Life By Design Magazine December 2017 Edition by Life By Design Magazine

LIFE BY DESIGN ENTREPRENEUR LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2017

MONTHLY ISSUE

The Key To Success: Persistence

page 05

5 Tips To Boost Your Energy page 10

GREG REID

"Eat more cake!"

Five Networking Tips for Intro-preneurs page 21

Do You Have FOMO?

page 26

Fail As Quickly As Possible If You Want To Succeed page 36

Behind The Scenes of Stegela

page 42

Elite Mastermind & Coaching Program www.AttendSSM.com

WELCOME Letter From The Editors The Stegela Success Mastery Team Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I was going to change the world. If you had asked me, I couldn’t tell you how I was going to do that, but I knew in the core of my being that I was called to greatness. I got a little lost along the way, as I think most of us do, and I lost my passion to make a difference. As my life progressed, I began to surround myself with people who were a lot more like the person I wanted to become. I got mentors and I joined a mastermind. After a lot of work on my mindset I got back on track with my vision and my purpose in life. At Stegela Success Mastery, our goal with this magazine, Life By Design, is that the content in here will help you to have the life you have always wanted. We are an entrepreneur lifestyle magazine and everything we talk about is centered around helping you achieve success in all areas of your life.

TABLE OF CONTENTS 04

Career Advice You Should Have Learned in School

THE KEY TO SUCCESS: PERSISTENCE

My Limiting Beliefs & My Weight Loss Journey

Look And Feel Supermodel Confident

Success In Network Marketing

5 Tips To Boost Your Energy

NO EXCUSES

Top 5 Military Skills for Entrepreneur Success

The Compound Effect

Mindset for Thriving Minority Entrepreneur

How Gratitude Can Grow Your Business

6 Signs Your Personal Brand Sucks

Learning Business In The Huddle

How to Plan an Office Holiday Party On A Budgetww

Five Networking Tips for Intro-preneurs

To Give or Not to Give Referrals

Be Memorable - Names Matter

ENTREPRENEUR OF THE MONTH

- Casey Nicole Fox Co-Founder of Life By Design Magazine

TO FAIL IS TO SUCCEED

Do You Have ‘FOMO’?

OUR STAFF

MEAL PREP FOR DECEMBER

Incorporation? Not So Complicated After All

3 Reasons I Didn’t Let My Son Play Video Games

Don’t Give This Holiday Season

3 Things Entrepreneurs Should Tell Themselves

LOVE & BUSINESS

The Importance of Empathy as a Business Owner

Fail As Quickly As Possible If You Want To Succeed

Business Tips to Learn from “The Wolf of Wall Street"

INTENTIONAL LIVING

ESCAPE FROM THE DEPTHS

Delivering Content That Crushes It!

Book Review

What Does The Fox Say

Behind The Scenes Of Stegela

Stephen Dela Cruz CEO/Publisher

Casey Nicole Fox COO/Co-Founder

Jennifer Meim Production Editor

Jeff Rollon

Sales/Marketing

Angela Dela Cruz CEO/Publisher

Lynda West Copy Editor

Kristen Crooks Editorial Assistant

Jennifer Nguyen Sales/Marketing

DECEMBER 2017 ENTREPRENEUR LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE 03

ave you ever thought of having a career that was so amazing that you are genuinely excited to go to work every day of your life? A career where you love Monday through Friday more than you love the weekends? One of the most valuable pieces of career advice I got came from the book "Good to Great" by Jim Collins in which he goes over an idea that provides some very tangible advice on how to achieve this exact type of career. It’s an idea he calls the Hedgehog Concept. The long story short is that if a company wants to be ridiculously successful at their business, the company must be disciplined to focus their resources around activities that fit three critical criteria; they’re passionate about it, they’ve mastered their craft, and they provide value that others are willing to pay for. This concept applies to individuals too because the only way to have a great company is to have great people within the company that follow the same criteria. For individuals, it is absolutely vital to have a career that fits

What if you’re missing mastery of your craft? Generally speaking, if you love what you do, and you’re working in an industry where people would be happy to pay you tons of money, but you’re no good at what you do, that’s a recipe for mediocrity. The amount of money that people are willing to pay you is directly proportional to the perceived value that they receive from your product or service. One of the tricky aspects to this is that you have to be honest about what your strengths are, which can be limited by things like genetics. No matter how much I love playing professional basketball, at my current age (36 years) and height (5’ 4”) it’s damn near impossible that I would be able to master playing basketball to become professional. And finally, what if you’re not adding value to anyone that people are willing to pay for? This just means that you have a hobby. For many people, this is video games. There are so many people in the world that are elite at

CAREER ADVICE

You Should Have Learned in School,

BUT PROBABLY DIDN’T

playing certain video games. They get to that point because they love playing and naturally improve at it over time. However, if they’re not playing in a way where others are willing to pay them for it, they still need some other sort of income to fund their habit, which is very likely something they are significantly less excited about doing. Not only that, thy would be spending at least 40 hours per week having to go to a job which otherwise could be used to add more value to others. So if you learn to work towards a career that fits all three criteria, something magical happens. You’ll love what you do so much that you’ll naturally want to keep getting better at it. The better you get at it, the more people will pay for it. The more people pay, the more you love your career and the more you can invest into mastering your craft even further. Now that’s a class everyone should major in.

Author: Steve Meim Website: facebook.com/steve.meim

THE KEY TO SUCCESS:

PERSISTENCE

Have you ever been through a time in your life when things were going amazingly well and then suddenly they changed? I had just started my business. Things seemed to be going well when suddenly the very dream and excitement I had were taken away. The business shut down and so did my life. I fell into the deepest depression I had ever experienced. I quarantined myself to my bed for a long period of time. The depression caused me to lose my vision, which led to me becoming unmotivated. There is a quote that says, “Without vision people per-

"The process was not easy, but every step of the way, I knew I was going to" be stronger" ish.” I truly believe that because every time I’ve lost motivation, it was because I had lost vision. I really had to think about my future and what I wanted to do. I knew deep down that I was called to be an entrepreneur and to impact lives, but my depression was stopping me from fulfilling my purpose. I started to think and regain my vision. Once I regained my vision, I wrote it down. That was the start of my breakthrough in getting out of depression. I actually began to feel a little excitement for the future. My next step was to take action. I came up with different business ideas. I have always had a huge heart for children, so I spoke to my husband about starting a daycare. Since entrepreneurship is his passion, he was on board. He was excited for me because I was getting out of bed and gaining motivation to live my life. Throughout this process, I had to constantly remind myself to never give up. No matter what came my way, no matter who did not believe in me, or the thoughts I battled, I knew I could not give up. Being persistent was the key to my success. Persistence is what led to me seeing my vision come true. I created my vision by closing my eyes and seeing what I wanted. Seeing my vision so clearly gave me the motivation to take action. A clear vision is crucial to success. Once you have your vision, you must be persistent to turn it into your reality. Author: Angela Dela Cruz Website: StegelaSuccess.com

ENTREPRENEUR LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE 05

BELIEFS MY WEIGHT LOSS W

hen I was 22 years old, I weighed in at 333.1 pounds. It was a riveting moment, but I didn’t feel overwhelmed. I already made the unwavering decision to lose weight, get healthy, and break the cycle of obesity in my family. The first 5 months were a breeze. Literally, I felt like I was walking on a cloud. I packed my lunches, treated red apples like they were a piece of cake, and started going on daily walks. After 1 year, I lost almost 75 pounds. After that first year, something drastically changed. The momentum I had built started to decelerate. My weekly losses were suddenly absent. My positive attitude and hopeful outlook slowly dissipated as my weight plateaued. The next 25 pounds took 5 years to lose. During that time, the fight wasn’t just with my body, food, workouts, and the scale. In fact, habit allowed me to master most of these things. The greatest fight that I began was the fight with myself – my mind, doubts, negativity, pessimism, and overall depression. It didn’t matter how much encouragement I received, seminars I attended, or motivational YouTube videos I watched. When the noise died down, I was left with this monotonous echo of my own defeated voice. Because I wasn’t dealing with the core of the stagnation of my success, I looked at every physical aspect and sought solutions to change them. I tried every possible diet imaginable. I juiced for 15 days. I was left with breath that smelled like soil, tinted teeth, and constant stomach aches. I went on a raw diet for 30 days, and I completely destroyed my desire to ever put an almond in my mouth again. At the same time, I started experimenting with different workout regimes. I only picked the ones that made me

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feel like I was breathing my last breath when the workout ended. The most memorable was CrossFit. Jumping on boxes, throwing balls at the wall, and rowing like my life depended on it somehow made me feel like I was making progress. This experience left me with a gaping hole in my leg that required 38 stitches and a pretty embarrassing story. Needless to say, tripping over the box instead of jumping on top of the box was all I needed to cancel my membership once I left the emergency room. After nearly 10 years, I finally had an epiphany. I was fighting the wrong things, which is why I was always losing the fight. You see, I wasn’t fighting anything physical. I wasn’t really trying to prove my high school gym teachers wrong. I wasn’t trying to prove my middle school bullies wrong. I wasn’t trying to prove my verbally abusive grandparents wrong about me when they said, “Nobody is going to love a fat girl.” The only person that I needed to prove wrong was myself. The only person that I was fighting with was the one I looked at in the mirror every morning. I was fighting with her limiting beliefs, insecurities, negative selftalk, and unresolved hurt. The mind is very powerful. It fuels the entire body, which meant that it didn’t matter what I did. If my headquarters was sending out the wrong signals, any course of action was doomed to fail. When I realized that I have the ability to be my own miracle worker or my greatest enemy, I began to completely shift my focus. Instead of freaking out about my workouts, I started going on walks. While I walked, I listened to positive affirmations that I would repeat. Instead of cutting out certain foods or starving myself, I started choosing a more balanced diet that dispelled the fears

I had associated with food. Miracles started to occur. The miracle wasn’t that I became as skinny as a waif. The miracle was that I started to prove myself wrong by defeating every single detrimental thought that I embraced as truth. I was WRONG, and for the first time in my life, I celebrated my wrong-ness. My mind needed an overhaul of real truth. This principle applies to every single area of your life, especially when it comes to the entrepreneurial journey. Social media and successful business owners can make the journey seem like it’s filled with skipping through open fields, butterflies, and money falling from the sky. The reality is that some days you will wake up filled with doubt

AND

JOURNEY and regrets. There are times when you have to look at a negative total in your bank account or battle through the days with no sales while bills continue to fill your mailbox. You can address the difficulty of entrepreneurship with a variety of physical remedies. You can go to seminars, spend money on marketing, networking, and revamp your social media accounts. There is nothing wrong with these options; however, they should never serve as a replacement for your own personal responsibility to take care of your mindset and limiting beliefs. Never lose sight of the fact that you aren’t trying to prove ANY critic wrong. The people that said you were crazy, you would never make it, and you are wasting your time, no longer deserve even a small thought. Energy that goes in this direction is wasted. If you prove your critics wrong, but you still believe that you are not good enough, you have not ultimately “won.” The only person you need to prove wrong in regards to your business is yourself. You are your main competition. Work to beat yourself and prove yourself wrong. Everytime you go through a slump, seek to internally reflect before you run to another consultant, investment, or goal sheet. Momentum in business can create such a natural high, but when business comes to a screeching halt it can be a devastating low. In those moments, don’t open your mind to a flood of lies. Protect your thoughts, quiet time, rituals, and words. Conquer your own doubts, fears, beliefs, and words every day of your life and you will NEVER lose. Author: Amy Kochek Website: WriteWellWithUs.com

Look And Feel SUPERMODEL Confident:

Body Cues For The Everyday

ENTREPRENEUR

Let’s rewind and picture a second man walking into Starbucks. He is dressed similarly to the first. When the second man enters the coffee house his shoulders are slightly forward which curves his spine. He identifies himself as another business suit kicking off his hustle at the coffee house before heading out to meet his clients. He greets the barista but, unfortunately, his eye contact is with the menu instead of the woman in front of him. The latter isn’t terrible, but is mediocre at best. Like the phrase “fake it ‘til you make it,” if you stand poised and confident when you feel insecure others will perceive you as poised and confident. In Joe Navarro and Marvin Karlins’ book, “What Every BODY Is Saying,” they demonstrate that all upward body movements and expressions exude positivity and confidence while downwards movements do the opposite. This confirms the necessity that standing up straight, using eye contact, engaging a handshake, smiling, and other upward positive body expressions reaffirm the way our initial Starbucks customer presented himself.

“The way others perceive you today will leave a lasting impact with them in the future” Luckily, Starbucks doesn’t provide a secret menu that allows their customers to read hearts and minds. Otherwise, the audience would know that deep down beneath his vertical spine and head held high, our initial subject lacks a perfect confidence that his observers are led to believe he has.

hink of a man you see every day, for instance at Starbucks. He is dressed in a fitted, tailored suit. Shoes are slick, shined and a deep brown leather. His white shirt is pressed and his tie fits snug around his neck. His hair pristine, his face groomed. His belongings are kept stain and tattered free. When he enters the room he stands tall, head high and faces forward. He welcomes a woman with a warm smile and handshake. This man may very well have an expensive tailored suit; however, this is only part of the whole package of someone who exudes confidence and success. You can have a few simple, nice closet pieces and look fantastic. Perception is the key. The way others perceive you today will leave a lasting impact with them in the future. This is where body language comes into play. The expensive suit isn’t what captures our attention. Instead, it is his body language that shows he is unmoved by his surroundings; alert and confident with those he interacts with.

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So what does this have to do with business? Confidence draws authority, credibility, and trust. People buy from whom they trust. And people trust what is likable to them. If people like you, you’ve already sold 80 percent of the product, yourself. Picture both men, the former and the latter. Think of someone in your life that resembles each of them. Now think about doing business with one of these men. Which one would you choose? Now, which one do you want to be? 5 sentence bio and photo. American High fashion runway and print model, upcoming author, the college graduate with a Bachelor degree in Communication, female entrepreneur, and high fashion runway coach. Carmel McAndrews is a coach for all things modeling and teaching selfconfidence. She mentors young women just starting in the modeling industry. Her mission is to provide clear steps and guidance for how to become a working and successful paid model while avoiding the illegitimacy that is so prevalent in the industry. Her coaching provides clear guidance on how to prepare, maintain and acquire agency representation. Author: Carmel McAndrews Website: RunwayForModels.com

SUCCESS IN NETWORK MARKETING

Most people have heard of network marketing, the countless stories of DREAM - STRUGGLE VICTORY and the stigma that nobody really generates lasting sustainable income. Well, we got a chance to interview Angel & Tulane Rivera, two network marketing success stories native to San Diego, who are ready to give their personal tips to building your network marketing empire. Network marketing is a team sport. You can’t expect to do well in a network marketing company if you try to do everything on your own. Surrounding yourself with like-minded people who want to grow as a group and play oﬀ each other’s strengths is a must. Remembering that you’re stronger as a team and will have a signiicantly larger reach is going to be a huge advantage in your success. Picking the right company is vital to your success! Expecting to do well in a company that you don’t believe in will make it much harder to succeed. There are three things Angel recommends you consider before picking your company! 1 - Are the products or services being oﬀered in high demand? Volume = Proit 2 - Is the company lead w/ high integrity? Leadership is key to Success 3 - Is the compensation plan fair? Not all payouts are created equal Pick a good mentor! The journey ahead will be tough without the counsel, wisdom and leadership of a solid leader. Mentors will help you work on personal development, assist you in overcoming struggles and mindsets that’ll take you, your team and income to the next level. Angel and Tulane personally struggled with delegation. It was hard for them to think others could do tasks and manage people as well as they could. However, with the help of their mentors, they started to overcome this obstacle which in turn helped their business grow and now provides a lifestyle of time freedom and inancial freedom!

KEY SUCCESS POINTS:

• Find a good team! • Believe in the product or service you market! • Pick a successful mentor who is still active in the ield! We truly believe these tips from our network-marketing specialists will give you the foundation to pick and truly grow your business into something that can work for you. If you’re interested in working with Angel or Tulane Rivera, contact them: InspireToWin.com | AngelLRivera.com Email: Angel@InspireToWin.com

Get Good Sleep

have a hard time of the day, relaxing of us think that our ing awake thinkventures, worryother, or coming do the majority components keepone cause for lack by Harvard Health phones and comtributors to lack of at night, when our down, suppresses throws off our natural phones have a setting tones at a certain time single source of light, interfere with your sleep, a pitch black room. Installsmall lights in your room to you get up in the middle of the

Hydrate

Many entrepreneurs shutting down at the end and going to sleep. Most lack of sleep is due to lying about our business ing about one thing or anup with innovative ideas. Little of us know that there are many ing us up. Light is the number of sleep. Research performed shows that the blue light in our puters are among the top consleep. Exposure to these lights body is biologically ready to shut the secretion of melatonin and circadian rhythm. While many smartthat changes your backlight to warmer in the day, light still remains a problem. Any even a small light on a fan or alarm clock, will so it is crucial to make sure you are sleeping in ing blackout curtains, placing something over the minimize their interference, and keeping lights off if night will all assist in giving your body the rest it needs.

If, for the next eight hours, you couldn’t drink water or any other liquids, how would you feel? You’d be thirsty, you wouldn’t be performing well in your daily endeavors, you would lose focus and wouldn’t be able to think straight. Well, get this! Your body goes without water for nearly eight hours every night while you sleep. When you wake up in the morning your body is in reset mode, it’s ready to work for you and give you the best results. I get it, as an entrepreneur, I too forget to stay hydrated because I’m so focused on seizing the day and optimizing my results in every venture. But if you aren’t starting your day off with a big glass of water then you’re depriving your body of an essential item. Not only is it healthy to start the day with water, it also has many benefits. Scientific studies have shown that by drinking a minimum of 16oz of water each morning you are helping your body flush toxins, increasing mental clarity, and staving off craving or unnecessary snacking throughout the day. As your brain tissue is more than 70% water, you need water to keep your brain on track and focused. If your fluid intake is low, your kidneys will not carry out as much waste and toxins as they could. By keeping up on your water intake every hour, you will find that cravings for sweet drinks and sweet food are minimized. For many, because of the benefits of drinking water, an increased intake often comes with a decrease in body fat and an increase in energy.

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Eat Balanced Meals What

does that look like? Protein, carbs, and fats. Example of a meal; Organic chicken salad with apples, walnuts, and balsamic dressing. Have you ever eaten a large lunch and crashed after? A high carbohydrate meal OR a large meal will spike your insulin and your digestion will be working overtime. If you want to be a successful entrepreneur, then unproductive afternoons can’t be a normal thing. Harvard Business Review says “Spikes and drops in blood sugar are both bad for productivity and bad for the brain.”

Increase Nutrients In the business and entrepreneur world we see many people let their health drop to the lowest priority level as they are focused on building the rest of their empire. But you and I both know that is not the way to go, especially when it is so simple to maximize and increase your nutrients. In the day and age of raw eating and plant-based diets, we see juice bars and healthy eateries pop up on every street corner, many of which have an energy booster on their menu, Green Juice. It’s the most convenient way to ensure that you are getting your fruits and veggies while supplementing your body with immune boosting amino acids, and giving your body the healthy kind of fuel to convert into energy. The Babraham Institute of Cambridge performed a study and found that cruciferous vegetables add a layer of protection to your cells, which help you avoid catching a common cold while assisting in weight loss and giving you more energy. Not only will green juice help detox your skin, but it will also move your lymph to remove more toxins from your body, therefore lending a hand to your kidneys and making their work so much easier. I personally juice dark leafy greens, celery, citrus, ginger, and throw in an apple for a sweet taste.

Shock Your Body

From burning fat, restoring skin, to increased blood flow, there are so many ways to shock your body into health. The HIIT workouts are one way which many swear by. One, because they are fast and intense and two, because the benefits continue long after the workout is over. So what is HIIT? HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training. It involves short bursts of exercises, followed up with brief recovery time. Many fitness experts recommend performing these intervals within a 30-minute time duration for the best results. Now, I know that as an entrepreneur you may find it hard to fit in a workout, but that’s why this is great for you. While the exercises performed with HIIT can vary, most people will do something like sprint intervals, putting forth 90% of their energy followed by a rest of walking or jogging for 30 seconds. HIIT benefits include better cardiovascular health and endurance, as well as increase your body’s ability to use oxygen.

while we’re thinking about workouts, let’s talk about recovery. Not just recovery from a hard workout, but overall recovery for our bodies. My favorite recovery is Cryotherapy. Just like when we place an ice pack on an inflamed area, or like the idea behind ice baths, when you stand in a cryotherapy chamber your body is shocked into reducing inflammation so your blood vessels constrict, alleviating pain along with swelling. Cryotherapy also causes a spike in endorphins, boosting both your mood and energy, often improving your mental focus. Because cryotherapy poses so many benefits to the human body, in Europe many health insurance companies include it in their coverage. Start implementing these 5 energy boosting tips and you can experience some of the benefits right away. When we work with businessmen at The Billion Dollar Body, we see them experience an extra 2 hours of productivity by implementing these strategies. Author: Nicholas Bayerle Website: TheBillionDollarBody.com

hen it comes to personal success, there is no room for excuses.

NO Room for EXCUSES

Excuses are useless, but we’ve all used them or heard them. When it comes to excuses, you’ve probably heard (or have given) horribly bad excuses, understandable excuses, great excuses, and mediocre plain Jane lame excuses. But what is an excuse? My best friend Google explains: Excuses are an attempt to lessen the blame attaching to (a fault or offense), seek to defend or justify and/or a release (someone) from a duty or requirement. Meaning, basically, taking no responsibility and placing blame on other situations or people. More times than not, excuses are used to point a finger instead of asking “What could I have done differently to complete what I agreed to originally?” Here are a few tips you can use to prevent you from putting yourself in a position of wanting to give an excuse: 1. Clearly think before you commit. Most of us overestimate what we can do in a short period of time and underestimate what we can do in a long period of time. 2. Be a person of your word. In order to have a strong integrity, prioritize your everyday tasks and understand what is truly important that will help move you closer to your success. I recommend getting comfortable with saying no to people in order to free up your time and, if anything, over deliver. 3. Look deep within yourself and your excuses. It’s important to make sense of your excuses and understand why other people who are going through similar struggles deliver on their promises but you have not. Change your mindset from “I can’t finish this task and give up” to “How can I complete this task?”

4. Put a reward or consequences behind your actions. When you put a pain point behind your words that you agreed upon, it gives you a higher incentive to complete what you originally agreed to in order to reap the rewards. 5. Excuses are useless. When you realize that excuses are useless you can stop making them and take responsibility for your actions. It will result in tremendously big steps toward your success. I encourage you not to use excuses as a crutch, but instead deeply think about the pros and cons of every situation before you commit to it and give your word behind it. So let me ask you, when’s the last time you made an excuse? My recommendation is to quit today. We all make them and some are even understandable, relatable, or acceptable, but can become very anticipated or repetitive and they will hold you back from success. Author: Brandon Elliott www.belliottinvestments.com

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TOP 5 Military Skills for Entrepreneur Success At the age of 19 I joined the military. During my 10 1/2 years of service, I learned and saw a lot. When I decided to separate from the Navy, I was clueless about what my next move in life would be. Two months prior to my separation date, I decided to become a full-time entrepreneur. Here are 5 skills I learned from the military that led to my success as an entrepreneur.

high on a test. I ranked up twice through hard work and great work ethics, while still having a low test score. You must be willing to go through strug1. Willingness – My willingness to join gles. Be patient and know your hustle the Navy gave me direction and disci- builds up momentum. Although busipline. It took me over a year to actually ness may seem like a struggle, focus join, but when I did, my life changed for on your strengths and 10X it. Hustling the better. If I wasn’t willing to change, doesn't pay off right away. You will build nothing would have changed. up confidence and momentum. Hustle your butt off; it pays off. To be a successful entrepreneur, you have to be willing. Be willing to learn 4. Communication – Communicating something new. Be willing to meet new can be challenging. However, as a leader, people. Most of all, be willing to step out I learned how to talk to people effectively of your comfort zone and do what needs so I could delegate tasks. I learned this by to be done to earn your success. understanding their personality type, not by pulling rank. 2. Leadership – Leadership is paramount. Everything rises and falls on lead- In life overall, communication is key. Elership. I was setting the example as the evate your communication skills by learngo-to mechanic by my second year in the ing personality types and how to speak to Navy. As an E3 I was put into a leadership each person effectively. Communication position as a supervisor and maintained is only effective if you understand somethat title throughout my military career. one’s personality and know how to deliver your message. To truly reach success in business you have to challenge yourself to lead. Be- 5. Mentorship – As I moved up in rank, come that leading authority person. it became natural to mentor others that Study your craft and sharpen your skills. were trying to reach their next level. MenRemember, leaders lead by example. Be- toring sailors was my opportunity to encome the leader that others want to fol- courage independence and responsibillow because of your results. Most of all, ity, as well as build my leadership skills. always remember that leaders build leaders; and you are a leader. I challenge you to find those who are trying to get started or struggling with entrepreneurship. Mentor them. Many successful entrepreneurs love men3. Hustle – Hustle is all about work ethic. toring and impacting others. When you feel like you haven’t “made it,” realIn the military, I was never good at taking ize that you have more experience and knowledge than those just getting tests. Some advance in rank by scoring started. Author: Jeff Rollon Website: jeffrollon.com

The Compound Effect Today you are going to learn the principle that many successful individuals use to reap massive results. This is done by taking small, insignificant actions over time and it is known as the compound effect.

Let’s say your goal is to lose 10 lbs by the summer because you want to look good for your high school reunion. I’m a huge coffee drinker and drink at least 2 cups a day, one of them being a white chocolate mocha (which averages around 420 calories). One pound of fat equals 3,500 calories, so 10 lbs of fat is 35,000 calories (3,500 x 10). If you removed only one of those daily cups of coffee, it would take you 83.3 days to lose 10 pounds (assuming the rest of your diet did not change (35,000 / 420 = 83.3 days)). Although simply removing a cup of coffee may be easy to do, it’s also easy not to do. In order for the compound effect to work, you need to take 100 percent responsibility for everything that happens to you. Each of the big successes you see

is the combination of all of the little successes. If you want to improve your life and your situation, you need to make the choice everyday to achieve small wins. Consistency is key. If you’ve lost a week of taking action, don’t get discouraged and quit. It’s easy to lose momentum once you’ve hit a roadblock. Persevere and keep moving forward. You will see significant results as time rolls by. The compound effect can also affect you negatively. Do you watch Netflix? It’s easy to play your favorite episode and lose 30 minutes or an hour of productivity. But what usually happens after you complete the first episode? You watch the next episode and another, and so on and so forth. Have you heard the term “binge watching”? That’s binge watching at its best. Pretty soon that 30 minutes becomes 5 hours, and you wonder where the time went. You may know what happens to that character in the Netflix series, but how does that help you in reaching your goals? The first step toward change is awareness. Be mindful of where you spend your time or it will negatively affect your productivity. This is why scheduling and blocking out times is important. Block out time in the morning for selfdevelopment, for exercise, answering emails, etc. If it doesn’t get scheduled, it doesn’t get done. In conclusion, the compound effect can either make you or break you. It’s not the big choices, but the ones that you think don’t matter as much that take you off course. Once you are aware and conscious about the choices you make, you will start to realize that the small decisions you make really do change things and create dramatic results. Author: Rommel Cabal Website: startuplifehacks.com

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CHANGE IN

FOR THE THRIVING MINORITY ENTREPRENEUR

The environment you grow up in can place you in a mentality of complacency. That same mentality will bind you from the freedom you deserve to attain. You will never get the chance to live the life you were chosen to create and fulfill your own destiny. This is what it feels like to be a minority in America unless you do one thing: Change your mindset. Growing up in the south as an African American, there were few minority entrepreneurs in my hometown. The ones that I did know of personally, either had short-lived, illegitimate businesses or had part-time businesses to help provide income to their families. Very few actually owned a business and knew how to successfully keep it running for many years to come. To me, however, this did not seem right. I did not understand why a city like Jacksonville with a large percentage of African Americans and other minority groups did not thrive with an entrepreneurial spirit. Was it due to financial reasons? Was the thought of being an entrepreneur a daunting and unreachable idea? Does the number of children an individual has prevent him from starting his own business? There could be many reasons, but I did not understand this because my father instilled great values in me as a kid about being a diligent worker and obtaining what I truly desire in life. On a random summer day during high school, while alone in my room, I closed my eyes and pictured seeing myself in a room full of people from all walks of life. Each person offered something special to give to this world. As I walked to each person, I engaged in conversation to learn more about where they were from, what they were good at and how I could help with their overall purpose in life. When I opened my eyes, I smiled as I believed that this was the life I designed for myself to inherit. I was meant to help people through giving. Giving of my time, service, gifts and talents is what I truly desired to gain in life. Since I could visualize it, the only thing missing was the action behind it. No matter what people said to me, I had to ignore their opinions, pave my own path for my life and start living for me and only me. That led to me attending college, earning my Bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree in 3 years, obtaining a Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree by the age of 25, reaching a six-figure income at the age of 27 and starting a career counseling agency, The Corporate Pimp, at age 31. Being a minority in America does not have to prevent you from being successful as an entrepreneur. All it takes is for you to change your mindset and take action on owning your business and being your own boss. Author: Joshua Caleb Jackson, MBA Website: thecorporatepimp.com

ENTREPRENEUR LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE 15

he best advice I ever got was to picture everyone I met with a sign around their neck saying, “Make me feel important.” What a great image to remind us of everyone’s need to be appreciated. Even (especially?) in business. “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou

a greeting card. Maybe you are already sending birthday cards and thank you cards. What do they usually say? A standard greeting is accompanied by your logo, your tag-line and maybe your business card. Impersonal. Can you see how your customers may perceive that the interaction is about YOU and not THEM? True customer retention through Relationship Marketing can be achieved using the following proven 5-card touch system:

Let’s look at some statistics: the #1 reason a customer will purchase from your competition is “perceived indifference.” If customers don’t feel APPRECIATED, they will make their next purchase elsewhere. 2% of sales are made on the 1st contact 3%-10% of sales are made on the 2nd, 3rd or 4th contact 80% of sales require 5-12 contacts! Only 15% of salespeople make > 4 contacts

1. Take a selfie with your customer

Clearly, it is important for entrepreneurs to keep in touch to make their customers feel valued. The real question becomes “How can I stay ‘top of mind’ with my customers?”

3. Send birthday cards! Not cards

Traditional marketing often includes impersonal bulk mail and print advertising. Email campaigns are so over-used now that most people delete hundreds of unopened emails. The key is to build a “Relationship Marketing” system that makes you stand out using the proven “80/20 Rule”: 80% relationship and 20% marketing! My favorite tool, which has shown great success across industries, is old-fashioned snailmail greeting cards. Think about it. When the mail comes in, what does it usually consist of? Bills, advertisements, bank statements… Want to make your customer’s heart jump? Send

and put it on the front of a “Thank You” card without asking for a referral. Just plain and simple appreciation.

Take a selfie with a new customer referred by an existing customer and do the same thing! Send a “Thanks for the Referral” card – with a photo of you with the referral! How thrilling for your customer to know they’ve made a difference! with coupons or offers. Don’t even include your logo. Just a simple note to celebrate THE CUSTOMER!

Send holiday cards. Again, not with the intention of promoting YOUR business, but with a genuine sentiment of good wishes.

The 5th card is the 20% of the 80/20 rule. Send a card telling your customers you appreciate their business and ask for a referral. That’s it! Simple, easy-peasy. When your customer sees an envelope from you in their mailbox, they will be happy because it’s a fun, personal acknowledgment of your gratitude. Grow with gratitude. Author: Kathy Kendrick www.AppreciationPal.com/#!455

Growing With Gratitude 16 LIFE BY DESIGN DECEMBER 2017

n an increasingly competitive marketplace, your personal brand is your competitive advantage, especially on social media. Yet, many entrepreneurs struggle to break through the digital noise and capture the attention of their target market. If your personal brand sucks you can guarantee you are leaving money on the table and also missing out on opportunities to make a greater impact and income. Here are six signs your personal brand sucks on social media: 1. YOU FOCUS ON SELLING Where consumers previously engaged with brands in a solely transactional way, they suddenly had the means to connect with the people behind the brand. For this reason, it’s no longer sufficient to simply sell to your target market. You must engage in cultivating longterm relationships with your target market.

6 Signs Your

of long-term relationships. This cannot happen with an ROI-driven mindset. You must approach these interactions with the goal of adding value consistently over time to build what I call “Relationship Equity.” Like real estate, there is value in the transaction, but the greatest return on investment is in the equity. 6. YOU’RE COMPETING WITH OTHER PERSONAL BRANDS Don’t believe the hype – competition is not a winning strategy. Competition is what happens when you do the same thing as your competitors, but with the hope of doing it much better. This is a one-dimensional strategy. Instead, commit to a more dynamic strategy: Find the one or two things your competitors are not doing and do those things exceptionally well. Hint: Create a magnetic personal brand and leverage the power of social media to build relationship equity with your target market. Author: AJ Adams Website: AJAdams.biz

Personal Brand

Sucks on Social Media 2. YOU DO EVERYTHING Contrary to what countless Instagram bios would lead you to believe, proclaiming yourself as “CEO, Fashion Designer, Artist, Interior Designer, Philanthropist” does not make you seem more credible. Consumers simply want to feel confident that you can do one thing exceptionally well. Simplifying your offerings and becoming a specialist will position you as an expert, rather than an option. 3. YOU SPEAK TO EVERYONE Similar to presenting too many offerings, broadcasting a broad and general brand message is equally as detrimental to your personal brand. Your goal is to get the attention of the right people. This cannot happen if you are speaking to the wrong people as well. If you’re speaking to everyone, you’re speaking to no one. 4. YOU AREN’T ACTIVE IN THE NEW MARKETPLACE Your job is to capture attention. Social media guru, Gary Vaynerchuk, calls this “day trading attention” – exchanging value for attention. This is done by strategically deploying high-value content on social media. If you want to get their money, you must first get their attention. 5. You prioritize ROI What is the currency of business? No, it’s not Bitcoin. The currency of business in the social media marketplace is relationships. When you engage with your target market on social media through your content, you are playing the long game. It is not a static sales transaction; it is a dynamic cultivation ENTREPRENEUR LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE 17

eople ask me all the time about starting my own business. They ask how I got started and what keeps me motivated when things get tough. While some entrepreneurs credit what they learned in college, their paid memberships to networking groups or the online courses they took taught by selfproclaimed business experts, I credit 100 yards of turf, huddles, and literal blood, sweat, and tears. My best business training came from playing football.

“Are you going to be the hammer or the nail?” Before I started my business, I played women’s pro football for 10 seasons, most of which we lost until 2007 when we finally won it all. But up until that game, and games the following seasons, I cannot even remember a number of times I got knocked on my ass and had seconds to get back up or quit. Ironically, the same thing happened in my business. There is no other sport that symbolizes an actual workforce like football does. Eleven different team members with 11

different roles come together to achieve one common goal and if even one of them makes a mistake, the plan can fail. Every team makes mistakes, even in the NFL. How many times have you seen Tom Brady throw an interception? Does he quit? No, he reviews the play to see where the failure happened and how to make sure it doesn’t happen again. The great Vince Lombardi once said, “Football is a game of inches...,” and that is a lot of what being an entrepreneur is. You have to keep grinding if you want a chance to succeed. You might be the mom and pop store competing with a national chain for a contract in the same way you can be the 0-5 team playing the 5-0 team (and how many times have we seen the 0-5 team come out on top?). Maybe they weren’t the most talented, but they worked the hardest or came in more prepared. Desire and dedication is a powerful combination. Football is like business in the way that you can be the champion and still lose games and that is why you can never stop improving. There is always, and I do mean always, going to be someone who feels they work harder

and are better than you, and they might be. But that is where you have to decide if you are going to allow them to work harder. Or as a coach once asked me, “Are you going to be the hammer or the nail?” When you can answer that, you find a way to win. When I started my business I started with a complete football mentality, which is why the name of my business is Sixty5 Media. I wore #65 for my entire football career. I took the advice of experienced coaches and seasoned vets. I surrounded myself with players who shared the same mentality to win and the same work ethic. I sought out rookie talent that showed great potential and that would allow me to test my skills as a leader. The bottom line is, suiting up and playing football isn’t for everyone just like owning your own business isn’t. You have to be willing to get pushed to your limits physically and mentally. If you can dig deep and get through those moments and you are truly passionate about what you are doing, I promise you, there is nothing else like it when you succeed. Author: Jody Taylor Website: sixty5media.com

LEARNING BUSINESS IN THE HUDDLE

he holidays are creeping up quickly, and holiday party planning is in full swing. Whether you’re looking to plan a party for your small business, or are a mid-size corporation trying to create memorable experiences, this article will guide you through the process of throwing a holiday “Cheese & Wine” party. It’s a well-known fact that employees are tired of generic holiday parties; so I would recommend creating an experience for employees by hosting an In-House Wine & Cheese tasting instead of a traditional office holiday party. Wine and Cheese pairing is an inexpensive option compared to standard holiday parties and will also give a fun change of scenery for your vitally important employees. HOW TO PREP The first step is to know your team size, guest list, and budget because those will influence the type of party you plan. The next step is always a catchy theme. Try to think of something fun and interesting. Here’s an example: “Cocktails and Conversations.” You will need a few bottles of 90 point or higher wine, fancy cheeses, gourmet chocolates, a sommelier (if budgeted for). The sommelier can also assist you with procuring alcohol and will typically charge a procurement fee for purchasing and delivering alcohol to the event, in addition to the cost of the selected wines. This might be a great option for those offices that have less time to plan for their event. Now that’s the wine. What about the cheese and chocolates? No matter if the office is covering it, or if employees are bringing them, See’s Candies has great chocolate that is inexpensive and goes well with most wines. Costco and Trader Joe’s are my top choices for fantastic and affordable cheeses. You’ll need palate cleansers, so do not forget to grab some snacks. Here’s a sample shopping MENU that’s full of great variety and bargain cheese and wine: PRESENTATION Remember: it matters. Holding your holiday party at the office may appear to be cheap, so splurge a little on trays, platters, and glasses. When setting up the cheese trays, put one to three varieties on each board to give guests a chance to try a few different varieties. Be sure to have labels in front of or inserted into the cheese so guests know what they are trying. Put a few different bottles of wine with each tray, varying from one tray to another, so guests can sample different reds and whites with different ripe cheeses. Quick Tip - For each cheese, you’ll want to buy at least one ounce per person. For beginner parties, limit yourself to three to five cheeses and four to six wines, so as not to overwhelm the palate (and the guests). This article is only the tip of the iceberg as to what can be done at a Wine & Cheese tasting holiday party. Please take the idea and run with it and make it unique to your office so you can have the perfect experience. Don’t forget that the responsible thing to do may be to provide alternative transportation. Happy Holidays!! Author: Shadae Mayfield www.linkedin.com/in/shadae-mayfield-mond-2aba367b

fice P la n a n O f o t H w oli Ho d

e t! g d ay Pa u r ty on a B ENTREPRENEUR LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE 19

ave you ever felt fear when thinking about attending a networking event? Have you ever attended an event only to stare at your phone and act like you were talking to someone? If you’ve answered yes to either of these questions, the following tips will help you on your journey as an intro-prenuer, an introverted entrepreneur. Bring a friend with you to networking events. Typically when you go networking, it’s nerve-wracking because you don’t know anyone there. You go to the event and it looks like everyone knows everyone....except for you. Worst case scenario, you end up taking out your phone and pretend to be texting or calling someone. We’ve all been there; it sucks! What if you had a friend? They could always be your safe zone to fall back on. If you have a friend who is outgoing, ask him to bring people back and introduce you to each other.

Prepare for the event beforehand. I like to find out who I need to connect with. I will research and look at their LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, website, etc. I can ask them questions or talk to them based off what I learned about them. You won’t have to worry about not knowing what to say. Practice, practice, practice. The more you attend networking functions, the easier it becomes. You start recognizing people, and they will start recognizing you. They’ll start introducing you to people they know and it becomes a lot easier. Remember, practice doesn’t make perfect, but it does make progress. Progress in the way you speak, the way you connect, the value you deliver, and even the referrals you get in return.

“They want to meet me!”

Determine the objective of your networking beforehand. Are you looking to get as many business cards as possible? Are you looking to connect with people from certain industries? Get clear on your intentions beforehand. By knowing your purpose, you’re more likely to accomplish your goal. Repeat to yourself, “They want to meet me!” Most people at these functions are there to grow their business or brand. In order for them to do so, they need to meet people like you. Yes, they want to meet you! They want to connect and chat with you. They are normal people just like you and me. In fact, they could be just as scared as you are! By breaking the ice, you could be helping them out and it’s a win-win situation.

20 LIFE BY DESIGN DECEMBER 2017

There you have it. Introverts can network successfully with the best of them. Remember, get out there and have fun. You’re working on a business or cause that you care about deeply. You’re out there making meaningful connections to further the cause for your vision. It becomes easier over time, and dare I say it even becomes fun. Happy networking, my dear intropreneurs! Author: Alan Leung Website: mobilezilla.biz

Five

Networking Tips for Intro-preneurs

TO GIVE OR NOT TO GIVE REFERRALS

47-year old from NY, I grew up in a time when vouching for someone could mean making the deal of a lifetime happen or living with a consequence. Some consequences were more dire than others, but in the end, you realized that passing along a referral or vouching for someone has become as sacred as your handshake. In today’s fast-paced climate, driven by social media, the referral has in many instances lost its importance to most average business professionals. They stalk media platforms waiting for a “Friend” to make a recommendation request and then “Whammo!” they tag another media friend and they look for instant gratification with likes and comments and an in for them to offer their services later in the equation. Unfortunately, most of the time they don’t know the person they referred or more importantly their work ethic and integrity. This in many cases becomes disastrous for them when the referral fails to deliver, then deals are lost and personal/media friendships are strained. If you take your time to really look, though, you will see that for the very successful business professionals, success is not measured in social media friends or likes, but in dollars and

cents. Actually, elite business professionals very rarely, if at all, offer a referral in a public setting. Why? The answer is simple… They have built a success in and around themselves that their competition envies and that they are unwilling to compromise that achievement by just “passing along a name.” As a business owner for 25 years, it is important for me to ensure that everything I do is a positive reflection on me and my teams! Being respected in your field of business is the key to longevity. My advice is to hold your referral close to your heart and your checkbook! Realize that if you don’t know the individual through work, per-

“MORE REFERRALS AND ULTIMATELY MORE BUSINESS” formance, social outings and family (see that I did not put an “or” in there) then maybe you should kindly and respectfully hold off on blurting out a name for the sake of filling a need because you might be digging a deeper hole for them and you. When you do have someone that has lived up to your expectations and truly believe that they are a perfect reflection of you, then offer that referral in a private setting with an explanation so the recipient knows why you offered him/her as a perfect solution. When the client and referral succeed, they will quickly come back to you for more referrals and ultimately more business, creating the perfect win-win scenario! Remember that in business you are only as good as your last mistake or your last referral! Author: Gregg Sharp Website: a2mcontractors.com

BE MEMORABLE. NAMES MATTER.

“

I’m so sorry. I’m bad with names. May I please have your name again?” Even though the gesture shows that you care and it’s important that you know their name, isn’t it much more memorable if you’ve captured and remembered their name the first time? How would remembering someone's name the first time impact your relationship building skills? Great! You’re in the right article! Remembering people’s names is an acknowledgment that they exist; they matter to you. It’s evidence that you took the time to know and remember their name. Here are three quick steps to know and remember a person you meet for the first time:

1. Believe that you are a genius when it comes to remembering

names. We can all agree that all things begin in our mind. Best way to do this is by preparing yourself before any events where you will be meeting new people. You may recite affirmations or self-talks, whatever works for you. Believe it and you will achieve it!

2. Use the power of the first impression to your favor. What

do I mean by this? Use the information that you immediately receive from that person. I met a businesswoman and my first impression was that she is a very strong, confident woman. We introduced ourselves to each other. When she mentioned her name, Victoria, I immediately attached her name to Victoria Falls. Use visual representation of the person for you to remember. How did this person make you feel, and how did the person appear to you?

3. Repeat their name as soon as possible

by simply responding, “Nice to meet you, Victoria.” This will help register it in your mind. Also, do your best to say their name throughout the conversation. Remember that hearing our name is one of the most appealing, pleasing words to our ears. And lastly, bid your farewell by again using their name, “Take care, Victoria. Have a wonderful rest of the day!” Make it fun! Finding better ways to remember names has always been a personal goal of mine. I deeply believe that it is impossible to have a relationship with anyone without knowing their name. The name does matter! Let us be the entrepreneurs that will be remembered as the ones that cared and gave importance to everyone we connected with. Author: Jennifer Meim Website: jennifermeim.com

ENTREPRENEUR LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE 21

ENTREPRENEUR OF THE MONTH

GREG REID

As entrepreneurs, we aim to reach new levels each and every day, and we hope the top dogs that we look up to are doing the same thing. November’s Entrepreneur of the Month goes to a top dog who is doing just that, Greg Reid. The author of over 60 books, and speaking on stages all over the world, Greg is constantly inspiring people to reach their goals, always aim higher, and take action. With every mentee, program and successful venture, Greg expands his entrepreneurial empire. Life By Design is honored to have had the chance to interview Greg to help not only share his story, but also help honor such an amazing man. Greg, thank you for being the fun-loving, inspirational guy that put you at the top of our list. Greg learned the lesson of leverage as a mere teen. At the age of 14, he was getting in trouble for his entrepreneurial spirit. Originally he would mow the neighborhood lawns for ten bucks a pop, but he started to recruit the other neighborhood kids and paid them $5 per lawn. This is where we start to see entrepreneurship running through his veins. Although today we admire this kind of spirit, sadly his parents did not (at least back then), telling him that he was taking advantage of the other kids in the neighborhood. Can you imagine what would have happened if that was the end of his entrepreneurial career! Luckily he had something driving him to be an entrepreneur, something that everyone in the world craves, but only a few have. Freedom. That’s what drove Greg to always aim higher, the idea that one day he would be able to do what he wants when he wants, with whom he wants. Now that he has it, he says he doesn’t have anyone really in his network that truly has a job, and that is what real freedom is. He goes on to tell us that he wouldn’t trade all of his stress to sit in a cubicle. At least this way he knows that he is the one who he could make all of his deadlines, and he is the only one who gets the reward of putting himself through all that stress. But it wasn’t always rainbows and sunshine. Like you and me, he has had struggles. His biggest obstacle, and one that he believes affects most young entrepreneurs, is mindset. In particular, fear of being judged. This one belief can hold anyone back from their destiny.

His best advice to his younger self would be to eat more cake. No really, that is exactly what he said, “Eat more cake!” Although eating more cake is perfect advice just as it is, he went on to say "Enjoy your life, love what you are doing, and sometimes it won't work out, but that’s just the way things go."

His advice is to realize that no one is actually thinking about you; everyone is too wrapped up in what they have going on to actually care what you are doing. Live your life like nobody’s watching, and start taking action because that is the way to success.

Greg has made it a practice to wake up every morning not caring what others think about the way he lives because in his own words “I do it because I know, I don’t hope or wish or believe. I know I’m doing something that I’m destined for.” This attitude helps him take action. You will not see him just sitting around waiting for the perfect time, the perfect idea, or the perfect speech. Part of being an entrepreneur is seeing that there will never be a perfect time, the situation will never be perfect, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth the risk. If he feels that something has potential, then he goes after it because he knows that people will remember the life he has lived, the people he has impacted, not the small tasks, or failures. Does anyone remember the other thousands of times Thomas Jefferson failed? No, because he had other successes, and the same goes for all those trying their best and following their destiny. Greg says that he knows he will never look back on his life and say, “I wish I would have” because even if he isn’t an expert he takes action. That kind of gung-ho attitude had us questioning how Greg felt about the phrase “failure is your best

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friend,” because when you’re willing to take risks like that, there has to be some expectations of failure. He says it is complete B.S. No one wants to fail; everyone would much rather succeed in every venture they put forth and if they didn’t fail they could still learn from all of their successes just like he did. With each new success, Greg has learned about connections, leveraging relationships, and how to build off each new relationship. Although we do learn from our setbacks and struggles, that doesn’t mean we should hope for them as a lesson. Always aim for success and learn as much as you can on the way. So how does Greg handle setbacks, stress, and frustration? Well, our lovely interviewer found out there is nothing quite likes a Jack in the Box Oreo shake with whipped cream and no cherry. But on a more serious note, he talks to his friends, mentors, and his mastermind -- seeking council, based off of knowledge and experience, never just opinions. He mentions that it is important to remember that every person in the world knows something that you don’t, and when someone does give you advice, don’t say “Thank you, but.” Instead, say “thank you” and then decide whether the information is good for you or not. When he seeks council, he uses the “hand in the sand method.” He explains this as he imagines he has grabbed a handful of sand. Each grain of sand is counsel, or advice, from someone. He then allows all the sand that doesn’t seem like it would work for him fall out of his hand and grasps tightly the ones that seem like they will work

know what will help and what would hurt your new business. When he looks back on his life and has written over 100 books, he says there are going to be some bad ones in there, but no one is going to look at the bad ones. People are going to look at the five amazing ones. Although he is only at 64 books, he says he will reach 100 before he kicks it, and he will have more than one amazing book, even if it is just to prove his mentor wrong. His mentor told him that every person has one good book in them, and he aims to have more than two amazing books, and he is at the very least halfway there. With all this amazing information he shared, it really got me wondering where he got his start, and I don’t mean when he was fourteen years old and mowing lawns. Greg’s first million dollar deal was actually a telemarketing company. He had started at a telemarketing company when he was 20 years old and ended up being in that business for nearly 20 years. After working for this telemarketing company, he bought his own, grew it to be a massively successful business (as he does with most of his ventures) and then sold it. What an amazing start being in the same business for almost 20 years. It shows that the smallest ventures can be the start to a million dollar deal.

Before his first million-dollar deal, he just barely scraped by high school, and never attended college. When he told his parents that he wasn’t going to college, his dad said that he was being Greg S. Reid, Keynote Speaker IS PRESENTED stupid, but he couldn’t be upset because his father with the United Nations Global Goals Award didn’t go to college either. The funniest part of all of Excellence in Leadership & Empowerment that is his father told Greg that he would never make We asked him his best advice to his younger self, to which he money talking to people, and now his “job” is traveling around responded, “Eat more cake!” No, really, that is exactly what he the world inspiring people by talking to them! said, “Eat more cake!” Although eating more cake is perfect advice just as it is, he went on to say “Enjoy your life, love what He literally took his father’s words when he refused to go to you are doing, and sometimes it won’t work out, but that’s just college, and turned it into a full-fledged career. the way things go.” One of the keys to making money like this is by helping others Being as successful as he is, it is natural for us to ask him for get what they want. Part of Greg’s charm is he is always asking advice for our readers who are just starting out. He offers people how he can help them. this golden nugget of knowledge; successful people accept counsel, and failures listen to opinion. When you are looking He is currently working on a major motion picture called Wish to succeed you should ask people who have been through Man (the story of how the Make-A-Wish Foundation was crewhat you are going through, and have come out the other ated). A few years ago Greg asked one of the co-founders of side better off. When you listen to people who haven’t been the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Frank Shankwitz, what his wish through it and honestly haven’t even considered it, what ad- was. (No one had ever asked Frank his wish.) His response was vice can they give that will truly help you, and how would they that he just wanted his story to be told so his grandchildren

24 LIFE BY DESIGN DECEMBER 2017

would know what they had created. That lead to Greg telling Frank’s story. Through the movie, Greg and Frank will impact millions of people with this one conjoined effort. Greg firmly believes that, “By helping others you can truly help yourself.” There is no doubt in our mind at Stegela Success Mastery that Greg not only deserves to be honored as our person of the month, but he also is our very first honoree. He has published 64 books, made millions of dollars, and helped millions of people all across the world. Whether he has reached people through his books, his speeches, or through his help with charity, Greg has touched millions of people’s lives and will continue to do so by always striving to be better. Whether you know Greg personally, or only know his name, he is definitely someone that we can all look up to, and someone who has inspired (and will continue to inspire) many people, especially all of us at Life By Design! Written by: Kristen Crooks Interviewed by: Jennifer Meim www.GregReid.com

To FAIL Is To Succeed

e all make mistakes, but not everyone grows from them. After attending countless seminars and conferences, one thing I’ve learned is that my perception determines the extent of my growth. I grew up with the mentality that mistakes are bad and if I make them, this or that will happen. I lived with that mindset until I realized that my mistakes bring me closer to success. Tony Robbins’ example of teaching a baby how to walk really helped me see making mistakes in a different way. If a baby keeps falling, would you tell him to stop trying to walk and stay on the ground for rest of his baby life? No, you wouldn’t. You would do all you could to help him walk. It is no different when it comes to achieving your dreams. You have to continue to push yourself, especially when things get tough and you’re making mistakes one after another. There is a saying that goes: “fall seven times, stand up eight.” Mistakes can be good or bad depending on how you choose to see them. The way we see things stems from our habitual mentality -- how we have always seen and reacted to situations.

I won’t sugarcoat it and say that it is easy to change your habitual mentality, but it is possible and the reward is so worth it. Be persistent and consistent then, before you know it, you will love mistakes just as much as I do. Here are three ways that have helped me overcome my reaction to my mistakes and failures: Instead of being stuck on your mistakes, reflect on how you can do it better next time. DON’T BEAT YOURSELF UP -- like I said, we all make mistakes and what good will it do for you if beat yourself up? You’re right, nothing. I’ve made it a rule that if what I’m about to say or think does not uplift me or help my business grow, then I won’t even say or think about it. Lastly, just because you fail doesn’t mean it is the end of the world -use the failure as motivation and inspiration to help you succeed. If you take only one thing from this, I want you to remember that life is a mindset. What you think and how you perceive things will dictate your life either positively or negatively -the choice is all yours. Author: Jennifer K Nguyen Website: jenniferknguyen.com

ENTREPRENEUR LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE 25

Do You Have ‘FOMO’? Do you have FOMO? Do you have fears that hold you back from accomplishing your dreams? Did you know that FOMO is the Fear Of Missing Out? And it’s a real thing?

First, you must admit you have it.

Some of the recognizable traits of FOMO are: 1) anxiousness about leaving an active party because you might miss “the big thing,” or 2) angst when you find out someone had an event and you weren’t invited (Why wasn’t I invited? Are they mad at me? What did I do?), or 3) an anxious feeling when you are watching QVC and they say, “We only have ___ left” and you HAVE to buy it NOW or you will lose out, or 4) when attending a seminar and the speaker says that if you don’t “buy it now” the price WILL go up you throw down your credit card and don’t even know what you bought or why you bought it AND you have 10 other programs sitting on your shelf at home that you haven’t finished (the infamous shelf-development), or….

Last, you must notice how you feel when you bought something that you probably shouldn’t have.

Second, you must recognize what it feels like WHILE in the middle of the FOMO episode.

When you are in the middle of a FOMO episode, try this 6-letter word that has been instrumental in ridding me of it. I use it FREQUENTLY when I am faced with a potential FOMO experience. BUDGET! I have discovered that before I attend an event where sales might be happening from the “back of the room” that I need to gather my thoughts ahead of time and prepare an event BUDGET. If the cost of the product is more than I have budgeted for, then I don’t buy it. Plain and simple.

You get the point. You DON’T WANT TO MISS OUT ON ANYTHING.

Budgeting has given me the gift of control and has saved me thousands of dollars. There will always be another program that will do the same thing or may be even better.

FOMO can be costly. If you don’t know how to deal with it and end up letting it control you, you can lose everything.

Don’t let anyone make you feel like you have to buy it NOW. Try saying this: “I love your product and really want to buy it, but it is not in my budget for this year.”

FOMO isn’t always a bad thing because it often moves you into action to get shiz done, right? You work harder than anyone else, right? You want to LEAD the pack, not get left out, right? Here’s one tip to rid yourself of FOMO instead of letting it control you.

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Try it out. Let me know how it goes. There are more techniques, but this technique will get you started. And...I have a product that you need to buy right now to get started right away. Haha! FOMO humor. Author: Lynda Sunshine West Website: LivingLive.tv

MEAL PREP FOR DECEMBER Being a busy entrepreneur, wanting to stay healthy, but being able to save time was a challenge until I found the solution, meal prep. Meal prepping allowed me to choose healthy dishes to prepare during the week. It was easy to just grab and go at the start of the day. I felt healthier eating meal prepped foods rather than my alternative, which had been fast food or frozen food. It saved me time, money, and made me healthier. I highly recommend meal prepping for all entrepreneurs. Here is a quick recipe for a meal prep that is delicious and healthy to eat. I hope you enjoy it! Red Cabbage & Carrot Slaw • • • • • • •

Shredded 8 oz small red cabbage Shredded 10 oz carrot Diced ½ red onion 3 Tbsp olive oil 3 Tbsp white wine vinegar 2 Tbsp honey ½ cup shredded chives

•

Salt & pepper

In a large bowl, mix together cabbage, carrots & onion. Season with oil, vinegar, honey and salt & pepper

Turkey Meatballs Delight • • • • • • • • •

1lb ground turkey ½ cup green onions chopped 1 – 1 ½ cup panko breadcrumbs 1 cup crushed pineapple 1 egg 2 Tbsp Sriracha 3 Tbsp garlic Hoisin sauce 1 Tsp ginger Minced 2 garlic cloves

•

Salt & pepper

In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients, reserving 2 Tbsp of garlic Hoisin sauce. Using hands, shape meatballs & place on parchment lined baking sheet. • • •

Put in refrigerator for 1 hour Bake at 375ºF for 25-30 min Glaze with remaining garlic Hoisin sauce, and crushed pineapple

Author: Angela Dela Cruz Website: StegelaSuccess.com

INCORPORATION? Not So Complicated After All

ou may be wondering, “Is it worth incorporating my business? If so, what is the process?” You may not know a lawyer who can walk you through the process or trust online legal services. Here’s the good news: this article lays out a step-by-step guide on how to incorporate in California. There are a number of reasons to incorporate instead of remaining a sole proprietorship. The primary reason is to avoid personal liability; to stop any creditors, including lawsuit winners, from taking personal property from the owners of the business to pay off the company’s debt. For example, if someone owns a store and a customer slips and falls in the store, and the reason they slipped was due to the negligence of the store’s employee, the customer, after winning a lawsuit, can go after the personal assets of the store owner in order to satisfy the money owed to the customer. Nevertheless, if the store was maintained within a corporation, owned by the same store owner, the injured customer could only go after the assets of the corporation, leaving the personal assets of the owner free from the claim by the creditor. This release of personal liability can be relevant in a variety of different lawsuits and legal matters, i.e. slip-and-fall, contract disputes, employee law claims, tax issues, and business debt responsibilities. Incorporating a business can shield a business owner from personal liability from any of these claims, and more. It is a legal buffer ensuring that a business owner’s personal property is safe from any disputes with the owners’ business and ensures continued ownership. There are also a number of tax implications that arise from incorporation and running a business as a corporation. It is important to talk with a tax professional when determining whether incorporation is the right step for

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a particular business. This article is not giving any tax advice. Step 1 – Name Search A business owner who is looking to incorporate a new or existing business must determine whether the name they wish to call the corporation is still available for use. The California Secretary of State (“SOS”) has a searchable database on their website (http://www.sos.ca.gov) where a business owner can search names of existing businesses and see if their potential name is still unused. The SOS will not allow the incorporation of a business using a name that already exists. The SOS will allow the use of the name as long as the name is not held by an already existing, active, corporation. However, it is important to remember that just because the SOS grants a business owner the name, doesn’t mean that it is protected under trademark law. That’s a separate topic. Step 2 – Articles of Incorporation The Articles of Incorporation is the name for the paperwork sent to the SOS, which, after processing, creates the corporation. On the SOS’s website, there is a form, Form ARTS-GS, which is preapproved, that allows business owners to fill in the form and mail it to the SOS. The form asks for the business’s name, address, and registered service of process agent (the person designated to receive legal documents). Step 3 – EIN Step 3 is obtaining an Employee Identification Number. It is similar to a Social Security number, but for a business. A business will need this in order to hire employees and pay taxes. A business owner can apply and receive the number straight from the IRS’s website.

Step 4 – Order Corporate Binder A Corporate Binder, though not strictly necessary, is the traditional place where all the important documents of the business are kept. You can easily order one online (search for “corporate binder” in a search engine or favorite shopping website and a number of options will show up). They come with the corporation’s name already printed inside and generally include stock certificates as well. Step 5 – Write Bylaws The bylaws of a corporation are a set of rules that outline how the corporation will be run. Bylaws include sections such as the responsibilities of members of the board of directors and executives, how to remove unwanted directors and executives, how to handle conflicts of interest, and how often meetings will be held. There are templates that can be found online using a search engine that may be helpful. Step 6 – Hold First Annual Meeting The meetings start with the first Annual Shareholders Meeting, where any and all shareholders determine who will sit on the board of directors of the corporation. This meeting may be fairly informal in small corporations; however, it is important to memorialize this meeting by keeping meeting minutes and storing a copy of those minutes in the corporate binder. After the Shareholder’s meeting is the first Board of Director’s meeting. In this meeting, the directors discuss who the executives of the company will be, where to bank, whether to be taxed as an S-Corporation and also adopt bylaws and issue stock certificates. There is nothing preventing for-profit corporations in California from having a single owner who owns all of the shares, is the only member of the board of directors, and performs the role of all the different executive positions. Step 7 – Statement of Information A Statement of Information must be filed with the SOS within 90 days of incorporation and then yearly after the initial filing. The SOS has a form that is used, Form SI-550. Just fill it out and send it in. The form is used to notify the state, and the public, who the officers and agent of the process of the company are. Once the initial Statement of Information is filed, new yearly Statements of Information, where no changes have occurred, can be filed online through the SOS’s website. Step 8 – Specific Business Needs Each business has its own individual needs. A business may need a business license or a permit to operate their specific business in the location they wish to operate. Every corporation has their own tax responsibilities as well. These are requirements to run a successful business, but are not technically a step of incorporation. These are the steps required to incorporate in California. This article covers the basic information. If a business owner wishes to form an LLC, the steps are similar but vary slightly. A business owner should definitely consult with a business attorney if they have any questions or concerns regarding what is right for their particular business. Author: William Mond Website: MondLaw.com

3 REASONS I DIDN’T LET MY

Many parents are shocked when they find out that Caleb is 14 years old and I never let him own video game systems. To this day, I do not let him download video games on his phone. Of course, this may seem extreme; however, raising kids that have a focused mind does not just happen. Friends, we must be extremely direct and intentional with our parenting in order to raise our kids to have impeccable manners, values, and character. My decision to steer Caleb away from video games was guided by my gut feeling and intuition. While many of Caleb’s friends were spending hours upon hours on video games, my gut told me that this was not the direction in which I wanted Caleb to head. It seemed to me that many of these kids had distracted and dull minds. As a result of too much screen time, the kids seemed to be lacking proper communication skills and a genuine work ethic. These are some of the values I strive to instill in Caleb. Although I could write another book about how dangerous video games are for children, I will spare my beliefs for now. However, I do want to share three key reasons why I did not let Caleb play video games:

1) Focused Mind v. Video Games:

As a man that has always been driven by success, I knew that one of the gifts that I had to give my son was core training on how to develop a focused mind. There are so many people that are not reaching their full potential because they are living with a distracted mind. Both alarming and sad in the same vein, I was determined to not let Caleb become another statistic. We must learn how powerful it is to still the mind, to focus. There are heaps of people reading this article that could be prospective millionaires, within five years, if he or she would learn how to focus and how to apply this concentration to his or her goals…family, education, career, business, travel, etc. We must access our human capital and channel our concentrated and creative energy in order to reach success. My gut feeling was telling me that video games would dull Caleb’s mind and diminish his ability to master focus. Without video games, Caleb is routinely reaching results by practicing a life lead by a determined focus. I may have encouraged this lifestyle, but Caleb now embraces this choice as he realizes the immense impact it has on his creative life and business choices. In turn, his focused mind produced an organic Facebook post that reached 20 million views just last month! Caleb is impacting millions of people and he is only 14 years old. If we master our focus coupled with mastering our time, we will transform into our most efficient and most successful versions of ourselves, the people that I know we can be!

PLAY 2) Time Mastery v. Video Games:

You see, friends, I STRONGLY dislike the words, “time management!” Time is as scarce a resource as they come; therefore, we do not need to manage time; we need to master it! What value does playing video games give to our kids other than hours upon hours wasted on something that will take them away from said mastery? Too many kids are graduating from high school and still do not understand the true value of time and how to master time. To put things into perspective, by age 14, Caleb has already read over 100 books, watched over 1,000 personal growth videos and has accomplished more than most 40 year olds simply because he invested his time in his human capital and skills that would give him a return. Some people refer to Caleb’s success as a lucky turn of events. Friends, we must distinguish, here, between luck and hard work. Caleb often looked like the nerd to his friends because he was reading Success Principles, while they were playing “Angry Birds!” Caleb’s success did and does not happen overnight, rather, through years of hard work to master and continue to master his time. People that master time understand the value of an hour. Moreover, time mastery leads us to produce actions that produce future financial and personal freedom so that you can live the life that you imagine!

3) Active Lifestyle v. Video Games:

The importance of an active lifestyle is two-fold: 1) it will curb childhood obesity and 2) it will lead to a more profound and proactive approach to becoming successful and developing the right habits necessary to obtain said success.

SON PLAY VIDEO GAMES

1 2 3

What in the h-e-“double hockey sticks” is wrong with our society? Childhood obesity is out of control and I hold the parents 100 percent responsible. We are raising a generation of inactive, uninspired, and lazy kids that just want to sit around playing video games, downloading the latest app, or watching TV. Not only is this extremely harmful to the physical and mental wellbeing of our children, but also impacts the development of and future success of our youth. An active lifestyle refers to the physical aspect of getting out in nature and exercising and taking a proactive approach to learn skills, values, and tools of success. Our kids should be reading books, mastering the right habits, making money, starting businesses, and spending time interacting with their friends and nature rather than being glued to the TV. Thankfully, I grew up in a time when we had real human-to-human interactions and time spent in nature rather than staying in front of a computer, video game or iPhone all day.

The way in which I was fortunate to grow up greatly influences my approach to parenting Caleb. Today, for example, I am going to an outdoor event for two hours. Caleb has pleaded that he does not want to go because there is not a perceived or tangible return on investment for his time. I have trained him to think this way! Proud dad moment! However, I have insisted that he go because he needs to interact with people face-to-face to keep his mind and communication skills sharp. Besides, he needs some sunshine and to connect with other kids. Back to my point about the physical aspect of an active lifestyle… our kids are growing up overweight, with diabetes, allergies, increasing number of autoimmune diseases and vision problems. I do not believe that this is a coincidence, rather, a direct correlation to our inactive lifestyle choices. Friends, we must not get complacent in teaching our kids the physical, mental, and emotional power that physical fitness has on our well-being. Back in my day (ha-ha!), Physical Education was mandatory for every single student to graduate. Now, they are doing away with this in our schools. This is devastating in itself, but should light a fire in us to take control and influence our children now more than ever. Our kids would get better grades, have healthier emotions, sharper minds and have better self esteem if they were more active and did more physical fitness rather than sitting around engaging in too much screen-time.

Friends, with these three key points in mind, there is no question that I am passionate about the subject and my approach to proper parenting! I am on a mission to encourage parents to wake up, to light a fire in them, and to teach them how to be more intentional in their conversations and actions, to instill more values, character, work ethic and the right mindset within their children. Friends, it is incredibly important to stick to your guns like I did when considering whether or not to let Caleb play video games. Caleb and I could not be happier with the choices I and we have made and have ZERO regrets, whatsoever! Friends, please consider our story and how it could be beneficial to your familial situation. Have a great day and do not hesitate to let me know how I can serve you. Author: Matt Maddix Website: MaddixPublishing.com

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Ever since my TED talk years ago, I’m often asked how to best donate for maximum impact. Start by asking, “What kind of impact do I want?” And “In what timeframe?” These questions clarify what causes are ideal for you. Savvy entrepreneurs should think about two kinds of charitable giving: Personal and Business. When it comes to Personal Giving, I have a wide range of causes I donate to with no strings attached. These are based on personal connections with leaders and issues I care about deeply. Donations around the holidays are great.

Also, this isn’t the smartest time to strategically donate because of conditions I include with my sizeable sponsorships. Please note: if your donations come with conditions, they must be sizeable or else organizations (understandably) won’t accommodate you. I’ve found that summer is a great time to reach out to strategic causes because there’s more time in an Executive Director’s schedule for networking meals. My preference is dinner since there’s more time to brainstorm and have a glass of wine/cocktail - which seems to help partnership discussions.

“What kind of impact do I want?”

Obviously, how much you donate in either category is based on what you want to be about (for what it’s worth, my personal donations dwarf my business ones).

Now in terms of Business Giving, my companies only donate to causes that serve our ideal customers and with stipulations in place (sometimes called sponsorships). These are our marketing expenses for the year. As a leader of your business consider Business Giving for the following reasons: Successful entrepreneurs always separate personal and business finances - including charitable donations. Your marketing goal is to win the Like, Trust and Respect of others. Nothing does this with your customers and strategic partners better than generosity. It grows your revenue which lets you donate even more the next year and so on. This virtuous cycle can change the world. For Business Giving, the holiday season is not the best time because the massive pile of year-end donations reduces your traction (ie. a ten thousand dollar donation stands out much more in Q2 than in Q4).

Don’t Give

This Holiday Season 32 LIFE BY DESIGN DECEMBER 2017

When choosing a recipient for Business Giving, look for these attributes: Well led with a clear mission.

Has membership. Members are ideal potential customers. Keeps in touch with members. Top leadership is accessible. Respectable people on the board.

Some stipulations for donations/sponsorships are combinations of: Sponsorship recognition. Have a dedicated landing page for this. A regular column for their newsletter. Highly-relevant workshops for members. Meeting board members. The right of first refusal for all sponsorship benefits. Please remember, no cause should entertain any of the above unless you have a genuine concern for their mission. Author: Joon S Han Website: awesomeguests.com/join/mega

3 Things Every Entrepreneur Should Tell Themselves Everyday to Maximize Success When 6-year-old Mark Geroux finds himself

in the Foster Care system, he must quickly scramble to create the life he wants and to survive what lies ahead. Using his quick wit, resourcefulness and his God-given networking skills, he creates a blueprint and a plan that introduces him to his idol, Tom Petty, and helps him discover the leader within. The discovery helps Mark not only survive but thrive on his own and “outside the system.” The same 3 principles he teaches entrepreneurs have helped him be a successful contractor, serial entrepreneur and speaker and coach. In his groundbreaking 30-Day Journal Mark gives foster kids the world over the blank script to write their own ending to their own story. From interviewing his own list of A-List celebrities to coaching clients to take control of their life, Mark’s book NEVER ALONE empowers young people to let go of the pain, confusion, and anger that accompany the foster child’s life to creating a tangible roadmap to help kids win in life.

Using the 3 Principles he learned growing up “in the system” from being homeless to surviving on his own and becoming a successful entrepreneur and businessman who gives back, Mark says, “You can make it, you are loved and you can succeed.” Those affirmations coupled with his drive and desire to create a better life for himself and his son have been the catalyst to help create the book and the movement that reframed the movie inside Mark’s head. Now he’s helping foster kids everywhere create their new movie from the inside out. These are the same 3 Principles he teaches entrepreneurs everywhere: 1) You are Loved 2) You have Value 3) You have a Purpose By realizing these things every day and saying them to yourself in the mirror each morning as you drive or travel to work or sales appointments will boost your self-confidence and make a tremendous difference in not only how you see yourself, but in how others see you. Author: Mark Geroux Website: markageroux.com

LOVE & BUSINESS

Who Said You Can’t Have It All?

What would it mean for you to feel complete? What is the ultimate vision of your life? Your dream? If nothing could go wrong, where would you like to be in 5, 10 years? “I love my partner,” does it mean I have to give up my dreams for him or her? “I have big dreams about my business,” does it mean I have to give up the quality of my relationship to thrive in my business? The answer is no, absolutely NOT. I have some great news for you, my friend: “You can have it all!” For many years, we humans have praised the art of multitasking. We think that the more we do, the better it makes us look. Let me introduce you to your new friend: mindfulness. Mindfulness will help you stay focused and fully present, doing one task at a time. Don’t hold anything back. Which means whatever you do, do that and nothing else; and when I say nothing I mean: no excuses, no interruptions, no cheating. If you are working, give it all to your work, your full attention, your passion, your new ideas, your imagination, your love, yours completely. Put everything in that task you are performing. Create your most amazing masterpiece at that moment. Be fully present, all of you: body, heart, and soul. LOVE WHAT YOU DO DEEPLY! And most of all: Believe in yourself, LOVE YOURSELF.

And when you are with your loved one, give your all, too. Create memories, momentum, be fully present to the moment. Share your dreams, make plans together, talk about the present and the future. Create a connection that can last a lifetime. Laugh, dance, sing, let that love free you. LOVE and don’t hold anything back. Love is freedom and strength, love is power, the strongest force on earth. Imagine the two of you building your dream come true life, supporting each other, believing in each other. Two partners in love ready to give it all to each other and the relationship. There is nothing more powerful in this world than a couple in love bonded by a common goal, putting everything they have into that endeavor. Can you see what I am seeing? Can you feel the power of the strength each one of you needs to conquer everything in life? Believing you can succeed in all areas of your life is a choice. Believing in your dreams is also your choice. By focusing solely on your one task (practicing mindfulness), you will be more accomplished, more satisfied, and feel like you are getting back time in your life because you are using it more wisely. Don’t give up, don’t you ever give up on anything and anybody you love, especially don’t give up on yourself. YOU ARE MORE THAN ENOUGH. YOU ARE A MIRACLE! BELIEVE TO CREATE! Author: Sylvia Chavez Website: sylviachavez.com

Let’s talk about customers. Every business needs a core group of loyal customers. One of the places I frequent is a lounge. I go because the owner has become a great friend of mine. I go to support his business because he welcomed me into his lounge, remembered my name, my order, and all of my interests when he had dozens of other customers. This is what a great business owner does!

The Importance of EMPATHY

as a Business Owner

hat makes a business great? There is no exact formula to making a business a great one, but staying humble is a perfect start. There are two different sides to this. One side is being the boss of employees and the other is being the business owner your customers know. You need to make both of these people happy or business will slow down for you. Almost every entrepreneur’s reason for branching outside of their 9-5 is due to the fact that they worked at a place they were not happy. For me, I was sick of being undermined by people above me. What did I take with me on my journey into entrepreneurship? A compassionate heart for anyone that I hire. We know how stressful it is to be on the side of the interview where our potential income hangs in the balance of our answers. How amazing would it be if you were able to take the butterflies out of someone’s interview? You may have heard the saying, “happy wife, happy life.” This most definitely applies in business.

You need to take interest in your customers. You don’t have to go to their family reunions or anything, but you must be personable. Ask them about their day while doing business with them. It is imperative to retain a core group of reliable customers. Your customers support your life with the business they bring you, so the least you can do is support theirs not only with your business but with your compassion. There is no formula for the perfect business just like there is no perfect recipe for the perfect cookie, but I can tell you one thing. When my mom made cookies for me when I was a kid, there was a bit more than some directions on the package inside. Put a little love into your business and see how big it grows! Be good to yourself and be good to those around you. Keep hustling! Author: Najja Gandy Website: facebook.com/najja.gandy

If your employees are happy, then your business will be happy. If you give your employees a reason to be excited to come in and work for your business, then your business will never fail. We all know what it feels like to hate our job. Yes, having customers is great, but having happy employees is the icing on the cake. Happiness breeds loyalty. Make work fun and achievable and recognize even the small achievements. A little love and empathy will take your business far if you keep this in mind!

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Fail As Quickly As Possible If You Want To Succeed The most amazing thing in the startup world is, by far, building your minimum viable product. Your MVP. You have this incredible idea in your head that you’re trying to get in front of the world. It can be a new feature in your app, or a new product you’re offering, or even an entirely new company. What makes this as equally terrifying as it is exciting is the thought that’s existed in the back of your mind since day 1: What if I fail? Before this totally reasonable (but horribly toxic) thought burrows its way closer to the surface where it will all but consume you on launch day, you have to come to terms with the truth: You probably will fail in some fashion. Nothing is a 100% success on the first try, and that’s fine. In fact, there is a motto amongst the most successful tech & product leaders around. Fail Quickly This seems like a self-defeating statement, but it’s actually an affirmation of positive progress. When you fail quickly, you’ve discovered what is not working and can adjust to success as fast as possible. How do you do this quickly? If you’re typical, you don’t want to rush your idea into this world. You want to wait until it is 110% ready. But when you do this, you’re building out what you think is perfect - not what your customers think is perfect.

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Don’t Be Selfish Your startup will only ever be successful when you do it for your customers. If you’re pushing your idea of a product down their throats and refusing to give them any input, you’re doing it for yourself. That, my friend, is selfish. It is also the quickest way to destroy your business. Be Agile Being agile means that you put your product in front of the customer quickly, listen to their feedback and adjust. By taking this approach, you can have your master idea put out in steps where each iteration is built on your original MVP plus a round of customer feedback, usage data, conversion data and any other metrics that help you track success. You Still Need To Be Lean Calling your development style “agile” doesn’t give you permission to put out whatever you want and then ask for feedback. If you aren’t putting out a lean product, you’re probably building too much. Remember the goal here: A Minimum Viable Product. Aim for doing the least amount of work possible on each iteration before you test. The Developer Problem Business people tend to work well with lean development. Developers… not so much. Your app, website, product or anything else will never get released if you wait for it to be perfect. Find a happy medium. Recap Success stories in startups and in modern enterprises point to one truth: Failing quickly is the fastest path to long-term success. Do yourself a favor: Stay lean and fail quickly. The world will thank you for it. Author: Steve Eakin Website: startupblackbelt.com

“

The Wolf of Wall Street” is an exciting and engaging movie. There are a few tips we can all learn from the movie to start and run a successful business: 1) Believe in your ideas and find creative ways to implement them. An innovative entrepreneur can pick young, ordinary people and teach them business language. When you don’t have the necessary resources to hire experienced talent, all you need to do is to develop a training roadmap. You can then hire inexperienced and less expensive talent so you can teach them to walk the talk. 2) Wealthy people enjoy gambling. Go after the big fish! Many business owners are scared to market to wealthy people. However, if you present your product in an eyecatching way, you can attract the rich to gamble on your ideas. Remember to use simple language to explain your services. Dress for success, even if that means over-dressing.

Business Tips to Learn from

“The Wolf of Wall Street” 4) Hire opposite personalities and keep others dependent on you. If you’re just starting a business, it’s a great idea to hire your trusted friends. They are more likely to give you honest feedback. Learn about DISC personality profiles. Hire “D” personalities for management, “I” talent for sales, “S” employees for the support team, and “C” individuals for quality assurance. Delegate the mundane tasks, but keep the key information just to yourself. Author: Ava Khamooshi Website: lifecoachava.com

3) Establish and guard your reputation. You’re only as good as your reputation. Think of ways you can differentiate yourself. As a leader, all eyes are on you. Your attitude determines the company’s culture. Develop an army of loyal and committed employees and hire people more talented than you. Protect your secret recipes and learn from the history of your niche market.

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Intentional Living “We don’t attract what we WANT; we attract what we ARE.” Living intentionally gives us the ability to live our life by design and purpose. Below are FIVE facets to outpour “living by design” into tangible manifestations in our life.

1) Intentional Awareness. “Awareness is our ability to see like night vision goggles.” We must know we are capable of manifesting our dreams, visions, and trajectories into tangible experiences. Awareness will expose little habits we have formed due to hidden insecurities. These habits can create different trajectories that oppose our vision.

2) Limiting beliefs into limitless beliefs. “Thoughts become things.” Limited beliefs stop us from going forward in life. We inherit them by different contributors: 1) What our primary caretakers taught us, 2) what media shows us, 3) and our negative selftalk and low self-esteem. We have to be intentional to clear the chalkboards and fill them with everything we were created to be.

3) Doing everything is the same thing as doing nothing. “You can’t be great at everything.” An old Chinese Proverb said, “You chase two rabbits, you catch none.” Are you pouring yourself into a project with holes in it? You can’t steer a parked car. On a scale of 1-10, we are all born with certain gifts. Whatever your gift number is, you’ll only go up 2 points at most, even if you work your entire life at it. Work on a gift you’re an 8 at, and you’ll get the chance to be a 10 at something in

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your life.

4) Admit your weaknesses. “Having people in the wrong place can be bad.” You will never have enough staff to do everything. Learn how people are wired. Be intentional placing people. Embrace the tough conversations. Hugging someone long enough won’t fix what needs to be done. Give people titles -- they like them. We should be working ourselves out of a job at all times, as a leader.

5) Who we are will determine how we see others. “We are always adding or subtracting from others.” Good intentions don’t get results; being intentional does. Start your day with, “Who WILL I add value to?” Then, end each day with, “Who DID I add value to?” Be specific: 1) Who it will be, 2) what it will be, 3) when it is going to be, 4) and where it is going to be. Be intentional. Author: Marc Beatty facebook.com/MarcOnPurpose

ESCAPE FROM THE DEPTHS

While sipping on a delicious hot cup of coffee I notice that I am surrounded by countless cardboard moving boxes scattered across this place my daughter and I have called home for the last 6 1/2 years. One week from tomorrow we will be moving to our new home. I sit quietly reflecting on the memories we have shared here. These last years have filled us with happiness, excitement, sentimentality, anxiousness, and immense growth.

Moving creates a unique opportunity to revisit your past. While packing I am reminded of what has shaped us. Some memories are good, some painful, while many are life lessons, all of which I’m unbelievably grateful for. This path has had scenic routes, detours, speed bumps and I can honestly say I never pictured my life going “quite like this,” but I believe most people adapt to the world around them. Regardless of what we have been through, my passion and purpose remain the same; helping people live stronger, healthier, happier lives. I’m beyond thankful for this endless adventure I call my life and I will continue to make this world a better place. Meal prepping is a fantastic skill for health enthusiasts. It provides us the opportunity to plan our nutrition and promote a healthier consumption of nutrients throughout the week.

Last night while I was doing my routine meal prep, I was also having a conversation with a fellow entrepreneur. We are both in different stages of building our businesses and it is refreshing to share all of our wild and crazy ideas, dreams, goals, and visions with those who get it…. and who get me. Entrepreneurs are dreamers who possess such an unquenchable desire for refining themselves and their work day in and day out. They have this raging fire for life and this passion that’s unmistakable. These are my kind of people. In our conversation about entrepreneurship, I said in jest, “It’s like being on this insane rollercoaster ride where you are having the time of your life and being completely scared shitless, hanging on for dear life, laughing and crying all at the same time. And when it’s over we want to get right back on and ride it again.” I can correlate entrepreneurship to skydiving or to catching your first wave. I can remember waiting in the water to catch my very first wave all the while getting stung by multiple jellyfish. I was about to give up when suddenly I caught a wave and when I stood up all I could think was this was the BEST DAY EVER and I couldn’t wait to catch another. When we stay open to our limitless possibilities, we open ourselves to a much broader potential. When we live a life bigger than ourselves we are free to live a life outside the metaphorical box. Reduce your confinement to the trappings of these walls because narrowminded limitations prevent our potential for growth. Stay hungry. Stay Focused. Author: Nicole Zapoli Website: nicolezapoli.com

Delivering Content That Inspires Action And Takes You From Speaker to Thought Leader

t’s one of the top questions I get asked by clients, “What should I talk about?” When designing a talk or presentation, there are 7 criteria to consider to make your content stand out and position YOU as a Thought Leader: 1. Does your content promote self-sufficiency? Does your content allow your audience to implement and take positive action for themselves, without your direct guidance? If what you are sharing doesn't allow someone else to make it their own and take action, nothing else will matter; your ideas and information will join the dreaded graveyard of content. Deliver content that allows your audience to implement and internalize, now. 2. Is your content significant? Each puzzle piece is a significant part of the whole. So should be the idea you deliver to an audience. Choose significant content that supports your audience to achieving results, now. 3. Is your content valid/relevant? Check your stuff! Be on top of (and ahead of) trends and filter content through your idea lens. If your content is obsolete or boring, so are you. 4. Are you sharing content of interest? Present ideas that are unique and innovative that may even challenge current beliefs. Apply your unique lens and connect

40 LIFE BY DESIGN DECEMBER 2017

how the audience can adapt their own perspective. Deliver content that is focused on THEIR TRANSFORMATION. 5. How useful is your content? Put yourself in the shoes of your audience and ask yourself: • How useful will this content be beyond the presentation? • Will this help solve a problem? • Will it matter if I don’t share this? Be brutally honest with yourself. Thought Leadership is diminished by ego. 6. Is your content learnable/relatable, NOW? Share content that is relevant NOW to your audience. That is, what’s outside the edge of what they already know. Invite them to the edge of 'comfortably uncomfortable' and they will follow you into the beyond! 7. How feasible is your content? Ask yourself, is it possible to share your idea in the time you have allotted? When you approach feasibility from your perspective, your audiences become victims. Not cool. Put yourself in the shoes of your audience (each ONE of them). Ask yourself, “Is this enough time for them to achieve [my intended result]?” Share content and ideas that allow you to be the expert, are appropriate for your audiences, and create transformation, now!

The 7 criteria work together like gears in a machine. Each is integral to the other. Speakers who use the 7 Criteria for Expert Content Selection see increased audience engagement, enjoyment, and transformation... which in turn means increased returns, authority and success. Presenting content and ideas that inspire action takes you from being UNheard to UNstoppable, and positions you as an Influencer and Thought Leader! Author: Davide Di Giorgio Website: davidedigiorgio.com

What Does

The Fox

I BOOK REVIEW

CONTAGIOUS by Jonah Berger

“ ... virality can be created, there is a formula!” Have you laughed so hard you cried after watching a video from your Facebook feed that just happened to show up because of how much engagement it had? Then, were you also amazed by how it made you feel and were satisfied why it went viral? You and I both had probably said to ourselves, “That was definitely done at the right place, at the right time, and in the right way. I definitely cannot duplicate that! It just naturally happened.” Interestingly enough, this book talks about the myths of the “common” knowledge of what makes viral and the author reveals a formula: The 6 Key Steps to Make Any Idea or Product Go Viral. Yes, Jonah tells us how to make anything go viral. Would this newfound skill possibly change the direction of your business? Contagious is a fun and easy read with lots of “hmm” moments. It was written in a conversational theme where the author shares his thoughts and stories with you that simply illustrate the points of each key and how it can be created. I especially like the examples Jonah used. He broke it down into details that made me see the pieces and how to put it all together. He made me feel and believe that I, too, can make anything go viral; it’s do-able! I recommend this book if you’re open to acquiring a new perspective on this topic, if you’re looking for the “know how” to make your products/services go viral, and/or if you’re frustrated to expand awareness to your personal brand. Author: Jennifer Meim Website: jennifermeim.com

Say

didn’t come from money. I didn’t come from success. I came from poverty thinking and negativity. The people who knew me then don’t know me anymore. A little while back, I was asked on social media by a high school classmate, “How were you able to get yourself to your current situation? Any chance you could give me some advice or steps that you took that helped put you onto a successful career in entrepreneurship?” My response: “First thing is, who are you spending time with? Are your friends also driven. If not, then drop them. Second thing, find people who are more successful to hang around, online mastermind, or anything. Third, create a business you can automate – you want to leverage others’ time to make money. Hire employees/1099 contractors. Fourth, never give up on your goals. Set high goals for yourself and never quit.” I was startled when I got his response, “You make it sound so simple.” I thought to myself, “It really isn’t hard!” A lot of starting or struggling entrepreneurs have this mindset that “it’s so hard.” If I learned anything from my own struggles with mindset, if you believe something enough, it is true for you. If all of the thoughts you have about entrepreneurship are that it’s “hard,” then that is exactly how it will be for you: HARD.

ever succeeding, if you allow it. The funny thing about it is that you have to want to change it. Making 6 figures is easy. Managing over 400 employees is easy. Starting a magazine from scratch is easy. It all boils down to how badly you want it and what you tell yourself along the way. Imagine waking up tomorrow and saying to yourself, “Today is going to be hard, but I will own it!” How about just waking up and saying, “Today is going to be hard.” Do you think there is a difference when you wake up and tell yourself, “Today is going to be amazing and I am going to own it!” Which of the three do you think is most empowering for the rest of your day? You have to start your day with expectations and to believe them in the core of your being. When you tell yourself, “I can’t,”“this is hard,”“this will take a while,” or “I just don’t understand,” your brain will look for ways to make what you are saying come true. If you want to be seriously successful, tell yourself that “hard” is not an option. Author : Casey Nicole Fox

Mindset is such a crucial part of the journey of entrepreneurship. Your mindset can keep you from ENTREPRENEUR LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE 41

BEHIND THE SCENES OF

STEGELA

October & November at Stegela! Stegela Success Mastery may be all about business, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have fun! This column is to introduce our members, events, and activities we enjoy when we are out as a group. October was an amazing month. We went to Las Vegas to attend Thrive, Orange County to attend ServeX, and had our own networking mixer here in San Diego! Thrive - Las Vegas is an outrageous city with all the fun you can imagine. Inside the event, there were so many wonderful speakers such as Elena Cardone and Kevin Harrington. If you haven’t seen these two speak, make sure to seize the opportunity when they are in town! Out of the conference we went to some amazing restaurants, jumped on the Stratosphere, and saw shows including Carrot Top; overall, it was such an incredible trip with an amazing staff. ServeX - This event was a much shorter drive for us, and although it wasn’t Vegas, our staff still had a lot of fun! The event itself was to benefit local kids in the foster care system. Our Airbnb was Star Wars themed, which really helped us focus on how to think outside of the box and make ourselves stand out! Since it was October, we had a costume networking mixer! There were so many interesting costumes, and our wonderful speaker, Alex Marlay, spoke on the importance of budgeting and financial freedom. Even though October was an unusually busy month for us here at Stegela Success Mastery, we make sure to take all the stress associated with attending and hosting events and turn it into an amazing experience with great friends. James Malinchek - In the beginning of November we had one of the most amazing speakers at a private, up close and personal mastermind event. James is a good friend and mentor of our CEO, Stephen Dela Cruz. James gave so many tangible nuggets to our group! Do you want to join in on the fun? Come check out one of networking mixers or join us for Success Circle! Find out when our next event is by visiting www.stegelasuccess.com.

WHAT IS YES? YES stands for Young Entrepreneur Society. We are a California Nonprofit 501(c)(3) that serves high schools on a weekly basis. Every week our team of volunteers hosts school clubs during their lunch breaks to bring them FREE lunch & activities, speakers, and videos around the spirit of entrepreneurship.

WHY YES? Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in teens between 13 and 18. Depression and anxiety are the number 1 and 2 mental illnesses suffered among students in high school. 1 out of 6 teens have seriously considered suicide. 1 out of 12 have attempted suicide. 78% of students have started drinking alcohol. 42.5% of students have used drugs. Of that, 25% have used hard drugs such as cocaine, LSD, and Ecstasy. 50% of students have been bullied online. Every 26 seconds a student drops out of high school. We believe this is due to lack of purpose and lack of vision. Our team comes in every week to bring the spirit of entrepreneurship to give hope and vision for their future! We focus on goal setting, personal development, budgeting, serving, team building, etc.

GET INVOLVED! We are looking entrepreneurs, business professionals and companies who will become financial parters with YES on a monthly basis to impact the students of San Diego! By being a financial partner, we invite you to speak to our students, have your logo placed in our monthly magazine articles (10,000 print distribution monthly) and invite you to our yearly gala & networking mixer.

Text the word MENTOR to 766-26 to donate and get involved!