And She Spoke

If you’ve ever worried that you need a massive email list or social following to successfully  launch as online program, this week’s guest is living proof that you absolutely do not.   Ericka Thomas, founder of Elemental Kinetics LLC, joins us on the show to share the juicy numbers from her first-ever online launch. As a recent graduate of our new Beta Launch Lab course (our Inner Circle clients got first dibs!), Ericka has truly embraced a new entrepreneurial mindset and found well-earned success right out of the gate. Ericka breaks down her real numbers for us on the podcast—including the size of her email list, and the number of sales she saw come in during her launch. This episode is really about embracing the very beginning of the business journey—when it’s all about those first sales, the three- and four-figure launches, and the tiny email list. There is SO much emphasis on the six-figure launches, but this is not where any of us start. We all start small and this is such a thrilling place to be! Fundamentally, Ericka’s story is about embracing a new identity and transitioning from employee to entrepreneur. If you have ever doubted your readiness for starting your own online because you aren’t experienced enough, famous enough, technical enough, big enough—Ericka’s story will help you to see that you are probably more ready than you think. Key Points from This Episode:     How Ericka transitioned from an independent yoga practitioner to starting her own business.   Ericka’s passion for trauma-informed yoga and tension-release exercise (TRE) and how she is working to weave this into her online business.   The process of figuring out what your clients want: Who to ask and what to ask them?   How to take the information your clients have given you and use it to expand your network.   Shift Under Pressure: Learn more about the product Ericka launched for her Beta Course.   The importance of the 27-word persuasion sentence for your first product launch.   16 sign-ups by midnight: Discover the surprising results from Ericka’s first launch.   Dealing with an identity crisis in the middle of your launch and realizing your self-worth.   How to get at least half the people on your email list to buy your Beta program.   Connecting with your clients and the value of launching to an audience that knows you.   And much more!   Words of Wisdom:   “You just need to pick your people and stick with them.” —@namastream [0:08:20]   “Sometimes if you want something different, you have to let the other thing go.” — Ericka Thomas [0:26:20]   “You can’t quit before you start.” — Ericka Thomas [0:28:20]   “Before, I never looked at what I did as a business.” — Ericka Thomas [0:28:50]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Elemental Kinetics LLC — http://www.elementalkinetics.com Elemental Kinetics on Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/elementalkineticsmovewell/ Ericka Thomas on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericka-thomas-282060b7/ ConvertKit — https://convertkit.com/ Beta Launch Lab — http://betalaunchlab.com/ Namastream — https://namastream.com/ Joy: salad for breakfast! Hustle: Inner Circle (which includes Namastream, Beta Launch Lab, + lots more!)

Our guest today is Nicole Lebreux. Nicole is a yoga instructor, a whole-plant herbalist, a mom, and the founder of Nicole Lebreux Yoga and Wellness. One of our Inner Circle clients, Nicole is an inspiring example of what you can achieve when you take action and invest in yourself. She has achieved fantastic results by following the step-by-step process that we lay out in our Beta Launch Lab—our brand new course on how to launch a profitable digital product within 30 days.Rather than come up with excises, Nicole went through the course, got down to business, and made some money! Although she has a smaller email list and a not-massive following on social media, she still had a fantastic launch. We see SO people delaying an online launch because they believe they don’t yet have a big enough following. In this episode, Nicole debunks this myth by sharing her numbers, walking us through her beta launch process, providing tips on pricing, digital product curation, and community interaction. Most importantly, we hear about the massive mindset shift Nicole experienced when she decided to invest in herself and in her business, and the impact this had on her results. Nicole is a force of nature, passion, and enthusiasm—and by the end of this episode, she’ll have you feeling like you can take a chance on yourself and your business too.  Key Points From This Episode:   Why Nicole was inspired to move into the online/digital space after the birth of her child.   Making the shift from working for someone else to working for yourself using an online model.   Challenges with adapting to teaching online from a background of teaching in-person.   Navigating tech, software and digital strategies and products for your online business.   The Beta Launch Lab and how to use it to build a solid foundation for your online business.   Using your online and in-person community to help you develop your first digital product.   Nicole shares what she built for her Beta Launch Lab course product and how she did it.   Why you don’t need great numbers to achieve great success in your online business.   From “cart open” to “cart close”: How many sign-ups do you really need?   Tips for deciding on how to price your first beta course or program.   Where to turn for support and how to take action if you’re not a self-motivated person.   Discover how investing in yourself can help you take your business more seriously.   And much more!   Words of Wisdom: “Everything I have to share, you can find online, but it’s not coming from me. People want to hear it from me.” — Nicole Lebreux [0:20:20]  “I didn’t know how powerful investing in yourself is, energetically. Once I did that, it totally changed the game.” — Nicole Lebreux [0:25:50] “I think the investment, at first, is probably the scariest thing if you’re not used to spending on yourself.” — Nicole Lebreux [0:26:30]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Nicole Lebreux Nicole Lebreux on Instagram Journey With Your Chakras Elements of Abundance Beta Launch Lab Namastream   Joy: local CSA (community supported agriculture) programs Hustle: Namastream’s Inner Circle Program

This episode of our show was inspired by a recent blog post by Seth Godin, titled “What Do You Own?” Today’s economy is rapidly shifting. The old capitalist model of going to school, getting into college, and settling down into one job for the rest of your life – is almost non-existent. There are very few jobs out there today that can provide an absolute sense of security.This is why we believe that everyone should be an entrepreneur, if not full-time, then at least as a serious side-hustle. If all we have to trade for survival is our time, that’s a really sad predicament to be in, and like Seth Godin says in his article, “If you own nothing but the next eight hours of your time for sale to the highest bidder, you may be disappointed in the bids you get.” There is nothing more empowering than creating something of your own, learning how to run it, controlling it, and experiencing money come in based on how hard you work and how much risk you’re willing to take. Today, we take stock of what we own by looking at our assets in a whole new light. By the end of this episode, you’ll feel inspired and supported in your decision to start building something that you own, right now!   Key Points from This Episode:   The shift happening in today’s economy and how to secure your future within it.   Why owning your time does not provide the same security it did in the old economic model.   Discover the lessons entrepreneurship can teach you and why these are important right now.   Re-defining “assets” and what it really means to own them to propel your own business.   How to build and store a collection of unique assets that no one can take away from you.   A recap on capitalism and Marxism and why owning something is the only way to thrive.   Why now is the time to think about the reality of the economic system we’re living in.   Entrepreneurship as a path out of oppression for the historically under-represented.   The common excuses we make to avoid entrepreneurship and making that small start.   Choosing to make a change in your life, creating space, and taking small steps every day.   And much more!   Words of Wisdom:   “There’s no such thing as long-term stability, that doesn’t exist anymore. Your safety comes from being adaptable.”   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Namastream — https://namastream.com/ Seth Godin — https://seths.blog/ “What Do You Own?” by Seth Godin — https://seths.blog/2019/09/what-do-you-own/ Become an Online Teacher FREE Course— https://www.soulful.mba/teacher   Joy: FOREO LUNA mini 2 Facial Cleansing Brush — https://amzn.to/30jIsCc Hustle: Beta Launch Lab Checklist — http://betalaunchlab.com/

As we move into Fall, we honestly cannot wait to get down to more serious work and slide right back into high productivity mode. This is traditionally the busiest time of year for us. School is starting again, colder weather and the end of the year is looming, and it’s time to sip coffee and get down to business. It's the season for more work and there is literally no better time to get down to launching your first, or your new, online offering. These days, online courses have become akin to a business card and clients and students are increasingly coming to expect you to have some kind of dynamic online content. Online courses, membership sites, and group coaching programs can be an incredibly lucrative income stream. In this episode, we lay out the main reasons why now is a better time than ever to get started, so put that fear of failure aside and let's get things rolling!   Key Points From This Episode:   It is the season of more work! We love getting down to things in fall!   Online teaching and using this service as your new business card.   Experiential interactions; the trends of web-based platforms.   Creating another source of income from your online space.   Building a reputation, multiple revenue streams, and a solid audience.    It is so affordable to get online and start selling your expertise!   The ongoing puzzle and the success that constantly grows with time and effort.   The availability of cheap and amazingly useful tools for doing your thing!    Taking action to get past your fear of failure and anxieties around starting.   Learning and laughing at your failures; the correlation between wins and losses.   Our signature beta launch formula and why it is easier than ever to get yourself out there.   The timeline for getting to a launch from where you are!   And much more!   Words of Wisdom: “You need more than just a static presence on the internet, even social platforms are moving towards more experiential interaction.”   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Namastream — https://namastream.comBecome an Online Teacher Course — https://www.soulful.mba/teacher Kevin Kelly — https://kk.orgWireless Go — https://www.rode.com/wirelessgo Sweetwater Audio — https://www.sweetwater.com   Joy: EmmaClaireShop on Etsy — https://www.etsy.com/shop/EmmaClaireShop Hustle: Beta Launch Lab Checklist— http://betalaunchlab.com/

On this episode of the show, we talk about mindset triggers that may be holding you back from making the kind of money you’re looking to make online. This episode is an important next step in our Women and Money Series, where we share the tough-love lessons we’ve learned about our own mindset traps and how limiting beliefs can drastically affect your ability to make money. We see these patterns, these excuses, these victim mentalities play out all the time online and in this episode, we take the opportunity to address the common thought patterns that get so many of us stuck in a rut. Here, we break down the Top 7 limiting beliefs/excuses we hear way too often:1. I can’t do what everyone else is doing.2. There’s so much free stuff out there...who’s going to pay for mine?3. Not embracing your inner salesperson.4. I won’t be able to figure it out.5. I’m not techie enough!6. Always telling old stories.7. I don’t really believe yoga teachers (or health coaches or spiritual teachers or personal trainers or ______ ) can make money.If any of these excuses ring true to you, we’re going to help you kick them to the curb!   Key Points From This Episode:   Failure to launch: The two types of dreamers you don’t want to be.   Why you need to take action and take a chance on yourself.   The comparison game and how to finally stop playing it.   Why you should still charge a fair price even though everything already exists for free.   Discover how to embrace your inner salesperson.   How to actively start believing that you CAN do hard things.   Find out why your excuses about technology are not helpful.   A shout out to the softer skills: empathy, communication, compassion.   How to break the “belief ceiling” and stop telling yourself old stories.   The importance of writing a new story and acting on it every day.   The value of building a scalable teaching/coaching business online today.   And much more!   Words of Wisdom:  “Keep your eyes on your own page and do the work.” “Saying you’re ‘not technical’ is not a valid excuse. Of course you can do it.”    Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Soulful MBA — https://www.soulful.mba/ Namastream — https://namastream.com/   Joy: TAXA Cricket — https://taxaoutdoors.com Hustle: Apple Watch — https://www.apple.com/apple-watch-series-4/

“I wanted the business more than I was afraid of the fear of not being able to pay the debt back.”  - Lori Kennedy   Our current series on women and money has encouraged many of you to reflect on your own money stories. During this process, you may have uncovered beliefs that are preventing you from reaching your full potential and this series is meant to unshackle you from these restraints through the stories shared by other women who have experienced similar circumstances.   In today’s episode, you’ll get to hear more about Lori Kennedy’s money journey, including her bold sales goals, her belief in the importance of women starting businesses, and why she gets frustrated when she sees women holding themselves back as entrepreneurs.   Given her level of success today, you may be surprised to hear that Lori is “not good with numbers” and even failed high school math, but she is living proof that obstacles like these are possible to overcome. Once an overspender, she shares about learning to view money and debt as neutral and to remove emotion from the equation in growing her business.     Key Points from This Episode:     How Lori came into her role as an entrepreneur and being self-employed from a young age.   Discovering her purpose and how the journey helped her to become a better human being.   Growing up in an affluent home and always wanting to make her own money.    Not understanding the value of money, compulsive shopping and getting into credit card debt.   What Lori has learned about the importance of paying attention to and tracking the numbers.   Cultivating a mindset where she has faith that everything will be ok.   An incident of running into a cash flow crisis, how she dealt with it, and what she learned.   Why she was not afraid of incurring debt to grow her business.   How defining what rock bottom looked like for her served her well from early on.   Where she starts the money conversation with the women she coaches.   Showing the reality of growth to people based on straightforward numbers.   Looking critically at how you spend your time and accepting the pre-revenue phase.   Getting beyond the conversation about money blocks.   Having her home professionally organized and the hustle of integrating a sales department.   And much more!          Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Namastream — https://namastream.com/ Soulful MBA’s Become an Online Teacher Course — https://www.soulful.mba/teacher   Connect with Lori: Lori Kennedy on LinkedIn — https://ca.linkedin.com/in/lorikennedyinc Lori Kennedy on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/lorikennedyinc/ Lori Kennedy on Twitter — https://twitter.com/lorikennedyinc Take Your Health Practice Online Group — https://www.facebook.com/groups/takeyourhealthpracticeonline The Business of Becoming Podcast — https://thewellnessbusinesshub.com/podcast/   Joy: hiring a professional organizer Hustle: integrating a sales department

In this episode, we discuss the benefits of joining a group coaching program and explain why being part of one can help fast-track your company’s growth. We have both served as students and as mentors in group coaching programs and we have seen the power that comes from working in community. We discuss the five key results we’ve observed within our Inner Circle community, from stress-free decision-making to feeling less isolated and more inspired. A group coaching program can also help you conserve your energy in order to allow you to focus on what’s really important to you. Starting a business is not easy, but being uncomfortable is often where the magic happens. So why not step out of your comfort zone, while being supported and mentored by those who have been through it all before? To learn more about the huge advantages of joining a group coaching program, tune in today!   Key Points From This Episode:    How groups help alleviate decision fatigue through mentorship and peer learning.   How being in a facilitated community can save you time—both long- and short-term.   How mentorship and support can help you to fast-track your growth, which leads to quicker financial freedom.    How a sense of community helps keeps you motivated.   Words of Wisdom:  “There is no right or wrong; there are just two decisions that reveal different outcomes. Make the decision, make it quick, and move on.” — Sandy Connery “It’s going to be uncomfortable either way. Choose the brand of discomfort that’s going to give you the result you want.” — Jeni Barcelos    Joy: Atomic Habits by James Clear Hustle: On-demand Masterclass

Continuing with our women and money series, we are thrilled to share this recent interview with Claire Pelletreau—a Facebook Ads expert who runs a six-figure online business and hosts The Get Paid Podcast.   As you may infer from the name of her show, Claire loves to talk about all things money. Once a week, she sits down with entrepreneurs and asks them tough and very personal questions about their businesses. A standout from these episodes is her tradition of asking guests what they pay themselves—a question that most people would admit is quite uncomfortable.   In this episode, Claire shares insights about her own business journey and reveals what it’s like to ask her guests about money. We also get into why Claire believes paid ads are so important and how she manages her own success.   We absolutely love Claire's work and we both listen to EVERY episode of her show. It is so affirming and enlightening and we are grateful for her contribution to the broader money conversation. Enjoy the episode!   Key Points From This Episode:     Asking the questions that no one seems to want to ask on a podcast.   How Claire started work as a freelancer while employed elsewhere.   Finding early guests for the podcast who were comfortable talking about money.   Why Claire still gets nervous asking what people pay themselves.   Unpacking a particular person's story and looking beyond a snapshot.   Claire's younger years, career dreams, and how she came into entrepreneurship.   Discovering money mindsets and how important this moment was for Claire's journey.   Claire's current money goals; why she is currently focussing on income over revenue.   Business scaling and why ads are so essential.   Claire's family, friends and social community; their reactions to her success.   The divide between online entrepreneurs and the rest of the world.   The most surprising elements of hosting a podcast about money.    This week's top of mind question round with Claire!   Claire's joy and hustle recommendations.   And much more!   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Become and Online Teacher — https://www.soulful.mba/teacher Namastream — https://namastream.com/ Brooke Castillo — https://thelifecoachschool.com/ Brooke Castillo on The Get Paid Podcast — https://clairepells.com/63/ Nathan Barry — https://nathanbarry.com/ ConvertKit — https://convertkit.com/ Denise Duffield Thomas — https://denisedt.com/ Get Rich, Lucky Bitch — https://www.amazon.com/Get-Rich-Lucky-Bitch-Release-ebook/dp/B00BSG124I Crazy Rich Asians — https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16085481-crazy-rich-asians     Joy: Show Your Work Podcast — https://laineygossipentertainment.libsyn.com/ Hustle: Instagram + Facebook Ads   Connect with Claire Claire Pelletreau — https://clairepells.com/ The Get Paid Podcast — https://clairepells.com/category/podcast/

Our series on women and money continues, and today’s episode is about getting your mindset set up for building wealth. We want you to confront your own  money stories and to uncover those internal narratives that could be holding you back.   We’ve heard some encouraging feedback from listeners who have benefited from our conversations and we want to continue the discussion—this time focused on mindset and limiting beliefs. We all face self-sabotaging thoughts on occasion and it is important for us, as women, to collectively confront these issues so that we can move passed them as a community.    Today we get into self-imposed limitations, balancing vision and action, the ever-present victim mentality, and setting realistic goals.   Key Points from This Episode:   How the things we surround ourselves with unknowingly define our limitations.  Why we tend to set ordinary goals when we should be aiming for the extraordinary. Banishing your self-imposed limiting beliefs by reflecting on your childhood dreams.  How the messages we receive about money as little girls impose certain limits on us.  Committing to a goal and starting to ask “Why not me?” The need for a balance between having a strong vision and taking action.  How we set ourselves up for failure in the language we use to describe our goals. The victim mentality that has people waiting for the universe to make their dreams come true. Being careful not to glorify the first step and forgetting about the hundreds of steps thereafter.   Taking ownership of and committing to the process of getting to where you want to be.  Setting realistic goals, realizing that it takes time.  The unrealistic expectations we have of the first years of business.  The advantages and disadvantages of the normalization of online business.  And much more!     Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   The Soulful MBA — https://www.soulful.mba/ Kelly Diels — http://www.kellydiels.com/ Emily Williams — https://www.iheartmylife.com/ Bill Gates on Twitter — https://twitter.com/BillGates   Joy: One Big Happy Life on YouTube — https://onebighappylife.com Hustle: The Big Leap on Amazon — https://amzn.to/32Kurjt

Welcome to another episode of the Soulful MBA Podcast! Inspiring us today is feminist marketing consultant and writer, Kelly Diels, who joins us for the next episode in our Women and Money series.   When we first came across Kelly’s website, we could not stop reading through her refreshing  body of work on the intersection of feminism and online business. What struck us in particular was her focus on women and their finances and her own personal story, which she shares with us today.   Kelly helps feminist entrepreneurs and culture makers sell to women without selling out by teaching feminist principles, including how they apply to marketing and other facets of business. She talks openly about controversial topics, including the false perceptions that exist around poor people and money.   As a busy mom of five kids and a thriving entrepreneur, Kelly’s story is motivating and her message is profoundly important.    Key Points from This Episode:     How growing up shaped Kelly’s relationship with money.   Dispelling the myth that poor people are “bad” with their finances.   The need for more narratives around stabilizing your revenues before attempting to scale.   Research that proves female entrepreneurs are incredibly capital resource efficient.   Teaching, coaching, and self-development as necessary skills for any culture.   Women filling in the gaps and doing uncompensated labor as a societal expectation.   Why you should charge someone for ‘picking your brain!’   Fast fashion and being more mindful with your purchasing decisions.   Shifting her business model after a family crisis required her to increase her income.   Raising capital and using credit to build a business.   Defining what the Female Lifestyle Empowerment Brand (FLEB) is and aims to do.   Signing with a literary agent and writing a book about culture making.   Kelly’s tool for calculating your break even, thrive, and stretch numbers.   And much more!   Words of Wisdom: “There’s this idea that women are risk averse and not good entrepreneurs and they need all this extra training. In fact, we get to profitability faster and we are way more capital resource efficient.” — @KellyDiels [0:07:08]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   The Soulful MBA — https://www.soulful.mba/ Kelly Diels — http://www.kellydiels.com/ SheEO — https://sheeo.world/ Namastream — https://namastream.com/ PayPal — https://www.paypal.com/ Stripe — https://stripe.com/ Gloria Steinem — http://www.gloriasteinem.com/ Bell Hooks — http://www.bellhooksinstitute.com/ Adrienne Maree Brown — http://adriennemareebrown.net/ Soraya Chemaly — http://www.sorayachemaly.com/home.html Linda Bacon — https://lindabacon.org/ The Myth of Capitalism on Amazon — https://www.amazon.com/Myth-Capitalism-Monopolies-Death-Competition/dp/1119548195 Sister Citizen on Amazon — https://www.amazon.com/Sister-Citizen-Shame-Stereotypes-America/dp/0300188188 Audre Lorde — https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/audre-lorde       Joy: lemon oil / Donte Colley on Instagram / favorite mug Hustle: business spreadsheet