January 28, 2025 • 59 mins
In this inspiring episode, Amy Traugh takes us on her extraordinary journey from a corporate career in outpatient physical therapy to becoming a thriving entrepreneur. Faced with a furlough during the 2020 pandemic, Amy turned a challenge into an opportunity, founding multiple successful businesses and publishing her book The CEO Method: An Entrepreneur's Guide to Business Success. https://www.amytraugh.com/freebook
Through her unique CEO framework emphasizing Clarity, Established Systems, and Organic Sales, Amy shares the mindset shifts and practical strategies that helped her—and now countless others—build sustainable, purpose-driven businesses. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or a seasoned professional seeking renewed direction, this conversation is packed with actionable insights and heartfelt wisdom.
Here’s what we cover:
- How clarity about your “why” is the foundation of entrepreneurial success.
- Building efficient systems to create freedom in your business.
- Overcoming self-doubt and navigating challenges with confidence.
- Balancing the demands of business and family life.
- The power of self-awareness in defining and celebrating success.
Amy’s story is a testament to the resilience, creativity, and courage it takes to chart your own course. Tune in to uncover the tools, mindset, and inspiration you need to take the next bold step toward your entrepreneurial dreams!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hello everyone and welcome back to the Live your
Extraordinary Life podcast.
I'm your host, michelle Rios,and today we have such a treat.
My friend Amy Tra is joining ushere on the show, and Amy is a
three-time female founder,business strategist and host of
the globally rated the MotivatedCEO podcast.
(00:24):
And host of the globally ratedthe Motivated CEO podcast.
She is absolutely passionateabout empowering and educating
online service providers to helpthem generate consistent sales
Isn't that something we all wantand need?
Without sacrificing the mostimportant value assets that we
all have, which is time andenergy?
(00:45):
Through her signature CEOmethod, she guides all of her
clients to sanity and consistentrevenue.
So, without further ado, amy,welcome to the show.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Thank you so much, Michelle.
I'm so excited to be here withyou today, Well.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
I'm in awe.
First of all, thank you forsending a copy of your book.
I got a chance to read it overthe last week.
It's the CEO Method, anEntrepreneur's Guide to Business
Success, and I am thinking allof my listeners that have either
(01:23):
entered the entrepreneurialspace or about ready to do so
need to get a copy.
It's so well written, it'sclear, it's concise, it's to the
point, and what I love is thatyou really guide people.
This is the handbook everybodyneeds when they're thinking
about starting a business,because this is an up and down
roller coaster of a ride journey, as you know, and I really want
(01:44):
to encourage people to go pickup Amy's book, the CEO Method.
In that I want to talk, though Iwant to step back to 2020,
because you weren't always anentrepreneur.
This is still somewhat of a newgame, although I feel like you
were one of the more seasonedentrepreneurs on this journey
that I've come across.
(02:05):
Tell me a little bit aboutwhat's going on, because I know
that 2020, pandemic times.
It was a monumental shift foreverybody.
Help me understand, and let'stalk through with our listeners,
what was going on, that you didthis big transition.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Yeah, 2020 was kind of the year that came out of
nowhere for everyone, right.
I mean, it was wild to lookback and think that was almost.
It was five years ago now.
Yeah, Five years ago it was fiveyears ago that pretty much
every single person in thisworld, your life, changed in
some way.
You were impacted in one way oranother, and that was the year
(02:46):
that my life was flipped upsidedown.
It was the pandemic, and we gotthe notice that schools were
shutting down.
I'm like, okay, this is alittle unnerving because I'm
working full time, my husband'sworking full time, we both work
outpatient physical therapy.
So it was like, okay, we're notshutting down, we're still
resuming operations.
But we had two kids at home, wehad a kindergartner and a
(03:08):
preschooler at the time andthere's no daycare because those
are shutting down too.
So it's like what are we goingto do?
Well, luckily, you know, at thetime this freaked me out.
But now, looking back, this wasthe pivotal moment was you know
?
My employer was like we need tocut staff right now by 50%.
We need half of you to go onfurlough, we're looking for
volunteers, okay, well, I mean,this is what we're going to have
(03:30):
to do.
We've got to do something tofigure this out.
I'm going to do it.
And at the time I was terrified.
I was absolutely terrified,because I'm like this is not
according to the plan.
This is not like checking myboxes off here.
This is scary, this isunnerving.
What's going to happen?
But I knew I had to do it, so Idid, and that was the biggest
(03:52):
turning point in my life,because I finally had the time
to quiet all of the outsidenoise, all of the hustle, and
turn down that noise from theoutside world so I could finally
hear the voice within.
And it was at that moment thatI realized I was going through
the motions, I wasn't living anextraordinary life.
(04:14):
You know, this is something youtalk about all of the time I was
on autopilot, going through themotions, accepting the reality
that I had chosen for myselfbecause I went to college, I had
my degree, I was working, I hadmy dream job.
I wasn't fulfilled, I was justgoing through the motions,
living for one day.
One day I'll be able to retire.
(04:35):
Yeah, Then we'll go and travel,Then we'll get everything
checked off the bucket list.
But at that moment in time Irealized the only moment we're
guaranteed is the one we haveright now.
So when I finally came to termswith that, I was like okay,
something needs to change.
I had no clue what.
I had no clue how.
I just knew in my heart thatsomething had to change.
(04:57):
So you know, flash forward, afew months still hadn't gotten
called back to work.
I'm like you know what?
How can I make this work?
Then I'm going to need to dosomething in order to earn a
living.
And I started my first businessand I haven't looked back ever
since.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
All right.
So this is the turning point,folks, because a lot of people
might be in the situation ofeither being laid off, let go
furloughed, or even voluntarilysaying I can't do this anymore,
I'm burned right out.
But you're like, okay, I'mstarting a business.
That's something not everyonehas the courage to do.
(05:35):
So tell us about this business,because you haven't just had
one business.
You were a founder three timesover and it's only been five
years.
So talk us through.
What was the idea, theinception, and how did you know
this was going to work?
Or did you not know?
And how did you walk throughthe unknown and the fear that
(05:56):
comes with that?
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Oh, there was so much fear.
But it was one of those things.
I had always had it on my heartto start a residential home
organizing company.
I love organization.
I loved helping people reallyget to the bottom of all this
stuff and regain the control,because our environment directly
impacts our mental health, andso I did it.
(06:20):
I'm like you know what thisseems like.
It'd be fun.
I feel like I'm really good atthis.
I help friends with this allthe time.
Why don't I just try it?
Because, worst case, I canalways go out, find another job
in therapy, like no big deal.
So I'm just going to try it.
And I will tell you what.
I don't know if it was theuniverse guide, the everything
(06:41):
coming together all at once.
But that was the perfectbusiness to start.
During the pandemic, everybodywas stuck at home.
They realized how much stuffthey had.
They were tired of beingcontrolled by their things.
So this business took off andit grew and I didn't know a
thing about starting business.
So the really cool thing aboutthe pandemic was there were tons
(07:04):
of resources available.
Harvard Business School wasoffering business classes for
free.
There were so many mentorshipprograms and I just became a
sponge.
I was like I know that I don'tknow a lot about the business
side of things, so I just tookit all in.
But then I did what a lot ofpeople don't do is I applied
that knowledge, becauseknowledge without implementation
(07:26):
, without action, is worthless.
So I just got to work.
I was willing to be a beginneragain and say you know what, I
don't know what I'm doing.
I'm really good at helpingpeople regain control of their
environments, but what I'm notreally good at is how do I
market myself?
How do I get myself seen?
How do I build a business?
What are all these metrics anddata points in business?
(07:50):
Because that's what I reallyloved about my career in therapy
was really leveraging thatobjective data in order to get
an outcome, and so what I wasfinding was wait a minute, what
I'm doing now in building thisbusiness really isn't much
different than what I've done myentire career in physical
therapy.
(08:10):
I'm empowering and educatingpeople to achieve the success
that they want, and in order todo that, I'm looking at these
metrics to guide me and get methere.
So that's what I reallyattribute to my success and how
I was able to grow and scalethis business so quickly, so
that was business number one.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Okay, let's hold there.
I don't want to leave here yet,because this is an important
one.
You got to scale because Ibelieve at some point you ended
up selling this business,correct?
Speaker 2 (08:39):
I did.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Okay.
So for you to get to scale insomething that was not product
oriented, it required it's aservice.
It required time and effort.
You had to have been out thereand really like busy, yeah, did
you end up having to hire a team.
Was that part of the scale,like, or was this?
You just really like taking ona lot of?
Speaker 2 (09:01):
projects.
It was me hustling hard anddriving all over the place.
And what I realized with thatis I'm like I'm right back where
I was when I left my nine tofive.
What did I do?
But what I realized in buildingthat first business, that gave
me the confidence that, wow, Ican do this.
(09:22):
I was willing to be thebeginner, I was willing to push
past my own self-limitingbeliefs, so that built the
confidence within me.
And what I realized was, evenmore than I loved helping people
regain control, was I reallyloved the business of building
the business.
(09:43):
So as I'm doing this, I'm likeyou know what?
My kids were really young atthe time.
I'm like there is nothing in myarea that catered to moms
growing businesses.
So I started a networking groupand that grew, that took off
because there was a need.
You identify a need and you askyourself how can I fill this
(10:06):
void?
What is missing?
And if I can't find it, I'mgoing to go out there and I'm
going to create it and you justhave to detach from the outcome.
You're like, okay, I'm willingto bet on myself, let's try it
out.
This is just an experiment.
If it works, awesome.
If it doesn't, guess what wecan learn something from it.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
That's amazing.
Okay, so a lot of people haveideas for starting a business,
but they do definitely get stuckon how.
So they get the what down.
I have a what and then they getstuck.
What was the first concretestep you took in turning your
idea for the organizing businessinto a reality?
(10:45):
What was the first kind of realbreakthrough for you what I did
is I just?
Speaker 2 (10:51):
I validated it.
I really made sure there was aneed.
So I did my market research.
I looked, okay, around the area.
Who else is out there doing thesame thing as I am?
Is there a need in my area?
Is there that demand there?
And then I tried it out.
I would go into friends' houses.
I'm like, hey, I'm going tostart this business.
(11:11):
I need to get some before andafter pictures.
I want to start to do somecontent for social media.
Are you willing to let me comeinto your home and organize some
closets?
And every single one of them'slike, oh, okay, yeah, why
wouldn't I?
Because I'm tired of looking atall this stuff.
Can you go through my kid'splayroom?
Can you go through my basement?
And it validated that, so it wasgetting into action.
So I really could kind of testthe waters before I fully
(11:33):
committed.
So it was again allowing myselfto kind of play first before I
was like, okay, we're going topour tons and tons of money into
this in order to make it grow.
So I think it's okay to do that.
It's okay to kind of test andvalidate so that you do know
what you're getting yourselfinto.
Because when you're firststarting a business, it's one of
(11:55):
those things that you're alwayslike the grass is greener on
the other side.
Oh, I'm going to have thisentrepreneurial lifestyle where
I'm just sitting at home and thedollars are flowing in easily
and effortlessly and I have sixfigures in my bank account at
all times.
But the reality is thebeginning stages they're scary,
they're uncertain, you're notquite sure because you don't
have that proof to your brain ofpossibility.
(12:18):
But once you start just kind oftesting the waters a little bit
, you build up that confidencein yourself and then you have
that proof to your brain, likeokay, yeah, this can work.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
That's amazing.
Okay, in your book you talkabout your CEO method.
This is your signature approachand I love it because, for
everyone listening CEO, we allknow it as chief.
For everyone listening CEO, weall know it as chief standing
for chief executive officer.
But in Amy's case, she talksabout it in terms of
(12:54):
entrepreneurial approach and theimportance of clarity,
established systems and organicsales and social.
So walk us through that alittle bit, because I found that
, first of all, one of the best,clearest, simplest ways to
think about business from a CEOperspective, right.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
Especially as a solopreneur, as a solopreneur.
When you're just first startingout, there's so much information
out there, right, and whathappens is we end up treating
ourselves like this overworkedemployee.
But at the end of the day, inorder to have a thriving
business, you need to step intothe role of CEO.
So that's why I really honed inon the CEO and mindset of
(13:39):
things, because we're running abusiness here.
But step one is clarity.
You have to have that clarityfrom day one as to what it is
that you want this business tolook like and why.
Not only what, but why.
I think the why is somethingthat a lot of people miss out on
(14:00):
, because we say we want thesethings, but at the end of the
day, a lot of times, we'readopting everyone else's goals
as our own.
So what do you want and why doyou want it?
And when you have such aconcrete, deep-rooted belief and
understanding of what and why,that will keep you going,
(14:22):
because there are going to bedays when you want to quit.
There will be days when youwant to burn it all down, when
you think you need to start over.
We all go through that.
I still have days where I'mlike that.
But what do I do?
I reflect back as to why am Idoing this, what is that impact,
what is that legacy that I wantto leave on this world?
(14:44):
So really having that clarityis so key, especially in a world
full of noise.
So that is step one.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
And the clarity.
Let's just sit there for aminute, because this is the most
important question, right, wetalk about you know, what do you
want?
So many of us kind of gothrough the societal approach of
, well, I'm going to go tocollege and then I'm going to
get a good job that pays well,because that's what I'm told,
that's going to make me happy,and so I'm going to go do that.
(15:16):
And then we kind of wake up atsome point on various parts of
the journey going wait, this isnot all it's cracked up to be
and waiting to retire, which theretirement age keeps creeping
up, is not sounding fun.
I had that kind of awakening inmy late 20s and I'm like 67 is
(15:38):
really a long ways away to startbeing happy.
So something has got to changenow.
So let's talk a little bit aboutclarity, because I think some
people, if they're honest withthemselves and create that space
to actually listen to whatcomes up when they ask that
question, might know what theywant to experience and how they
(16:02):
want to feel, but they might notyet have the idea of the
business.
And Is that okay?
I mean, you're a businessstrategist, you're working with
women predominantly, I assume,and helping them really think
through their offers.
Is there a market need?
How do we make sure you havesomething to offer, which I
(16:25):
think there are a lot of peopleout there in the online space
that kind of forget visible, butthen they don't actually have
anything to sell yet and they'recreating all this content and
it gets drowned out by the othernoise.
It sounds eerily similar totheir content and it's a sad
reality of kind of snapping yourfingers and saying, hey, wake
(16:47):
up everyone.
Great to be visible, but youneed a tangible offer.
So what happens when somebodyknows that they want to take the
risk, they want to start havingan entrepreneurial lifestyle,
but they maybe don't actuallyknow the what or the how, really
what the business is going tobe?
How do you kind of coach themthrough that process of getting
(17:11):
clarity on that piece of it?
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Yeah, If you are sitting at this place right now,
no, you're not alone and it'sokay.
We all have those moments and Imean, I've even faced this
similar mindset when I've gonethrough the different evolutions
of business and starting themultiple businesses of not
really knowing, like, how do Ifigure that out?
(17:34):
And you really have to turndown the noise, stop consuming,
and I know that you feel likeI'm going to get so many ideas
from consuming by scrolling.
I'm going to feel inspired.
No, the true inspiration isgoing to come from within, when
you take the time to sit withyourself and ask yourself you
know, what is it that I'mactually good at?
(17:56):
What do I enjoy doing?
What skills do I have that Ican apply to make a difference,
what comes easily and naturallyto me?
Because your business shouldfire you up.
You should be so excitedbecause you have to be your
first sale.
If you're not sold on whatyou're putting out there, other
(18:19):
people pick up on that.
They can sense thatEnergetically.
They feel it.
Oh, absolutely.
So you have to be so passionateabout what you're putting out
there.
And just because you make adecision to start with one thing
, it's okay to evolve.
This doesn't have to be aforever decision, and that's
(18:42):
okay, giving yourself thatpermission to play again, to
experiment, to have fun and juststart trying.
Because as you start yourbusiness, even if you're like
I'm not really sure what yet,just start to get curious, start
(19:02):
to dabble in some of the basicskills that you're going to need
in order to run a business.
Look at the steps it takes tostart a business.
Talk to fellow entrepreneurs inyour circle hey, you have a
business.
What advice and guidance canyou give me?
Because that is the one thing Ilove about the entrepreneurial
community is that we are thereto support one another because
(19:25):
we get it.
It's hard.
It is a completely differentballgame when you are in it,
especially as a solopreneur,versus, you know, running a
multimillion dollar corporationwhere you have you know, you're
a fortune 500 company.
Completely different.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
And have a full team.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
Right, exactly, exactly.
So just get out there and starttalking to people, quiet all
the outside noise and talk tothose that have been there, that
have been where you want to be.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
So you said something and I think it's so important
because I'll cop to this myselfand I was sharing a little bit
at the start of our conversationbefore we hit record that
having blinders on to a lot ofthe other stuff you're seeing is
important because, from anauthenticity standpoint, you
(20:20):
know you have a higher self thatknows best, you're tapped into
source, the universe, thedivinity that lives within you,
whatever you call it.
You are connected.
But you can't be connected ifyou are looking outside of
yourself the whole time, and Ihave fallen trapped to this by
looking at new authors that arecoming out with books as I am
(20:42):
trying to finish up mine.
I was great for the beginning.
I was like I'm not going toread anyone else's book right
now.
I just want to make sure myideas come up and they're
authentic for me and myexperiences.
And then I start getting askedto participate in other people's
launches.
I was like, of course, we're asupportive community, I want to
be part of it.
And then I'm realizing wait aminute, that idea is not all
(21:04):
that different than my idea.
Is that a problem?
And I started to get all up inmy head.
I took the blinders off.
I found myself not doomscrolling, but certainly wasting
my time trying looking forevidence that I'm not original.
Isn't that terrible?
And I had to like stop and say,whoa, this is actually
(21:26):
counterproductive.
You have your message.
Great that they have theirmessage.
There's got to be synergy there.
Don't get in that place of whatdo they say?
Comparison is the thief of joy.
Oh my God.
There is nothing more true whenit comes to being an
(21:46):
entrepreneur and starting abusiness, because you're like,
oh, but they're doing this andoh, but they did that or they
already said this.
Turn it off, get true to you,learn from other people, but
stop comparing, because whereyou are in your journey and
where somebody else is on theirjourney, completely night and
day.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
It is.
But something you mentioned toois the self-awareness piece,
the fact that you caughtyourself because you have the
self-awareness to realize ohgosh, I did just start going
down that rabbit hole.
Because that's human nature,it's safety, we're wired that
way, we're wired for survival.
So the fact that you had theemotional intelligence and
(22:28):
self-awareness to go wait aminute, what am I doing?
This is a narrative that I'mtelling myself.
You were able to quickly shiftyourself back out of that
because, at the end of the day,it's you versus you.
You've got to keep thoseblinders on because we all have
the answers we're searching forso desperately from outside, but
(22:51):
that true fulfillment, thattrue knowledge, it comes from
within and in this world ofnoise and social media
especially, really amplifies it.
It's very easy to feel likeeveryone else is successful when
I'm not.
We all have failures.
We're only seeing that littlesnapshot in time of what they
(23:13):
want us to see, and that's whathappens is a lot of this is
taken out of context.
So we're comparing ourselvesapples to oranges here not even
a fair comparison, because, yes,this person had a $50,000
launch, but they've got a teamof 10 people on the back and
they've got.
You know.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
They spent $100,000 in order to get the $50,000 to
prove the concept.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
That's absolutely true, like my analytical brain
goes well.
What was their profit margin?
You know, like I start thinkingthat because people have been
burned in the online space,people are more skeptical,
because we're finally startingto realize wait a minute, is
that the reality?
Or is this coming from like afiltered reality, that I'm only
(24:00):
getting a piece of the puzzle?
Speaker 1 (24:02):
Well, I think it's so important at least you know, I
like to call it as it is.
So I had this very conversationnot so many days ago with a
dear friend and he said you knowwhat's coming up for you?
And I said I am feeling like animposter in this particular
moment and it was reallyinteresting.
And he said you dared to callit how you're feeling it.
(24:24):
And he's like no, how are yougoing to move through it?
And I thought that was soempowering for me because I got
it off my chest.
I wasn't pretending I wasfeeling okay about it, I was not
feeling great.
I'm getting a lot of like youknow, kudos and yay and this.
I'm like I still have a couplechapters to finish.
You know I'm not done on mybook, and it made me feel less
(24:46):
than in that moment.
And yet, rather than pretendthat I didn't have that feeling,
I just said you know what?
I'm going to own it.
I'm not feeling great right now.
I'm in a low vibe.
I don't want to stay in thislow vibe.
So let's just acknowledge it,give it a name and walk through
it.
And my friend held the spaceand just said you've got this,
(25:07):
you know what to do, and it wasjust the kind of snap of like oh
my God, I forgot who I am.
Snap out of this, get back towork.
We're good and it's soimportant when you're going
through something monumentallike starting a business or
writing a book or creating acourse or whatever it is that
you're trying to do, that's bigand different than anything
(25:30):
you've done before.
Give yourself permission to notbe perfect and to not feel
great all the time, and that'swhat I appreciate about you.
I write a lot aboutauthenticity and you're one of
the most authentic businesswomenI know.
Amy's podcast really waspoignant toward the end of the
(25:53):
year.
She's like I didn't hit all mygoals.
People, you know, here we are.
This is the reality and how tolearn from that and how to just
own it and not shame yourself,not to feel guilty about it and
not to feel bad about it, but tosay okay, this is where we're
at.
And I found myself with mypublisher avoiding a
(26:15):
conversation because I felt badthat I hadn't finished.
I finally got on the call andsaid you know what I've been
feeling bad about?
Not finishing, which is whyI've been avoiding you?
And she started laughing andshe's like well, you're the one
that was going 150 miles an hour, not us and I had to stop and I
(26:35):
said, right, and she said so,do you have a new perspective on
how you want this to unfold aswe go forward?
I said yeah, intuitively, andit's out of my head.
And she said, great, I'll talkto you when you're ready to talk
again.
Keep going.
All of a sudden, all of thatweight I had been silently
(26:55):
carrying and trying to be likeI'll be fine, I'll snap out of
it.
I just need to kind of behonest with it and be like this
is how I'm currently feelingabout it, but I'm going to let
it go now and get back towriting.
Speaker 2 (27:09):
Exactly.
We impose these crazy beliefsupon ourselves and we stay stuck
.
We're choosing to stay stuckbecause we're fighting for our
limitations more than for whatwe truly want.
We all do it, every single oneof us, myself included.
Yeah, that episode I did notlike.
(27:31):
I was raw, I was vulnerable.
In that episode, 80% of my goalsI didn't reach.
You know what?
I'm really proud of theprogress that I did make,
because I am so much furtherahead now than on January 1st of
last year.
So, yes, maybe I didn'taccomplish everything on that
list, but that's okay.
(27:51):
I'm a lot closer toaccomplishing it.
So that list of goals is stillright.
I'm a lot closer toaccomplishing it.
So that list of goals is stillright in front of me on the wall
.
And you best believe I'm goingto make it happen, because now I
have more information as tookay, this didn't go so well.
How can I make this work?
What little pivots, what tweaksand adjustments do I need to
make?
(28:11):
Because there are opportunitiesall around me.
But when I'm so focused onwhat's not working, I lose sight
of that and I stay stuck, andthat's a choice that I'm making
and that can be a really hardtruth for a lot of us to come to
accept that it is a choice.
But sometimes you have to makea choice, to make a change, and
(28:34):
that's what I did five years agowhen I made the decision to
leave my job and it was scary,it wasn't easy.
There was a lot of fear thatsurrounded it, and it wasn't
even necessarily a fear offailure.
It wasn't the fear of judgment,it was honestly the fear of
success that was holding me backmore than anything.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
Talk more about that, Amy.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:59):
That was the big turning point Because, you know,
we all have the awareness like,oh, I don't want people judging
me, oh, what happens if I fail?
Like I feel like I had workedthrough that, like I just
working with people for yearsand years.
I'm like, whatever, you know,it is what it is, but I was
afraid of success.
What is this going to take awayfrom?
(29:19):
Is this going to pull mefurther from my family?
Is this going to put me moreinto the spotlight, where I'm
having to be in front of peopleand putting myself out there
even more?
Like, am I prepared for that?
Am I prepared for that success?
So, really taking the time tounpack that and realize I'm not
(29:43):
necessarily afraid to fail, I'mafraid to fly, I'm afraid to
succeed.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Were you afraid of the?
So I could see it from a coupleof different ways.
The fear of you're sosuccessful that your time goes
right out the window because youare inundated with requests for
work.
That would actually freak meout, because, as somebody who
has hustled and grinded her wayto the top of the executive
(30:11):
corporate ladder, I had zerodesire to replicate that model
in the entrepreneurial space.
And unfortunately, in the earlydays we often do, because we
don't know what else to do whenyou haven't yet started, other
than hustle and grind until yousee something start to take
flight.
So the interesting part, though,is the visibility piece,
(30:35):
because that, actually, I havezero qualms about that, but I
was a PR girl, so very differentindustry.
I'm kind of used to that piecemy family very much, because I'm
going to be so busy organizingother people and not home.
Like, walk me through that alittle bit, because the time
(31:03):
piece, for me in particular,causes a knot in my throat,
because I see it, sometimesthere are days where I'm like oh
my God, I have been in myoffice for 10 hours straight.
This is actually not the wayI'm supposed to be doing this,
but here I am.
What am I going to dodifferently tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Right, you know we quit our nine to five to work 24
seven.
But that hustle culture, it'srewarded in society.
I mean, even when I was stillworking, we we were held to
productivity standards.
We had to meet certainstandards in order to, like your
performance, review yourproductivity standards.
If you did not meet those, thatwas a part of it you were
evaluated on that.
(31:37):
So for me it was kind of thatfear of oh my gosh, are we just
trading one for the other?
Are we just going to be rightback to where we started?
Right, exactly Because now it'sme versus me, I'm the head
honcho of the thing Like wait aminute, what am I doing?
So really coming to terms withthat and acknowledging that and
(31:59):
giving myself permission likewe'll figure it out, just like
we figured out.
But the really cool thing isthat I'm the CEO and this is my
business.
I get to make the rules andthat's the coolest part that we
forget.
This is your business.
You get to run it in a way thatfeels good to you, because
(32:20):
there's not just one hard setway to run your business.
It's not okay.
This is the business Bible andthis is the only way to do it.
We have to do X, y and Z work24-7, hustle, hustle, hustle.
No, you get to choose, you getto establish those boundaries.
You get to say yes to thethings that you want to say yes
(32:42):
to.
You can also say no to thethings that don't feel aligned
and that is important.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
Oh boy, you need to learn to kindly say no, it's a
tough one.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
I'm still working on that.
I actually, on my bulletinboard beside me, have my list of
no's, because I am a peoplepleaser Enneagram nine, through
and through, like I just wanteverybody to be happy.
So for me that took a lot ofpractice and it's something I'm
still practicing is thatlearning to say no, I have not
perfected that, that's not beenmastered.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
Oh, I'm way far from perfecting.
That's why, literally, I stillhave a list.
Speaker 2 (33:18):
So I can remember on a regular basis like no, it's
okay to say no.
Speaker 1 (33:23):
It's not only okay to know you have to.
You have to get super selective, particularly as a solopreneur,
because you do not have a largeteam yet.
You might never have one, anddeciding which levers to pull
that are gonna actually beinstrumental to your business is
really important.
All right, I wanna go back tothe CEO method, because it's so
(33:46):
so well put together, amy.
Let's talk about so.
C in the CEO is clarity, e isestablished systems.
Let's talk about that, becausethat is, I think, most people's
Achilles heel.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
It sure is.
And I think, before we evendive into that, it's important
to like.
What are systems?
I had a friend talk to me aboutthis the other day.
She's like what systems?
That word just seems so overused.
What are systems?
That word just seems sooverused.
What are systems Like?
Well, systems are just workflowsto free up your mental capacity
because we are inundated, asbusiness owners, with so many
(34:25):
decisions.
Even if you're not a businessowner, you're making so many
micro decisions throughout theday that half the time, by the
time it's 10 o'clock in themorning, our brains are done.
We have made so many decisionsthat we can't think clearly
anymore.
So systems are just workflowsto help you move efficiently
(34:47):
throughout your day so you'renot having to be distracted by
all the nitty gritty littledecisions that you're making,
even in life, by all the nittygritty little decisions that
you're making Even in life.
I have systemized my life likemeal planning.
I do a month at a time and Iput it on the wall so the kids
know exactly what's for dinner,because that would drive me
crazy Having to try and figureout oh gosh, wait, I just worked
(35:07):
all day Now.
What's for dinner, what's notfrozen, what is fresh.
What do we need?
No, I have a system for it, sothat we know and we're on the
same page.
Systems are there to reducethat mental fatigue that we all
face.
Speaker 1 (35:24):
I was introduced to time blocking, which is not a
new concept out there, but itwas new to me because I would
just write everything on mycalendar and my calendar looked
awful.
Write everything on my calendar, my calendar looked awful.
And I started doing timeblocking in order to not let the
meetings that I was takingoverrun the time for actually
working on the business.
And that's been just a newimplementation.
(35:48):
It's been life-changing andlife-giving because I actually
even put in when I was going toexercise, when I was going to
make a meal, when I was going toreturn calls or do
administrative tasks so I wasn'tbeing pulled to respond to
emails in the middle of aworkflow that was about deep
thinking or writing or coursedevelopment that I would leave
(36:09):
that to the times designated todo administrative tasks.
And that's been so enlighteningbecause I did not realize like I
had a coach saying where's allyour time going?
And I would like I don't knowwhere the day went.
I was, I talked to a lot ofpeople, I did some content, I
did some writing, and the day isgone, you know, and I was like,
(36:32):
and I don't feel like I movedthe needle.
She's like all right, we needto get really crystal clear.
So that's a small one, but thatwas really an important one for
me.
Talk to me about maybe some ofthe workflows as an early
entrepreneur that you reallythink are by far must haves you
can't live without them.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
Or you can't function as effectively.
Yeah, so for me, before I answerthat, I want to back up just
one second because, like systemsand structure, everybody thinks
that that's going to take awaymy freedom.
Well, no, that's what gives youthe freedom, because you're
busy being busy, and there's noright or wrong way to do it.
(37:15):
You know, we touched upon thisbefore, but the best system is
really the one that works bestfor you.
But one of the things that Ithink that any business owner
can implement right away is juststart templating things.
As you're doing things, asyou're finding yourself doing
something over and over and over, make a template.
If there's an email responsethat you're always sending out,
(37:37):
just save it In Google, in Gmail.
All you have to do there's thisthree little dots at the bottom
.
You just save it as a templateand so that response is there
and you can tweak it, you canadjust it.
And the other thing, there areso many automations available
that if you're finding yourselfdoing something over and over
and over, see if there's anautomation available.
(37:58):
And that's the really coolthing with the rise of AI is
that there are new thingsemerging all of the time.
But start simple.
Don't get so in over your headwith all of these systems,
you're just going to becomeoverwhelmed.
Simple is sustainable, so it'simportant that you know yourself
and how you work and then finda system that gives you that
(38:22):
structure, that gives you thatfreedom.
Like you said, time blockingworks great for you.
Other people, they look at thatand they go.
There's no way.
Knowing and trying differentthings, that's what works.
You have to experiment, youhave to figure out.
Okay, you know what this worksfor me.
This is my way of doing it.
I am still a paper planner.
(38:43):
I do a similar method with timeblocking, but I still, even
though I have my Google Calendarthat has all my meetings, I
still keep my paper calendar soI can see my boulders in the day
.
I start at this time, I end atthis time.
That's it, so that I'm notconstantly working because it is
so easy.
Speaker 1 (39:02):
So, systems-wise.
Speaker 2 (39:03):
play around, Explore and try different things.
See what feels good to you.
Just because everybody else isusing one thing doesn't mean
that you have to either.
Speaker 1 (39:16):
I love that.
All right, let's go to the O,because this is a tricky one,
and I was so grateful to haveyou write about organic, social
and organic sales in a worldthat feels like gosh if you
don't have paid, like it's notgoing to go anywhere, the
algorithm is going to kick youout of being even noticed.
(39:37):
So talk more about that, if youwill.
Speaker 2 (39:39):
Yeah.
So, like you said, everybodygets so in their heads they have
this amazing business, but thenthey feel like a best kept
secret.
So what we're doing is we'regetting you visible in front of
your people and it really comesdown to unpacking exactly who
are you a good fit for?
What problem do you hold thesolution to with your product or
(40:01):
with your service?
And then, once you know thatyou can really narrow that focus
and position yourself in frontof the people that need your
service, and then, once you knowthat you can really narrow that
focus and position yourself infront of the people that need
your thing Because what happensis we're talking to everyone and
then no one hears us.
We blend in with the noise, weblend in with the trend, and
this is where metrics reallycome into the equation, because
(40:22):
it will tell you exactly wherein your funnel the disconnect is
.
Is it a messaging disconnect?
Is it a visibility disconnect?
Is it a sales issue?
That you know what, like peopleare getting onto my list,
they're resonating, they'rereplying, I get great engagement
, but nobody's buying.
Okay, well, once we know this,we can fix that then.
But we have to have that mindsetof curiosity and really that
(40:47):
clear understanding of how we'removing from a follower into a
buyer.
So, as much as people hate theword funnel, it's important to
map that out, to know okay, well, how am I getting visible?
Because, yes, you may have anawesome lead magnet, but how are
people finding out about it?
How?
How are you building your list?
What are you doing with yourlist?
And then, how are we nurturing,how are we converting?
(41:10):
And what are you doing everyday with your time to ensure
that you're keeping that flowgoing?
Because it's not McDonald's,it's not we build it and they
will come.
No, not Field of Dreams either.
Damn it, I know, wouldn't thatbe awesome?
But you have to have that clearunderstanding of, first of all,
(41:31):
who are you talking to?
What do they need?
Really?
Have that understanding of thatideal client that one person
Take the time to unpack that and, honestly, chatgpt is a really
good place to startbrainstorming.
Do not just do the copy andpaste thing that we see online
(41:53):
all the time, no, but use it tobrainstorm, use it to like, just
start to have a conversation.
Hey, I have this product, Ihave this service, you know, and
this is my ideal client.
How else can you?
What questions can you ask meso I can better understand them?
Start to brainstorm with it andyou'll get a lot of great
(42:15):
information.
Speaker 1 (42:17):
I love that.
I love that.
Okay, let's talk about life asa busy mom and entrepreneur,
because I know so many peopleout there are parents, they're
feeling overwhelmed with all therequirements and all the things
.
I'm getting ready to be anempty nester, which is shocking,
and a whole new world over thecourse of the summer, as we're
(42:37):
looking at colleges now.
But how are you balancing it?
Because I think it's so easy.
I say this from experience andwatching so many other
entrepreneurs that are in theearly days, letting the business
development and the businessgrowth really take over their
time.
(42:58):
How did you A safeguard yourtime and B pace yourself?
Because I think, particularlyfor those people that have gone
from a corporate or some sort oforganization that was, you know
, they were working for somebodyelse and they had that steady
income coming in to oh wait, Iam now providing for myself.
(43:21):
There is a sense of I can't letoff the gas until I start
seeing a return.
I can't like, I can't afford to, and yet we both know that when
the energy gets depleted,you're not actually any good to
yourself or business.
So talk through that, because Ithink that is the kind of the
Pandora's box of like.
How do you get out of your ownway and really recognize how
(43:45):
important energy is and thatpeople are actually buying
energy, your energy that goesinto your business as much as
they're buying what you have tosell?
Speaker 2 (43:55):
Yeah, it all boils down to three words I need help.
And those are the three hardestwords to say, and everyone
always thinks about this from abusiness standpoint.
They're like well, I don't havethe money to outsource.
I'm not talking aboutoutsourcing things in your
business.
I need help.
Lean on those that are alreadyin your world your family
(44:18):
members.
You're in this as a team, Evenmy kids.
When I was first starting mybusiness, they were kindergarten
and preschool.
They were little.
I found ways for them to helpease the load off of me so that
they could help around the house.
You know little kids likepreschoolers.
They can match socks, they canhelp start to put dishes away.
(44:39):
You know they are so much morecapable.
But when you view your homeecosystem as a team, it really
starts to ease the burdenbecause we get this mom martyr
complex that I have to doeverything.
It has to be perfect.
That's not reality.
And how did I pace myself Atfirst?
(45:01):
I didn't, I didn't, and I burntout really quick.
Yes, I had this big, thrivingbusiness, but I was exhausted.
I didn't and I burnt out reallyquick.
Yes, I had this big, thrivingbusiness, but I was exhausted.
I was burning the candle atboth ends.
So it really came down toasking for help, asking for help
from those around me and I knowthis is hard if you're in a
position like I'm veryprivileged, I have an awesome
(45:21):
husband here at home.
I've got kids that are able tohelp me.
But just you know, even if youdon't have someone in your life
like that, can you call up afriend and be like hey, can you
take the kids for two hours?
You know we'll swap, We'll swapchildcare.
Even something as simple asgrocery pickup.
Everybody's like oh, I don'thave time.
(45:42):
Okay, If you don't have, tellme you don't have time.
The first thing I'm going tosay are you grocery shopping
each week?
Because I'm going to tell you,grocery pickup has been a game
changer, Because you think aboutit.
How much time are you wastingdriving to the store, shopping,
going through the checkout,getting home, putting it away?
Okay, what if we couldeliminate an hour and give you
(46:03):
an hour back?
Yes, there's a little bit of amoney exchange there, but if
somebody's bringing thosegroceries to you, or even if
you're going to the store andpicking them up, you're saving
yourself money.
Plus, you're not putting allthe extra junk in your cart too,
so you're saving money there.
So it ends up like being amoney saver.
But little things like thatlooking to be supported and
(46:24):
letting people support you.
People want to help.
People are there to help you.
You just have to have thecourage to be able to ask for it
and accept it.
Speaker 1 (46:36):
I love that Okay when you've hit challenges and
plateaus in the business.
Let's talk through this.
What are some of your go-tostrategies to really break
through and regain momentum,Because I know this happens for
everyone from time to time.
What have you experienced andhow have you worked through it
since?
Now you're in year five.
Speaker 2 (46:58):
I know Honestly, because this happens.
This happens every so often.
So when I start to notice this,awareness is the first step.
You have to start to realizeokay, I'm going down this rabbit
hole again.
I have to stop.
I have to do a whole hard stop.
I don't consume.
I stop consuming.
I'll go on social media, I'llput my posts up, I'll put my
(47:19):
stories up.
I do not consume, I do notscroll, I do not listen to
podcasts, I do not listen tobooks.
I quiet all the noise Again,quieting the outside noise so I
can hear the voice within,because we're always seeking
that external validation, thoseexternal answers.
But if I can't hear myself, I'mgoing to be stuck in that same
(47:40):
place.
I have all the answers I need.
I don't need someone else togive me the answers because
they're already within.
So let me challenge you there,because you and I are all the
answers I need.
I don't need someone else togive me the answers because
they're already within.
Speaker 1 (47:48):
So let me challenge you there, because you and I are
on the same page on this, 100%.
But for the person that's likeI don't know the answer.
I actually don't think I knowthe answer, amy and Michelle, so
don't tell me.
I have the answer.
What's your response tosomebody who's maybe there in
their journey and their mindset?
What would you say?
I say dig deeper.
Speaker 2 (48:09):
Dig deeper, because you do, it's in there, and I've
been there.
I've been there too.
I've been like, nope, I don'tknow the answers, I don't know
what's next.
I have had those days where I'mliterally in prayer, going God,
I don't know, I don't know.
None of this makes sense.
Don't know, I don't know.
None of this makes sense.
But I feel like when you hit amoment like that, you're on the
(48:29):
verge of your breakthrough.
So, if you're in that position,keep going, because you will
find it.
Start journaling, startmeditating, start doing whatever
you have to do.
Some people love to go out andjust walk in nature, but you
have to quiet the noise andyou're going to find your answer
.
Speaker 1 (48:49):
Everybody who is on the verge of a mini breakdown or
feeling like super stuck watchout, the breakthrough's coming.
Get ready.
Speaker 2 (49:00):
It seems so counterintuitive, but I swear
every single time because I'vebeen there.
I'm like no, I don't have theanswers, I don't.
Yeah, you do and you will getthat breakthrough.
You just can't give up.
Speaker 1 (49:13):
Talk to me about some of the ways that you have
helped hone your intuition.
What are some of your practices?
Obviously, prayer has beenimportant for you.
Speaker 2 (49:21):
Yeah, my faith has been something I've really,
really leaned into, especiallythis past year.
Yeah, I've really quieted thenoise and kind of come back to
why?
Why am I here?
What's my purpose?
I know I'm here for a reasonand I really want to be led and
just having that trust in myself, because when I doubt myself,
(49:48):
I'm doubting the universe.
You know, even if you don'tbelieve in God, you're doubting
the universe Because you thinkabout the odds of any of us
being here in this moment intime.
They're like astronomical, likewe shouldn't exist, but we're
here.
So there's obviously a reasonI'm here and I want to know what
that is so really for meleaning into my faith, into
(50:10):
prayer, doing things likejournaling and, again, just
taking the time to sit in thequiet.
This year my kids changedschools and so I've been
dropping them off and pickingthem up and so I spend a lot of
time in the car and I was like,oh, this will be a great time, I
can get some extra work done, Ican do something I have loved
(50:32):
just sitting there in the moment, looking around at just the
beauty of this world around me,because in our hustle we're
missing the beauty that is allaround us and, honestly, that
(50:54):
has given me so much clarity anddirection, just giving myself
that space to exist, to be, tobreathe, to just like one of my
favorite things to do.
I'm in Ohio, so it's cold here.
Right now we're getting somesort of a polar vortex.
Our living room faces east, sothe sun comes in.
I will just sit there and closemy eyes and pretend that I am
in Florida or somewhere warm,that it is summertime.
You're just taking those micromoments throughout the day to
(51:18):
just really be present, to bepresent in the here and now,
because this is the only momentin life we are guaranteed is
right now.
Speaker 1 (51:29):
Oh my gosh, mic drop moment, amy, I feel like we
should stop there, but we'regoing to.
I'm going to share somethingbecause I think that you'll
enjoy this story, and itcertainly was one that I needed
to have happen.
So, as you know, I was in Maineover the weekend and up until
now, and while I was there, wewent into our tiny little town
(51:53):
and had dinner one night, thefirst night I was there and I
was already feeling somestuckness in my body, in my head
, but I hadn't seen my parentsin a really long time, so I was
trying to just put it aside.
And what have you?
And while we're there, therewere two people in the
restaurant.
The restaurant was packed, butthere were two people.
My dad said, oh, I'm going to gotalk to these people and I
(52:14):
thought they were friends of his.
So he got up and walked overand then I hear Michelle,
michelle, come, come, come.
And I was like he said do youremember Paul and Jason from
high school?
And I'm looking, and I'mlooking and I hadn't seen these
(52:35):
guys in 30 years.
And one of them was very, verythin and of course, it's now
clicking who they are.
And I was like, of course, howare you?
And my dad politely walked awayand said I'll leave you guys to
chat and catch up.
And one of the gentlemen, paul,is very, very thin.
(52:55):
And I said, paul, how are you?
And he said, oh well, I'mbattling stage four prostate
cancer.
And I said, oh my God, my heartgoes out to you, paul.
I'm so, so sorry.
Are you getting good treatment?
And he goes.
Actually, I only have fourmonths left to live.
I'm at the end.
And it broke me in that moment,amy, of like how selfish, being
(53:19):
stuck in my head about thingsthat really don't matter.
And here was this man staringat me going.
I want you to know I've beenlistening to the podcast and
I've been watching you on socialand you're really inspiring.
I didn't have words.
I just sat there and said I ampraying for you.
And he's like I'm in a goodplace.
(53:40):
And I could tell he was in agood place.
I was the one that needed theencounter.
It was so humbling in thatmoment.
So, as I collect myself becausethis Terry moment of just
bringing us back to what anamazing and extraordinary
ability just extraordinary thatwe're here in this time, able to
(54:03):
have this conversation twodifferent places in this country
and share our experiences withhundreds of other people that
are tuning into this broadcastand know that we are
experiencing so many universaland relatable truths and at the
(54:25):
end of this it is gonna end.
There is an ending.
We don't know the day or thetime, and here was this guy my
age, looking at me going yeah,I've got about four months left.
It was a sobering moment of geta grip.
Michelle, wear your big girlpanties.
(54:45):
And thank you, god, universesource, for waking me up and
realizing I don't have time towaste worrying about things that
don't actually matter orscrolling and getting all
confused about well, what shouldI do?
There's so much coming at me.
Put the blinders on people, getquiet, go within.
(55:10):
You come here in thisexperience of human existence,
already coded with what you'rehere to do, and your job is to
find out what it is and to giveit to the rest of us.
That's what we're all waitingfor.
So, amy, I just want to thankyou.
Thank you for your time, yourgenerosity, your wisdom.
(55:32):
Truly, it's been an absolutehonor to spend time with you
today and we're going to makesure that we have some links in
the show notes.
I really highly encourage you.
You, if you are contemplatingentrepreneurism or you're in
entrepreneurism now you're anentrepreneur.
The CEO Method by Amy Tra.
(55:53):
It's a mouse.
Read, Amy, tell us what you'reup to.
What's next for you?
What are you working on?
What do you want to share withthe audience?
Speaker 2 (56:02):
Well, thank you so much for all of your words of
affirmation.
That just warms my heart andfills it with joy, because
you're right, we all have animpact to make on this world.
We are all here for a reason,and this year I'm celebrating.
This is a year of celebrationfor me because in life we tend
to move those goalposts over andover and over.
So I'm taking this year andcelebrating because I hit some
(56:24):
pretty big milestones.
Episode 400 of my podcasthappens next month, which is
insane.
It'll drop in February, towardsthe end of the month.
Over on the Motivated CEO.
I'm celebrating a year of thebook being out in the universe
in March and celebrating fiveyears in business, which, if you
(56:45):
look at the statistics, is apretty good accomplishment.
I'm so excited for that, andjust taking the time to just
celebrate and be thankful forhow far I have come and just
having the ability to haveconversations like this to
inspire someone that's where Iwas a year ago, two years ago,
(57:09):
three years ago is where I amright now, to be able to spread
that message and make peoplefeel like you know what, I'm not
alone because you're not.
We are out here and you arehere for a reason.
If you have a dream on yourheart, go after it.
It is there for a reason.
Set aside the excuses, get outof your own way and just go for
(57:32):
it.
Speaker 1 (57:32):
Go do it.
Yeah, get off the sideline, getinto the arena.
We're waiting for your giftswe're all in need of, whatever
they are.
Absolutely, you need to go forit.
That dream isn't yoursselfishly, it's been planted.
So no, you need to go live it.
I love it, amy.
Thank you again for your time.
(57:52):
You were an absolute joy to bewith and I wish you nothing but
awesome success in this yearahead.
Speaker 2 (57:59):
Oh, thank you so much .
Right back at you, Michelle.
Speaker 1 (58:02):
All right, everyone.
Until next time, go and liveyour extraordinary lives.
Hello everyone and welcome back to the Live your
Extraordinary Life podcast.
I'm your host, michelle Rios,and today we have such a treat.
My friend Amy Tra is joining ushere on the show, and Amy is a
three-time female founder,business strategist and host of
the globally rated the MotivatedCEO podcast.
(00:24):
And host of the globally ratedthe Motivated CEO podcast.
She is absolutely passionateabout empowering and educating
online service providers to helpthem generate consistent sales
Isn't that something we all wantand need?
Without sacrificing the mostimportant value assets that we
all have, which is time andenergy?
(00:45):
Through her signature CEOmethod, she guides all of her
clients to sanity and consistentrevenue.
So, without further ado, amy,welcome to the show.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Thank you so much, Michelle.
I'm so excited to be here withyou today, Well.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
I'm in awe.
First of all, thank you forsending a copy of your book.
I got a chance to read it overthe last week.
It's the CEO Method, anEntrepreneur's Guide to Business
Success, and I am thinking allof my listeners that have either
(01:23):
entered the entrepreneurialspace or about ready to do so
need to get a copy.
It's so well written, it'sclear, it's concise, it's to the
point, and what I love is thatyou really guide people.
This is the handbook everybodyneeds when they're thinking
about starting a business,because this is an up and down
roller coaster of a ride journey, as you know, and I really want
(01:44):
to encourage people to go pickup Amy's book, the CEO Method.
In that I want to talk, though Iwant to step back to 2020,
because you weren't always anentrepreneur.
This is still somewhat of a newgame, although I feel like you
were one of the more seasonedentrepreneurs on this journey
that I've come across.
(02:05):
Tell me a little bit aboutwhat's going on, because I know
that 2020, pandemic times.
It was a monumental shift foreverybody.
Help me understand, and let'stalk through with our listeners,
what was going on, that you didthis big transition.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Yeah, 2020 was kind of the year that came out of
nowhere for everyone, right.
I mean, it was wild to lookback and think that was almost.
It was five years ago now.
Yeah, Five years ago it was fiveyears ago that pretty much
every single person in thisworld, your life, changed in
some way.
You were impacted in one way oranother, and that was the year
(02:46):
that my life was flipped upsidedown.
It was the pandemic, and we gotthe notice that schools were
shutting down.
I'm like, okay, this is alittle unnerving because I'm
working full time, my husband'sworking full time, we both work
outpatient physical therapy.
So it was like, okay, we're notshutting down, we're still
resuming operations.
But we had two kids at home, wehad a kindergartner and a
(03:08):
preschooler at the time andthere's no daycare because those
are shutting down too.
So it's like what are we goingto do?
Well, luckily, you know, at thetime this freaked me out.
But now, looking back, this wasthe pivotal moment was you know
?
My employer was like we need tocut staff right now by 50%.
We need half of you to go onfurlough, we're looking for
volunteers, okay, well, I mean,this is what we're going to have
(03:30):
to do.
We've got to do something tofigure this out.
I'm going to do it.
And at the time I was terrified.
I was absolutely terrified,because I'm like this is not
according to the plan.
This is not like checking myboxes off here.
This is scary, this isunnerving.
What's going to happen?
But I knew I had to do it, so Idid, and that was the biggest
(03:52):
turning point in my life,because I finally had the time
to quiet all of the outsidenoise, all of the hustle, and
turn down that noise from theoutside world so I could finally
hear the voice within.
And it was at that moment thatI realized I was going through
the motions, I wasn't living anextraordinary life.
(04:14):
You know, this is something youtalk about all of the time I was
on autopilot, going through themotions, accepting the reality
that I had chosen for myselfbecause I went to college, I had
my degree, I was working, I hadmy dream job.
I wasn't fulfilled, I was justgoing through the motions,
living for one day.
One day I'll be able to retire.
(04:35):
Yeah, Then we'll go and travel,Then we'll get everything
checked off the bucket list.
But at that moment in time Irealized the only moment we're
guaranteed is the one we haveright now.
So when I finally came to termswith that, I was like okay,
something needs to change.
I had no clue what.
I had no clue how.
I just knew in my heart thatsomething had to change.
(04:57):
So you know, flash forward, afew months still hadn't gotten
called back to work.
I'm like you know what?
How can I make this work?
Then I'm going to need to dosomething in order to earn a
living.
And I started my first businessand I haven't looked back ever
since.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
All right.
So this is the turning point,folks, because a lot of people
might be in the situation ofeither being laid off, let go
furloughed, or even voluntarilysaying I can't do this anymore,
I'm burned right out.
But you're like, okay, I'mstarting a business.
That's something not everyonehas the courage to do.
(05:35):
So tell us about this business,because you haven't just had
one business.
You were a founder three timesover and it's only been five
years.
So talk us through.
What was the idea, theinception, and how did you know
this was going to work?
Or did you not know?
And how did you walk throughthe unknown and the fear that
(05:56):
comes with that?
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Oh, there was so much fear.
But it was one of those things.
I had always had it on my heartto start a residential home
organizing company.
I love organization.
I loved helping people reallyget to the bottom of all this
stuff and regain the control,because our environment directly
impacts our mental health, andso I did it.
(06:20):
I'm like you know what thisseems like.
It'd be fun.
I feel like I'm really good atthis.
I help friends with this allthe time.
Why don't I just try it?
Because, worst case, I canalways go out, find another job
in therapy, like no big deal.
So I'm just going to try it.
And I will tell you what.
I don't know if it was theuniverse guide, the everything
(06:41):
coming together all at once.
But that was the perfectbusiness to start.
During the pandemic, everybodywas stuck at home.
They realized how much stuffthey had.
They were tired of beingcontrolled by their things.
So this business took off andit grew and I didn't know a
thing about starting business.
So the really cool thing aboutthe pandemic was there were tons
(07:04):
of resources available.
Harvard Business School wasoffering business classes for
free.
There were so many mentorshipprograms and I just became a
sponge.
I was like I know that I don'tknow a lot about the business
side of things, so I just tookit all in.
But then I did what a lot ofpeople don't do is I applied
that knowledge, becauseknowledge without implementation
(07:26):
, without action, is worthless.
So I just got to work.
I was willing to be a beginneragain and say you know what, I
don't know what I'm doing.
I'm really good at helpingpeople regain control of their
environments, but what I'm notreally good at is how do I
market myself?
How do I get myself seen?
How do I build a business?
What are all these metrics anddata points in business?
(07:50):
Because that's what I reallyloved about my career in therapy
was really leveraging thatobjective data in order to get
an outcome, and so what I wasfinding was wait a minute, what
I'm doing now in building thisbusiness really isn't much
different than what I've done myentire career in physical
therapy.
(08:10):
I'm empowering and educatingpeople to achieve the success
that they want, and in order todo that, I'm looking at these
metrics to guide me and get methere.
So that's what I reallyattribute to my success and how
I was able to grow and scalethis business so quickly, so
that was business number one.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Okay, let's hold there.
I don't want to leave here yet,because this is an important
one.
You got to scale because Ibelieve at some point you ended
up selling this business,correct?
Speaker 2 (08:39):
I did.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Okay.
So for you to get to scale insomething that was not product
oriented, it required it's aservice.
It required time and effort.
You had to have been out thereand really like busy, yeah, did
you end up having to hire a team.
Was that part of the scale,like, or was this?
You just really like taking ona lot of?
Speaker 2 (09:01):
projects.
It was me hustling hard anddriving all over the place.
And what I realized with thatis I'm like I'm right back where
I was when I left my nine tofive.
What did I do?
But what I realized in buildingthat first business, that gave
me the confidence that, wow, Ican do this.
(09:22):
I was willing to be thebeginner, I was willing to push
past my own self-limitingbeliefs, so that built the
confidence within me.
And what I realized was, evenmore than I loved helping people
regain control, was I reallyloved the business of building
the business.
(09:43):
So as I'm doing this, I'm likeyou know what?
My kids were really young atthe time.
I'm like there is nothing in myarea that catered to moms
growing businesses.
So I started a networking groupand that grew, that took off
because there was a need.
You identify a need and you askyourself how can I fill this
(10:06):
void?
What is missing?
And if I can't find it, I'mgoing to go out there and I'm
going to create it and you justhave to detach from the outcome.
You're like, okay, I'm willingto bet on myself, let's try it
out.
This is just an experiment.
If it works, awesome.
If it doesn't, guess what wecan learn something from it.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
That's amazing.
Okay, so a lot of people haveideas for starting a business,
but they do definitely get stuckon how.
So they get the what down.
I have a what and then they getstuck.
What was the first concretestep you took in turning your
idea for the organizing businessinto a reality?
(10:45):
What was the first kind of realbreakthrough for you what I did
is I just?
Speaker 2 (10:51):
I validated it.
I really made sure there was aneed.
So I did my market research.
I looked, okay, around the area.
Who else is out there doing thesame thing as I am?
Is there a need in my area?
Is there that demand there?
And then I tried it out.
I would go into friends' houses.
I'm like, hey, I'm going tostart this business.
(11:11):
I need to get some before andafter pictures.
I want to start to do somecontent for social media.
Are you willing to let me comeinto your home and organize some
closets?
And every single one of them'slike, oh, okay, yeah, why
wouldn't I?
Because I'm tired of looking atall this stuff.
Can you go through my kid'splayroom?
Can you go through my basement?
And it validated that, so it wasgetting into action.
So I really could kind of testthe waters before I fully
(11:33):
committed.
So it was again allowing myselfto kind of play first before I
was like, okay, we're going topour tons and tons of money into
this in order to make it grow.
So I think it's okay to do that.
It's okay to kind of test andvalidate so that you do know
what you're getting yourselfinto.
Because when you're firststarting a business, it's one of
(11:55):
those things that you're alwayslike the grass is greener on
the other side.
Oh, I'm going to have thisentrepreneurial lifestyle where
I'm just sitting at home and thedollars are flowing in easily
and effortlessly and I have sixfigures in my bank account at
all times.
But the reality is thebeginning stages they're scary,
they're uncertain, you're notquite sure because you don't
have that proof to your brain ofpossibility.
(12:18):
But once you start just kind oftesting the waters a little bit
, you build up that confidencein yourself and then you have
that proof to your brain, likeokay, yeah, this can work.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
That's amazing.
Okay, in your book you talkabout your CEO method.
This is your signature approachand I love it because, for
everyone listening CEO, we allknow it as chief.
For everyone listening CEO, weall know it as chief standing
for chief executive officer.
But in Amy's case, she talksabout it in terms of
(12:54):
entrepreneurial approach and theimportance of clarity,
established systems and organicsales and social.
So walk us through that alittle bit, because I found that
, first of all, one of the best,clearest, simplest ways to
think about business from a CEOperspective, right.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
Especially as a solopreneur, as a solopreneur.
When you're just first startingout, there's so much information
out there, right, and whathappens is we end up treating
ourselves like this overworkedemployee.
But at the end of the day, inorder to have a thriving
business, you need to step intothe role of CEO.
So that's why I really honed inon the CEO and mindset of
(13:39):
things, because we're running abusiness here.
But step one is clarity.
You have to have that clarityfrom day one as to what it is
that you want this business tolook like and why.
Not only what, but why.
I think the why is somethingthat a lot of people miss out on
(14:00):
, because we say we want thesethings, but at the end of the
day, a lot of times, we'readopting everyone else's goals
as our own.
So what do you want and why doyou want it?
And when you have such aconcrete, deep-rooted belief and
understanding of what and why,that will keep you going,
(14:22):
because there are going to bedays when you want to quit.
There will be days when youwant to burn it all down, when
you think you need to start over.
We all go through that.
I still have days where I'mlike that.
But what do I do?
I reflect back as to why am Idoing this, what is that impact,
what is that legacy that I wantto leave on this world?
(14:44):
So really having that clarityis so key, especially in a world
full of noise.
So that is step one.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
And the clarity.
Let's just sit there for aminute, because this is the most
important question, right, wetalk about you know, what do you
want?
So many of us kind of gothrough the societal approach of
, well, I'm going to go tocollege and then I'm going to
get a good job that pays well,because that's what I'm told,
that's going to make me happy,and so I'm going to go do that.
(15:16):
And then we kind of wake up atsome point on various parts of
the journey going wait, this isnot all it's cracked up to be
and waiting to retire, which theretirement age keeps creeping
up, is not sounding fun.
I had that kind of awakening inmy late 20s and I'm like 67 is
(15:38):
really a long ways away to startbeing happy.
So something has got to changenow.
So let's talk a little bit aboutclarity, because I think some
people, if they're honest withthemselves and create that space
to actually listen to whatcomes up when they ask that
question, might know what theywant to experience and how they
(16:02):
want to feel, but they might notyet have the idea of the
business.
And Is that okay?
I mean, you're a businessstrategist, you're working with
women predominantly, I assume,and helping them really think
through their offers.
Is there a market need?
How do we make sure you havesomething to offer, which I
(16:25):
think there are a lot of peopleout there in the online space
that kind of forget visible, butthen they don't actually have
anything to sell yet and they'recreating all this content and
it gets drowned out by the othernoise.
It sounds eerily similar totheir content and it's a sad
reality of kind of snapping yourfingers and saying, hey, wake
(16:47):
up everyone.
Great to be visible, but youneed a tangible offer.
So what happens when somebodyknows that they want to take the
risk, they want to start havingan entrepreneurial lifestyle,
but they maybe don't actuallyknow the what or the how, really
what the business is going tobe?
How do you kind of coach themthrough that process of getting
(17:11):
clarity on that piece of it?
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Yeah, If you are sitting at this place right now,
no, you're not alone and it'sokay.
We all have those moments and Imean, I've even faced this
similar mindset when I've gonethrough the different evolutions
of business and starting themultiple businesses of not
really knowing, like, how do Ifigure that out?
(17:34):
And you really have to turndown the noise, stop consuming,
and I know that you feel likeI'm going to get so many ideas
from consuming by scrolling.
I'm going to feel inspired.
No, the true inspiration isgoing to come from within, when
you take the time to sit withyourself and ask yourself you
know, what is it that I'mactually good at?
(17:56):
What do I enjoy doing?
What skills do I have that Ican apply to make a difference,
what comes easily and naturallyto me?
Because your business shouldfire you up.
You should be so excitedbecause you have to be your
first sale.
If you're not sold on whatyou're putting out there, other
(18:19):
people pick up on that.
They can sense thatEnergetically.
They feel it.
Oh, absolutely.
So you have to be so passionateabout what you're putting out
there.
And just because you make adecision to start with one thing
, it's okay to evolve.
This doesn't have to be aforever decision, and that's
(18:42):
okay, giving yourself thatpermission to play again, to
experiment, to have fun and juststart trying.
Because as you start yourbusiness, even if you're like
I'm not really sure what yet,just start to get curious, start
(19:02):
to dabble in some of the basicskills that you're going to need
in order to run a business.
Look at the steps it takes tostart a business.
Talk to fellow entrepreneurs inyour circle hey, you have a
business.
What advice and guidance canyou give me?
Because that is the one thing Ilove about the entrepreneurial
community is that we are thereto support one another because
(19:25):
we get it.
It's hard.
It is a completely differentballgame when you are in it,
especially as a solopreneur,versus, you know, running a
multimillion dollar corporationwhere you have you know, you're
a fortune 500 company.
Completely different.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
And have a full team.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
Right, exactly, exactly.
So just get out there and starttalking to people, quiet all
the outside noise and talk tothose that have been there, that
have been where you want to be.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
So you said something and I think it's so important
because I'll cop to this myselfand I was sharing a little bit
at the start of our conversationbefore we hit record that
having blinders on to a lot ofthe other stuff you're seeing is
important because, from anauthenticity standpoint, you
(20:20):
know you have a higher self thatknows best, you're tapped into
source, the universe, thedivinity that lives within you,
whatever you call it.
You are connected.
But you can't be connected ifyou are looking outside of
yourself the whole time, and Ihave fallen trapped to this by
looking at new authors that arecoming out with books as I am
(20:42):
trying to finish up mine.
I was great for the beginning.
I was like I'm not going toread anyone else's book right
now.
I just want to make sure myideas come up and they're
authentic for me and myexperiences.
And then I start getting askedto participate in other people's
launches.
I was like, of course, we're asupportive community, I want to
be part of it.
And then I'm realizing wait aminute, that idea is not all
(21:04):
that different than my idea.
Is that a problem?
And I started to get all up inmy head.
I took the blinders off.
I found myself not doomscrolling, but certainly wasting
my time trying looking forevidence that I'm not original.
Isn't that terrible?
And I had to like stop and say,whoa, this is actually
(21:26):
counterproductive.
You have your message.
Great that they have theirmessage.
There's got to be synergy there.
Don't get in that place of whatdo they say?
Comparison is the thief of joy.
Oh my God.
There is nothing more true whenit comes to being an
(21:46):
entrepreneur and starting abusiness, because you're like,
oh, but they're doing this andoh, but they did that or they
already said this.
Turn it off, get true to you,learn from other people, but
stop comparing, because whereyou are in your journey and
where somebody else is on theirjourney, completely night and
day.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
It is.
But something you mentioned toois the self-awareness piece,
the fact that you caughtyourself because you have the
self-awareness to realize ohgosh, I did just start going
down that rabbit hole.
Because that's human nature,it's safety, we're wired that
way, we're wired for survival.
So the fact that you had theemotional intelligence and
(22:28):
self-awareness to go wait aminute, what am I doing?
This is a narrative that I'mtelling myself.
You were able to quickly shiftyourself back out of that
because, at the end of the day,it's you versus you.
You've got to keep thoseblinders on because we all have
the answers we're searching forso desperately from outside, but
(22:51):
that true fulfillment, thattrue knowledge, it comes from
within and in this world ofnoise and social media
especially, really amplifies it.
It's very easy to feel likeeveryone else is successful when
I'm not.
We all have failures.
We're only seeing that littlesnapshot in time of what they
(23:13):
want us to see, and that's whathappens is a lot of this is
taken out of context.
So we're comparing ourselvesapples to oranges here not even
a fair comparison, because, yes,this person had a $50,000
launch, but they've got a teamof 10 people on the back and
they've got.
You know.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
They spent $100,000 in order to get the $50,000 to
prove the concept.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
That's absolutely true, like my analytical brain
goes well.
What was their profit margin?
You know, like I start thinkingthat because people have been
burned in the online space,people are more skeptical,
because we're finally startingto realize wait a minute, is
that the reality?
Or is this coming from like afiltered reality, that I'm only
(24:00):
getting a piece of the puzzle?
Speaker 1 (24:02):
Well, I think it's so important at least you know, I
like to call it as it is.
So I had this very conversationnot so many days ago with a
dear friend and he said you knowwhat's coming up for you?
And I said I am feeling like animposter in this particular
moment and it was reallyinteresting.
And he said you dared to callit how you're feeling it.
(24:24):
And he's like no, how are yougoing to move through it?
And I thought that was soempowering for me because I got
it off my chest.
I wasn't pretending I wasfeeling okay about it, I was not
feeling great.
I'm getting a lot of like youknow, kudos and yay and this.
I'm like I still have a couplechapters to finish.
You know I'm not done on mybook, and it made me feel less
(24:46):
than in that moment.
And yet, rather than pretendthat I didn't have that feeling,
I just said you know what?
I'm going to own it.
I'm not feeling great right now.
I'm in a low vibe.
I don't want to stay in thislow vibe.
So let's just acknowledge it,give it a name and walk through
it.
And my friend held the spaceand just said you've got this,
(25:07):
you know what to do, and it wasjust the kind of snap of like oh
my God, I forgot who I am.
Snap out of this, get back towork.
We're good and it's soimportant when you're going
through something monumentallike starting a business or
writing a book or creating acourse or whatever it is that
you're trying to do, that's bigand different than anything
(25:30):
you've done before.
Give yourself permission to notbe perfect and to not feel
great all the time, and that'swhat I appreciate about you.
I write a lot aboutauthenticity and you're one of
the most authentic businesswomenI know.
Amy's podcast really waspoignant toward the end of the
(25:53):
year.
She's like I didn't hit all mygoals.
People, you know, here we are.
This is the reality and how tolearn from that and how to just
own it and not shame yourself,not to feel guilty about it and
not to feel bad about it, but tosay okay, this is where we're
at.
And I found myself with mypublisher avoiding a
(26:15):
conversation because I felt badthat I hadn't finished.
I finally got on the call andsaid you know what I've been
feeling bad about?
Not finishing, which is whyI've been avoiding you?
And she started laughing andshe's like well, you're the one
that was going 150 miles an hour, not us and I had to stop and I
(26:35):
said, right, and she said so,do you have a new perspective on
how you want this to unfold aswe go forward?
I said yeah, intuitively, andit's out of my head.
And she said, great, I'll talkto you when you're ready to talk
again.
Keep going.
All of a sudden, all of thatweight I had been silently
(26:55):
carrying and trying to be likeI'll be fine, I'll snap out of
it.
I just need to kind of behonest with it and be like this
is how I'm currently feelingabout it, but I'm going to let
it go now and get back towriting.
Speaker 2 (27:09):
Exactly.
We impose these crazy beliefsupon ourselves and we stay stuck
.
We're choosing to stay stuckbecause we're fighting for our
limitations more than for whatwe truly want.
We all do it, every single oneof us, myself included.
Yeah, that episode I did notlike.
(27:31):
I was raw, I was vulnerable.
In that episode, 80% of my goalsI didn't reach.
You know what?
I'm really proud of theprogress that I did make,
because I am so much furtherahead now than on January 1st of
last year.
So, yes, maybe I didn'taccomplish everything on that
list, but that's okay.
(27:51):
I'm a lot closer toaccomplishing it.
So that list of goals is stillright.
I'm a lot closer toaccomplishing it.
So that list of goals is stillright in front of me on the wall
.
And you best believe I'm goingto make it happen, because now I
have more information as tookay, this didn't go so well.
How can I make this work?
What little pivots, what tweaksand adjustments do I need to
make?
(28:11):
Because there are opportunitiesall around me.
But when I'm so focused onwhat's not working, I lose sight
of that and I stay stuck, andthat's a choice that I'm making
and that can be a really hardtruth for a lot of us to come to
accept that it is a choice.
But sometimes you have to makea choice, to make a change, and
(28:34):
that's what I did five years agowhen I made the decision to
leave my job and it was scary,it wasn't easy.
There was a lot of fear thatsurrounded it, and it wasn't
even necessarily a fear offailure.
It wasn't the fear of judgment,it was honestly the fear of
success that was holding me backmore than anything.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
Talk more about that, Amy.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:59):
That was the big turning point Because, you know,
we all have the awareness like,oh, I don't want people judging
me, oh, what happens if I fail?
Like I feel like I had workedthrough that, like I just
working with people for yearsand years.
I'm like, whatever, you know,it is what it is, but I was
afraid of success.
What is this going to take awayfrom?
(29:19):
Is this going to pull mefurther from my family?
Is this going to put me moreinto the spotlight, where I'm
having to be in front of peopleand putting myself out there
even more?
Like, am I prepared for that?
Am I prepared for that success?
So, really taking the time tounpack that and realize I'm not
(29:43):
necessarily afraid to fail, I'mafraid to fly, I'm afraid to
succeed.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Were you afraid of the?
So I could see it from a coupleof different ways.
The fear of you're sosuccessful that your time goes
right out the window because youare inundated with requests for
work.
That would actually freak meout, because, as somebody who
has hustled and grinded her wayto the top of the executive
(30:11):
corporate ladder, I had zerodesire to replicate that model
in the entrepreneurial space.
And unfortunately, in the earlydays we often do, because we
don't know what else to do whenyou haven't yet started, other
than hustle and grind until yousee something start to take
flight.
So the interesting part, though,is the visibility piece,
(30:35):
because that, actually, I havezero qualms about that, but I
was a PR girl, so very differentindustry.
I'm kind of used to that piecemy family very much, because I'm
going to be so busy organizingother people and not home.
Like, walk me through that alittle bit, because the time
(31:03):
piece, for me in particular,causes a knot in my throat,
because I see it, sometimesthere are days where I'm like oh
my God, I have been in myoffice for 10 hours straight.
This is actually not the wayI'm supposed to be doing this,
but here I am.
What am I going to dodifferently tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Right, you know we quit our nine to five to work 24
seven.
But that hustle culture, it'srewarded in society.
I mean, even when I was stillworking, we we were held to
productivity standards.
We had to meet certainstandards in order to, like your
performance, review yourproductivity standards.
If you did not meet those, thatwas a part of it you were
evaluated on that.
(31:37):
So for me it was kind of thatfear of oh my gosh, are we just
trading one for the other?
Are we just going to be rightback to where we started?
Right, exactly Because now it'sme versus me, I'm the head
honcho of the thing Like wait aminute, what am I doing?
So really coming to terms withthat and acknowledging that and
(31:59):
giving myself permission likewe'll figure it out, just like
we figured out.
But the really cool thing isthat I'm the CEO and this is my
business.
I get to make the rules andthat's the coolest part that we
forget.
This is your business.
You get to run it in a way thatfeels good to you, because
(32:20):
there's not just one hard setway to run your business.
It's not okay.
This is the business Bible andthis is the only way to do it.
We have to do X, y and Z work24-7, hustle, hustle, hustle.
No, you get to choose, you getto establish those boundaries.
You get to say yes to thethings that you want to say yes
(32:42):
to.
You can also say no to thethings that don't feel aligned
and that is important.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
Oh boy, you need to learn to kindly say no, it's a
tough one.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
I'm still working on that.
I actually, on my bulletinboard beside me, have my list of
no's, because I am a peoplepleaser Enneagram nine, through
and through, like I just wanteverybody to be happy.
So for me that took a lot ofpractice and it's something I'm
still practicing is thatlearning to say no, I have not
perfected that, that's not beenmastered.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
Oh, I'm way far from perfecting.
That's why, literally, I stillhave a list.
Speaker 2 (33:18):
So I can remember on a regular basis like no, it's
okay to say no.
Speaker 1 (33:23):
It's not only okay to know you have to.
You have to get super selective, particularly as a solopreneur,
because you do not have a largeteam yet.
You might never have one, anddeciding which levers to pull
that are gonna actually beinstrumental to your business is
really important.
All right, I wanna go back tothe CEO method, because it's so
(33:46):
so well put together, amy.
Let's talk about so.
C in the CEO is clarity, e isestablished systems.
Let's talk about that, becausethat is, I think, most people's
Achilles heel.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
It sure is.
And I think, before we evendive into that, it's important
to like.
What are systems?
I had a friend talk to me aboutthis the other day.
She's like what systems?
That word just seems so overused.
What are systems?
That word just seems sooverused.
What are systems Like?
Well, systems are just workflowsto free up your mental capacity
because we are inundated, asbusiness owners, with so many
(34:25):
decisions.
Even if you're not a businessowner, you're making so many
micro decisions throughout theday that half the time, by the
time it's 10 o'clock in themorning, our brains are done.
We have made so many decisionsthat we can't think clearly
anymore.
So systems are just workflowsto help you move efficiently
(34:47):
throughout your day so you'renot having to be distracted by
all the nitty gritty littledecisions that you're making,
even in life, by all the nittygritty little decisions that
you're making Even in life.
I have systemized my life likemeal planning.
I do a month at a time and Iput it on the wall so the kids
know exactly what's for dinner,because that would drive me
crazy Having to try and figureout oh gosh, wait, I just worked
(35:07):
all day Now.
What's for dinner, what's notfrozen, what is fresh.
What do we need?
No, I have a system for it, sothat we know and we're on the
same page.
Systems are there to reducethat mental fatigue that we all
face.
Speaker 1 (35:24):
I was introduced to time blocking, which is not a
new concept out there, but itwas new to me because I would
just write everything on mycalendar and my calendar looked
awful.
Write everything on my calendar, my calendar looked awful.
And I started doing timeblocking in order to not let the
meetings that I was takingoverrun the time for actually
working on the business.
And that's been just a newimplementation.
(35:48):
It's been life-changing andlife-giving because I actually
even put in when I was going toexercise, when I was going to
make a meal, when I was going toreturn calls or do
administrative tasks so I wasn'tbeing pulled to respond to
emails in the middle of aworkflow that was about deep
thinking or writing or coursedevelopment that I would leave
(36:09):
that to the times designated todo administrative tasks.
And that's been so enlighteningbecause I did not realize like I
had a coach saying where's allyour time going?
And I would like I don't knowwhere the day went.
I was, I talked to a lot ofpeople, I did some content, I
did some writing, and the day isgone, you know, and I was like,
(36:32):
and I don't feel like I movedthe needle.
She's like all right, we needto get really crystal clear.
So that's a small one, but thatwas really an important one for
me.
Talk to me about maybe some ofthe workflows as an early
entrepreneur that you reallythink are by far must haves you
can't live without them.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
Or you can't function as effectively.
Yeah, so for me, before I answerthat, I want to back up just
one second because, like systemsand structure, everybody thinks
that that's going to take awaymy freedom.
Well, no, that's what gives youthe freedom, because you're
busy being busy, and there's noright or wrong way to do it.
(37:15):
You know, we touched upon thisbefore, but the best system is
really the one that works bestfor you.
But one of the things that Ithink that any business owner
can implement right away is juststart templating things.
As you're doing things, asyou're finding yourself doing
something over and over and over, make a template.
If there's an email responsethat you're always sending out,
(37:37):
just save it In Google, in Gmail.
All you have to do there's thisthree little dots at the bottom
.
You just save it as a templateand so that response is there
and you can tweak it, you canadjust it.
And the other thing, there areso many automations available
that if you're finding yourselfdoing something over and over
and over, see if there's anautomation available.
(37:58):
And that's the really coolthing with the rise of AI is
that there are new thingsemerging all of the time.
But start simple.
Don't get so in over your headwith all of these systems,
you're just going to becomeoverwhelmed.
Simple is sustainable, so it'simportant that you know yourself
and how you work and then finda system that gives you that
(38:22):
structure, that gives you thatfreedom.
Like you said, time blockingworks great for you.
Other people, they look at thatand they go.
There's no way.
Knowing and trying differentthings, that's what works.
You have to experiment, youhave to figure out.
Okay, you know what this worksfor me.
This is my way of doing it.
I am still a paper planner.
(38:43):
I do a similar method with timeblocking, but I still, even
though I have my Google Calendarthat has all my meetings, I
still keep my paper calendar soI can see my boulders in the day
.
I start at this time, I end atthis time.
That's it, so that I'm notconstantly working because it is
so easy.
Speaker 1 (39:02):
So, systems-wise.
Speaker 2 (39:03):
play around, Explore and try different things.
See what feels good to you.
Just because everybody else isusing one thing doesn't mean
that you have to either.
Speaker 1 (39:16):
I love that.
All right, let's go to the O,because this is a tricky one,
and I was so grateful to haveyou write about organic, social
and organic sales in a worldthat feels like gosh if you
don't have paid, like it's notgoing to go anywhere, the
algorithm is going to kick youout of being even noticed.
(39:37):
So talk more about that, if youwill.
Speaker 2 (39:39):
Yeah.
So, like you said, everybodygets so in their heads they have
this amazing business, but thenthey feel like a best kept
secret.
So what we're doing is we'regetting you visible in front of
your people and it really comesdown to unpacking exactly who
are you a good fit for?
What problem do you hold thesolution to with your product or
(40:01):
with your service?
And then, once you know thatyou can really narrow that focus
and position yourself in frontof the people that need your
service, and then, once you knowthat you can really narrow that
focus and position yourself infront of the people that need
your thing Because what happensis we're talking to everyone and
then no one hears us.
We blend in with the noise, weblend in with the trend, and
this is where metrics reallycome into the equation, because
(40:22):
it will tell you exactly wherein your funnel the disconnect is
.
Is it a messaging disconnect?
Is it a visibility disconnect?
Is it a sales issue?
That you know what, like peopleare getting onto my list,
they're resonating, they'rereplying, I get great engagement
, but nobody's buying.
Okay, well, once we know this,we can fix that then.
But we have to have that mindsetof curiosity and really that
(40:47):
clear understanding of how we'removing from a follower into a
buyer.
So, as much as people hate theword funnel, it's important to
map that out, to know okay, well, how am I getting visible?
Because, yes, you may have anawesome lead magnet, but how are
people finding out about it?
How?
How are you building your list?
What are you doing with yourlist?
And then, how are we nurturing,how are we converting?
(41:10):
And what are you doing everyday with your time to ensure
that you're keeping that flowgoing?
Because it's not McDonald's,it's not we build it and they
will come.
No, not Field of Dreams either.
Damn it, I know, wouldn't thatbe awesome?
But you have to have that clearunderstanding of, first of all,
(41:31):
who are you talking to?
What do they need?
Really?
Have that understanding of thatideal client that one person
Take the time to unpack that and, honestly, chatgpt is a really
good place to startbrainstorming.
Do not just do the copy andpaste thing that we see online
(41:53):
all the time, no, but use it tobrainstorm, use it to like, just
start to have a conversation.
Hey, I have this product, Ihave this service, you know, and
this is my ideal client.
How else can you?
What questions can you ask meso I can better understand them?
Start to brainstorm with it andyou'll get a lot of great
(42:15):
information.
Speaker 1 (42:17):
I love that.
I love that.
Okay, let's talk about life asa busy mom and entrepreneur,
because I know so many peopleout there are parents, they're
feeling overwhelmed with all therequirements and all the things
.
I'm getting ready to be anempty nester, which is shocking,
and a whole new world over thecourse of the summer, as we're
(42:37):
looking at colleges now.
But how are you balancing it?
Because I think it's so easy.
I say this from experience andwatching so many other
entrepreneurs that are in theearly days, letting the business
development and the businessgrowth really take over their
time.
(42:58):
How did you A safeguard yourtime and B pace yourself?
Because I think, particularlyfor those people that have gone
from a corporate or some sort oforganization that was, you know
, they were working for somebodyelse and they had that steady
income coming in to oh wait, Iam now providing for myself.
(43:21):
There is a sense of I can't letoff the gas until I start
seeing a return.
I can't like, I can't afford to, and yet we both know that when
the energy gets depleted,you're not actually any good to
yourself or business.
So talk through that, because Ithink that is the kind of the
Pandora's box of like.
How do you get out of your ownway and really recognize how
(43:45):
important energy is and thatpeople are actually buying
energy, your energy that goesinto your business as much as
they're buying what you have tosell?
Speaker 2 (43:55):
Yeah, it all boils down to three words I need help.
And those are the three hardestwords to say, and everyone
always thinks about this from abusiness standpoint.
They're like well, I don't havethe money to outsource.
I'm not talking aboutoutsourcing things in your
business.
I need help.
Lean on those that are alreadyin your world your family
(44:18):
members.
You're in this as a team, Evenmy kids.
When I was first starting mybusiness, they were kindergarten
and preschool.
They were little.
I found ways for them to helpease the load off of me so that
they could help around the house.
You know little kids likepreschoolers.
They can match socks, they canhelp start to put dishes away.
(44:39):
You know they are so much morecapable.
But when you view your homeecosystem as a team, it really
starts to ease the burdenbecause we get this mom martyr
complex that I have to doeverything.
It has to be perfect.
That's not reality.
And how did I pace myself Atfirst?
(45:01):
I didn't, I didn't, and I burntout really quick.
Yes, I had this big, thrivingbusiness, but I was exhausted.
I didn't and I burnt out reallyquick.
Yes, I had this big, thrivingbusiness, but I was exhausted.
I was burning the candle atboth ends.
So it really came down toasking for help, asking for help
from those around me and I knowthis is hard if you're in a
position like I'm veryprivileged, I have an awesome
(45:21):
husband here at home.
I've got kids that are able tohelp me.
But just you know, even if youdon't have someone in your life
like that, can you call up afriend and be like hey, can you
take the kids for two hours?
You know we'll swap, We'll swapchildcare.
Even something as simple asgrocery pickup.
Everybody's like oh, I don'thave time.
(45:42):
Okay, If you don't have, tellme you don't have time.
The first thing I'm going tosay are you grocery shopping
each week?
Because I'm going to tell you,grocery pickup has been a game
changer, Because you think aboutit.
How much time are you wastingdriving to the store, shopping,
going through the checkout,getting home, putting it away?
Okay, what if we couldeliminate an hour and give you
(46:03):
an hour back?
Yes, there's a little bit of amoney exchange there, but if
somebody's bringing thosegroceries to you, or even if
you're going to the store andpicking them up, you're saving
yourself money.
Plus, you're not putting allthe extra junk in your cart too,
so you're saving money there.
So it ends up like being amoney saver.
But little things like thatlooking to be supported and
(46:24):
letting people support you.
People want to help.
People are there to help you.
You just have to have thecourage to be able to ask for it
and accept it.
Speaker 1 (46:36):
I love that Okay when you've hit challenges and
plateaus in the business.
Let's talk through this.
What are some of your go-tostrategies to really break
through and regain momentum,Because I know this happens for
everyone from time to time.
What have you experienced andhow have you worked through it
since?
Now you're in year five.
Speaker 2 (46:58):
I know Honestly, because this happens.
This happens every so often.
So when I start to notice this,awareness is the first step.
You have to start to realizeokay, I'm going down this rabbit
hole again.
I have to stop.
I have to do a whole hard stop.
I don't consume.
I stop consuming.
I'll go on social media, I'llput my posts up, I'll put my
(47:19):
stories up.
I do not consume, I do notscroll, I do not listen to
podcasts, I do not listen tobooks.
I quiet all the noise Again,quieting the outside noise so I
can hear the voice within,because we're always seeking
that external validation, thoseexternal answers.
But if I can't hear myself, I'mgoing to be stuck in that same
(47:40):
place.
I have all the answers I need.
I don't need someone else togive me the answers because
they're already within.
So let me challenge you there,because you and I are all the
answers I need.
I don't need someone else togive me the answers because
they're already within.
Speaker 1 (47:48):
So let me challenge you there, because you and I are
on the same page on this, 100%.
But for the person that's likeI don't know the answer.
I actually don't think I knowthe answer, amy and Michelle, so
don't tell me.
I have the answer.
What's your response tosomebody who's maybe there in
their journey and their mindset?
What would you say?
I say dig deeper.
Speaker 2 (48:09):
Dig deeper, because you do, it's in there, and I've
been there.
I've been there too.
I've been like, nope, I don'tknow the answers, I don't know
what's next.
I have had those days where I'mliterally in prayer, going God,
I don't know, I don't know.
None of this makes sense.
Don't know, I don't know.
None of this makes sense.
But I feel like when you hit amoment like that, you're on the
(48:29):
verge of your breakthrough.
So, if you're in that position,keep going, because you will
find it.
Start journaling, startmeditating, start doing whatever
you have to do.
Some people love to go out andjust walk in nature, but you
have to quiet the noise andyou're going to find your answer
.
Speaker 1 (48:49):
Everybody who is on the verge of a mini breakdown or
feeling like super stuck watchout, the breakthrough's coming.
Get ready.
Speaker 2 (49:00):
It seems so counterintuitive, but I swear
every single time because I'vebeen there.
I'm like no, I don't have theanswers, I don't.
Yeah, you do and you will getthat breakthrough.
You just can't give up.
Speaker 1 (49:13):
Talk to me about some of the ways that you have
helped hone your intuition.
What are some of your practices?
Obviously, prayer has beenimportant for you.
Speaker 2 (49:21):
Yeah, my faith has been something I've really,
really leaned into, especiallythis past year.
Yeah, I've really quieted thenoise and kind of come back to
why?
Why am I here?
What's my purpose?
I know I'm here for a reasonand I really want to be led and
just having that trust in myself, because when I doubt myself,
(49:48):
I'm doubting the universe.
You know, even if you don'tbelieve in God, you're doubting
the universe Because you thinkabout the odds of any of us
being here in this moment intime.
They're like astronomical, likewe shouldn't exist, but we're
here.
So there's obviously a reasonI'm here and I want to know what
that is so really for meleaning into my faith, into
(50:10):
prayer, doing things likejournaling and, again, just
taking the time to sit in thequiet.
This year my kids changedschools and so I've been
dropping them off and pickingthem up and so I spend a lot of
time in the car and I was like,oh, this will be a great time, I
can get some extra work done, Ican do something I have loved
(50:32):
just sitting there in the moment, looking around at just the
beauty of this world around me,because in our hustle we're
missing the beauty that is allaround us and, honestly, that
(50:54):
has given me so much clarity anddirection, just giving myself
that space to exist, to be, tobreathe, to just like one of my
favorite things to do.
I'm in Ohio, so it's cold here.
Right now we're getting somesort of a polar vortex.
Our living room faces east, sothe sun comes in.
I will just sit there and closemy eyes and pretend that I am
in Florida or somewhere warm,that it is summertime.
You're just taking those micromoments throughout the day to
(51:18):
just really be present, to bepresent in the here and now,
because this is the only momentin life we are guaranteed is
right now.
Speaker 1 (51:29):
Oh my gosh, mic drop moment, amy, I feel like we
should stop there, but we'regoing to.
I'm going to share somethingbecause I think that you'll
enjoy this story, and itcertainly was one that I needed
to have happen.
So, as you know, I was in Maineover the weekend and up until
now, and while I was there, wewent into our tiny little town
(51:53):
and had dinner one night, thefirst night I was there and I
was already feeling somestuckness in my body, in my head
, but I hadn't seen my parentsin a really long time, so I was
trying to just put it aside.
And what have you?
And while we're there, therewere two people in the
restaurant.
The restaurant was packed, butthere were two people.
My dad said, oh, I'm going to gotalk to these people and I
(52:14):
thought they were friends of his.
So he got up and walked overand then I hear Michelle,
michelle, come, come, come.
And I was like he said do youremember Paul and Jason from
high school?
And I'm looking, and I'mlooking and I hadn't seen these
(52:35):
guys in 30 years.
And one of them was very, verythin and of course, it's now
clicking who they are.
And I was like, of course, howare you?
And my dad politely walked awayand said I'll leave you guys to
chat and catch up.
And one of the gentlemen, paul,is very, very thin.
(52:55):
And I said, paul, how are you?
And he said, oh well, I'mbattling stage four prostate
cancer.
And I said, oh my God, my heartgoes out to you, paul.
I'm so, so sorry.
Are you getting good treatment?
And he goes.
Actually, I only have fourmonths left to live.
I'm at the end.
And it broke me in that moment,amy, of like how selfish, being
(53:19):
stuck in my head about thingsthat really don't matter.
And here was this man staringat me going.
I want you to know I've beenlistening to the podcast and
I've been watching you on socialand you're really inspiring.
I didn't have words.
I just sat there and said I ampraying for you.
And he's like I'm in a goodplace.
(53:40):
And I could tell he was in agood place.
I was the one that needed theencounter.
It was so humbling in thatmoment.
So, as I collect myself becausethis Terry moment of just
bringing us back to what anamazing and extraordinary
ability just extraordinary thatwe're here in this time, able to
(54:03):
have this conversation twodifferent places in this country
and share our experiences withhundreds of other people that
are tuning into this broadcastand know that we are
experiencing so many universaland relatable truths and at the
(54:25):
end of this it is gonna end.
There is an ending.
We don't know the day or thetime, and here was this guy my
age, looking at me going yeah,I've got about four months left.
It was a sobering moment of geta grip.
Michelle, wear your big girlpanties.
(54:45):
And thank you, god, universesource, for waking me up and
realizing I don't have time towaste worrying about things that
don't actually matter orscrolling and getting all
confused about well, what shouldI do?
There's so much coming at me.
Put the blinders on people, getquiet, go within.
(55:10):
You come here in thisexperience of human existence,
already coded with what you'rehere to do, and your job is to
find out what it is and to giveit to the rest of us.
That's what we're all waitingfor.
So, amy, I just want to thankyou.
Thank you for your time, yourgenerosity, your wisdom.
(55:32):
Truly, it's been an absolutehonor to spend time with you
today and we're going to makesure that we have some links in
the show notes.
I really highly encourage you.
You, if you are contemplatingentrepreneurism or you're in
entrepreneurism now you're anentrepreneur.
The CEO Method by Amy Tra.
(55:53):
It's a mouse.
Read, Amy, tell us what you'reup to.
What's next for you?
What are you working on?
What do you want to share withthe audience?
Speaker 2 (56:02):
Well, thank you so much for all of your words of
affirmation.
That just warms my heart andfills it with joy, because
you're right, we all have animpact to make on this world.
We are all here for a reason,and this year I'm celebrating.
This is a year of celebrationfor me because in life we tend
to move those goalposts over andover and over.
So I'm taking this year andcelebrating because I hit some
(56:24):
pretty big milestones.
Episode 400 of my podcasthappens next month, which is
insane.
It'll drop in February, towardsthe end of the month.
Over on the Motivated CEO.
I'm celebrating a year of thebook being out in the universe
in March and celebrating fiveyears in business, which, if you
(56:45):
look at the statistics, is apretty good accomplishment.
I'm so excited for that, andjust taking the time to just
celebrate and be thankful forhow far I have come and just
having the ability to haveconversations like this to
inspire someone that's where Iwas a year ago, two years ago,
(57:09):
three years ago is where I amright now, to be able to spread
that message and make peoplefeel like you know what, I'm not
alone because you're not.
We are out here and you arehere for a reason.
If you have a dream on yourheart, go after it.
It is there for a reason.
Set aside the excuses, get outof your own way and just go for
(57:32):
it.
Speaker 1 (57:32):
Go do it.
Yeah, get off the sideline, getinto the arena.
We're waiting for your giftswe're all in need of, whatever
they are.
Absolutely, you need to go forit.
That dream isn't yoursselfishly, it's been planted.
So no, you need to go live it.
I love it, amy.
Thank you again for your time.
(57:52):
You were an absolute joy to bewith and I wish you nothing but
awesome success in this yearahead.
Speaker 2 (57:59):
Oh, thank you so much .
Right back at you, Michelle.
Speaker 1 (58:02):
All right, everyone.
Until next time, go and liveyour extraordinary lives.
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