The Mind Your Business Podcast

Are you looking for inspiration to host your own live event, or do something different with the ones you are creating? In today’s special bonus episode, James talks with Sage Lavine, CEO of Conscious Women Entrepreneurs and host of the International Women on Purpose summits. Sage shares her expertise on how you can crush it from stage, regardless if you are an introvert or an extrovert! For about the first 8 years, James’ entire business had been made up of online courses and digital training. In the last year he’s made an effort to make it more in-person with his community, and he and his team recently just hosted the largest live event that they have ever done. Sage notes that bringing yourself to the people that you serve is nourishing, and the attendees are really looking for a sense of belonging. Leaders are also being called into their truth or message and they need support from other people that are up to big things in the world today. Sage started her million-dollar business in her living room, with 12 other women sitting around on purple couches. She feels that it all comes down to desire, and if you want to be in front of your people she highly recommends doing it. There’s feedback that you get from a live room that you’re not going to get online, and “connection is currency.” This feedback can include success stories from people that you have impacted. In a room there is more judgement than there would online. This can be scary, but Sage explains how judgment doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing. When hosting an event, having a partner to “have your back” is important. In order to drop the barrier when you get onstage, you need to be credible and then just be human and connect with the people that you’re speaking to. You don’t have to be an extrovert to be on stage, and “hot seat” sessions and lunches allow for others to interact and form relationships. Unlike a lot of times online, relationships formed in-person can be deep and last a lifetime. You have to flip the fear you feel when speaking and make it your friend. Sage says that when you feel the fear physically, such as in your throat or chest, it’s actually a reminder for you to connect with those that you are serving. The fear that no one will show up to your live event is a common one, but live is a much different game than online. On a few occasions Sage had just one person show up for her speaking engagements, and in both cases she was hired by the person.  When you’re live, you don’t need many people to show up. Remember that leading events brings you credibility! Her favorite ways to fill a room include plugging into groups that are already meeting or contacting places like day spas that can help get the word out to people you want to reach. You don’t need to put together a full day of content when just getting started, and Sage recommends hosting two-hour events to start. She believes that the world is hungry for more introverted leaders, like James, because they tend to be more connected to themselves and a deeper truth. Whether you’re introverted or extroverted, your people will find you. In her years of extensive study and training others, Sage has noticed three different types of leadership style: the facilitator, the stage/spotlight and a hybrid of both. Once you know your type, you’ll be more easily able to market your workshops accordingly and the right people will come. A live event can transform lives, and that also includes your own. Your clients are waiting for you and not just someone like you. Get out there and keep rocking it! Submit Your Question! LINKS: Sage’s Workshop Leadership Quiz Sage’s Website      

In this solo episode, James reviews “The Code of the Extraordinary Mind” by Vishen Lakhiani and discusses some major concepts from the book, which can allow you to live the best life possible. In his book, Lakhiani reveals how he built Mindvalley, but got to a breaking point and almost had to close the doors. After making a major shift, which he refers to as “Bending Reality”, the company grew revenue over 400% in just 8 months and started attracting their dream clients along with an amazing team. He did this by bringing the powerful presence of gratitude and happiness into the present moment, and in the book he says: “Be happy now. Your thoughts and beliefs do create your reality, but only when your present state is joyful.” The second step was creating an excited anticipation for the future. James notes that as entrepreneurs, we already have goals, but often run into frustration, become impatient and burn out. He says there is a huge difference between going through the motions of gratitude and having an experience of truly feeling it. “Gratitude is the vibration of receiving, and if you’re grateful for what you already have, it only invites more to come your way” Lakhiani refers to Dan Sullivan’s theory of appreciating the “reverse gap.” We often beat ourselves up when we’re not where we want to be in life, but we can take a moment to reflect and look back at how far we’ve come. To do this, make a list of the results that you’ve created in your personal and work life. This can be one of the best things you can do to move forward when feeling overwhelmed. Every day, as part of your routine, Lakhiani says to identify three to five things that you’re grateful for. You can start with the small things that make you happy and you smile about. “We shouldn’t do things so we can be happy, we should be happy so we can do things” To shed our past, one of the most powerful things we can do is to practice the act of forgiveness. First, make a list of people that you don’t feel 100% complete with in your life. Then, follow the next steps: 1) Set the scene Close your eyes, get present and imaging the person standing before you. Then recreate the scene that has triggered your emotions. 2) Step into the anger and pain Relive the situation while bringing up the emotions as much as you can. 3) Forgive and love Take a moment to actually step into the other person’s shoes and imagine what life might be life for them. Then, intentionally forgive them and imagine them doing the same for you. James adds that carrying around frustrations of the past will affect your productivity, intuition and creativity, and these steps will act as “detox” for your soul. “Take a moment to forgive and move on; the past is done and this is about now” The book also asks readers three important questions to consider: 1) If time and money were no object and I did not have to seek anyone’s permission, what kind of experiences would my soul crave? 2) In order to have these experiences, how do I have to grow? What sort of man or woman do I need to evolve into? 3) If I have the experience that I have listed above and I’ve grown in these remarkable ways, then how can I give back to the world? Make sure that you don’t have an attachment to your big goals, and remember that the future doesn’t define you if things don’t happen to go your way. Submit Your Question! LINKS: “The Code of the Extraordinary Mind” by Vishen Lakhiani Why Happiness is the New Productivity (Video) Mindvalley “The Great Pain Deception” by Steve Ozanich “Waking Up” by Sam Harris Forty Years of Zen Dan Sullivan’s Website  

In this episode, James is joined by a special guest, Rick Mulready, to discuss how to overcome the mindset hurdles that all entrepreneurs face. Rick shares that he himself, despite the success he has achieved, is still working on figuring out entrepreneurship. He says that mindset is the foundation, and it drives success in both business and life. He used to have a scarcity and fear-based mindset of not know how to do what he wanted to do with his own business. Rick also wasn’t even sure if he could do what he wanted to do, and he says he “floundered” for 14 months. At one point, he even thought he might have to go back to the corporate world. His mindset is now a lot different than it use to be, and he’s proved that he can help others in their businesses while also supporting his own family. Along the journey, you’re always going to have setbacks and you’re going to hit plateaus. Your mindset will help you think in different ways and allow you to know you can get through the hard times. James adds that you may need to rebuild your mindset to get to the next level you’re aiming for. Rick’s three mindset hacks: 1) Success is actually in the process of getting to the end goal Rick believes what’s important is what you learn along the way, although he admits that he use to get caught up in the end goal and would get upset if he didn’t hit it. Focusing on the process, instead of the end goal, allows for more fun along the way and also helps you to realize that you’re choosing the things you want to do. We hear that it’s the struggle that makes it all worthwhile when we reach our goal, but it really comes down to being grateful for achieving success with ease. James says to look for the path of least resistance, or the one that offers ease and flow. Abraham-Hicks’ definition of success is how much just you can have in a day, and if you want to increase your revenue, you should work less and play more. 2) Watch your “but” When we think of an idea, there’s often a “but” that comes up. Rick shares that the first idea you had before this is the real winner, and when you permit your doubts to become the story and gain momentum is when you get into trouble. James notes that people will look to justify why they shouldn’t do something, but a lot of the things we’re creating nee to be crazy, not logical. He recommends replacing “but” with “and.” When you’re using “but,” you’re literally cancelling out the thing that you want. 3) Just do it and stop the worrying The only control we have is over what we can do now, in this moment. You can’t worry about a future that hasn’t happened yet. James says that during launches is a common time for entrepreneurs to worry as they often attach their own identity to the results. Remember, the goal set is only used to determine the process that you are going to use. Determine how you can change the meaning, or the goal, so you’re not worrying, because when you’re worrying, you can’t be empowered to take the proper actions. Submit Your Question! LINKS:   www.RickMulready.com “Conversations with God” by Neale Donald Walsch      

In today’s episode, Kimra Luna discusses her habits and mindset for success, while talking about how she uses inspiration and intuition to drive her business. She says she didn’t realize how fast her business was going to grow, and originally thought it would take a few years to make 6-figures. Kimra shares that her first website was far from perfect, and she did it herself for about $100. Perfectionism is the biggest mistake that she sees entrepreneurs making today. They often think everything has to be just right before releasing a course or product. Kimra created her first course in a weekend. She was hesitant at first when starting her business, partly because of the way she looks. “I’m the chick with piercings in the middle of her face and tattoos all over her. That wasn’t what I was seeing (in the industry).” To let go of this, she just went back to why she was in business, which was to help people. She adds that not thinking about the money aspect made it easy for her to do what she does. “I think sometimes you just need to take that little jump and get in front of people. They will respond based on what you give.” The people who spend the money on their own personal development are the ones who get the best results. Kimra created her signature program after being in business for only three months. The price was $1,200 when she first launched it, and it is now more than double that amount to purchase it. Developing her own mindset, specifically when it comes to not complaining and changing her own thoughts, has been key. Learning to be grateful has helped her heal her life as well. “Learn to appreciate the things around you; even if it’s just the breath you have.” Kimra and her husband were on welfare for a number of years, but were able to manifest things such as a job for him, and a vehicle, by doing this practice daily for months. She had been running Facebook groups for mothers when she decided to start a blog, which focused on things she was passionate about such as health and wellness. Kimra’s YouTube channel grew to 25,000 subscribers, and she developed a following on Pinterest. Seeing her success on Pinterest, a mentor asked Kimra to teach his audience how to use it, which lead to webinars and he getting paid for one-on-one consulting. Doing this, she started to notice issues with her clients’ entire brands. “I ended up becoming about branding. People paid me for the knowledge I had in my head.” Kimra feels that people need to reach out to others more often. Her first launch generated $65,000 in revenue, and after that she reached out to James to thank him for how much his content had helped her. “We forget to reach out and connect to the people that are inspiring us” She believes that sometimes things happen that are supposed to in order for us to move forward in our journey. James adds that amazing things can happen when the feedback loop is completed. Kimra appeared on 60 podcasts in her first year of business, but was also declined often by hosts. “You can’t get a yes if you never ask” She only does something if it is going to feel good, and a lot of times we have to know what we don’t want to discover what we do want. When she first started, Kimra did webinars almost every week because she liked doing them and wanted to master the craft. Kimra uses crystals as a way to help her stay grounded and connected with the Earth, and she’s also a reiki master. Over the years, she’s developed an awareness in things that she wishes she could infuse in other people. She believes people should explore things like manifesting, crystals and energy as a way to make them happier, not just from a monetary standpoint. “I utilize The Law of Attraction, spirituality and my intuition to guide me every day” Submit Your Question! LINKS: http://FreedomHackers.com www.KimraLuna.com Episode 036: Gain Clarity by Asking the Right Questions “The Power of Your Subconscious Mind” by Dr. Joseph Murphy “You Can Heal Your Life” by Louise L. Hay

Derek Halpern is the founder of SocialTriggers.com, a thriving business that sells software, online courses and digital training. In this episode, he talks with James and Phoebe about the seemingly unremarkable daily habits that help people become extraordinary in business. More specifically, how walking can change your life!    

Knowing yourself will allow you to understand more how you can show up and operate as an entrepreneur. In this episode, James explains what the Myers Briggs Personality Test is all about, while allowing the listener to answer the question “what type am I?” Personality types aren’t meant to limit you. You can learn much about yourself, and along the way, discover a lot about the people around you. At a business function in 2008, someone “read” James, based on his personality type, which fascinated him. “What it did for me was open a door to discover this on my own” He says he was an introvert growing up, referring to himself as shy and not knowing how to relate to others. “I lived the first 25 years of my life thinking there was something drastically wrong with me because everywhere I looked, I found evidence that people were the exact opposite” James discovered his Myers Briggs Personality Type is “INTJ”, which is one of the rarest of the 16 personality types in the framework. Myers Briggs allowed him to look at what he had as strengths, as opposed to weaknesses. “I accepted who I was and really fell in love with that” He created a journal that he kept for about 18 months, tracking and analyzing the personality types of people that he knew. He discovered a lot of similarities between them in terms of behaviors, mannerisms and even physical attributes. This has resulted in him being able to read people with great accuracy. “It has allowed me to be more effective in communication. The moment you work with one more person in your life, communication becomes the number one most important thing” He believes that the one breakdown we have in communication is not being able to understand where the other person is coming from and what’s going on with them. Knowing people’s personality types can help in terms of hiring for new positions, as well as determining who the ideal client is for your business. The Myers Briggs system can even point you in the right direction for finding your purpose, or reaffirming the path that you are on. “I believe that everyone has a purpose, and your purpose needsto be aligned with the things that come natural to you” It’s important to note that no personality type is right or wrong, or better or worse, than another. Myers Briggs is based on asking yourself a number of questions: 1. Are you an Extrovert (E) or Introvert(I)? This question examines where you get your energy. If it’s from internal sources, such as thoughts, ideas and imagination, those are introvert qualities. Extroverts tend to get their energy from being around people. Extroverts outnumber introverts about three to one, and it’s common for introverts to live their life feeling pressured to feel they need more friends and have to go out more often in groups. Introverts often think first and speak second, enjoy peace and quiet and are great listeners. They love small gatherings and they believe that “talk is cheap.” Extroverts talk first and think later, often have more friends and value that as something that’s important to them. They are not as affected by external stimuli and find listening more difficult than talking. Often, they require more affirmation from others. 2. Are you a Sensor (S) orIntuitive (N)? This question revolves around how we see the world and take in information, which can be challenging to describe but can have the biggest impact on who we are and how we communicate. About 60 to 70% of the population are sensors. Sensors prefer specific answers to specific questions, and are very detail oriented. They prefer jobs and tasks that yield a tangible result. Sensors want to master things, and identify with being “the best” at something. These types of people would rather work with facts and figures than ideas and theories. They are very literally and tend to be more athletic than Intuitives. Intuitives can be seen as being absent-minded and can get frustrated with details. They are future-oriented, looking at the“big picture.” They are able to draw a connection between people,things or ideas, and often are the type that will question authority.  3. Are you a Thinker (T) or Feeler(F)? This question looks at how we make decisions, whether in a logical way or from the heart. Thinkers are calm and collected, looking for what is fair and truthful rather than what will make people happy. To be a good manager of people, you most likely need to be a Thinker to make the tough decisions that are necessary. They are mathematical, scientific and left-brained in general. Feelers take other peoples’ feelings in to account, and are more empathetic. 4. Are you a Perceiver (P) or a Judger(J)? This question looks at how you structure your day and life. Perceivers are creative and spontaneous,as well as good at starting projects. However, they can be easily distracted and are not big planners. They can be slightly disheveled in their appearance (males with longer hair and females wearing clothes that flow). Perceivers experience time in abundance, which is why they’re always late. Judgers are very linear with their time, and structured in that they are probably the type that has to have “to-do” lists. As well, they are tasks finishers, taking a project from start to finish.             

Kate Northrup is the best selling author of “Money, a Love Story: Untangle Your Financial Woes and Create the Life You Really Want.” She’s grown a team of 3,000 wellness entrepreneurs in the network marketing industry and her work has been featured on The Today Show, Yahoo Finance, Huffington Post and in many other amazing publications. She is committed to empowering as many people as possible to have the ultimate luxury in life. In this episode, she shares all about creating that “margin for magic” in your business!    

Today we're talking all about what the heck is this podcast, why I started it and how you can get the most out of these episodes!