about life and yoga being intertwined. Interceding in people’s lives to provide space; to envision an intention with purpose and guiding them into a flow with awareness to move forward. Empowering them with encouragement to let go with perseverance and confirming them in their ability to stand firmly with integrity in greater alignment. When I take a client on, our first meeting is a get to know each other. We figure out what areas need attention whether it’s physical or life. With a clear agenda in view I work with the client one on one to move forward in the area that the client has proclaimed they need assistance. I help them to begin to evaluate the self, to become aware of their bodies and minds through a series of techniques. This process aids in their being able to see where they might be holding on to something that is no longer useful. As we work together, I guide them as they begin to shift into a new found awareness. Q: Where Did You Grow Up?A: Born in Elkhart, Indiana moved to Grand Rapids and raised here; My parents both had careers, Mother was Art Teacher for Sparta H.S., my Father was a Free Lance Model/Actor/Voice My parents were very active in their careers as well as church and family. Q: What Was Your Inspiration to Become an Entrepreneur?A: My entrepreneurialism came out of the blue. I was working outside the home, decided to quit my job for personal reasons. I had no idea why or what I was starting when I made that decision but just knew I wanted to do something that I loved. NOTE: This was the first business that I started, Slipcovers Plus Home Decor; Life Yoga Coaching is my second business. Q: What Do You Most Enjoy About What You Do?A: I love meeting with individuals and helping them start to move forward in achieving their aspirations and goals! Q: What Has Been One of Your Biggest Accomplishments?A: My most significant accomplishment in my career is the ability to sustain the longevity within my first business. To watch is manifest in to something bigger than I could have imagined on my own, has always been something I am in awe of. Q: What is a Day in the Life of Jessica?The day-in-the-life of me is taking time each day for myself to maintain a healthy life style. I make certain to spend time with my husband on a daily basis. On a weekly basis, I take time to watch my grandkids, to not only be a light in their life but to also help my daughter as she substitute teaches as well as spending time with my aging parents as they need me. I teach Yoga at MVP twice a week. I maintain my other business as needed. I seek opportunities to volunteer my time to help with projects that are of interest or individuals that have a desire to move forward. Q: What Is Your Best Business or Productivity Tip?A: I have always been extremely self-motivated but if I had to pick one, it would be that I take time for myself to maintain a healthy life style. I am an early to bed early to rise type person, I eat healthy, I exercise every day and I take rest when my body needs it. My thoughts are that you cannot maintain being a light in someone else’s life if you cannot maintain the light within your own self. This keeps me focused and productive. Q: How Does Your Business Affect Your Relationships?A: By my example, I think it helps them to think outside the box or the four walls of an office or building. Q: How Do You Achieve Work/Life Balance?A: I keep a calendar and I keep extremely focused and on task with all that I have to balance. Making sure I know my limits and use the, “NO” muscle when I see fit. Q: What's the Single Most Important Reason for Your Success?A: My most important reason for my success is has been my focused attention, hard work and knowing my limits. Q: What is Your Biggest Struggle?A: My biggest struggle if I had to pick something would be the ability to not think about what, where, when or how I will be. This is where Yoga comes in to help me become aware and to release or let go of the cycle of thought. Q: What is the One Thing You Wish You Knew Before Starting Your Business?A: The one thing I wish I knew is what it was that I was starting in the first place. If I knew I was starting a business then I would have liked to know how to work on the business instead of in the business. Q: What is the Best Advice You Ever Got?A: Best advice, “Don’t burn your bridges, you never know when you’ll need them” Worst advice, “Screw them” Q: What is the Strangest Thing You Ever Have Done as an Entrepreneur?A: Maybe the strangest thing I’ve ever done was to be an entrepreneur in the first place. When I started my friends and family were probably scratching their heads wondering what it was that I was doing. I do know it took quite a while for people to really see this for what it was and maybe because I didn’t realize what I had started.
Measure What Matters
What is it that you really want in your business right NOW. Do you want to grow your list size, month to date profit, open rate on emails, or something else? If you want to get anywhere the first step is to have clarity on where you are going.
The second step is to develop a system for tracking it and follow that system fanatically. You will be amazed at what a difference it makes to simply pay attention in a conscious way to the thing you are trying to change. Focus on ROI - Not Just Passion
Yes, following your heart is important. But sometimes we can get so caught up in doing so, that we forget about the bottom line. We must make sure our efforts are not just busywork, but will also help us achieve profit. Equally important is to focus on our energy on marketable ideas and plans. Once we bring in enough revenue, it makes it much easier to have the freedom to experiment.
If you are not sure what will give return on investment, then check out Pat Flynn's new book "Will It Fly" for a great system for validating your ideas. Take Consistent Action Every Day
Build business muscles (akin to core muscles) that help you leverage your time and talent. That consistent exercise really makes a difference when we apply it every single day.
• Use our heads to problem solve and not get overwhelmed or carried away • Use our bodies to ground and increase our confidence when needed Be Persistent
Allow for Iterations (the spiral) - don’t wait to be ready, don’t work for perfection, allow yourself to grow into your role. Know that it is okay to jump in and get started even if you don't feel ready. My book was something I did, even though I didn't feel ready. Now I am updating the cover and other things for the next iteration. But in the meantime I am able to start seeing success because I created something and got it out there!
Be persistent! Know Your Strengths
Don't bother trying to prop up your weaknesses. Know what they are and find other people who shine in those areas. Instead, find your strengths. Kolbe A Index and Strengths Finder 2.0 are both great resources! (See Nancy's special offer below to maximize the value of these.)
Are You Ready to Get Your Power On?
During our mastermind breakout session we discussed the following questions:
a. How do you best achieve your business goals currently? what are you already doing that’s working well? (consistent action, speaking, making calls, writing blog posts, networking, etc.) b. Is there anything you need to shift? get more education about? Focus on something a little different? c. Do you need to “sharpen up” or “loosen up”? Many of us may be lax in one area and overly hard on ourselves in another area. Where do you need to tighten, where could you benefit from relaxing? Special Offer!Step 1: Visit the resources page at NancyJonker.com and find a link to StrengthsFinder 2.0 and my affiliate link to KolbeA (provides me a small commission). Step 2: Contact me for a complimentary 30 minute consult to review your KolbeA and StrengthsFinder 2.0 results. Be sure to sign up for my “3 Tips to Supercharge your Confidence”! This offer is available until May 31 - so don't wait! |
