And She Spoke

“Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.” - Salvador Dali

This episode explores the role that ambition plays in entrepreneurship and the ways in which our definitions of ambition can shift over time. We discuss the interplay between owning our power, yet still allowing space for humility and how ambition shifts as we transform from employee to entrepreneur or from individual to parent.

How does ambition surface for you in different phases of your life? What about men versus women? “Naked ambition in a woman is problematic in the business world. We continue to walk a fine line. We have to demonstrate enough ambition to be taken seriously as ‘success material’ but not so much that we’re perceived as a freight train.” - Betsy Stark

What about Sandy’s point that the word “entrepreneurship” is replacing “ambition” for many of us these days?

“I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.” - Steve Jobs Do you ever think about grit -- your ability to stick to a goal over a long period of time, even when circumstances get hard? Grit is one of the key qualities of successful entrepreneurs. You need to have a passion for (and dedication to) creating the business itself (not just a passion for the topic of your teaching or coaching). The good news is that the ups and downs of the entrepreneurial roller coaster will help you to develop that grit over time. How long should you try out entrepreneurship before you really know whether it’s a good fit for you? How do you know when you should stick with your business versus when you should give up?

“I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.” - Steve Jobs

Do you ever think about grit -- your ability to stick to a goal over a long period of time, even when circumstances get hard? Grit is one of the key qualities of successful entrepreneurs. You need to have a passion for (and dedication to) creating the business itself (not just a passion for the topic of your teaching or coaching). The good news is that the ups and downs of the entrepreneurial roller coaster will help you to develop that grit over time.

How long should you try out entrepreneurship before you really know whether it’s a good fit for you? How do you know when you should stick with your business versus when you should give up?

“After you find your voice, you realize there’s really only one person to imitate, and that’s yourself. You do it by combining different influences. I think the first part of it is you do slavish imitations, which are almost like travesties, you know. But gradually you come under the right influences, picking and choosing, and being selective, and then maybe your voice is the combination of 6 or 8 other voices that you have managed to blend in such a way that no one can recognize the sources.” -- Billy Collins Afraid to start building a new business in such a crowded industry? Learn about why it’s actually a good thing to work in a market that’s crowded. At the same time, you’re going to need to find your own unique way of doing things if you’re ever going to stand out from the pack. Pay attention to your natural interests, even if they are seemingly unrelated to your business. The synthesis of two seemingly unrelated topics is where the magic happens. Joy: The Great Work of Your Life Hustle:Austin KleonWhite House Poetry Workshop

“After you find your voice, you realize there’s really only one person to imitate, and that’s yourself. You do it by combining different influences. I think the first part of it is you do slavish imitations, which are almost like travesties, you know. But gradually you come under the right influences, picking and choosing, and being selective, and then maybe your voice is the combination of 6 or 8 other voices that you have managed to blend in such a way that no one can recognize the sources.” -- Billy Collins

Afraid to start building a new business in such a crowded industry? Learn about why it’s actually a good thing to work in a market that’s crowded. At the same time, you’re going to need to find your own unique way of doing things if you’re ever going to stand out from the pack. Pay attention to your natural interests, even if they are seemingly unrelated to your business. The synthesis of two seemingly unrelated topics is where the magic happens.

Joy: 
The Great Work of Your Life

Hustle:
Austin Kleon
White House Poetry Workshop

Well, we’re only five episodes in and we’re already discussing money. Yep. We’re a business running a business podcast, so this was bound to happen.   Trying to figure out how much money it takes to start your own online business? Want to learn our perspective on bootstrapping vs. investment-backed companies? In this episode, we share our take on the various funding choices and offer our advice on how to best source funds for your own project or business. (We also share our own journey from bootstrapped, to startup accelerator, back to bootstrapped. Kind of a wild story. Maybe you can guess what we’re going to suggest that you do with your business?) Other Mentions: 11 Free Resources for Taking Your Yoga Business Online Laura Roeder’s Medium Post About Fundraising   Joy: The $100 Startup   Hustle: Gusto

Well, we’re only five episodes in and we’re already discussing money. Yep. We’re a business running a business podcast, so this was bound to happen.

 

Trying to figure out how much money it takes to start your own online business? Want to learn our perspective on bootstrapping vs. investment-backed companies? In this episode, we share our take on the various funding choices and offer our advice on how to best source funds for your own project or business. (We also share our own journey from bootstrapped, to startup accelerator, back to bootstrapped. Kind of a wild story. Maybe you can guess what we’re going to suggest that you do with your business?)

Other Mentions:

11 Free Resources for Taking Your Yoga Business Online

Laura Roeder’s Medium Post About Fundraising

 

Joy:

The $100 Startup

 

Hustle:

Gusto

If you’re searching for a process to de-risk your next business idea, you’ll want to grab a pen and paper and learn our best strategies for validating an idea, product, or service in your target market. We have a term for this concept -- sleuthing -- and we think that it can change your life (and set your business up for success). In this episode, we share why shifting your perspective is an essential component of success and we discuss specific tips and resources for helping you to get out of your own head.   Other Mentions: Art and Physics by Leonard Shlain The Culture of Time and Space by Stephen Kern Quora Reddit Calendly   Joy: Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes (Ted Talk) My Year of Saying Yes to Everything   Hustle: Will It Fly by Pat Flynn

If you’re searching for a process to de-risk your next business idea, you’ll want to grab a pen and paper and learn our best strategies for validating an idea, product, or service in your target market. We have a term for this concept -- sleuthing -- and we think that it can change your life (and set your business up for success). In this episode, we share why shifting your perspective is an essential component of success and we discuss specific tips and resources for helping you to get out of your own head.

 

Other Mentions:

Art and Physics by Leonard Shlain

The Culture of Time and Space by Stephen Kern

Quora

Reddit

Calendly

 

Joy:

Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes

(Ted Talk) My Year of Saying Yes to Everything

 

Hustle:

Will It Fly by Pat Flynn

In this episode, we deal with the third rail of online business; commitment. We are firm believers that success is rooted in the long view. How can we take action now that leads to predictable long term success? When you make a promise to yourself to take on a project in your business, we encourage you to honor that commitment. In our experience, business is often pretty underwhelming in the first few months, but can far exceed your expectations in just a few short years. Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. It requires being comfortable with a certain amount of risk and it is nothing if not a fantastic adventure. (“Life is either an adventure or nothing.” - Helen Keller). Even failure can provide a tremendous learning experience. You need to experience a whole bunch of micro-failures in order to achieve macro-success. Just dig in your heels, commit, and keep going. Joy: Kitlife Planner Hustle: Google Sheets