Woman Entrepreneur | December 2018 | Issue 2 | Tammy Hembrow by Woman Entrepreneur Magazine

Empowering Women In Business

December 2018 | Edition 2

TAMMY H E M B R O W MAKE WAY FOR THE INFLUENCERS

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A ROMANTIC ESCAPE Anantara Veli Maldives Resort

MAKE WAY FOR THE INFLUENCERS Tammy Hembrow leads the way

7 THINGS YOU CAN LEARN from an influencer's confidence

ON OUR COVER: With a phenomenal social media presence of 8 million plus followers on Instagram and over a million subscribers on YouTube, Tammy Hembrow’s success is attributed to her honest and open approach to all of her social channels, which has allowed her fan base to connect with her on such an intrinsic level. Tammy’s rapid rise to popularity is a testament to her hard work and commitment to the lifestyle she has chosen. Make way for the influencers!

BRAND YOUR INSTAGRAM like a badass!

THE YEAR THAT WAS

our top female entrepreneurs of 2018

HOLIDAY SEASON

make the most of your budget

CHEERS TO 2018 end it on a high!

TAKING THE LEAD in your relationship

HEMBROW

BUSINESS AND LIFE LESSONS

learned by social media icon

What are the top five lessons you have learned creating and developing the SASKI Collection brand?

Start with what you have

I started Tammy Hembrow Fitness with no capital. I built my brand online with no investment, and my first product was created by myself and sold via a Word Press site created by myself. I was amazed at how much money I made off the first product and immature it was. Looking back today, I have to say I’ve come a long way. I was lucky in the fact that my first product funded the next phase of my business which involved a proper website design, and more digital products.

Company culture and brand is key

Company culture is extremely important to our brand. It’s highlighted every day in the quality of what people are doing and the satisfaction they achieve doing it. We have a very active online social presence and we often give sneak peaks into our ofﬁce and the culture. We have created a work environment that is not only designed for collaboration and productivity but also incorporates things that the employees have suggested or contributed themselves. Not to mention we have friendly dogs in the ofﬁce!

Don’t listen to the haters and be conﬁdent in yourself

I overcame the criticism attached to the stigma of young mums and pregnancy and built an online community supporting women, business, family and fitness. When I first fell pregnant, I faced comments like ‘’You’re about to ruin your body’’, ‘’Your life is over’’, and ‘’There goes any business aspirations’’. These comments were confronting but it only fuelled my fire. I was confident in the fact that I could be a mum and still achieve everything I wanted to achieve. This has been a part of my brand. People see not only my fitness business and clothing line but that I also have two young children. I was able to represent being a successful business owner who is a mum, and through doing my own programs I was able to get my body into even better shape than it was before I was pregnant. I became my own spokesperson for my product and shared my experience which helped my business grow.

Learn from your failures

My children are my proudest achievement. They have taught me so many things that I apply to my businesses. I have learnt how to better prioritise, balance my social and work life but also to accept failure. That might sound weird but I think it’s not talked about enough. I know I’m most deﬁnitely not perfect, failing at things is what has pushed me to do better and improve. I would say the things I have failed at have been signiﬁcant as my achievements. It forces growth, determination and resilience. These are all characteristics I bring into the workforce and share with my online community. They’re the foundation of my brand.

Know your customer

I understand who the Saski girl is, so I know how to target that girl and what she is looking for in her clothing. The same goes for my app; my online community is interested in working out for their speciﬁc goals so I designed an app that I would personally want in the market for when I’m doing that myself.

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www.saskicollection.com

saskicollection saskicollectionclothing

Woman Entrepreneur | Global

Tammy is the mother of two, owns her personal fitness brand, Tammy Hembrow Fitness, and established SASKI Collection, a luxury athleisure label dedicated to women with a passion for fitness and fashion. With an 8 million plus social media following, Tammy is an influencer motivated to inspire and share her journey with women across the world.

www.womanentrepreneur.co | 5

This is our very last issue for 2018. Today we also celebrate our 1 year anniversary. I am so very proud of what we achieved in a single year, the people we got to meet and were able to interview. This month is a celebration of what is possible, and that being said, we have the amazing Tammy Hembrow on our magazine cover. Tammy is the true reflection of what is possible when you do something with passion and something you love. Not only is she beautiful on the outside but she has a heart of gold. As we say goodbye to 2018, I want you to reflect on the year that was; what went great, what went horribly wrong, what lessons did you learn, what mistakes did you repeat? Write everything down and learn from it. If it worked, great! Then make it better. If it didn't work, great! Why didn't it work and what lessons did you learn from that? Everything you are going through is a lesson, good or bad.

Erna Basson is an award-winning entrepreneur, world-class business coach and international keynote speaker. She is well known for starting, growing and selling companies fast and her passion is to help people become entrepreneurs so that they too can achieve and live their dream. She is the Founder and CEO of Erabella Beauty , the fastest growing hair extensions brand in the world. She is the CEO and Founder of Woman Entrepreneur, a global platform to Empower Women in Business

I am greeting you with a final message for 2018 - As the old year retires and a new one is born, we commit into the hands of our Creator the happenings of the past year and ask for direction and guidance in the new one. May He grant us his grace, His tranquility and His wisdom! Merry Christmas to you and your family! God Bless.

Kindest Regards, Erna Basson Founder and CEO | Woman Entrepreneur

editor@womanentrepreneur.co www.womanentrepreneur.co

TH E I NFLUE NCE R MA RK ET ING A C A DEM Y Learn the Step by Step Process on how to use influencer marketing to 11X Your ROI

SIGN UP FOR PRE LAUNCH OFFER Normally $997.00 PRE-LAUNCH OFFER $497.00 Have you ever scrolled through your Instagram and saw influencers promoting the most amazing products? Have you ever wondered: "How do I get my product promoted through these influencers?" Have you tried Facebook marketing and didn't receive results? Have you tried Google Adwords with no luck? The reason why you haven't had success with your marketing is that you are using the wrong marketing strategy.

Ask yourself this - How different will your sales be if you had influencers promoting your brand to their loyal audience? INFLUENCER MARKETING IS IDEAL FOR:  SALES SALES SALES SALES

 Build trust with customers

 Product reviews

 The launch of a new product

 Brand Awareness

 Content creation

Influencer marketing gives you 11X ROI than that of online display ads. Learn the shortcuts to influencer marketing and get your brand in the hands of social media influencers.

About Your Instructor ERNA BASSON Founder & CEO - Woman Entrepreneur With over 10 years of experience in marketing, named Fast Company Magazine Top Entrepreneur Under 30, Starting, Scaling & Selling 3 companies before the age of 30, Winning the Global Female Entrepreneur of the Year Award, speaking to over 50 000 people around the world, Erna is widely considered one of today’s most successful female young entrepreneurs. Erna has worked with some of the world's most influential entrepreneurs like Grant Cardone, Kayla Itsines, Kim Kiyosaki, Gary Vaynerchuck, Ed Mylett, Eric Thomas, Lilly Ghalichi and has mastered the skill - How to use influencers to build & scale your business. Erna's specialties include influencer marketing, starting, scaling & selling companies & coaching entrepreneurs to build successful businesses.

womanentrepreneur.co/influencermarketing

TH E I NFLUE NCE R MA RK ET ING A C A DEM Y Learn the Step by Step Process on how to use influencer marketing to 11X Your ROI

Ask yourself this - How different will your sales be if you had influencers promoting your brand to their loyal audience? INFLUENCER MARKETING IS IDEAL FOR:  SALES SALES SALES SALES

 Build trust with customers

 Product reviews

 The launch of a new product

 Brand Awareness

 Content creation

Influencer marketing gives you 11X ROI than that of online display ads. Learn the shortcuts to influencer marketing and get your brand in the hands of social media influencers.

womanentrepreneur.co/influencermarketing

ANANTARA VELI MALDIVES RESORT

a romantic escape

Embrace the surreal romance of the Maldives in traditional island style. Spend days hidden away overwater, taking in the ocean’s jewel tones that melt into the horizon. Delve into the lush green heart of the island for spa journeys for two and dining by candlelight. Enjoy cocktails at twilight in an orchid garden fragrant with rare Thai species. Anantara Veli Maldives Resort is an adults-only private island fringed by quintessential Maldives overwater bungalows. Only a 35-minute speedboat ride from the capital and Velana International Airport, the island is accessible 24 hours a day and lies in a peaceful azure lagoon shared with sister resorts Dhigu and Naladhu.

ACCOMMODATION Step into a world your own perched over the balmy lagoon. Thatched-roof overwater

bungalows feature cool hardwood flooring, high gabled roofs and bright indigenous silks. Floor-to-ceiling glass bedroom doors open onto a private sundeck and unending ocean beyond. Step directly into the lagoon below for a lazy swim with baby reef sharks. Deluxe bungalows offer extra space with a two-tiered sundeck perfect for dining under the stars and a soaking tub for two. Pool bungalows are positioned either over the shallow lagoon or out over the open ocean. Soak in your private plunge pool. Dine at water’s edge. To one side, the marbled bathroom features a freestanding tub with stunning ocean views and an outdoor garden rain shower. Each bungalow features an iPod docking

station, Lavazza coffee machine, and yoga and fitness kits. Pool bungalows boast Villa Host service and a wine cellar to peruse.

DINING A clearing in the trees brings you to the island’s trio of gourmet restaurants. The open, airy, sand-floored 73 Degrees offers casual breakfast buffets with a wide range of tropical fruits and juices, cereals, baked goods, and hot Asian and Western dishes. Enjoy seafood, Maldivian or Italian dinners by candlelight out on the deck in front of the ocean. The modern Origami showcases the best of Japanese cuisine. Enjoy handcrafted sushi and sashimi, charcoal-grilled robatayaki skewers, and live teppanyaki with chefs slicing and sizzling before you.

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Woman Entrepreneur | Global

The pool bar Dhoni is an ode to the graceful lines of the traditional Maldivian sailboat. Take a loveseat out on the overwater deck for Champagne at sunset. Enjoy an all-day menu of island-style cocktails, light meals, snacks and tropical refreshments. Baan Huraa is a teak house on stilts that sits far out in the middle of the lagoon. Meaning “house on the coral” in the local tongue, the Thai restaurant offers sweeping views of the ocean surrounds with a wraparound deck offering intimate seating for two. Thai chefs serve up royal Thai cuisine, as well as regional favourites. Signature Anantara Dining by Design offers unparalleled evenings of romance. Dine under the stars with a tailored menu prepared by your private chef. Enjoy a gourmet beach barbeque with your toes buried in the sand.

DIVERSIONS & FACILITIES Join our resident yogi for meditation and yoga sessions in the yoga pavilion. Enjoy the island’s facilities of flood-lit tennis courts, a fitness centre, beach courts for volleyball and badminton, and the Spice Spoons cooking school. Our on-site water sports centre, Aquafanatics, offers leisurely pursuits out at sea, while the PADI dive centre invites you to explore below. Snorkel with mantas and whale sharks. Freedive with sea turtles. Surf the waves with luxury outfit Tropicsurf, hitting the Maldives’ famed breaks. Excursions at sea include sunset cruises, dolphin quests and traditional hand line fishing. Island hop aboard a yacht, exploring local communities and the vibrant capital, Malé. Picnic at private island Gulhifushi, enjoying the surrounding silence save for the ocean’s lull. Balance Wellness Sanctuary offers soothing spa journeys inspired by lush surrounds. Soak in a tub in front of a waterfall after a relaxing Shirodhara massage. Enjoy the peace of the garden courtyard soaking in a plunge pool. Guests at Anantara Veli can also cross the boardwalk to the overwater Anantara Spa at Dhigu.

WEDDINGS & HONEYMOONS Say I do on a palm-fringed stretch of beach, the ocean your witness. Banquet under the stars in a private faree tent. Honeymooners at Anantara Veli can hide away in their overwater sanctuary or explore the island’s settings for romance. Movie under the stars. Dine floating over the lagoon. Parasail above the stunning waters in tandem. Capture your love with a wedding photoshoot by professionals Digiphoto. Plan your perfect day with our dedicated wedding coordinator on hand to guide you.

dining for two

AT ANANTARA VELI

Dine on your sundeck bathed in stars, or venture into the heart of the island for flavours from around the globe. 73 Degrees, a light and airy Maldivian pavilion, offers the perfect way to start the day, your toes in the sand and the sun rising over the lagoon. Sample freshly baked breads and pastries, exotic fruits and juices, and a rotating array of hot dishes from East to West. In the evenings, fiery torches and themed buffets transform the outdoor space. Next door, the Japanese eatery Origami offers fresh and light cuisine and a fine selection of sakes. An open-air courtyard sits in the centre of the space in traditional Japanese style. Shoji screening and lacquered wood add to the authentic yet modern ambience. Take in the performance of skilled teppanyaki chefs, who slice and dice your chosen seafoods and prime meats. Enjoy a wide selection of sushi, sashimi and robatayaki skewers.

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Baan Huraa, the Maldives’ finest Thai restaurant, serves royal cuisine prepared by Thai chefs in an unparalleled setting. Situated far out over the lagoon and connected to the island by boardwalks, the teak house on stilts is known to locals as “the house on the coral”. Gold-leafed pillars rise to a gabled pavilion, its peak visible from across the ocean. Carved wooden apsara surround the wrap-around deck that offers intimate seating for two. Dine on spicy coconut curries and delicate handmade desserts in the cool of the ocean breeze. The coconut-thatched pool bar, Dhoni, overlooks the resort’s freshwater infinity-edge pool. Cool blues bleed into the ocean, the tide swelling below. Enjoy all-day refreshments, light bites, and the visiting gourmet ice-cream trolley. Take in the sunset over the lagoon, the fiery hues reflected in the water’s surface.

Dining by Design is a signature Anantara experience offering the most romantic of dinners in private settings. Enjoy grilled lobster prepared by your private chef, your toes in the sand and the ocean lapping nearby. Float over the lagoon on a platform for two bedecked with white sails, toasting the stars with Champagne. Guests at Anantara Veli are invited to recreate their favourite Thai and Maldivian dishes at island cooking school Spice Spoons. Tour the chef’s herb garden before heading out over the lagoon for a step-bystep tutorial. Enjoy your creations for lunch and return home with a box full of recipes. Restaurants at sister islands Naladhu and Dhigu can be accessed by boardwalks which link the islands or by pontoon. Relish modern seasonal cuisine at The Living Room, themed evening buffets at Fushi Café, grilled seafood at overwater Sea.Fire. Salt., Italy in the tropics at Terrazzo, and cocktails in ocean hammocks at Aqua.

Woman Entrepreneur | Global

BALANCE WELLNESS BY ANANTARA

a holistic sanctuary

Inspired by lush island surrounds and a wealth of indigenous ingredients, the award-winning Balance Wellness by Anantara Spa offers a 360Ë&#x161; integrated approach to wellbeing and relaxation, a total escape for body and mind.

Enjoy a traditional Thai massage in the comfort of your villa, or the signature Maldivan Aqua Therapy on a sun lounger overlooking the ocean. Explore a range of Elemis facials using clinically proven formulations and cutting-edge technology.

An open-air reception in traditional Maldivian style greets with the soothing scent of orchid. Five personal treatment suites afford garden views and a soaking tub in front of a waterfall. A pre- and posttreatment relaxation courtyard with plunge pool invites guests to unwind.

Balance Wellness journeys begin with a personal consultation with one of the resident wellness consultants. Based on your lifestyle, needs and body composition, a personalised programme of exercise, diet, spa treatments and mindful moments is drawn up for your time on the island. Begin each day with healthy food choices catering to your body type. Practice

Indulge in bespoke spa journeys for two.

ANANTARA VELI MALDIVES RESORT

meditation and yoga overlooking the ocean with the resident yogi, or shape up with high intensity circuit training and cardio. Visiting Masters of Wellness from as far afield as Hawaii and Portugal bring the latest in holistic treatments to Anantara Veli. We also invite you to open the mind and find inspiration in the most stunning of everydays. Paint the sunset and explore the artist inside you. Join in a bodu beru drumming session or find wonder diving pristine reefs. Guests at Anantara Veli are also invited to explore the treatments on offer at overwater Anantara Spa on the island of Dhigu.

P.O. Box 2098, Veligandu, South Male Atoll Male, Republic of Maldives T +960 664 4100 | F +960 664 4101 | E velimaldives@anantara.com | www.anantara.com

TH E I NFLUE NCE R MA RK ET ING A C A DEM Y Learn the Step by Step Process on how to use influencer marketing to 11X Your ROI

Ask yourself this - How different will your sales be if you had influencers promoting your brand to their loyal audience? INFLUENCER MARKETING IS IDEAL FOR:  SALES SALES SALES SALES

 Build trust with customers

 Product reviews

 The launch of a new product

 Brand Awareness

 Content creation

Influencer marketing gives you 11X ROI than that of online display ads. Learn the shortcuts to influencer marketing and get your brand in the hands of social media influencers.

womanentrepreneur.co/influencermarketing

OUR COVER STORY

I feel that’s why a lot of people follow me, because I show a bit of myself, it’s not just pretty pictures, it’s also a look into my life.

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Woman Entrepreneur | Global

Who is Tammy Hembrow?

First and foremost, I am a mother. I have two beautiful babies, Wolf and Saskia, two and three years old. I have two companies; my ﬁtness company, Tammy Hembrow Health and Fitness, where I have my ﬁtness app and programs. And I have my clothing brand, Saski Collection, which is my active wear brand.

How did your journey start?

I ﬁrst started posting about my life, what I was doing day to day. I would share my ﬁtness journey and I started getting a really amazing response. Once things started growing really quickly and I realised I could turn this into a platform and a business and I can make something out of this. So, it was quite early on when I realized that I could grow it into something really special.

What important lesson have you learned so far?

One of the biggest lessons I have learned is not to wait around for the right time. Start with what you have and what you know. When I ﬁrst started, I did not have money. I started my ﬁrst business with nothing, pretty much. I created my workout techniques and nutrition programs online and I used Instagram to promote it. Luckily it became really successful and I used that to fund my next business. There’s no perfect time to start. There’s no point just waiting around for more money to fund something or the right timing for it. If you don’t start, you’re not, well, going to start.

You are a signiﬁcant inﬂuencer. What advice do you have for other people who want to grow the followers on Instagram?

Be yourself. Be authentic. People will be able to tell if you’re being fake, being unnatural and putting on a show, or having a fake life. People are smarter than you think. They will be able to tell that. I feel that’s why a lot of people follow me, because I show a bit of myself, it’s not just pretty pictures, it’s also a look into my life. Another thing would be to post often. I try to post every single day to keep people engaged and up to date with what’s happening.

What are the attributes that make an inﬂuencer an amazing inﬂuencer?

Being authentic is really important. Also, being passionate. You have to be passionate about something for people to want to join the ride. For me that’s ﬁtness, fashion, and my family. Those are all things a lot of other people are interested in so they can relate to that. I feel it’s important to show what you are passionate about. It is not just about posting aesthetically pleasing photos. You can post those, but also showing things in your life, I feel that’s the difference between a lot of inﬂuencers. Some just post really beautiful photos but their followers don’t know the person behind it. It’s important to show a bit of yourself.

How did Saski Collection start?

It started with just me and my sister, Amy. I go to the gym almost every day and I love fashion as well, and felt I need to put these two together. I always wanted my own business and I thought it was just the perfect time to start. We were really just ﬁguring everything out from the beginning by ourselves. I did not know how to run a business, what went into it; all the manufacturing all the processes, everything was learning as we go. It was a big job and a lot went into it, but I am so glad we started. We’ve only been open for just over a year now and we’ve already grown so much. And now we have employees and headquarters, it’s amazing!

What are 3 struggles that you experienced when starting Saski Collection?

1. Knowing where to begin There was so much I didn’t know about, so I felt overwhelmed at times. I realised I just had to take it one day at a time and learn as much as I could. Because it started out just my sister and myself, we had to learn about shipping, manufacturing and customer service. In the beginning, we were printing orders from my house and counting and packing the orders ourselves. It was a lot but I had never had employees before and I wasn’t sure exactly what we would need. I’m glad we started this way though because we both knew the ins and outs of the business and trained our employees ourselves. 2. Stock levels The situation with Saski Collection was unique because it already grew an audience before launching so when we did launch our ﬁrst drop of stock, we sold out immediately, within minutes actually. With turnaround times not fully under control and the business funding itself after my initial investment, we bought new stock with the money we made, and have continued to do this. Because of this we ended up with periods where we were out of stock for quite some time but we have managed to use this to create a kind of exclusivity and hype around the brand so it’s a good problem to have in the end. We do focus on buying more stock with each order and we have seen the brand grow from this. 3. Tech problems Your digital platform is so important! I can’t stress this enough. We had so many technical problems from the get go. We oversold stock through our website and ended up having to either refund customers or put them on a waiting list. Since this I have built a personal knowledge of the back end of my site, switched to a platform I really trust that works seamlessly. It costs more but it’s invaluable in comparison to the money and customers I lost because of the issues with my old site.

If you look back at your journey with Saski Collections, what obstacles did you encounter that you would tell people to avoid? Don’t freak out over the obstacles. You will face obstacles; it’s inevitable. We had a lot of issues in the beginning. We had website issues, we had problems just here and there. In the beginning I freaked out. I was crying on our launch day! Now, when we have a problem like that, you just stay calm and learn from it. You look at it and say: Ok, this happened. How can we ﬁx it? How can we stop it from happening next time? Don’t sweat the small stuff because it is going to teach you something in the end.

What do you know now that you wish you knew back then?

I wish I knew how important it is to have a lot of help, and to have a team. In the beginning I wanted to do it all by myself and I learned very quickly that I could not do everything. You need

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to have a team. My success is because of my team. You need supportive people helping you and you need people that have the same vision as you because you’re not going to be able to get where you want to be by yourself.

10 |

Being a public ﬁgure, how do you deal with haters?

11 |

Name one thing people don’t know about you.

It used to get to me a little bit. It has taken me a while just to be able to brush it off. I try to focus on the positive. There are so many positive comments and amazing support, so I try to just focus on that. Remember who you are. Don’t let comments get to you. Just stay conﬁdent in who you are. I know myself, my family knows me, my friends know me. And if someone says something horrible or untrue, you’re just like “that’s not true” You just have to teach yourself to react like that. I always tell myself the more people that love you, the more people will hate you. As my following has grown, I got more and more haters, but I’ve got all these people that love me, so you just need to focus on the positive.

I’m actually really shy. I think social media has helped me come more out of my shell. It’s one thing to post a photo or vlog of me with my family but if you see me in person I might come across as more reserved.

12 |

You are the mother of two beautiful small kids. You have to juggle business life, motherhood, Instagram… How do you do that? It can be very tricky. In the beginning it was all a mess. You just need to get into a routine. You ﬁgure everything out as you go. My kids are always my number one priority. I am lucky I have my mom around. So, their grandma helps out a lot! If I have a meeting to run to or anything, I get Grandma to come over and watch them for a little while. Being an entrepreneur, I can do a lot of work from home if I need to. It’s just about ﬁguring out what works for you and what works for your schedule and your life.

13 |

The person that we see on Instagram, is that the real Tammy or do you have two sides? Do you have an Instagram Tammy and an at home Tammy? I show the at home Tammy sometimes on Instagram. There are deﬁnitely other sides that people don’t see. I am just a normal person, at the end of the day. I do try to show myself through YouTube and try to be as authentic as possible, but it is different when you are behind a camera.

14 |

You were on the cover of Cosmopolitan, how did that happen?

15|

If you could give entrepreneurs one last tip, what would that be?

People voted for me to be on the cover. There were two other girls that were also on the cover. I was so amazed. Each time something like that happens, I am thinking “Wow, all these people voted for me!” It’s so amazing. That’s something I never dreamt would happen. It was such a surreal thing to have happened. We actually have a giant photo of it hanging in the ofﬁce. (Laughing)

Follow your passion and let that help you ﬁnd your purpose. Don’t just follow your passion and create a business out of it. There’s got to be some purpose behind that. Woman Entrepreneur | Global

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just follow your passion and create a business out of it. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got to be some purpose behind that.

www.womanentrepreneur.co | 19

These days, influencers are paving the way and showing the world what is really possible to achieve when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re resourceful and creative. Long gone are the days when success was only experienced while pursuing a path along the straight and narrow, or inside the box. Influencers have chosen to reach out and claim the leadership roles in our culture. And they havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t gained massive amounts of followers, traction and success by hiding on the sidelines. They choose to completely own their authority, and here are 7 things you can learn from their confidence.

Woman Entrepreneur | Global

AUTHENTICITY IS THE NAME OF THE GAME It’s easy to get nervous, self-conscious or all up in your

head, when you’re trying to play the role of somebody you’re not. You almost have to become a perfectionist to make sure you don’t let any of the real you shine through. The sad thing is, a majority of our society choose to live their lives this way; following the herd, and doing whatever’s necessary to be normal and stay on top of the trends. But influencers don’t follow the trends, they set the trends. They choose to show up as the unique, creative, ambitious individuals that they are in their full authenticity. When you get comfortable with being yourself, and choose to believe that people will eat it up and love what you have to offer, you gain the ultimate level of confidence. If you feel you haven’t been able to feel confident in your own skin, it may just be because you’re wearing someone else’s.

BE PROUD We’re taught from a young age to be humble and polite.

Never to toot our own horns or focus too much of the attention on ourselves and our accomplishments. Unfortunately, the only thing that brings about, is us becoming self-conscious and unaware of how totally badass we are! One thing that makes all the difference, is learning to be proud of yourself. Influencers show up fully, expressing themselves fully and they’re proud to show the world who they are and what they’re made of. But they weren’t just born that way. That type of behaviour is learned. And so, if you want to really tap into mega confidence, start telling yourself multiple times a day how proud you are, even of the small things.

YOUR VOICE MATTERS You were born with a powerful voice, intelligent thoughts

and special qualities that are unique to you. Learning that your voice matters, that it can change lives and is vital to the world, is

COURAGE IS SEXY No one on earth was born confident; it’s learned. And it’s not a quality that transfers over to every area of your life automatically. Confidence comes from being wildly courageous. Get brave and try anything that scares you enough times, and soon you’ll be proficient at whatever that thing is. Proficiency leads into it feeling normal and routine for you, and once you can do it without thinking about it, you get confident in that area of your life. Fear is something that is so regularly given into, that holds so many people back from achieving their dreams. Courage, on the other hand, is extremely sexy. It makes you stand out, because you’re brave enough and bold enough to chase your dreams, even when it scares you!

Courage, on the other hand, is extremely sexy. It makes you stand out, because you’re brave enough and bold enough to chase your dreams, even when it scares you!

FAITH AND BELIEF TAKE PRACTICE Those people you see killing it online, and influencing the way people think, act and buy, didn’t just go from 0 to 100 in ten seconds. It takes a lot of faith and belief to put yourself out there, exposed in all your uniqueness, and trust that it won’t be totally judged and criticized. The fear of judgement holds so many people back from ever getting started. But having faith and belief is like building a muscle. The more you practice and exercise it, the stronger it will get. Try it out today, if you’ve written or created something you’re really proud of, put it out into the world. Trust that the right people will absolutely love it and get a ton of value from it. Repeat that step enough times, and you’ll be super confident before you even know it!

an amazing way to start feeling more confident. It takes practice. But remember, an influencer gained the ability to influence others because they trusted that their voice was exactly what other people needed to hear!

Learning that your voice matters, that it can change lives and is vital to the world, is an amazing way to start feeling more confident.

PROVE IT TO YOURSELF The ultimate confidence comes down to this: You’ll never have it, until you prove to yourself how capable you are of achieving everything you desire and more! The only way to prove it, is to take action. One step at a time, and you’ll find your confidence building gradually! Before you know it, you’ll look back and you won’t even recognize the person that you used to be!

SHOW UP OR SHUT UP In a world of online influence, you have a decision to make…

show up, or shut up! Stand into the light and shine, or move on over and let someone else take the spotlight! Those who choose to fully step into their power and own their greatness, stand out and gain impact quickly. Those who aren’t so sure of who they are or what they want to offer to the world, just don’t get seen or heard. It’s an all or nothing world, so be the best that you can be, and never be ashamed to shine your light, because it’s magnificent!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: LINDSAY ADAMSON International Speaker, Success Coach and Author email lindsayadamson@gmail.com lindsayadamsonofficial lindsayadamsonofficial web www.lindsayadamson.com www.womanentrepreneur.co | 21

Instagram is a daunting platform for many - before we even say the word branding! Then you put the two together and most businesses put it in the too-hard-basket. We decided it was far too often that we see businesses on Instagram turn their channels into graveyards. Commonly you see about 15 photos, 150 followers and zero updates in the last couple of months. If you’ve clicked on this article and know you fall into this category – don’t panic, we are here to help.

22 | DECEMBER 2018 | ISSUE 2

Woman Entrepreneur | Global

Integrating Instagram into your branding strategy is, in our opinion, essential for the survival and growth of your business and one of the best ways to capture an incredible audience.

But we are not going to sugar coat this – Instagram is no walk in the park. Building an engaged online audience that trusts you and buys from you is hard work, but totally worth it.

get it right and don’t complicate it. If you have a logo USE IT

Set up your username and display picture

This is important – it is the little circle on Instagram that is going to show up beside every post you make and the name that will be attached to every comment and notification. Make sure you and if you have a business name USE IT. Make yourself easy to find because as we said, there are billions of users and you want people to be able to find you. Yes, we have had clients that set up accounts with “fun new names” and wondered why no one

Benefits of Increasing Instagram Branding

could find them on Instagram.

With half-a-billion active users on Instagram, there are massive opportunities every single minute on the platform - from new customers to collaborations - to take you to the next level. This is literally the world at your fingertips and you are able to communicate with them with the tap of a few buttons.

So, we have put together a shortlist to help set up your brand on Instagram for success.

brings up a video reel. Choose a couple of things you want to

Research

Make your highlights Let’s be real here – highlights are a girl’s best friend

and this is also true for Instagram. These are the cool little circles you will find on many profiles now that, when you press them, it highlight in your business and make them a permanent feature by making little branded highlight covers and titles for people to explore what you do.

Get inspired by exploring the wonderful World of Instagram. Look up hashtags that interest you and click profile after profile. Make a list of the top 10 brands you find and can’t take your eyes off. And beside each of them write something you love about their brand.

Some of our favourites:

– take some photos. With everything you have done above, it is

@thelazyceo @bossbabe.inc @createcultivate

Check out the competition

Plan your Insta-brand

Set up your bio

However, this is not a competition. Have a look at what other people in your space and profession are doing, note the things that they do well. You are also not here to copy them, this is about awareness and improvement. Now write down three things you can do better.

Take your first pictures You are almost ready to fly the coop with a basic

branded set up on Instagram but the last tip here is to take action time to put it into action and post your first 3 pictures. You don’t need to be a photographer, just put common sense into play and make sure your photos are bright, clear and relevant.

Still here? Congratulations! You are now on your way to Instagram Badassery – the place where Insta-fame grows. But most importantly, this is how to give your business the spotlight it deserves.

Now that you have some notes, write down the colors, filters, and themes that you want to use for your Instagram brand. Be sure to make sure it matches you and your brand offline as a brand isn’t your “work life” it is your life’s work and that is what you are putting on show here. It is crucial you understand your brand to truly display its full potential on social media platforms, especially on Instagram as this is a highly visual platform.

There is no time to babble. Think about how you can use the 150 characters to write copy that attracts prospective clients and customers; people who are the most likely to press the follow button. Explain what your business is and what you do. Feature your best assets as this is your landing page and how most people will decide to follow you or not. This is also the gateway to help people buy from you. Make it extremely simple: here is what I do and here is how you can have that. This could be as simple as your website link at the end of your 150 dynamite words summing up your brand.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: WOLF AND GEEK Serial Entrepreneurs | Brand Strategists | Social Savages Obsessive Compulsive Disruptors | Imagination Engineers www.wolfandgeek.com.au wolfandgeek wolfandgeek www.womanentrepreneur.co | 23

TH E I NFLUE NCE R MA RK ET ING A C A DEM Y Learn the Step by Step Process on how to use influencer marketing to 11X Your ROI

Ask yourself this - How different will your sales be if you had influencers promoting your brand to their loyal audience? INFLUENCER MARKETING IS IDEAL FOR:  SALES SALES SALES SALES

 Build trust with customers

 Product reviews

 The launch of a new product

 Brand Awareness

 Content creation

Influencer marketing gives you 11X ROI than that of online display ads. Learn the shortcuts to influencer marketing and get your brand in the hands of social media influencers.

womanentrepreneur.co/influencermarketing

Top Female Entrepreneurs of the Year

TH E I NFLUE NCE R MA RK ET ING A C A DEM Y Learn the Step by Step Process on how to use influencer marketing to 11X Your ROI

Ask yourself this - How different will your sales be if you had influencers promoting your brand to their loyal audience? INFLUENCER MARKETING IS IDEAL FOR:  SALES SALES SALES SALES

 Build trust with customers

 Product reviews

 The launch of a new product

 Brand Awareness

 Content creation

Influencer marketing gives you 11X ROI than that of online display ads. Learn the shortcuts to influencer marketing and get your brand in the hands of social media influencers.

womanentrepreneur.co/influencermarketing

TOP WOMEN ENTREPRENEUR 2018

Florence BO U N TSMAN

Name: Florence Bountsman Age: 33 Industry: Real Estate and Networking Company: Bountsman, IMN Stuttgart Favourite Quote : “If you don’t ask, the answer is always NO!“

Stay who you are but never forget where you come from and who helped you on the journey.

Please give us a short background of who you are and what you do

I am a real estate expert and investor, a business strategist and created a business network club in my city named “IMN Stuttgart” with my husband. I was born in France and played chess at an international level (European and World Chess Championship). Thanks to chess, I met my husband (Chess Grand Master) and have not left his side since we met and I convinced my parents to let me move away from them at the age of 17 to finish my studies where he was. We now live in Germany, where I started working as a web developer, without speaking German. When we had our first child and then quickly a second, I became a “stay at home mom”. I worked from home, managed our properties and had time to be with the kids. The best decision ever. We continued one after another to invest in properties. Now, we have three kids, 19 units, a business club which is growing, five companies, my husband works as a Software Architect (freelancer) and we have some more projects in real estates, IT, ... We planned our lives in a way that exactly suits our family.

How did you feel and what does it mean to you, to be selected for our Woman Entrepreneur of the year issue? It is an honor to be published in your magazine, especially this issue, Woman Entrepreneur of the year! Thank you for the opportunity you offer to businesswomen who take action, conquer their fear, create their company and their network. Many people speak a lot but do not take action. Implementation is the most important. You can have the best idea in the world, if you do not implement it (and quickly), nothing will happen for you. Stop thinking about “what will happen if”, go out, meet likeminded people and create your business or invest in property. You have to have a positive mindset and remember that if you do not take action in your life, nothing great will happen.

In your journey, where did everything turn around for you, what was that point in time?

In 2016, I was in Munich originally to see Robert Kiyosaki. I listened to some speakers, one after another, it was very inspiring until one special person came on stage. Someone who does not tell you want to hear, instead, he tells you what you need to hear to improve in life and in business. It was such a great time, I love how he speaks, how he believes in himself and is not afraid to show it. His name is JT Foxx, World’s #1 Wealth Coach. This was the start of changing how I managed my life. I got new ideas, coaches, a lot of motivation, and with my husband created our business and networking club in Stuttgart. This is when I started to think big... Because we went out in the “unknown”, met new people, we got a new business partner and new possibilities opened up for us.

What advice can you give other women that want to start a business or that already have a business to reach their goals? My advice to all the female entrepreneurs who are reading this: first of all, be yourself with your own values and beliefs. People like people who are honest, fair and are not afraid to take on challenges. Stay who you are but never forget where you come from and who helped you on the journey. Then, you have to know that to succeed you need a team, one (or some) business partner and a coach. You have to go out, meet highly successful people and start new projects with them. After, you have to get branded and have a powerful marketing concept. There are no limits in life, you have to think big! And the most important, as soon as you have ideas, take time to implement them. Ideas only on paper are useless. Be motivated, do not be afraid to jump and never give up! Woman Entrepreneur | Global

You are a very successful entrepreneur, from your experience what is the best way on how you can get your name out there? In life, if you want to exist outside your environment, you have to stop being afraid. You must go to network events to meet new people, you will see that there are people who need you, they need help in what they do and this help is YOU! You might also meet people with whom you can create a new business or a partnership. Also, be present on social media and be featured in magazines. You have to post, of course only things relative to business and what the people are interested in. A good opportunity to be featured is to go to JT Foxx’s biggest event of the year; Mega Success. It is a momentous once in a lifetime event and I had the opportunity to attend it twice already. I was there on stage in front of 2.500 people with some of the biggest names, Hugh Hilton (Chief Executive Officer and managing director at Alvarez and Marsal Capital Real Estate, LLC), Vanilla Ice (rapper, actor, businessman), George Ross (executive vice president and former senior counsel of the Trump organization) and JT Foxx, discussing real estate. I also met celebrities such as Steve Wozniak (Apple co-founder), Mel Gibson, Michael Douglas and many more. You can also visit us at IMN Stuttgart and speak in front of a valuable group of people. Believe in yourself, stop trying to work alone, instead go out, meet new people, the impossible will become possible!

Florence and Dmitri with their IMN Stuttgart Team

Mel Gibson, Florence, Dmitri and business coach, JT Foxx

What can we expect from you in 2019?

Our networking and business club is really growing and becoming better with new ideas, new projects, and highquality people, also thanks to my husband and my team (Kacy and Martina). My husband and I are buying more properties, some ourselves and some with new partners. We are on our way to creating a new company with another partner to rent properties to big companies who require accommodation for their employees. My husband and I also have a new project, helping middle-sized and big companies reorganize their IT departments and minimize their costs on one hand while being able to implement changes faster and with fewer risks on the other hand! Let’s see what will still come!

On stage at the Mega Success Event

Thank you to my husband for his support, our four parents, who are always here (especially to look after the kids) and my coaches JT Foxx, Silvija Popovic and Julia Bock!

Florence and Dmitri with George Ross

GET IN TOUCH WITH FLORENCE EMAIL fbountsman@bountsman.com WEB www.imnstuttgart.com FACEBOOK florence.bountsman | IMNStuttgart INSTAGRAM fbountsman LINKEDIN florence-bountsman XING Florence_Bountsman www.womanentrepreneur.co | 29

TH E I NFLUE NCE R MA RK ET ING A C A DEM Y Learn the Step by Step Process on how to use influencer marketing to 11X Your ROI

Ask yourself this - How different will your sales be if you had influencers promoting your brand to their loyal audience? INFLUENCER MARKETING IS IDEAL FOR:  SALES SALES SALES SALES

 Build trust with customers

 Product reviews

 The launch of a new product

 Brand Awareness

 Content creation

Influencer marketing gives you 11X ROI than that of online display ads. Learn the shortcuts to influencer marketing and get your brand in the hands of social media influencers.

womanentrepreneur.co/influencermarketing

TOP WOMEN ENTREPRENEUR 2018

Valérie

B E AUSÉ JO U R

Name: Valérie Beauséjour Age: 42 Industry: Multi Level Marketing Business Coach Company: Coaching MLM Entrepreneur Favourite Quote: Make It Happen Kangaroo!

Please give us a short background of who you are and what you do.

I am a 42-year old entrepreneur from Montréal, Canada and a proud mother of three: Ginger (13), Summer (9) and Smiley, who is now five. I am a multi-level marketing (MLM) coach. I work online and with multiple MLM leaders around the world. I also provide their teams with online training or on-stage training as a guest speaker. I share tips and secrets that helped me become a worldwide MLM leader. I mastered the art of selling, recruiting and leading an MLM business. I studied at the University of Quebec and got a master’s degree in clinical sexology and then specialized in oncology, gynaeoncology and radiotherapy. I practiced as a therapist for seven years and worked closely with individuals during and after their oncology treatment to help them cope with the impact on their sexual life. During the same time, I coordinated a non-profitable mental health organization for people suffering from eating disorders. After my sex therapist practice period, at the age of 33, I unexpectedly started my journey as an MLM entrepreneur. I built a sixfigure empire in a short period of time selling Tupperware products as a consultant. I built a team of passionate MLM professionals, entrepreneurs and leaders. Within a few months, I became one of the top directors in North America and soon after, one of the top global leaders in the industry. After being handpicked by the President of Tupperware Canada and the U.S to be the first and only National Sales Manager of the MLM, I decided to resign in July 2018 and move away from the corporate world to become a public speaker; training and coaching likeminded entrepreneurs. I am currently building up an extensive real estate portfolio and am an investor in oil wells.

How did you feel and what does it mean to you, to be selected for our Woman Entrepreneur of the year issue? It is a huge recognition. It signifies all the great work I accomplished and the positive impact I had on people’s lives in 2018. Being selected was unexpected but very welcome. When you give your best every day to support people and initiate change, you don’t think of becoming the Top Female Entrepreneur of the Year. You just do it because it is who you are; you care and believe that with your actions, you have the power to change someone else’s life. Being selected gives me wings, courage and the strength to keep going and doing more. It’s a concrete proof of the quality of my work, how fellow female entrepreneurs see me and the impact of my work.

32 | DECEMBER 2018 | ISSUE 2

Stop asking everyone for their opinions and stop seeking their approval.

Woman Entrepreneur | Global

In your journey, where did everything turn around for you, what was that point in time?

We are always one decision away from an entirely different life. It happened to me on a cold evening in January 2010… the moment my life turned around. Julie, my sister in law, the last person on earth that I would think of to host a Tupperware event called me to ask me to attend hers. Although it was a definite no in my mind, I reluctantly answered her with a maybe and some possible reasons why I might not be able to attend. I was not the type of person to attend events like these. I was not willing to waste my time and, being at the end of my one-year maternity leave; I was also terribly broke. I hid behind a credible lie to save my dignity. Proud of how I successfully got myself out of it, I was convinced that Julie would not follow up with me. But, she did! She called me back and I felt obliged to say yes. I saw it as my sister in law duty and that she owed me one and I showed up as promised.

share everything that you need to know and how to do it so that you can earn your desired income from your MLM business. Customized live training is on the cards too. You will find more information on my Facebook group: Coaching MLM Entrepreneur. The free Thursday night tips and secrets live on Facebook is staying for 2019 for sure. Q&A sessions will also be hosted on my Facebook group. Look for a wind of change in some of the established MLMs and also look at the new MLMs that will rise in 2019. I’m also going to have the pleasure of bringing my unique experience to MLM corporate head office as a consultant. I have two secret projects that I cherish a lot. I can’t say much for now but I am working on launching my own chocolate collection and a 100% biologic and organic energy beverage. Life is full of opportunities. Get the right mindset, take action to make it happen and celebrate your success. I wish you the best.

Oh boy, as soon as I got there, I felt stupid. The event was a big fail. Only two guests showed up: her cousin and I. I pitied Julie and the MLM consultant; all that energy and time wasted for nothing, I first thought. What an arrogant, immature and close-minded person I was. I was 33 years old, with a master’s degree in my pocket, two young kids … I was someone. LOL. I didn’t know better. Then, out of nowhere, something happened. I said yes to hosting a Tupperware event at my house, yes to attend a guest event that was one hour away from my home and yes to the opportunity to start my own MLM business.

What advice can you give other women that want to start a business or that already have a business to reach their goals? Stop asking everyone for their opinions and stop seeking their approval. Just do what you have to do. Trust you. Take decisions and make it happen. Go against your fears, false beliefs, adversity and the people that don’t believe in you. Surround yourself with positive people and winners. Always stretch your comfort zone. Get inspired. Read books, listen to audiobooks, and attend events hosted by entrepreneurs in your field. Get a coach and training. Manifest the right mindset to reach your goals and, no matter how hard it gets, strive to reach them. Keep going! Don’t just talk about your goals, reach them and then celebrate them.

You are a very successful entrepreneur, from your experience what is the best way on how you can get your name out there? You have to reach a certain level of expertise in your niche and have results to prove it to receive support and recognition from your peers. The impact of your work has to be great and reach people. It has to positively influence people’s lives; it has to be tangible and notable.

What can we expect from you in 2019?

Over the next 12 months, I will still coach MLM leaders from around the world online and I will be a guest speaker for different MLMs. I plan to keep offering my 8-week live online training on the fundamentals you need to know, have and master as an MLM entrepreneur and my Masterclass Online Training as well. The great thing about it is that no matter if you just started your MLM business or if you’ve been around for a while, I will

GET IN TOUCH WITH VALÉRIE Email me@valeriebeausejour.com Phone 514-886-1688 Facebook Group Coaching MLM Entrepreneur www.womanentrepreneur.co | 33

TH E I NFLUE NCE R MA RK ET ING A C A DEM Y Learn the Step by Step Process on how to use influencer marketing to 11X Your ROI

Ask yourself this - How different will your sales be if you had influencers promoting your brand to their loyal audience? INFLUENCER MARKETING IS IDEAL FOR:  SALES SALES SALES SALES

 Build trust with customers

 Product reviews

 The launch of a new product

 Brand Awareness

 Content creation

Influencer marketing gives you 11X ROI than that of online display ads. Learn the shortcuts to influencer marketing and get your brand in the hands of social media influencers.

womanentrepreneur.co/influencermarketing

TOP WOMEN ENTREPRENEUR 2018

Lisa

C O LLU M

Name: Lisa Collum Age: 35 Industry: Education Company: Top Score Writing, Inc. and Coastal Middle and High School, Inc. Favourite Quote : “For we live by faith, not by sight.”

Please give us a short background of who you are and what you do

I am a mom of four (three busy boys aged 13, 10, 7 and my precious 2-year-old baby girl), a loving wife of 14 years, and the proud owner of two educational companies. My journey began 14 years ago when I first entered the teaching profession. I started working as a 4th grade teacher in a low performing, low socioeconomic school without any curriculum available to teach my students writing. After several years of teaching in the classroom, serving as a writing coach and specialist, I started developing my own writing curriculum to assist students, especially struggling writers. In 2011, I started Top Score Writing, Inc. and worked with a handful of schools locally. Since then, I have expanded my business and have worked with over 1,000 schools nationwide. In the midst of my curriculum writing journey, I purchased Coastal Middle and High School. Coastal Middle and High School is a small private school designated for students that struggle in school, have dropped out, or just needed something different. This school is not your ordinary traditional school. It offers lots of flexibility, frequent breaks, various curriculum choices and lots of small group and oneon-one teaching. Between running two businesses and raising four kids, life is busy!

Be patient, stay determined and pray about everything.

How did you feel and what does it mean to you, to be selected for our Woman Entrepreneur of the year issue?

I am ecstatic and truly honored to be selected for the Woman Entrepreneur of the year issue! Knowing that I spend the majority of my days helping and supporting others, it is humbling and almost surreal to take a moment for myself and be acknowledged for the work that I am doing. To be recognized and applauded for the efforts and sacrifices that I have made is definitely an awesome feeling! I want to encourage other moms out there to continue to become pioneers in their selected fields and let them know that their hard work will pay off and it is all worth it. To be here today and to do what I am doing, I am very blessed and thankful for the people that believed in me and supported me…making this achievement a very special moment in my career. I want other moms to know that it is okay to take risks and dream big and that there aren’t any limits on what they can accomplish. You can have kids, work full time and still have a great life. Is it always easy? No! But I promise you it can be done. I am always thrilled and eager to share my story and journey with other women.

In your journey, where did everything turn around for you, what was that point in time?

I went through a lot in my journey, especially in the beginning… people turning against me, stealing my curriculum, copying materials and putting their name on it…people questioning my expertise and the way I teach writing to students. But in the last four years or so, things have definitely started to turn around. I feel like I have finally proven myself. In the early years of starting and running Top Score Writing, I was constantly second guessing myself. I was nervous about meeting with schools and trying to sell my curriculum. During my professional development presentations, I always thought to myself “what do these people think about my curriculum?”. After a few more years, a few dozen more presentations, and collaboration with a few more school districts across the state of Florida, the proof became apparent…Top Score Writing was the real deal! Schools and teachers were giving great feedback and the scores from state tests were showing tremendous gains and continuous improvement. The self-assurance piece to me always seemed to be the missing component, but now this was not the case anymore. Even with my school, I often doubted myself. Here I am, this thirty-something year old woman about to run an entire school...an entire school…with a tough group of kids. How was I going to do this with four young children of my own? Faith... that’s how. Education and teaching have always been a passion of mine and I was not about to shortchange what I have always believed in. I started the school with only two kids and now the school is almost at capacity. This past year has been the year I can say I am 100% confident! Intrinsically, I know I can do what I set out to do, and externally I

36 | DECEMBER 2018 | ISSUE 2

Woman Entrepreneur | Global

am able to exude that confidence that was once lacking. With years of success under my belt, I finally feel like I am able to take my business to the next level and accomplish the dreams that I have envisioned ever since I started teaching.

What advice can you give other women that want to start a business or that already have a business to reach their goals?

One piece of advice I would give to other women wanting to start a business would be to have a plan. I did not just abruptly quit my teaching job and go out on a limb and start a business from scratch. When I knew I wanted to start selling my writing curriculum, I would teach during the day and follow my “plan” at night. This plan entailed going to the local copy store every evening, making copies, coming home to create binders of the lessons and then shipping these materials off the next day. I did not officially leave my teaching job until three years into the business when I knew I had enough money in the business to earn a salary. These years were very exhausting and time consuming, but at the same time they were the most rewarding. My plan was in full swing and I kept following it… step by step. If you have an idea, start small and work on it with a goal in mind and a plan to accompany it. I also think it is very important to have a mentor or two. Do not be afraid to reach out to other people and seek advice and input from them regarding their setbacks and successes. Having a mentor provides a line of communication that you can utilize whenever you feel that you need it. I am forever grateful for the two mentors that I still keep in contact with frequently, who provide me with the support and guidance that has been very influential in growing my two businesses. Another piece of advice I would offer would be to acquire a journal and use it. Although this seems very basic, writing my ideas and thoughts on an ongoing basis has helped me tremendously with my businesses. I can always open my journal to reflect on what I already completed and jot down ideas that I want to pursue in the near future. In this journal, I also write down simple phrases that give me that extra boost of energy or confidence when I need it. “You got this Lisa!...Keep moving forward and don’t look back…It is all part of the plan… Keep supporting teachers” are a few of the phrases that have been instrumental along my journey. For those women that already have a business and want to reach their goals, the first step would be to define those goals. Be realistic. Start with a small goal and a plan. Don’t get discouraged if things don’t work out perfectly at first. That is part of the learning experience and your individual journey. Be patient, stay determined and pray about everything. My faith is

the one constant thing that kept me going and has guided me along the way. It is also important to be open to suggestions, ideas, and even criticism. I have been able to dissect criticism and somehow find a positive out of something that was originally intended to be negative.

You are a very successful entrepreneur, from your experience what is the best way on how you can get your name out there?

Social media has become one of the best ways to get your name and business out there. One of the best things I have done with Top Score Writing was to invest in a marketing team. There are so many different social media platforms and ways to connect with others that I was not able to stay on top of that marketing aspect of my business all by myself. I can now think of what I want to say and send these ideas directly to my marketing team so they can spice it up and send it out. Once your name is out there, it is very important to be reliable and dependable. If you say something or tell someone what you are going to do, it is critical that you follow through with your words. Although social media has become the new way of expanding your business, the word-of-mouth method is always a great way to maintain a reputable business.

What can we expect from you in 2019?

In 2019, you can expect to see Top Score Writing in numerous states across the nation. I am currently in the developing stages of several new marketing strategies that will help spread the word about the company and the curriculum. Our digital program will be expanding from 3rd-5th grade to 2nd-12th grade. I am also working on new products for teachers to help make teaching easier for them. Next year will also include a few more “secret” projects that will be released later (follow my social media @lisacollumceo for the revealing). I also anticipate my Top Score Writing team expanding and also providing additional support to homeschool education with video lessons and live webinars. As for the school, my plan for 2019 is to continue to help as many kids as possible in their educational journey in earning their high school diplomas.

GET IN TOUCH WITH LISA Lisa Collum President Top Score Writing, Inc. www.topscorewriting.com lisacollumceo www.womanentrepreneur.co | 37

TH E I NFLUE NCE R MA RK ET ING A C A DEM Y Learn the Step by Step Process on how to use influencer marketing to 11X Your ROI

Ask yourself this - How different will your sales be if you had influencers promoting your brand to their loyal audience? INFLUENCER MARKETING IS IDEAL FOR:  SALES SALES SALES SALES

 Build trust with customers

 Product reviews

 The launch of a new product

 Brand Awareness

 Content creation

Influencer marketing gives you 11X ROI than that of online display ads. Learn the shortcuts to influencer marketing and get your brand in the hands of social media influencers.

womanentrepreneur.co/influencermarketing

TOP WOMEN ENTREPRENEUR 2018

Carolyn C OOPER

Name: Carolyn Cooper Age: 38 Industry: Fashion Company: Carolyn Cooper Favourite Quote : “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” - Thomas A Edison -

Please give us a short background of who you are and what you do

I am an electrical engineer and entrepreneur. I love math and science, but I also love investing and business. The technical nature of my engineering profession did not provide me with opportunities to explore and develop my business skills. In 2012, I launched my first company and started investing in real estate. I enjoy investing in real estate. It builds true wealth (assets), and gives me a nice financial cushion, but my grand vision is a company that inspires, encourages, and supports professional women. I started doing market research for a new company and in 2014 I launched “The Pink Engineer”. This company has since become the parent company for several other business lines, including my flagship custom business suit company, launched in 2016 as simply “Carolyn Cooper”. I definitely have the entrepreneurial bug; I am one of those people who like delving into a problem, developing new solutions, and creating a profitable business out of it. My mind is always whirling.

How did you feel and what does it mean to you, to be selected for our Woman Entrepreneur of the year issue? I am very excited and proud. Like most of my fellow entrepreneurs, I work very hard, day in day out, 7 days a week; I am maybe a little unique in that I still have a full time career as an engineer. Being high energy, I find it is easy to get distracted and lost in circumstances and feel like I’m not making any progress, but the key to success is taking strategic action … those daily, consistent and boring habits. It is essential to pull back every now and then and acknowledge that you are already a success and you’re headed for even greater success, limited only by your mindset. Recognition like this is much appreciated. I hope my story will inspire and encourage other female entrepreneurs to keep going. Be brave and don’t let “failure” stop you. You’ll wake up one day, look back and say “wow, did I do all that?!” Yes, yes you did!

In your journey, where did everything turn around for you, what was that point in time?

I had a huge revelation in February of 2012. At the time, my career wasn’t where I expected it to be. I had been passed over for a promotion and the work was becoming routine. Although I work really hard as an engineer, I realized that that alone wouldn’t get me the wealth and luxury lifestyle I wanted. I love to travel, experience new cultures and adventures, and I prefer to fly first class. Lifestyle aside, smart people get bored quickly and entrepreneurism is the ultimate challenge.

What advice can you give other women that want to start a business or that already have a business to reach their goals? Always seek out client feedback, test and re-test your market and don’t be afraid to pivot – FAST! When I first started “The Pink Engineer” I had envisioned my primary mission as helping fellow female engineers look great and be confident, and I modeled the company’s products and services accordingly. Through extensive market testing it quickly became apparent that (1) women in many other industries needed my custom suits and (2) engineers were NOT my primary target market. In 2016, I rebranded as “Carolyn Cooper” and pivoted my target market to primarily focus on trial attorneys, financial advisors and corporate business people. Empowering professional women to succeed is my passion, and by the end of 2016 I realized that I could have an even greater impact by including men’s suits in my offerings. Top businessmen always wear custom suits because they understand the importance of looking professional. I’ve found

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that many times women don’t fully appreciate the benefits of a custom suit versus an off-the-rack ensemble, whereas with men a custom suit is a must-have to be successful. Men are the easy sell. Furthermore, business leaders recognize the reality that when their team members dress well in a custom suit, it not only gives them confidence in themselves but gives their clients confidence in the team, which is crucial to the success of their businesses. So in 2017 I pivoted again by purchasing a men’s custom business suit company and now I provide custom suits to both men and women, leaders and employees. I could have ignored the feedback, kept going with my original business idea, but I chose to pivot and evolve, and my business continues to grow.

You are a very successful entrepreneur, from your experience what is the best way on how you can get your name out there? In real estate, it’s location location location. In business, it’s visibility visibility visibility. You can’t be afraid to be visible, worrying if peers and family will approve of your business aspirations. I didn’t realize this at the time but when I first launched my company the idea of visibility held me back. I played small, kept my message to those who were supportive, networked within groups that made me feel safe. It’s the age old idea of “go big or go home” that has massive success. You can’t keep yourself and your business a secret. One of my key strategies in 2018 was increasing my visibility and online presence. I hired a new assistant and ramped up my speaking engagements while continuing to increase my social media exposure, including video. I’m always looking to level up my network, quickly removing myself from unsupportive relationships or groups, joining exclusive clubs that get me in front of powerful decision makers and like-minded business shakers. In 2019, I plan on exponential visibility with my speaking and media engagements.

What can we expect from you in 2019?

Since I launched in 2016, the company has had growing pains as well as growth spurts. I’ve been careful not to grow too fast and damage my brand, while pivoting when needed and quickly incorporating lessons learnt. With the expansion into men’s suits, I created another revenue stream and opened up another path to reaching more women employees. I continue to receive strong international interest, particularly in Canada and Europe. In 2019, I will launch my ecommerce website that will allow clients from all over the world the ease of purchasing my luxury custom business suits along with a myriad of fashion accessories including ties, scarves, custom jewelry and luggage. Woman Entrepreneur | Global

Always seek out client feedback, test and re-test your market and don’t be afraid to pivot – FAST!

GET IN TOUCH WITH CAROLYN Web www.thecarolyncooper.com Facebook @thecarolyncooper LinkedIn @thecarolyncooper Instagram @thecarolyncooper

TH E I NFLUE NCE R MA RK ET ING A C A DEM Y Learn the Step by Step Process on how to use influencer marketing to 11X Your ROI

Ask yourself this - How different will your sales be if you had influencers promoting your brand to their loyal audience? INFLUENCER MARKETING IS IDEAL FOR:  SALES SALES SALES SALES

 Build trust with customers

 Product reviews

 The launch of a new product

 Brand Awareness

 Content creation

Influencer marketing gives you 11X ROI than that of online display ads. Learn the shortcuts to influencer marketing and get your brand in the hands of social media influencers.

womanentrepreneur.co/influencermarketing

TOP WOMEN ENTREPRENEUR 2018

Sandra FA A S

Name: Sandra Faas Industry: Mum of two, Bestselling Author of “Manifest Your True Female Identity”, Co-Author of “Wie hast Du das gemacht” German (“How did You Do That”), Passionate Female Mentor and Leader, Entrepreneur & Construction Project Expert Company: www.sandrafaas.com Favourite Quote: Smile! It is your VIP-Ticket in life.

Please give us a short background of who you are and what you do.

I am a passionate entrepreneur with numerous interests. I work as a building and construction project planner focusing on upmarket buildings and properties, and co own a gym with my husband. The two of us also have an extensive estate portfolio, in which we continuously invest. Along with my passion for my career, I am also driven to inspire and support other women, encouraging them to embrace their femininity. I help them realize their potential by giving them insightful advice and support. After receiving numerous messages from women thanking me for inspiring them, I realised that I had a natural flair for motivating women across the globe. This is when I decided to make it my principal mission to help other women live up to their full potential. I am passionate about supporting other women’s wonderful journeys. I encourage women around the globe to enjoy happiness and success. I mentor and teach them that living up to their true female potential and limitless visions is their birth right.

By knowing how to implement these ambitious visions, you will reach your goals easily. Don’t get caught up by comparing and competing. In my programs, I teach women the simple steps to embrace their female facets, how to live up to their full potential and shine in the happiness and success they all deserve.

How did you feel and what does it mean to you, to be selected for our Woman Entrepreneur of the year issue?

I’m extremely excited! Being honoured as a Woman Entrepreneur of the Year makes me feel blessed and proud. For over 20 years I have been a passionate entrepreneur, a projecting expert, passionate female mentor and leader. To have a certificate naming me as “Woman Entrepreneur of the Year” crowns it all. I am filled with pure happiness and thankfulness.

In your journey, where did everything turn around for you?

I believe we learn the most when we feel the most broken and overwhelmed, I decided one day to not fall back anymore. We only have two options: - To step back because it’s too painful to go through the door - so we stay in our comfort zone, - Or to push forward and go through - jump right into our biggest fears. In some situations in life I chose to stay back, but realized that there was more pain in that, and that the pain stays with us. Our fear still stays in us and behind us. But, by going through this door into our next chapter, the fear and pain is only around for a short while. After that, you rise, grow and become your true self. I learned, to look into my most painful moments and not to run away, but instead go through.

What advice can you give other women that want to start a business or that already have a business to reach their goals? If you want to grow; think big, bigger, biggest. Find your WHY. You will need it as your main goal post. Be passionate about your WHY, your GOAL and don’t be afraid of the HOW. Always be fair to your partners. Think, feel and visualize, huge and crazy. Woman Entrepreneur | Global

If you operate with high energy, you will feel, create and attract huge results. You will also attract the right people, situations and opportunities that radiate a similar energy. Be honest with yourself, if something is not making you happy and giving you energy, don’t do it. If it makes you happy, it’s right. It’s the same in your private life as in business. LOVE your business. BE your business. DO your business. KNOW your business. LEARN for and with your business. Don’t repeat the mistakes. FEEL your business. THINK your business. BREATHE your business. RESPECT your business. KEEP VISUALIZING. And KEEP GOING FOR YOUR WHY no matter what. Don’t make money your focus, do what you love and find your best energy, money will follow.

You are a very successful entrepreneur. From your experience, what is the best way you can get your name out there? WALK YOUR TALK. Live your expertise. Be a benefit to others in your Industry. HELP, UPLIFT and SUPPORT others. Give them solutions or tools to change their lives to better. Have true and real experiences, live what you’re preaching about. Then you are allowed to “be loud” with your expertise. Not before. It is easy to be seen on social media, but having years of experience and results, is more valuable in some industries, mentoring and coaching for example. Find that special something, your UNIQNESS. Have fun. Surround yourself with equally successful business partners and friends to constantly exchange, uplift and learn from each other. Be part of, and be present on platforms magazines and meet ups with your target groups and potential partners and customers. Get a great coach and mentor to help with structure and strategies.

What can we expect from you in 2019? To expect is:

1. Growth of my wonderful new female mentoring Platform, FEMMEtastic life. I have been coaching for my entire life, but didn’t really represent it online. This is my next important challenge and learning experience. To finally get with the times and represent my expertise online and on social media too. 2. I will still be running my construction projects, as I have been for over 19 years. After so many years I can now choose my own projects, partners and customers. 3. I have accepted invitations as speaker with great partners and have taken on some big challenges. It’s all to get out of my comfort zone by remembering, “There is always my next growing or learning behind every comfort zone.”

GET IN TOUCH WITH SANDRA femmetasticlife www.sandrafaas.com

Always look up and don’t be scared of the next challenge you are facing in life.

TH E I NFLUE NCE R MA RK ET ING A C A DEM Y Learn the Step by Step Process on how to use influencer marketing to 11X Your ROI

Ask yourself this - How different will your sales be if you had influencers promoting your brand to their loyal audience? INFLUENCER MARKETING IS IDEAL FOR:  SALES SALES SALES SALES

 Build trust with customers

 Product reviews

 The launch of a new product

 Brand Awareness

 Content creation

Influencer marketing gives you 11X ROI than that of online display ads. Learn the shortcuts to influencer marketing and get your brand in the hands of social media influencers.

womanentrepreneur.co/influencermarketing

TOP WOMEN ENTREPRENEUR 2018

Jessica FAB R IC I US

Name: Jessica Fabricius Age: 50 Industry: Real Estate Company: Carnegie Asset Partners, LLC Favourite Quote : The Attitude of Gratitude: I am thankful for everything in my life.

Please give us a short background of who you are and what you do.

I grew up in Northern California, where I learned old-fashioned ways and values from living with my Lithuanian grandparents and mother after my father left us when I was two. My mother remarried when I was seven and thus began the house rollercoaster of living in 12 different houses and areas/states in 12 years. As fate would have it, I spent some time working for Robert Allen, author of Nothing Down, in his mindset development company. This position laid my foundation in terms of company culture. After it closed, I found myself in the mortgage industry with Suntrust. It was an exciting time to be in real estate back in the late 80’s early 90’s, however I was looking at other opportunities. The chance to create a whole new business from the ground up. That is how I found myself in the biomedical field. I took SLR Research from an idea discussed at the kitchen table to a worldwide global provider of biomaterials to the world’s largest companies, including Siemens, Abbott, Toshiba and Quest Diagnostics. After 22 years, I left the bio business, ready to pursue new goals and ventures. Besides being an active real estate investor, my real estate company, Carnegie Asset Partners, LLC, provides capital investment opportunities to those who want to acquire their own passive income properties. I also engage in Joint Ventures - like what I am doing with Tai Lopez and Alex Mehr, wholesale of portfolios and hard money lending. As a result of always innovating, I am the recipient of the 2017 North America Entrepreneur of the Year Award and the Women Making History: Amelia Earhart Innovator Award. I have also embarked on my speaking business, which includes interviewing Gene Simmons and speaking for EO and YPO. While 2018 found me featured with Kim Kiyosaki in the global magazine, Woman Entrepreneur, I have also been featured in Ranch & Sea Magazine San Diego. As if all that isn’t enough, I am also the catalytic partner for David Fabricius International, LLC, a global platform to financially transform the lives of millions. David Fabricius is an Investor Transition Specialist - House Flipping to Commercial Real Estate, a Global Keynote Speaker 143 Countries / 5 Continents / 30 Years, the author of “Rich People Problems - How to Prepare for Rapid New Wealth & Retain it Long Term”, and Wealth Acceleration Coach, Growth Consultant & Strategic Advisor. Having said all that, my greatest accomplishment is being the mother of two sons with Asperger’s Syndrome, and a cancer survivor since age 27.

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I decided to stop doing the things that didn’t make me happy or bring me joy.

How did you feel and what does it mean to you, to be selected for our Woman Entrepreneur of the year issue? I was amazed and so thrilled to be selected. It is such an honor to be featured in Woman Entrepreneur. Time to step up my game even more for 2019!

In your journey, where did everything turn around for you, what was that point in time?

Jessica with George Ross, executive vice president and senior counsel of the Trump Organization.

With Brendon Burchard, #1 New York Times best-selling author and “the world’s leading high performance coach.”

Saturday, May 31, 2014. It was my youngest son’s 9th birthday party at Boomer’s when I had what I call my heart blessing (aka heart attack) and was rushed to the emergency room. It was then that I decided to stop doing the things that didn’t make me happy or bring me joy. My life was transformed that day in ways that words cannot express.

What advice can you give other women that want to start a business or that already have a business to reach their goals? Get coaching. More importantly, the right coaching. The right coach/mentor can transform your business, saving you time, money and headaches. Learn from their wisdom and experiences so you do not repeat their initial mistakes.

Women Making History: Amelia Earhart Innovator Award

Jessica about to go on stage at Mega Success, 2017.

You are a very successful entrepreneur, from your experience what is the best way on how you can get your name out there? Social media is currently the fastest and cheapest way. I am also a firm believer in; “it’s all about who you know”, so maintain your relationships and continuously create new ones.

What can we expect from you in 2019?

World domination. LOL! I am really excited about our new Las Vegas location. It allows us to host our results driven mastermind, our coaching businesses and helping real estate entrepreneurs transition from flipping houses to investing in commercial real estate for passive income.

Interviewing Kiss vocalist and guitarist, Gene Simmons. Simmons is a record producer, entrepreneur, actor, author, and television personality.

Jessica with American Actress, Forbes Riley

I will be doing quite a bit of international travel with David Fabricius as he will be speaking on five different continents. I should have at least several hundred doors in my portfolio. Who knows, maybe it’s time to write that book after all.

With Steve Wozniak, Apple Co-Founder.

GET IN TOUCH WITH JESSICA

With Tai Lopez, social media guru, entrepreneur, investor, motivational speaker, advisor, and partner to over 20 multi-million companies

Alex Mehr, Ph.D., CEO & Co-Founder of Mentorbox. Past: CEO & Co-Founder Zoosk (over $800M in sales), NASA Scientist, World Silver Medal in Physics Olympiad

Carnegie Asset Partners, LLC David Fabricius International, LLC 858-361-1898 jessica@carnegieassetpartners.com jessica@davidfabricius.com www.carnegieassetpartners.com www.meetdavidfabricius.com www.womanentrepreneur.co | 49

TH E I NFLUE NCE R MA RK ET ING A C A DEM Y Learn the Step by Step Process on how to use influencer marketing to 11X Your ROI

Ask yourself this - How different will your sales be if you had influencers promoting your brand to their loyal audience? INFLUENCER MARKETING IS IDEAL FOR:  SALES SALES SALES SALES

 Build trust with customers

 Product reviews

 The launch of a new product

 Brand Awareness

 Content creation

Influencer marketing gives you 11X ROI than that of online display ads. Learn the shortcuts to influencer marketing and get your brand in the hands of social media influencers.

womanentrepreneur.co/influencermarketing

TOP WOMEN ENTREPRENEUR 2018

Emi

G OLDI NG

Name: Emi Golding Age: 35 Industry: Psychology, Business, Coaching Company: Workplace Mental Health Institute, EmiGolding.com Favourite Quote : “If you want something you never had, you have to do something you’ve never done.”

Please give us a short background of who you are and what you do.

I am a celebrity psychologist - a psychologist by profession, and the director of the Workplace Mental Health Institute, an organization founded to help workplaces be psychologically safe. I also coach high-level executives and entrepreneurs on how to take their lives and businesses to the next level.

How did you feel and what does it mean to you, to be selected for our Woman Entrepreneur of the year issue? I was both honored and humbled. Honored because, for me, it is a recognition of the many hours of work - the blood, sweat and tears - that go into being an entrepreneur … the hard choices we have to make sometimes, the risks and challenges. One of the things I share with my clients who are embarking on the entrepreneurial journey is that even though clients might express their appreciation for your service or product, generally speaking, when you work for yourself, or have your own business, you have to provide your own “reward and recognition”. So it’s nice to be recognized by Woman Entrepreneur. And I feel humbled because I know there are so many smart, beautiful women entrepreneurs out there that also work so hard and also deserve this recognition. So thank you – I’m very grateful.

In your journey, where did everything turn around for you?

Funnily enough, everything turned around for me when I came to the realization that things weren’t working. My business had steadily been building year on year for sometime and we were growing in almost every way possible. I say almost because we had gotten to a point that, while sales were growing exponentially, the bottom line was going backwards, not forwards. That felt very discouraging. Despite having more clients, better clients, a bigger team and lots of systems set up, the financial results simply weren’t improving. There was a moment (actually in a session with my coach), when I had to admit “this isn’t working”. During that coaching session I used the word failure a few times. Lol. The good thing is that it forced me to reflect upon what that word meant to me. Until then, I hadn’t been ready to quit. One of the key strengths an entrepreneur needs is persistence and determination. I had a vision of the business growing in a certain way, and I was committed to it, but it wasn’t until I was able to face my perceived “failure” that I could say OK, that picture I had in my head is not going got work in practice. I have to be okay with it failing and now make the changes needed to make it work. Of course, being able to adapt is also a key strength of the entrepreneur. But I needed my coach, someone outside of me with that expert and independent perspective who could ask the right questions so I could face it and let it go. Some people say there is no such thing as failure, and I think that’s nice, but for me it’s slightly different. There is such a thing as failure but it’s OK. You have to fail. Every successful person has had failures in their path to success. Since I made the changes not only is business booming, the financial aspect turned around, but I also have a lot more peace and a lot less stress.

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What advice can you give other women that want to start a business or that already have a business to reach their goals? Educate yourself. Get expert guidance. You’ll need different people and different lessons at different stages of your business and life. But the one thing that will keep you moving forward is to keep exposing yourself to new ideas, and keep stretching yourself in new ways. Yes that takes an investment of time and money but it also means you can learn from others’ mistakes instead of having to go through them all yourself. That will save you tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars. Along the same vein, get at least one person who will tell you things like they are. I think sometimes women are very supportive and kind and that’s good, but in business, if you are to survive and thrive, you also need someone who will tell you the truths that you don’t necessarily want to hear. Ideally, that is someone you work with everyday, someone who knows your business well and who cares about it nearly as much as you do (no one will ever care about your business as much as you do). Someone whom you can have the debates with when there are decisions to be made. A little tension and “fire” can be cleansing, and it can make you think about things that you may not even have considered. So don’t run from that. Actively seek it out. It helps you get clear on what you want. Finally, look after your mental and emotional health just as much as you look after your business because you can’t do one without the other. And that doesn’t necessarily mean to slow down or do yoga or spend hours each day getting a massage (although all those things are lovely). I am talking more about how you talk to yourself, how you motivate yourself, and how you make sure that your activities are focused and aligned with your top values and priorities. Because that is an advanced level of self care, that allows you to perform at a peak level, and last the distance. Woman Entrepreneur | Global

You are a very successful entrepreneur. From your experience, what is the best way you can get your name out there? This was not an easy thing for me initially. In fact, I resented it for a long time. I was of the opinion that “if you are good at what you do, the results will come”. But of course that’s not how it works. People are busy, we are inundated with information daily. If we don’t put ourselves “out there” in public, no one will know you exist. If you had a physical shop, you would put a sign on it, right?! Of course, you want to do that with style and grace, but it still needs to get done. So that was the next hurdle for me. Like many others, I was taught since I was little not to “show off” or brag about myself so it definitely felt awkward putting that first video out there in public talking about what I do. That was a big milestone, and one that I think a lot of people still struggle with. Once you are doing this and you are good at presenting yourself, say “yes” to every opportunity, even if you don’t know how you will do it. Say yes and then figure out how. Sitting at home, working away on your computer is not going to get you “out there”. You need to be meeting people, attending and speaking at events (even if it terrifies you). Everyone needs to be online and depending on your audience, you will probably need a robust social media presence. True, this can be scary. This means, not just risking rejection, but actually being rejected. It’s how it works, for every bit of positive recognition there will also be rejections. So, don’t fret, say yes and then figure out the rest. There are so many ways to get your name out there these days – that part is easy. It is much harder to actually stand out against the crowd. You have to get really clear on your own unique offering - what is it that is different about you and your product. And then the most important part is to be brave and have the confidence to actually go for it.

What can we expect from you in 2019?

That question reminds me of John Lennon’s words “Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans”. So, keeping that in mind, I’m expecting 2019 to be an exciting year. The Workplace Mental Health Institute is now global, so we have programs running in three continents (Europe, North America and Australia), and partnerships with people around the world. We’re expanding our database of celebrity interviews, which will be featured in our wellbeing magazine throughout the year. And my husband and I are releasing a new book “Mental Wealth – A Manager’s Guide to Mental Health and Wellbeing”, which we know will have a big impact on workplaces around the world. Emi Golding Celebrity Psychologist will be releasing a number of online programs so there will be more options for people who are looking for psychology or coaching in different formats (self paced programs, group programs as well as private, individual support), so people everywhere around the world can access all the knowledge I have about psychology, business, leadership, and wellbeing. So I am really excited about that too. Personally, I wish for health and peace for my family and friends, and clients.

GET IN TOUCH WITH EMI Web www.emigolding.com Email emi@emigolding.com Facebook @EmiGoldingPsychologist Instagram @EmiGolding Twitter @EmiGolding

TH E I NFLUE NCE R MA RK ET ING A C A DEM Y Learn the Step by Step Process on how to use influencer marketing to 11X Your ROI

Ask yourself this - How different will your sales be if you had influencers promoting your brand to their loyal audience? INFLUENCER MARKETING IS IDEAL FOR:  SALES SALES SALES SALES

 Build trust with customers

 Product reviews

 The launch of a new product

 Brand Awareness

 Content creation

Influencer marketing gives you 11X ROI than that of online display ads. Learn the shortcuts to influencer marketing and get your brand in the hands of social media influencers.

womanentrepreneur.co/influencermarketing

TOP WOMEN ENTREPRENEUR 2018

Åsa

G R AN B ERG

Name: Åsa Granberg Age: 50 Industry: Top Management Consultant Company: AimHill Consulting Group Favourite Quote : “It is always too soon to give up!”

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Please give us a short background of who you are and what you do.

I am an entrepreneur with a passion for getting corporate clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; businesses to the top of their industry. I do this by making use of the over 20 years work experience I gained from Wall Street, trading and investment banking businesses, especially from a corporate banking and senior management strategic advisory perspective. This means I can provide advice to corporates on the most efficient way to finance their businesses whether it is going after external capital in the debt or equities markets or if it is better to use the internal balance sheet, i.e. strategic working capital solutions. My true passion and what makes my eyes shine is when I see the positive results and the growth that comes through my advice to corporate clients. I do not only work with clients to optimize the financial cost side and financial risk management. I absolutely love to work on the corporate clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; income side with advisory services on how to explode their branding and their sales income and their making of smart IT decisions. Finally, I work with increasing corporatesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; income by getting their management and staff motivated and happy which increases the output from the most important asset in all corporates, i.e. the human capital asset. This additionally reduces the corporatesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; cost connected to staff being on leave of absence. Statistical surveys still consistently show that no matter how digital and IT-based corporates become â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it is still the business with the most motivated staff that will be the winners.

Getting ready for a modeling shoot

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Oh, I probably looked just like you do when you enter your living room and unexpectedly all your friends and family jump out and scream â&#x20AC;&#x153;surprise!â&#x20AC;? I got this amazing news on e-mail and I just sat and stared at the screen reading the message over and over again. When it finally sank in, I was so incredibly flattered and happy and wanted to do an Indian dance đ&#x;&#x2DC;&#x201E;. Receiving an award or certificate stating that what you are doing is truly working and impacting others is just totally invaluable and a feeling that you really would like to wake up to every day. Thank you so much wonderful Global Woman Entrepreneur Magazine â&#x20AC;&#x201C; you all gave me the best Christmas present I could ever have wished for!

I have one specific and critical piece of advice to give, and that is; Get a really good coach, or even better, get several! I was so lucky to find the perfect coaching organization where my main coach, JT Foxx, is a person who not only wants to continuously grow as a person and as a coach by having the best coaches himself. He lets his clients, like me for example, get direct coaching from his own coaches. I would not be where I am now if I had not realized that everybody needs coaching because you cannot see yourself from the â&#x20AC;&#x153;outsideâ&#x20AC;? as you need to in order to grow. That is where the need of coaching makes all the difference. Find the coach that fits your needs and that fits your personality. I have been working in a male-dominated business environment my entire life, so I need a very direct and strong coaching style to get the best out of myself. Look around and identify the coaches and the coaching style that works for you. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think I have ever met a very successful person that had not gotten coaching when I asked them.

How did you feel and what does it mean to you, to be selected for our Woman Entrepreneur of the year issue?

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In your journey, where did everything turn around for you, what was that point in time?

I have had several moments in life when things have turned around. That is the flow of life as I see it; you have ups and downs, and suddenly you get stuck and it feels like no matter how hard you work and strive to move forward it just is not working for you during a period of time. That period can be really long sometimes. Then, just because you never gave up and you just continued to work and work and work and try new things to get yourself moving forward â&#x20AC;&#x201C; all of a sudden something happens and â&#x20AC;&#x153;wowâ&#x20AC;? the waterfall comes. Those â&#x20AC;&#x153;wowsâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;waterfallsâ&#x20AC;? have always been people in my life that have come my way and decided to take a bet on me, believe in me, and I have not failed them. I never forget the hands that helped me.

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What advice can you give other women that want to start a business or that already have a business to reach their goals?

Additionally, a good way to increase that fire within that you need in order to keep striving for success is to exercise and stay healthy in body and mind. The body part that benefits the most of you working out and exercising is your â&#x20AC;&#x153;brainâ&#x20AC;?. Do something every day, like taking a quick walk if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the time to go to the gym. Find some exercise that works for you and alternate between different things. Why not take a dancing class? It is a very fun way to exercise and the choreography forces your brain to do some extra training which is perfect because you want to have a spirited mind. I have just taken up belly dancing and have even performed on stage! Woman Entrepreneur | Global

Lecturing at Google Digital Academy

5.Â

You are a very successful entrepreneur, from your experience what is the best way on how you can get your name out there? You must be active all the time and just send your message out there, and eventually, people will see it. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t give up!

6.Â

guess. If you have heard the expression that some people tend to see the glass as â&#x20AC;&#x153;half emptyâ&#x20AC;? and others tend to see the glass as â&#x20AC;&#x153;half fullâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; well, I tend to see the â&#x20AC;&#x153;visionâ&#x20AC;? of the glass overflowing. The secret is - that most of the time it will â&#x20AC;&#x201C; if you just see its potential and then open up the water tap. The future is already here đ&#x;&#x2DC;&#x2030;.

What can we expect from you in 2019?

Hopefully, you will see me all over the place đ&#x;&#x2DC;&#x201E;. In 2018 I have started two new brands â&#x20AC;&#x153;AimHill Consulting Groupâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;The U Lifestyleâ&#x20AC;?, I have jumped out of an airplane at over 13.000 feet (skydiving), I have done business with the largest Nordic bank through my new brands, I have given lectures and speeches both internationally and nationally, including a lecture at Google. I have done modeling and walked the catwalk, and I have danced oriental belly dancing on a stage before an audience, and I have met people like Jessica Simpson, Broke Shields, Jewel, Dr. Phil, Michael Douglas, Mel Gibson, and Charlie Sheen just to name a few! I have so much energy to give and I want to give it to the world wherever I can, so I feel like I am only getting started in life (smiling). I see the potential in all businesses and in all people â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it is just how Having fun belly dancing! my brain is designed, I

At Venice Beach

GET IN TOUCH WITH Ă&#x2026;SA AimHill Consulting Group | Norrtullsgatan 20 113 45 Stockholm Sweden Web www.aimhill.com Email info@aimhill.com Phone +46 707 77 43 70 www.womanentrepreneur.co | 57

TH E I NFLUE NCE R MA RK ET ING A C A DEM Y Learn the Step by Step Process on how to use influencer marketing to 11X Your ROI

Ask yourself this - How different will your sales be if you had influencers promoting your brand to their loyal audience? INFLUENCER MARKETING IS IDEAL FOR:  SALES SALES SALES SALES

 Build trust with customers

 Product reviews

 The launch of a new product

 Brand Awareness

 Content creation

Influencer marketing gives you 11X ROI than that of online display ads. Learn the shortcuts to influencer marketing and get your brand in the hands of social media influencers.

womanentrepreneur.co/influencermarketing

TOP WOMEN ENTREPRENEUR 2018

Armineh K E SH ISH I AN

Name: Armineh Keshishian Industry: 1) Wealth Management & Financial Planning 2) Creating & Producing Dance Theatre shows Company: 1) IG Wealth Management 2) Evolution Dance Theatre Favourite Quote : Peace and Passion

Please give us a short background of who you are and what you do?

My passion is in wealth and wellness management, specializing in tax and estate planning while bringing harmony to my clients’ lives. In the meantime, I love and enjoy creating and producing dance theatre shows and tour globally. In my 30-year career, I have successfully managed over 100 million dollars for literally over a thousand clients as a certified financial planner through four market cycles. During this time, I’ve discovered that my private clients who have earned the highest returns and are the happiest in their personal lives have attained the “Golden Trifecta.” This means that they a) have a predictable, dependable and secure income for life from their investments; b) sufficient assets to pass on and a bulletproof plan for that; and c) pay minimal taxes. This is not possible unless you have a healthy relationship with both your money and your family. With my three distinguishable designations as a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), and Registered Retirement Consultant (RRC), and after analysing a thousand client case studies, I found that, what risks your hard-earned money even more than your investment choices is the friction between family members. This friction is ascribable to four things: excessive spending vs saving; the designating of estate assets; the purchase choices of big-ticket items; and the potential financial impact when contemplating a divorce. In other words, personal finances and personal relationships are inextricably tied together. One thing I thoroughly enjoy, even more than speaking on global stages as far away as Dubai, is skillfully helping my clients navigate their relationships and simultaneously advise them on their finances. My mentor likes to say I’m Suze Orman & Dr. Phil wrapped into one because my unique holistic approach is what I call “Wealth & Wellness”, and wealth and wellness are the two critical elements to enjoying peace of mind and happiness in your relationships and life that so many of my clients are blessed to have. As the artistic director of Evolution Dance Theatre, we bring to stage original stories revealing Middle Eastern traditions and displaying the vibrant and colourful culture that is so mysterious to many of the Western world. We show our similarities and commonalities vs the differences as

one human race. The company develops, promotes and performs original Middle Eastern-inspired multimedia and multidisciplinary spectacles to both entertain and provoke dialogue on social, spiritual and humanistic themes. Evolution Dance Theatre has the mandate to entertain, educate and inspire. We are committed to producing unique, one-of-akind performances which are visceral, visually captivating and have broad universal appeal. We use dance as a canvas to create a spectacle that incorporates music, performance, video, special effects and other dance genres to create an impactful storytelling experience while celebrating diversity. The company emphasises women’s empowerment and showcases multiculturalism while maintaining heritage. “We all have a choice” is the tagline of our company.

What advice can you give other women that want to start a business or that already have a business to reach their goals? Act, speak and dress like the person you want to be. This will attract the energy needed for results. As women, we are naturally intuitive. Follow your instincts; you know “when you know you are right”. It is beneficial and only gets stronger when practiced. Do what needs to be done to get there. Write down the steps and strategies to get the results you want. If you need specific skills, get the training required. Don’t overthink the time it takes, think about the results. This will push you forward faster. If your partner, spouse or parents disagree, find a solution. If they don’t support you, you may want to reconsider the value of the relationship. Follow my “3D” philosophy: Desire, Determination, Dedication. How badly do you want it? Your desire level has to be at least 80% before you even consider spending time and energy on it. Why are you doing it? When are you going to start? And are you committed no matter what? If you have all the answers and they are all yes, you are ready to begin your journey. At times you will feel frustrated, betrayed, fall on your face, make mistakes but the rewards are worth it. If God/ The Universe/ Spirit puts that desire in your heart, it means you have everything you need to make it happen. And remember, when you are working towards something and you want it now because you want the feeling of satisfaction now, know that you will feel that sense of accomplishment at whatever age you get it at.

Act, speak and dress like the person you want to be. This will attract the energy needed for results.

60 | DECEMBER 2018 | ISSUE 2

Woman Entrepreneur | Global

How did you feel and what does it mean to you, to be selected for our Woman Entrepreneur of the year issue?

It feels great to be the Woman Entrepreneur of the year. I believe that women need to be celebrated for their achievements as a lot of ingredients like tenacity, focus, dedication and high energy are required. It’s a wonderful feeling to be acknowledged as the Woman Entrepreneur!

What can we expect from you in 2019?

I had a great 2018 and I am looking forward to 2019. I plan on speaking on more stages, expand on my client base and deliver more value to my clients at IG Wealth Management. In addition, we are in negotiations to take Evolution Dance Theatre production “Follow Your Heart” on tour globally and I envision it happening.

In your journey, where did everything turn around for you, what was that point in time?

For me, everything is a stepping stone. We reach a certain level of success and then we build on it. As we reach a higher plateau we build on that level, and so forth. But one thing that is common in all of this is that there is always that moment when we decide to do something and allow good things to happen.

You are a very successful entrepreneur, from your experience what is the best way on how you can get your name out there? What I found is that the best way is to be in front of people. When we are in the presence of public it creates a certain connection. We can communicate in a much more efficient way and build on that connection. For example, in my wealth management and financial planning business when I meet a new client a bond is established and it is easier to receive introductions. Another example is when I do presentations, I meet a lot of people there and then I get invited to do other presentations/seminars and that’s how it builds on. It is the same thing when a show is performed. Once people see the show, they come to our other shows and bring other people with them. Advertising is a big component to attract new clientele and to be present in social media is another big factor. We are always in the business of people!

GET IN TOUCH WITH ARMINEH Armineh@ArminehK.com armineh-keshishian-8286577a/ Watch the Follow Your Heart Trailer: youtube.com/watch?v=oTBixGKnSjU www.EvolutionDanceTheatre.com www.womanentrepreneur.co | 61

TH E I NFLUE NCE R MA RK ET ING A C A DEM Y Learn the Step by Step Process on how to use influencer marketing to 11X Your ROI

Ask yourself this - How different will your sales be if you had influencers promoting your brand to their loyal audience? INFLUENCER MARKETING IS IDEAL FOR:  SALES SALES SALES SALES

 Build trust with customers

 Product reviews

 The launch of a new product

 Brand Awareness

 Content creation

Influencer marketing gives you 11X ROI than that of online display ads. Learn the shortcuts to influencer marketing and get your brand in the hands of social media influencers.

womanentrepreneur.co/influencermarketing

TOP WOMEN ENTREPRENEUR 2018

Michele MALO

Name: Michele Malo Age: 46 Industry: Business and Life Coach Company: Michele Malo, Your Business Accelerator Favourite Quote : ”What would you do if you knew you could not fail?“ Robert H Schuller

Please give us a short background of who you are and what you do.

I am an influencer, philanthropist, speaker and business expert. I use my collective experiences from my corporate years, health and weight battles, divorce and entrepreneurship to help my clients have true breakthroughs. Together we dig deep to find their true calling, their passion and develop successful businesses or careers around their dream lifestyle. We work on mindset and relationships plus their health and well-being, so the foundation is strong for an acceleration in their professional lives. Once the ground work is set, we work to build their networks and business frameworks sparking results to sustain success.

How did you feel and what does it mean to you, to be selected for our Woman Entrepreneur of the year issue? I feel blessed and honored by the selection, it has not been the easiest road. Owning your own business is one of the hardest things you can do. Fear can paralyze you, but you control your destiny. This selection has validated that I made the right decision to be resilient and persistent and work as hard as possible to not ever give up on my dream. When you are successful you have the opportunity to serve others and change their lives. That is what makes my heart happy and brings me joy and fulfillment. If I can do it why can’t you?

In your journey, where did everything turn around for you?

Once I made the decision to invest in me and stop listening to what everyone else thought I should do or couldn’t do. Deciding to trust my instincts and my experience to guide my decisions was crucial to my success. Leaving relationships that brought me down with self-doubt was one of the first steps. I decided to leave a very toxic marriage and do what I felt I needed to do in my business and for myself. It was freeing, a bit scary, but necessary to make this venture successful and, even more important, to regain my Wonder Woman mindset of strength.

What advice can you give other women that want to start a business or that already have a business to reach their goals? Starting a business is expensive and lonely at times but that is why it is so important to find a coach to help shorten your learning curve. Having someone there to encourage you to keep going when you are ready to quit - and believe me I thought about it many times along this journey - is the key to success. You must be comfortable with being uncomfortable, especially financially. Don’t chase the money, it will come. Be focused on your very clear mission and vision. Talk in the language of your well-researched target audience, understand their needs and wants. What are you solving for them? What pain are you healing for them? When all else fails, do what your coach told you to do in the first place.

You are a very successful entrepreneur. From your experience, what is the best way you can get your name out there? Get out there and speak. When you are in the front of the room, you are the expert on the topic in your field. Lead webinars, write a book, establish your social proof and credibility. Know your target audience and what seminars they are attending, what Podcasts are they listening to, how they are getting their information. Then, speak to those groups, lead those seminars, start a Podcast or be a guest, offer webinars, go to networking events. Be relevant, be accessible, be their solution. Networking is key. To quote my friend Joey Yak, “Relationships are the new currency”. Let your network be your net worth and grow it through speaking and media. Woman Entrepreneur | Global

When you are successful you have the opportunity to serve others and change their lives.

What can we expect from you in 2019?

2019 will be another breakout year for me as I work on three pillars within my mission to spark my results: 1) Health and Wellness: Running the Chicago marathon in October and continuing my wellness journey with my coaches and attending retreats with the Thrive Tribe. Prague anyone? 2) Philanthropy: Continued support of the City Gala and Summits, speaking to their groups, sponsoring, promoting and fundraising for their amazing charitable partners. Continued support of Blessons by serving on their advisory board to continue to raise money for scholarships for women over 25 who need a second chance through education. Traveling to Africa to support my friend’s charitable work building infrastructure to bring clean water to those in need. 3) Business: Launching Sparking Results Podcast along with two book projects. Introducing my new business acceleration program complete with life transforming breakthrough sessions. Sharing my network and launching a shadowing program, who wants to travel with me? Continuing my international speaking helping to launch a new women’s empowerment group, Amplified Women. More than anything you can expect me to be here to serve in 2019 and working to change as many lives as I am blessed to be a part of. Thank you so much for including me with such amazing women entrepreneurs, I am humbled and forever grateful. Cheers to an amazing 2019!

GET IN TOUCH WITH MICHELE Web www.michelemalo.com Email michele@michelemalo.com Facebook @michelemaloyourbusinessaccelerator Instagram @michele_malo www.womanentrepreneur.co | 65

TH E I NFLUE NCE R MA RK ET ING A C A DEM Y Learn the Step by Step Process on how to use influencer marketing to 11X Your ROI

Ask yourself this - How different will your sales be if you had influencers promoting your brand to their loyal audience? INFLUENCER MARKETING IS IDEAL FOR:  SALES SALES SALES SALES

 Build trust with customers

 Product reviews

 The launch of a new product

 Brand Awareness

 Content creation

Influencer marketing gives you 11X ROI than that of online display ads. Learn the shortcuts to influencer marketing and get your brand in the hands of social media influencers.

womanentrepreneur.co/influencermarketing

TOP WOMEN ENTREPRENEUR 2018

Michele MODELL A S

Name: Michele Modellas Age: 53 Industry: Motivational Speaker, Business and Results Coach, Corporate Consultant Company: Michele Modellas Companies and Global Association for Women in Transformation Favourite Quote : “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure… we ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?...Your playing small does not serve the world..as we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” - Marianne Williamson I also live by words my mom would encourage me with – “You can do anything you set your mind to.” Images by RAB

Please give us a short background of who you are and what you do.

I am a woman of influence and inspiration who is determined to empower individuals by instilling the confidence and determination needed to create results and success. I was born and raised in California and have had an entrepreneurial spirit since I was very young. I do remember playing with Barbies, but I could be found “playing real estate broker” and saying I was a “working woman of the world” when I was very young. I had babysitting gigs, paper routes and random income earning jobs growing up. As a young adult, I worked full-time and always had “side jobs” doing things I’ve loved so I could make a difference. I am a business owner of a meeting and events, association management, and a coaching and consulting company, and the founder of The Global Association for Women in Transformation. I live life to the fullest and aim to experience ALL that is within my reach, and beyond. I have the ability to thrive in the midst of what some would consider devastating life events. With energy and vitality, I look for positivity, excitement, and adventure. As a results coach, my clients discover and achieve personal and professional results they never knew were possible. As an international speaker, I empower individuals and companies to create life-changing results. My champion mindset enables me to overcome challenges, no matter how tough. I’m able to transfer these skills to my clients. I’ve raised 3 children, now adults. Ironman 70.3 triathlons have been my endurance race of choice over the past 6 years, along with running marathons, half marathons, and 100+mile bike rides. I’m well-traveled and addicted to seeing the world.

How did you feel and what does it mean to you, to be selected for our Woman Entrepreneur of the year issue?

It is humbling and an honor to be selected for this issue. I am a supporter of women experiencing success, whatever that looks like for them, and to help them achieve results in all areas of their lives. It’s wonderful this platform exists to celebrate women entrepreneurs! We need more of this so we can celebrate each other. Women are strong and brilliant and don’t receive the recognition deserved. I believe the tables are beginning to turn and we are seeing more women taking their rightful place in leadership, running successful companies, finding their voices and living a life by their design. Being a woman entrepreneur means we have the ability to stand up and show the world who we are. I’m honored to be in this space.

In your journey, where did everything turn around for you, what was that point in time?

I could relate to the words of Sheila Walsh, “for many years, I applied an anesthetic to my soul, only to discover that you cannot be selective about which parts of your life you deaden. When you choose to contain pain, you contain joy too.” Emotional numbness is a tough place. The only way I knew to survive, was to desensitize, to a degree, in certain areas of my life for quite some time. Not realizing, I grew complacent. In 2006, my life literally turned upside down and I questioned every area of it, personally and professionally. What some say are the top 5 most stressful life events are what I was dealing with, over a short period of time. My mother passed away, days later my main client and I terminated our contract, then I filed for divorce from 23-year marriage – I tell people, then things got worse. When I was faced with some additional incredibly painful circumstances, that no one should have to experience, I had to take courageous steps because I knew there had to be more to life. Unless I took brave and drastic steps, life was about to take me out. In the midst of the most painful years, I have had some of the most rewarding, adventurous, and growth producing experiences. My life transformed! I discovered new talents, passions, gifts, and abilities. Now, as a coach and speaker, I may be best known for popularizing the concept of not only choosing vitality but tapping into vitality, regardless of circumstances. It’s what allows me to feel more alive today than ever. I was determined not to continue to settle for “less than” in my life. I knew I didn’t want to stay in my past and let it destroy my future. I took massive steps to change everything.

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Take the first step and figure the rest out as you go.

Images by RAB

4.Â

What advice can you give other women that want to start a business or that already have a business to reach their goals? I believe there are a few moves to make. 1) Go for it! Procrastination, perfectionism, and distractions will attempt to interfere and stop you. But, having determination will overcome all of those. Take the first step and figure the rest out as you go. If you have a burning desire for more in your life, you must pursue it. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about sharing your gifts and talents with others. (Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve put together a format to create a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Champions Definite Aimâ&#x20AC;? to help people create a specific statement of purpose in order to live like a champion, stay focused and achieve results.) 2) And, as you are starting, in the midst of the process, or working on a challenging goal, Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s critical to not compare yourself with others. Comparison will stop you in your tracks, steal your joy and challenge your confidence. 3) Stick with it and never quit on yourself. One of my triathlon trainers said to me on a tough training day, â&#x20AC;&#x153;You are much more capable than you even realize. When your body wants to quit, you have to overcome with your mind and push yourself harder.â&#x20AC;? I relate that concept to all areas of my life. If you are starting a business, you are learning and dealing with new things. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sell yourself short by quitting because you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t understand everything. And, finally, 4) Work with a coach to shorten the process. When I work with my clients 1-on-1, in my programs or retreats or if Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m speaking or consulting with a corporation, we dig deep and discover how to get unstuck, step out of complacency and tap into vitality, and begin to thrive and increase their bottom line.

5.Â

You are a very successful entrepreneur, from your experience what is the best way on how you can get your name out there? I believe there are some foundational aspects to maintain as well as practical things you can do. Being determined to remain authentic and true to your personal brand is critical. That creates memorable impressions and referrals. I like to live

by my version of my â&#x20AC;&#x153;Champions Creedâ&#x20AC;? and part of it includes choosing excellence as your driving force in everything you do so you become the only logical answer for your current and potential clients. You want to associate yourself with a wide range of people and continue to move forward with your strategy and goal planning. This will help you stay in flow with progressing momentum. Marketing is always a must! Lastly, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be afraid to shine with confidence...bright...wherever you are.

6.Â

What can we expect from you in 2019?

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m excited to launch programs to help transform your life and business, from the inside out, and transform your finances. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m looking forward to empowering individuals with practical and progressive tools to achieve massive results. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be partnering with someone to produce a Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Expo in California and we have plans to model it in other cities. In addition, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m currently working on a book about stepping out of complacency in your personal life so you can be all you are meant to be in every area of your life. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m planning on producing an event to educate, equip and empower women to embrace their brilliance and confidence. This is going to be a fun evening event with many unique elements. I will continue to offer masterminds and retreats to empower people to discover, live and thrive in their purpose. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m looking forward to increasing my speaking and working with corporations with their employee programs. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m super excited about something Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been thinking about for a few years and was recently introduced to a doctor who will be able to help me get a product line started. This will be amazing for women and men, athletes, people with busy lives â&#x20AC;&#x201C; people who want healthy and natural alternatives. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m here to equip individuals to be determined to Break Barriers, Take Action, Thrive, Transform and Become Unstoppable in every area of life. 2019 is going to be an incredible year!

GET IN TOUCH WITH MICHELE Web www.MicheleModellas.com Web www.TransformWomen.com Michele Modellas www.womanentrepreneur.co | 69

TH E I NFLUE NCE R MA RK ET ING A C A DEM Y Learn the Step by Step Process on how to use influencer marketing to 11X Your ROI

Ask yourself this - How different will your sales be if you had influencers promoting your brand to their loyal audience? INFLUENCER MARKETING IS IDEAL FOR:  SALES SALES SALES SALES

 Build trust with customers

 Product reviews

 The launch of a new product

 Brand Awareness

 Content creation

Influencer marketing gives you 11X ROI than that of online display ads. Learn the shortcuts to influencer marketing and get your brand in the hands of social media influencers.

womanentrepreneur.co/influencermarketing

TOP WOMEN ENTREPRENEUR 2018

Anastacia SN ELLEK S Z

Name: Anastacia Snelleksz Age: 40 Industry: Business Mentor, Writer and Franchisor Company: Mentored with Mark Bouris Favourite Quote : Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Stand for something, then make some noise about it!

Please give us a short background of who you are and what you do

I am Melbourne born and raised. At home I’m a mum to a gorgeous 21-year-old daughter, a puppy and a kitten. I live in the best part of Melbourne and enjoy taking my laptop to work in the best cafes and parks in the world. I have been in business for 17 years in the area of dance and fitness and grew my dance fitness franchise to be the largest in the world within its first 10 years, after starting my first studio with just one small room built off a tiny budget of $10,000. I have a certificate in Small Business Operations as well as a background in commercial, ballroom and Latin dance. Within a year of opening my first business, I was nominated and chosen in the final seven for the Telstra Business Women’s Awards under the categories of Marie Claire Young Business Women’s Award and Commonwealth Bank Award. More recently, I was also a finalist for the My Business Awards, for the GIO Award for Women in Business. I was ranked number 45 in the Australian Pole Dance Magazine’s 50 most influential figures of 2016 and number 34 in 2017. These days, I’m fortunate enough to have fully systemised and automated that business so that I can spend my time giving back and doing what I love – which is writing fiction and business mentoring. I will be publishing my first book, Lipstick Money, in early 2019. This book is unlike any other fiction – there is no “man saves the woman” in this book! This book is about a woman realising her own power within through exploring her own desires, sexuality and strengths as a woman and owning exactly who she wants to be. It is only then that a man equally as powerful as she comes along and together they build an empire. This book teaches you that as a woman, you can be powerful and sexy – they are not mutually exclusive, and nor should they be. I have also recently been invited to join Australia’s most iconic and well-respected business icon, Mark Bouris (the boss on the Aussie version of The Apprentice and the mentor on the TV show Mentored), in his new venture as a Business Mentor with Mentored.com.au where I get to mentor small business owners from all over Australia and even some around the world through mentored.com.au. In addition to mentoring online, members can book one on one coaching with me, attend workshops and even book me and some other mentors to form an advisory board for their business. What Mark is creating

72 | DECEMBER 2018 | ISSUE 2

gives opportunities to small business that traditionally only big business would have access to. It’s an incredible mission and I’m proud to have been one of the first fourteen people Australia wide to be chosen to be part of it and honoured to be a trusted source of advice for small to medium business owners.

How did you feel and what does it mean to you, to be selected for our Woman Entrepreneur of the year issue? It’s an absolute honour to be selected as the Woman Entrepreneur of the Year, I actually can’t believe it! Being in business for yourself you rarely feel celebrated or recognised for what you do so when Erna Basson herself reached out to me it was a really lovely surprise. When someone you look up to in business recognises you, that’s a really great feeling. I have a lot of respect for the WE magazine and everything Erna creates. She is an incredible business woman herself and I look forward to working with her more closely in 2019.

In your journey, where did everything turn around for you, what was that point in time?

The turning point in business for me was undoubtedly when I made the decision to get coached by JT Foxx. I remember being at a business event and at the time I was really struggling to enjoy being a business owner and I felt like a slave to my company, working long hours and spending most of that time doing the tasks that I hated. I had coaches before, but when I listened to what JT told me, it just resonated with me and his lessons are so easy to implement. In the last 12 months that I’ve been coached by JT, I have him to thank for the freedom I now have in my life to be happy, enjoy life and still run a successful and sustainable business. I am so grateful to JT, if it weren’t for his coaching, I wouldn’t have been able to step away from my business this year in order to care for my aging father who sadly passed in October. Being able to spend all my time with my dad this year filled a hole in my heart and really allowed me to connect with him on a really deep level before it was too late. JT has students all over the world that are so grateful to him for the wealth he helps them to create, but for me I am most grateful for the fact he taught me how to automate my business, so I could create memories with my dad that I will remember forever. Woman Entrepreneur | Global

What advice can you give other women that want to start a business or that already have a business to reach their goals? I would say just get out of your own way and do it! Don’t let self-doubt stop you because you only have one life to live and you have to make it the best you can. Whenever I’m deciding whether or not I should do something, I ask myself “will I look back on this in 20 years time and wish I gave it a go?”, if the answer is yes then I just do it. Strategically I would say to always build a business as if you’re selling it. This is something Mark tells his Mentors and it’s absolutely true. We don’t build businesses to buy ourselves a job, we build businesses in order to stand for something and leave a legacy. Just keep going.

You are a very successful entrepreneur, from your experience what is the best way on how you can get your name out there? Take every opportunity you can and make it work for you. Find out where your ideal client is in their highest concentration and be there! That could be online, but it can also be in person. For Business Mentoring for example, my clients in their highest concentration would be at business speaking events, business courses or even networking events, therefore I am always there because I never know who I will get talking to that may need my help. You can’t get your name out there online only – you need to physically take action also. Online, pay attention to what you’re posting and track what gets the most engagement. This is your audience telling you what they like so pay attention and do more of that, often! Also collaborate with other people who need to get their name out there also but who’s values align with your own. Be selective.

The less work a media publication has to do, the more likely they are to look at what you submit. And don’t give up! Do it constantly until someone pays attention.

What can we expect from you in 2019?

Strap yourself in because 2019 is going to be EPIC! You will see further expansion in my dance fitness franchise, I will also be publishing my first fiction novel and I’ll be launching a new beauty product line which is all hush hush for now. I also have a lot of travel planned already and plan to have a global impact – especially in speaking about 21st century feminism and how feminists nowadays are not threatened by men but already see themselves as equal, they love to see other women grow and become successful and they cheer them on all the way and they also recognise the power within is already there and they don’t need permission to express themselves in the way they want to. The 21st Century Feminist (which I call the “Naked Feminist”) understands every woman is free to make her own decisions about her image and deserves to be free of judgement for it. She is ready to celebrate and recognise her own beauty and power from within. She doesn’t need to be empowered by others, she knows she is already powerful and now she’s ready for the world to see it. In addition to all of that, I will continue to mentor people on mentored.com.au where anyone can post a business question and get them answered by business mentors hand selected by Mark Bouris and his team for free. 2019 is going to be an exciting year, I’m looking forward to it!

With Mark Bouris

Don’t just collaborate with everyone as you need to stand for something and everything you do needs to be congruent with your brand. You are a brand, not just your business. Be careful what you post on your personal social media but also, don’t be scared to be controversial – again, stand for something, then make some noise about it! Lastly, if you’re a good writer and you’re an expert on something, submit articles to magazines. They’re always looking for content and the easier you make it for them, the better chance you have of getting featured. Don’t just submit an article, create a great headline and submit photos with it.

GET IN TOUCH WITH ANASTACIA Naked Feminism Blog: nakedfeminism.com Get Mentored by Me: www.mentored.com.au/questions/profile/55 Facebook @anastaciasnelleksz Instagram @itsjustanastacia www.womanentrepreneur.co | 73

TH E I NFLUE NCE R MA RK ET ING A C A DEM Y Learn the Step by Step Process on how to use influencer marketing to 11X Your ROI

Ask yourself this - How different will your sales be if you had influencers promoting your brand to their loyal audience? INFLUENCER MARKETING IS IDEAL FOR:  SALES SALES SALES SALES

 Build trust with customers

 Product reviews

 The launch of a new product

 Brand Awareness

 Content creation

Influencer marketing gives you 11X ROI than that of online display ads. Learn the shortcuts to influencer marketing and get your brand in the hands of social media influencers.

womanentrepreneur.co/influencermarketing

TOP WOMEN ENTREPRENEUR 2018

Helena

V ER N HOLM

Name: Helena Vernholm Industry: Mindset & Executive Coaching, Real Estate Investments, City Developments Company: Empowering Millions, 4 Corners City Developments, Algarve & Costa del Sol Property, IMN Copenhagen Favourite Quote: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.â&#x20AC;? Martin Luther King Jr.

Please give us a short background of who you are and what you do. I have a background as a business strategist, financial advisor, IT-specialist, communicator and digital marketer that spans over 20 years. I am these days a serial entrepreneur and work as a real estate investor, mindset and executive coach, helping organizations and individuals achieve higher performance and acquire the results that they want. My purpose is to empower entrepreneurs and corporate leaders to be limitless ‘Limitation slayers’ so they can slay any and all limitations in their businesses, mindset and lives. My goal with our company Empowering Millions Ltd, is to become one of the most reputable education experts in the industry on a global scale where I will continue to educate entrepreneurs and corporate leaders in life strategy, business strategy, branding strategy, corporate transformation and wealth acquisition through real estate investments and city development investments, enabling them to have financial freedom and an abundance of wealth and options in every area of their lives. I am from Sweden but I am now based in Portugal together with my Danish partner in life and business, Thomas, where we work relentlessly to turn the lives around of every entrepreneur and businessperson that we take on as a client, who is ready to stop playing small and want to perform at their very best both personally and professionally. “Life is not about success, it’s about significance, the significant changes you can do for other people in their lives and businesses and the positive impact you can have in the world at large.” My mission is to empower millions around the world, so they can unlock the potential they have within themselves and be motivated to perform at their very best at all times and who can then in turn help others do the same. I began my journey when I realized that the life, I was living in no way was the life I actually wanted to live. Something was missing. At the time, I was working for Google since many years, I was constantly exhausted, without passion for my job, unsatisfied and bored. Once I had recognized and admitted this to myself and my family, there was no turning back. I had long ago realized real estate investments and the ability to raise capital, offered the perfect gateway to a life of freedom where I could be the CEO of my life, allow myself and our future children to have the lifestyle I always wanted, still with the time and the means to focus on philanthropy giving and charitable causes. I started to investigate property investments a lot more seriously together with Thomas. Soon after this, Thomas and I started working funding and developing sound yet lucrative property and city development projects of various sizes in seven key target markets; Spain, Portugal, Cape Verde, Mexico, USA, Canada and Australia through Algarve & Costa del Sol Property Ltd (www.algarvecostadelsolproperty.com) and through 4 Corners City Developments Ltd, where we create wealth and investment opportunities for investors and developers worldwide. We are in addition to this the proud co-owners of The Intelligent Millionaires Network Copenhagen (IMN CPH), which is a success and accountability business network for entrepreneurs wanting to prosper in their businesses and where we fly from Portugal to Denmark once a month to meet with our Danish entrepreneur members.

How did you feel and what does it mean to you, to be selected for our Woman Entrepreneur of the year issue?

I feel very blessed, honored and thankful to be recognized for my achievements so far and I see this as an opportunity to reach out to others in the hope of inspiring them and sharing with them what has been valuable lessons to me on my journey. I think the reason I have become successful, is that I am so passionate about my “why”, which is what drives me and that has brought me here. My why is to be a “Limitation Slayer.” I want to be someone who helps people ‘slay’ whatever limitations they have in their lives and businesses so that they can have abundance in every area of their life. When people find their purpose, feel empowered and whole as well as genuinely passionate about what they do, that changes 76 | DECEMBER 2018 | ISSUE 2

everything. People start to think big and want to leave a legacy, do their part to change the world for the better, give back and help others. That is a cause worthy of pursuing and that is my “why.”

In your journey, where did everything turn around for you, what was that point in time?

We were asked by a world-renowned Master City Developer in August 2017, if we would be interested in a great opportunity. To say that we were interested once we learned about this amazing opportunity is a great understatement. We are now building whole cities around the world and are planning to develop many more cities together in the future. We work on two big-city development projects, one in Australia and on in Quebec, Canada, with plans to embark on city developments together in the future in Scandinavia, Germany, England, Scotland, Tanzania and Kenya to name a few, where we also plan to train people in the skills we have been taught. We are now focusing primarily on finding investors for this huge development in Canada that we are involved in. The biggest project we are currently participating in is in Québec, Canada and in Western Australia, that can very well each exceed AUD $1 Billion. There is the possibility of value increase to AUD $1.5 – 2 billion if the government embraces higher density developments in these areas too.

What advice can you give other women that want to start a business or that already have a business to reach their goals? The most important thing is trust. Be trustworthy to everyone, including yourself. Think about how you can be of service and give great value. There will be adversity, but when the will is greater than the barriers, you will succeed in the end. Put your customers’ wishes first and create a model that addresses a challenge or a problem. Be focused and don’t listen to negative people. Be aware of who you surround yourself with. Negative criticism is inevitable and often comes from people who have no idea who you are or what it is that you do. Be coachable. Learn from people that are already where you want to be. Be humble but persistent. Do what it takes, but always do it with integrity. Visualize where you want to be and create a step-by-step plan for how you are going to get there. Do not be deterred by what it will cost - in terms of time or financially. Do two jobs if you must, learn to raise capital, develop tenacity and a very high work ethic and never give up. Love the process and make sure you have liable partners. Think about working together and not in competition. Be aware of what you do not know, but never be afraid of challenges. Continuously educate yourself and earn while you learn. Always, think about how you can help your clients, think about the value you can give rather than what you will receive. When you do whatever you can to help others, you will also help yourself in the end. I have 5 core business principles that are straight from the Bible Woman Entrepreneur | Global

and these principles are something that I would like to share as a conclusion to this question since these principles have helped me so much. I do my homework. Always! I learn to ask why, and I make sure I understand the issues. I study. I read every comment that I can find on the topic. I approach business the same way. I test the competition. I test the market. I do my due diligence. (Proverbs 21:5) “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes to poverty”

first, market yourself as your brand, give great value and collect third-party testimonials. Do case studies to monitor, market and demonstrate your value, authority, expertise within your given industry, never stop learning, stay informed, be very active, learn how to scale your business and do not underestimate the power in delegating effectively. Helena in Tanzania

Have the highest level of customer service. I have always employed a very simple standard for customer care: “Love your neighbor like yourself” (Lev. 19:18). Put yourself in the shoes of the customer and treat them as you would like to be treated. Following this is the best way to build a long-term loyal customer base. Be honest with customers. These answers are easy when you follow the Bible’s guidance: “You shall have just balance and just weights” (Lev. 19:36). So, what does this then mean? Don’t cheat your customers, even if they don’t know about it. I always act as if I am being watched, because I am. When you realize that Someone above is always watching you, the answer is easy. You act differently and work to a higher standard. You run your business and personal life honestly all the time. Build a reputation for integrity and honesty. Your customers, employees and those you do business with want to patronize your business; they want to find an excuse not to do business with you. However, when you are honest, your business grows. Be humble. I always make it a priority to accept and encourage criticism. “He who loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid” (Proverbs 12:1). Pride gets in the way of success. We all make mistakes. Never think you are always right. Accept and encourage criticism, especially from your clients and employees. Execution is more important than motivation. James 2:17 (“Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead”) is something that comes to mind here. You can be as motivated as you like, but if you do not take massive action and actually DO something and DO what it takes, nothing will happen. Your situation will not change, you will not be able to give anyone any value and you will have accomplished nothing. You will have had NO impact on this world.

What can we expect from you in 2019?

We are planning to do great things through our City Development Company; 4 Corners City Developments Ltd and more news about that will follow shortly. We will in addition to that create LIVE events in Algarve, Portugal this year where we will invite people from all over the world to these Global Empowering Millions LIVE events. We will launch international workshops and the much anticipated release of my and Thomas’s personal development, investment and mentoring program, Coach V x 2 - Empowering Millions PRO, which is set out to upscale people’s lives, mindset, skills, results and businesses to create extraordinary results and turn dreams into limitless realities at match speeds. We are also through our coaching company Empowering Millions Ltd, launching several new programs this year as well as at least two strategy retreats in 2019. Empowering Millions will offer exclusive one-on-one training sessions and we will also offer online and live training seminars. These retreats and seminars will focus on various areas of real estate investing, city development investing, business strategy, business development, raising capital, sales, digital asset optimization, branding strategy and influencer marketing. A certain aspect of these retreats will also focus on life strategy training, including holistic transformation, image consultation, wellness and wholeness. We will invite like-minded successful coaches that will complement our own skills, and in collaboration, we will be able to leverage off each other and deliver significant value in many different areas. It is well-known that if a person is not on top of their game in all areas of their life, including mindset and confidence, they cannot be on top of their business.

Mel Gibson, Helena and Thomas

You are a very successful entrepreneur, from your experience what is the best way on how you can get your name out there?

People attending these retreats will be transformed, empowered with a great network of likeminded entrepreneurs, who like them have been willing to ‘level-up’, fueled with inspiration and equipped with the practical tools, resources and mindset needed in order to achieve greatness in every area of their life and business.

GET IN TOUCH WITH HELENA

As an entrepreneur, you are your brand and it is very important that we realize that this is a combination of who we are and of how people perceive us to be.

Email: contact@empoweringmillions.com

We need to be able to create a strong brand, to position that brand well and market it well and then advertise it so it is seen and placed in front of the right audience’s. In a relatively short period, if done correctly, this can turn you into an influencer and an authority within your industry. If you have the knowledge and content to back this up, you can be well on your way to success very quickly.

Facebook: /helena.vernholm

Carefully monitor how you are perceived and examine the results you get. Always be open to feedback and advice from clients, critics, and colleagues in the industry. In short, create a brand

Mobile: +351-918 496 334 | +45-5219 0177 Empowering Millions Ltd www.empoweringmillions.com Algarve & Costa Del Sol Property Ltd www.algarvecostadelsolproperty.com Intelligent Millionaires Network Copenhagen (IMN CPH) www.intelligentmillionairesnetwork.com www.womanentrepreneur.co | 77

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Woman Entrepreneur | Global

You are going to spend money during the festive season, but try to keep within your budget. Everything is more expensive during December and January is a long and tough month with lots of expenses as well. Enjoy the holidays but spend wisely. Here are a few saving tips for the holiday season!

You don’t always need to buy expensive gifts. Most adults and children value time and attention more than expensive gifts. Give your loved ones the valuable gift of your time and attention this December. Rather create memories, because memories last a lifetime. Ask your family and friends to compile a wish list for X-mas. Rather spend money on gifts that will be appreciated than wasting money on gifts the receiver won’t use or derive value from. Shopping during the festive season is unavoidable but plan your shopping sprees in advance. Don’t go to the shops unnecessarily, compile a shopping list and stick to it, look out for discounted prices and make use of loyalty programmes at shops. Don’t spend a fortune on decorations that will rapidly be forgotten. Use fruit bouquets that can double-up as dessert and flowers from your garden to create something cost effective, unique and special. Entertaining will feature on your to-do list this season, but don’t carry all the costs. Entertaining at home is mostly a lot cheaper than going to restaurants or entertainment venues. Ask friends and family to all contribute their favourite dish towards your feast meal. If your budget is getting really tight during the holiday, be creative when planning activities. You can still have lots of fun without splashing out on activities. Make the most of the gorgeous summer weather and enjoy a picnic outside with friends and family. Movie night at home with popcorn and milkshakes is a great idea and so is a cook-off. Or camp in your garden, braai marshmallows and try to count the stars. Mountain biking is a fun and cost-effective activity to keep the kids entertained on a low budget. Go for walks with the family and dogs. There are beautiful parks, botanical gardens and nature reserves that you can enjoy without having to spend a fortune.

The mad rush of inflated prices is over after X-mas and there are massive sales. If you plan properly for the year ahead and stick to your budget, you can pick up great savings the week after X-mas. Be money wise though and don’t buy things you don’t need. Unfortunately bad things still happen and death still claims lives during the festive season. Ensure that your life insurance, funeral cover and will are up to date at all times to avoid leaving chaos behind. Crime, house robbery and motor accidents increase significantly during the December holidays. Ensure your household content and motor vehicle insurance plans are up to date. Make sure that your house alarm, electric fencing and other security measures are in working condition before you go on holiday. Check that your vehicle is in a good condition and that your vehicle’s licence and your personal driver’s licence are valid. You don’t want to run the risk that the insurance is not paying out if something happens because the pre-set conditions were not met. If you are traveling aboard over the holiday period, check that you have travel insurance in place and that your needs are covered. Always remember your health is your wealth. Take time out to relax and recover after a busy 2018. December holidays is a time to over-indulge and being out of routine. Enjoy yourself, but take care of your body: make time for some exercising, try to still eat healthy, keep portion control in mind, drink plenty of water and don’t consume too much alcohol. You have worked hard for your money and to create a financially fit lifestyle; therefore you can afford to spoil yourself from time to time, but still make wise money decisions. Wishing you a blessed holiday and a prosperous 2019!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ronel Jooste CA(SA), Financial Consultant, Author & Speaker Contact Ronel: ronel@financiallyfitlife.co.za www.financiallyfitlife.co.za

www.womanentrepreneur.co | 79

Year-end function! Xmas party! Yeh! Everyone in the office is getting ready for the party of the year – where you either celebrate your business and company success(es) with a glass of bubbly or you clinch and just want to get it over as soon as possible because you had an extremely stressful and awful financial year. Nothing worked out as you wanted it to be. Sounds familiar? Have you ever asked yourself why is it that some entrepreneurs and or businesses are more successful than yourself and others? What is that one determined factor that they all seem to have in common and yet, you lack and so desperately needed? Success is no accident. Living a great life will not come by luck or change. It won’t fall from the sky, there is no magic wand and there is certainly no quick fix. Success leaves a trail. The good news is that there are principles that lead to success. One of the many principles that all successful people have in common is that they have learned to control their mindset. You are the captain of your own ship. You

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create your own destiny. You are what you think. You are the creator of your life. You hold the compass to your life. Do this exercise. Go and stand in front of a mirror. What do you see? Your reflection is a direct mirror of the real you – the sum of all the choices that lead to certain actions that you had made. Your thoughts become your words, and your words become your actions and your actions become your habits, and your continuous habit eventually becomes who you are. Chances are there are some things that you see that you like and don’t like about yourself. That is ok, because you hold the power within you to change. Remember, the way you change is the way you succeed. What would it mean for your personally, your family and your business if you take time out to end your 2018 on a high note, enjoy your festive season with your family and friends and then to start your 2019 on an even a higher note? Regardless if this year was not what you wanted it to be. How will that make you feel?

Woman Entrepreneur | Global

Here are 8 steps that you need to do to end your year on a high 1. Find a quiet place without any distractions and switch off your phone 2. Have a notebook and pen at hand 3. While sitting upright, close your eyes and inhale deeply and slowly through your nose and exhale also slowly and deeply through your mouth. Repeat these 7 times. 4. Think of everything this year that you are grateful for and write them down. 5. Now think of everything that you are not grateful for that went wrong in your life and business and right them down. 6. Now be thankful for both - the good and the bad that happened in your 2018 7. Create a journal of all your accomplishments in 2018 so that you can reflect back on them in times of doubt, despair or frustration. 8. Now, celebrate with laughter, happiness and gratefulness your 2018 To start your 2019 on an even higher note, you can do the same exercise as above but instead of journaling your success and accomplishments, you now write down all your goals, dreams and vision for 2019 and celebrate them in advance. What is great about our mindset is that our minds are very powerful, and our conscious and sub-

conscious mind do not know the difference between what is real, whether accomplished or not. That is why the mind gurus say that whatever we tell ourselves and believe at any given time – that is true to us. One great truth that I had learned and helped me turning my life around are these words from Robin Banks “My thoughts, my words and my actions are powerful forces of attraction”. Together with continuous daily positive affirmations you can have the life that you always dreamt of. You can be the success that you are destined to be. Take full responsibility for your life and you will take control of your life. There is nothing in life that you cannot have or achieve if you are willing to work for it. Follow your heart, follow your passion and your own path and never stop learning. The more you learn, the more you know, and the more you know the more you earn. There are three main ingredients that you must have when you want your positive affirmations to come to fruition. They are: 1. It must be a positive affirmation 2. Have a clear vision of what it is you want to have 3. You must assign the right corresponding emotion to that particular affirmation When you have all these ingredients in sync while practicing your daily affirmations, there is absolutely nothing in life that you can not have. You will begin to experience and not limit to confidence, happiness, fulfillment, abundance in all areas of your living a life without limits and joy. Go and own your 2019. Make it your absolute best year ever! You owe it to yourself.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: KAREL VERMEULEN (COACH KARELV) As founder of the KV Brand, Karel’s mission is to provide resultsbased products and solutions that provide improved personal and financial impact for clients & customers across the world. www.thekvbrand.com www.womanentrepreneur.co | 81

Do couples only choose to invest in their relationship when it becomes unbearable, to the point where one wants to leave? Some marriages continue to exist, although there is no connection left between one another. They’re still together just for the kids, financially or it’s just easier and comfortable. I have worked with several couples that unfortunately are in exactly that position, stating it has been like that for years. The most unfortunate thing about it is that some couples weren’t even aware of how long they have been unhappy for. Relationships should enhance your life not bring it down. It’s like being in a mouse wheel just going around and around. Get up in the morning, go to work, drive home, eat dinner, go to bed, and get up the following morning to do it all again. That was my life up until 12 years ago. I felt like a shell; I had this hard exterior although I was empty on the inside. I didn’t know who I was, stripped of any self-confidence and -esteem. Joy, happiness, laughter, love or connection in my life, was something I would dream about. I had gained a lot of weight, felt extremely alone without any real support.

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Woman Entrepreneur | Global

When you feel disconnected from your beloved, often the sense of isolation and feeling alone creeps in. This is not healthy, it’s about looking at your WHY. Looking back, I cannot believe I let myself go through that for so long. However, I was not aware of the impact the situation had on my life. Awareness is key in relationships, there must be someone taking the lead to be the minder of the relationship. I’m extremely aware hence why I’m the minder in my relationship. I am more sensitive in noticing any slight shift in my relationship, therefore, I address it straight away, I do not wait for it to snowball and become a big thing. Who’s taking the lead in your relationship? If you don’t have a minder, now is the perfect time to chat about it. Find out who holds the highest awareness within your relationship. That person will ensure that your relationship stays connected, loving, happy and fulfilled. I have come to find that disconnection occurs for many couples when their first child is born. I want to be clear this is not about blame, it is to identify the WHY! Our culture has much to answer for, especially the programmed belief that parents must put children first, no matter what. With that being said, what happens to the relationship? Especially if no one is taking the lead. Where does that leave you and your spouse? Unfortunately, in our culture, lifelong happy relationships are a rarity and so, when I come across a couple that seems to be in love, I want to know to their secret. According to the couples, it’s respect for one another, communication, quality time, listening, love unconditionally and don’t allow ego to come into play; meaning you don’t have to be right, let it go.

right now? If not, WHY? Take a moment to think about where you learned the how, what and why about relationships. What about you? Unfortunately, like me, you may not have been taught or prepared for one of the most important journeys of your life: your relationship. However, I feel what’s currently on offer is not designed to teach relationship fundamental skills and really not providing what I believe is so important. I developed the infinite ring which contains the five core relationship fundamentals which are: effective communication, language, effective listening, timing and digesting.

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. Benjamin Franklin Be prepared, raise your awareness and understand how to build a strong relationship foundation by choosing a leader and armed with the 5 Core Relationship Fundamentals. You definitely have invested not only in yourself and your relationship but also in a great insurance policy. Education is the key to success and future-proof your happiness by building your own relationship blueprint and foundations!

To add to that, it’s about investing in your relationship, keeping it on track, building trust and making the conscious decision to commit 100% to each other. This means every thought and decision made is with consideration of your spouse. For once you feel loved and worthy, automatically you want to reciprocate the same. Feelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open. That’s truly coming from a place of love! I know this works because I live and breathe it on a daily basis. After 10 years, my darling and I have not ever experienced an argument, because I much prefer to invest in what fulfils me rather than drag me down. How is your relationship? Take a moment and ask yourself, am I happy and fulfilled in my relationship

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Caterina Dornbrach | Empower Couples Email: info@empowercouples.com Phone: 0468 848 868 EmpowerCouplesCoach

www.womanentrepreneur.co | 83

Woman Entrepreneur | Global

BE THE

INFLUENCER Do you believe in the saying “Natural Born Leader”? There are many studies that prove people are born leaders, just like others are born followers. A natural born leader is someone who is open to evolving, likes to stay informed, encourages rather than directs, enables instead of controls, embraces change and can initiate change. They love to inspire and be inspired and tend to have a passion and love for leading. A “Follower” is attracted by leaders, seeks guidance from them, they are reflective, more conventional, value support and loyalty, do not necessarily want to make decisions and are reluctant to take responsibility. When a situation arises and they need to make a decision it may be from a control level instead of being professionally inclined. This should not be perceived as a negative trait, yet is more a result / reaction to the individual feeling uncomfortable with the situation they have been placed in. No matter what type of person you are, we can all learn from each other and we all need each other. We may be wired differently yet the leaders need followers to lead and followers need leaders to follow. Most importantly, both styles are just as important in professional and personal lives. So why is there a perception that only leaders can influence people? For as long as I can remember there is a general understanding that “leaders are better than followers” or “leaders make companies successful “. I am happy to report slowly society is changing this understanding. We ALL have a part to play in how we can influence each other because without even realizing it we influence each other every day, multiple times a day. Leaders do not necessarily hold the power over influencing people, sometimes they may have a title that asserts them influence although we know that titles do not make you a leader. Your behavior, demeanor, knowledge and experience is what defines you as a leader or follower yet ultimately, both leaders and followers are influencers. As we described in our September issue, when you wake up in the morning your mood will have an influence on others, your tone of voice, your body gestures, how you react to and the words you choose. These are all things you personally control. Individually we have a responsibility to bring out the best in each other, to support each other during good and bad times. Especially in the workplace, we each have our work husbands and work wives. So, if we are spending more time at work with our work families why would we not want to influence each other to do our best? Much of this is all in our mindset. It does not mean you can’t have a bad day, it does not mean you can’t be sad, anxious or confused. We need to focus on the things we can control and not on the things we can’t. For example: If and when we get upset with our boss (it can happen at times :-) ) we need a fellow follower or leader to talk to , to show us the light, to influence us to not send that rude email, or to join us in taking a walk to be able to gather our thoughts. When a customer gets upset with us a colleague, either a follower or influencer, can help us turn around the situation. As influencers, let’s focus on the good, find situations that make people smile, make them happy, promote positive healthy lifestyles, share good news stories and encourage each other. There are enough natural disasters in life that we can use our influencing abilities to bring out the best in each other every day. Whether you are a follower or a leader, remember you will always naturally influence people every single day.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Josée Larocque-Patton assists organizations to develop their people and train their leaders. She guides leaders when their employees are not following procedures and policies and act as a consultant when organizations experience legislative infractions. Josée Larocque-Patton | Founder and CEO of The HR ICU www.thehricu.com | email josee@thehricu.com

TH E I NFLUE NCE R MA RK ET ING A C A DEM Y Learn the Step by Step Process on how to use influencer marketing to 11X Your ROI

Ask yourself this - How different will your sales be if you had influencers promoting your brand to their loyal audience? INFLUENCER MARKETING IS IDEAL FOR:  SALES SALES SALES SALES

 Build trust with customers

 Product reviews

 The launch of a new product

 Brand Awareness

 Content creation

Influencer marketing gives you 11X ROI than that of online display ads. Learn the shortcuts to influencer marketing and get your brand in the hands of social media influencers.

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Woman Entrepreneur | December 2018 | Issue 2 | Tammy Hembrow

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Tammy Hembrow

Tammy Hembrow: 5 Business and Life Lessons