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Five Fierce Female Entrepreneurs to Follow to Financial Freedom

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Isn’t it bizarre how quickly things can change? The world is looking quite a bit different than it did even a week ago, and no one really knows what it’s going to look like when we finally get back to some sense of normalcy.

However, the way I see it, we have two choices at times like this. We can give in to fear, contribute to the noise & panic, and perpetuate the divide that was already growing between many of us.

Or, those with the luxury of choice, can choose to get centered, contribute to the calm & hope, and come together for the greater good. Personally, this is where I choose to put my energy. Every. Single. Time. 

And, fortunately for me, I have some legitimately amazing (& I don’t use that word lightly) role models for this. Because these women have helped me so much on my journey so far, continue to inspire me to provide as much value as I can, and have proven to be beacons of light & hope during this time of global uncertainty, I wanted to give them the spotlight they deserve, and give you some more brilliant entrepreneurs to follow. Not to mention, some kick-ass communities to join and actions to take while you work toward your own massive success!

We will make it! Together.

(Keep reading for an inspired announcement from me that just might be the free resource you need to jump-start your business at this very moment! Or go here if you can’t wait or don’t like surprises, but be sure to come back and finish this article to find out who else you should be following in your business right now.)

I could never put them in any particular order because they are all incredible at what they do, so I’m putting them in the order in which I encountered them along my way. So without further ado, I give you the five fierce female entrepreneurs you should definitely be following right now on your own journey to financial stability &/or freedom…

Amy Porterfield

Amy Porterfield was the first guru I came across when I initially started thinking about creating my own online course, and she completely rocked my world & changed the way I was looking at my business. Although, I believe my introduction to her was through her free webinar on email list building, which I knew I needed to market my course before I even started creating it. 

She’s an award-winning, online marketing genius who has worked with everyone from Harley-Davidson Motorcycles to Tony Robbins. She teaches business owners, educators, and entrepreneurs how to build highly engaged email lists, create online training courses, and use online strategies to sell with ease. 

But what really blew my mind was her free Ultimate Course Creation Starter Kit. If you want to use this time to create an online course of your own so you can serve more of your people and make a bigger impact on your community, start here!

Melissa Pharr

Next, I found Melissa Pharr through a Facebook ad, and it gave me new appreciation for Facebook ads. She’s an absolute powerhouse on a mission to help women (sorry, fellas) attain financial equality & freedom! 

I honestly don’t remember the first live session I attended of hers. I just know her energy came through the screen & captivated me, and her mission moment was so powerful it choked me up. For real. (I’ll let her tell you about it if you join her community, though, because I couldn’t do it justice.) 

I joined her Facebook group, The Feminine Affluent Entrepreneur, and started consuming her free content like it was free cake on my birthday. First, I did her Grow Your Online Engagement & Get Fully Booked Challenge, which gave me my first real taste of what it would take to market my course. It also taught me that I needed to gain some serious clarity that I didn’t know I lacked. If you’re a feminine entrepreneur who likes people who tell it like it is, she is a must-follow. Point blank.

Can’t wait for me to spill the tea on what I have to give? Okay, check it out here, but don’t forget to come right back! 😉

Bushra Azhar

Speaking of must-follows who tell it like it is, Bushra Azhar has the most magnetic energy and will absolutely tell you what’s up! No BS. Nobody has time for that!

She is both the master artist & mad scientist of persuasion, and her personality is addictive. She consistently puts out insanely valuable free content that’s better than most the content you might pay for, so imagine the level of greatness that comes with her paid courses & other products. 

She will turn you into a dopamine dealer and teach you how to help your audience decide to let you serve them, without resorting to any sleazy tactics because she teaches you to speak directly to the audience who needs you most. If you want to learn how to keep ’em hungry for more of your content, like and follow The Persuasion Revolution on Facebook.

Fabi Paolini

Fabi Paolini’s 5-Day 6 Figure Brand & Business Bootcamp gave me the biggest breakthroughs of any free challenge or bootcamp I had participated in before this! It’s hard to even express how many shifts it helped me make, not only in how I was positioning & marketing myself, but also in my mindset. For that, I will be forever grateful! 

Fabi’s own story is so inspiring and empowering. Her genuine compassion and charisma leaped off the screen and was the breath of fresh air I needed to breathe new life into my perspective and business. She even over delivers with her free content. 

And her content wasn’t just super jam-packed full of value, but was also really moving and motivational. I kept thinking I needed a Fabi inspirational podcast to listen to every morning. If you’re looking for a fresh breakthrough for your business, you should definitely check out her Facebook group, Breakthrough Brands That Attract.

Rachel S. Lee

Rachel S. Lee’s POP (Profitable Online Programs) Challenge was the biggest needle-mover for me so far because not only did it give me a few more pieces to the puzzle, but it ultimately led to a scholarship to her IMPACT Program, which is helping me change my business and my life in real time! And with her encouragement, I’ve committed to turn my 6 week live course into a full-blown 12 month program with even more content, support, & guidance for my clients. So speaking of being forever grateful! Words can’t adequately convey the appreciation I feel for Rachel, especially at a time like this. 

I actually found her when I was just starting to add a bit of affiliate marketing for products & services I use and love to my toolkit, so I needed a little guidance with that because I’d never done it before. I’ve always been a service provider, but I was recommending certain products all the time, so I figured I may as well get paid. Real talk. 

This still isn’t my major focus, but fortunately for me, and perhaps fortuitously, she changed directions to helping coaches & course creators who are launching programs, which brings us to the here and now! 

Rachel is actually about to launch her POP Challenge again on March 30, 2020 and I can’t recommend it strongly enough! You should definitely check out her group if you want to launch your own profitable online program this year!

And now for my own announcement! (If you resisted the urge to click earlier and waited for the surprise, of course.)

Because of the generosity of these fierce and fearless leaders, I am now in a position to pay it forward!

If you’re a creative entrepreneur and what’s been standing between you & your dreams is a website that sucks, isn’t visible, or doesn’t exist at all, I’m so happy to say, I’ve got you covered! 

Sign up for my FREE 3-Day WOW Challenge starting on March 24, 2020, and I’ll have you Winning On WordPress in three days flat! I’m teaching where & how to find the right free images for your site, how to create your color scheme, and I’m giving away one of my paid premium themes & walking you through exactly how to customize it in a live workshop! All for free over just three days.

Interested? Learn more now.

If you need help with your brand personality development, visibility, and attracting & converting your target audience, you don’t want to miss my challenge! I’m so excited to bring an extreme amount of value in just three days (+ some awesome bonus days) because it will position you to start making (more) money in the fastest way possible. (Learn more here.) 

So if you’re stuck at home and super motivated to get to work on your dreams, you can participate in my upcoming challenge (starting Tuesday 3/24/20), then do Rachel’s the following week, and be ready to launch your website as well as your profitable online program in as little as a couple of weeks from now! 

I can’t think of a better way to spend this surprise time that we’ve all been suddenly given. Can you? Design your future, then take massive, inspired action toward it while you have these free resources and a little more time than usual at your fingertips!

Bonus Badass 

And because you read this all the way through like the champion you are, I’m giving you a bonus badass woman whom you can’t really follow, but you can be totally inspired by this weekend: Madam C.J. Walker! 

Seriously. I just finished “Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker” on Netflix and I feel more inspired & empowered than ever! If you need some inspiration right now, I vehemently recommend watching it! 

She genuinely is my newest “shero.” I knew about her life before this, but it’s so powerfully laid out in this beautiful miniseries, I couldn’t help but be moved to tears by the end. 

I have no idea where she got her strength and courage from in the era she was in, but she was legitimately amazing (again, not a word I use lightly). Anyone who thinks they can’t succeed for any reason should watch this because she was wildly successful against all odds, at a time in our history when the cards were even more stacked against people of color and women. 

So this weekend…

I’d like to encourage you not to give up on your dreams, no matter how big they are, and to be super gentle with yourself. Do things that make you feel happy &/or content. Listen to music that lifts your spirits &/or uplifting podcasts, watch empowering movies & documentaries… Be with the ones you love if you can. Take really good care of yourself. Get some rest when you feel like you should and support from friends & family if you need it. 

Then, on Monday, I challenge you to start thinking about what this “new normal” means for you, your business, and your future. Even if it’s only temporary, the faster we pivot, the better, during times such as this. 

I know I’m not the only one trying to create as much valuable, needle-moving, free content as possible to help ease people’s valid stress and anxiety right now, which is part of the reason I wrote this article, so if my challenge isn’t right for you at the moment, I hope you find one that is. 

In fact, please feel free to get in touch because I may be able to point you in the direction of resources that are more suited to your needs. We’re all in this together, and we are most certainly better together. 

Contact Me

Let’s use our unique geniuses and connections to help each other during this unprecedented time! We can actually be the change. Who’s with me? 

Sign up for my free challenge if you need a website that works. Let’s do this! Together.

10 Essential Traits of Highly Effective Entrepreneurs

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Originally published on HuffPost.
 
There isn’t just one characteristic that guarantees an entrepreneur will be successful, but a myriad of traits that when put together and properly balanced, lead to great success. The concept may seem daunting, but don’t let it deter you. With a willingness to work hard and strengthen weaknesses, anyone can cultivate and fortify these character traits within themselves.
 

  1. Strong Sense of Self

“Everyone needs a strong sense of self. It is our base of operations for everything that we do in life.” ―Julia Alvarez
 
When you know who you are and what you stand for, you have goals and direction. These are integral to being effective and successful in business, and life in general. A strong sense of self lays the foundation you need to believe in your dreams and your ability to achieve them. You have to believe in yourself to accomplish anything. Besides, if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will either. Your confidence level affects the way you are perceived by other people. Show them who you are, and what you are all about. The right people and opportunities will be attracted to you.
 
Self awareness is another critical component because it enables you to be more honest and objective when evaluating yourself. Self awareness also gives you the ability to “know what you don’t know”, which is essential. Only then can you know what you need to learn, or decide what to delegate to someone else. Decisiveness gives you an edge, and is made much easier when you have a strong sense of who you are and how to use your talents. Furthermore, when you really know yourself, you don’t have to care what other people think about you and your goals. Successful people inherently attract haters. Take it as a compliment. It means you either have something they want, or they are threatened by you.
 

  1. Integrity and Honesty

“Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” ―C.S. Lewis
 
Being honest and ethical are important aspects of being a highly effective entrepreneur, especially in the early stages of your business. This goes along with self awareness and knowing what you don’t know. First and foremost, you have to be willing to be honest with yourself. If you can’t honestly evaluate yourself and your business, you won’t succeed because you can’t correct mistakes you don’t acknowledge. Effective entrepreneurs accept responsibility for their mistakes and immediately start looking for solutions to correct any resulting problems. They are accountable and never shift blame to others.
 
Transparency automatically makes you more trustworthy, so show people why they can trust you. Because people are living more of their lives out in the open on social media today, they are beginning to expect the same level of transparency in every aspect of their lives. They will appreciate the trust you place in them and respond accordingly. Moreover, open and honest entrepreneurs attract the same kinds of clients.
 

  1. Self Motivated and Conscientious

“If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.” ―Thomas A. Edison
 
Highly effective and successful entrepreneurs know the sky is not the limit. The mind is. You have to accept that it won’t be easy, and welcome the challenge because it will be worth it. Be tenacious and committed to perseverance. Be willing to fail and learn from it. Resilience is a large part of self motivation, because when you fail, you must get back up and try again. There is no other choice. Recognize and own your mistakes, learn from them, and try another option.
 
Conscientiousness is crucial to success of all kinds. Conscientious people are responsible self-starters who tend to go the extra mile. They don’t mind working hard for what they want, and they will not sacrifice their ultimate goal for what they want right now. Conscientious people are reliable and hard working, which is why those with this trait are typically successful.
 

  1. Competitive Spirit

“It is nice to have valid competition; it pushes you to do better.” ―Gianni Versace
 
Healthy competition between worthy opponents can be a great motivator. Striving to be better than your competitors naturally improves and sharpens your own skills. However, don’t let the competition get out of hand. If it gets out of control, it will be harder for you to maintain perspective. Stay grounded and learn from your competitors’ successes and mistakes.
 
On the other hand, perhaps the most effective form of competition for the entrepreneur is self competition. Always try to improve on your own skills, abilities, performance, and accomplishments. If you do better each day than you did the day before, you are on the right track. Keep up your forward momentum, and you will inevitably arrive at success.
 

  1. Passion

“Passion is oxygen of the soul.” ―Bill Butler
 
All entrepreneurs need something to propel them and ignite their motivation – Passion! To be highly effective, you have to be more passionate about your business than you are about money. If you are a dedicated entrepreneur, you are likely to work a lot more hours than you would if you worked for someone else. This means that your motivation has to be more intrinsic than monetary. Believing that your vision and mission will change the world for the better is a wonderful motivator to keep going, even when times are tough.
 
There are generally a couple of sources of passion for entrepreneurs. The first is the business itself, and the second is the thrill of building a business. If you are passionate about one or both of these things, it will drive you to succeed. You will have more of an incentive to think outside of the box, which will ultimately enable you to solve problems more efficiently. Not only that, but your excitement about your business and belief in what you are doing will also aid you in getting through the difficult times.
 

  1. Vision

“Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.” ―Jonathan Swift
 
It takes vision to spark passion. The most effective entrepreneurs can also be described as visionaries. They see things other people don’t see, and take advantage of their ability to spot an opportunity. Being able to see the big picture, then focus in on the details that come together to create the whole, is a vital skill to have and can be strengthened.
 
Staying open minded is a fantastic way to boost your vision. Considering new information allows you to adapt to new conditions more quickly and easily. Forward thinking entrepreneurs have a competitive edge due to their ability to anticipate possible obstacles and plan for multiple possible contingencies.
 

  1. Flexibility

“Better bend than break.” ―Scottish proverb
 
Every effective entrepreneur knows the value of flexibility. You cannot be rigid and nurture a successful venture, because business is fluid and subject to many factors beyond your control. That is where contingency plans come into play. Adapting to change is imperative to succeeding in business. Further, accepting constructive criticism allows you to reevaluate your plans and correct your course if necessary.
 
Learning agility and a high tolerance for ambiguity go a long way toward remaining flexible, as well. Entrepreneurs who learn quickly and pivot accordingly are better at solving problems. In addition, they have faced down their fear of the unknown. People who are not put off by uncertainty are more likely to excel as an entrepreneur, because they are more comfortable taking calculated risks that lead to success.
 

  1. Jack-Of-All-Trades

“Seeing the bigger picture shows you where the smaller pieces fit.” ―Anonymous
 
“Jack of all trades, master of none” is a ubiquitous expression. However, it may not be such a bad thing to be multi-talented in the case of the entrepreneur. We can’t all be specialists. Just as experts are needed, those who are good at a number of different things and skilled at delegation are necessary to put it all together.
 
Having a diverse skill set uniquely positions you to understand how all the pieces fit together to create the whole. This is also a factor in “big picture thinking”. When you have the perspective that understanding the multiple facets of a whole gives you, you are better equipped to see the big picture, which links back to vision and being able to see things other people simply do not.
 

  1. Strong Leadership Skills

“Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” ―Warren Bennis
 
Great leaders have direction, know where they are going, and have no problem showing others the way. Recognize other people’s strengths, and know when to delegate. If there is a task you are not as good at, don’t have time for, or simply don’t want to do, find someone better suited and move on to things that only you can handle.
 
Be ready to coordinate efforts. There is a tie-in here with being a “Jack-Of-All-Trades” and “Big Picture Thinker”. With appropriate delegation to the right people, you can coordinate more successfully. This also gives you the ability to create effective collaboration between team members. You must understand the power of collaboration and tap your network for resources when necessary.
 

  1. People Skills (Networking Savvy)

“Succeeding in business is all about making connections.” ―Richard Branson
 
Never underestimate the power of having a wide network behind you, and know the benefits of having a mentor. It’s always helpful to seek advice from people who have more experience than you do. They may have experienced something they can draw upon to help you over a hurtle. Mentors also tend to be even more connected, which can be of aid in other ways. Colleagues and other peers are another excellent source of network connections with whom you should develop mutually beneficial relationships. The more people you have to learn from, the better off you and your business will be.
 
Diversity in your network serves a similar purpose. Because of all the different life experiences of a diverse group of people from contrasting backgrounds, you are exposed to more perspectives, allowing for more creativity and flexibility. It also gives you an even larger pool to draw advice from, and the more ideas, the better.
 
Putting It All Together
 
There is a delicate balance involved with being a highly effective entrepreneur. It takes practice, as well as a willingness to learn from mistakes and evolve into the best version of yourself. Certain traits are assets in overcoming obstacles, challenging your limits, and breaking through personal barriers. Keep learning, expanding your understanding, looking for new opportunities, and nurturing your network to bring you closer to achieving everything you’ve ever dreamed of and more!

[Guest Post] Key Strategies to Stay Motivated by Zvidzayi Raphael Chitaunhike

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Key Strategies to Stay Motivated

By Zvidzayi Raphael Chitaunhike

It all starts with that bright spark. It is followed by the excitement. The excitement makes you feel full of energy. It makes you motivated. It makes you inspired. It makes you feel on top of the world. The idea may be a business idea. It may be a job prospect. It may be a career prospect. This prospect may make or break your career. It may make or break your life. This may be in the short run or on the long run. You get things going. You start that dream venture. You embark on the job hunting spree.

Somewhere out of nowhere, everything changes. You lose interest. You lose your drive. The motivation goes away. You do not know what it is, but it overpowers you. You begin to spend less time on your pet project. It becomes tedious for you. You apply to less and less job adverts. You end up not applying for any jobs at all. Suddenly it all does not matter any more. The business prospect does not seem so bright after all.

We sometimes go through this loss of interest. You can call it loss of motivation. It may be some time before you realize that this is what has happened to you. You may not notice it. It will take someone else to notice it for you and inform you of this fact. Only then do you realize that you have lost the drive or motivation. Only then do you realize that a long period of time has elapsed and you have not been doing anything that you set out to do initially. This happens even to the best of us. There are ways of beating this problem and get back into the groove of things.

Key strategies of getting back into the groove

Make a commitment

You must make a commitment. The commitment is to you. Tell someone about this commitment. You can say it out aloud. As you say it aloud, you will bring the goals to the fore. This will in turn motivate you to take action.

Have visible goals

You can write your goals down in writing. You can write them on paper or on the computer. They must be put where you can see them daily. If you can see them daily, then you are less likely to forget them. Even if it means that you get to see them several times a day, then it is even better. You can include visuals like pictures of what you what to do or achieve. This will be a better reminder of what you wish to do and what you get out it.

Keep your plan alive

Use the plan that you have drawn and keep it alive. This plan needs to be updated from time to time. You must record any steps that you take on it. The plan should detail what you are doing. It must show the progress that you are making. Any change must be recorded as well. It will help you keep your goal moving.

Control what you can

If there is no more that you can do, then you need to control what you can. Leave out what you cannot control as it is beyond you. You should stop worrying about what you cannot control. You should not stress or waste valuable energy. You get nothing by doing so. Instead you reduce your motivation. Do and use your energy on being productive.

Expect and manage the unexpected

When the unexpected happens, take a different approach to it. Look at it from a different direction. Do not lose focus. Remain positive about it. Try to find what is positive that can come out the unfortunate situation. You need to look out for what you can change in that situation. You must see if there is anything that you can do about it. You can then analyze aspects of the situation that have affected you and know them. In this way you will know what to do to counter them.

Learn from past success

Look back in past where you were successful. Analyze how you became successful. Look at how you became successful. What made you do it? What kept you going? Look for the success formula that you used. Look for what kept you motivated. Use these past success experiences for your current project.

Use Reminders

You need to keep reminding yourself why you are doing this. You must have the desire. This is the key to success, which keeps us going. With desire you are motivated to keep working towards your goals. You need to know why you want what it is that you want. Once you know why you are doing something, you can be clear about your goal. Make further notes about all this. Write the notes down where you can see them, this will keep you going.

Get the support of others

You must tell others or someone about what you are doing. Informing others can motivate us to keep going. You can tell friends, or family, or you can get professional help. You need to tell someone who understands and supports you. Such people have the time to listen to you. They can help you out. They can talk to you. They will be there for you, even when you are down. They will keep you going.

Do more

As you do more, more will be accomplished. As you gain momentum, make the most of it.

Celebrate your successes

You can keep a record of the things that you managed to do successfully. You can keep a diary where you record this. As you celebrate what you succeed in, it keeps you motivated and makes you feel good. You are less likely to be de-motivated.

Finish what you start

Achievement is always great. Make sure that you finish what you have started. Do not leave it uncompleted.

Visit Zvidzayi Raphael Chitaunhike’s website to learn more about his services.