September 10, 2024 • 40 mins
Have you ever wondered how a broken neck could lead to a thriving career helping female entrepreneurs? Probably not .... Well let that question sink in for a moment because it is about to make sense in a moment.
In this eye-opening episode of La'Quita's Toolbox, I sit down with Philip Wride, a tech expert with an extraordinary journey from gaming enthusiast to empowering women in business.
Philip's story is nothing short of remarkable. From his early days as a 16-year-old entrepreneur in the burgeoning world of online gaming to surviving a life-altering rugby injury, his path has been anything but ordinary. But it's how he channeled these experiences into a mission to support female coaches and entrepreneurs that truly sets him apart.
A Journey of Resilience and Reinvention
Philip shares candidly about:
- His unexpected entry into entrepreneurship through online gaming communities
- The shocking moment he discovered he'd been living with a broken neck for seven weeks
- How personal setbacks led him to reevaluate his purpose and impact
Key Takeaways:
- The power of trusting your body and intuition in the face of adversity
- Why niching down can lead to more fulfilling and impactful work
- How to measure success beyond financial gain
Philip leaves us with two powerful insights that will resonate with entrepreneurs and dreamers alike. Don't miss his perspective on the relationship between happiness, freedom, and focused repetition.
Are you ready to tap into your own resilience and find your unique path to success?
This episode will inspire you to look at setbacks as opportunities and reconsider how you measure impact in your own life and business.
Connect with Philip:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipwride/
Website: https://www.chainedtochampion.com/
Connect with La'Quita:
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to Laquita's toolbox, where we
(00:09):
deliver relevant content in the form of
tools that empower entrepreneurs to
elevate personally and professionally.
Good is only good until greater is
envisioned. You know, there's another
level in you. Here we discuss the tools to
get you there. Lean in as Laquita and her
(00:33):
guests present you with strategies and
insight for unlocking your full potential
to realize your boldest dream. Welcome
back to another amazing episode of
Laquita's Toolbox. I am your host, Laquita
Mondley, and I am absolutely excited to be
with you guys once again. And I have a
fabulous guest in studio with me today and
(00:56):
his name is Philip. But before we get in
and learn all of the great things about
Philip and he blesses us with some tools,
let me take a moment to thank our sponsors
at Covenant Press. Covenant Press is a
faith based christian apparel and
accessory shop that allows believers to
shop online for the things that we like.
And if you go out to www. Covenant Dash
(01:20):
Press.com again, that's, you'll find an
abundance of clothing and accessories that
allow you to wear the message of the love
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receive savings on your purchase with
(01:42):
Covenant press. Listen, guys, you guys
know the drill. Get something to write
with and something to write on because pen
and paper, indeed, do not forget. And I
know that Phillip is going to share some
amazing tools in gems with us today that
is going to help take our businesses and
brands to the next level. But without
(02:02):
further ado, welcome to Laquita's toolbox.
Philip, how are you? I'm good, thank you,
Laquita. It's great to be here. I'm
looking forward to this conversation. Yes,
I am super excited about that as well.
Listen, I know about some of the wonderful
things that you have been doing in this, I
don't want to say e commerce space. I want
(02:23):
to say just making money online. Since you
were about 16 years old, you started out
in gaming and kind of just went from
there. Talk to us a little bit about your
journey at 16. You were a young
entrepreneur. I was a young entrepreneur,
yes. So I started with playing video games
(02:46):
online with friends from school. Now if we
see stuff in the press today about esports
and the competitions, it is a big
business. It's a multi billion dollar
business. But back in 2001, it was not the
same. But it was fun, it was exciting, it
was enjoyable. It was something new for
(03:07):
me. So I spent pretty much all of my time
in online communities, building
relationships, playing with my friends
from school. And that's what led me down
that path of being an entrepreneur because
it's like, oh, there's, there's things
that I can learn, there's things that I
can build, there's things that I can do.
So you know, from an entrepreneurial
perspective, I was building communities, I
(03:29):
was writing news articles on some of the
news sites, I was hosting my own events,
hosting online and live physical events.
So it's like, oh, you know, I just want to
try and do everything within this space
because it's so exciting. That led me to
then buying and flipping websites again
within this online gaming space. Selling
(03:51):
advertising on them, acting as a broker
for other community sites is like, guys, I
can get you advertising, let's work
together and I'll just take a percentage
of that. So those were some of the early
things that I did, helped me through
university as well. So I had a normal job,
retail job, going and selling electronics
and computers and things in one of the
(04:12):
retail stores in the UK. But then on the
side I was doing all of this gaming stuff
as well. You know, making a couple of
extra. Bits inside was a whole lot more
exciting than being in the shops selling
these games. Absolutely. It was, yeah,
because it was always changing as well.
There were new games being released, new
competitions for me to play in with my
(04:32):
teammates. Yeah, it was, it was an
exciting time. And that's a. I used to
spend 5 hours, if not more a night
practicing and being involved and having
these conversations and a million chat
windows open and getting involved in a
space that was exciting because it was
really new. Now take me back. You said
that you started this journey at 16 and
(04:55):
that was around what year again? 2001.
See, that's really, really, I'm just
thinking about it from a parent's
perspective. I'm thinking to myself, what
were my kids doing in 2001 and why weren't
they to with some of this? But, but I do,
I do have my middle son that's really into
(05:16):
gaming and has been for a long time. And I
remember as a parent thinking how in the
world are you going to go to university
for this and how are you going to make
money? And now that's what he does. He's a
beta tester for a lot of different gaming
companies and making money, doing what he
(05:40):
loves with the online community that he's
cultivated. And I'm thinking, wow, never
in a million years, you know, with growing
up during the time frame that I grew up,
would I have thought that playing duck
hunt would eventually make money? Like.
Yeah, great game there. I think it's one
(06:01):
of those things. Yeah, it's. It's a
generational shift. So, you know, for me,
in those early years, yes, it was a
struggle. The industry wasn't as developed
as it is now. So it's great to hear that
your son, you know, has been able to get a
job in the industry. He's doing something
that he enjoys for me back in those days,
yeah, my parents were like, what are you
doing? What are you doing with your time?
(06:21):
Is this constructive? Could you be doing
something else? And it wasn't until I then
started to get media attention, you know,
tv interviews, radio interviews, into the
magazines and newspapers and things like
that. They were like, okay, maybe there is
something to this. Maybe we'll just give
you a bit of grace and just see what
happens. I would that I definitely can
(06:42):
because we were often standing in the
doorway of his room saying, what are you
doing? And why aren't you doing something
else? Until the job offers came, start
coming. The contract started coming
through and said, okay, this is great. But
then in there, somewhere in there, you, in
that journey, you had an accident, a bad
(07:06):
accident that led to a shift into what
you're doing now. Can you kind of walk us
through that a little bit? Because I like
what you were doing before, and I really
like what you're doing now. Thank you. So
what I'll do then is I'll sort of skip in
sets of like ten years. So that was
obviously the early entrepreneurial
(07:27):
journey for me. That then led into setting
up my first proper business out of
university, doing consulting for brands,
doing projects for them, doing events. Did
that for a couple of years until the 2008
financial crash closed that down, went
through a couple of different jobs within
the tech industry while still doing gaming
(07:48):
stuff on the side. So there have been
periods through my life where gaming has
been front and center, and that's what
I've been focusing on, and that's been the
core of the business that I've had, or
I've been working for somebody else and
then doing the gaming stuff in the
background. So I had that first business
in 2008 and 2009. Fast forward a little
bit. I then had a tech startup myself in
(08:12):
2015. That was a mobile app for engaging
fans of the gaming teams and the events,
because that was a space I was still in
the involved in, started well, tailed off.
You know, the two teams that I got on
board, first, they were loving it. They
were seeing their fans engaged because we
had a match predictor and giveaways and
(08:34):
contents and all that sort of stuff. And
then both of those teams got acquired by
sports teams in the US, so one of them got
acquired by the Philadelphia 76 ers, and
then they were like, yeah, we don't want a
mobile strategy right now. So there's me
trying to build a tech startup, and
suddenly the two main clients that I've
got disappear because they've been
(08:55):
acquired. And I'm like, this is not really
what I was aiming for. So I tried to keep
it going, but I had to eventually make
that decision to close it down. So there
have been highs and lows on the
entrepreneurial journey. But you mentioned
the injury. Yeah. Fast forward a little
bit more. January 2020. I broke my neck
playing rugby and I didn't know it was
(09:17):
broken for seven weeks. Wait a minute, how
does that work? So, I. I've never broken
my neck, but I would think that. Talk me
through it, because I need to process what
you just said. You said seven weeks? Yeah.
So I was playing rugby, so the position I
was playing was almost like the last line
of defense, and my job was to stop the
(09:40):
opponent's scoring and I was lining
somebody up, so to try and make a tackle.
So, you know, if you're an american
football fan, there are some similarities.
You know, you in american football, you're
almost either trying to intercept or dive
on your opponent to stop them running.
Similar sort of thing. If you were the
last line of defense. Kind of sounds like
(10:01):
the position. My youngest son plays
american football, and he's what you would
call a corner. And so if the quarterback
has thrown a long pass, the person that's
going to catch it is the wide receiver. Or
if a runner has gotten loose and he's
like, if they get past him, there's nobody
(10:22):
else back there to stop them. Exactly the
same sort of thing. So one of the opposing
players broke through our line, so the
only thing standing between him and
scoring was me. So I tried to line him up
to make the tackle and take him down. I
got my head in the wrong position, so his
thigh went straight into my face, twisted
my head slightly, and we were both then
(10:43):
laid out on the ground. I got up, stumbled
to the touchline. It was actually the last
play of the game, and it's silly because
we'd already lost the game, but I was
still trying to make the tackle because
that was my job. Yeah. So I did it. I
stopped him from scoring, but in the
process took us both out, we both laid on
(11:06):
the turf. It was like, we definitely felt
that he was groggy, I was groggy, and I
couldn't move my head or my neck, but it
just felt stiff, as if I'd done a really
hard gym session and pulled all of the
muscles. So I then drove home, unable to
move my head, which was an interesting
(11:27):
experience. Cause I had to use my eyes to
try and look in my wing mirrors to see
where the traffic was. Actually turned my
head. Like, if you guys could see my face,
you would be completely laughing out loud
right now. And so, to be fair to myself,
I'm thinking about this as an american
(11:47):
driver who has driven in the UK. I lived
in the UK for about two and a half years,
and I'm thinking to myself, how did he do
that? That's very awkward. Like, I mean,
even driving here out of. I can't imagine.
But you got. You made it home safely.
Yeah, well, so I'm actually in Dubai, so
(12:10):
the traffic system over here is a lot.
It's much similar to the US system in
terms of the lights and the signals,
driving on the same side of the road. I'm
glad I wasn't in the UK, because in the UK
you have lots of narrow roads and the
roundabout, I'm. Thinking, how are you
going to all. Of those sorts of things?
Yeah. So I was fortunate in that respect.
(12:30):
But, yeah, it was a difficult drive. It
was a 40 minutes drive to get home, so it
was really slow, really steady, trying not
to make any errors because I didn't want
to make anything worse. So I managed to
get home, slept on it, then went and got a
soft collar from the pharmacy, started
wearing that, and the club that I was a
member of had access to a physio. So I
(12:53):
said, okay, let's go to the physio. I just
feel like this is just really stiff. I've
just pulled everything because of the
impact. If I go to the physio, they'll be
able to, you know, stick their thumbs in
and ease bits off and it'll all be fine.
And I did that for seven weeks. And then
the physio went. It's not really doing
anything. Maybe you should go and get some
scans. So I went to the hospital and the
(13:14):
consultant said, congratulations, you've
broken your neck. Here's what we want to
do. We want to do about probably maybe
three to 6 hours worth of surgery. So
we'll go in from the front because we want
to put a plate and screws in. So we'll go
in from the front and we'll do that for a
couple of hours, and then we'll sew that
up and we'll turn you over, and then we'll
go in from the back and we'll do the same
sort of thing and make sure that
everything's tightened up and then you'll
(13:34):
be good to go. And I was like, no, I don't
want that surgery. It sounds horrible and
I can't afford it. Wow. So I walked out
and I left it and put faith in myself that
my body was strong enough to heal, to heal
itself. So we should have another podcast
(13:57):
just about that, because that right there
is a powerful story. You broke your neck
playing rugby. You didn't realize for
seven weeks that it was broken. And then
you made an amazing decision after seeking
medical assistance, finding out,
(14:18):
confirming, yes, the neck is broken, they
give you their professional opinions on
what need to be done. And then you said to
yourself, I'm not going to do that. Yeah,
I'm not going to do that. And I'm going to
have faith and trust and believe that my
body will properly heal itself. And so I'm
(14:39):
just going to step out here on a limb and
say, obviously it did do that. Or is there
some more pieces to that? Yeah. So this
was just before COVID so we can go talk
about the COVID situation as well. Going
through that, obviously had the soft
collar a lot of the time. It was. There's
not much else I can do now. I'm putting
(14:59):
the faith in my body. You know, I'll feed
it, I'll try and get the rest. I'll do all
those things that it's going to need to
support it whilst I was dealing with COVID
and the lockdowns and trying to keep the
business going. But 18 months after that
initial consultation, I went to get
another set of scans because, yes, things
had eased off. I could start to move my
head and neck again. After a couple of
(15:20):
months, I was like, okay, this is okay now
I feel generally okay. So, yes, I still
waited 18 months because of the lockdowns
and financial situations and things like
that, to go and get another set of scans.
Different consultant, another specialist
who had worked with a lot of sports
injuries, so was aware of this sort of
thing. He'd done some research because I
(15:42):
actually went to a sports physio in the
hospital who had worked with some of the
professional team. So he'd worked with,
like, the south african rugby team. Okay,
he was south african. So again, had that
understanding and appreciation of the type
of injuries that you get playing rugby or
that can happen. So he referred me into
this sort of spinal consultants who did
(16:04):
some research, and then when I sat down in
front of him, he was like, I could not
find any stories like yours. Normally,
people wait three weeks and get surgery. I
couldn't find anybody silly enough to not
have surgery. So I was like, okay, well,
that's a good start. So tell me about the
scans that we've just done. It was like,
(16:24):
what a way to. It's a miracle because your
body has grown new bone around the brake.
You have the range of movements and the
strength as if nothing had happened. Wow.
The only slight niggle is that because of
the impact and, you know, his thigh went
(16:44):
straight into my face and turned my head
slightly. My head, yes. Is not now
centered. It is twisted slightly to the
right, and that means that it's impinging
the nerve. So I get some sharp shooting
pains in my right shoulder and into my
right chest every now and again. But apart
from that, it's all fine. Wow. So my body
has been able to heal that break, and I've
(17:05):
got pictures of the scans, and you can see
what's a normal vertebrae, what's mine,
where it's grown new bone around that
break. Wow. Like, you have to be an
interesting case study, medical case study
for that. Wow. And it's hard to leave that
(17:26):
story and go into what you're doing now,
because my mind is just racing, but I'm
gonna do. I'm gonna be disciplined, and
I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna do it because
that was a significant piece that led you
to the current journey that you're on and
how you're helping female entrepreneurs,
but still within the tech space. Talk to
(17:47):
us about that transition. Yeah. So that
injury and the lockdowns and losing 50% of
my business because of COVID and not being
able to do events and things. I got to a
point in 2021 and started my own personal
development journey of, I need to make
some changes here. There's got to be more
to life than this. I've just survived the
injury, just survived Covid. What happens
(18:07):
next? So started personal developments.
First course that I took, it was a YouTube
video. I was watching a YouTube video.
There was an advert that came up for a
course. I was like, what have I got to
lose? Okay. Clicked it, bought it, started
it. And one of the first questions was
like, so what impact and contribution have
you made and what's going to be said at
your funeral? And it's like, ah, that's
(18:29):
not quite what I was expecting from this
course, but yes, it's, it's an interesting
question and I think that's one of the
biggest catalysts. Yes, I. Obviously the
injury started me thinking there's got to
be more, put everything else in a
different light. The work that I'd been
doing, the business that I had, is like,
there's no impact to contribution there.
(18:50):
So I started asking myself how can I use
my skills and experience and what I've
done, whether it's in gaming or in tech?
So for the next year I actually focused on
the gaming stuff. So I started creating
resources at maths resources based on
video games for young kids because my
partner is a teacher. So I created maths
resources based on Roblox and Minecraft
(19:13):
and FIFA and Fortnight and among us, you
know, those sorts of games that are
popular at the five to twelve year age
brackets. But then there are a couple of
things that happened on the back of that.
So, you know, I wrote the first book.
First book led to the second book. And
then now I. After doing some work within
(19:34):
that space and helping a couple of people,
I believe the universe has a plan based on
everything that's happened to me. And I
got to that point where there were several
people coming up and almost slapping me in
the face. Metaphorical slapping me in the
face. Not actually physically because that
would be quite painful. But it's like,
(19:55):
Phil, you've got skills and experience
here that you can use to help people. Why
are you nothing doing that? And this was
all the tech stuff because I've been doing
it for 20 years. I was like, I'm not sure
I want to do that. But I got to that point
of realizing it's like what you don't want
to do is what you're currently doing. It's
not necessarily the tech that's the issue,
it's how you are using it and who you are
(20:17):
serving. That's real good. If you change
that, you can use those skills and
experience, you reframe it and actually it
becomes a very different experience. So
now I am focusing on supporting
predominantly female coaches because I am
a coach myself. I have a book, I have a
course, all that sort of stuff. So it's
(20:38):
helping female coaches with their sales
pages, their email automations, their tech
systems, so that they don't have to worry
about all of that because that's my
superpower. And so that they can then
spend their time serving their clients.
How having more impact, having that time
with family and friends and doing all the
things that they want to do rather than
spending 90 million hour fighting with
(21:00):
pieces of software and trying to get them
to work because that's not a good use of
their time. It is not. And it gives. So I
was the individual that did that and it
was no fun at all and counterproductive.
It does not save money. It actually costs
a ton of money to try to diy it. If you're
(21:24):
not already tech savvy. Yeah, I say some
people, they want to take it on themselves
because they enjoy that journey of trying
to learn and piece things together.
Others, you know, you've probably been in
this experience yourself. Sometimes you'll
pay for speed, you'll pay for somebody
else's expertise because they can do it
for you and do it in a way that would
(21:47):
potentially be far beyond what you could
get to in a reasonable space of time.
Because like anything, there are levels of
learning. You know, I can't be a superstar
athlete overnight. That would take a lot
of training, but I can get a coach to
support me in if, you know, if that's one
of the things I wanted to do. I could
eventually get there with support, but
(22:07):
doing it on my own, chances are I would
never get there. Would never get there.
Would never get there. Because most, most
successful individuals have a coach and a
mentor. And a lot of super successful
individuals have coaches in different
areas that have different areas of
expertise that help them in just, you
(22:30):
know, one area of their life or one area
of their business. And so, yeah, having
someone on that journey with you is a key
to, I don't want to say a key to rapid
success. I'll say a key to sustainable
success where it's not a one off, you
know, situation, but it's something that
sustains and continues to grow. And so
(22:51):
you've, you've stepped into that space of
teaching female coaches or helping female
coaches or female entrepreneurs with their
tech. And I think I asked you this in the
1000% positive I did. How did you tap into
(23:11):
the power of female entrepreneurs? Like,
we are an amazing group in and of
ourselves and so how did you get to that
place where you identified that we have,
that we are the niche that has the need
and understands that we have the need?
Great question. I mean, you've partially
answered it that because you're an amazing
group. So there are three reasons. The
(23:36):
first is my mum. So she has been an
entrepreneur herself. She's had her own
businesses over the years as well as
corporate jobs. And I have built at least
four websites for either her businesses or
her employers. So every time that she's in
that situation, she's like, Phil, I know
(23:57):
you've got the experience here. Can you
help me? And, like, of course I can. So
I've already got that experience of
working with, you know, female
entrepreneurs, if we use that term. The
second reason, more recently, I have
helped a couple of female coaches. So
(24:20):
building their sales funnels, building
their automations, helping them piece the
different bits together so that, again,
they can then take the next step up their
business. And the third reason is energy.
Now, that may sound silly coming from a
guy, but when I released my book, when I
started putting content out, the
conversations that I have at events, it's
(24:43):
been the ladies who have connected with
that. The majority of the reviews on my
book are from women, the majority of
comments on my content from women. So I'm
leaning into that, say, there must be
something about my style other than the
fact that I still look 16. But, you know,
it's probably not that. You can add that
(25:04):
to it because you look quite young. Thank
you. Yeah, I turn 40 in October, so I'm
not sure I'm quite looking like that yet,
but just that energy. I find it much
easier to have conversations, work with
women because the energy is very
different. You know, I've been in a rugby
(25:26):
situation, playing in teams, and felt like
the outsider because I didn't want to go
drinking all night. I wasn't full of
bravado. You know, that's just not me.
Yes, obviously there is some masculinity
there, but from an energy perspective, I
just find it's a much better connection
with women. Yeah, there tons of
(25:46):
masculinity. Not to say that there aren't
female rugby players, but I believe their
male energies are. You know, the masculine
energies are quite higher than. I don't
mind watching american football or rugby,
but I don't want to play it. I enjoy
watching american football. Yeah, I mean,
but I don't want to play it. Like, my
(26:07):
husband and my sons, they played it. They
love it. I want to play it, but then have
some friends that love playing female
football. So. But, yeah, that. That. For
you to have that journey and. And say
that, okay, it started with the help that
(26:27):
you were able to give your mom, not only
in her entrepreneurial journey, but, you
know, because you are so great at what you
do. The companies and her corporate
careers have noticed that and said, hey,
we want him to. And now that you've
written a book, you've done the courses,
and obviously you're a person that
(26:48):
understands looking at the data, and as
you look back at the data, you saw that
your ideal audience was turning out to be
female entrepreneurs. And not only were
they loving what you were putting out, but
you were also benefiting from the energy
(27:09):
being in that place. Because I read a post
that you did on LinkedIn recently where
you were speaking about how you had to
fire one of your biggest clients. That's
scary. And, yep, it's amazing that you had
that walk, that that walk away power with
that. But being able to be in that, being
(27:30):
able to be confident enough in who you are
and what you do, that you can do that and
say that, okay, that same type of
confidence that you had to walk away from
that very high paying client is the same
type of confidence for me, is what I'm
hearing that you had when you said, okay,
I've identified this audience, and this is
the audience that makes me feel good about
the work that I do. So I want to continue
(27:51):
to work with them. That's kind of what I'm
feeling. What I'm feeling here. Or am I
off? No, absolutely. I think it's. It's
answering that question internally. What
feels right. Can I go and work with guys?
Absolutely. Would it be a very different
experience? Probably. Would it be
(28:13):
something that I would feel 100%
comfortable doing? Probably not. I've
worked in tech generally. That's a guy,
heavy industry. I've already been in those
spaces. The changes that I've made in my
own life, the experiences that I've had,
it's like, okay, what can I see myself
(28:34):
doing for the next 20 years? Who is it
that I want to help? And that's where it's
like, yes, I am going super specific with
what feels comfortable. Five years down
the line, something else may change, and
we'll see what happens then. But for right
now, this is what feels right. Just to
expand on that a little bit, it's not just
(28:59):
about the tech. The tech is the first
thing, because that's the skills and
experience that I've got. But it's about
helping them have that impact. Because if
I can help them have impact, I'm able to
have indirect impact, which helps me
answer the question that I got asked on
that first personal development course. So
that's where I'm looking and say, you know
(29:20):
what? Maybe I only work with 100. If I
work with 100, I can work with them more
closely. I can support them with more than
just the tech. I can support them with all
of the ups and downs of the business.
Experiences that I've had over the years
and help them to have more impact. That's
good. That's real good. So in that
(29:42):
statement, I'm just really hearing a
person that has a heart to serve. When you
took that course, and that question was
there, it impacted you in such a way that
not to say that you didn't have a heart of
service before, because you obviously did.
That's the reason why that question was so
powerful for you. And now what I hear you
(30:05):
saying is not only are you understanding
that the spending power of the female
entrepreneur in that we will invest in the
things that we know that we need to make,
you know, to be sustainable and to scale,
but you're also saying that you are
(30:26):
willing to not only just niche it down,
but to be specific and keep a smaller
group of clients so that you'll be in a
better position to serve them in a more
holistic manner outside of tech. Yes,
absolutely. Yes. To give you some examples
of, you know, what I'm thinking for here
(30:46):
is, like, I want to have my own live
events that are related to the book. Okay.
Because, you know, I have a model and a
framework for helping people find more
freedom in their life. That's what the
book is about. But. But if I have this,
you know, almost inner circle of female
coaches or entrepreneurs that I'm working
with, well, then I. There's a platform for
them to be a guest speaker, join me on
(31:07):
those events, promote themselves. You
know, it then becomes about more than just
the tech I can come in, you know, first
and foremost, yes, let's get that all set
up because it can support you in growing
your business. But once that's all done,
what else can I help you with? How else
can I help you grow and expand what it is
that you're doing so you can have more
impact? Wow. Wow. So you. You really have
(31:32):
a heart for your clients to grow
personally and professionally, and you're
willing to give more of yourself to help
them do that because. So it sounds like
you're saying that the biggest win for you
is not the income that you earn from
helping the clients, but it's the joy that
(31:54):
you receive when you see them hit their
marks. Yeah. And that's the whole thing.
The systems can help you do that because
you can measure it. You get the data, you
can see what's working and what's not. You
can start to tweak things and you can see
that progression. And for me, that's one
of the key things because it's. Then I can
look and go. The time that I have spent
(32:18):
has been beneficial. I have helped people.
I can see that there is a return there,
aside from the financial stuff, because,
yes, we all love that. Helps pay the bills
and keep the lights on. Absolutely. But
it's about, I can see that this person,
they've grown their business, they've
changed their family's life, they've
impacted their clients. That is what it's
(32:39):
all about. Wow. That is wonderful. That is
wonderful. Listen, I know that people are
sitting here taking notes and just being
in awe of your story and your journey that
you were able to share with us today. But
look, I need you to tell them, how can the
Laquita's toolbox audience connect with
(33:01):
you and reach out to you to find out more
about the services that you provide? So
two of the main ways, you know, if you're
a fan of social media and having those
conversations, Facebook and LinkedIn are
my main two platforms. I do have profiles
elsewhere, but they're nothing, not as
active. I don't feel comfortable with
(33:21):
them. And then there are a couple of other
resources. So aside from the tech stuff,
because that is more of a conversation to
understand where you are, what you're
currently using, all that sort of stuff,
there is a free resource that are created
in relation to the book. So if you're an
audio listener and you enjoy that, whether
(33:42):
while you're walking or sitting in the
park or driving to work. I've recorded a
three episode mini podcast, about 15
minutes each episode, and it takes people
through the core contents of my book. So
the first episode is helping people
understand the twelve chains that hold us
(34:02):
back. So relationships, fear, perception,
the things that I have realized in my own
life were holding me back, which is why I
wrote the book. The second episode is
okay, which are the easiest ones to break
free of, and what does that mean for us?
The third episode is the four steps you
can take to break free of those chains. So
that is free and available people can, you
(34:24):
know, just stick in an email address and
you'll get access to those three episodes.
You join the mailing list, and then you
can get random thoughts from me about
what's going on in my life. And again,
using tech to improve your businesses and
all that sort of stuff, unsubscribe at any
time, that's fine. I don't hold it against
anybody. I said, you know, some people
connect with me and feel my energy or my
style is great. Others don't. That's just
(34:47):
the way the world works. So if anybody is
listening. And they do want access to
that. It's available@threelifesecrets.com.
so it's a number three. And then the words
life secrets.com. So that's
threelifesecrets.com. guys, make sure you
check the show notes because that link
(35:08):
will be available in the show notes. And
go ahead, sign up. Get the, get the audio
tracks, get the podcast miniseries, and
listen. Give it a good listen through.
Because what I found is in this journey,
especially for personal growth, the more
(35:29):
positive things that I can feed from, eat
from, if I can say it in that manner, have
deposited into me. It helps me to come one
step closer to being the version of myself
that I want to be in that season, you
know, because we grow continuously, at
least we should be growing continuously.
(35:50):
And as I increase in my personal growth
journey, that the byproduct of that is
success in my professional life, when I'm
growing personally, it gives me what I
need to grow professionally. Those two
things synergistically work together. And
(36:10):
so you will have the poc, you'll have the
in the show notes, the link to the podcast
mini series, connect with Philip, also on
LinkedIn and on Facebook. I'm not
connected with him on Facebook because I,
LinkedIn is my preferred platform, but his
LinkedIn is pretty awesome as well. It's
some podcasts out there. He's got some
great things in his feature section. So
(36:32):
make sure you get out to LinkedIn and
connect with him and follow him, because
the content that he does release on that
platform is pretty darn awesome. I have
enjoyed the bits that I've gone through so
far, so I feel that you guys will as well.
But before we wrap this up, Philip, is
there any last thoughts that you would
like to leave with the Laquita's toolbox
(36:54):
audience? I'll leave you with a quote from
my book. In fact, actually, I'll ask a
question. Will you permit me to give two?
Because I feel that they're connected, but
they're both valuable. Yes. Go. Right.
Okay, so the first is that happiness is a
state of mind. Freedom is a way of living.
Okay, so that's the first thought. I love
(37:17):
that. Say that one more time. Say it real
loud for the people in the back. Happiness
is a state of mind. Freedom is a way of
living. Okay, so that's the first thing.
The second thing. And again, it goes back
to what I've written in the book. I took
the word freedom because that's important
(37:38):
to me. Freedom has always been my highest
level of value. That's why I've been an
entrepreneur for so long. And I looked at
each of the letters, I was like, can I
create a memorable phrase that's easy for
me to remember that, you know, I can stick
on the wall next to me when I'm working
and all those sorts of things. And it's
like, yes, I found something. So the word
freedom, I changed into the phrase
(38:00):
focused. Repetition enables experiences,
desires, opportunities, and money. Wow. So
say that one more time. Freedom is
focused. Repetition enables experiences,
(38:20):
desires, opportunities, and money. Love
that. I absolutely love both of those
things. Look, y'all, y'all should have
wrote that down. But if you did not write
that down, don't worry. This is a podcast.
Hit rewind. Listen to this episode again.
Make sure you're taking copious notes, and
(38:40):
by all means, those last two points.
Because, you know, repetition is the key
to knowledge. I'm gonna have you to give
me those last two points one more time in
case somebody was like, he went through
too fast, give it to him one more time.
So, the first is that happiness is a state
of mind, and we can manage that. Freedom
is a way of living, how we want to use our
(39:03):
time, what we put our energy into. And
then the second thing is that the word
freedom can be thought of as a phrase. So
each letter. The FDA is for focused. So
focused. Repetition enables experiences,
desires, opportunities, and money. Wow.
(39:25):
Wow. Listen, y'all, on that note, we're
going to end this episode of Laquita's
toolbox. Connect with Philip on his social
media platforms, on Facebook and LinkedIn.
If you are not already subscribed to the
Laquita's toolbox podcast, go ahead and
hit that, like, share subscribe button on
your favorite podcast listing platform.
(39:46):
And if you have loved this, make sure you
leave us a five star review and a five
star rating. Excuse me? And a review on
your favorite podcast listing platform as
well. You guys be blessed and have an
Welcome to Laquita's toolbox, where we
(00:09):
deliver relevant content in the form of
tools that empower entrepreneurs to
elevate personally and professionally.
Good is only good until greater is
envisioned. You know, there's another
level in you. Here we discuss the tools to
get you there. Lean in as Laquita and her
(00:33):
guests present you with strategies and
insight for unlocking your full potential
to realize your boldest dream. Welcome
back to another amazing episode of
Laquita's Toolbox. I am your host, Laquita
Mondley, and I am absolutely excited to be
with you guys once again. And I have a
fabulous guest in studio with me today and
(00:56):
his name is Philip. But before we get in
and learn all of the great things about
Philip and he blesses us with some tools,
let me take a moment to thank our sponsors
at Covenant Press. Covenant Press is a
faith based christian apparel and
accessory shop that allows believers to
shop online for the things that we like.
And if you go out to www. Covenant Dash
(01:20):
Press.com again, that's, you'll find an
abundance of clothing and accessories that
allow you to wear the message of the love
of Jesus Christ. But don't click off of
those pop ups too quickly because they do
contain valuable discount codes. When
applied at checkout, you can use them to
receive savings on your purchase with
(01:42):
Covenant press. Listen, guys, you guys
know the drill. Get something to write
with and something to write on because pen
and paper, indeed, do not forget. And I
know that Phillip is going to share some
amazing tools in gems with us today that
is going to help take our businesses and
brands to the next level. But without
(02:02):
further ado, welcome to Laquita's toolbox.
Philip, how are you? I'm good, thank you,
Laquita. It's great to be here. I'm
looking forward to this conversation. Yes,
I am super excited about that as well.
Listen, I know about some of the wonderful
things that you have been doing in this, I
don't want to say e commerce space. I want
(02:23):
to say just making money online. Since you
were about 16 years old, you started out
in gaming and kind of just went from
there. Talk to us a little bit about your
journey at 16. You were a young
entrepreneur. I was a young entrepreneur,
yes. So I started with playing video games
(02:46):
online with friends from school. Now if we
see stuff in the press today about esports
and the competitions, it is a big
business. It's a multi billion dollar
business. But back in 2001, it was not the
same. But it was fun, it was exciting, it
was enjoyable. It was something new for
(03:07):
me. So I spent pretty much all of my time
in online communities, building
relationships, playing with my friends
from school. And that's what led me down
that path of being an entrepreneur because
it's like, oh, there's, there's things
that I can learn, there's things that I
can build, there's things that I can do.
So you know, from an entrepreneurial
perspective, I was building communities, I
(03:29):
was writing news articles on some of the
news sites, I was hosting my own events,
hosting online and live physical events.
So it's like, oh, you know, I just want to
try and do everything within this space
because it's so exciting. That led me to
then buying and flipping websites again
within this online gaming space. Selling
(03:51):
advertising on them, acting as a broker
for other community sites is like, guys, I
can get you advertising, let's work
together and I'll just take a percentage
of that. So those were some of the early
things that I did, helped me through
university as well. So I had a normal job,
retail job, going and selling electronics
and computers and things in one of the
(04:12):
retail stores in the UK. But then on the
side I was doing all of this gaming stuff
as well. You know, making a couple of
extra. Bits inside was a whole lot more
exciting than being in the shops selling
these games. Absolutely. It was, yeah,
because it was always changing as well.
There were new games being released, new
competitions for me to play in with my
(04:32):
teammates. Yeah, it was, it was an
exciting time. And that's a. I used to
spend 5 hours, if not more a night
practicing and being involved and having
these conversations and a million chat
windows open and getting involved in a
space that was exciting because it was
really new. Now take me back. You said
that you started this journey at 16 and
(04:55):
that was around what year again? 2001.
See, that's really, really, I'm just
thinking about it from a parent's
perspective. I'm thinking to myself, what
were my kids doing in 2001 and why weren't
they to with some of this? But, but I do,
I do have my middle son that's really into
(05:16):
gaming and has been for a long time. And I
remember as a parent thinking how in the
world are you going to go to university
for this and how are you going to make
money? And now that's what he does. He's a
beta tester for a lot of different gaming
companies and making money, doing what he
(05:40):
loves with the online community that he's
cultivated. And I'm thinking, wow, never
in a million years, you know, with growing
up during the time frame that I grew up,
would I have thought that playing duck
hunt would eventually make money? Like.
Yeah, great game there. I think it's one
(06:01):
of those things. Yeah, it's. It's a
generational shift. So, you know, for me,
in those early years, yes, it was a
struggle. The industry wasn't as developed
as it is now. So it's great to hear that
your son, you know, has been able to get a
job in the industry. He's doing something
that he enjoys for me back in those days,
yeah, my parents were like, what are you
doing? What are you doing with your time?
(06:21):
Is this constructive? Could you be doing
something else? And it wasn't until I then
started to get media attention, you know,
tv interviews, radio interviews, into the
magazines and newspapers and things like
that. They were like, okay, maybe there is
something to this. Maybe we'll just give
you a bit of grace and just see what
happens. I would that I definitely can
(06:42):
because we were often standing in the
doorway of his room saying, what are you
doing? And why aren't you doing something
else? Until the job offers came, start
coming. The contract started coming
through and said, okay, this is great. But
then in there, somewhere in there, you, in
that journey, you had an accident, a bad
(07:06):
accident that led to a shift into what
you're doing now. Can you kind of walk us
through that a little bit? Because I like
what you were doing before, and I really
like what you're doing now. Thank you. So
what I'll do then is I'll sort of skip in
sets of like ten years. So that was
obviously the early entrepreneurial
(07:27):
journey for me. That then led into setting
up my first proper business out of
university, doing consulting for brands,
doing projects for them, doing events. Did
that for a couple of years until the 2008
financial crash closed that down, went
through a couple of different jobs within
the tech industry while still doing gaming
(07:48):
stuff on the side. So there have been
periods through my life where gaming has
been front and center, and that's what
I've been focusing on, and that's been the
core of the business that I've had, or
I've been working for somebody else and
then doing the gaming stuff in the
background. So I had that first business
in 2008 and 2009. Fast forward a little
bit. I then had a tech startup myself in
(08:12):
2015. That was a mobile app for engaging
fans of the gaming teams and the events,
because that was a space I was still in
the involved in, started well, tailed off.
You know, the two teams that I got on
board, first, they were loving it. They
were seeing their fans engaged because we
had a match predictor and giveaways and
(08:34):
contents and all that sort of stuff. And
then both of those teams got acquired by
sports teams in the US, so one of them got
acquired by the Philadelphia 76 ers, and
then they were like, yeah, we don't want a
mobile strategy right now. So there's me
trying to build a tech startup, and
suddenly the two main clients that I've
got disappear because they've been
(08:55):
acquired. And I'm like, this is not really
what I was aiming for. So I tried to keep
it going, but I had to eventually make
that decision to close it down. So there
have been highs and lows on the
entrepreneurial journey. But you mentioned
the injury. Yeah. Fast forward a little
bit more. January 2020. I broke my neck
playing rugby and I didn't know it was
(09:17):
broken for seven weeks. Wait a minute, how
does that work? So, I. I've never broken
my neck, but I would think that. Talk me
through it, because I need to process what
you just said. You said seven weeks? Yeah.
So I was playing rugby, so the position I
was playing was almost like the last line
of defense, and my job was to stop the
(09:40):
opponent's scoring and I was lining
somebody up, so to try and make a tackle.
So, you know, if you're an american
football fan, there are some similarities.
You know, you in american football, you're
almost either trying to intercept or dive
on your opponent to stop them running.
Similar sort of thing. If you were the
last line of defense. Kind of sounds like
(10:01):
the position. My youngest son plays
american football, and he's what you would
call a corner. And so if the quarterback
has thrown a long pass, the person that's
going to catch it is the wide receiver. Or
if a runner has gotten loose and he's
like, if they get past him, there's nobody
(10:22):
else back there to stop them. Exactly the
same sort of thing. So one of the opposing
players broke through our line, so the
only thing standing between him and
scoring was me. So I tried to line him up
to make the tackle and take him down. I
got my head in the wrong position, so his
thigh went straight into my face, twisted
my head slightly, and we were both then
(10:43):
laid out on the ground. I got up, stumbled
to the touchline. It was actually the last
play of the game, and it's silly because
we'd already lost the game, but I was
still trying to make the tackle because
that was my job. Yeah. So I did it. I
stopped him from scoring, but in the
process took us both out, we both laid on
(11:06):
the turf. It was like, we definitely felt
that he was groggy, I was groggy, and I
couldn't move my head or my neck, but it
just felt stiff, as if I'd done a really
hard gym session and pulled all of the
muscles. So I then drove home, unable to
move my head, which was an interesting
(11:27):
experience. Cause I had to use my eyes to
try and look in my wing mirrors to see
where the traffic was. Actually turned my
head. Like, if you guys could see my face,
you would be completely laughing out loud
right now. And so, to be fair to myself,
I'm thinking about this as an american
(11:47):
driver who has driven in the UK. I lived
in the UK for about two and a half years,
and I'm thinking to myself, how did he do
that? That's very awkward. Like, I mean,
even driving here out of. I can't imagine.
But you got. You made it home safely.
Yeah, well, so I'm actually in Dubai, so
(12:10):
the traffic system over here is a lot.
It's much similar to the US system in
terms of the lights and the signals,
driving on the same side of the road. I'm
glad I wasn't in the UK, because in the UK
you have lots of narrow roads and the
roundabout, I'm. Thinking, how are you
going to all. Of those sorts of things?
Yeah. So I was fortunate in that respect.
(12:30):
But, yeah, it was a difficult drive. It
was a 40 minutes drive to get home, so it
was really slow, really steady, trying not
to make any errors because I didn't want
to make anything worse. So I managed to
get home, slept on it, then went and got a
soft collar from the pharmacy, started
wearing that, and the club that I was a
member of had access to a physio. So I
(12:53):
said, okay, let's go to the physio. I just
feel like this is just really stiff. I've
just pulled everything because of the
impact. If I go to the physio, they'll be
able to, you know, stick their thumbs in
and ease bits off and it'll all be fine.
And I did that for seven weeks. And then
the physio went. It's not really doing
anything. Maybe you should go and get some
scans. So I went to the hospital and the
(13:14):
consultant said, congratulations, you've
broken your neck. Here's what we want to
do. We want to do about probably maybe
three to 6 hours worth of surgery. So
we'll go in from the front because we want
to put a plate and screws in. So we'll go
in from the front and we'll do that for a
couple of hours, and then we'll sew that
up and we'll turn you over, and then we'll
go in from the back and we'll do the same
sort of thing and make sure that
everything's tightened up and then you'll
(13:34):
be good to go. And I was like, no, I don't
want that surgery. It sounds horrible and
I can't afford it. Wow. So I walked out
and I left it and put faith in myself that
my body was strong enough to heal, to heal
itself. So we should have another podcast
(13:57):
just about that, because that right there
is a powerful story. You broke your neck
playing rugby. You didn't realize for
seven weeks that it was broken. And then
you made an amazing decision after seeking
medical assistance, finding out,
(14:18):
confirming, yes, the neck is broken, they
give you their professional opinions on
what need to be done. And then you said to
yourself, I'm not going to do that. Yeah,
I'm not going to do that. And I'm going to
have faith and trust and believe that my
body will properly heal itself. And so I'm
(14:39):
just going to step out here on a limb and
say, obviously it did do that. Or is there
some more pieces to that? Yeah. So this
was just before COVID so we can go talk
about the COVID situation as well. Going
through that, obviously had the soft
collar a lot of the time. It was. There's
not much else I can do now. I'm putting
(14:59):
the faith in my body. You know, I'll feed
it, I'll try and get the rest. I'll do all
those things that it's going to need to
support it whilst I was dealing with COVID
and the lockdowns and trying to keep the
business going. But 18 months after that
initial consultation, I went to get
another set of scans because, yes, things
had eased off. I could start to move my
head and neck again. After a couple of
(15:20):
months, I was like, okay, this is okay now
I feel generally okay. So, yes, I still
waited 18 months because of the lockdowns
and financial situations and things like
that, to go and get another set of scans.
Different consultant, another specialist
who had worked with a lot of sports
injuries, so was aware of this sort of
thing. He'd done some research because I
(15:42):
actually went to a sports physio in the
hospital who had worked with some of the
professional team. So he'd worked with,
like, the south african rugby team. Okay,
he was south african. So again, had that
understanding and appreciation of the type
of injuries that you get playing rugby or
that can happen. So he referred me into
this sort of spinal consultants who did
(16:04):
some research, and then when I sat down in
front of him, he was like, I could not
find any stories like yours. Normally,
people wait three weeks and get surgery. I
couldn't find anybody silly enough to not
have surgery. So I was like, okay, well,
that's a good start. So tell me about the
scans that we've just done. It was like,
(16:24):
what a way to. It's a miracle because your
body has grown new bone around the brake.
You have the range of movements and the
strength as if nothing had happened. Wow.
The only slight niggle is that because of
the impact and, you know, his thigh went
(16:44):
straight into my face and turned my head
slightly. My head, yes. Is not now
centered. It is twisted slightly to the
right, and that means that it's impinging
the nerve. So I get some sharp shooting
pains in my right shoulder and into my
right chest every now and again. But apart
from that, it's all fine. Wow. So my body
has been able to heal that break, and I've
(17:05):
got pictures of the scans, and you can see
what's a normal vertebrae, what's mine,
where it's grown new bone around that
break. Wow. Like, you have to be an
interesting case study, medical case study
for that. Wow. And it's hard to leave that
(17:26):
story and go into what you're doing now,
because my mind is just racing, but I'm
gonna do. I'm gonna be disciplined, and
I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna do it because
that was a significant piece that led you
to the current journey that you're on and
how you're helping female entrepreneurs,
but still within the tech space. Talk to
(17:47):
us about that transition. Yeah. So that
injury and the lockdowns and losing 50% of
my business because of COVID and not being
able to do events and things. I got to a
point in 2021 and started my own personal
development journey of, I need to make
some changes here. There's got to be more
to life than this. I've just survived the
injury, just survived Covid. What happens
(18:07):
next? So started personal developments.
First course that I took, it was a YouTube
video. I was watching a YouTube video.
There was an advert that came up for a
course. I was like, what have I got to
lose? Okay. Clicked it, bought it, started
it. And one of the first questions was
like, so what impact and contribution have
you made and what's going to be said at
your funeral? And it's like, ah, that's
(18:29):
not quite what I was expecting from this
course, but yes, it's, it's an interesting
question and I think that's one of the
biggest catalysts. Yes, I. Obviously the
injury started me thinking there's got to
be more, put everything else in a
different light. The work that I'd been
doing, the business that I had, is like,
there's no impact to contribution there.
(18:50):
So I started asking myself how can I use
my skills and experience and what I've
done, whether it's in gaming or in tech?
So for the next year I actually focused on
the gaming stuff. So I started creating
resources at maths resources based on
video games for young kids because my
partner is a teacher. So I created maths
resources based on Roblox and Minecraft
(19:13):
and FIFA and Fortnight and among us, you
know, those sorts of games that are
popular at the five to twelve year age
brackets. But then there are a couple of
things that happened on the back of that.
So, you know, I wrote the first book.
First book led to the second book. And
then now I. After doing some work within
(19:34):
that space and helping a couple of people,
I believe the universe has a plan based on
everything that's happened to me. And I
got to that point where there were several
people coming up and almost slapping me in
the face. Metaphorical slapping me in the
face. Not actually physically because that
would be quite painful. But it's like,
(19:55):
Phil, you've got skills and experience
here that you can use to help people. Why
are you nothing doing that? And this was
all the tech stuff because I've been doing
it for 20 years. I was like, I'm not sure
I want to do that. But I got to that point
of realizing it's like what you don't want
to do is what you're currently doing. It's
not necessarily the tech that's the issue,
it's how you are using it and who you are
(20:17):
serving. That's real good. If you change
that, you can use those skills and
experience, you reframe it and actually it
becomes a very different experience. So
now I am focusing on supporting
predominantly female coaches because I am
a coach myself. I have a book, I have a
course, all that sort of stuff. So it's
(20:38):
helping female coaches with their sales
pages, their email automations, their tech
systems, so that they don't have to worry
about all of that because that's my
superpower. And so that they can then
spend their time serving their clients.
How having more impact, having that time
with family and friends and doing all the
things that they want to do rather than
spending 90 million hour fighting with
(21:00):
pieces of software and trying to get them
to work because that's not a good use of
their time. It is not. And it gives. So I
was the individual that did that and it
was no fun at all and counterproductive.
It does not save money. It actually costs
a ton of money to try to diy it. If you're
(21:24):
not already tech savvy. Yeah, I say some
people, they want to take it on themselves
because they enjoy that journey of trying
to learn and piece things together.
Others, you know, you've probably been in
this experience yourself. Sometimes you'll
pay for speed, you'll pay for somebody
else's expertise because they can do it
for you and do it in a way that would
(21:47):
potentially be far beyond what you could
get to in a reasonable space of time.
Because like anything, there are levels of
learning. You know, I can't be a superstar
athlete overnight. That would take a lot
of training, but I can get a coach to
support me in if, you know, if that's one
of the things I wanted to do. I could
eventually get there with support, but
(22:07):
doing it on my own, chances are I would
never get there. Would never get there.
Would never get there. Because most, most
successful individuals have a coach and a
mentor. And a lot of super successful
individuals have coaches in different
areas that have different areas of
expertise that help them in just, you
(22:30):
know, one area of their life or one area
of their business. And so, yeah, having
someone on that journey with you is a key
to, I don't want to say a key to rapid
success. I'll say a key to sustainable
success where it's not a one off, you
know, situation, but it's something that
sustains and continues to grow. And so
(22:51):
you've, you've stepped into that space of
teaching female coaches or helping female
coaches or female entrepreneurs with their
tech. And I think I asked you this in the
1000% positive I did. How did you tap into
(23:11):
the power of female entrepreneurs? Like,
we are an amazing group in and of
ourselves and so how did you get to that
place where you identified that we have,
that we are the niche that has the need
and understands that we have the need?
Great question. I mean, you've partially
answered it that because you're an amazing
group. So there are three reasons. The
(23:36):
first is my mum. So she has been an
entrepreneur herself. She's had her own
businesses over the years as well as
corporate jobs. And I have built at least
four websites for either her businesses or
her employers. So every time that she's in
that situation, she's like, Phil, I know
(23:57):
you've got the experience here. Can you
help me? And, like, of course I can. So
I've already got that experience of
working with, you know, female
entrepreneurs, if we use that term. The
second reason, more recently, I have
helped a couple of female coaches. So
(24:20):
building their sales funnels, building
their automations, helping them piece the
different bits together so that, again,
they can then take the next step up their
business. And the third reason is energy.
Now, that may sound silly coming from a
guy, but when I released my book, when I
started putting content out, the
conversations that I have at events, it's
(24:43):
been the ladies who have connected with
that. The majority of the reviews on my
book are from women, the majority of
comments on my content from women. So I'm
leaning into that, say, there must be
something about my style other than the
fact that I still look 16. But, you know,
it's probably not that. You can add that
(25:04):
to it because you look quite young. Thank
you. Yeah, I turn 40 in October, so I'm
not sure I'm quite looking like that yet,
but just that energy. I find it much
easier to have conversations, work with
women because the energy is very
different. You know, I've been in a rugby
(25:26):
situation, playing in teams, and felt like
the outsider because I didn't want to go
drinking all night. I wasn't full of
bravado. You know, that's just not me.
Yes, obviously there is some masculinity
there, but from an energy perspective, I
just find it's a much better connection
with women. Yeah, there tons of
(25:46):
masculinity. Not to say that there aren't
female rugby players, but I believe their
male energies are. You know, the masculine
energies are quite higher than. I don't
mind watching american football or rugby,
but I don't want to play it. I enjoy
watching american football. Yeah, I mean,
but I don't want to play it. Like, my
(26:07):
husband and my sons, they played it. They
love it. I want to play it, but then have
some friends that love playing female
football. So. But, yeah, that. That. For
you to have that journey and. And say
that, okay, it started with the help that
(26:27):
you were able to give your mom, not only
in her entrepreneurial journey, but, you
know, because you are so great at what you
do. The companies and her corporate
careers have noticed that and said, hey,
we want him to. And now that you've
written a book, you've done the courses,
and obviously you're a person that
(26:48):
understands looking at the data, and as
you look back at the data, you saw that
your ideal audience was turning out to be
female entrepreneurs. And not only were
they loving what you were putting out, but
you were also benefiting from the energy
(27:09):
being in that place. Because I read a post
that you did on LinkedIn recently where
you were speaking about how you had to
fire one of your biggest clients. That's
scary. And, yep, it's amazing that you had
that walk, that that walk away power with
that. But being able to be in that, being
(27:30):
able to be confident enough in who you are
and what you do, that you can do that and
say that, okay, that same type of
confidence that you had to walk away from
that very high paying client is the same
type of confidence for me, is what I'm
hearing that you had when you said, okay,
I've identified this audience, and this is
the audience that makes me feel good about
the work that I do. So I want to continue
(27:51):
to work with them. That's kind of what I'm
feeling. What I'm feeling here. Or am I
off? No, absolutely. I think it's. It's
answering that question internally. What
feels right. Can I go and work with guys?
Absolutely. Would it be a very different
experience? Probably. Would it be
(28:13):
something that I would feel 100%
comfortable doing? Probably not. I've
worked in tech generally. That's a guy,
heavy industry. I've already been in those
spaces. The changes that I've made in my
own life, the experiences that I've had,
it's like, okay, what can I see myself
(28:34):
doing for the next 20 years? Who is it
that I want to help? And that's where it's
like, yes, I am going super specific with
what feels comfortable. Five years down
the line, something else may change, and
we'll see what happens then. But for right
now, this is what feels right. Just to
expand on that a little bit, it's not just
(28:59):
about the tech. The tech is the first
thing, because that's the skills and
experience that I've got. But it's about
helping them have that impact. Because if
I can help them have impact, I'm able to
have indirect impact, which helps me
answer the question that I got asked on
that first personal development course. So
that's where I'm looking and say, you know
(29:20):
what? Maybe I only work with 100. If I
work with 100, I can work with them more
closely. I can support them with more than
just the tech. I can support them with all
of the ups and downs of the business.
Experiences that I've had over the years
and help them to have more impact. That's
good. That's real good. So in that
(29:42):
statement, I'm just really hearing a
person that has a heart to serve. When you
took that course, and that question was
there, it impacted you in such a way that
not to say that you didn't have a heart of
service before, because you obviously did.
That's the reason why that question was so
powerful for you. And now what I hear you
(30:05):
saying is not only are you understanding
that the spending power of the female
entrepreneur in that we will invest in the
things that we know that we need to make,
you know, to be sustainable and to scale,
but you're also saying that you are
(30:26):
willing to not only just niche it down,
but to be specific and keep a smaller
group of clients so that you'll be in a
better position to serve them in a more
holistic manner outside of tech. Yes,
absolutely. Yes. To give you some examples
of, you know, what I'm thinking for here
(30:46):
is, like, I want to have my own live
events that are related to the book. Okay.
Because, you know, I have a model and a
framework for helping people find more
freedom in their life. That's what the
book is about. But. But if I have this,
you know, almost inner circle of female
coaches or entrepreneurs that I'm working
with, well, then I. There's a platform for
them to be a guest speaker, join me on
(31:07):
those events, promote themselves. You
know, it then becomes about more than just
the tech I can come in, you know, first
and foremost, yes, let's get that all set
up because it can support you in growing
your business. But once that's all done,
what else can I help you with? How else
can I help you grow and expand what it is
that you're doing so you can have more
impact? Wow. Wow. So you. You really have
(31:32):
a heart for your clients to grow
personally and professionally, and you're
willing to give more of yourself to help
them do that because. So it sounds like
you're saying that the biggest win for you
is not the income that you earn from
helping the clients, but it's the joy that
(31:54):
you receive when you see them hit their
marks. Yeah. And that's the whole thing.
The systems can help you do that because
you can measure it. You get the data, you
can see what's working and what's not. You
can start to tweak things and you can see
that progression. And for me, that's one
of the key things because it's. Then I can
look and go. The time that I have spent
(32:18):
has been beneficial. I have helped people.
I can see that there is a return there,
aside from the financial stuff, because,
yes, we all love that. Helps pay the bills
and keep the lights on. Absolutely. But
it's about, I can see that this person,
they've grown their business, they've
changed their family's life, they've
impacted their clients. That is what it's
(32:39):
all about. Wow. That is wonderful. That is
wonderful. Listen, I know that people are
sitting here taking notes and just being
in awe of your story and your journey that
you were able to share with us today. But
look, I need you to tell them, how can the
Laquita's toolbox audience connect with
(33:01):
you and reach out to you to find out more
about the services that you provide? So
two of the main ways, you know, if you're
a fan of social media and having those
conversations, Facebook and LinkedIn are
my main two platforms. I do have profiles
elsewhere, but they're nothing, not as
active. I don't feel comfortable with
(33:21):
them. And then there are a couple of other
resources. So aside from the tech stuff,
because that is more of a conversation to
understand where you are, what you're
currently using, all that sort of stuff,
there is a free resource that are created
in relation to the book. So if you're an
audio listener and you enjoy that, whether
(33:42):
while you're walking or sitting in the
park or driving to work. I've recorded a
three episode mini podcast, about 15
minutes each episode, and it takes people
through the core contents of my book. So
the first episode is helping people
understand the twelve chains that hold us
(34:02):
back. So relationships, fear, perception,
the things that I have realized in my own
life were holding me back, which is why I
wrote the book. The second episode is
okay, which are the easiest ones to break
free of, and what does that mean for us?
The third episode is the four steps you
can take to break free of those chains. So
that is free and available people can, you
(34:24):
know, just stick in an email address and
you'll get access to those three episodes.
You join the mailing list, and then you
can get random thoughts from me about
what's going on in my life. And again,
using tech to improve your businesses and
all that sort of stuff, unsubscribe at any
time, that's fine. I don't hold it against
anybody. I said, you know, some people
connect with me and feel my energy or my
style is great. Others don't. That's just
(34:47):
the way the world works. So if anybody is
listening. And they do want access to
that. It's available@threelifesecrets.com.
so it's a number three. And then the words
life secrets.com. So that's
threelifesecrets.com. guys, make sure you
check the show notes because that link
(35:08):
will be available in the show notes. And
go ahead, sign up. Get the, get the audio
tracks, get the podcast miniseries, and
listen. Give it a good listen through.
Because what I found is in this journey,
especially for personal growth, the more
(35:29):
positive things that I can feed from, eat
from, if I can say it in that manner, have
deposited into me. It helps me to come one
step closer to being the version of myself
that I want to be in that season, you
know, because we grow continuously, at
least we should be growing continuously.
(35:50):
And as I increase in my personal growth
journey, that the byproduct of that is
success in my professional life, when I'm
growing personally, it gives me what I
need to grow professionally. Those two
things synergistically work together. And
(36:10):
so you will have the poc, you'll have the
in the show notes, the link to the podcast
mini series, connect with Philip, also on
LinkedIn and on Facebook. I'm not
connected with him on Facebook because I,
LinkedIn is my preferred platform, but his
LinkedIn is pretty awesome as well. It's
some podcasts out there. He's got some
great things in his feature section. So
(36:32):
make sure you get out to LinkedIn and
connect with him and follow him, because
the content that he does release on that
platform is pretty darn awesome. I have
enjoyed the bits that I've gone through so
far, so I feel that you guys will as well.
But before we wrap this up, Philip, is
there any last thoughts that you would
like to leave with the Laquita's toolbox
(36:54):
audience? I'll leave you with a quote from
my book. In fact, actually, I'll ask a
question. Will you permit me to give two?
Because I feel that they're connected, but
they're both valuable. Yes. Go. Right.
Okay, so the first is that happiness is a
state of mind. Freedom is a way of living.
Okay, so that's the first thought. I love
(37:17):
that. Say that one more time. Say it real
loud for the people in the back. Happiness
is a state of mind. Freedom is a way of
living. Okay, so that's the first thing.
The second thing. And again, it goes back
to what I've written in the book. I took
the word freedom because that's important
(37:38):
to me. Freedom has always been my highest
level of value. That's why I've been an
entrepreneur for so long. And I looked at
each of the letters, I was like, can I
create a memorable phrase that's easy for
me to remember that, you know, I can stick
on the wall next to me when I'm working
and all those sorts of things. And it's
like, yes, I found something. So the word
freedom, I changed into the phrase
(38:00):
focused. Repetition enables experiences,
desires, opportunities, and money. Wow. So
say that one more time. Freedom is
focused. Repetition enables experiences,
(38:20):
desires, opportunities, and money. Love
that. I absolutely love both of those
things. Look, y'all, y'all should have
wrote that down. But if you did not write
that down, don't worry. This is a podcast.
Hit rewind. Listen to this episode again.
Make sure you're taking copious notes, and
(38:40):
by all means, those last two points.
Because, you know, repetition is the key
to knowledge. I'm gonna have you to give
me those last two points one more time in
case somebody was like, he went through
too fast, give it to him one more time.
So, the first is that happiness is a state
of mind, and we can manage that. Freedom
is a way of living, how we want to use our
(39:03):
time, what we put our energy into. And
then the second thing is that the word
freedom can be thought of as a phrase. So
each letter. The FDA is for focused. So
focused. Repetition enables experiences,
desires, opportunities, and money. Wow.
(39:25):
Wow. Listen, y'all, on that note, we're
going to end this episode of Laquita's
toolbox. Connect with Philip on his social
media platforms, on Facebook and LinkedIn.
If you are not already subscribed to the
Laquita's toolbox podcast, go ahead and
hit that, like, share subscribe button on
your favorite podcast listing platform.
(39:46):
And if you have loved this, make sure you
leave us a five star review and a five
star rating. Excuse me? And a review on
your favorite podcast listing platform as
well. You guys be blessed and have an
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