DOING IT THE MARIA FORLEO WAY

Doing It The Marie Forleo Way

Using your talents to target success

No one knows the value in backing herself more than Marie Forleo. At the age of 43, this inspirational woman has been named by Oprah as a thought leader for the next generation and her business is listed as one of Inc’s 500 fastest growing companies.

So, just who is Marie Forleo and how did she become someone that Oprah wants on her couch?

Marie Forleo is a life and business coach with a clear mission to motivate others to become the best person that they can possibly be and to use whatever talents and gifts they have to change the world.

That’s a big mission, but if her example is anything to go by, then it’s one that is completely doable.

When Forleo first started her mission to motivate others almost twenty years ago, she was still trying to work out her own path in life and was working two jobs to make ends meet. She had dabbled in the finance world and in the world of magazines before stumbling on what was going to become her life long passion – life coaching. So, she quit

her secure, full-time job, went back to bartending and waiting on tables and back to school to learn what a life coach is and how to become one. She knew at the time that it was a crazy idea, but somewhere deep in her bones, she knew it was the right idea for her and she wasn’t afraid to back herself.

The gamble paid off. Today, she is the founder of B-School, the creator of the award-winning online show, Marie TV, has worked as a mentor at Richard Branson’s Centre of Entrepreneurship, has spearheaded the Change Your Life, Change the World Initiative and has a huge global following of people being inspired and motivated by her mission and belief that everyone can be successful.

“Use all of your strengths and talents to create success, don’t limit yourself!”

Forleo credits part of her success to her ability to combine a variety of different passions, interests and ideas into her work life - her love of fitness and dance, her spirituality, business interests and passion to make a difference. One of Forleo’s strongest messages is “use all of your strengths and talents to create success, don’t limit yourself!”

In an interview for the podcast “This Is Success”, Forleo succinctly explains one of the keys to her success.

like me, where there are many things that you want to do and explore, you should do them. Because, there will likely come a convergence point at multiple areas in your future where everything you’ve done comes into play and then all of a sudden, like in my case, it creates such a unique strength

set and talent set that is unmatchable by anyone,” she says. Great advice, but aside from playing to her strengths, how exactly did one women develop such a strong brand that she has a following of over 500 000 women in 108 countries, an invite by Sir Richard Branson to mentor other young female entrepreneurs in South Africa and an invite to the Oprah show?

Here are some of the things that Marie Forleo did to become one of the worlds most talked about female entrepreneurs:

• She created a distinctive and clear brand even before her business took off: From the very foundation of her business days Forleo knew her brand message and exactly what she wanted it to represent. She was very clear in the qualities that she wanted her brand to represent even way before her business prowess begun to flourish.

• She took every opportunity to build her business: Even in the early days when her business was just a pipe dream whilst she was working in a bar, Forleo took her opportunity to talk to people about her ideas, to pitch her thoughts and to obtain contact information for her future email newsletter. Her business idea was at the forefront of her mind and she took every opportunity to talk about and promote it.

• She let others do the talking:

There is no better way to promote any business than by word of mouth and Forleo has always been big on letting others do the talking for her. She knows the value of a great testimonial and is not afraid to let the positive talk speak for itself, making sure that her website is full of all the great testimonials that she has received.

• She gives generously: One of the best ways to position yourself in your field as an expert is to make sure that your message is shared freely and generously. Forleo has always done this well. From her start up days she has provided the community with a vast array of information, ideas and thoughts that have been invaluable to her branding success and her business growth. By giving freely and generously she has allowed her audience to get to know her and invest in her prior to making any decisions to buy from her.

Forleo’s innovative and inspiring approach to business success is influencing a new generation of female entrepreneurs and is changing the way that women think about business. MarieForleo.com is one of Forbes.com’s Top 100 Websites for Entrepreneurs and is a great place to visit to learn more about Marie Forleo or to get some inspiration to start your own entrepreneurial journey.