Author: Krissy

5 Proven Ways to Recover From Stress and Being Overwhelmed

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2021 has been a stressful year across the board. Even if you think you’re good at dealing with stress, there have undoubtedly been times this year during which you’ve had to use every trick in your book. And if you’re not good at managing stress, there have undoubtedly been times in which you’ve been desperately seeking an outlet for those overwhelmed feelings.

You’re in luck because this article will furnish you with some useful tips and tricks to help you relieve some of your mental strain.

Nourish Your Spirit

If you’re feeling stressed, a good way of easing your troubles away is to connect with yourself. Spiritual pursuits, like meditation or prayer. Both of these practices can help to increase your sense of self-awareness, diminish feelings of anxiousness, and shift your focus off of your worries and onto something higher than those worries, like yourself, or your deity.

Exercise

This one may seem tricky if outside stress-compounding factors such as anxiety, depression, or physical limitations make the idea of exercise or activity seem daunting. But keeping active doesn’t have to mean high-intensity fitness training at the gym or even organized sport. Take the dog for a walk. Mow the lawn. Watch an exercise video online and move or stretch along. Certain scientific studies suggest that regular physical activity may have similar effects on mental health as antidepressants due to the encouraging production of endorphins, the brain’s neurotransmitters that help to mitigate stress.

Do Something You Like Doing

If you’re a writer, write. If you’re an artist, create something new. If you’re a musician, play. If you’re a sportsman, head outside. If you’d rather binge watch TV, there are a plethora of streaming services to choose from. Any constructive hobby is a worthwhile pursuit and can go a long way to giving you a sense of enjoyment and satisfaction.

Get a Pet

If your life circumstances allow, having a furry friend can help with stress relief, as certain studies have shown that taking care of a pet can help to lower the blood pressure that stress can raise, and decrease levels of cortisol, a hormone sometimes caused by stress, and even make a person feel less lonely.

Unplug from a Busy Life

Sometimes, you simply have to escape, and that’s okay. Work will be there when you come back, and so will the news. Spend time with friends or family – or time alone – uninterrupted by your day-to-day activities. Taking a break from an otherwise busy life may also include a social media hiatus. You might find that the more you disconnect from the pressures of everyday living, the more you connect with yourself.

A Final Word

Taking care of your mental health is important, and even more so in these unprecedented times in which we live. And now that you’ve seen some ways to help combat stress, hopefully, you’ll be able to fight against it even harder.

Card Payments In Australia Are Expected To Rebound And Grow By 8.3% This Year

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The Australian payment card market, which has been on the rise for the past few years, registered a slowdown in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic with reduced consumer and commercial spending. However, the market is expected to rise by 8.3% in 2021, forecasts GlobalData, a leading data, and analytics company.

According to GlobalData’s Payment Cards Analytics, the value of card payments registered subdued growth of 0.8% in 2020, much less compared to 5.8% in 2019. With improving economic conditions and vaccination programs gathering pace, the card payments market is set to rebound and reach A$749bn (US$577.3bn) in 2021.

The value of card payments is forecasted to grow further and register a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.6% between 2021 and 2025 to reach A$967.9bn (US$746.1bn) in 2025.

Sowmya Kulkarni, Senior Payments Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Australia has a developed card payment market with a strong payment infrastructure and high consumer preference for electronic payments. Australians are prolific users of payment cards, with a high frequency of card payments at 185 times per card in 2020. While the card payments market was affected in the short-run due to the pandemic, it is expected to rebound and continue its growth trajectory from 2021.”

The growth in card payments will be supported by the rising usage of contactless cards and e-commerce payments. The use of contactless cards is on the rise as even smaller merchants are now insisting on non-cash and contactless payments amid hygiene concerns arising from COVID-19. To support this, the limit for contactless card payment was increased from A$100 (US$77.08) to A$200 (US$154.16), effective April 2020.

In addition to physical cards, payment via mobile wallets with stored debit and credit cards are also gaining prominence in Australia. According to the Commonwealth Bank, as of March 2021, over 40% of the bank’s debit and credit card contactless transactions were made via mobile wallets.

In addition, the drop in overall consumer spending during the pandemic has been offset by a rise in online spending, as wary consumers are staying home and using the online channel. Payment cards are the major beneficiaries of this as they are the most preferred tool for e-commerce payments in Australia.

Debit cards are the most preferred card type for payments, accounting for 58.5% of the overall card payments value in 2021 while credit and charge cards account for the remaining 41.5% share.

The share of credit and charge cards segment is on a constant decline over the past few years due to the changing consumer attitude towards credit card debt, and the growing prominence of alternate financing options such as buy now, pay later. The reduction in consumer spending amid the pandemic also adversely affected the segment with credit and charge card payment value declining by 10.7% in 2020.

Ms. Sowmya Concludes: “While the COVID-19 pandemic hampered the growth of payments market in the short-run in Australia, it is expected to grow at a robust pace over the next four years, supported by the gradual economic recovery, a rise in consumer and commercial spending and high contactless adoption.”

Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels

FYI

  • Quotes are provided by Sowmya Kulkarni, Banking and Payments Senior Analyst at GlobalData
  • Information is based on GlobalData’s Payment Cards Analytics, which provides deep insight into the key trends in the global payment card market covering 73 key markets.
  • This press release was written using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research, and in-house analysis conducted by GlobalData’s team of industry experts

About GlobalData

4,000 of the world’s largest companies, including over 70% of FTSE 100 and 60% of Fortune 100 companies, make more timely and better business decisions thanks to GlobalData’s unique data, expert analysis, and innovative solutions, all in one platform. GlobalData’s mission is to help our clients decode the future to be more successful and innovative across a range of industries, including the healthcare, consumer, retail, financial, technology, and professional services sectors.

Entrepreneur Spotlight: Find Out More About Taylor Lou

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Multi-six figure entrepreneur, Taylor Lou Dixon is a certified Image Consultant, and Business Mentor who’s helped hundreds of women stand out in a crowded market by sustainably scaling their online businesses through her reinvention process – finding their “It Factor.”

Taylor Lou has been an online entrepreneur since 2014 and started two successful online businesses before the age of 25. Understanding that entrepreneurship can take us down a road of self-discovery, she uncovered her authentic self and integrated this type of journey into her mentorship programs. Her special sauce is through her identity mapping process which taps into her client’s “It Factor”s through self-discovery practices and strategy. This allows them to utilize their gifts, strengths, passions, and purpose in their businesses to ultimately attract more growth and success for their brands.

In her process of personal, brand, and business reinvention, she guides her clients to become thought leaders in their industries by gaining clarity on their most Natural Essence (special qualities that make us stand out), Convicted Message (a message that we can share with confidence) and Embodied Medicine (a contribution that we can share, create and/or teach that’s deeply unique to us); which together becomes their “It Factor.” Through this method, Taylor Lou has helped female entrepreneurs make more money and skyrocket their impact across many different online industries. She offers online courses, workshops, high-level group programs, private mentorship, and 1:1 immersions. Taylor Lou is a master-level trained NLP Practitioner, Certified Life and Success Coach, and Hypnotherapist with a passion for personal growth and spirituality. She offers online courses, workshops, high-level group programs, private mentorship, and immersions.”

MoneyCentral Magazine recently caught up with Taylor Lou to discuss her journey as an entrepreneur and here’s what went down:

What are you currently doing to maintain/grow your business?

Our #1 focus is always continuing to add value to our current customers and offerings. In addition to our ongoing organic social media marketing efforts, our business continues to grow through referrals and returning customers because of this commitment to create a quality and “rave-worthy” customer experience. We have also built simple funnels to move our customers up the value ladder of what we offer. It’s really easy for someone to get started with one of our entry-level products, see immediate value, and then feel ready to invest in our supportive services at a higher level.

What social media platforms do you usually use to increase your brand’s awareness?

Instagram is the main platform we use to connect with our customers. We also use Facebook and Pinterest as supporting platforms.

What is your experience with paid advertising, like PPC or sponsored content campaigns? Does it work?

Our team just started preparing paid advertising campaigns for one of our signature products, The Content Creatrix Bundle. Previously, we’ve been able to scale to multiple six figures using all organic social media marketing and word of mouth.

What is your main tactic when it comes to making more people aware of your brand? How did your business stand out?

Magnetic personal branding and consistent social content marketing are our creating channels for business growth. Personal branding is one of the best ways to create a community online, make money by solving your community’s problems, and feel creatively fulfilled. Relationship marketing is so powerful when utilized through social media. People are craving authentic role models and guidance online. Because of this, I’ve created a methodology called “The ‘It-Factor’ Method” to help online business owners understand their inherent magnetism, message, and gifts so that they can stand out online and make money doing what they love.

What form of marketing has worked well for your business throughout the years?

Organic social media marketing has generated the overwhelming majority of new leads in our business. Consistently showing up giving value to my audience, sharing my life and expertise, and inviting them to be a part of the magic within my paid communities. I’m so passionate about helping fellow business owners understand their “It-Factor” because it’s been massively crucial to helping me scale my own business in a way that feels authentic.

What is the toughest decision you had to make in the last few months?

The last few months in business have brought about some big (and at times) difficult changes for our team. We have decided to simplify our product suite and business plan as much as possible- which means releasing things we used to offer, cutting things out of our marketing plan, and hitting the pause button on future new projects. This decision was made with the intention of working smarter, not harder, and creating deeper refinement and mastery with our signature services. As a creative, this was a difficult decision because I always have so many ideas and projects that I want to take action on right away. However, this can often create overcommitment and undue stress on our small team.

What money mistakes have you made along the way that others can learn from (or something you’d do differently)?

The biggest struggle I’ve had in my coaching business with money is a tendency towards overgiving and undercharging. Especially in the beginning of running in-person events and retreats, it was so easy to go over budget because I love showering my clients with the best of the best! It’s really important to understand your numbers and understand that you are running a real business. Overgiving and undercharging leads to resentment and disruption over time.

What new business would you love to start?

I would love to start a business designing high-quality, “on-brand” physical backgrounds for video calls. As a branding expert, I love helping people to curate the experience of their brand- whether it be through their clothing style, online presence, or even home decor. I think this would be a huge hit, especially among the female entrepreneur crowd!

If you could go back in a time machine to the time when you were just getting started, what would you do differently?

I would put less pressure on myself to be an “overnight” success. I would give myself so much compassion and view the entrepreneurial path as a marathon, not a sprint. This probably would have led to less burnout, stress, and overwhelm in the beginning.

What is the best advice you have ever been given?

Your genius is where you’re always in flow’ is a quote from my business mentor, Katerina Satori. It took me a long time to realize the more I focused on my true zone of genius, the more successful my business would become (and the more fulfilled I would feel). I always considered myself a “jill-of-all-trades” in the online business world. I have a wide range of interests, passions, and expertise. After a while, I started to realize that this was holding me back in a major way. I was spending a lot of time in roles and projects that weren’t aligned with the things that come the most naturally to me. Once I began to specialize more in my business, I saw huge jumps in income and a deep passion for my work.

What advice would you give to a newbie Entrepreneur setting up their first business?

GET SUPPORT! There are so many amazing resources out there for people wanting to start their own business. You do not have to do this on your own. Find a support system of people who really want to see you succeed and have the experience and resources to help you get where you want to go. Trust me, you will be so thankful you have a roadmap, even if that means investing early on. It’s 100% worth the time you’ll spend trying to figure out everything on your own.

5 Ways New Entrepreneurs Can Future-Proof Their Businesses

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It’s no secret that many businesses took a massive hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, but while some were struggling, entrepreneurs were thriving. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 4.3 million new businesses were launched in 2020 alone — over 1 million more than the previous year — meaning that more people are launching new businesses than ever before.

While this is great news for the entrepreneurship community at large, that doesn’t mean these newly-launched businesses are in the clear. In fact, some estimate that as many as 50% of these businesses will fail within the first year without additional support. 

So what can new founders do to ensure their success? It’s easier than you might think.

  1. Establish yourself as a thought leader.

As business owners, there are few things more important than your credibility and reputation. As such, establishing yourself as a thought leader in your industry is vital — not only will this ensure that potential customers want to work with you, it can also lead to other business-boosting benefits like media inquiries, partnership offers, and more. 

You might be tempted to brush off thought leadership as a secondary priority, especially when you’re focused on getting your business off the ground. However, demonstrating that you’re a leader in your field is a fantastic way to build a safety net that can help your business stay afloat and even thrive. Building your personal brand and platform can help you create a strong foundation from which your business can grow, and it will help bring people to you instead of the opposite. 

  1. Don’t be afraid to pivot. 

Change is scary, especially when you’ve already stepped out of your comfort zone by launching a new business. As we’ve learned during the pandemic, however, the ability to adapt is key to many businesses’ survival. While there is definitely strength in persistence despite the odds, it’s also critical for entrepreneurs to understand when and how to pivot.

Don’t view it as giving up on your business or your ideas but rather as exploring new avenues of possibility. Studies show that businesses that are willing to adapt or change during times of crisis are more likely to be successful, which means your ability to think quickly and respond accordingly might be the difference between a business that succeeds and one that fails.

  1. Focus on financial literacy.

Money is the #1 cause of stress in America, and the same is true for entrepreneurs. While this stress can wreak havoc on our overall health and wellness — including contributing to anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, heart disease, and more — it’s often far worse for entrepreneurs, who are more prone to mental health issues due to immense stress.

While you can certainly introduce stress-relieving tactics into your regular routine to help you cope — whether that’s exercise, mindfulness, meditation, or something different — it’s important to address the sources of that stress as well. And one of the best ways to worry less about money? Learn more about it.

Look for ways to level up your financial literacy as both an individual and an entrepreneur, and make sure to find ways to give yourself the financial education that many business owners aren’t able to receive in traditional schooling. There are plenty of resources available online for entrepreneurs who want to learn more about money, and the more you know the more confident you’ll be in handling your money and taking financial risks. 

  1. Explore alternate methods of funding.

While there’s nothing wrong with bootstrapping your business, lack of funding is one of the biggest reasons why new businesses fail. And while a small business loan from a traditional bank is an option for some, it might not be the best path for you, especially if you’re a first-time entrepreneur. 

Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box when it comes to funding your business. Crowdsourcing is a great option for anyone who is able to provide a physical product or service, and you might be able to raise money through crowdsourcing on Kickstarter or Indiegogo. Not sure if crowdsourcing is right for you? There are plenty of angel investors out there who are looking for new investment opportunities, and there’s no reason not to reach out to them. There are also new alternative forms of investors that are available on platforms like ClearCo that can help businesses scale without sacrificing a large ownership stake in their company. If your product is in the e-commerce or SaaS space, this might be the type of funding you need to get your business off the ground. 

  1. Get a mentor.

Mentorship might not be on your “top priorities” list as an entrepreneur, but it definitely should be. According to one survey, 70% of small businesses that received mentoring survived more than five years, which is double the survival rate of non-mentored businesses. Plus, business leaders who are mentored by a top performer are three times more likely to become top performers in their industry as well, meaning mentorship might very well be the thing that helps your business not only survive but thrive. 

—

Charlotte DeMocker is co-founder and Chief Operating Officer at Penny, an innovative digital media startup that successfully launched during the pandemic. Penny seeks to help ordinary people master their money. Follow Charlotte on Instagram @charlottedemocker and learn more about Penny @penny.app.

Meet The Woman Behind The Cover Of The July 2021 Issue Of MoneyCentral Magazine: Sue Turner

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Photo Credit: Tony Palliser (Studio 49)

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Susan (Sue) Turner came from a wonderful family with a mother who was a head nurse and a beauty queen; her father loved to sing at weddings and was also known as an unbeaten famous boxer as well as a long-distance runner.

Sue has been married to Steven Turner for 31 years and together they have eight children who have grown up to be amazing adults. She’s also a proud grandmother of 12 grandchildren and has been a French bulldog breeder for 15 years. Her main profession is in the beauty industry – she runs her own beauty salon.

When Sue was only seven years old, she won the little miss MS multiple sclerosis pageant; this started her journey towards her passion as a beauty queen. From there, she worked tirelessly with her mother in many charities. In fact, her charity hours amount to around 60.000 hours and she has raised over $100,000.00 in 2018/2019 through various car shows. Some of the charities she supports include Domestic violence association Sydney, MS multiple sclerosis, Child’s vision Australia, Breast cancer foundation, Wesley mission, Salvation Army, Cystic fibrosis foundation, Starlight foundation, and Destiny Rescue.

She is the director for the “I hear voices” parent support form for addiction and has worked alongside the justice system to help prevent criminal activities. She also has her own show car – a Subaru WRX my05. This car has been used in the event to raise much-needed money at various car shows around Australia.

Sue is a global mentor within the pageant industry to all beauty queens worldwide as a featured public figure influencer. She has also won many awards as a beauty queen including Mrs. Earth Air Australia 2017, Mrs. International Global Australia 2018, Mrs. international Global Australia 2018, Humanitarian International 2018, Woman of the World 2018 and AGSA’s International Beauty Queen of the year 2019.

Sue’s passion has led her worldwide, seeing firsthand many disturbing events such as famine and disease. Because of that, she helps many other situations around the world. Sue is currently the CEO of GEQ (Global Elite Queens) magazine and her vision is to give voice to those who inspire to become the best they can in their industry. MoneyCentral magazine recently caught up with Sue Turner to discuss her journey as an entrepreneur and here’s what went down:

Could you please tell our readers a brief background about yourself and how you started your business?

As a young girl, I grew up in the outback of Western Australia in 1979. My father as a youngster was a barber in the army and my mother was a nurse and an outstanding figure in her community. After school I was offered a part-time job, working in a hair salon. On weekends I worked at the local vets. I then decided after a few years that a job in the beauty industry would be my call. My parents then sent me to Victoria and set me up with an apprenticeship in hairdressing where I gained work at one of Victoria’s most prestigious hair salons then later at Bogart’s. At the time, Bogarts became my doorway to runway modeling. And then by accident, we were short of models at a fashion event in St Kilda Melbourne so I was asked to fill in, and this led to an exciting new venture into glamour and fashion.

For many years I enjoyed the limelight until I decided to take on another degree, a university degree in skin therapy. This led to an opportunity to run my own business in the beauty industry. My degree is grade 1 level esthetician skin therapist. For 22 years I owned my business growing and building a foundation with an outstanding perspective in the beauty industry. I maintained my business by being a leader in my field and also in a growing dominant industry by developing and growing my brand and sharing my platform to create a future I have passed onto my 2 daughters.

My business has reached its target in achieving what I’d set out to do and that’s to be able to share this wonderful opportunity with my own daughters giving them both the strategies and the opportunity to support their own business in the future with absolute success.

My daughter Alycia is now an internationally recognised Sfx makeup artist with her own brand and my youngest daughter became an international beauty queen also giving her the incentive to become a partner in the beauty industry.

Why do you think social media is important in business?

Being active in social media can lead to attracting customers, allowing you to get customer feedback and building customer loyalty. It can also help increase your market reach, including international markets and increase revenue by building customer networks and advertising.

What is the toughest decision you had to make in the last few months?

As we all are suffering at the hands of the pandemic, we all have had to make a few changes in the way we run our businesses. Sadly there have been drastic changes in our industry with a loss in revenue. This has been the hardest decision I’ve had to face in over 22 years. Many people are in the same situation as me and these are tough times ahead for us all.

What new venture would you like to start?

I’m looking at expanding my horizons on a new venture working with missing persons. I have a current platform with crimes against humanity missing persons in Australia. This platform will enable me to work with the crime task forces in seeking closure for many families. Recently, last November, I was awarded the Mother Teresa award at the Australian parliament for her work with missing persons.

If you could go back in a time machine what would you do differently?

I love who I am so I do not think I’d do anything different. I’ve succeeded in the pathway I chose based on a future I envisioned for myself. I basically accomplished what I feel is a successful venture from a woman’s point of view. My target was to pass on my legacy to my children and in saying that, I’ve successfully done just that. Mission complete.

What is the best advice you have ever been given?

To never say never and always be one step ahead. Follow your heart and your dreams and it will eventually work out. Stick to your plan and do not look back because the future is yours. My advice to others ia be to remember who you are – no one can do or appreciate what you yourself has to offer. Be yourself and be content In who you are.

What advice would you give someone who wants to follow in your footsteps?

If you have a dream, follow it and do not be afraid as fear can take over so many baby steps one step at a time. Be vigilant – my all-time favourite saying is to be your own kind of beautiful.

Meet The Entrepreneur Behind The Cover Of The June 2021 Issue Of MoneyCentral Magazine: Aaron Villa

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Aaron Villa is a crypto analyst and a self-made millionaire – he’s the founder and CEO of A1PHA Trading & Investing. He is a cryptocurrency trader and blockchain expert, certified by the blockchain council. He has been a crypto coach since 2017 and is deeply knowledgeable. He has created multiple courses, formed mastermind groups, and shared a lot of informational tools and tips regarding cryptocurrency.

MoneyCentral magazine recently caught up with Aaron to discuss his journey as an entrepreneur and here’s what went down:

When did your entrepreneurial flair first reveal itself?

I first realized my entrepreneurial flair when I was in college, I got involved with a lot of networking businesses. Also, I watched my parents build and grow their business as a child which influenced me to become an entrepreneur. When I became a Registered Nurse in the USA two years into my career I realized that it was not for me and that I did not want to work for someone else. I wanted my freedom and to be able to do the things I want to do whenever I wanted.

How did your life look like before being an entrepreneur?

Before becoming an entrepreneur I was working full time as a Registered Nurse. I did 12-hour shifts 3-4 times a week. On top of that, I also began my MSN degree to become an Acute Nurse Practitioner. And on my free time, I worked on learning and educating myself everything about investing in cryptocurrency and blockchain technology.

As an entrepreneur, what is it that motivates and drives you?

As an entrepreneur, I am motivated to prove to myself constantly that I can be successful in all aspects of life. Achieving those goals and growing as a person.

In one word, describe your life as an entrepreneur and explain why.

Exciting. My life as an entrepreneur has been exciting because every day I wake up knowing that I am going to do something I love and am passionate about. I get excited to create new things, connect with new people, see new places, and learn along the way. It also excites me to know that I can also spend more time with my family more as I pursue these things.

What were your top three motivations for starting your business?

1. Freedom to be able to handle my own time.

2. Passion, which allowed me to work day in and day out without getting tired.

3. To be able to create my own future by following my own timeline and pursuing all the goals that I set out to do.

What do you put your success down to?

My success is because of my passion, dedication, and consistency. Also having the right mindset and the right partner (my wife) who constantly guides me throughout my journey.

What would you say are the key elements for starting and running a successful business?

The three elements to running a successful business are first of all loving what you do, valuing relationships with people, and remembering your why. I also believe that the more you give, the more opportunities and blessings that come back to you. So giving back to your community is also important.

What are the three biggest challenges you have faced growing the business and how did you overcome them?

The biggest challenge at first was lack of time and dealing with uncertainties.

When I started A1PHA trading and investing I was also still working as a Nurse. I enjoyed teaching clients about cryptocurrency but I didn’t put much time in. Instead of focusing on doing what I wanted, I had to fulfill my responsibilities at my job. I was a bit uncertain about going all-in with my business because I was used to having a steady income coming in monthly as a Nurse. But as soon as I took that leap of faith to grow and really focus on my business, that’s when I realized that I could actually do this and quit my job. And so far I don’t regret my decision and I never looked back.

Does the loneliness of the entrepreneur really exist?

Yes, it can be lonely at times, but being alone while doing what you are passionate about can be addicting because I can spend countless hours doing what I love without any distractions.

As you grew the business, what have been some of the most important leadership lessons you have learned?

Leadership lessons that I’ve learned are to delegate by outsourcing, managing your time wisely, and learning how to take breaks.

I want to see more small businesses being started and being successful because I myself support small local businesses. I find that in a way, I am contributing to my community and helping another individual no matter how big or small.

You can follow Aaron on Instagram via these links: Alpha Trading I Aaron Villa

Entrepreneur Spotlight: Find Out More About Bestselling Author And Speaker, Midori Verity

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Midori Verity helps driven professionals break through the mental challenges that have slowed them down, and unlock their potential. She’s a best-selling author, speaker, and show host.

She has a degree in Communications and Sociology from the University of California, Davis. Midori is also a Certified Behavioral Specialist. She’s proud to be an Advisor for the global organization, Women Network, and an active board member for Child Parent Institute in Santa Rosa, CA. Midori’s been featured on FoxNews, CBS, Martha Stewart Weddings, Thrive Global, and many other media.

StarCentral Magazine recently caught up with Midori to discuss her journey in the industry and here’s what went down:

When did your entrepreneurial flair first reveal itself?

My mom had a flower-arranging business. She was incredibly gifted, but she was more focused on giving her products away. I remember wanting her to become successful. However, she was happier doing beautiful flower arrangements and sharing them with the world.

This experience probably was the igniter to my entrepreneurial path. I so greatly wanted to see her receive the financial value of what she produced.

How did your life look before being an entrepreneur?

I started working at around 14 years old. I always had the drive to learn all I could at every job I had. One of my first jobs was at Heller’s Baby News. I made the manager train me on closing out the books at night. I also soaked in all he told me about merchandising, pricing, and Mr. Heller’s business success.

As an entrepreneur, what is it that motivates and drives you?

I love the adrenaline of creating something of value and raising it to success. It’s really my only hobby and what I’m good at (laughs)!

I’ve learned to align my core values, motivations, and Zone of Genius (natural gifts) with my businesses. That has been a huge game-changer in my success.

In one word, describe your life as an entrepreneur and explain why.

Exhilarating.

As an entrepreneur, my brain never shuts down. I’ve learned to think bigger and push myself past boundaries. The thrill of the journey is what makes my life exhilarating.

What were your top three motivations for starting your business?

I’ll talk about my Mindset Coaching business because it was the first business I made sure was in complete alignment with my Personal Mission Statement, which states “My journey through life is uplifting and fun while using my optimism and skills to inspire others to achieve their potential.”

Core values: I help people breakthrough mental challenges and rewire their mindsets to unlock their potential

Passion: There’s nothing I love more than watching people who feel stuck, overwhelmed, or even depressed step into a more empowered and happier version of themselves.

Zone of Genius (natural talents): Inspiring others and showing them how to transform their minds and therefore transform their lives is a second sense for me.

What would you say are the key elements for starting and running a successful business?

Test, test, test! Make sure your concept is something that’s needed before launching. You can test it by simply going to where you think your clients hang out and ask them.

Make sure you factor in confirmation bias, which means that we often twist things around to confirm what we want to believe.

The second most important element is to get professional help in creating the foundation of your business. You can waste a ton of time, money, and sleep if you don’t have a solid business plan.

What are the three biggest challenges you have faced growing the business and how did you overcome them?

Finding clients. I had to do a lot of trial and error before I found what worked. Once again, learning my Zone of Genius was of incredible value because it taught me to focus on what I’m good at and avoid what I stink at!

Closing sales. I had sales scripts and went to expensive classes. All it did was stress me out. Once I threw the scripts out and started listening only with my heart did everything change.

Shiny objects. I’ve disciplined myself to stay uber-focused on my 90-day goals. I even use a system that Google, Intuit, and Bill Gates Foundation uses called OKR’s – objectives and key results, which has been a massive game changer!

What form of marketing has worked well for your business throughout the years?

Word of mouth and live interviews. People get to see my authentic personality when I’m speaking on camera or a podcast. Then they know if they want to work with me, or they can’t stand me.

As you grew the business, what have been some of the most important leadership lessons you have learned?

Have a clear mission and vision statement that your entire organization knows and lives by. I train my leaders to consistently question if new ideas are in alignment with our vision and mission.

Big Fat Hair Goals. This creates excitement for my team. We implement the OKR system to make this all work.

What is the best advice you have ever been given?

Delegate all that you are not gifted at or slows you down. Spend 80% of your time working on the most important elements of your business that you love doing.

What advice would you give to a newbie Entrepreneur setting up their first business?

This goes back to my earlier answer of test your concept and get a mentor.

5 Good Reason Why Personal Branding is Crucial To Career Success

Posted on by Krissy

Living in a digital world, it is incredibly important to focus on your personal branding. Your brand is something that will get people to talk about you. It’s what inspires people to turn to you for the particular expertise that you offer. Your personal branding is how others view you, making a significant difference in the likelihood of job prospects or selling your products or services. This will look at the top 5 reasons why personal branding is so crucial to your success.

  1. Building an Audience

In a digital world, your audience will actually determine your value to other potential customers. For instance, imagine a popular YouTuber. A good YouTuber, one that has a solid fanbase, has a massive audience. This audience attracts new people to their audience. The same applies in the business world. People will see your value thanks to your personal branding, which means that they will be more likely to hire you or trust you to provide the quality products or services that they are looking for. Once you build an audience, you can leverage them to be more successful.

  1. Have a Competitive Edge

There is a lot of competition in the digital age, so having a strong personal brand can give you the competitive edge that you need to stand out. They want to trust someone who is an authority in their specific field. You get the credibility that you need that will make customers more likely to trust you to offer the solutions they are looking for. A strong personal branding makes you more valuable than your competition, who may not have as strong of a personal brand.

  1. Create Relationships

Connecting with other people is so important these days. You need to network and market yourself to be more attractive to prospects. Through personal branding, you can connect with other people. As you connect with people and form relationships, you can spend time nurturing these relationships. Through developing relationships and focusing on them, you create creating loyalty to your brand and increase the chances of people returning to you for your products and services.

  1. Better Networking Abilities

These days, networking is so important no matter what your industry is. If you have strong personal branding, you will be more likely to get invited to events that allow you to connect and network with others. These events can often be so important to being successful and climbing the career ladder.

  1. Better Opportunities

Probably most importantly, personal branding can unlock amazing opportunities for you. After you have created an audience, built up your authority in the industry, and formed relationships, you can start unlocking better opportunities. You can capitalize on your personal branding to get a better job, achieve your goals of being an influencer, or start getting more sales.

Personal branding is essential to helping you become more successful and advance your career. This is why it’s so important to focus on building a strong personal brand.

Entrepreneur Spotlight: Find Out More About Helen Getts, The CEO Of Topfoxx

Posted on by Krissy

Growing up without any influence to have a strong business mindset, being an entrepreneur didn’t come as an idea to Helen Getts until at a much later time in her life. Raised by young parents who came from a communist country, it’s not something that was really on the table for her.

Growing up, she had to be independent, which was a great life lesson for her but which also lead her to struggle during her teenage years and eventually drop out of high school. But that hiccup in her life didn’t discourage Helen at all. She managed to get her act together – she got her GED (General Educational Development) and continued her studies at a 4-year Business University, where she received high academic achievement.

While in college, similar to most students, she took on several oddball jobs. These jobs eventually took a toll on Helen which in turn pushed her to find a better way to earn money – and that’s through selling products she loves online. After a period of time, she realized she didn’t want to just earn from this side hustle – she wanted to turn it into an actual full-time business. As a result, she ended up dropping everything else and she has been working on the e-commerce sphere now for the last 6 years.

In the first two years of being in business, Helen failed in all the things she tried, followed by three years of struggling to break even. It was only really this year that her company Topfoxx got a big break. As with many startups, she had an apartment-turned-stockroom with only four sunglasses designs to start. In a span of four years, Topfoxx has now grown into an all-female team of eight and carries over 70+ eyewear designs in styles and colours made to fit every unique personality. The Topfoxx brand has also built a community of over 260,000 followers (Boss Babes!) on Instagram alone and their designs are loved by top fashion and beauty influencers. Celebrities such as actress Brittany Snow, Kardashian’s make-up artist Hrush Acheyam, country singer Raelynn, and more have been spotted in their Topfoxx sunnies. You can also find Topfoxx on notable fashion publications such as InStyle, Elite Daily, Bustle, and more.

MoneyCentral Magazine recently caught up with Helen to discuss her journey to entrepreneurship and here’s what went down:

What are you currently doing to maintain/grow your business?

We are a company that goes beyond just selling eyewear – Topfoxx has become an online community of over 260,000. Our brand presence is strong because our message on women empowerment is strong. It resonates with our mostly-female audience, especially when we collaborate with women of confidence and inspiration. It’s also the ladies who share Topfoxx love with their community that aids in our brand’s growth. Even as we aim to inspire women, we actually get our inspiration from these women themselves. Supporting each other is part of our core and has helped our business grow with the community being with us every step of the way.

What social media platforms do you usually use to increase your brand’s awareness?

We engage a lot with our community on Instagram, which is where most of our audience are active users. Instagram is a visual and interactive platform, which is important for us as an eyewear company because we want to show how our frames are made to fit a diverse group of women.

What is your main tactic when it comes to making more people aware of your brand and engaging your customers? How did your business stand out?

We make sure that our content is fun, fresh, and relevant to our community. Topfoxx is more than just a brand of sunglasses – with everything going on in the world, we want to be a daily dose of positivity for everyone out there.

Aside from engaging our audience with inspiration, we have only collaborated with influencers who share the same values as ours. Our only two collaboration collections were with individuals who give back and make an impact on their community like we do.

We know we can be very selective in who we work with because we want our partnerships to be intentional and in line with our mission to help in any way a startup business can. In this sense, we only needed to be true to our purpose to create the influence that we only hoped to achieve.

What is the toughest decision you had to make in the last few months?

With the recent pandemic situation, we had to temporarily shut down our operations due to this. While we had the option to continue, the safety of our employees is a top priority. Of course, this had an impact on our day-to-day functions, most especially the timely delivery of our customers’ orders.

Eventually, as more safety measures were rolled out and we had more information on how to go about our new normal, we gradually set up a system where we can continue working without compromising our team’s health. Having the right perspective on the whole situation goes to show that we made the right decision before slowly restarting.

What new business would you love to start?

To be honest, it is not easy to build a business, let alone sustain it. At this point, I am very happy with how I’ve built Topfoxx, and to nurture this further is something I would love to do instead of starting a new one. But I do have some ideas in mind for the future; it’s not clear yet but I’ve been thinking about what I can contribute or create as an individual before I leave this earth that will be sustainable and will have a positive impact in the world. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a product—it could be a service, we will see.

If you could go back in a time machine to the time when you were just getting started, what would you do differently?

As a business owner, I am very hands-on in almost every department. But one thing I would have done differently when I was starting is to learn how to delegate tasks. I enjoy being a part of each process, but it can be quite exhausting, especially wanting to do everything on my own at first to save up on overhead costs.

While old habits die hard and I still like to be involved in the nitty-gritty, I do have full trust in my team and I’m happy that each one has their own abilities/expertise that helps grow our brand. Each person is an asset and I value them for their unique contributions.

What is the best advice you have ever been given?

Don’t take things personally. When I started out, I would listen to every opinion—including criticisms— that came my way about my business and how I should be running it. Eventually, I learned to filter these and know when to heed advice. It’s important to be open to constructive suggestions and what others are saying, but you can’t let every word affect you. Someone will always have something to say, but no one knows your business as well as you do. What’s best will always be your decision.

What advice would you give to a newbie Entrepreneur setting up their first business?

Don’t be overindulgent when you start a business—get rid of all the frou-frou. It’s very tempting to go all-out: a prime office space, hiring a big team, getting upgrades, and living glamorously before the business has taken off can be a recipe for disaster. These add-ons can always come at a later time, but you need to focus on what’s important, which is to grow and sustain the business with your available resources. There’s nothing wrong with going big, but do make sure it doesn’t take the focus away from your main goal of sustaining what you have started.

Inside The Mind Of Lisa Wise: The CEO Of Flock DC

Posted on by Krissy

Lisa Wise is the CEO of Flock DC (Chief Flockster), a family of service companies with an innovative approach to real estate management and preservation.

Over the last 25 years, her professional experiences have all been anchored in empowering individuals as consumers, building stronger communities, and creating forward-thinking businesses. Growing up surrounded by love but short on resources, she sought security by building businesses from a young age, starting with her first enterprise, The Sherlock Holmes Detective Agency in her parents’ backyard shed.

In 2008 Lisa made a radical career change from the non-profit world to running a small boutique property management company. Today she owns a family of companies, employs over 50 people and her company manages 1.5 billion in residential real estate in Washington, DC. They do all of this while being a great place to work for and having a valuable role to play in contributing to the community. Her leadership style is about empathy, humility, and a fierce passion for justice. With her country amid a global pandemic, an economic crisis, and widespread protests for racial justice, she’s trying to step into this moment with bold and unapologetic leadership, personal sacrifices, and a commitment to caring for her team members and her community.

MoneyCentral Magazine recently caught up with Lisa to discuss her journey as an entrepreneur and here’s what went down:

What are you currently doing to maintain/grow your business?

We are doing all we can to stay relevant, valued, and visible. We provide a residential rental management service. If a client or prospective client is looking for ways to trim monthly expenses – we’re low hanging fruit. But during COVID, we fine-tuned our systems, added new services, offered wellness checks for residents and virtual inspections, and maintenance. We’ve held town halls on the state of the industry, the economy, and the community every quarter. We’ve quadrupled our social media content, hosted fundraisers for front line workers, and volunteered our offices to be a “rest and recharge stop” during Black Lives Matter protests. We also launched a more aggressive ad campaign targeting clients that might want to switch management companies. This new business requires no physical interactions and people have more flexibility and bandwidth to make overdue changes to their management company.

What social media platforms do you usually use to increase your brand’s awareness?

We use all the channels but we use each one a bit differently. Our Insta presence is all about the gorgeous homes we’re marketing. Facebook is anchored in neighborhood and city news, politics, and more. It’s conversational but informational. And it’s NEVER about our industry. Because let’s face it – property management sounds dull as hell.

What is your experience with paid advertising, like PPC or sponsored content campaigns? Does it work?

Paid advertising is easier to track in real-time with Facebook/Insta or Twitter. When we run ads on popular blogs, it can take weeks to get performance metrics. I suspect we break even when doing a cost-benefit analysis – but we’re also building more visibility for our brands which can’t be quantified as easily. Typically – the advertising spend for us is less attractive than supporting organizations that can fall in love with our values and become clients or residents down the line.

What is your main tactic when it comes to making more people aware of your brand and engaging your customers? How did your business stand out?

We want everything about our brand to be attractive. From stylish language to stylish intriguing logos to stylish spaces. We’re compelling people to tie themselves to our family of companies. It’s a stretch goal for a property management company to act like and deliver a lifestyle experience, but that’s just what we’ve managed to do. From sponsoring large-scale public murals with the iconic Ruth Bader Ginsberg – to hosting fundraising events for grassroots non-profits – we do everything with purpose and authenticity. It keeps our clients engaged and our residents anchored.

What form of marketing has worked well for your business throughout the years?

We find the most impactful marketing dollar we spend isn’t marketing spend at all. Instead, we’ve built a philanthropy division that supports local organizations, artists, and endeavors that add value to our community. We’ll sponsor events, promote programs, volunteer time, space and resources as early and as often as we can. These philanthropic partnerships and activities increase our visibility and underscore the value of our purpose-driven mission as a company.

What is the toughest decision you had to make in the last few months?

Furloughs. To keep my field team safe, honor public health, and stay solvent, we needed to furlough seven team members. Even though we offered each a soft and supportive landing, it was a heartbreaking decision.

What money mistakes have you made along the way that others can learn from (or something you’d do differently)?

We needed a larger reserve. We’ve prioritized profit sharing and investments in capital assets over building a substantial cash reserve. The contractual nature of the business insulates us from starvation – but not from the hunger that COVID generated. We’ve made massive spending/expense adjustments and we’re trending toward the safety net any future coronacoaster might lean on.

What new business would you love to start?

I dream of bringing skilled tradespeople into urban areas without necessitating people move or adjust to the higher cost of living in cities like DC. We can host exceptional co-living spaces and offer rotating schedules for in-residence technicians. They can work 3 weeks on 2 weeks off or other novel rotations that give them DC salaries without DC cost of living and lifestyle. I would also like to pair this program with an apprentice opportunity for returning citizens, young people eager to learn trades, and more. Not everyone is college-bound, but that shouldn’t limit opportunities and the chance to build wealth.

If you could go back in a time machine to the time when you were just getting started, what would you do differently?

I don’t think I made any mistake that wasn’t worth it in the long run.

What is the best advice you have ever been given?

I had a mentor who reminded me that you can have 100 conversations that seem fruitless. Then, over time, each of those connections will start to blossom somehow. I’ve gotten calls back from folks I met with a decade ago. When pitching or promoting anything you are passionate about, there is never a wasted moment.

What advice would you give to a newbie Entrepreneur setting up their first business?

Enjoy the early adrenaline rush. Don’t throw others under the bus. Don’t be afraid to say no. Wear your values on your sleeve.