Make More Money: The One Thing You Should Do Right Now

Written by Codie Sanchez                                Topics: The Struggle Isn't Real

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You Don't Need A Loan, You Don't Need to Crowdfund, Here's What You Do Need...

What has had the biggest impact on my personal growth? Was it an Ivy league MBA? Was it a promotion? Was it a mentor/sponsorship? No, it was starting my own business. Don’t believe me? Let’s talk about why to start a side business, why you should, and why I am NOT telling you to quit your day job now, or maybe ever.

When you have a window open and you open another one, do you have to shut the first? No. You open another window to increase your airflow. Think of your side business like creating a wind tunnel that flows opportunities to you and your business.

I used to get asked all the time, “How do I travel so much for my corporate job, as I head an investment distribution team in Latin America?” Then I got asked, “Why would I start ThreadsRefined while doing said high-intensity job?” Now I get complete bafflement with, “Why am I crazy enough to start a podcast, blog and business centered on helping others lifestyle design while doing all the above?” Then of course after those three questions comes the doozy, “So are you going to quit your investment business and focus on the others?” To make sure I don’t have a bunch of you running out and quitting let’s start with why to do it on the side, then we’ll get into how it helps your current job.

Let's draw a parallel. I work out a lot. I started off doing lots of HIIT classes, then ran, then weight lifted, then yoga, then crossfit and finally boxing. I’m certainly no fitness model by a LONG stretch (my friend Amy is if you want to see a real BABE join her 100k followers @fitamysuzanne), but I can safely say I am in the best shape of my life and feel better than I ever have. So which method got me there? Here’s the secret, all of them. I do weightlifting 2-3 times a week, every Wednesday I box, I run 2 times a week, and I do yoga once a week. Why don’t I pick just one? With the change in workouts, I keep my body on its toes, I don’t get bored, and each activity I do serves a different purpose. Yoga is for my mental sanity, as well as long, lean and flexible muscles. Weight lifting is also a type of meditation for me, as well as strengthens me so my lower back never hurts on long flights, and I am down to 10% body fat. Boxing is a finger blast, plus incredible cardio and endurance training.   Not to mention I firmly believe we all need to hit something every once in a while. What does this have to do with starting a side business while working?

“Not to mention I firmly believe we all need to hit something every once in a while. ”

Well, as I add new routines to my workout regime does that mean I quit the former? No.  The point is to use what you do with your life to become a better version of yourself every single day. The goal in everything I do is to stretch myself, make myself feel uncomfortable, be the least in the room, lest my ego get me thinking that I know it all and get complacent.  My business as a life and as business hacking strategist at CodieSanchez.com insures that I don’t stagnate in my investment position.  ThreadsRefined teaches me how to tell a visual story through clothes and allows me to play, since regulators don’t like much story telling or playtime when it comes to investment marketing.  That's the reason why I don’t ever talk about anything related to finance or investing on this site.  Suzie Orman I am not.

“The goal in everything I do is to stretch myself, make myself feel uncomfortable, be the least in the room, lest my ego get me thinking that I know it all and get complacent. ”

So how does this relate to you?

Let me give you an example of how you starting a completely unrelated side venture can help what you are working on currently, not to mention stimulate you mentally, make you more productive and a sought after dinner guest...

I just got off a phone call with the CIO of a rather large international investment company in Latin America. This guy literally never ever EVER picks up his phone and he told me he gets calls and emails from over 100 solicitors a day. Want to know why we talked for 45 minutes? Even better, want to know why he purposefully picked up his phone and called me, when I am the salesperson and it should be the other way around? Through The Struggle Isn’t Real podcast, I started using a service called Calendly, which helps you schedule your day without the back and forth pain associated with meeting scheduling. (Click here to register for my newsletter where I give these types of ideas). I mentioned it to him in an email back and forth we were having. Then ring ring. I spent 45 minutes explaining it to him and then he requested his secretary jump on for a quick tutorial in how to use it, how to implement it, and a few other life hacks that are going to save him mountains of time.  At the end, wouldn’t you know I got a meeting request from him using Calendly? Do you think that guy is going to take my next call?  H*ll yes. Do you think he is going to consider me instead of those other 100 solicitors?  If it is true that we do business with people we like, and I would add those that are interesting and useful, I’ve just gained a client for life.

“If it is true that we do business with people we like, and I would add those that are interesting and useful, I’ve just gained a client for life.”

So if you are currently working in a 9-5, consider turning your passion, your hobby, something you are curious about, into a side gig. Here’s one way to start. One of my favorite mentors in business is Stacey Duran, she went from hedge fund sales in private jets around the world at 25, to hiking Kilimanjaro, to launching a non-profit that is supported by some of the biggest investors in the WORLD. She said to me when I launched ThreadsRefined, “You won’t even believe the things that are going to happen to you and for you with this. Just you wait.” And she my friends, was right.

So start now, don’t wait. 

To stream and subscribe on iTunes, click on the icon above, or click here. Want to hear another podcast about how to find your why and passion? — Listen to my broadcast on Girl Power Hour Radio. Here, I talk about 5 steps to finding what you want and then executing.

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Mind Hacks from Pro Athletes to Olympians

Written by Codie Sanchez                                                               

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Jason Richardson… (all social links are here)

Secrets from the Psychologist to Professional Athletes & Olympians

How to Find Fulfillment, Happiness, and Peace. Aka How Do We Win at Life?

To make it to the peak of any sport (and isn’t that what life is?) most athletes will tell you the athletic ability is just the foundation, the real difference is mental fortitude or how strong your mind is. It makes sense. As did you know, we are actually more likely to die in a car accident (1 in 113) than make it as a professional football player even as a kid who plays in high school or college (1 in 325 college students make it or 1 in 1,010 high school players). To beat those kind of odds you must have a different mental gear I figured. So I tracked down the man who gets in the heads of the highest performing among us, professional athletes and Olympians, Dr. Jason Richardson.

I am fascinated with the mind and the power it has over each of us and humanity collectively. So when I came across World Champion BMX biker, professional speaker and psychologist to champions Dr Jason Richardson, I interrogated him in my typical reformed journalist manner. Jason specializes in human behavior and specifically how to train your brain like an athlete trains his or her body. I love the idea that we could actually control our actions and thought patterns through better understanding our own cognition. So in this episode we dive into Jason’s book, Gold Metal Mindset, what the biggest mistakes are people make when they try to change their habits, how he overcomes anxiety and recalibrates his mind, and the lessons he’s imparting upon hundreds of clients and listeners so that they can go become world class in their own right. I hope you enjoy this episode, consider it a free chat with your very own award winning psychologist, as much as I enjoyed interviewing him. 

“I love the idea that we could actually control our actions and thought patterns through better understanding our own cognition”

“There are a million tactics but if you don’t plug your DNA into whatever it is you do, the tactics won’t work.”

Favorite quotes:

“Humans are an interesting bunch. We’re messy at best. Beautiful, but messy.”

His mantra: “The more I do, the more I can do.”

“Your primal brain is designed for one function. To protect you.”

“There are a million tactics but if you don’t plug your DNA into whatever it is you do, the tactics won’t work.”

To stream and subscribe on iTunes, click on the icon above, or click here. Want to hear another podcast about how to find your why and passion? But hen making it profitable, --> Here I talk about 5 steps to finding what you want and then executing.

Four Steps to Having Customers Line Up

Written by Codie Sanchez

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By Codie Sanchez, Entrepreneur & Speaker (www.codiesanchez.com)

Twitter: @codie_sanchez Instagram: @codiesanchez Facebook @Codie Sanchez Baker

Why Build It When You Can Borrow It?

It’s a noisy and crowded world. But you have an idea that is going to break through. You’re a creative, an inspirer, a doer on a mission to share your why with the world. You have the website, you obviously have the skills, your mom LOVES the ideas and your business cards are on point. The only problem? You open the doors, send out your mass mailing announcement and… crickets. All the people who said they loved your idea just may love it, but not enough to pay for it. At least not right now they tell you; later, soon, they promise. You aren’t alone. For anyone that has started a business believe me, we understand. There are no overnight successes and for most people talk is cheap. So how do we get our elusive minx of paying clients to come knocking on our doorstep? Because the thing is if you are a business owner or aspiring entrepreneur, you know that you do in fact have to sell if you want your creative hobby to become profitable.

“You have the website, you obviously have the skills, your mom LOVES the ideas and your business cards are on point. The only problem? You open the doors, send out your mass mailing announcement and… crickets. ”

Well we can do it the old-fashioned way, but I don’t meet many humans who love making cold calls, sending mailers, pushing email campaigns and all around hard core selling. That is one way to grow. So is there another way?

Maybe. That is why I partnered with Verlocal (check out my interview with a Verlocal Insider here). I believe in leverage. Archimedes said, “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.” So you have the option of venturing out in the world and self-creating website traffic, mastering SEO, posting like crazy on social media, or you can use someone else who has already created traffic and eyeballs to their website as your lever. I like option 2. Let’s talk Verlocal numbers: Facebook – 50,000+ likes, Twitter: 2,000+ followers, Wesbite Traffic – Thousands of unique monthly viewers. How does that compare to your brand? It’s pretty tough to grow to that, so why not leverage what is built already?

“You have the option of venturing out in the world and self-creating website traffic, mastering SEO, posting like crazy on social media, or you can use someone else who has already created traffic and eyeballs to their website as your lever.”

I’m giving you five steps to leveraging a platform like Verlocal to: Show. You. The. Money.

Start Here:

1)      Story Tell

Now with Verlocal you have an audience. You are on a platform with views and people actively looking to purchase what you offer. The only hiccup is there are hundreds of others. So you need to look different. You need to pique interest. That is where the art of storytelling comes in. People buy things less because they have a need, and more because they have a want. They want to feel something, learn something, be something. Make them feel and you will make them buy. That means, you need visuals that feel intimate (no stock photos!), that draw them in and capture your why. Start there. Then make sure the sentiment in those photos translates to your blog/website/social media. People connect with people not brands, so show them you and the humans who are your clients. See how I do this below.. I talk about building businesses on my platform but I’m also a human. How boring if I just showed spreadsheets?! I interweave who I am into my content. Try it.

My Twitter Storytelling: @codie_sanchez

My Instagram Storytelling: @codiesanchez

2)      Testimonials

We are social creatures. We go to restaurants that our friends recommend us, we see movies (or don’t see them) based on what others say, and we buy services because someone referred us. Mark Zuckerberg said a trusted referral is the holy grail of advertising. He was right. So make sure on your website and your Verlocal site you have endorsements, testimonials, happy customers who can do the bragging for you. Also – three rules to live by; be brief, be good and don’t be boring. Check out my testimonial examples. Think interesting soundbites.

“Mark Zuckerberg said a trusted referral is the holy grail of advertising. He was right. ”

My endorsements page: www.codiesanchez.com

3)      Give Value

It’s the eternal law, give before you receive and you shall receive tenfold in return. Trust it. I have no data to prove it except that my life seems to be infinitely richer and success infinitely closer when I give. Thus, I keep a rule of thumb. I try to provide 10x the value for anything I ask for. I never tit for tat. If I am asking someone to pay $100 for something I try to give them something worth $1000. I give value in two ways:

Giveaways: First, I never do a giveaway worth less than $200, I strive to have the giveaway be worth more than $1000 and I am cautious about what I give away. An ipad is cool, but what is the story there. Second, I tie the giveaway to a very small ask that is not monetary, aka an email subscription or a follow. You are looking for touchpoints not immediate sales. Here’s how I setup my giveaways… (Get $200 to Verlocal free.. click here)

Freemiums:

These are downloadable guides on subjects that would be useful for my readers. These serve two purposes; first they give me email addresses for my newsletter and second they allow me to send them when someone asks me a question about how I do something. Instead of repeating myself continuously I can direct them to a pre-made resource that has a step by step process. Time is money too. For the customers they give inside information that is relevant. It’s free mental goods. 

Sometimes the most impactful things are the simplest. Four steps to cashflow with Verlocal.

Want more? Give me a shout…

Codie

www.codiesanchez.com

Twitter: @codie_sanchez

Instagram: @codiesanchez

Facebook @Codie Sanchez Baker

To stream and subscribe on iTunes, click on the icon above, or click here. Want to hear another podcast about how to find your why and passion? — Listen to my broadcast on Girl Power Hour Radio. Here I talk about 5 steps to finding what you want and then executing.

How To Become A Millionaire.. From A Millionaire

Written by Codie Sanchez                                                              

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Ask a Millionaire: Q&A on Hitting Seven Figures with Shawn Thomas of @AskaMillionaire

Let’s say you want to be a millionaire. So you google search, “how to become a millionaire?” and this guy’s face pops up. This is Shawn Thomas of (@askamillionaire or @askshawnthomas). And I bet you can guess what he’s achieved, and how many zeros’ come with it.

“Doubters Don’t Pay Your Bills. So Don’t Pay Them With Your Attention.”

To be honest, the millionaire status wasn’t as interesting to me, although I suppose it does mean he is in the global 1%. What was interesting is that he is now building a business on how to teach others to accomplish the same thing, financial freedom. And people are eating it up. In fact, he has amassed millions (there's that word again) of followers because humans want to know how to achieve the elusive 7-figure-dream. But the best part is that Shawn has one of my favorite characteristics, he’s not that nice. (Sorry, Shawn but don’t worry I’m not that nice either). What does that mean? It means that in this breakdown he is the type of human that actually tells you what it will take to achieve a high level of financial success, he doesn’t sugar coat it and he just might help you get there as opposed to most coaches that tell you if you “visualize it enough” or if you “believe in yourself," that you will wiggle your magic fingers and make it happen.

So Shawn and I dive into where most people mess up, how you can achieve financial success 10x as fast, the future of building social media followings, and he even goes into my favorite realm of what happens when you achieve it all, and still have that little hole inside of you. From playing for the circus, to signing a record deal, to going $100k in debt this guy epitomizes what it means to climb and share not just your highlight reel. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Shawn Thomas as much as I did…

 

My Favorite Lines:

• On how to grow a big following: “Just start, most people don’t do even that.”

• The question he gets asked the most: “How do I find success?”

• How he defines success:

“Balance of 7 areas of my life: Spiritual, Health, Bank Account, Friends, Love, Family, and Business.”

 More From Shawn Thomas:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHpuMk7H7Lg&feature=youtu.be

http://grantcardonetv.com/video/powerplayers/shawn-thomas/

https://smallbiztrends.com/2016/01/angel-investor-shawn-thomas-periscope-engagement.html

To stream and subscribe on iTunes, click on the icon above, or click here. Want to hear another podcast about how to find your why and passion? — Listen to my broadcast on Girl Power Hour Radio. Here, I talk about 5 steps to finding what you want and then executing.

CLICK THE PICTURE BELOW TO DOWNLOAD MY FREE GUIDE:

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Storytelling: You Have A Story

Written by Codie Sanchez                                                                    Topics: The Struggle Isn't Real

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Here is How You Tell It

Today I went to a charity event in Dallas. Now typically how these things go are like this: lots of beautiful women, beautifully dressed, buying beautiful things, on behalf of a charity. All good, right? A bit surface level, but if at the end of the day we are helping a worthwhile cause I am all for it. Today though I went deep, my heart hurt a bit. Why? Well – I typically don’t ask women what they do at these events, because many of them work inside the home and thus they seem to feel awkward when I ask that question. To me, you are not what you do for a living but I can understand the sentiment. So I ask the question, tell me your story? This is more interesting regardless. I love stories. We as humans are fascinated by them, we get pulled into campfires, books, movies, conversations, due to our thirst for an intriguing story.  

Click Here to Download My Quick Reference Guide for Telling a Compelling Story

After all we’ve each been on earth for decades, we all have some type of story, don’t we? I asked this question to a woman at the party and her response was, “I don’t have a story.” I was a bit dumbfounded. Of course you do. We all have a story. It begins at birth, sometimes the thread goes further back even before, and hopefully if we’ve made an impact, it continues after we are no longer here to tell it ourselves. So how could someone not have a story? Maybe the question is, why do we not know how to answer this question? It is the oldest form of communication our words, our stories. So how do we tell our stories in a better way? Whether it is our story at a cocktail party, our company’s story, or our story to snare the hot dude/chick.  

“We all have a story. It begins at birth, sometimes the thread goes further back even before, and hopefully if we’ve made an impact, it continues after we are no longer here to tell it ourselves.”

Knowing how to speak with conviction and eloquence, slowly drawing in your listener like a spider winding in its web, is a singular power. You literally ensnare people. Haven’t you felt that pull before? When the person you are speaking to grabs your heart by the strings and reels you in to them. I’ve felt it. It’s what moves humans to achieve extraordinary things or terrifying things. The greatest among us know how to grasp you tightly with their words. I started to ponder, how do you tell a compelling story? Here is my story… on how to tell your story. 

1)    Be good, be brief, be gone

Have you ever been cornered at a party with long winded Larry? You know him. He loves to talk about his kid’s soccer game or even better, his golf match where he par’d 9 because he used the iron instead of the wedge or whatever the f*ck golfers say. Seriously you want to lose my interest immediately, start re-telling me about your round. Unless your Tiger Woods and the round ends with your wife chasing you with a 9 iron. I. DO. NOT. CARE. Ok but here is the point. Be aware of the human you are speaking to. See if they seem interested and watch for body language. Then try to leave them with a little something. Don’t give them the whole story, snare them along. That is what it means to be good, be brief and be GONE.  

2)    Words Are Like Paint - There Are Infinite Colors So Mix It Up

Let me give you an example. When you meet someone there are hundreds of ways to express your happiness at crossing paths:

-       “So happy to meet you.” (BLAH)

-       “What a pleasure to sit here with you today.”

-       “I am just tickled to get to shake your hand in person today.” (Try not to smile while saying that one)

-       “Absolutely enchanted to know you.”

-    “My friend, how lovely to meet you.”

In Spanish we say Encantado/a, it means absolutely enchanted. Everything in the Spanish language is meant to bring you close. To love on you a little bit through words, platonically. Think about your words in that way. Consider it a mind game. Instead of starting a presentation with, “My name is Codie Sanchez, thank you for having me today.” Don’t be cheesy, be you, but have fun with it.

-       “My friends, what a pleasure looking out at all your beautiful faces this morning.”

-       “Hello all you good looking humans, can I just tell you how excited I am to share this day with you.” Wink Wink. 

Your challenge today: Try to introduce yourself to someone in 3 or 4 ways that you never usually would or open up your next meeting in a way that would surprise the rest of your team. See them snap out of their normal route. I dare ya. 

“Your challenge today: Try to introduce yourself to someone in 3 or 4 ways that you never usually would or open up your next meeting in a way that would surprise the rest of your team. See them snap out of their normal route. I dare ya. ”

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3)    You Are A Person: So Be Personal

I’m in finance, do you even want to know the number of Powerpoint’s I’ve seen in my day? It would astound you. It horrifies me. I’ve seen more pivot charts then Brady’s seen snaps (ooooohhhh football reference, I’m feeling it today!). The thing is people don’t remember what you’ve told them, they remember how you made them feel. Even when we talking money, baby. So weave in your humanity. Even when talking about finance or investments we can talk like this:

“Close your eyes, picture the day you retire, the day you get to take that trip around the country you’ve been planning, the day Europe beckons, the day you never have to put on a tie again. Picture yourself signing on the dotted line for that beach house, your grandkids playing along the beach while you sit in your chair watching the sun go down with a big smile on your face. Waves lapping in the background. That is what happens when you save. Decisions made today to invest, plan and create goals that you stick to means a tomorrow you’ve dreamed about.”

Think they’ll remember that instead of saying,

“If you invest and start saving now we are confident we can maximize your risk/return profile to reach retirement On average our clients receive x return over time due to compounding and downside protection. We aspire to align your risks to your needs, in order to achieve your family’s goals for retirement and life planning.” Dear lord, did you fall asleep too? Remember you are a person, get personal. 

4)    Catch Them Up Front

Whether it is your opening line, your headline, or your punchline, get a line with some KICK. Here’s an example….

Which headline is better (these are both real BTW):

A.    The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 0.4% in October

B.    Watch Out: Prices Are Creeping Back Up Again

B, right? It makes them want to open the article. That word creeping has a negative connotation, like a little creepy crawly insect sneaking up on you. You want to know how close it is? When you say CPI, you sound smart but uninteresting. That is often our biggest problem we want to project our intellect and we end up sounding like a robot.

Moral of the story – don’t be a damn robot. You are a human. You have a story. You are interesting. So share it.

XOXO,

Codie

Start A Clothing Brand: But Don't Go Bankrupt ;)

Written by Codie Sanchez                       Topics: The Struggle Isn't Real

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With Nasty Gal declaring Chapter 11 Bankruptcy this week, it made me realize how the shiny bow is often on the gnarliest of presents. Don't let the veneer fool you, starting a business ain't for sissies. 

“Don’t let the veneer fool you, starting a business ain’t for sissies. ”

People, I dig this episode a lot because I love nothing more than a super actionable breakdown from an expert in their space. This is the episode for you if you want to build a distribution company OR a fashion/apparel/graphic tee company. You all actually requested this one, so that is extra fun. 

And it makes sense right, I mean haven't you ever had a quote and thought GOD I should make this into a t-shirt. Well here's how to do it.. and we are assuming you know all the normal business portions we focus on the nitty gritty of clothing. I know Sophia Amoroso is all the rage, graphic tees are selling like hot cakes (I’m probably the largest purchaser), and boutique brands are popping up more frequently than election memes so there has to be something here. 

But the questions are: 

How do you in fact build a fashion or t-shirt company? (without going broke)

What the heck is screen printing ?

When does it make sense to start your own company , how do you do it on the cheap? 

What is the biggest surprise, and what kills dreams of beautiful graphic tees faster than anything?

We answer all these and more!

For the first 10 minutes we dive into how to build any company (and not hire shitty people in particular). The rest of it we get down and dirty into the not so fancy side of fashion. 

WANT MORE TOOLS AND TIPS ABOUT RUNNING A BUSINESS? CLICK HERE TO HAVE THEM DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX.

“There is more noise than you can imagine in clothing, it’s a crowded industry. If you don’t know your differentiator. You are in trouble.”

— Ryan Egan

Well without further ado I have on for you Ryan Egan @slcactivewear , the T-shirt & Apparel Queen. Ryan is founder of SLC activewear and comes from a long line of apparel distributors. I can vouch for the fact that she literally can tell what brand you're wearing without looking at your label. Superpowers.

Honestly, if you are looking to start a clothing company make sure you listen from 15 minutes in, it will save you a world of headache. 

P.S. Thought to live by... "There is more noise than you can imagine in clothing, it's a crowded industry. If you don't know your differentiator. You are in trouble." - Ryan Egan

XOXO,

Codie 

To stream and subscribe on iTunes, click on the icon above, or click here. Want to hear another podcast about how to find your why and passion? — Listen to my broadcast on Girl Power Hour Radio. Here I talk about 5 steps to finding what you want and then executing.

How To Close Multi-Million Dollar Deals

Written by Codie Sanchez Baker                                                              

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Lessons from a Financier: How He’s Closed Million to Billion deals from Ireland to Saudi Arabia

Adam Sadiq - Managing Partner New World Capital Advisors

Today is a fun one. If you are interested in angel investing, startups, entrepreneurship, investments, closing big huge deals, then this is the dude for you. Adam Sadiq is Managing Partner of International private placement firm New World Capital Advisors. Which means that he goes around Europe, the Middle East and Asia and finds investment opportunities for the big boys from Private equity, to hedge funds, to real estate. Adam and I go way back to our days together at one of the world’s largest asset managers. I was heading up Latin America and Adam in Europe and the Middle East. I brought Adam on to talk to us about everything from how we sell, how to close big deals, how to get into investments and finance, how to climb the corporate ladder and how to transition from corporate America to building your own company. Below are some of my favorite quotes from Adam (by the way how much do you guys love his accent!).

Noteworthy soundbites:

On Youth and Inexperience: “Sometimes being 23 and knowing nothing is the best part. I like to open doors through naivety and use ignorance to find success.”

On Taking the Initiative: How he closed his first deal by buying his own plane ticket and asking for forgiveness later. “I knew if I asked permission I wouldn’t get the answer I was looking for, so I didn’t ask.”

“If I had followed the internal process I would have never closed my first $100 million dollar deal.”

Go to Markets with Dislocation: “If you are operating in conventional markets like Europe, the UK, the US, business is very systematic. If you follow the process you’ll get a share of the pie. If you start moving to emerging markets it is a different story, it is based on relationships and visibility.” ** I love this one ** working in emerging markets is a game changer.

“Many relationships come to you by chance, but what you do with that relationship as a next step is what changes it all. Ultimately it can change your life.”

— Adam Sadiq

Being Different: “My standpoint is to be against the grain of commoditization. I try to be ahead of the market and whenever everyone is doing one thing I try to go the other way.”

“You need to think about being niche. Not being everything to everyone.”

So without further ado I hope you enjoy this conversation with Adam Sadiq.

Ciao, 

Codie Sanchez 

Find Adam Sadiq Here:

Twitter: @Adam_Sadiq

IG @adamsadiq

To stream and subscribe on iTunes, click here. Want to hear another podcast about how to find your why and passion? — Listen to my broadcast on Girl Power Hour Radio. Here I talk about 5 steps to finding what you want and then executing.

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Lessons Learned From The NFL to Wall Street

Written by Codie Sanchez                                                       Topics: The Struggle Isn't Real

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From Speaking No English...

To Playing for the Patriots...

To Becoming A Finance Exec...

Lessons On Pivoting, Fear Conquering & Life Defining.

Imagine you come to US, speaking no English, find out the futbol is actually football, and somehow still find your way to the highest levels of the game, the NFL. That's the story we are telling today. About how to achieve whatever it is your little heart so desires and continue to redefine yourself as life throws you wide passes (wow did I just use football terminology #winning). Paul Francisco Twitter: (@paul_francisco) is going to tell us his story.. and you are going to love the strategies he employs.. Let me paint the picture... 

Set the scene, I’m at the Gaylord Texas for an ALPFA convention, picture if Disneyland were an indoor hotel on steroids and filled with Latinos. I’m at a little cantina chatting with Paul about how our stories have evolved since I left the company where he heads diversity and inclusion. As we walk past the innumerable tables and groups of people, I get a glimpse of why Paul is such a special dude. I'm with the proverbial mayor. He stops to shake hands, give hugs, dar besos and congratulate on others successes. I know literally no one, but Paul seems to have that inherent quality of making all 3000 attendees feel they are his gente, his people. That is Paul, 6'3, former Patriots NFL player, current finance exec, from Honduras, standing in a power suit, not bad to look at, and always sporting a big huge smile. The difference between Paul and the myriad other successful individuals I chat with, is that Paul really is about his gente. It almost makes sense that he’s dedicated his life post-football to diversity and inclusion. He was the only black kid in his town in Honduras, who gave away his rather large shoes to another kid that needed them more. He’s the kind of guy that reveals how the day he realized he’d never play in the NFL spotlight again post injury, he pulled over, had a good cry and then re-dedicated his life to the next step. He now fights to insure people of color, women, those with disabilities, and LGBTs, all have shoes to wear in corporate America and their chance at the spotlight. He applies the tenacity that brought him to college on a scholarship from Honduras, to the NFL playing for the Pats under Belichick, Shula (@donshula), to working for one of the world’s largest asset managers on promoting opportunities for people like you and me.

On this episode Paul tells his story, he breaks down how he found his why, the incredibly insightful strategies he uses to overcome obstacles, how he gets mentors, how he uses fear to focus and the way to pivot when necessary. Listen in for a look at how to continually re-define your life, beat expectations, and why diversity is a lifeblood we should all be seeking in our companies, communities and tribes. 

These gems jumped out at me:

1. His mantra: 5 P’s – Prior preparation prevents poor performance.

2. When you get to the NFL everyone physically is at more or less the same level, the difference between a good athlete and a great professional athlete is mental. The game is 80% mental and 20% physical.

3. On Visualization – When you get to the end zone you have to have lived it or imagine it. 1000 times I’d picture getting a touchdown and what it would feel like so that when I eventually had the opportunity I would have been there before.

4. Thoughts on finding mentors – I’ve never gone to someone and asked them to be my mentor. It’s more that I think of myself as Paul Francisco Inc. So I surround myself with people that can be my advisors, my corporate board, if you will.

5. “It's never as bad or as good as it seem to be.”

6. "If you can’t bring your whole self to your company it’s probably not the right place for you."

7. "Fear keeps me alive. I have a fear of failure so my combat mechanism is whenever I feel fear I focus."

8. "Tough situations don’t last. Tough people do."

Find Paul Francisco Here:

Twitter: Paul_francisco

IG @price8188

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To stream and subscribe on iTunes, click on the icon above, or click here. Want to hear another podcast about how to find your why and passion? — Listen to my broadcast on Girl Power Hour Radio. Here I talk about 5 steps to finding what you want and then executing.

How to Not Waste A Sh*T Ton of Time At Work

Written by Codie Sanchez                                                                 Topics: The Struggle Isn't Real

And Then you Get to Work Less, Sweet, Right? 

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There is an epidemic. I'm serious. It's called the 8 hour work day and the fact that we waste 60% of our day at work, not actually in fact working. Don't believe me?

Between excessive email (which actually makes you lose IQ points, 10 to be exact, by fielding constant email), unproductive meetings (which cost US companies $37 billion in salary cost) and distractions at work (80% of which are considered trivial), we work more and get less done. Imagine if you could get back 24 working hours each week. Let's try to make a dent in it.**(Sources below)

It's So Easy No One Does lt - I'm going to be snarky for a minute, if you can't deal scroll on. Start here: Don't check your email 36 times an hour (the average person does). Let's begin there. But seriously, if you work with me you'll note, I typically respond to email 3x a day. My teams all have my cell if it needs immediate response they text me, otherwise I'll respond in AM, lunch, and PM. I batch the rest of the day in time-blocked hours. Three to be exact - Client Touches, Deep Work, Administrative. Go to blog for more specifics. 

WANT MORE TIME SAVING TIPS AND TOOLS DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX? CLICK HERE.

Willpower enabler -  Just like not buying junk food for the house I try to toss distractions. I use clearlock, it locks your phone from all tantalizing apps for 10 min to 3 hours. Also probably good for you single peeps so you don't make any embarrassing wine infused texts #multitasking. Only way to reopen is hard reboot.  

Set Deadlines- Focus Booster is one of my FAVS. It lets you power through tasks with set deadlines using the Pomodoro Technique (which is well researched, it's like science guys). You work on one task for 25 uninterrupted minutes, then take five, and on you go. 

Quote I am ruminating on, “Time is the most valuable coin in your life. You and you alone will determine how that coin will be spent. Be careful that you do not let other people spend it for you.” - Carl Sandburg

Say No- It's the things we don't do that make all the difference. People always want to talk on the phone. Can I call? Call me when you get a sec? Can we chat? Honestly - when the calls are internal, personal or not from clients, I say no. Script, "Shoot, about to get on a flight, then a ton of meetings. I want to make sure I help, what can I do for ya? Or what did you want to chat about?" Inevitably, they tell me. And 99.999% of the time it REALLY did not warrant a call. Remember the goal is to help the person, not to give them control of your schedule. If you let people waste your time they will even if they don't mean to, hard but true.

“PS I also never answer unknown numbers and rarely answer direct calls unless from clients.”

PS I also never answer unknown numbers and rarely answer direct calls unless from clients. I listen to VM or get email, then respond. I'm not big time, or a jerk, I just truly do not know how to get all I want to get done otherwise.

What do you think of the Monday Slay? If you dig it please forward to a friend to sign up!

I'd love to hear what you want more of, shout out to me on twitter @codie_sanchez or on IG @codiesanchez.

Thank you for reading, our tribe is growing my friends!

Codie

P.S. —  This week on the podcast I answer one of your emails with the 10 questions I wish I knew when I was starting my businesses. 

P.S.S. - No sponsorships for any items, books etc I recommend and I only ever recommend something I use. Just great stuff, no sales stuff. 

SOURCES:

Email Usage/Penetrations • EmailStatCounter

A Pace Not Dictated by Electrons • University of California

Disruption and Recovery of Computing Tasks • Microsoft Research

'Infomania' worse than marijuana • BBC News

Meetings in America • Verizon Business

State of Meetings Today • EffectiveMeetings

Why & How Your Employees are Wasting Time at Work • Salary.com

Time Management Statistics • Key Organization Systyems

If I Was Starting Work Again.. I'd Want to Know This

Written by Codie Sanchez                                         Topics: Business & Career Building

Letters to My Younger Self.. These 5 things Change It All

If I could go back and tell my younger self the answers to these five questions, what would I say? What would I tell others who are starting their climb in work and in life? What did I wish I knew when I first started in business? Well I'll tell you just that on this episode. This one is kind of interesting, I have gotten tons of emails from all of you asking me varying questions on how to grow your business, work ideas, how to get a promotion, negotiate a deal and even tips on meditating (still working on this one!).

One email jumped out at me from 17 year old Sarah, asking these below questions. Honestly, she's already ahead of the game at 17 by even thinking of these questions but then I realized maybe we all should be asking ourselves these very same things. I hope you enjoy a brief conversation taking a step back in time. 

“Life is about moments. The moment you find your passion, the moment you decide to follow it and the moment you realize you can actually make money doing it.”

— Codie Sanchez

1. If you could give your 17-year-old self any advice, what would it be?

2. What were your biggest goals and dreams when you were 17? 20?

3. What is your viewpoint on a traditional college education vs. real world experience? How valuable is a college degree in your eyes?

4. What book has had the most positive influence on your life?

5. Where is your favorite place to find inspiration?

6. 2-3 biggest tips for killing self doubt and gaining self confidence?

7. I am a naturally very optimistic and positive person, Consequently, I smile A LOT. In business, smiling is often a disadvantage when overused. What are your biggest tips on controlling smiling/ to use it as an advantage? (This question made me smile!)

8. How do you maximize your day?

9. Biggest tips for building wealth?

Ciao,

Codie Sanchez 

Marketing: Get Noticed In A Crowd

Written by Codie Sanchez                                                       Topics: The Struggle Isn't Real 

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“If you find yourself doing what everyone else is doing, you might want to take a pause.”

How To Market (aka Sell) Like A Pro

You have product, you want to sell said product, but you need to get your incredible product noticed in order to sell it. That's marketing 101, right? Here’s the problem, marketing is crowded, noisy and confusing. So how do you quiet the noise and trumpet your ideas like a supersonic blast? How do your blog posts and paid endorsements not drown in the sea of sameness? We are going to talk about one marketing industry vet's ideas for how to jumpstart marketing right off the OR table.

We’re going to talk about if traditional marketing is dead and social marketing has won the game? We are going to talk about where to spend your hard earned money? How do you use the right channels and why? And the man leading us today has a killer perspective as a long time traditional marketing content specialist. Jim Knapp (@jim_knapp) is a media man… 45 minutes with him is like a shot of marketing adrenaline straight to the heart. Jim leads marketing business development for Bonneville Phoenix, KTAR and Arizona Sports, he’s spent thirty years crafting the pitches of companies who want to touch us all through the airwaves.

Why do I have him on here instead of some blonde 20 something blogger talking about shoppable links and S4S? Well h*ll I’ll probably have one of those on here too BUT I firmly believe that when everyone is crowding one space you need to think long and hard about why you two are pushing through the crowds, remember; what if it was easy?

Here are some of the questions Jim answers: Get excited. 

1. What are most people doing wrong with social media and traditional marketing?

2. Talk to me about the differences between the two?

3. Who is doing traditional media really well? Who is combining the two well?

4. How do you judge returns and reach?

5. For someone who is building a business or brand what advice do you have for them in how to engage in marketing?

6. When do ads make sense, where and what are the keys to doing this right?

7. How do you narrow down your audience (the mad men story)

8. What are the biggest mistakes happening in marketing right now?

9. What is the one thing any person looking to sell something should do now?

Hope you enjoy! Ciao!

Codie Sanchez 

Stream and subscribe on iTunes click here.

Want to hear another podcast about how to find your why and passion? — Listen to my broadcast on Girl Power Hour Radio. Here I talk about 5 steps to finding what you want and then executing.

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I Threw Away All My Suits & Found My Corporate Stride

Written by Codie Sanchez                                                                   Topics: The Struggle Isn't Real 

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On being you and still being a b*d*ss business person.

One crop-top wearing exec’s take.

Be you. Be authentic. Be real. Just be yourself. Sounds so easy, huh? Not for me it wasn’t, and sometimes still isn’t.  It’s honestly taken some serious self-reflection and ball bracing to figure out. I used to wear suits nonstop.  I cut my hair short to fit into corporate America. I played it safe because my intensity can, and does. make people uncomfortable. So I toned it down. I tried to dress to not show my female form. I replaced stilettos with flats, because you can't be sexy and smart, can you? I still struggle with this.

Can you be a serious business person, executive, or entrepreneur and not play the role? I decided I would try. Why? If you do what the average person does, you will be as the average person is.

Average is not something I strive for, do any of us?

I became more successful, I got better clients, bigger accounts, more employees, and more opportunities.

Thus, for me the easiest things to alter first were external. I like crop tops so I wear them. I work-out and am proud of my albeit imperfect but perfectly "me" body, so I wear form fitting dresses. My hair is often too long, I love my words four lettered and my cars fast. As a cautious toddler dips his foot in the pool to test the temperature, I brought in each one of these “Codie-ism’s,” one by one.

I recall thinking, oh dear sweet baby Jesus, I am going to get fired, or lose clients, or lose respect, or get called out in front of everyone like those naked public speaking nightmares. Let the cold sweats begin. Then as time passed, nothing happened. In fact, I became more successful, I got better clients, bigger accounts, more employees, and more opportunities. So I said alright little toddler Codie, jump in that d*mn pool. And jump I did. I jumped into letting some of my internal weirdness and realness out.

I'm god awful at details so I outsource everything I can. I have zero patience with politics and rarely hold back. I travel almost constantly and mix business and pleasure publically. I work every single day of the week, even on vacation, and I f*cking love it.

These internal changes are harder because they are the core of who we are. We aren’t what we wear, or what we drive, but we are that thing inside of us that speaks, acts and does. I realized that if I want to find this thing called happiness, I would, in fact, have to figure out who I was, and then live as that person wholly and unabashedly. Step by small step.

“My hair is often too long, I love my words four lettered and my cars fast. ”

My take is that people today are craving what's real.  Why do you think that Instagram stories, Snapchat, Facebook Live, and Periscope are all the rage? They are unedited, raw, instantaneous and you can’t pretend to be in a bikini on a yacht when in fact you are sitting in your cubicle in sweatpants. We want the whole person, the highs and the lows. Well – we want mostly the highs, no one likes negativity, but above all else we want to see that the people we engage in are human. Flawed but extraordinary. The problem is that corporations, society, and family, inherently don't like risk. They want to protect us and them.

However, being real means showing your scars. That is risky. Here’s the thing, we can't actually be anyone but the human we are and it turns out people just might like you even more that way.

So why not let our little freak flag fly and say f*ck it? Seems to me that's the only way to live. I'm working on it... What about you? 

XOXO,

Codie Sanchez