Latest / WOC and Allies: Business and Career Realtalk with Elaine Lou Cartas / 34. How October Was My Best Month in Business With No Launch, FB Blocking Me, and 6 Weeks of Vacation

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34. How October Was My Best Month in Business With No Launch, FB Blocking Me, and 6 Weeks of Vacation · WOC and Allies: Business and Career Realtalk with Elaine Lou Cartas

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: Legacy makers, I am celebrating my best month in business in the past five years based on revenue by not following anyone's rulebook where I'm copying and pasting some okay, you need to do it this way.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: I was able to do business my own way.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: And just like the title says that you saw, I have the best month in business in October 2022 with no launch, Facebook blocking me at this current time, November 9th, 2022.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: I cannot post or comment on anything right now.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: And I've had six weeks of vacation this past year.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: So don't worry, this is not gonna be I had my best but then business overnight success story.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: I want to share the behind the scenes of what I had to do that led me up to this because it was a lot of work.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not talking necessarily just even about the strategy, but the personal things I had to work on and even heal.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: I'll share the lessons and mistakes and what you can do to learn from my journey and how you can take it away and take your own aligned actions.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: Don't worry, this is not some cookie-cutter approach on how you can have the best business of your life.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: This is on how you get to choose and have agency on how you can live a successful and sustainable business and life.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: My intention and goal for this episode, and actually all of my episodes, is for you to have confidence that you can create a business and life that is aligned to you.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: So let's drop the B.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: Hey legacy maker, I'm your host and MC, Elaine Lucartis, business and career coach for Women of Color and Allies.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: And welcome to the Call Your Dreams Podcast, where we have conscious conversations to help you create a business or career that is sustainable, abundant, and equitable to the lifestyle you deserve.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: Because our ancestors sacrificed so much so we can have this life of choice.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: Now, grab your coffee, tea, and boba, and let's call your dreams to create your legacy.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: So you're probably like, Elaine, I want you to drop the tea.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: How the hell did you have the best month in business with no launch, Facebook blocking you, and having six days of vacation?
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: So, like I said earlier in the intro, this was not an overnight success story.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I will share at the end of last year, actually all of last year, I was finding myself burnt out.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: I couldn't sustain the business I created in the past at that time, four years.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe because I'm older, the pandemic, or I just wasn't aligned anymore.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's a combination of all of it.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I also want to share, I am not bashing the business I did create prior to this.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's so it's an evolution.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: I'm very grateful for how I have created my business.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: I have made mistakes, but it led me to where I'm at right now.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: And what I want to share with you is that just like your life and in your business, it will evolve.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: We are human beings.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: I think about how my dream job back when I was a teenager, I wanted to be a waitress.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: I actually never ended up becoming a waitress.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: So I guess you could say I was a failure, but I never became one.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: Thought I wanted to be a therapist.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: Oh wow, I got a ton of problems because I started going to therapy myself.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: And thought I wanted to be a politician, became a grassroots organizer, a fundraiser, and I here you are, podcast host, sharing with you all my trials and tribulations of business and life.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: All right, I feel like I'm digressing, so let me go back.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: I actually want to refer back to an old podcast episode I recorded back on April 4th, 2022.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: I dropped my ninth episode called Why I'm Ending My Mastermind and How I'm Simplifying My Business So You Can Too.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: That was seven months ago from the time I'm currently recording this podcast episode, and it's November 2022.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: See, I knew I was burnt out last year.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: And in the beginning of this year, I felt like I couldn't really move forward.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: You know, when you try to do something, but it feels visceral, like you want to throw up.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: Like I can't keep doing this.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: I can't keep doing the free monthly events or just posting all the time.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: It I felt it in my body that something had to change.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: And so back in April, I do recommend listening to that episode because what I love, it just kind of shows I planted that seed for myself on how I could simplify my business in life.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: And now, really, the reason why I had a successful month in October was because of those intentional choices and decisions that I made in the beginning of this year.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: Because if it wasn't for that, I wouldn't be here talking about how just I'm so happy and not necessarily happy because yes, I've made so much money, but the way I made it and how aligned it felt.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: It was really understanding and learning how I can honor me and my voice.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: So I'll warn you, you're probably here like, okay, like teach me all the strategies.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: What can I do to quickly make all this money?
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: And yes, there will be some strategies in here, but it's a lot of personal work I had to do for myself.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to share the answers that came out of me were deep questions where I had to really pause about it.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_00: So in this episode, if you haven't listened to any of my episodes before, I will be asking you deep questions.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: The questions I had to do for myself, the process I had to do for myself, and just know it is okay that your answers are different from mine.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: And yes, I will be sharing some strategies, but these questions are hard in a way where you actually have to ask yourself, wait, what's my answer?
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: And what can I do to honor it?
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_00: And is it really what other people want for me?
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: So I have seven tips on how you can also have a successful month in your business.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: But in reality, how you can have a successful business that is aligned and sustainable to you.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: So the first thing that I did to have an incredible month is being honest with your limited time.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm not just saying limited time in terms of, okay, there is 12 months in a year, but the limited time you have on this earth, I know I'm going deep and philosophical.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: So I've shared this in other emails.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: I have probably shared it in a couple of podcast episodes.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to share this book again.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: This has been a life-changing book this past year, 4,000 weeks, Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Berkman.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: I'll put it in the show notes.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: You could buy it anywhere.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: And it really talks about time, where unfortunately, living in a capitalistic society, we are trying to cheat time, trying to figure out how we can do everything.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: But the reality is we can't.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: We have one life, we have 4,000 weeks to live.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: And the word decide in Latin means to cut everything else off.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: So when you are deciding, you're making a choice to put something as a priority and acknowledging that everything else is not a priority.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: So with me sharing this first tip of being honest with your limited time, I want you to ask yourself, what is the one thing that is important for you to focus on professionally?
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: And one thing that is important for you to focus on personally.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_00: So for me, professionally, was how can I make things more simple in my business?
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: What is my capacity?
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: I knew I couldn't do monthly events anymore.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: So I made a decision.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: I will do two in-person retreats that I do with my one-to-one and color dreams inner circle clients a year.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_00: That's the capacity I have at the minimum.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: If I want to do anything extra, I will, but that is the commitment that I will create for myself.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: What I also wanted to do professionally is yes, even though I'm not doing the monthly in-person events, I have this podcast that you're listening to.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: I used to do weekly, scaled it down, doing it bi-weekly.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's interesting.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: I met with my team, like, okay, do you think you could go back to weekly?
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: Do you think you could go back to weekly?
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: And you saw I was like, nope, this is my capacity.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: And what's so insane and crazy to me is that I think it was back in the summer.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it was back in August before I had my vacations to Tahoe, Mammoth, Scotland, and Hawaii.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_00: We're like, I can't do weekly anymore.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: I have to do bi-weekly.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I felt like I was rewarded by acknowledging the limited time I have to scaling that back.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: That doing less podcast episodes, doing less newsletters every week.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_00: I had 15 sales calls in October.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: That's insane.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_00: Even as I am recording this right now, we're currently serving 15 clients.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: I have one nonprofit client.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: It's unofficial yet, but there's a big publication that I'm also part of.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_00: I also was asked to do a guest speaking gig.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: It's insane when I'm saying just things are coming to me.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: But at the same time, it's because I've made time for it.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: And when we're talking about being honest with limited time, who is draining your time?
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe there's certain clients, certain people in your personal life who you're probably choosing to still drain your time.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: And just know that time is being taken up by them.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: And when you let go of that, imagine the opportunities that may come to you.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm going to go back to that question as we're talking about being honest with your limited time.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: What's one thing that's important to you professionally that you want done?
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_00: And one thing that's important to you personally.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_00: And then for me personally, it was going on vacation and six weeks of vacation.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_00: Second tip.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm so glad this is being acknowledged and recognized and accepted in today's society, but it is taking care of your mental health.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: Back in, I want to say the beginning of the year in March, you probably relate.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: I know a lot of people that have gone back to therapy are looking to go back to therapy because of the pandemic.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: I remember I would just cry randomly.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_00: And it wasn't like I was being triggered where I got into a car accident or someone said something.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: I would just cry.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: It was just too much anxiety.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I knew it was because I was not aligned.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_00: So I had to take care of my mental health.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_00: I went back to therapy, going back to doing EMDR therapy because I was acknowledging I wasn't honoring my voice, and I was listening to all these experts and what the industry was telling me to do.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: And also, there's nothing wrong, obviously, with hiring coaches and mentors.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: I'm a coach, but I was acknowledging I was just doing what they told me to do and never ask, wait, does this align with me?
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_00: That was a hard thing.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_00: And a lot of the work I had to do at therapy, and yes, I'm being super vulnerable, was oh, I've been conditioned just my whole life and taught as a first-generation immigrant was needed to be successful and happy, right?
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_00: Like straight A's, be valedictorian.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_00: Did all of that.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_00: And it wasn't until I got my master's where I realized, oh, I'm following everyone else's expectations and their suggestions and not listening to myself.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_00: So I went through healing through that.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: But it was fascinating because I felt like I did it again in this other context.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_00: Because I decided to build my business so I could have that freedom of choice.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: Yet, even though I have built this business, I was just listening too much of how to do it.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_00: And that's okay, right?
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_00: To get that advice.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: But I never questioned, wait, the advice that I've received on how to do it, have ever have I ever asked myself, does that align to me?
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: Does that feel good?
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: Does that make me feel safe?
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_00: So I had to do a lot of healing in that.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: And also realizing for those of you that have worked on like your younger self, your past self, the child work, where, you know, growing up in my household, I was a parent at a young age, right?
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: It was like parenting my parents and then me being the oldest of my two brothers.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_00: So it was there was a pressure from two different generations where I didn't get to really live out being a child and having that fun and playfulness.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm just so grateful I was able, I have been able to take care of my mental health and see a therapist.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, my therapist fired me.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what?
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_00: Are you that crazy, Elaine?
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, I am crazy to answer that question.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_00: But I actually appreciate her integrity.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_00: But it was Halloween October 31st, where my therapist was like, I think you're good.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_00: Your goal was how can you honor your voice?
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_00: And you've healed that.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_00: And you know what I took away from that?
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_00: I really appreciated the ethics and the integrity of how she let me go because I've accomplished the goal that I needed to receive.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: Mind you, life happens.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I told her, I know I'm gonna need tune-ups.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: I know I can't control the things that are gonna happen to my life, so I will go back to you when I need to.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_00: So, my question to you are you taking your care of yourself?
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_00: Do you need to see a therapist, a psychiatrist, or maybe you don't need that?
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you need to talk to a friend.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: Do what you need to do to take care of you.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_00: And you'll be surprised, even talking with friends, that you may not be alone and thinking the thoughts that you have.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_00: So the third tip is get clear on the life you want to live.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_00: How does that look like?
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_00: I just don't appreciate.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, I feel like I'm bashing.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_00: Like in the coaching industry, you'll see, oh, have everything you want.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: Have all these luxury brands and items.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_00: And I've been raised to, yes, make the most out of money, but I've just learned, well, there's certain things I do want that I will spend money on.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like I love staying at nice hotels, but I also don't need a super nice car.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_00: Actually, I would rather have a Toyota or a Honda that's gonna last a long time.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_00: What I'm sharing with that is that the definition of success and happiness, you get to define that.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_00: The life I want to lend is being able to really experience experiences, going on adventures, traveling.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_00: That's why, like not being on all the time.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_00: I think about how in the beginning of my business, that was so ridiculous.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_00: How the hell did I do Facebook lives every single day?
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_00: What's hilarious is now Facebook has blocked me.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: Like I said, I should be able to go back and posting, but I'm not even sure if I want to, but I digress.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_00: So I did small things, like started off locally this past year, going to Joshua Tree, Vegas, Tahoe, Mammoth.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_00: And then it's September.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_00: I had beautiful trips to Scotland because my friend was getting married and Hawaii.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_00: And there's this moment.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_00: I was hiking in Mammoth.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_00: I was seeing these three beautiful lakes.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_00: The elevation is so high, so I was like really struggling with breathing.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_00: And I looked down at beautiful mountains, the lakes, and the trees, and I realized, wow, why is it living in society and today we work so hard so we can have vacations and breaks?
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_00: But our ancestors actually got to live this every day.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_00: Being in nature.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_00: No, there's this chase of like, I want to make X amount of dollar, more, more, more, more.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_00: But when you think about and reflect, the best memories weren't even those like quote unquote luxurious moments.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_00: Those best memories is when I was there looking down at the lakes and the mountains with my boyfriend.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_00: That was a free hike.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, sure, we had to pay for gas to drive to Mammoth.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_00: The best moments are when I'm with my nephew and I see him laughing and smiling at just life and being around other people.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_00: And to also tell my nephew is an extrovert like me.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_00: But that's the life I want to live.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's being present.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_00: So, what's the life you want to live?
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_00: And another question to ask Is your business or career supporting that?
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_00: I will be honest, I was like caught up in I need to do more, I need to hit these numbers.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, well, what's the point if I'm not even having this time to have a vacation break?
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_00: So, what's life you want to live?
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_00: And what are steps you can do?
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you do want to take more time off.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_00: So, can you go schedule something, even if it's local?
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_00: Like, even this month, it's November when I'm recording this.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna do small trips with my boyfriend to Santa Barbara and Vegas.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_00: It's nowhere far, but we also know mentally and emotionally we need to go on vacation breaks.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_00: All right, the fourth tip is there's a little strategy in this one, so I think you'll enjoy it.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_00: Is who are you meant to work with?
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_00: Who do you want to work with?
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_00: Because you're not meant for everyone.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_00: For me, I had to be very clear who I wanted to work with even more in each down.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_00: I want to work with women of color and allies who want to create a sustainable and equitable future, working with coaches and consultants that want to create a career in life that are healthily intertwined, that it's not just all about money and they get to define what success and wealth look like that is beyond money.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_00: And they're tired, as you're hearing the theme of it, they're tired of choosing between what works over what they really want.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_00: So who are you meant to work with?
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_00: And more specifically, what values do they have in common with you?
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_00: The fifth tip is do things that feel good for you in your business and life.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I'll share personally.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_00: I love, I mean, I started doing Muay Thai, which is Thai kickboxing when I was 16.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: I just went out to dinner with my old boss last night.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_00: And she's like, Oh, how are you doing?
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_00: Are you still doing box?
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_00: Like, no, I just don't have enough energy for that.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_00: I'm doing hot yoga right now.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_00: That is what I feel called to do.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_00: There was another time, I think like last week, where I just knew I had all these calls because I onboarded these clients.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, oh, they feel so groggy.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_00: What can I do?
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_00: Go do soul cycle.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_00: And also acknowledging what no longer feels good for you doing anymore in your business.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_00: And what do you feel called to do that may be different?
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_00: And there's nothing bad or wrong when you want to shift, when you no longer want to do the things you don't want to do.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't mean you've given up.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_00: That just means you've evolved.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_00: Like I said, I don't do the monthly events.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_00: I used to posting every day.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_00: What I do now is just what you're hearing right now.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_00: I do bi-weekly podcast episodes, doing two retreats a year, and just focusing on how can I get more clients easily?
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_00: And what I'm really grateful for, and it kind of goes to the next tip, is like focusing on Google SEO so that when people are finding me, or they are finding me and they're coming to me as opposed to I have to create all of this content.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_00: So what are things that no longer feel good to you that you can let go of?
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_00: What are things that you're curious about that you could start doing?
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_00: And so, number six, especially since you know, Facebook has blocked me, literally on and off this past year.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_00: If something breaks in your business, like aka Facebook blocking me, ask yourself, was it even getting you clients?
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_00: Do you really need to fix it?
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_00: And was it bringing you joy?
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_00: And how do you know that?
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_00: Look at your numbers.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, you knew I was gonna ask you if you looked at your numbers.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_00: So as of today, November 9th of 2022, I told you I keep track of my numbers.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_00: I do it once a week.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_00: 70% of my company's revenue comes from referrals or deals.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_00: And what has increased is 25% is from Google, I see on 5% Instagram.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_00: That is what works.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_00: Did you hear if it was Facebook?
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_00: No, it wasn't Facebook.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_00: So it was interesting.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_00: I was freaking out.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_00: Like, oh my God, they keep blocking me.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, well, why should I be so concerned if that's not even how.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: I get my clients and looking at what is working, how can I even make that better?
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_00: So, even with Google SEO, for example, I work with Audris Aguero, who I could put in my show notes if you're interested in working for someone.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_00: And I was even focused on how can I make it better.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_00: So, even working on my optimization on my website.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_00: The reason why I knew Google SEO was going to align to me more so than using other social media platforms is because I just knew I couldn't sustain myself by creating content every single day and feeding into an algorithm, feeding into another company's goals.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_00: And I know with my website, that is my property that I get to create.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_00: Just like with emails, sending my newsletters every other week.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_00: And if you haven't joined my newsletter, you can go to Lameo.com slash join.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_00: Just put your name and email.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_00: And the podcast.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_00: Like this is my intellectual property that I get to own.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_00: And my clients have a choice if they want to consume the information and it's not from an algorithm.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_00: You're choosing to listen to me.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_00: It aligns with all of my values.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_00: And that's what I'm focusing on because it one feels good.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_00: And two, it shows in my numbers.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_00: And I love that when it comes to focusing on referrals, renewals, and Google SEO, it has a lot to do with client satisfaction and client results.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm focused on that, asking for feedback on how I can improve for my clients.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_00: So the seventh tip, and I've alluded to it earlier in this episode, is are you doing things just because people are telling you to do it and they're seen as an expert?
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_00: Or are you also listening to them and honoring their voice?
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_00: There's no problem getting advice from experts and coaches.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, I am a coach, but I just want to make sure whoever you are getting advice from, are they reminding you that you are having choice in agency, that whatever strategy you need to do, that that feels aligned to you, that you're being asked if that's okay with you and you feel safe enough if it is not, and sharing that and expressing it.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_00: I'll give an example.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_00: I was talking to someone who potentially wants to work with me.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_00: And I shared a template on how you could look at clients, like observe your ideal clients and what patterns they have.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_00: And it's a spreadsheet.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_00: And she shared with me, you know, this spreadsheet just doesn't resonate with me.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't work.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I told her, I am so glad you shared with me it doesn't work.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_00: And just know it's just there as a guide.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_00: And if it doesn't work for you, figure out something that will.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm really glad you shared that it doesn't.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_00: So I share that because I remind you when you're just kind of frustrated, like, oh, why is this not working?
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I know that this has been successful for other people, but it's not for me.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe that is the case.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_00: And it's finding out what is going to be successful for you.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_00: So you might also be asking, like, okay, wait, how did you get clients if you didn't do a launch?
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_00: Because I've been working up to this point.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like I said, going back to my numbers, 70% referrals and renewals, 25% Google SEO, 5% Instagram.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_00: All I did was I was consistent and for like, okay, how often?
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_00: How often were you consistent connecting with people and focusing on Google Assy on Instagram?
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_00: You get to define what consistency is.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_00: So with my referrals and renewals, it was just easy because I just continue to serve, making sure my clients are satisfied and getting the results they deserve.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_00: With Google SEO, is yes, I have to create blog posts, but that consistency is like once a month.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_00: I'm also sending out emails every other week.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_00: So that's twice a month.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_00: And then my podcast also helps with that, which is every other week.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_00: So it's like saving for a car, a wedding, a home.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_00: It just added up because I defined what my consistency was in serving and creating content.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_00: It all added up to October.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_00: So I made that decision to simplify things in my business back in April.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_00: That was seven months ago.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_00: You're seeing the success of the work I started doing seven months ago to now, where I simplified things, figured out what my consistency was by doing less.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_00: And it's crazy to me because I was getting sales calls scheduled while I was in Scotland and Hawaii when I came back from my vacation in October.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_00: I had 15 sales calls scheduled.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_00: As I am talking to you and eight sales calls scheduled of people who want to work with me.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_00: In addition to that, like I said, I have vacations planned this month going to Santa Barbara and Vegas.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_00: And I have the last two weeks off of this year.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_00: Because I figured out what is aligned to me and made me feel good to do in my business.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I got to define what consistency is for me.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_00: So wrapping, like thinking about that is what is consistency for you?
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_00: What is working right now in your business?
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_00: What do you want to keep?
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_00: What do you not want to keep?
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_00: What is your energetic capacity of what you can put out?
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_00: And be honest with yourself.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_00: When given advice, are you truly honoring your voice?
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_00: And where are you not honoring your voice?
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_00: What can you do to empower that voice?
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm not saying it has to be strategy.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it is seeing a therapist for you.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it is talking to a friend.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it is just journaling and asking yourself, does this feel good if I go move forward with this?
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're surprised and saying, Elaine, what the hell?
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_00: Where's all the strategy?
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_00: I wanted a strategy.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_00: You know, there was a lot of deep personal questions that you asked because it was deep personal questions I had to ask myself.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_00: And it unfolded.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_00: And to be honest, there was a lot of frustration I had in this process.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like, God, long is this going to take?
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_00: Not necessarily in the money piece on getting so much revenue, but in terms of my anxiety.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, when is my anxiety going away?
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_00: That was my measurement.
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_00: When is this going away?
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_00: And it got more confident, my voice, as I just honored doing things that felt good to me and letting go of other people's expectations and shoulds.
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_00: You should do this.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_00: Stop shoulding all of yourself.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_00: What do you want to do?
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_00: So, as you know, I always love ending episodes with reflections and action items.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm basically going to sum up the seven tips or questions that I have shared in this whole episode.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_00: So, one, you, my friend, have limited time.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_00: I have limited time.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_00: You have 4,000 weeks by the book.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_00: What's one important thing you need to do both professionally and personally?
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_00: So that's one.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_00: Second question.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_00: What are you doing to take care of your mental health?
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_00: Do you need to see a therapist?
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_00: Do you need to make sure you need to walk once a day outside, talk to a friend, journal, work out?
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_00: What are you doing to take care of your mental health?
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_00: And I can't emphasize that enough.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_00: I am so grateful for my therapist and specifically doing EMDR therapists.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_00: And if you want to learn more about EMDR therapists, you could go to my, there's a blog about it.
• 29:52
  SPEAKER_00: Go to ElaineLew.com forward slash EMDR.
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_00: And if you are based in the California area and you are looking for an incredible therapist, feel free to reach out to me, email me, or send me a message on Instagram.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_00: My email is ElaineLu at elanelu.com.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_00: My Instagram's ElaineLew underscore.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_00: I'm happy to share.
• 30:15
  SPEAKER_00: Unfortunately, my therapist is licensed only in California.
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm not gonna lie, I kind of want to be selfish and not just like drop her name because what if I need to tune up and I need to call her up?
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like I don't want her to be all bugged up.
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_00: So third tip, journal.
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_00: What's the life you want to live?
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_00: Not what your parents are telling you, not what society's telling you.
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm also not saying you don't listen to what they're saying because it might be aligned to what you want, but what's the life you want to live?
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_00: And is your business and care supporting that?
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_00: Are you having the vacations you want?
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_00: Are you able to pick up your child so you can walk them to school and from school?
• 30:58
  SPEAKER_00: Are you making sure you're not having long hours at work?
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_00: Fourth tip, who are you meant to work with?
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_00: Fifth, like I said, there's seven, so don't worry, I'm almost over.
• 31:07
  SPEAKER_00: Three more.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_00: Fifth, are you doing things in your business that feels good for you?
• 31:13
  SPEAKER_00: What are things that are no longer aligned?
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_00: What are things you're curious about that you may want to start doing?
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_00: Sixth this is a strategy piece.
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_00: How are you currently getting clients and are you looking at your numbers?
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_00: And with how you are getting clients right now, what are little small tweaks you can do to improve?
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_00: For example, when I fixed having my website become faster, you can go to elanglu.com to check out my website.
• 31:39
  SPEAKER_00: Like I did little small tweaks of I used to have a one-minute video to make sure that the website loaded faster.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_00: It's now 15 seconds.
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_00: We made sure all of my photos, we decreased their size.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_00: It just was a huge ROI of more people wanting to work with me and scheduling calls with me.
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_00: And number seven, be honest with yourself.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_00: Are you honoring your voice?
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_00: And what can you do to empower that voice?
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_00: So when you're hearing this episode, yes, I had my best month in business and revenue.
• 32:09
  SPEAKER_00: But what I'm most proud of is I had my best month in business doing it my way that was sustainable, that allowed me to have six weeks of vacation up to this year.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, I can't have six weeks of vacation all in October.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_00: There's only four weeks.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_00: Where, yes, Facebook blocked me.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_00: I still had a great month in business.
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_00: And I didn't have to do a launch and post so much.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_00: I was able to figure out a way to get clients that honored my energy levels.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_00: And it actually made me feel so grateful for the choice I made back in the summer to go and to buy weekly episodes because the God, how the hell did I do weekly podcast episodes and weekly newsletters?
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_00: How did it have time and capacity?
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_00: Because there's weeks and days like even today, because I'm like, I can't do all the things.
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_00: So I hope what you take from this episode is you could break the rules of what other people are telling you to do.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_00: And you get to create them.
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_00: And hey, if the rules you made before did feel good for you, you could break the rules again and create your own.
• 33:23
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we're humans, right?
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_00: We made our own rules.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_00: You get to make your own.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_00: What feels good for you and how are you honoring your voice?
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_00: So, legacy maker, I want you to know that it's possible for you to not just having the best month in business in terms of revenue, but also creating a more aligned and sustainable business that supports your dream life.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_00: So you can be present for yourself and your family.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_00: So if you want to know how it looks like to work together, I would love to invite you to a complimentary 30-minute legacy business and review call, where together we'll examine your current business and life and create three individualized action items so you could have a more aligned and sustainable business in life.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_00: You can schedule this call by going to ElaineLew.com forward slash call.
• 34:38
  SPEAKER_00: So more women of color and allies can benefit too.
• 34:43
  SPEAKER_00: And if you have one or two friends that would get so much from this particular episode, please share.
• 34:51
  SPEAKER_00: The intention behind the Color Your Dreams podcast was to contribute and give back to our people.
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_00: All right, we'll see you next Thursday for our newest Color Your Dreams episode.
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_00: And don't forget to color your dreams too.