Stop Sabotaging Yourself: Start Before You’re Ready | Marie Forleo

Who speaks in this episode?

• Marie Forleo (Host)

What is discussed, and when

1. 10:00 – 20:00: Dream Business Boot Camp, Start with Why
2. 20:00 – 30:00: B-School, Brandon Stanton, Lisa Price
3. 30:00 – 40:00: Dream Business Boot Camp, Food Babe
4. 40:00 – 50:00: Machu Picchu, Fire Starter Sessions

Notable quotes from "Stop Sabotaging Yourself: Start Before You’re Ready | Marie Forleo"

• You want an incredible community to support you as you start and grow this business, I do hope you'll join us for BChool. I gotta say, hands down, it is the best online…

  about B-School · at 3:32

• This subject, I have a friend, his name is Simon SK, and he wrote an incredible book called Start with Why.

  about Start with Why · at 14:53

• The needle while letting go of everything else. I'm Marie Forlio and I'm inviting you to a free 3-day online event called Dream Business Boot Camp.

  about Dream Business Boot Camp · at 19:26

• To speak, so you can see exactly what that looks like in real life. You up for it? Good. Let's go. So first, let's look at Lisa Price, who's the founder of the natural hair…

  about Lisa Price · at 25:26

• Feedback. She kept iterating and adjusting from there. Now, the next example is Brandon Stanton, the photographer behind the amazing blog Humans of New York. So, here's what…

  about Brandon Stanton · at 26:54

• Debater and bring that into your now incredibly growing, fast growing career as a food babe. So curious, tell me, take me to the point where I know it wasn't that long ago…

  about Food Babe · at 39:43

• Picchu in Peru, and I was reading a book and you've had her on here, Daniel Leaport, Fire Starter Sessions, and I watched one of your interviews with her, and I was reading the…

  about Fire Starter Sessions · at 40:37

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Marie Forleo — Person · Host / main speaker · 2 mentions
  She drives the episode’s advice on overcoming fear, starting before you’re ready, and building credibility through action; she also references her programs and uses case studies.
• Lisa Price — Person · Referenced entrepreneur (case study) · 1 mention · first at 25:33
  Presented as an example of “starting before you’re ready,” iterating via feedback, and building a brand from small beginnings (Daughter / Carol’s Daughter).
• Brandon Stanton — Person · Referenced creator (case study) · 1 mention · first at 26:58
  Used as a second example of starting with action and learning by doing—building Humans of New York through consistent practice and iteration.

Books & papers

• Start with Why — Book · 1 mention · first at 14:57
• Fire Starter Sessions — Book · 1 mention · first at 40:42

Companies & orgs

• Food Babe — Company · 1 mention · first at 39:48

Products & tech

• Dream Business Boot Camp — Product · primary_owned · 2 mentions · first at 19:33
  Free online event to help entrepreneurs work on the right things.
• B-School — Product · primary_owned · 1 mention · first at 29:47
  Best online business school for modern entrepreneurs.

Places & events

• Machu Picchu — Place · 2 mentions · first at 40:34
  On this planet. And it wasn't until in all actuality I found you, Marie. And in December, I was in Machu Picchu in Peru, and I was reading a book and you've had her on here…

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 If you've been dreaming of starting a business or making a major life change, but you just can't seem to get yourself started, I got to tell you, this episode is for you. You're going to learn the one simple idea that has helped me dive head first into any scary project or goal every time. Today's question comes from Aaron, and Aaron writes, "Hi, Marie. I'm struggling to get started with my business idea. I'm afraid it won't be right and that everything I do will stink at first. I'm afraid that once I get going, I might change my mind. Honestly, it feels like I'm afraid of everything. Any tips for getting over the fear of getting started? Thanks so much, Aaron. Aaron, my girl, those fears that you have about not doing your business right or about stinking at first or changing your mind midstream, I got to be honest, those are wellounded because chances are you probably will stink at first. You definitely will not

0:56 do everything right. And it is highly likely that you're going to change your mind or change directions several times once you actually get going. You want to know how I know this, my friend? It is called being a beginner, being human. You know, when I first started my business, oh my goodness, I made so many mistakes. I changed things so many times and we still make mistakes now. And we change things all the time now. It's part of the growth process. Anyone who's successful and honest about it will tell you the same thing. There's really no mystery there. But here's the most important concept I want you to get.

1:33 Aaron, there is a single mantra that has helped me my entire life bypass fear and make really any dream I've had come true. No matter how scary it seemed, no matter how intimidating it was or how unprepared or inexperienced I felt. And that mantra is this. You ready for it? Start before you're ready. I'm going to say that again. Start before you're ready. Now, if I were you, Aaron, I would get that little phrase tattooed somewhere on your body and live by it morning, day, and night. Because if you don't, here is what's going to be on your tombstone.

2:15 Here lies Erin. She was almost ready. What? You expected me to wait forever? We're all on the clock here, sweetheart.

2:26 Because here's the truth, Aaron. If you wait until you feel ready to do anything meaningful, you're going to be waiting for the rest of your life. Look, I have been doing this for a long time now. I've supported tens of thousands of entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses across 160 industries and across 119 countries. And I've noticed some similarities among the people who are the most successful, the happiest, the people who are actually contributing the most. They all have one thing in common. And it's this. They all start before they're ready. You see, I think you've misidentified the enemy here.

3:04 Because the enemy, it's not making mistakes. It's not changing your mind. And the enemy is not your fear. The only enemy that you need to defeat, my friend, is not getting started. This is what most of us just fail to realize. Action is the antidote to fear. Action creates progress and momentum. And action, consistent action, is all you ever need to make anything happen in your life. Now, if you want my help and you want an incredible community to support you as you start and grow this business, I do hope you'll join us for BChool. I gotta say, hands down, it is the best online business school for modern entrepreneurs on the planet. It is full of such amazing souls, brave, creative people training themselves to start before they're ready. And look, you don't have to take my word for it.

3:53 You can dive in. You can test drive it and totally decide for yourself. And if it's not for you, there's a risk-free guarantee. Now, if you'd rather do this on your own, that is great, Aaron. But just do it. It doesn't matter what your first step is. You just got to do something now. Cuz here's the truth. I truly believe that every single one of us comes to this planet with a very special set of gifts that only we can give. And if right now you feel like your business idea is how you're meant to contribute some of your gifts and make a difference to others, then you have to stop thinking about it. You've got to stop planning about it. You got to stop getting ready and just start doing it. I know this may seem a little morbid, but you know, the clock is ticking down for all of us, and before you know it, time's going to be up. So, honestly, we got to get to work. And let's wrap this one up with a tweetable.

4:50 One of the most underrated secrets to success is to start before you're ready. Hey, what do you think? You bonovia or something? So, yeah, it's Q&A Tuesday and the answers are going to come from you. You know why? because I ain't getting paid for this stuff. It's all free like Christini sticks at Angelos's. So, the question I want you to answer today, and I'm gonna get to that in a second, it's inspired by one of the only things that regular Marie and me have in common besides, you know, this gloriousing buff. It's this idea right here. If it's important to you, you'll make the time.

5:29 If not, you'll make an excuse. Oh, you know, regular Marie, she's a little soft, but I got to say, she is 10,000% right on this one. Excuses, they're like the deadliest thing ever. In fact, they are the only thing standing in between you and what you most want. Now, huh, I know what you were going to do. You were going to say something like, "No, it's not that. It's that I don't have the time, or my life is so busy, or I'm too short, or I'm too tall." You know what all that is, right? You know what you were just going to do? You were going to make a bunch of sorry ass sad sack crying little wow weak sauce excuses.

6:09 This is what we're talking about. People look, let me make this crystal mothering clear. Excuses are like the roach motel but for dreams. They're like wearing cement shoes in the deep end of the pool. They're like going to Gold's gym and it's closed at 2:00 p.m. They're like pizza with no cheese. all that [ __ ] It sucks. And we're gonna put an end to all these sorry ass excuses right now. Because you know why? From this moment forward, we're on an excuse-free beach permanently. Now, on this beach, there can be radios, there can be dancing, there can be cheese sticks, there can be glow sticks, but you know what? There can't be excuses. No mothering excuses. Speaking of, hey Joey, there is no excuse for that. Get that grape smuggling, nut hug, and banana hammock off this beach. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm all for body positivity. But that there's a negative on that situation, Joey. Come on. You

7:13 need some room in there cuz right now you're junk. [snorts] I'm going to call Child Protective Services because that, my friend, that's abuse of your little ones. No offense. I'm out. Okay. All right. Let's land this excuse flame right here and now. Here's the cue that I want you to a. It's got two parts. Part one. If you're honest with yourself, like crush your heart, hope to die on us. What's one area where if you stop making sorry ass excuses, you could totally turn the beat around on your life. Part two. What specific excuse do you need to drop like a hot pocket and really [ __ ] slap the [ __ ] out of it, then stick it in a tanning bed for like 16 hours straight with no eye goggles?

7:54 I'm a health and nutrition coach and I want to create my first online program. I have so much to teach, but I'm not sure how long my online program should be. I'm thinking something deep and intensive like 6 months. Is that a good way to start? I don't know, Anita. Why are you asking me? I have no idea about these things. What do you think I am? A coach or something? Jesus. Anita, this is a fabulous question and it's one I get asked all the time by someone thinking about doing their first info product or program. How much should I include? How long should it be? Should it be 6 months? I will tell you, Anita, that 6 months is too long. When creating your first online program, it's really best to start small. Here's why. The first is the worst. The first time you do anything, like create a product or program, is usually when you're going to do it the worst.

8:41 No matter how much you've studied, there's just going to be some things you can't figure out until you actually do it. You're going to make rookie mistakes like we all do. Plus, if you lock yourself into a six-month program and wind up hating the structure, you are screwed. Plus, starting out small allows you to work out all the kink so you can test your process, your content, and make sure you can actually deliver results. And for whatever aspects of your program don't work, you can get instant feedback, make adjustments, and create an even better program next time around. If your info product is great first time out of the gate, you're going to get great testimonials, which will help you sell even more. Plus, you'll know you're on the right track and you'll have momentum to keep going. Now, if everything goes horribly wrong, only a few people are going to know about it and you can go back to the

9:24 drawing board. The second reason you want to start small is your email list is likely the smallest it will ever be. Now, I'm sorry, I know, but when it comes to launching a program, size does matter. And actually, length matters, too. Long programs are a huge commitment both for you and for your customers. Unless you've got hundreds of people beating down your door to give you money, your program could wind up feeling like a ghost town. Nothing is more depressing than putting all this work into launching a group program that's designed for like 30 or more people and you only wind up getting one or two people in it. Anita and everyone else, I want you to remember this, and it's a tweetable.

10:17 Starting small doesn't mean thinking small. Every big entrepreneur that you look up to started small and built up bigger over time. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. Do you ever stop yourself from creating something you really want to do because you look to someone you admire and you think, "Oh my god, I am never going to be as good as them." So, if you're like many people I talked to, you're probably stopping yourself from producing something, writing something, sautéing something because you're not willing to start small, or start sucky. In other words, you are stuck in perfection paralysis.

10:54 Now, if this sounds like you, I got a little story that I hope will help you come out and play. As you may know, I started out my life coaching business when I was 23 years old. And I had big dreams. I knew I wanted to teach a lot of people really great ideas that would help them improve their life. So, my dreams were loads of people and a big stage and all that jazz. But the reality was I was just starting out and I hardly had any clients. I was just in the baby stages of building my business. But I was so pumped from my coach training and I was learning all of these cool new ideas and I just had to share them with others. So I decided to hold my first workshop and it was titled how to create a life you love and it was incredibly well attended by five people. It was my yoga teacher Claire, two friends that she like dragged around from the neighborhood and my parents. Now I was very professional.

11:49 I did have a venue. It was Claire's basement in Summit, New Jersey. And you know, of course, it was a workshop. So, I had workshop materials that I created myself with Microsoft Word and some very fancy clip art. And of course, every workshop, right, you have to have an easel. So, I had a nice easel with the markers to make sure that the entire crowd could follow along. Looking back, I kind of get douche chills thinking about giving a workshop to five people in a basement. And it feels really painful and kind of pathetic. But the truth is, there is absolutely nothing painful or pathetic about it. I mean, I took a risk. I did something. I put myself out there. And I did my very best to deliver value to all five of those people. That small and sucky workshop gave me the courage to keep going because guess what? I had already done my lamest workshop. Bam. In the bag.

12:45 Nailed it. And I'll tell you that confidence and that momentum really fueled me ahead. Don't forget, every pro starts off as an amateur. So the next time you find yourself stuck in perfection paralysis, take a tip from this tweetable tongue twister. Starting small and sucky beats staying stucky. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. And then say it three times fast. I'm thinking of a new business. What's the main thing to keep in mind? In other words, what is the most important thing to do first before anything else? This is a fantastic question, Sarah, and here's why. The most important thing that you need to do before anything else is take a look inside and ask yourself, what is the reason you're starting this business?

13:34 So many people go into business for the wrong reasons. And some of those reasons are one, because they think that it's the best way to make more money. So, in other words, they're only going into it for the money. Maybe they've heard from other people like, "Oh, if you run your own business, you can get really rich." Or they're in a job that they absolutely can't stand and they're looking for an escape route. So, they're searching around and looking for anything that they could possibly do to earn more money. They're thinking, "If I just run my own business, that will save me." Those reasons suck. They set you up for failure. When you start a business, you have to believe in the product or service you're offering 10,000%.

14:12 You have to believe in it with all of your heart. The best businesses on the planet are started by people who want to make a difference. So, they're either super inspired by what they're creating or they're frustrated and they see a gap in the market that they want to fill because they know they're like, "Oh my god, I could do that better. I could make people happier. I could deliver so much more value. I'm going to kick some major ass in this market." Those are awesome reasons. They come from your heart. They come from your inspiration. As my man P Diddy says, don't chase the paper, chase the dream.

14:45 P Diddy. Oh, P. DIDDY. SO, if you want a fantastic resource on this subject, I have a friend, his name is Simon SK, and he wrote an incredible book called Start with Why. You'll see it right here. It's fantastic. It's all about the right reasons to start your business, and why is one of them. So my question is age old. Okay, it's applicable across the board. Why do I stop doing the things that make me feel good that I know I need to do? Um, so I'm talking morning practice journaling meditation exercise, whatever you know you figure out for yourself and you get it going and you're like, "Oh, I've been doing this for two days. I'm feeling great.

15:34 Damn, I'm good." Right? And then you're like into a week and at that point you're just like this is my life now. And you tell people oh you know I I had to do my meditation so you know I wasn't available. You know you you're you're in a whole new world. So this time I rocked it for like a month dude. I did my exercising. I found this free exercise bike on the side of the road and I started doing 20 minutes of bike riding every morning. Now I can make up a million excuses. I'm a mom. I work full-time. Blah blah. But I was able to make the time one point. Why do I step away from it?

16:10 Oh my goodness, April. First of all, we love you. We love your energy. We love your spirit. And we love your questions so much. In fact, my team was like, "Yes, April. I want to hear the answer to this question, too." So, why do we stop doing the things that we all know are good for us, especially when we've been able to make the time before? It's a head scratcher, am I right? Now obviously it makes no logical sense right? But then again we know that we human beings are not logical creatures. We are emotional and often irrational when it comes to our behavior. Now the truth is there are a gajillion different reasons why many of us stop doing the things that we know are good for us.

16:53 Some people just get bored. Right? Some people rebel against any kind of structure or authority even if it's themselves. And some people get off track like if their schedule changes or they travel or somebody gets sick or something like that. Now, as a coach, I'm usually not a big fan of why questions first because in this format, I can't talk with you. I can't get to the root of your specific situation by asking you more questions. But more broadly, why questions can sometimes encourage a little bit of naval gazing, right? and they can easily spiral into beating yourself up, thinking that you suck, or that you're just not built to be consistent and disciplined. All of which is not true. So, I think a better, smarter, and more helpful question is, "How can I be more consistent in doing the things that I know make me feel good?" Or, "How can I set myself up to win the vast majority of time?" Now,

17:47 those questions are questions that we can tackle. Plus, how questions really aim your brain towards the solution, right? Rather than the problem. That's our everything is figure outable philosophy in action. But before we talk about the how, I do want to make something very, very clear. April, my love, you are not bad and you are not weak for falling off the wagon of being consistent. Virtually everybody I know does stuff like this, including me. That's because we are human, right? We have this vision sometimes of these perfect meditators who meditate twice a day every day and never ever miss. Or we hear about people like Jerry Seinfeld who write a big X on his calendar every day he writes a joke and that he never breaks his streak. But guess what? Even Jerry Seinfeld doesn't do this on a Reddit ask me anything. He actually said this is hilarious to me that somehow I am getting credit for making an X on a

18:42 calendar with the Seinfeld productivity program. It's the dumbest non idea that was not mine, but somehow I'm getting the credit for it. Point here is you do not have to strive to be this perfect person who does something every single day for the rest of your life, unless that kind of thing really just floats your boat. Now, that said, there are some systems that you can easily put in place to make it easier for yourself to be more consistent on a consistent basis and some behavioral science that can really give you an edge. Are you working your buns off in your business but still feel like you're getting nowhere fast?

19:15 Yeah, I've been there. You know, for years I thought the fix was just to work harder, but it wasn't. The real fix was learning how to work on the right things, the things that actually move the needle while letting go of everything else. I'm Marie Forlio and I'm inviting you to a free 3-day online event called Dream Business Boot Camp. It's happening February 10th through 12th. I'm going to give you the exact system that's helped me generate over $100 million in my business and helped over 80,000 entrepreneurs make a lot more money with less stress. Now, Dream Business Boot Camp is 100% free, but you have to register to get access. So, click below and I will see you there.

19:57 So, step number one is choose one practice or habit, not 17. Right? So I love that you mentioned all the kind of things that we like to do in our morning practices. So journaling, exercising, all kinds of things like that. And behavioral science tells us that if you want to be successful in terms of forming a new habit, it is best to focus on one habit, not five, not 10, and definitely not 27. So, I'd encourage you to ask yourself out of everything that you could do that feels good, which one habit or one practice is going to give you the most bang for the buck given what you want to experience at this stage and season of your life? So, is it riding your bike for those 20 minutes in the morning or is it something else?

20:45 Take a look inside and then choose one. Once you do that, then you are ready for step two, which is turn it into a timebound personal challenge. What do I mean by that? Well, let me give you an example. Earlier this year, I wanted to strengthen my ability to create faster and just with more fluidity. So, I gave myself this 30-day writing challenge where I committed to writing every single day for at least an hour on a nonwork related project. 30 days really felt like this fun and invigorating period of time for me. It wasn't too short where it was just too easy and it wasn't too long where I felt tired before I even got started. I even wrote my best friend Chris into it and we started sending each other these text messages every day when we got our daily writing done. So, I would encourage you to do this for yourself. So, you want to find a length of time that feels like a stretch. I mean, maybe that's 2 weeks,

21:40 maybe it's 2 months, maybe it's 90 days, whatever feels right for you. But I want you to make it 100% doable and something that you feel happy and excited to commit to. Now, once you do that, you're ready for step number three, which is make your success inevitable. So, this is where the real magic happens. I want you to ask yourself, what can I do now to make sure that I complete this challenge successfully? So, for me, there were actually a few pieces. One is I needed to get Josh on board because I knew that I was planning to write over the weekends, and that's usually our special time together. And two, I needed to create a system to track and monitor my progress because studies show that people who track and monitor what they do are way more likely to stay on track.

22:29 So, I want you to think about this for yourself, right? What are some small steps that you can take to complete your challenge? Is it talking with your family? Is it getting to bed earlier? Is it recruiting a buddy? I don't know. I'm sure you got ideas, though. There's of course a lot more that I could teach you about the science of willpower and consistency. Too much to get into right now, but I promise you, if you follow these steps, you will be well on your way to being more consistent with doing the things that you know make you feel good. Now, April, there's one more thing specifically for you. So, you shared that you're a teacher, and we all know that is not an easy job. I mean, especially with everything happening around us right now. But the thing I respect most about you and what you shared in your question was when you said, "Now, I could make up a million excuses. I'm a mom. I work full-time,

23:23 blah, blah, blah. But I was able to make the time at one point. Why do I step away from it? That right there, my friend, what you said, that is the sign of someone I have deep respect for. And you know why? It's because, you know, excuses are total BS. Again, we can all make excuses if we want to. But the kind of folks that I want to work with, the kind of people that I want to surround myself with are no excuses kind of people. And that is you. And because I believe in you so much and I know there's just a few systems that you need to put in place.

24:00 There's just a few things that you need to understand and you are going to be more consistent than you've ever dreamed of. So that being said, I want to gift you a seat in my new program that's called Time Genius. I promise you everything you need to be more consistent is in there. Plus, you're going to get all the tips and the tools and the tricks that I've personally been using for decades. Hey, Marie. I've recently left my job as a school counselor to become a parenting coach. Now, it's time to actually get out there and do it, but I feel tremendously overwhelmed and have no clue how to sign a client. I understand you say to start before you're ready, but there's only so much brainstorming and strategizing I can do. I feel like I'm in a catch 22 where I can't sign clients without good marketing, but I can't tweak my marketing without clients. Help, Adena.

24:48 This is a fantastic question. So, first little bit of clarification here. Starting before you're ready does not mean spending weeks or months brainstorming or strategizing. No, it doesn't. What it does mean is training yourself to get out there and do the actual work with real humans. And I got to be honest with you, love, you do not need fancy marketing to get yourself some clients. And sorry, you are not in a catch 22. I think you're just a little scared. And my darling, that is okay. Look, we humans often learn best by example. So here are two entrepreneurs who started before they were ready, so to speak, so you can see exactly what that looks like in real life. You up for it? Good. Let's go. So first, let's look at Lisa Price, who's the founder of the natural hair care brand's Daughter. So Lisa got her start in the 80s. She was playing with fragrances and essential oils in her kitchen in Brooklyn. Now, at

25:44 first, she gave what she made away to her friends and family, but her mom smartly encouraged her to start selling her goods at her church's flea market. Now, Lisa never plan to really even start a business, but she thought, "Hey, why not?" Worst case scenario, she'd have a fun day out. Well, guess what happened? She sold out of every single thing. And then she spent the rest of the summer going to craft festivals. So, she slowly started to build a following and her customers actually started to ask if she had anything for their hair.

26:15 Now, initially she didn't. So, she went home and guess what she did? She figured out how to make hair products because yes, everything is figure outable. Now, Lisa then gave those hair products to hairdressers. She got their feedback and then she started to make improvements. So, little by little, Lisa kept growing her business until eventually, guess what? Her business was not so little anymore. Fast forward to 2014 and Lisa's company was acquired by L'Oreal. Now look, Lisa started before she was ready. She didn't start off with any fancy marketing. She didn't have any marketing whatsoever, but she took action. She gave away her products. She got feedback. She kept iterating and adjusting from there. Now, the next example is Brandon Stanton, the photographer behind the amazing blog Humans of New York. So, here's what happened. Brandon lost his job in the financial industry. So, he had always

27:09 had this interest in photography, but he didn't have any experience and he didn't even own a camera. But here's one thing he did know. He did not want to go back to that job, back to that industry which made him so unhappy. His goal was really to simplify. He just wanted to earn enough money to keep a roof over his head so that he could do what he really wanted to do, which was take photos. So, he moved to New York City and he committed to this, taking 10,000 photos of people on the street and plotting them on the map. And while he was doing this, he ate Cheerios, he ate turkey sandwiches, and he slept on a mattress on the floor. This guy spent thousands and thousands of hours editing thousands and thousands of photos, learning what worked and what didn't. And he also started getting really comfortable talking with and interviewing strangers on the street while he was photographing him, which eventually transformed into

28:04 Humans of New York, the beloved brand and business that we all know about today. So Brandon's got over 25 million followers. He created two best-selling books, too. Now, just like Lisa, he didn't start off with any fancy marketing, right? He just started before he was ready. He started taking action. He allowed himself to learn and really grow along the way. So for you, Adena, if you want to be a parenting coach, guess what? You need to start coaching some damn parents, woman. You need to get out there and do the work. Even if you got to do it for free. So if I were you, I would make a list of every single parent that I knew and I would send them an email or a text message or a smoke signal, whatever, and I would tell them that I could help them solve their parenting problems and that I was willing to do it for free. Or guess what? You could pull a Lisa. You could go get a booth at your local flea market

28:56 and make a big sign that says free parenting advice and you could give your card to anybody who walks up to you. Or guess what? You could pull up Brandon, right? And you could go on the streets and you could stop people. Anybody who has a kid and you could say, "Hey, are you a parent? Are your kids giving you any problems? I was a school counselor for 10 years and I'm starting a new business as a parenting coach and I'd be happy to help you solve any problems you got with your kids and I'll do it for free." Now, Adena, obviously I'm having a little fun with these ideas, but all the points are valid. Starting before you're ready means doing the work. Now, if you want a little more structure for how to actually do this, meaning how to attract ideal clients, how to know what to charge, how to set up your business so that it's sustainable, you, my darling, need to get your butt into BChool. We show you how to do all of

29:41 this step by step. And of course, the program comes with a risk-free guarantee. But honestly, even if you don't do B school, you could use some of the ideas we just talked about and get your business going right freaking now. Adena, let me tell you, if you went for this, I mean, actually went for this with your full heart, I guarantee you, you would have three to five new clients within a week. And if you ever forget what starting before you're ready means, don't forget what my dear friend Steven Presfield says. Put your ass where your heart wants to be. If you're working harder every year but still earning the same or less, something's got to change.

30:20 And that something isn't your work ethic, it's your strategy. Because if your business is like this sinking ship, there ain't no amount of hustle that's going to turn that around. But here's what will. Join me February 10th through 12th for a free online event called Dream Business Boot Camp. You're going to get a proven road tested formula to earn a lot more money without burning out. And the best part, it is totally free, but you got to register to get access. So, click below, grab your spot, because you and I both know you deserve better. How do you suggest establishing image and credibility at the beginning of your business when your satisfied customers simply don't exist yet? Thanks. You're a huge source of inspiration. I even mentioned you in my application essay to business school.

31:07 Thank you, Jillian. Love you. Great question. This is something really important to handle, especially when you're first starting out, and I know it can feel a little like the chicken and the egg. How do you attract customers when you've never actually had any? Thankfully, there are things you can do to get street cred from the get- go. Here are five easy ways. Way number one,

31:29 it's all about your online image and presence. So, here's what I mean. You want to make sure that you have a very clean and profession website. Why? Because the moment you tell someone you have a business, what do they say? They say, "Oh, do you have a website?" You don't want to send them to something janky like a four-year-old made it. You want it to be nice and clean and simple. You do not have to spend a ton of cash. And it doesn't have to be the best design in the world or win awards. It just has to be functional and simple and clean. And again, profession.

31:57 Say it with me. Profes. You got it. One more thing about email. Please don't use an email like hotpants not a7@aol.com. You want to use a professional email address like your name atyoudommain.com. It shows that you're taking your business seriously. Way number two.

32:16 Two. You want to highlight your experience. So Jillian, you said that you have experience in this field already. So you want to let people know about that. And the best place to shout it out is your about page. Way number three, you want to communicate what you do clearly and confidently both on your website and when you meet people in person. Here's what I mean. If I met someone at a party and I asked them what they did for a living and they said, "Oh, I design home offices." I would say, "Well, give me your card because right now I am redesigning my home office and I perhaps would like to hire you." Now, on the other hand, if I went to a cocktail party and I said, you know, "What do you do for a living?" and someone said, "Well, you know, I kind of design home offices or I I kind of want to design home offices, but I don't have any clients yet and I think I'm going to do it. I think I'm really good at I have

33:00 a little experience, blah, blah, I say, hm, that sounds real good. Good luck with that. I'll talk to you later." Way number four, you want to get client reviews right now. So, here's how you can do this. You can offer your services for free or for a discounted rate, maybe for like three to six clients in exchange for real client reviews. You just have to go out and hustle and make this happen, girl. Way number five, get press. Jillian, it sounds like you have a unique business here. I've never heard of anyone else uh helping young people find opportunities abroad. And in all honesty, I don't even really know what that means, but I do know that it could be pressworthy if you pitch it to some local press.

33:39 Another angle is to find some popular bloggers that serve your target demographic and see about pitching them a story to do about you. or maybe you can write an article for them. So, here's what you do. Once you get some press, you want to get those fancy logos and put them on your media page. You know, as seen on Glamour magazine or ba ba people.com. [screaming] Remember, logos impress people. I would love to know about your story, how less than a year ago you were at this cushy job, and why you left to go to foodbabe.com and do it full-time. I never thought I would be blogging and taking on some of the biggest food corporations for my daily job. I never thought that would actually be my job one day when I started foodbabe.com which was two years ago in response to a bunch of friends and family that begged me to share my lifestyle with them, my recipes, how I was able to heal myself naturally. About 10 years ago, I um

34:36 suffered appendicitis and um I could have died from this because the initial doctor that saw me told me that there was nothing wrong and asked me to go home. And at that moment, recovering in the hospital room over the holidays in December, I made a commitment to myself. I said to make myself my number one priority. And I was living the typical American lifestyle before that. You know, I had just gotten out of school. I got a really awesome job at a top management consulting firm, which I thought was my dream job. And I wanted to fit in. I wanted to eat what everybody else was eating. I wanted to live the lifestyle. I wanted to work the crazy hours so that I could, you know, impress my boss and get promoted. And I didn't realize what a toll that was going to be on my health. And so I started to slowly teach myself the habits on how to live a really clean organic lifestyle. and in this overprocessed world and in this

35:30 corporate environment. And so slowly but surely I started developing all these habits and my co-workers and my friends and family and everyone around me started wondering like why is she drinking that green stuff and you know what's going on with this lemon water thing she does every morning and you know how did she go from being like chubby and kind of just not really in shape to being in shape for now over 10 years maintaining my weight. I mean, to this day, one of my aunts thinks I got work done.

35:59 Really? That's amazing. Yeah. And so, you know, I started foodbabe.com in response to their wanting to know everything that was going on, especially some people at work that were watching my daily habits. They sat next to me in my cubicle and were trying to, you know, mimic what I was doing. And I was teaching them a lot and they just loved it. And, um, they were like, "You have, you know, you really need to tell everyone and you need to tell me so I can tell my mom and and share it and I said, "Okay, sure." And so I started the blog and I remember I had like I don't know 20 25 readers, you know, for the first month or so,

36:32 probably like your friends and your co-workers. I think like my mom and like my best friend read it and and that was about it. And you know, prior to starting my blog, I was never on social media. So, uh, I actually had an intervention from some friends that said, "Listen, you don't know about anything that's going in our lives because you are not on Facebook, Bonnie. And so, you need to go on Facebook right now because how are you going to spread your blog?" And I'm like, "Oh, that's such a good point." So, yeah, I'll get on Facebooking, you know, and I started Twitter and and I had no social media experience before that because I was in the corporate world, you know, we it was scary to be on Facebook with all your party pictures. You didn't want your boss finding those.

37:10 Totally. And so um so I so I got on and slowly but surely I remember like the first person who commented that wasn't someone I knew and I was like whoa who who's this and and little did I know at the time but I developed this power and I didn't really understand this power at the time until company started reacting to my writing and uh a lot of things get me energized and I'm really I'm an activist at heart. I want to fight for the people. And uh I was I was at this yogurt place that's an organic yogurt place or quote unquote organic yogurt place in Charlotte. And they had all this marketing on saying it was organic.

37:50 And then when I found out what was really in the ingredients, which was it started with organic yogurt, but they added trans fat, which is, you know, in in a little bit of amount to eat that stuff can cause heart disease. um artificial colors made from petroleum products, artificial flavors, and then other crazy ingredients. And I was just like, what is going on here? This is not truth in advertising, and I need to write about it. So, I wrote about it. And immediately the president of the company reached out to me and took down all the marketing.

38:19 Wow. And it's because of not me writing about it, but all the people sharing it with their friends and telling their friends about it and being like, "Watch out." And it just went viral. And the of course the president heard about it through their customer service hotline and you know they listened and that was pretty amazing at that point because I realized okay I have this voice my name Vonyie means voice so I always knew that I had something to voice growing up and I was even uh you know nationally ranked debater in high school you know and I was just always into research. I spent every summer researching at Dartmouth College and I would bury myself. I mean, I quit the cheerleading team to join the debate team. And so, it was like that point in time in in my in my life in high school was one of the most exciting times. And I was able to bring that back because I was able to research and get

39:11 in and fight for the people. And and in debate, you weren't really fighting for the people, but you're fighting for your side. And and I've always had that kind of tenacity about me. And so, it was coming out. And this is I love this. I love your story. And um not to interrupt you too much, but I can see the fire in you and I think it's so interesting also for our viewers because so many of us are multi-passionate and there's things that we you know have a strong skill set for maybe early on in life and then they kind of fall away. But it sounds like you've really rediscovered that ability to use all the skills you built up as a debater and bring that into your now incredibly growing, fast growing career as a food babe. So curious, tell me, take me to the point where I know it wasn't that long ago where you were still blogging, but you also had your job and then you made the decision that

40:00 you were ready to leave your full-time job and do your new business full-time. What was that like?

40:05 Well, you know, my friends about a year ago said to me, you know, Vonnie, you need to make a decision. You need to do this full-time. This is your calling. And I said, oh, that's so nice of them to say that. It's so great. And it wasn't until I really allowed myself to appreciate my own voice and allow myself to to understand this is why I was put on this planet. And it wasn't until in all actuality I found you, Marie. And um in December, you know, I I was in Machu Picchu in Peru, and I was reading a book um and you've had her on here, Daniel Leaport, Fire Starter Sessions, and I and I watched one of your interviews with her, and I was reading the book at the same time, and I just found you through a mutual friend. And um and I couldn't believe that I was like, where well, number one, where's Marie Forlio been my whole life? you know, like why hasn't she been coaching me this whole time to do my, you know,

41:02 passion? And number two, you know, I was on top of Machu Picchu on December 21st, the day the world was supposed to end. Well, I didn't really think it was going to end, but you know, there's some shift cosmic, you know, I believe in higher powers. So, um, and I made the decision right there on top of Machu Picchu and I said to myself, my contract was ending and I could have gotten another contract because I'm a management consultant. Uh, but I said to myself, I'm gonna make this happen. I turned over to my husband and I said, "Are you willing to do this?

41:29 You know, I'm giving up my salary and we're going to do this and I I'm going to tell everyone what's in their food and I want to change the way Americans are eating and the way they think about food and I'm going to make it my life's mission and are you on board?" And he like looked at me, he's like, "What have you been waiting for?" That's awesome.

41:50 And so it was like everybody else was giving me permission but not myself. Yeah. And it wasn't until I really realized that that's what I needed to do. And it was scary, I tell you. I I landed back like the first week of January. And I didn't go into an office. I had no boss. I was like, "What is going on? This is so weird." And oh my goodness, I got to figure out a way to make some money because I got to pay the mortgage.

42:16 Yep. So I started slowly just you know figuring out uh uh a way that uh met my values partnering with the right companies the companies I already use and buy and uh have loved my whole life um and that provide benefit to the world and finding and reaching out for those relationships so that I could start you know working with them and um and everyone can really live the life that they want to live and what's so amazing is I didn't realize this at the time But if people have something that they're really passionate about and they love and they're really good at it, I mean, you have to cherish that and you have to find out what it is that you can do to share that passion. And no matter what, the money will follow. And I never really like I never really believed that like a I was like, "No, I had to work hard. I had to keep my job." You know, it was really um you know, I I was a management consultant for 13 years of my

43:13 life. and to give like all that up, you know, I was successful too, you know, and I was just to give it all up and say bye was a tough transition uh mentally and and then the the thought of going back and being a management consultant totally freaks me out. And I wake up every single day right now and I I put my feet on the ground and I still live in the same condo or surrounded by the same people that I used to work with. And I walk down the street and I just smile and I'm like, "Haha, I'm not in that cubicle anymore."

43:47 And and there's nothing wrong with being in a cubicle because there's great companies that have cubicles, but

43:53 but for you it wasn't the right match. And for you, there was a different path.

43:56 Yeah. I needed to be using my voice in a way to change the world. And I really think I was put on this planet to change the world. And I really want to do that.

44:05 A year from now, you'll wish you had started today. Now, here is why I love this quote. I don't care who you are. I don't care how much you've already accomplished because every single one of us has got some next goal or some next creative dream that we want to bring to life, right? I mean, everyone has something that they want to make happen. And here's the deal. the next 365 days, those days are going to come and go no matter what. I mean, one year from now, you're either going to be living that dream that's in your heart right now, and you're going to be bringing that thing to life, or you're going to be sitting on the sidelines like a sad sack. And I got to tell you, I do not want that for you. You're either going to have made one whole year of amazing progress or no progress whatsoever. In fact, if we're honest, right, we might even backslide a bit because if you don't take action, backsliding is what

45:00 tends to happen to all of us, right? Damn, Marie, your beard game is tight. I don't play, dude. I started this [ __ ] like a year ago.

45:14 Damn. I wish I started then. Zad, Zack, I'm here to say to you right now, do not shortch change yourself. Because when it comes to the really important things in life, like your business, like your relationships, your health, all of it is about the long game. Those small steps that you take every single day, as long as you take them now and you keep taking them, they're going to pay off a thousandfold down the road. But your life won't change on its own. You have to start taking action today. And that's what this quote is all about. Look, I'm gonna be honest. We all ain't getting any younger here. Our time on this planet is so damn precious. You are so damn precious. If there's anything that you want to do in this world, anything that you want to create or experience or achieve, you have got to stop procrastinating. Stop saying tomorrow or next week or next month or next year.

46:12 Now is the time, my friend. this moment, this instant. Now, that said, here is the cue that I want you to a what's the one thing that you want to do or experience or achieve that a year from now you will be so damn happy and proud of yourself for starting today. And this is the most important step. You know me, right? What's the one action step that you can take right now to start bringing whatever that is to life? Hi, Marie. I love your show. It offers tons of motivation and inspiration. My cue is this. Say my friend cough cough friend wants to become a business consultant.

46:53 The problem is this friend has no experience running her own business except through reading, watching, listening to everything she can get her hands on about the subject. She's passionate about helping business owners and she believes she has the knowhow. But so what? Does that really count for anything when she wants to offer business advice and get paid for it? With no business credentials to her name, will people really take her seriously? My friend is 20 years old and doesn't have a lot of cash on hand. If that puts things into perspective, thanks Leah. I love you for asking this question for your friend. And here's an answer for your friend.

47:36 So many people share your dilemma about the integrity factor of teaching something that you have no real world experience in. And you got to know this. No matter what field you're in, whether you're starting off in business or the arts or even being a parent, we all start out at the same place at square one with no credentials and no experience. Doesn't matter whether you're self-taught or you've got a formal degree until you get out there and start getting real results for people. I agree. You haven't earned the right to be taken seriously, at least not yet. As for your knowhow, it absolutely counts for something. But does it qualify you to charge money? Not until you take that knowhow and turn it into results for real clients. Those are your real credentials. What earns you the right to be taken seriously and to charge for your expertise is getting people results. You've got to get your hands dirty and actually do the

48:28 work. As Einstein said, and yes, it's a tweetable. The only source of knowledge is experience. Now, you may wonder, how am I supposed to get people results when I haven't had any clients yet? The answer, consult for free. So, I started my coaching business when I was 23 years old, just a few years older than you. And I coached everybody that would let me for free because I wanted to get experience. I knew that the only way that I was going to figure out what worked and what didn't. By the way, I had a formal education in this stuff was to actually have clients and test things out and also build a list of people who said, "You know what? Marie Forlio changed my life." I was so passionate about life coaching and figuring out how to be the best coach that I could be that I would work with anybody who would agree to work with me and meet with me on the phone a couple times a month. So, what do you want to talk

49:24 about this month? You're going to have to open up if you want me to help you. No, really. I understand. So, if I were you, I would take the next 12 months and work with at least 12 business owners for free and help them achieve results. You said you're 20 years old and you don't have a lot of cash. Well, this is really good news because being 20 is the one time in your life that you probably don't need a lot of cash. So, you got to be resourceful and get a job or three. And you can coach business owners in the mornings, in the evenings, and even on weekends. At the end of 12 months, you should have at least six solid case studies of businesses that you've worked with that you've helped achieve results. So, here's the thing. When you start working with these business owners, make sure that you track everything. really get a clear painted picture of where they are when you guys first start out

50:15 working together and then what tangible specific results you help them achieve over the time that you've been coaching them. By the time you're 21, you'll have more than enough real world experience to have a consulting business that you can be proud of. Plus, if you get any business owner results, they'll happily pay you to keep going. When it comes to having credentials as a coach or consultant, there are no shortcuts. Learning is great, but getting real results for real people is where it's at. Hi, Crystal. It's Marie Forlio and you're live on the Marie TV callin show.

50:46 How you doing? I am trying not to freak out. This is very exciting. No freak out. We're going to freak out. Great. Come on. WE'RE FREAKING OUT.

50:54 NO, DON'T FREAK OUT. OKAY, WE JUST FREAKED out with you and for you. So, you can totally feel free to freak out, too.

51:02 Well, I'm at my 9 to5, so I have to keep it. Oh, you got a girl. I'm in a cubicle. I can't. Well, I just have to say, Crystal, your voice is like tremendous. You have an amazing voice. Just happy.

51:13 Thank you. Thank you very much. You're welcome. So, Crystal, tell us about your question and we'll we'll try and keep it together and we'll try and not to make you freak out since you're at your 9 to5 talk.

51:25 Well, my question to you, which I'm completely honored that I would even be considered for this opportunity to speak to you. I am a chef from trade and I have been uh a buyer for a food service distributor for I don't know as long as I can remember 10 years now and I would like to transition into something more at heart with my local community because I have this amazing island that I live on. and I live in the Cayman Islands and I live in Grand Cayman which is the largest island in the Caribbean or Cayman Islands Caribbean. And my question to you, I love personal development, but I suck at follow through. Total truth.

52:20 I am currently raising three young girls and want to model success by example. having trouble putting my great dreams of owning my own business as a restaurant and local agriculture consultant into an action plan. What action triggers do you set to get your butt up and start making it happen?

52:43 Yes. All right. Well, Crystal, great question. Thank you for everything that you shared. Um, just as a point of clarification, do you want to start a restaurant like a local restaurant and also become an agricultural consultant or are those two things you consider them one?

53:01 I want to consult restaurants. You want to consult restaurants. Okay, great. Right.

53:06 Okay, good. So, here's the big message that I have for you, and this is for everyone. Well, first of all, we're going to put links below this episode, and I know you're a fan of the show, but sometimes, you know, we've talked about a lot of things over the years, and we have many episodes about followrough, and we're going to put those links because I want you to have those mofos on repeat. So, that's as a little aside. We're going to make sure that you get that. But the big message I want to say to you, my friend, is simplify to amplify. One of the challenges that people have when it comes to follow-through is they're always trying to take on too many things. They're trying to do all the things at once and then they don't do anything but the bare minimum to just get through life. So for you, I'm curious, Crystal, if there was just one thing that you felt like you could do each and every day to start bringing

53:51 this dream of becoming a consultant to restaurants to life, what would it be? I think build meet the right make the right relationship connections.

54:03 Yes. I'm going to stop you right there. I'm going to stop you right there because that's exactly where I was going to go with you too. Relationships, especially when it comes to this business, are everything. Question. Do you have like a hit list of people that you would want to develop relationships with locally?

54:18 I'm building it. Great. How many people do you have on it right now? I would say probably about five. I want it to make it more like 100, I think. Mhm. So, what you could do, Crystal, is you don't have to wait until you have that list of 100 people. Literally, either today or tomorrow morning, you could just start making phone calls and developing those relationships. Like whoever those five people are, call them, email them, send them a DM on Instagram, send them a soak smiggle, go to their house, knock on their door, whatever you need to do, and say, "Hey, I'm going to take you out for some tea, or I'd love to have some coffee," or whatever you have to do to start getting into those conversations, do it. The whole idea of starting before you're ready is one of the concepts that has changed my life so drastically. So between that and simplify to amplify. So the simplify to amplify thing is don't

55:13 try and do too much. Don't try and build some fancy ass website. Don't try and like get proposals together and you know all these different things that people do that they think that they need in order to launch a business. You don't need that. All you need is to make an offer to someone and for someone to actually say yes. You don't need anything besides that. And the way that you're going to get to that place is, as you rightly said, through relationships. So don't wait until you have 100 names. Start with the five that you got and then keep adding names on. So, for example, if I were you, I'd start knocking on those doors virtually, metaphorically, physically. The first person that you talk to, have a conversation and ask them who else they know that they think you should talk to.

55:53 Does that make sense, right? Yes, that makes perfect sense. And do not let yourself overthink this at all. That's one of the other places that we all fall down. We overthink it. We want to get it perfect. We want to have everything together. that it is so overrated. 20 years will go by and then you'll be no closer than you are right now. So

56:13 pick up that phone. The action trigger is literally like I have to make these five phone calls today. And that's your that's the big thing for you to do for the day and then the next day next five phone calls. Next day, next five phone calls. Don't have this huge longass plan. You don't need a big strategy. Your ass just needs to get in action.

56:31 I love it. Cool. Yeah, I'm I am on it. Yes, I'm on it. Will you promise me, Crystal, to keep us updated? You'll write to the team and let us know how it's going and if you need a little

56:43 I cannot wait to gentle but loving kick in the butt, we can give it to you. Definitely. Definitely.

56:48 Greg, do you have anything to say to Crystal? I'm here with Greg who, you know, if you seen the show,

56:52 hey. Hey, love. No, I I can so relate to this because I'm very very similar and I think it's just the overwhelming task of having so many tasks or your what to-do list is so large that you sit in a space of oh my gosh what do I do? So to simplify to amplify like ding ding ding ding that five little person list even in my life I'm like yes I can handle five I can do five

57:18 and then those relationships like sitting down talking with people like who else do you know I would be so afraid to ask that question but it's like okay that could help build my list okay that's easy

57:27 yeah so Crystal you have everything right you got everything that you need right now so we will follow up with those followup how to follow through episodes but honestly Honestly, girl, don't worry about action triggers. It's like you get up, you do it, you don't think about it, you do it again, and before you know it, your business is going to be off and running.

57:45 I'm so excited. Looking into creating a um clothing line for um maybe like suiting for women. So, I'm really right now I'm in the learning process. I'm doing pretty much anything that has to do with uh I've been doing an internship in a bespoke place. Um I'm also working at a e-commerce place that does suiting for men and I want to be able to do it for women and men. Um my question is there are so many brands out there that do it um even for the queer community or uh for women who want to dress more androgynous and my question is you know how can I differentiate myself from them?

58:24 um if for example um would it be pricing because I believe that a lot of brands do high prices maybe like 12,500 for um for a suit I'm sorry 1,200 to500 and if I lower my price would that um be bad for my branding um like lower its quality in in eyes of the people?

58:48 Yeah. Well, this is such a great question. Um, and first of all, I'm so excited about what you're excited about creating. I am someone who actually really loves to find suiting and to find clothing that can be either for men or for women. So, I'm personally excited to see more of what you create. So, a couple things that I want to cover right now. First, since you are in the learning phase, I think this is awesome that you're asking these questions, and I would advise this to any business owner when it comes to pricing in particular. What's good is to take a step back and really think about how you want your business to live and breathe and behave in the marketplace. So, for example, as you know, there are high-end brands, right? I like to call them expensive but worth it.com. They make a decision that they want to have very high margins that they want to serve a particular community and that can be a

59:42 very wise business move. Now, of course, there are other businesses who say, you know what, and I'm going to use some examples here that aren't necessarily related to fashion, but just to give us concrete examples so we can have them clear in our minds. Um, if you think about a company like a Target or a Walmart, for example, one of their strategies as a brand is to give the lowest pricing possible, but that requires a certain amount of volume and structure, and that is their strategy in the marketplace. So one isn't inherently better than the other, but it is about making a decision that you feel is true for your heart. So in our business, for example, because this is a business, the only way I can make free content like this is because we run a for-profit business and we have healthy profit margins. So I like to lean into, for me, and again, this is a personal choice, the more expensive but worth it

1:00:35 category. I'm either going to charge a fair and good amount of money for something that is paid. So that way I have the margins to then do other things that are free for communities that I want to serve who wouldn't otherwise be able to invest. So I can give scholarships, we can do philanthropic initiatives and we can produce some of the best free content on the planet because we can afford to do so. So how does this relate to you? I want you to really step back and think for yourself, Mariana. Think about how you want your brand to feel and behave in the world.

1:01:07 Who do you want your your folks to be who you serve? Um, and you don't have to answer this right now, but that's how I want you to start thinking. The other thing I want you to do is to start paying attention to the numbers. you know, since you're doing an internship, you're working in some e-commerce, you're getting exposed to these types of businesses, start to gather some intelligence and research about what it costs to make and produce the type of clothing that you may want to. Because if it is going to be a business, the numbers have to make sense. And one of the things that I've noticed that happens particularly with women, this is not certainly across the board. I'm going to make a broad generalization, but from my experience with working with almost 40,000 business owners at this point, the vast majority of women, we tend to undercharge. We tend to undervalue ourselves and we tend to

1:01:57 squeeze ourselves so tight. And there's many reasons for this that we won't get into, but I'm always always encouraging my uh female business owners or anyone who tends to have these tendencies to create larger than they're comfortable with profit margins because they're probably not even large enough. I I challenge people to get to a place where it's actually more healthy, not exorbitant. So, those are a few things that I want you to really think about. Then, when it comes to the last piece, how do you differentiate yourself? Well, when you understand how you want your brand to behave in the world and that's connected to your heart. When you understand the numbers so it makes sense where you could be profitable, then when it comes to differentiating your brand, that becomes the fun creative part. Then it's about telling a great story. Then it's about talking about why you're starting this company. It's about

1:02:48 finding partners and perhaps influencers in the marketplace who could wear some of your clothing or who embody the values and the identity of of how you want your business to behave, the values you want it to stand for, the kind of people you want to align with. That's how you differentiate yourself. It all is very organic. It's all from your heart and your soul and what you believe. Because I think one of the most important things about business, especially now and moving forward in the future, it's not just about what you sell, it's about what you stand for. And I can hear in your question and [clears throat] who you are. You stand for so many good things that we need more of in this world. So, you're going to want to put that story to the forefront. I'm going to pause for a minute because I hear Greg and I know you can't see him because you can only hear us right now, but Greg, I can see

1:03:35 him nodding his head up and down. Did you I just Well, I just love this question period because like I even in in your delivering of info, Marie, I'm having so many aha moments, right? I don't have a fashion brand. I have a product of hair and I get sometimes like, "Oh, should I charge this? Can I charge that?" But you're right because I go and speak at other events and I don't charge for it. So, it just almost gives you that breath of okay, I'm worth it so that you can go serve your community the way you want to serve your community. Absolutely,

1:04:05 girl. Good question on that one. Thank you for asking this one. Does this resonate for you, darling?

1:04:12 Yeah, this answers my question so much. So, I wanted to ask you, so um of course I'm a be schooler and it's been so great. I'm learning everything and I'm like getting the clear idea of what my customer would be. Um so, now for example, I'm going to say that my product is worth a higher price. uh maybe I will not target a younger um professional base of people because maybe they will not be able to afford it but maybe more of like the more mature women in the workforce.

1:04:40 That's right. From 30s to 50s. That's right. And you know what you can also do? Here's the thing that I love about business these days and I love that you're a B schooler. I love that we'll be able to work with you on this as you keep moving forward because as you know you're a B schooler for life. This makes me so thrilled. Anyway, what I want to say is this. For people who are like, "But wait, I want to serve people that don't have the money to afford what I want." You can always still do that. So, Mariana, for you, you can have perhaps a certain times of the year or certain special codes or go into particular local communities where you know that younger women who may also resonate, who may want a great look, you can go and do that in a myriad of ways, right? There's like a special discount.

1:05:20 So, for example, I belong to a particular place here. It's in New York City. ates all around the world. It's a place called the Soho House. And it's almost like a a co-working place or a club. And I was on the membership committee for a little bit. And one of the things they would do is they would have a special rate for young people, for people just starting out. And they would have these certain times of the year where people can come in, but if someone's just out of college, if you know, someone's scraping to get by.

1:05:45 Again, for you, there might be certain communities that you want to partner with at certain times of year. So, it's never about saying, "Oh, just because people can't afford it, that I'm not going to serve them." Very much like how we do. There's people who will never buy anything from us, yet I'm not leaving them out. We're delivering the best free content we can every week. Does that make sense, Mariana?

1:06:07 Yeah, absolutely. Um from um your videos and everything and um your e-letters. I I do get it. So, I can do both then. I'm I'm happy actually that I can get to do both.

1:06:19 That's right. And you can find all kinds of creative ways. You don't have to make that decision in advance. You can try a pilot program, see if it works. Then, you know, later in the year, try something else. And through that process of experimentation, through creativity, through talking with other people, you will find a way to have both a profitable business that really actually works and is sustainable and meaningful in a way that makes sense to you. Hey, if you loved this video, you need to watch this one next. Trust me on that.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Stop Sabotaging Yourself: Start Before You’re Ready | Marie Forleo"?

Marie Forleo (Host).

What is discussed in "Stop Sabotaging Yourself: Start Before You’re Ready | Marie Forleo"?

In order: 10:00 Dream Business Boot Camp, Start with Why; 20:00 B-School, Brandon Stanton, Lisa Price; 30:00 Dream Business Boot Camp, Food Babe; 40:00 Machu Picchu, Fire Starter Sessions.

What is mentioned in this Marie Forleo episode?

9 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Marie Forleo, Dream Business Boot Camp, B-School, Start with Why, Lisa Price, Brandon Stanton. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Stop Sabotaging Yourself: Start Before You’re Ready | Marie Forleo"?

The episode runs 1 h 7 min; the transcript is about 12,993 words in 111 timestamped sections.

More from Marie Forleo

• All analyzed episodes
• People mentioned on Marie Forleo