Feeling overwhelmed by the need to make changes in your business? You're not alone! Being a mom entrepreneur can be an incredibly challenging and unpredictable rollercoaster ride. But it doesn't have to stay that way - if you know how to pivot with purpose. With strategic changes, you don't have to throw out your whole plan or start from scratch; instead, let's work together on finding ways to reinvigorate what you already have and propel yourself into success.
In this guest episode, Stefani Boyd shares her insights on how to pivot strategically and avoid trashing your business plan. We discuss the importance of recognizing when it's time to pivot your business, and identifying signs that indicate a pivot may be necessary. Stefani shares strategies for making a successful pivot in your business, including overcoming challenges and ensuring customer and client retention during a pivot. We also talk about advice for mompreneurs who need to make a pivot in their business but are afraid, and how to turn setbacks into opportunities for growth.
Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, this episode is full of valuable insights on how to adapt and thrive in business.
In this episode we discuss:
- {03:38} Recognizing when it's time to pivot your business
- {04:56} What Stefani means by “Pivot, don’t trash the plan.”
- {10:36} Identifying signs that indicate a pivot may be necessary
- {16:32} How to overcome challenges when pivoting your business
- {20:31} How to ensure customer and client retention during a business pivot
- {22:44} Advice for mompreneurs who need to make a pivot in their business but are afraid
Resources mentioned in this episode:
First-Time Buyer Guide- www.firsttimebuyerhandbook.com
Website: www.stefaniboyd.com
Connect with Stefani:
Facebook-@stefaniboyd.loanofficer
Ways to Work With Gianna:
Interested in learning more about the Energetically Aligned Content Co-Creation System? Head to https://www.giannadiggs.com/eacc for more information.
You can also watch a demo or book a FREE Voxer call here.
Connect With Gianna Online:
- Gianna's Website- https://www.giannadiggs.com
- Follow Gianna on Instagram- @giannadiggs_
- Follow the show's Instagram- @themompreneurmindsetpodcast
- Follow Gianna's Facebook Page: Gianna Diggs
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Gianna Diggs (00:05):
You are listening to the Mompreneur Mindset
Podcast, a show that empowersyou to create a business that's
authentically yours.
Say goodbye to stressful days,juggling multiple priorities,
and feeling like you're neverenough.
I'm your host, Gianna Diggs, acertified mindset coach and
business guide for women and momentrepreneurs.
I'm here to empower, guide, andalign you with the tools and the
(00:27):
mindset needed to build athriving business that's true to
your purpose.
In each episode, we'll explorestrategies, tips, and success
stories designed to help yourise above your obstacles and
level up your mompreneur game.
So whether you're a first timeentrepreneur or a season
professional, grab a cup of tea.
Some quiet time away from thekids, and let's dive into the
(00:48):
mompreneur mindset together.
Are you ready?
Let's get into today's episode.
Welcome back to the mompreneurmindset podcast.
So in last week's episode, I hada chat with Amy Burks about how
to simplify your business model.
(01:09):
So now what happens when lifehappens, maybe like myself, you
have another baby, you know, nowyou have an infant at home and
you have two.
Work around thoseresponsibilities.
Now it's like, how do I make mybusiness works for the season
that I'm currently in?
What if you know you move andyou have to deal with that on
(01:31):
top of running your business.
And these are the questions I'vebeen asking myself for the past
year.
And I continue to ask myself asdifferent things happen, where I
have to make adjustments.
In my life in my business and mypodcast, all of the above.
So we're going to be talkingabout.
How to pivot, not trash theplan.
(01:51):
Now, obviously in this episode,you're going to learn what I'm
talking about with my guests,Stephanie Boyd.
That is something that she talksabout and that she's going to
explain.
And so I'm excited for you,especially if you are in a new
season and you're in this seasonof pivoting, the advice that
Stephanie has.
(02:12):
So before we get into theinterview, let's talk a little
bit about Stephanie.
So Stephanie is a sacramentallocal serving those in
California in those leavingCalifornia with their home
mortgage needs.
After a successful career incriminal investigations, as one
of the youngest criminalinvestigators in Sacramento
county, Stephanie went on topursue her dream of joining the
(02:33):
family real estate business.
She spent years learning the insand outs of real estate and
lending with her formerbrokerage.
Now, Stephanie has both her realestate and mortgage brokerage
license and is the CEO of herown corporation.
A single teen mom turned successstory.
Stephanie is a proud air force.
Mom has three sons, twogranddaughters, and her adorable
(02:55):
Pomeranian, Lola.
Stephanie is passionate aboutgrassroots community outreach.
And enjoys working with hercommunity to find solutions, to
help people experiencinghomelessness in Sacramento.
She also loves singing, yoga,painting, and traveling.
So without further ado, let'sget into the interview.
Hi Stefani.
Welcome to the show.
Stefani Boyd (03:15):
Thank you so much for having me, Gianna.
Gianna Diggs (03:19):
So I'm excited about today's episode, because
we're gonna be talking about aseason that I'm currently in,
which is pivoting.
And so, for those that don'tknow, I'm pivoting because I
have a three month old and sothere are a lot of changes that
are happened in my business andI feel like Stefani is a great
resource for those who aregetting ready to pivot.
And so I'm really excited aboutwhat we're gonna talk about
(03:41):
today.
So how did you know it was timeto pivot in your business?
Stefani Boyd (03:47):
Well, I think I started to see the writing on
the wall at the beginning of theyear, when the Fed announced
they were raising the interestrates
Gianna Diggs (03:55):
Mm-hmm.
Stefani Boyd (03:56):
gave us all cause to wonder what was gonna happen
with the economy and the realestate market in particular.
So really it sometimes you get adeep sense of impending doom,
and I think that is the essenceof what I was feeling when I
realized that this could getreally ugly.
(04:18):
And what do you do if it does
Gianna Diggs (04:21):
Hmm.
Okay, so you just saw thewriting on the walls, huh?
Stefani Boyd (04:26):
I did, I just had a pit in the bottom of my
stomach.
I was in real estate when the2008 market crash happened, and
I just definitely know thatthere is no.
Predicting all of theramifications of this.
And so what do you do if yourindustry is about to take a
(04:47):
major turn?
And that's when I started themantra, pivot.
Pivot.
Don't trash the plan, justpivot.
Gianna Diggs (04:55):
Hmm.
So can you talk to me a littlebit about that?
What does pivot, don't trashyour plan.
What exactly does that mean toyou?
Stefani Boyd (05:01):
Well, to me it means finding something.
To do that coexists with mycurrent trajectory.
So I'm in real estate andmortgages, so thinking that, you
know, what goes hand in handwith r with real estate
(05:22):
mortgages, a logical step wouldbe, you know, financial
planning, insurance, things likethat.
So, In my industry, pivotingjust really means hanging onto
my existing database and findingsomething that I can offer to
them to increase theirwellbeing, add value.
(05:44):
And while it may not be realestate, it may be something
related to those real estateclients that I can talk to them
about.
Does that make
Gianna Diggs (05:54):
Hmm.
Yeah, it does.
So it's basically, so I guessI'm gonna kind of paraphrase for
those that may not be in realestate.
So it's like instead of saying,okay, I'm in this one industry
and something's not working,instead of kind of just trashing
it, giving up your clients, youjust decided to find something
(06:15):
that was similar to what yourclients would need.
Is that the gist of what you're,okay?
Stefani Boyd (06:21):
So, you know, trashing the plan would be
closing up shop, just abandoningthe real estate business
completely.
Which by the way, I did do thatin 2008.
Several people in my office wentand got massage therapy licenses
and we thought that that wouldbe a much less stressful use of
our time than worrying about thehousing industry and mortgages
(06:44):
and everything.
But.
This time I really had spent somuch time building my own
personal business and my brandand you know, the colors on my
website and all of these thingsand licenses, and so it really
just wasn't an option to justcompletely, I.
Walk away when I saw thedoomsday warnings coming.
(07:07):
I mean, for one thing, hopefullythe economy will even out and
bounce back, and I want to stillkeep myself, as you know, at the
top of mind of my database andlet them know I'm still in
business.
But at the same time, my area.
Prices are still sky high andinterest rates are getting
higher.
(07:27):
In fact, the Fed's gonna meettomorrow and probably announce
the seventh or eighth interestrate increase this year.
So finding something to talkabout that's not real estate
related, but that can actually,in my particular instance, It's
catastrophic insurance thatwould pay your mortgage if
(07:48):
something catastrophic happenedto you.
So it's very much related to theoriginal issue at hand, which is
your mortgage and your realestate.
But raising the question of howwould you protect your ability
to pay your mortgage ifsomething catastrophic happened?
So when I pivot, I'm not juststepping away entirely, I'm just
(08:10):
kind of, you know, making alittle adjustment to my game
plan to catch the rest of thoseclients.
Gianna Diggs (08:19):
Hmm.
I like that you said thatbecause I, I feel like, you
know, I see in the coachingindustry specifically when
people are changing, it's likesome people will kind of go
completely left and it'll belike, well, where did that come
from?
And not to say that that'swrong, cuz some people just
don't feel aligned with whateverthey're doing, so they make a
(08:40):
necessary complete.
180, you know?
But I like that you just like,you know what?
I'm gonna still serve theclients that I have, but just in
a different way.
Stefani Boyd (08:50):
Yeah, definitely because I think you build
rapport and credibility, youknow, with your clients.
So if I suddenly came to the.
Them and said that now I wouldlike to sell them makeup
tutorials and get'em to buy myline of skincare.
They'd be like, what are youtalking about, Stefani?
(09:11):
You're.
You know, this
Gianna Diggs (09:12):
Mm-hmm.
Stefani Boyd (09:13):
you know, so I do agree that a lot of times you
just know you're not alignedwith whatever it is that you're
doing and you need a radicalshift.
but sometimes you've spent quitea bit of time and effort, you
know, building something up.
And so the answer is not just toabandon it, but rather just
expand your horizons and.
(09:34):
Think outside the box a little.
I actually got recruited forinsurance on LinkedIn, so it was
almost, it was almost spammy theway that this person approached
me on LinkedIn.
But actually it turned out shewas a real person and she gave
me a convenient opportunity tomeet up near somewhere I was
already gonna be anyway.
(09:54):
And I said, you know, This mustbe the universe giving me a
little nudge.
And, so I just went ahead andgot that license and, yeah,
decided to see where I can weaveit into my existing plan rather
than, just abandon anything.
Gianna Diggs (10:16):
Yeah.
I like that you said that yousaw that as a sign.
Cause that's exactly what cameto mind.
Like, oh, that was just theuniverse saying, okay, here's a,
here's a a, um, what's the word?
Here's like a, here's a ball.
Like I'm throwing you a ball.
Right.
And, and you just have to catchit and notice it.
Cuz that was gonna be my nextquestion is, you know, you said
you saw the writing on the wall,but like, what are the signs
(10:38):
that indicate, like, okay, it'slike a pivot is necessary.
Stefani Boyd (10:42):
Well, I think that can definitely be different in,
in every instance.
You know, sometimes you mightjust have that feeling that the
relationships that you're havingare not working out with the
people you're working with.
You know, sometimes it might besomething as blatant as the Fed
announcing they're gonna raisethe rate eight times and doing
(11:04):
some quick math in your head andrealizing, oh, there's gonna be
ramifications for that.
I think really just when you arein tune and you kind of pay
attention to everything that'sgoing on in the universe around
you, you'll get clues and, youknow, maybe you just stop having
that passion that you had andyou realize you need to reignite
(11:28):
something.
And, I don't know that.
I could give an actual clearpicture of what it looked like
when I realized that need topivot.
But I mean, for me it was veryobvious it was, you know, there
were material things happening,like less loan applications
coming through.
And so I think just really beingaware and realistic and honest
(11:52):
with yourself too.
You know, not have not succumbto those.
Pipe dreams, I guess, orfantasies of, you know, this is
going to be fantastic.
I mean, the real estate marketparticularly is always ebbing
and flowing ups and downs, but Ithink anybody who saw the 0%
(12:13):
interest rates, at the beginningof the pandemic knew that they
weren't gonna stick aroundforever.
You know, so it was, it was awild ride.
That had to come to an end.
And I think when you decide topivot, instead of trashing the
plan, you give yourself thatopportunity to take a deep
breath and just look at all theoptions available to you out
(12:35):
there instead of, you know,just, deciding well, I better
just go get a nine to five job.
And, You know, that that may bethe answer for some people, but,
I think if you just pivot andespecially if you pivot in a
360, you know, you wanna lookall directions, and it never
(12:57):
hurts to have another license.
So that was the
Gianna Diggs (13:02):
No.
Stefani Boyd (13:03):
you know, in my, when I decided to go ahead and
get that.
Can't hurt for for sure.
Gianna Diggs (13:09):
Right.
And I was gonna say, you know,you say like, oh, I can't
explain it.
Cuz that's usually how it is.
Right?
I asked that question just tosee if there, you know, cuz
there could be some, like yousaid, you saw the numbers, you
saw those kind of tangiblesigns.
But I do wanna mention that it.
It could just be a feeling,right?
Because, you know, spirit speaksto us in many different ways.
(13:31):
And I think once you, you saidyou were in tune and I'm like
picking out all the key thingsyou said because a lot of times,
you know, the show's aboutmindset work, right?
And it's like if we, when we dothe mindset work, We're able to
recognize those little thingslike, okay, something is
speaking to me, telling me thatit's, something needs to change.
Right?
Someone messaged you and yeah,you might have been like, oh,
(13:54):
this kind of seems like a scamat first, but it kind of just
changed the trajectory becauseyou saw, like you said, you saw
the writing on the wall, and Ithink that's like the key.
To me, like in listening to you,that's the key thing is you
might notice numbers, you mightnotice, you know, all these
other things, but the fact thatyou were in tune with yourself,
that's the, to me, that's thekey takeaway.
Stefani Boyd (14:16):
Definitely.
And I think too, I keep hearingthis phrase.
Whenever a door closes, a windowopens.
And so I thought about that alot through this past year.
As it seems like sometimes maybesomething was negative, but
really you realize later that ifthat wouldn't have happened,
(14:36):
then all these positive thingswouldn't have come out of it.
So I just always try to.
Keep that in mind that you know,whether it's selling insurance
to people that are saying no andthey're closing a door
literally, then the next one isopening.
Or whether, you know, you'rereally had some transitions and
(14:57):
things go sideways on you.
And realizing that those arejust new opportunities to create
something new as opposed to, youknow, A door being closed
because there's still the windowthere.
Gianna Diggs (15:13):
Right.
That just reminds me of, Istudied, neurolinguistic
programming, n L P, and, again,this is mindset working and we
always say that everything isnot like failure.
It's feedback.
Right.
And so like that's exactly whatI thought of when you said that
is that it's everything is like,okay, that's not working.
Let's try something different.
Okay.
Let's learn from that part andlet's move on.
(15:35):
And.
Everything that we encounter,whether it's in life and in our
business, is feedback.
It's okay that thing's notworking.
Okay.
It's time to pivot.
Oh, that thing is working.
Let me hold onto that one thing.
And so I'm really glad that, youknow, I, I still keep going back
to your mantra of just like,don't trash the plan.
Cuz I think that's, I thinkthat's powerful cuz I think a
(15:56):
lot of times, myself included,if something is not working,
it's like, okay.
I need to just go back to thedrawing board and just forget
what I was, all the work that Ijust put into the one thing that
I was doing.
So I'm really glad that you,brought up your mantra.
I think that's a powerfulstatement.
Stefani Boyd (16:11):
I agree.
Yeah, it's been really helpfuland You can't just always trash
the plan.
Sometimes the plan was a badplan to begin with and I think
that's where you're listening,your intuition comes in and
those clues from the universeand everything.
but definitely give it a lot ofthought before trashing it.
Gianna Diggs (16:31):
Hmm.
So, what are some challengesthat you faced, when you decided
to pivot in your business?
Stefani Boyd (16:37):
Well for one thing, learning a whole new
industry was definitely achallenge, and the biggest part
of that was it is extremelyboring.
Um, just, the mind numbing.
Nature of insurance classes andstudying for the insurance
Commissioner's test.
(16:59):
It's, it, it'll weed out theweak ones, I think if you can't,
if you can stay awake throughthose classes, and get the
license.
But I think on a more esotericlevel, just.
Embracing this new identity thatI'm creating has been a
challenge.
Mm-hmm.
You know, you spend so much timebuilding your brand and building
(17:21):
your business and it kind ofbecomes your identity of who you
are.
And now all of a sudden, Mean,while it may not seem that
significant from the outside,you're a sales professional.
You're real estate sales, yourmortgage sales lending, now
you're insurance salesprofessional.
But just learning how to embracethat new identity was actually
(17:45):
way more challenging than Iexpected.
And it's still happening.
Gianna Diggs (17:49):
Hmm.
I'm kind of, I'm glad you saidthat because I think we hear.
Especially in the mindset worldof like operate from your future
self and be that you know, thenew person.
And if we don't embrace theidentity of who we're becoming,
like that's gonna be hard,right?
And so, and that's somethingthat I've also found difficult.
(18:11):
At times, it's like, okay, whois this person gonna be?
How am I detaching myself fromthe elementary school teacher
that I was the paralegal, that Iwas like all the o other jobs
that I had and decided to, okay,I'm gonna go out on my own.
How do I embrace that, thatperson and you know, embrace a
coach?
And I can say that it's aconstant thing every day of
(18:35):
working on being that person.
And so when you say like, thatwas a challenge.
I don't actually find thatsurprising because your identity
literally is around the, beingin the real estate industry and
now you're doing, you know,insurance, which is different.
It's the same, but it'sdifferent.
So that's, that's interestingthat, that you said that cuz
(18:55):
that's actually the first, thefirst thought that always comes
to mind is like, is, is beingthis new person.
Stefani Boyd (19:00):
Yeah, it's, it's surprised me because I remember
going through it years ago whenI went from being a criminal
investigator and I thought thatwas a really cool identity to
have.
And then I was a real estateagent and I kind of like really
did lose it.
Myself for a minute in thattransition, but
Gianna Diggs (19:18):
Hmm.
Stefani Boyd (19:18):
surprised me, this time because it just, even
though it's very similar and Ihave all of these contacts in my
database that are used tohearing from me about real
estate and mortgages, there wasjust this big like, almost panic
attack or something with theidea of talking to them about,
(19:40):
Anything else besides my area ofexpertise?
Like there's a lot that goesinto that with, you know, do I
have credibility now in this newindustry?
How do I start thatconversation?
So, yeah, I think honestly themental challenges are always the
biggest ones.
You know, like you mightphysically.
(20:02):
Be not wanting to go out in therain and go door knocking as a
real estate agent to getlistings or something, but it's
that mental aspect of gettingyourself comfortable enough to
go out there and beuncomfortable mentally and
physically.
That I think, is the biggestchallenge a lot of the time.
Gianna Diggs (20:22):
I definitely agree.
You talked about, I.
You know, your database and yourclients and, you know, letting
them know that you're pivoting.
So how, is there anything inparticular that you can point
out that you did that to, thatmade sure that they followed you
through the pivot?
Stefani Boyd (20:40):
Well, I'm still working on it, honestly.
But the, the overall plan is,once I, my issue at the moment
is I need a 100% commit to aninsurance company.
And so I'm about 95% committedright now.
But until I make that, I don'twanna send out two emails that
(21:00):
I'm now offering a service.
So as soon as that plan is ahundred percent solidified, then
of course, emailing everybody inmy database to let them know
that I have a new offering forthem.
Social media announcements.
I mean, I think really just if.
(21:23):
In my industry, marketing is alot of repetitious.
You know, your weekly or monthlyemail, your note cards, your,
you know, there's a littleformula.
Write three note cards a day.
Do you know, 10 pop by visitsevery month?
So.
Those little things give you allthose opportunities to go out
(21:46):
and have that conversation.
So, you know, all my existingclients will get a handwritten
note card, with my new businesscard in there.
And when I do my pop buys,everybody will also get a chance
to learn a little bit about thenew business that I'm offering.
Gianna Diggs (22:03):
Yeah, I like that cuz you're using exactly what
you have done in one industryand doing it in another.
And I feel like a lot of timeswe think we have to reinvent.
The wheel, and so I'm glad yousaid that.
You're like, I'm just going to,you know, do what I would
normally do and just flip it tojust say, Hey, this is, this is
what's happening.
Stefani Boyd (22:23):
Yeah, and don't worry.
In addition to all your mortgageand real estate needs, this is
just an additional.
Offering and, you know, noradical change over here.
That's, that's what I reallywant to convey to my client base
is that, you know, it's justanother service I'm offering and
I'm still offering all the otherservices.
Gianna Diggs (22:44):
Right.
So what advice, would you give amompreneur who maybe she needs
to pivot in her business?
And she's afraid, right?
Maybe she sees the writing onthe wall like you did, but she's
unsure of herself.
What words of wisdom would youhave for her?
Stefani Boyd (23:02):
My best advice would be to have a plan and have
a backup plan and another backupplan.
So I really like safety nets anda lot of this being a small
business owner, mom preneur, howdo you say it?
Gianna Diggs (23:21):
Mompreneur.
Stefani Boyd (23:22):
Mompreneur.
Yes.
It's very scary.
It's terrifying to beself-employed, but if you have
several streams to fall back onand you know that if that
doesn't work, you know, at leastyou could go.
Drive Uber, deliver Instacart.
Just, you know, for the worstcase scenario, I, as a criminal
(23:44):
investigator, I learned toalways look for the worst case
scenario and plan for the worstcase scenario and assume the
worst, and then work backwardsfrom there to build the best
case scenario.
So when I approach a problem ora new situation, I just feel
like, While all of the positivethoughts and positive beliefs
(24:07):
and affirmations and everythingare I think magical and very
helpful and should definitely beemployed, like it's not a good
idea to bury your head in thesand and.
Forget about the idea that whatif this doesn't work?
So I just like to contemplatethe worst case scenario, have a
(24:27):
backup plan, and then throw ahundred percent into my main
plan with the idea that if thisdoesn't work, we'll just pivot
again.
Okay.
Gianna Diggs (24:35):
Hmm.
I like that.
I I like that cuz You are notsaying like, okay, well the
backup plan, like some peoplelook at a backup plan as if you
know the first plan is not gonnawork, right?
You're saying the backup plan isjust safety, but I'm going a
hundred percent in the mainplan, but this is in case I need
to pivot.
So I really, I really love thatyou said that.
Stefani Boyd (24:57):
Yeah.
I think that when we do getthose positive mantras and
affirmations in place, they canbe extremely helpful and it's
never good to just go about yourday doubting yourself all day.
But I think being realistic inlike, well, just let me hold on
and check and make sure that Ihave something else in mind in
(25:19):
case this goes horribly wrong,and hopefully it'll go lovely.
Gianna Diggs (25:24):
Right.
Well, Stefani, before we wrapup, can you please let everyone
let the audience know where theycan find you online or offline?
Stefani Boyd (25:32):
I am@stefaniboyd.com, s t e f a N
i B O y d.com and offline.
You could definitely find me onFacebook, LinkedIn, all the
regular places.
Gianna Diggs (25:46):
All right.
And I'll make sure they haveyour social media and all that
stuff linked in the show notes.
But Stefani, thank you so muchfor being here.
It was really insightful ofseeing it from the perspective
of just business, but also fromlike the real estate side, which
I'm sure there are plenty ofpeople, including myself, who
are actually like starting tolook for a house and it's like,
ugh.
You know?
That's how I feel right now.
(26:06):
But we'll get there one day.
Stefani Boyd (26:10):
Yes, I hope so.
And it has been a pleasuretalking with you.
As well.
Gianna Diggs (26:16):
All right.
Thank you.
Okay.
Thank you for tuning in totoday's episode of the
Mompreneur Mindset Podcast.
I truly hope that ourconversation has inspired and
motivated you to take charge ofyour entrepreneurial journey.
If you found today's episodevaluable, please take a moment
and, and subscribe and leave usa review on your preferred
(26:38):
podcast platform.
Your support means the world tome, and it's vital for helping
me to reach more entrepreneurslike you and empower our growing
community to thrive.
Until next time.
Keep pushing boundaries.
Never settle.
And remember, the world iswaiting for your unique gifts
that only you can offer.
See you in the next episode.
You are listening to the Mompreneur Mindset
Podcast, a show that empowersyou to create a business that's
authentically yours.
Say goodbye to stressful days,juggling multiple priorities,
and feeling like you're neverenough.
I'm your host, Gianna Diggs, acertified mindset coach and
business guide for women and momentrepreneurs.
I'm here to empower, guide, andalign you with the tools and the
(00:27):
mindset needed to build athriving business that's true to
your purpose.
In each episode, we'll explorestrategies, tips, and success
stories designed to help yourise above your obstacles and
level up your mompreneur game.
So whether you're a first timeentrepreneur or a season
professional, grab a cup of tea.
Some quiet time away from thekids, and let's dive into the
(00:48):
mompreneur mindset together.
Are you ready?
Let's get into today's episode.
Welcome back to the mompreneurmindset podcast.
So in last week's episode, I hada chat with Amy Burks about how
to simplify your business model.
(01:09):
So now what happens when lifehappens, maybe like myself, you
have another baby, you know, nowyou have an infant at home and
you have two.
Work around thoseresponsibilities.
Now it's like, how do I make mybusiness works for the season
that I'm currently in?
What if you know you move andyou have to deal with that on
(01:31):
top of running your business.
And these are the questions I'vebeen asking myself for the past
year.
And I continue to ask myself asdifferent things happen, where I
have to make adjustments.
In my life in my business and mypodcast, all of the above.
So we're going to be talkingabout.
How to pivot, not trash theplan.
(01:51):
Now, obviously in this episode,you're going to learn what I'm
talking about with my guests,Stephanie Boyd.
That is something that she talksabout and that she's going to
explain.
And so I'm excited for you,especially if you are in a new
season and you're in this seasonof pivoting, the advice that
Stephanie has.
(02:12):
So before we get into theinterview, let's talk a little
bit about Stephanie.
So Stephanie is a sacramentallocal serving those in
California in those leavingCalifornia with their home
mortgage needs.
After a successful career incriminal investigations, as one
of the youngest criminalinvestigators in Sacramento
county, Stephanie went on topursue her dream of joining the
(02:33):
family real estate business.
She spent years learning the insand outs of real estate and
lending with her formerbrokerage.
Now, Stephanie has both her realestate and mortgage brokerage
license and is the CEO of herown corporation.
A single teen mom turned successstory.
Stephanie is a proud air force.
Mom has three sons, twogranddaughters, and her adorable
(02:55):
Pomeranian, Lola.
Stephanie is passionate aboutgrassroots community outreach.
And enjoys working with hercommunity to find solutions, to
help people experiencinghomelessness in Sacramento.
She also loves singing, yoga,painting, and traveling.
So without further ado, let'sget into the interview.
Hi Stefani.
Welcome to the show.
Stefani Boyd (03:15):
Thank you so much for having me, Gianna.
Gianna Diggs (03:19):
So I'm excited about today's episode, because
we're gonna be talking about aseason that I'm currently in,
which is pivoting.
And so, for those that don'tknow, I'm pivoting because I
have a three month old and sothere are a lot of changes that
are happened in my business andI feel like Stefani is a great
resource for those who aregetting ready to pivot.
And so I'm really excited aboutwhat we're gonna talk about
(03:41):
today.
So how did you know it was timeto pivot in your business?
Stefani Boyd (03:47):
Well, I think I started to see the writing on
the wall at the beginning of theyear, when the Fed announced
they were raising the interestrates
Gianna Diggs (03:55):
Mm-hmm.
Stefani Boyd (03:56):
gave us all cause to wonder what was gonna happen
with the economy and the realestate market in particular.
So really it sometimes you get adeep sense of impending doom,
and I think that is the essenceof what I was feeling when I
realized that this could getreally ugly.
(04:18):
And what do you do if it does
Gianna Diggs (04:21):
Hmm.
Okay, so you just saw thewriting on the walls, huh?
Stefani Boyd (04:26):
I did, I just had a pit in the bottom of my
stomach.
I was in real estate when the2008 market crash happened, and
I just definitely know thatthere is no.
Predicting all of theramifications of this.
And so what do you do if yourindustry is about to take a
(04:47):
major turn?
And that's when I started themantra, pivot.
Pivot.
Don't trash the plan, justpivot.
Gianna Diggs (04:55):
Hmm.
So can you talk to me a littlebit about that?
What does pivot, don't trashyour plan.
What exactly does that mean toyou?
Stefani Boyd (05:01):
Well, to me it means finding something.
To do that coexists with mycurrent trajectory.
So I'm in real estate andmortgages, so thinking that, you
know, what goes hand in handwith r with real estate
(05:22):
mortgages, a logical step wouldbe, you know, financial
planning, insurance, things likethat.
So, In my industry, pivotingjust really means hanging onto
my existing database and findingsomething that I can offer to
them to increase theirwellbeing, add value.
(05:44):
And while it may not be realestate, it may be something
related to those real estateclients that I can talk to them
about.
Does that make
Gianna Diggs (05:54):
Hmm.
Yeah, it does.
So it's basically, so I guessI'm gonna kind of paraphrase for
those that may not be in realestate.
So it's like instead of saying,okay, I'm in this one industry
and something's not working,instead of kind of just trashing
it, giving up your clients, youjust decided to find something
(06:15):
that was similar to what yourclients would need.
Is that the gist of what you're,okay?
Stefani Boyd (06:21):
So, you know, trashing the plan would be
closing up shop, just abandoningthe real estate business
completely.
Which by the way, I did do thatin 2008.
Several people in my office wentand got massage therapy licenses
and we thought that that wouldbe a much less stressful use of
our time than worrying about thehousing industry and mortgages
(06:44):
and everything.
But.
This time I really had spent somuch time building my own
personal business and my brandand you know, the colors on my
website and all of these thingsand licenses, and so it really
just wasn't an option to justcompletely, I.
Walk away when I saw thedoomsday warnings coming.
(07:07):
I mean, for one thing, hopefullythe economy will even out and
bounce back, and I want to stillkeep myself, as you know, at the
top of mind of my database andlet them know I'm still in
business.
But at the same time, my area.
Prices are still sky high andinterest rates are getting
higher.
(07:27):
In fact, the Fed's gonna meettomorrow and probably announce
the seventh or eighth interestrate increase this year.
So finding something to talkabout that's not real estate
related, but that can actually,in my particular instance, It's
catastrophic insurance thatwould pay your mortgage if
(07:48):
something catastrophic happenedto you.
So it's very much related to theoriginal issue at hand, which is
your mortgage and your realestate.
But raising the question of howwould you protect your ability
to pay your mortgage ifsomething catastrophic happened?
So when I pivot, I'm not juststepping away entirely, I'm just
(08:10):
kind of, you know, making alittle adjustment to my game
plan to catch the rest of thoseclients.
Gianna Diggs (08:19):
Hmm.
I like that you said thatbecause I, I feel like, you
know, I see in the coachingindustry specifically when
people are changing, it's likesome people will kind of go
completely left and it'll belike, well, where did that come
from?
And not to say that that'swrong, cuz some people just
don't feel aligned with whateverthey're doing, so they make a
(08:40):
necessary complete.
180, you know?
But I like that you just like,you know what?
I'm gonna still serve theclients that I have, but just in
a different way.
Stefani Boyd (08:50):
Yeah, definitely because I think you build
rapport and credibility, youknow, with your clients.
So if I suddenly came to the.
Them and said that now I wouldlike to sell them makeup
tutorials and get'em to buy myline of skincare.
They'd be like, what are youtalking about, Stefani?
(09:11):
You're.
You know, this
Gianna Diggs (09:12):
Mm-hmm.
Stefani Boyd (09:13):
you know, so I do agree that a lot of times you
just know you're not alignedwith whatever it is that you're
doing and you need a radicalshift.
but sometimes you've spent quitea bit of time and effort, you
know, building something up.
And so the answer is not just toabandon it, but rather just
expand your horizons and.
(09:34):
Think outside the box a little.
I actually got recruited forinsurance on LinkedIn, so it was
almost, it was almost spammy theway that this person approached
me on LinkedIn.
But actually it turned out shewas a real person and she gave
me a convenient opportunity tomeet up near somewhere I was
already gonna be anyway.
(09:54):
And I said, you know, This mustbe the universe giving me a
little nudge.
And, so I just went ahead andgot that license and, yeah,
decided to see where I can weaveit into my existing plan rather
than, just abandon anything.
Gianna Diggs (10:16):
Yeah.
I like that you said that yousaw that as a sign.
Cause that's exactly what cameto mind.
Like, oh, that was just theuniverse saying, okay, here's a,
here's a a, um, what's the word?
Here's like a, here's a ball.
Like I'm throwing you a ball.
Right.
And, and you just have to catchit and notice it.
Cuz that was gonna be my nextquestion is, you know, you said
you saw the writing on the wall,but like, what are the signs
(10:38):
that indicate, like, okay, it'slike a pivot is necessary.
Stefani Boyd (10:42):
Well, I think that can definitely be different in,
in every instance.
You know, sometimes you mightjust have that feeling that the
relationships that you're havingare not working out with the
people you're working with.
You know, sometimes it might besomething as blatant as the Fed
announcing they're gonna raisethe rate eight times and doing
(11:04):
some quick math in your head andrealizing, oh, there's gonna be
ramifications for that.
I think really just when you arein tune and you kind of pay
attention to everything that'sgoing on in the universe around
you, you'll get clues and, youknow, maybe you just stop having
that passion that you had andyou realize you need to reignite
(11:28):
something.
And, I don't know that.
I could give an actual clearpicture of what it looked like
when I realized that need topivot.
But I mean, for me it was veryobvious it was, you know, there
were material things happening,like less loan applications
coming through.
And so I think just really beingaware and realistic and honest
(11:52):
with yourself too.
You know, not have not succumbto those.
Pipe dreams, I guess, orfantasies of, you know, this is
going to be fantastic.
I mean, the real estate marketparticularly is always ebbing
and flowing ups and downs, but Ithink anybody who saw the 0%
(12:13):
interest rates, at the beginningof the pandemic knew that they
weren't gonna stick aroundforever.
You know, so it was, it was awild ride.
That had to come to an end.
And I think when you decide topivot, instead of trashing the
plan, you give yourself thatopportunity to take a deep
breath and just look at all theoptions available to you out
(12:35):
there instead of, you know,just, deciding well, I better
just go get a nine to five job.
And, You know, that that may bethe answer for some people, but,
I think if you just pivot andespecially if you pivot in a
360, you know, you wanna lookall directions, and it never
(12:57):
hurts to have another license.
So that was the
Gianna Diggs (13:02):
No.
Stefani Boyd (13:03):
you know, in my, when I decided to go ahead and
get that.
Can't hurt for for sure.
Gianna Diggs (13:09):
Right.
And I was gonna say, you know,you say like, oh, I can't
explain it.
Cuz that's usually how it is.
Right?
I asked that question just tosee if there, you know, cuz
there could be some, like yousaid, you saw the numbers, you
saw those kind of tangiblesigns.
But I do wanna mention that it.
It could just be a feeling,right?
Because, you know, spirit speaksto us in many different ways.
(13:31):
And I think once you, you saidyou were in tune and I'm like
picking out all the key thingsyou said because a lot of times,
you know, the show's aboutmindset work, right?
And it's like if we, when we dothe mindset work, We're able to
recognize those little thingslike, okay, something is
speaking to me, telling me thatit's, something needs to change.
Right?
Someone messaged you and yeah,you might have been like, oh,
(13:54):
this kind of seems like a scamat first, but it kind of just
changed the trajectory becauseyou saw, like you said, you saw
the writing on the wall, and Ithink that's like the key.
To me, like in listening to you,that's the key thing is you
might notice numbers, you mightnotice, you know, all these
other things, but the fact thatyou were in tune with yourself,
that's the, to me, that's thekey takeaway.
Stefani Boyd (14:16):
Definitely.
And I think too, I keep hearingthis phrase.
Whenever a door closes, a windowopens.
And so I thought about that alot through this past year.
As it seems like sometimes maybesomething was negative, but
really you realize later that ifthat wouldn't have happened,
(14:36):
then all these positive thingswouldn't have come out of it.
So I just always try to.
Keep that in mind that you know,whether it's selling insurance
to people that are saying no andthey're closing a door
literally, then the next one isopening.
Or whether, you know, you'rereally had some transitions and
(14:57):
things go sideways on you.
And realizing that those arejust new opportunities to create
something new as opposed to, youknow, A door being closed
because there's still the windowthere.
Gianna Diggs (15:13):
Right.
That just reminds me of, Istudied, neurolinguistic
programming, n L P, and, again,this is mindset working and we
always say that everything isnot like failure.
It's feedback.
Right.
And so like that's exactly whatI thought of when you said that
is that it's everything is like,okay, that's not working.
Let's try something different.
Okay.
Let's learn from that part andlet's move on.
(15:35):
And.
Everything that we encounter,whether it's in life and in our
business, is feedback.
It's okay that thing's notworking.
Okay.
It's time to pivot.
Oh, that thing is working.
Let me hold onto that one thing.
And so I'm really glad that, youknow, I, I still keep going back
to your mantra of just like,don't trash the plan.
Cuz I think that's, I thinkthat's powerful cuz I think a
(15:56):
lot of times, myself included,if something is not working,
it's like, okay.
I need to just go back to thedrawing board and just forget
what I was, all the work that Ijust put into the one thing that
I was doing.
So I'm really glad that you,brought up your mantra.
I think that's a powerfulstatement.
Stefani Boyd (16:11):
I agree.
Yeah, it's been really helpfuland You can't just always trash
the plan.
Sometimes the plan was a badplan to begin with and I think
that's where you're listening,your intuition comes in and
those clues from the universeand everything.
but definitely give it a lot ofthought before trashing it.
Gianna Diggs (16:31):
Hmm.
So, what are some challengesthat you faced, when you decided
to pivot in your business?
Stefani Boyd (16:37):
Well for one thing, learning a whole new
industry was definitely achallenge, and the biggest part
of that was it is extremelyboring.
Um, just, the mind numbing.
Nature of insurance classes andstudying for the insurance
Commissioner's test.
(16:59):
It's, it, it'll weed out theweak ones, I think if you can't,
if you can stay awake throughthose classes, and get the
license.
But I think on a more esotericlevel, just.
Embracing this new identity thatI'm creating has been a
challenge.
Mm-hmm.
You know, you spend so much timebuilding your brand and building
(17:21):
your business and it kind ofbecomes your identity of who you
are.
And now all of a sudden, Mean,while it may not seem that
significant from the outside,you're a sales professional.
You're real estate sales, yourmortgage sales lending, now
you're insurance salesprofessional.
But just learning how to embracethat new identity was actually
(17:45):
way more challenging than Iexpected.
And it's still happening.
Gianna Diggs (17:49):
Hmm.
I'm kind of, I'm glad you saidthat because I think we hear.
Especially in the mindset worldof like operate from your future
self and be that you know, thenew person.
And if we don't embrace theidentity of who we're becoming,
like that's gonna be hard,right?
And so, and that's somethingthat I've also found difficult.
(18:11):
At times, it's like, okay, whois this person gonna be?
How am I detaching myself fromthe elementary school teacher
that I was the paralegal, that Iwas like all the o other jobs
that I had and decided to, okay,I'm gonna go out on my own.
How do I embrace that, thatperson and you know, embrace a
coach?
And I can say that it's aconstant thing every day of
(18:35):
working on being that person.
And so when you say like, thatwas a challenge.
I don't actually find thatsurprising because your identity
literally is around the, beingin the real estate industry and
now you're doing, you know,insurance, which is different.
It's the same, but it'sdifferent.
So that's, that's interestingthat, that you said that cuz
(18:55):
that's actually the first, thefirst thought that always comes
to mind is like, is, is beingthis new person.
Stefani Boyd (19:00):
Yeah, it's, it's surprised me because I remember
going through it years ago whenI went from being a criminal
investigator and I thought thatwas a really cool identity to
have.
And then I was a real estateagent and I kind of like really
did lose it.
Myself for a minute in thattransition, but
Gianna Diggs (19:18):
Hmm.
Stefani Boyd (19:18):
surprised me, this time because it just, even
though it's very similar and Ihave all of these contacts in my
database that are used tohearing from me about real
estate and mortgages, there wasjust this big like, almost panic
attack or something with theidea of talking to them about,
(19:40):
Anything else besides my area ofexpertise?
Like there's a lot that goesinto that with, you know, do I
have credibility now in this newindustry?
How do I start thatconversation?
So, yeah, I think honestly themental challenges are always the
biggest ones.
You know, like you mightphysically.
(20:02):
Be not wanting to go out in therain and go door knocking as a
real estate agent to getlistings or something, but it's
that mental aspect of gettingyourself comfortable enough to
go out there and beuncomfortable mentally and
physically.
That I think, is the biggestchallenge a lot of the time.
Gianna Diggs (20:22):
I definitely agree.
You talked about, I.
You know, your database and yourclients and, you know, letting
them know that you're pivoting.
So how, is there anything inparticular that you can point
out that you did that to, thatmade sure that they followed you
through the pivot?
Stefani Boyd (20:40):
Well, I'm still working on it, honestly.
But the, the overall plan is,once I, my issue at the moment
is I need a 100% commit to aninsurance company.
And so I'm about 95% committedright now.
But until I make that, I don'twanna send out two emails that
(21:00):
I'm now offering a service.
So as soon as that plan is ahundred percent solidified, then
of course, emailing everybody inmy database to let them know
that I have a new offering forthem.
Social media announcements.
I mean, I think really just if.
(21:23):
In my industry, marketing is alot of repetitious.
You know, your weekly or monthlyemail, your note cards, your,
you know, there's a littleformula.
Write three note cards a day.
Do you know, 10 pop by visitsevery month?
So.
Those little things give you allthose opportunities to go out
(21:46):
and have that conversation.
So, you know, all my existingclients will get a handwritten
note card, with my new businesscard in there.
And when I do my pop buys,everybody will also get a chance
to learn a little bit about thenew business that I'm offering.
Gianna Diggs (22:03):
Yeah, I like that cuz you're using exactly what
you have done in one industryand doing it in another.
And I feel like a lot of timeswe think we have to reinvent.
The wheel, and so I'm glad yousaid that.
You're like, I'm just going to,you know, do what I would
normally do and just flip it tojust say, Hey, this is, this is
what's happening.
Stefani Boyd (22:23):
Yeah, and don't worry.
In addition to all your mortgageand real estate needs, this is
just an additional.
Offering and, you know, noradical change over here.
That's, that's what I reallywant to convey to my client base
is that, you know, it's justanother service I'm offering and
I'm still offering all the otherservices.
Gianna Diggs (22:44):
Right.
So what advice, would you give amompreneur who maybe she needs
to pivot in her business?
And she's afraid, right?
Maybe she sees the writing onthe wall like you did, but she's
unsure of herself.
What words of wisdom would youhave for her?
Stefani Boyd (23:02):
My best advice would be to have a plan and have
a backup plan and another backupplan.
So I really like safety nets anda lot of this being a small
business owner, mom preneur, howdo you say it?
Gianna Diggs (23:21):
Mompreneur.
Stefani Boyd (23:22):
Mompreneur.
Yes.
It's very scary.
It's terrifying to beself-employed, but if you have
several streams to fall back onand you know that if that
doesn't work, you know, at leastyou could go.
Drive Uber, deliver Instacart.
Just, you know, for the worstcase scenario, I, as a criminal
(23:44):
investigator, I learned toalways look for the worst case
scenario and plan for the worstcase scenario and assume the
worst, and then work backwardsfrom there to build the best
case scenario.
So when I approach a problem ora new situation, I just feel
like, While all of the positivethoughts and positive beliefs
(24:07):
and affirmations and everythingare I think magical and very
helpful and should definitely beemployed, like it's not a good
idea to bury your head in thesand and.
Forget about the idea that whatif this doesn't work?
So I just like to contemplatethe worst case scenario, have a
(24:27):
backup plan, and then throw ahundred percent into my main
plan with the idea that if thisdoesn't work, we'll just pivot
again.
Okay.
Gianna Diggs (24:35):
Hmm.
I like that.
I I like that cuz You are notsaying like, okay, well the
backup plan, like some peoplelook at a backup plan as if you
know the first plan is not gonnawork, right?
You're saying the backup plan isjust safety, but I'm going a
hundred percent in the mainplan, but this is in case I need
to pivot.
So I really, I really love thatyou said that.
Stefani Boyd (24:57):
Yeah.
I think that when we do getthose positive mantras and
affirmations in place, they canbe extremely helpful and it's
never good to just go about yourday doubting yourself all day.
But I think being realistic inlike, well, just let me hold on
and check and make sure that Ihave something else in mind in
(25:19):
case this goes horribly wrong,and hopefully it'll go lovely.
Gianna Diggs (25:24):
Right.
Well, Stefani, before we wrapup, can you please let everyone
let the audience know where theycan find you online or offline?
Stefani Boyd (25:32):
I am@stefaniboyd.com, s t e f a N
i B O y d.com and offline.
You could definitely find me onFacebook, LinkedIn, all the
regular places.
Gianna Diggs (25:46):
All right.
And I'll make sure they haveyour social media and all that
stuff linked in the show notes.
But Stefani, thank you so muchfor being here.
It was really insightful ofseeing it from the perspective
of just business, but also fromlike the real estate side, which
I'm sure there are plenty ofpeople, including myself, who
are actually like starting tolook for a house and it's like,
ugh.
You know?
That's how I feel right now.
(26:06):
But we'll get there one day.
Stefani Boyd (26:10):
Yes, I hope so.
And it has been a pleasuretalking with you.
As well.
Gianna Diggs (26:16):
All right.
Thank you.
Okay.
Thank you for tuning in totoday's episode of the
Mompreneur Mindset Podcast.
I truly hope that ourconversation has inspired and
motivated you to take charge ofyour entrepreneurial journey.
If you found today's episodevaluable, please take a moment
and, and subscribe and leave usa review on your preferred
(26:38):
podcast platform.
Your support means the world tome, and it's vital for helping
me to reach more entrepreneurslike you and empower our growing
community to thrive.
Until next time.
Keep pushing boundaries.
Never settle.
And remember, the world iswaiting for your unique gifts
that only you can offer.
See you in the next episode.
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