Negotiate Like A Girl: Because You Can Get What You Want

Let's Talk About Getting Paid People 

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

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Where to begin.. 

First with a mental reframe... negotiating like a girl isn't solely about what you can do for yourself. It isn't a selfish act. It isn't just for the hard core aggressive types in this world. It is a necessity to get ahead and to grow as a professional. And if you are the giving type,  I’ll simply say, when one rises we all rise. Focus on you and those you lead or influence. Help those around you increase their skills, ask your partner for help and use these below strategies to negotiate not only your pay but importantly your next promotion, your next business deal or even your next convo with the family.

Know this, if you don't ask for it, you probably will not receive it. And, hey - worst case, they say No. We eat No's for breakfast.

So my friend, let's earn you your seat at the table.

“Focus on you and those you lead or influence”

HERE’S THE HOW:

As an entrepreneur, business builder, corporate ladder climber I’ve had to get comfortable asking for what I want, otherwise it’s rarely given. The tough part is as women typically, we not only are uncomfortable asking for what we want, but we also must be cautious in how we ask. If I had a dime for every time I have been called aggressive, crazy, intense, or worse (but we’ll leave those out), I would have a heck of a lot of dimes. So every so often I think about my personal motto:

1)     Always ask for what you want, always.

• You will hands down never get what you don’t ask for. This is especially true for women and minorities. There is much research that proves that we don’t negotiate enough.

2)    Assume you just might get it.

• When you remove the fear from your ask, you are more thoughtful, you consider how to make it a win-win, and you are less emotional. All critical if you are going to be bellying up to the proverbial bar.

So the question becomes the how...

 

If you want a promotion, more money, a new client, how do you get it? And why do we HAVE to negotiate for what we want? 

FIRST WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO NEGOTIATE:

REASON ONE:

If we just look at salaries, it’s imperative. Linda Babcock did a study for her book Women Don’t Ask, she found that about 7% of women attempted to negotiate, while 57% of men did. That could help explain part of the wage gap. Now you might say ok so we don’t negotiate as much on average but what are the effects of that? Let’s talk numbers:

Example: Imagine two people were offered a $100,000 salary, and one negotiated an extra $7,000 and one didn’t. What is the cost for the one that got $100,000 vs the one who got $107,000? Many would say $7,000. Codie, I’m not an idiot. But that is wrong. Due to compounding, if nothing else changed and both the person who negotiated higher, and the one who didn’t, got the same raises and promotions throughout their career, something astounding happens. Thirty-five years later – the person who didn’t negotiate would have to work 8 years more to have as much at retirement as the one that did negotiate that initial $7,000. 

Now, the question is: $7,000 may not be worth the risk, but how about eight years of your life?

REASON TWO:

The average wage growth in the US over the last 5 years is around – 2-2.5%. That won’t even cover your rent increase. If you don’t ask for more you almost certainly won’t achieve the financial success you want.

Have I convinced you to don your little negotiating cap?

MY TOP TEN TRICKS to NEGOTIATE LIKE A GIRL:

(Aka ask for what you want... and get it). 

1.     Always ask

-       Nothing beats practice. Start small, negotiate with friends and family first. Then negotiate with a client, then go toe-to-toe with the boss. But with love and numbers backing you. Always.

2.     Don’t come in committed to outcome

-       Come with options not outcomes. Instead of saying I want X amount, consider flex work, more vacation, an assistant, a virtual assistant – get creative with your asks and make sure you earned it, and there is a mutual benefit.

3.     Explain why you deserve it and know what you are asking for

-       Never come and just say, “I want more money.” This rubs me the wrong way when done to me. I immediately calculate the percentage change they are asking for and say, “What are you doing to earn 35% more money?” Rarely do they have an answer and they didn’t even realize they were asking for such a big % increase. Thus, back it up with facts and numbers. Say, “I did x and y and z and my plan for the coming 6-12 months is to accomplish this and that. Given that, I think the work I am doing is worth more than I am currently making. Thus, I wanted to talk to you about a pay raise?” Then shut up. They may be telling you you’re about to get one higher than your ask.

4.     No emotions or needs (needy ain't cute)

-       I don’t care that you can’t afford X, or feel like you want to make Y. Make it about what you have earned, not what you want. Be proud of never accepting a cent you didn’t earn.

5.     Put yourself in your bosses (or counterparties) shoes

-       What are their goals and how can you align? Everyone wants more money and if you’ve ever been asked for a raise by an employee you’d know that there is only so much money to go around. How can you put yourself on the other side of the table?

6.     Best book on negotiation

1.     The art of war is an uncomfortable classic – it shows you the non-politically correct ways of power but knowledge is power so it is worth reading. Even if you don’t want to use these strategies (I mean they list Genghis Khan so you can imagine the strategies he used – yikes!), you will recognize when they are being used on you. Aka, you won’t get murdered in a negotiation.

7.     Be likeable.. Sounds simple, huh?

-       I can’t emphasis this enough, making your “opponent” like you and want to give you what you want, is worth its weight in gold. That means smile, cajole, apply to their better instincts, state the benefits to them. My go to line is this… “You can’t blame a girl for asking can ya? What kind of employee/sales person/business person would I be if I ask for the business?” BIG HUGE ENDEARING SMILE following.

8.     Ask for more than what you want..

Henry Kissinger the ultimate negotiator said, “Effectiveness at the conference table depends upon overstating one’s demands.” First because the universe just may give it to you, and then because there will be flexibility on the downside.

9.     Get them to say their position first

For example, if you are negotiating a salary or package with a new gig and the person asks you for what you make currently, you don’t need to answer. You can say, “'Well I'm flexible depending on how you structure compensation for the growth potential and the right company fit long term. Would you be willing to share the rough salary range you have in mind for this position?”

If they push again and ask what you make you can say, “Charles this is really not something I give out broadly… kinda like a woman never tells her age (wink wink smile), why don’t you tell me what your range is and I’ll let you know if that fits my range.”

Confidence is everything.

-       The main point is don’t just shout out the $ amount you could be too low or too high. Prep for this question and know what this position is roughly worth.

10.  Reluctant seller/buyer

-       Remember the one who wants it less almost always wins. So even if you want this new job/client/raise so badly you would sell out your mother, you need to pretend you don’t.

-       Let me give you an example, say you have a job offer you’re dying to take, you hate your current job and are about to quite anyways and make $0. Here honesty is not the best policy. Reframe your mindset, they must negotiate to get the best deal for their company and you must negotiate the best for you, so for now, no transparency.

- You can say, “I’m really happy in my current role and growing immensely. I’m always open to the right opportunity at the right company but I’m not actively looking.” Why? Remember playing hard to get with a dude? It’s the same thing, it increases your perceived value, and makes them want you more.

Want some tips to be unforgettable?, click here

BONUS TIDBIT:

After I ask for what I want, I watch the others reaction. If they give in easily, I say nothing but thank you and remember that next time I better go higher. If they flinch, look uncomfortable or get angry I wait for them to speak and then I say with a big huge smile my favorite line again, “Can’t blame a girl for asking can ya? Seems we never get what we don’t ask for?” SMILE.

Can’t blame us at all.

Happy negotiating, Love you Animals!

Codie

Become An Influencer, Go Viral, Create A Tribe

Ana Flores - CEO & Founder of WeAllGrow talks making waves in influencer land

Have you heard the word influencer more and more? Have you heard about the growing demographics in the Latino space? Do you keep hearing about the power of bloggers both for brands to leverage and for people to get $$ to post on social media about whatever tickles their little fancy? Well if any of that interests you, amigo you are in luck. This episode with CEO & Founder of WeAllGrow Latina Network, Ana Flores is all about how influencer marketing works, how she built a company around it, and what is shaking in the world of Latina’s and Latino entrepreneurs.

You see Ana knows a thing or two about how to get Insta-famous or how to make your product go viral. WeAllGrow was the first and is still the largest network of Latina influencers in the US. She was a content creator before she ran WAG, authoring the book Bilingual is Better, launching award-winning SpanglishBaby.com website, and working as a producer for major Spanish language networks. When she isn’t at the White House speaking, she’s running summits, or helping companies understand this unique market. Aka - she's a change maker and fabulous. 

Some people speak, some listen and the few ACT. That is Ana.

If you want to hear about work life balance, creating a tribe, influencer marketing and understanding the Latino market, you are in luck my friends.

Some people speak, some listen and the few ACT. Ana is a member of the few.

 

Please enjoy this conversation with my friend and all around lady boss Ana Flores.

Cheers,

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.

Lessons from My Favorite Contrarian Entrepreneur

Her name is Mary & Her Motto is: Eat, Play, Crush

(You are going to like her, and her stories even more).

There are four people’s Instagram I actively follow and check, four. Mary’s is one of them. I don’t think I’ve told her that before (our little secret). Most have heard of Mary as @PaleoChef on Instagram, twitter and the web. Or you may know her as a private chef to more celebrities and athletes than I can list without being a shameless name dropper… but let’s just say if they write books, have the biggest platforms in the world, play sports, have millions of followers, are frequently on a big screen near you, she probably has cooked or coached them on Paleo. Oh and she has a Youtube Show on Mixed Makeup. NBD.

You might also know her because she’s a fudge packer. Say what? She came up with one of my favorite brands as a healthy traveler, PhatFudge, which is all organic, paleo goodness on the go. While I follow her for those reasons, my favorite part about Mary is her completely contrarian approach to business.

“While everyone is out talking about life hacking and leveraging everything from technology to personal networks, Mary mostly turns left when others go right.”

You see she has never taken a dollar of funding for her now crazily growing company. In fact, she didn’t have a credit card a month ago. Straight cash baby. While everyone is out talking about life hacking and leveraging everything from technology to personal networks, Mary mostly turns left when others go right. On this podcast, she opens up about where creativity stems from for her, how she handles moments of doubt, her transition from corporate to entrepreneur, what Paleo means to her, and everything in between.

I hope you enjoy this podcast as much as I reveled in recording it with her. Stay tuned I guarantee you'll be hearing big thangs from this lady.

***Bonus - Scroll below to see my favorite posts from Mary on Instagram. They are all time. 

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My Top 5 Favorite Posts from Mary: 

#2

#3

#4 

 

#5

And a bonus picture.. Because we are really really ridiculous looking and I thought you guys would like to end that way.

That's all. 

Cheers my animals,

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 Make a Good First Impression — Make Yourself Unforgettable

 

Not Conforming Is What Makes You Unforgettable:

Sometimes, the things that are a part of you are what make you unforgettable. Just so we are clear. I'm a Spaniard. We like four letter words (or in this case 5 letter words). Fun fact, in Spain you'll note tv commercials for mothers cough syrup where the women says essentially F*ck I have a cold, then turns to her kids and the screen and smiles as she takes Dayquil. Swear. I cuss because one I like it, two I think there is power when used unexpectedly to shake people out of the norm, and three, because it keeps me from trying to please everyone and fit in a box. It makes me be unapologetic and show up fully. Do I use them in investment meetings or with clients? Nah. But in just about every other occasion, absolutely. 

If there is one thing I'm proud of, it's that what you see is largely what you get. I try to never lie, never hide, never fake it, because it's just easier to remember being straight up. But MAN that's taken me a while. Because if you are reading this there is a battle waging between what you want to do, should do, could do and actually do. And who you want to be, should be, could be and actually are. The goal of this week's Monday Slay, is making you step into uncomfortability so you can GROW. Why? Why not just conform?

Because then you are forgettable. You will never be remembered, you will never achieve great things. 

“If you don’t piss some people off you will not even be an asterisk in the lowliest of history books. Does that sound like the kind of life you want? ”

Five quick ways to be memorably you: 

We don't remember the suits, we remember the turtle neck wearing weirdos. So grab your turtleneck. 

 

1) Social pressure - Answer this question: What is something you believe deeply, truly, wholeheartedly that most people would disagree with you on? Now post that on your Instagram. More controversial the better. (Here's mine --> Click here).

2) Reach out - Send a DM, tweet, email and otherwise try to stalk down one person you secretly respect for their giving zero F's attitude. Ask them one question... When they get inundated by negativity, backlash or haters how do they find the strength to continue regardless of the pushback? 

3) Follow someone who does things that make even you uncomfortable --> Ashley Longshore, Gary Vee...

4) Say No - A big thing. This week. Say No to going to see your in-laws because you don't want to, to an assignment you think doesn't make sense, to a guy who wants to talk to you, to your mother who wants to talk to you. Before you answer, pause and ask yourself do I WANT to do this, if not. Say No. Don't say why. Just say No. Powerful.

5) MAJOR KEY 'People hate you for one of three reasons. They hate themselves, they want to be you, or they see you as a threat.'

“People hate you for one of three reasons. They hate themselves, they want to be you, or they see you as a threat.”

Internalize that. So if you are liked all the time, what does that say? 

Be The Person They Always Remember...

**This is a special edition post of my Monday Slay newsletter where each week I send 5 tips to help you slay the week, the month and well - life. If you want to get it weekly click here!

Love you animals,

Codie -- Say hey @codiesanchez

THIS WEEK I GAVE YOU MY EXACT guide for HOW TO SLAY INSTAGRAM. #Yourewelcome ---> https://www.codiesanchez.com/blog/instagram-marketing-plan

How To Slay the Insta Game

So You Want To Be Instagram Famous?

Or maybe you just want more sales on the IG, or maybe you're just really into posting quotes and you think the world NEEDs to see your latest cat video. No shame on your game. I'm a quantitative minded human, no doubt. So when I listen to most Instagram marketing explanations of how people grew their following and there isn't a recipe. I am TICKED. I know you just kind of "fell" into your 300,000 followers but that is not that helpful or repeatable. So I compiled all the tactics I've used, that I borrowed from some of the top Instagram accounts, accelerators, app companies like SumoMe, and then just experimented with myself. My gift to all of you. 

1-2 -3 INSTAFAME

Goals

• Build following from 0-10000 in 4 months

• Build massive email list with Instagram  (5k+)

• Drive massive traffic back to CSB’s website

So what exactly is this? This is a quant-based marketing plan that was responsible for taking CSB’s Instagram following of under 1000 to 15000 in less than 4 months without a team and with a spend of less than $200. If spend was higher we could 10x this. Also - I get lazy, forget to upload pictures, actually feel SM is a bit of a time suck and otherwise was a stubborn mule in the implementation of this. So if you are slightly less stubborn than a four legged cousin or a horse you will probably crush these numbers! Just saying. 

Why do I care about Instagram follower count?

 

Because Instagram is an international distribution platform (IN YOUR HAND FOR FREE).

Let’s put it this way: It is one of the few ways you can create distribution for almost zero dollars spent. Then as you add more followers that mean more feeds my posts end up in, thus the more eyes on my website, content, and products. It's called leverage. If you use it for your personal brand, your business, h*ll your dog, you'll at least get "free" stuff out of it. Or Fido will.  However, WARNING: it is actually time consuming and hard, so don't expect a two week turnaround. People hate on bloggers all the time, I've had my moments too, but let me tell you I work with a lot of them and it is insane the amount of behind the scenes grind. So gird your loins.

Here are the 5 questions that team CSB used to build traffic through Instagram:

1. Why is Instagram marketing important for my business?

2. How did I make my Instagram become a Traffic Generating Machine?

3. How did I grow our Instagram following rapidly?

4. How Do I Drive Traffic Back to CSB Website?

5. How did I create an automated traffic machine by converting our followers?

 

Question 1: Why is Instagram marketing important for my business?

Twenty eight percent of internet users use Instagram. There are 400,000,000 Instagram monthly users and they are one of the most engaged audiences in social media.

We all know that visual content works, because it collects 40x more social shares than any other form of content.

And Instagram is almost 100% visual content.

Given that over a quarter of the internet using Instagram, it is totally possible that  my audiences are spending time on this social platform.

However, not every audience is on Instagram.

There are 55% of 18-29 year olds actively use Instagram, only 11% of the 50-64 age group use it. And the 65+ group is only 4%.

This means that if my target audience is under the age of 50, then I reach a large portion of them through Instagram. If they are over 50? I then focus your marketing efforts on Facebook. Tweet me @codie_sanchez if you want to see my Facebook growth plan.

Instagram Marketing also depends on the type of business I run. For example:

• If I was a food blogger, chances are my audience – the people who loves food porn – is on Instagram.

• If I was a clothing eCommerce store owner, my audience is on Instagram (people want to see the products they buy).

• If I was a personal trainer – my audience is on Instagram (waiting for the images of me to motivate them).

Consultants, bloggers, virtual assistants, business owners, coaches, and so forth lend themselves to Instagram riches.

So where do I fall? Well I'm a podcaster, blogger, inspirer, motivational speaker, investor, and entrepreneur. Is my audience on Instagram? Yes. I get to engage screen to screen with people who turn to me for my "influence." Aka the hot term is influencer. 

Question 2: How did I Make my Instagram Actually Make Me $

First, it is very important to create a plan and constantly track the progress.

Here is my downloadable metric tracking sheet.

I set a goal, and then work backward from that goal. You’ll see we include everything in here from Hashtags and their usage, tech tools, assumptions on growth, the day to day postings to achieve this and conversion rates to the website. Fancy terms for making sure this actually turns into $$. Otherwise what are we doing really?

Here are some guidelines:

Time frame: 90 days. Anything past 90 days is hard to quantify and map out. 

Tracking: Weekly.

Growth rate: I think you can expect healthy growth rate of somewhere between 10% to 40%. CSB has a weekly traffic growth of 37% and weekly follower growth of 40%.

Follower count: Create a follower goal for yourself.

Instagram growth is exponential rather than linear. This means that it is far easier to go from 10,000 followers to 12,000 followers than it is to go from 0 followers to 2,000 followers. So smile, breathe, and go slowly. 

Second, get the perfect Instagram username.

The username is our personal brand. There are two ways to do it.

1.     Use your name (or a like identifier) on Instagram

2.     Use your brand’s name if your brand is more identifiable than your name.

CSB uses codiesanchez because my brand: Codie Sanchez is also my name. Bet that one blew your mind. ;)

Third, nail down the perfect bio.

Your bio is the only place you can add a link. Utilize it. (I prefer a lead page to be linked so I can also grow my email list from a company like www.sumome.com or www.leadpages.com).

The perfect Instagram bio has the following elements:

1.     A short, punchy description of what you do.

2.     An identifier of who you do it for. And why it is so rad.

3.     A strong all to action. Aka make a $100k in your footed pj's --> click here. 

4.     Emojis. I love Emojis. And there is evidence they catch the eye. It's science.

5.     A strong, trackable bio link.

6.     Bonus: Social proof.

Fourth, track your Instagram traffic

So how did I track our Instagram traffic when Instagram does not let me track it? (Actually now they do, you can convert your page to a business page on IG and they give you reporting). 

Step 1: Set Up a UTM Source Code.

What is a UTM source code? It is a bunch of text you put at the end of your URL to see where your traffic is coming from. And it's super easy.

For example, CSB’s URL is https://codiesanchez.com

If I wanted to track how much traffic is coming from Instagram, I simply add:

https://codiesanchez.com?src=instagram.

Step 2: Shorten your trackable link with a URL shortener.

Why? Because Instagram bio only allows 150 characters.

Here are a few that do the trick:

• Pretty Link  - highly recommend. Because it's pretty, aka not a bunch of letters like codiesanchez/asldaoenun52.23

• Bit.ly

• Clkim

Step 3: Monitor Your Instagram Traffic in Google Analytics.

You won’t see it in your Audience Overview. You have to do a bit of digging - but don’t worry, it’s not too complicated.

First, open up Google Analytics. Then, on the left under the Reporting tab, press Behavior.

Under Behavior, expand Site Content, and then click on Landing Pages:

From there, you can search "Instagram" or any identifier you used in your UTM codes:

Then, you’ll be able to see the traffic from Instagram in your Google Analytics dashboard.

Step 4: Monitor Your Instagram Influence with Klear

The Oracle at Delphi said the most important thing one can do is Know Thyself. That is true in Instagram and social media as well. After all it is just a different way to communicate. So I use Klear to track my influence level. (There are quite a few more of these now, just google influencer marketing platforms). What get's measured gets managed, said Peter Drucker so manage that ish.

Question 3: How did I grow my Instagram following?

Here are the 5 free strategies I found:

Strategy 1: Share for Shares.

This is when you identify similar accounts that reach the audience you want to reach (and vice versa) and you both post a Call to Action post to follow the other account and they do the same. It's a great way to cross-pollinate accounts. I typically just DM them and ask if they want to do a S4S and off to the races. (If you want our step by step process for finding people and pinging them... tell me on twitter @codie_sanchez or IG on @codiesanchez and we'll create it)>

Strategy 2: Follow/Unfollow

This just works. I utilize the tool Instagress for this as it can be a time waster. You simply setup parameters and then the bot follows, comments and unfollows people for you based on similar or targeted accounts. I know, this feels kind of spammy. BUT You have to think about it this way, if your mission is to get your content in front of the broadest reach because you believe it is going to help people immensely than this is simply a tool to do that.  Also - don't believe the people that say, oh I my 300k followers they just came and I like totally I dunno didn't even try it must because I am awesome. Lies. 

Strategy 3: Using relevant hashtags.

I like doing my hashtags in the 2nd comment so that the hashtags won't distract my readers. Also I keep these in my notes on my iphone and simply copy and paste them each time. Use four bullets dropped down (like below) this hides your comment so it looks like this [...] as opposed to seeing 50 hashtags. DOWNLOAD my guide to see how I pick hashtags, crucial. 

Strategy 4: Be strategic in your posting with a calendar.

How you do this is through using a tool like Later. It is used by over 600,000 of the largest instagram users to schedule and plan their content. With those you can pre-plan your layouts and actually see what your feed looks like with their tools. You can also be sure to capitalize on holidays, events and world news by planning your posts in advance. This allows you to operate from a place of thoughtfulness when writing and pepper in spur of the moment posts. FULL DISCLOSURE: I suck at this. I'm working on it.

Strategy 5: Leverage Larger Followings

Every time I buy a product I love, meet a human I love, am at a hotel I love, h*ll anytime I love anything I give it virtual love on my instagram. Often times these brands and people will share your love with their followers. Thus tag brands constantly, create a tribe of things and people you love and watch what happens when they repost you.

Here’s how to do it organically:

1.     Engage with the users you are already following. Like the posts in your feed, leave a comment on something you like, and message the people who resonate with you. (Or better yet outsource a member of your team or use PeoplePerHour to find people in other countries at lower prices).

2.     Engage with users who are following your “competition”. Simple visit your competition’s followers’ accounts, and leave a comment on their posts. This will help your new audiences know about you.

IF you don’t know who your competition is and how you stack up use FanPage Karma it will compare your competition across Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. You can use it to push reports to you weekly and send alerts.

3.     Engage with the people who use relevant hashtags. Look up hashtags that are relevant to your industry and engage with the posts that are under that hashtags. Ultimately this is just another way to have a conversation. No one likes getting spoken AT they want to be heard too, so apply that to your instagram convos. 

BONUS: The 3 Paid Ways of Getting More Followers:

Strategy 1: Pay for big accounts to shout you out.

Yes. S4S is a free way to get more followers, if you work with accounts around a similar size as yours to make it far. But if you wanted to work with accounts that are much larger than yours, you can get them to shout you out.

This is where you pay authoritative accounts in my industry to perform a “shoutout” (expect about $5-$75+ depending on the size of the account and the volume of shoutouts you pay for). I've had mixed experience with this, it can help a lot in the beginning but experiment with it before you shell out major cash.

Strategy 2: Pay for Larger Accounts to Post a Screenshot of your account.

This is an even more effective way to get more followers because there is no mistaking these posts – the sole purpose of them is to drive followers to your account.

Expect to pay anywhere from $40 -$150 per screenshot to see 50-250 new followers or more.

Strategy 3: Pay for Ads

What I like about this option is it is one of the very few ways you can get people to follow you AND to go to your website. It is important you understand how to determine your target audience here but there is only one way to learn, Do. So go try it. 

Question 4: How Do I Drive Traffic Back to My Website?

With Instagram, there are simply two things I did to drive traffic back to CSB website.

1.    My Bio Link

2.     Call to Action Posts.

Here’s how I do it:

With my bio link, I update the link with every new blog post.

With my call to action post, I talk about my blog post every time it goes live.
 

Question 5: How do I convert our followers to create an automated traffic machine?

Let’s face this: Traffic is useless if it doesn’t convert.

I don’t want our followers to visit my website once and then leave, because, there is a high chance that they won’t come back. I want my email list to grow substantially through Instagram. So, here is how I convert that traffic to grow our email list and therefore our income:

 

Step 1: Give my Instagram visitors an offer they can't refuse (like that Godfather reference??).

Dozens of websites are vying for their attention every day, and almost all of them are asking for their email addresses. Therefore, I need to set myself apart. So I offer them a content that they could hardly resist.

Those are:

-       Entrepreneur books

-       Apps and tools that everyone needs

-       Monday Slay – Our 5 tips to conquer the week

-       Weekly ways to do more in less time

-       And lots of added snark.

Step 2: Create Opt-In Opportunities Specific To Your Instagram Followers.

This is where Welcome Mat comes from.

Essentially it scrolls down from the top as a LARGE call to action, sort of like your welcome mat at your day draws in your guests eyes. So too does this virtual version. Because Instagram is a visual platform, we decided to use a Mat with a visual component, rather than a template with a black background.

Also, instead of using a generic image, I use the image of the offer I am giving away when you click the link to purchase. See the example live here.

Click here to learn more about the Welcome Mat we use.

So my friends... if you didn't know before, now you know. I'd love to hear your stories on what works and doesn't for you. I'm not pro-scriptive, I'm into personally-scriptive. That is, find the prescription that works for you. 

Love you animals,

Codie 

Don't be afraid to ask for what you want

You just might get it...

(Repost from My article in Business Collective)

Meet Codie Sanchez Baker, Entrepreneur, Investor and Speaker at CSB LLC

Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want – the more no’s you get, the closer you are to a yes.

International investment head, speaker, writer, entrepreneur & investor. Head of Latin American Investments for First Trust. CEO & Founder of CSB LLC. Follow her @codie_sanchez.

 

Who is your hero? (In business, life, or both.)

I’m a bit of a renegade at heart so I have always been a Christopher Hitchens fan (author of “Letters to A Young Contrarian”). Less because of his actual viewpoints, many of which I disagree with, but because it is such an uncomfortable position to go against the grain and he does it for a living. Every time I find myself moving with the crowd, I make myself pause and rethink my situation. I credit this practice to reading that book at a very young age. It has led me to ask the question, “How would I do it if it were easy?” Importantly, it has also taught me to hold my internal standard in everything I do, regardless of whether it is convenient or not. The old adage “If you stand for nothing, you’ll fall for anything” rings true for me.

What’s the single best piece of business advice (unorthodox tips welcome!) that helped shape who you are as an entrepreneur today, and why?

Always ask for what you want; the worst that anyone can do is say no. Asking questions, knowing what you want and pushing through the fear to ask for it has been at the center of my growth. As I continue to refine my questions, I get more of what I want. And the cycle repeats.

Surprisingly, I often learn more from the no’s than the yes’s. I think most things in life are a number’s game, so I try to collect no’s like people collect medals. Every no gets you closer to someone who will say yes. The only caveat I’ll make here is that I try to give something in every encounter I have. If all you do is ask for things from other people, you are not aligning your karma very well. So you should always ask for what you want while keeping in mind what you can do for the other person. How can you create a virtuous circle with your asks where everyone wins?

What’s the biggest mistake you ever made in your business, and what did you learn from it that others can learn from too?

My biggest mistake was thinking I had to do what everyone else was doing, that I had to fit into a box. For some reason, we’ve all agreed to the social construct of a 9-to-5 job. Why? I have no idea. Many of us do “our time” in an office building replete with padded cubicle walls and hot air balloon posters of a multi-cultural team. How bizarre when you think about it.

This idea of a 9-to-5 workday was first proposed in 1810 by the labor party. So we haven’t found a better way in 200 years? Even Henry Ford lessened his producers’ work from 12-14 hours to 8 because it increased productivity. So whatever your path, you’ve unknowingly agreed to this construct. But are you paid specifically to be present at your desk from 9 to 5? Is your job title “On Location for 8 Hours Associate”? I doubt it. Your job is related to what you do, not how long it takes you to do it.

If my team can do in four hours what other teams do in eight, all the better. The rest of the time should be theirs to grow, engage and become better humans. To go far, understand that just because everyone does it, it doesn’t mean it’s right. And you will go far much sooner than I did.

Read my article here -> I Threw Away All My Suits & Found My Corporate Stride

What do you do during the first hour of your business day and why?

My home is more often than not an airport or a hotel, so a set structure is challenging for me. Here’s my daily drill for when I’m not traveling:

Up at 6 a.m. every morning, I start with a cup of Pinon coffee and coconut oil that I take outside to meditate for 10 minutes and spend two minutes wrapped up in gratitude for all I have. Fully refreshed, I use the first two hours of the day for “deep work.” This means the strategic work that I have to think through, not responding to emails or calls. Then I do one or two things I REALLY do not want to do, i.e. a cold call, a difficult task, etc. so that it doesn’t hang over me all day. With my day kicked off the right way, I hop into the rest of the day.

As Peter Drucker said, “What gets measured gets managed.” I use an app called Way of Life to track how frequently I keep my morning routine. Over the past nine months, it turns out I follow this routine about 57% of the time. Next year I’d really like to up that percentage.

What’s your best financial/cash-flow related tip for entrepreneurs just getting started?

I talk my people through how to save up front and get as much as possible for free or trade. With this lack of pressure due to debt, we can take a two-step validation process through sales. First, tackle how to mine your current clients, or the people you already know, and use them as a testing ground. Secondly, and only after you have mined your personal network for real sales with dollars committed, you can go after strangers. A cold call is always harder than a warm lead. Once you have an understanding of the demand for your product, you can start spending, but it is always easier to spend more and then go back and try to save or cut costs you shouldn’t have made in the first place.

Quick: What’s ONE thing you recommend ALL aspiring or current entrepreneurs do right now to take their biz to the next level?

Take out your iPhone right now and set a reminder for every morning that says, “Is this necessary?” or “Am I being productive or just busy?” Focusing on the wrong tasks can murder your business and career. It’s not about being the most efficient person; it’s being the most effective. Instead of focusing only on the things in front of you, strategically cut out everything that isn’t necessary and you’ll be amazed by what happens. Get really comfortable with those two questions and using the word “no.” When you are asked to do something, make sure it aligns with your goals and is the BEST way you can be spending your time, not just a GOOD way.

Most entrepreneurs are type-A personalities who absolutely love a good to-do list and feeling like they accomplished a lot at the end of the day. The problem with that is you can accomplish a ton of stuff that absolutely doesn’t matter. It can be very painful to go through this process of simplification and even more painful to stick to it, but if you can, momentum will build and the big wins will drown out all of the small incremental wins you would have had with the wrong focus.

“Most entrepreneurs are type-A personalities who absolutely love a good to-do list and feeling like they accomplished a lot at the end of the day.”

What’s your definition of success? How will you know when you’ve finally “succeeded” in your business?

My definition of success is getting paid what I want, to do what I want, where I want, how I want and with the people I want. Pretty tall order, huh? But in truth that is my definition of success. It is not having $100 million in cash, or a NYT bestseller, or 50 million followers, or monuments, or power, or a Fortune 500 company, or $1 billion in company revenue. It is simply having the freedom to surround myself with the people, activities, setting and type of work that feeds my soul and allows me to give back through my unique skill set. My business is simply a mechanism to achieve those things and leave a footprint for those I can help through the skills I believe were uniquely bestowed on me.

“Success is simply having the freedom to surround myself with the people, activities, setting and type of work that feeds my soul and allows me to give back through my unique skill set.”

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.

A Seat At The Table Beats A Sign Outside the Building

30 Day Conscious Consumer Challenge

#Consume4Change

Written by Codie Sanchez

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How to Turn Protest into Progress

Put Your Plastic Where Your Purpose Is

All around the world we see protest, signs held aloft, voices raised, and people telling us what they stand against, but not always showing us what they stand for. Believe me I get it ...

This is me 15 years ago organizing a rally at my school. I had a rallying cry, I called the local radio station for coverage and I held a reconciliation council with our principal, after orchestrating a walkout. My poor mother and her gray hairs. I know there is extreme power in standing outside the crowd and speaking your truth.

So, this week as I watched millions of humans march across the world, I got goosebumps. I felt sad to miss seeing the signs held aloft. I went back and watched MLK’s I Have A Dream Speech and the thousands marching in solidarity for the same foundational idea so many years ago. American pride exuded from my very pores. Then this week we've all been inundated with social media commentary on both sides of the aisle.

But the problem is.. Regardless of what issues you stand behind, I believe we need more than protest.. we need progress, and I'm not sure we are getting it.

“I believe we need more than protest.. we need progress, and I’m not sure we are getting it.”

Look at the Occupy Wall Street movement, as a member of Wall Street who worked at Goldman Sachs during the crisis, I can say with some confidence that they did not truly achieve their goals. I recall them picketing outside our office in 2008. I remember looking down on them from stories above as my colleagues watched for a moment before going back to work. Whether right or wrong, they held our attention for an instant… but ultimately they were outside the building, they didn’t have a seat at our table. 

Flash forward to today.. Where are those that camped across the world against the 1%? Are they working at a bank perhaps? Maybe not, but I'd wager they are banking at one.

Now their fight wasn’t mine but I see a cycle of progress-less protest repeating, and my next logical question is where will the millions who wore pink hats this week be in a year?

Obviously, pink adorned celebrity statement didn't influence an election. I doubt their protests (however eloquently re-tweetable) will influence our government. However much I love their music and art, we don’t follow their opinions for our electoral decisions. We humans don’t really like to be told what to do, by anyone. Ask your rebellious teenage children.

So whether you are a champion for women, veterans, gun rights, how do you actually enact change?

I would argue not with protest, but through the power of your purse and your paycheck. It starts with one simple question, whose kingdom are you building? 

“I would argue not with protest, but through the power of your purse and your paycheck. It starts with one simple question, whose kingdom are you building? ”

Government is Powerful but Enterprise is more Powerful. 

Whether you are a housewife, student, employee, or executive, you can affect massive change by targeting the lifeblood of capitalism, democracy, America and power... money.

Companies are what back candidates, companies are what allow candidates self-funding to propel to positions of power. The truth is that government is powerful but enterprise is more powerful. Cut off cashflow, redirect revenue, align assets and the power shifts. Media, social media or otherwise, is not the way. Money is the way. But how do you do so?

The average American spends $55k a year. What if we redirected IT?

• US CONSUMERS BUYING POWER IS $11 TRILLION

• Women drive 70-80% of consumer purchases*

• Women in the US have $8-9 trillion of annual household buying power**

• Women represent 47% of the US labor force

• Latinos represent $1.7 trillion of annual buying power ***

• Latinas are the fastest growing entrepreneurial group

• Latinos are 17% of the US population

• Millennials have $600 billion of buying power ****

• 50% of millennials want to start a company in the next 5 years

 

I would propose three steps to progress. 

Step 1: Tell Me What You Are FOR Not AGAINST

This isn’t just for the pink hatted, this is for the military supporters, this is for the gay rights supporters, this for the women’s rights or the pro-life right supporters. My opinion is worth no more than yours in the issue you choose, but you must decide what you stand for.

What will you support?

Step 2: Whose Kingdom Are You Building?

“You by working for your company are helping to build that kingdom, make sure you believe in what you are building. Your life force is going into it, is there any more powerful force?”

Now you must ask yourself a tough question. Whose kingdom are you building? If you are willing to post on social media, to hold signs, to raise your voice in debate, are you willing to put your money where your mouth is?

We as Americans work 34.4 hours on average a week, or 1720 hours week. We are the most productive nation in the world. So when you look at the company you work for, what values do they hold? AND are they aligned with yours? Are you working for a company that sells sugar laden products when you fight for healthy eating? Or for a manager that doesn’t promote women but you are a man with daughters? Or are you an adaptive and your company won’t invest in accessible workplaces? If so, what are you willing to do about it? Whether it is quitting, pushing for change, hiring more diverse members or raising your voice, will you speak the language of power? Money. 

You by working for your company are helping to build that kingdom, make sure you believe in what you are building. Your life force is going into it, is there any more powerful force?

Step 3: The Power of The Purse

“What if you decided to become conscious of where you bought? What if instead of lobbying/posting you put your trillions of spending power to work? ”

What does every company need to survive? Customers. You are the most important aspect of every company. Without users, customers, clients, they crumble. So what if you decided to become conscious of where you bought? What if instead of lobbying only you put your trillions of spending power to work? When you go to buy a coffee, which company do you go to? When you buy clothing do you buy them from an international fast fashion company or do you buy them from a made in the US company who supports veterans? What about when you invest your money, can you do it at a women owned firm? How about your car? That’s a big purchase. Who is your realtor? Just the best, or the best with purpose? What if instead of thinking of just the cost of the price tag we thought of the cost to our society.

 

That’s where my challenge comes in….

TAKE ACTION: 30 Day Conscious Consumer Challenge

For 30 days, can you be conscious about everything you buy. I’m going to. For the next 30 days I will try to only buy from the below types of companies. When I fail, I will be conscious of it, and I will document it...

For me I will support:

• Founders I know and believe in (Support my trusted humans first)

• Small businesses (Support local and non-franchise first)

• Minority owned businesses w/ an emphasis on Latino’s, women and veterans

• Purpose driven companies. (Support businesses that believe in more than profits)

Before you say well that would be easy..

Think about it, airlines, hotels, gas, cars, insurance, apps on our phone, technology, food, restaurants, gifts, flowers, clothes. The average American spends $55k a year. How much more is that than you could ever donate to a political cause?

“The average American spends $55k a year. How much more is that than you could ever donate to a political cause?”

If you want to join the movement of 30 Day Conscious Consumer Challenge, CLICK HERE to subscribe to updates and comment below your name and the causes you stand for. We'll be building a list of where we buy and the stories of others who are joining the movement. Also tweet or tag us on instagram (@codiesanchez) twitter (@codie_sanchez) with #Consume4Change. 

PROGRESS NOT ONLY PROTEST

Love you animals,

Codie

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Sources:

* http://www.forbes.com/sites/bridgetbrennan/2015/01/21/top-10-things-everyone-should-know-about-women-consumers/

**http://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/buying-power-women-us

*** https://www.statista.com/statistics/251438/hispanics-buying-power-in-the-us/

**** https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insight-outlook-who-are-millennial-shoppers-what-do-they-really-want-retail

Turn Your Story Into Profits & Purpose

You Have A Story, You Have A Purpose, Let's Share It...

By Codie Sanchez Baker

How to let the moments that created you drive you forward...

Write Your Story Now.. 5 Steps to Aligning Your Life --> http://bit.ly/codiesanchez

I remember the moment it all changed for me, when I realized that life is too short to live small and that we each have a unique skill we were meant to share with the world.

“Life is too short to live small.”

It's scary to share who you are, why you do what you do, and add in those moments you aren't so proud of, but that shaped you. There's a unique blend of not wanting to be ego driven in declaring yourself and also wanting to hold yourself accountable to holding your standard high by doing just that, declaring yourself.

There is also the real acknowledgement that am I at the top of the summit? H*ll no! Am I saying I'm something great and amazing, ummm negative. What I am saying is that I wouldn't switch my life for any other, and I'm d*mn curious to see where it leads. The beauty of that is, I'm nothing special but I'm living a life that I love. Are there problems? YES! But when it comes to business, my journey to weave together passion + profits + purpose, I'm a pretty happy camper. The beauty is, if I can do any of this, I don't know a human that cannot.

“The beauty is, if I can do any of this, I don’t know a human that cannot.”

I remember my moment… before any of my money, success, travel or titles.. I was a journalist. I traveled in Mexico, writing about the brutal mutilation of women in Juarez, to narcos in Tijuana, to rape centers in Agua Prieta. It was heavy stuff to see as a 20 year old, and the last story I wrote changed my life. From there, I realized I can't live a common life no matter how humble my beginnings.

You see my secret is, I’m nothing special.

“You see my secret is, I’m nothing special.”

I’m a public school kid, before I went to Georgetown and Goldman Sachs, before I ran a multi-million dollar company, before I was an investor closing my first big deal, and before I traveled the world speaking and consulting at age 30, I didn’t come from money.   My father is from immigrants and didn’t go to college, and my mom is a 30-year special education teacher.   I had to think long and hard about how you make change without power.  I've spent the last years like the investigative journalist I was, documenting every step of my climb through Corporate America and Finance.  I’ve interviewed hundreds of execs, psychologists, leaders, and change makers, seeking out those at the highest pinnacles to learn their ways. Now I share with you because, my why is to bring more humans like you, who want to make an impact, into the epi-centers of power, and money.

Here's my story.. I'm curious to hear yours.. I'm curious to start talking about moments. The moments that defined your life, that led you to drive more. What was your MOMENT? And did you follow it?

“What was your MOMENT? And did you follow it?”

Write Your Story Now.. 5 Steps to Aligning Your Life --> http://bit.ly/codiesanchez

Love you animals,

Codie Sanchez 

From Consultant to Sex Trafficking Abolitionist

Written by Codie Sanchez

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“...She saw children being sold into slavery in Cambodia and she said enough...”

It all started with a little girl named Nomi. This little girl had been through things one can hardly imagine halfway across the world. Thankfully she met Diana Mao and Diana instead of continuing on her lucrative and successful track as a consultant became the President and Co-Founder of Nomi Network. She saw children being sold into slavery in Cambodia and she said enough. What does that mean? Well Diana is a modern day gladiator. She’s an abolitionist whose mission is to ensure the complete end of human trafficking in her lifetime. This small of frame, but not of mind, human rights champion and I talk about:

1. The moment her life changed

2. How she manages international teams across multiple countries

3. All while contributing to Reuters, HuffPost

4. Also being a Presidential Leadership Scholar

5. How to create a non-profit in a way that makes an impact and is sustainable.

6. What makes a successful partnership

7. How to handle international crises.

Her story is the kind that gives you chills. AND inspires you to do more. 

“She’s an abolitionist whose mission is to ensure the complete end of human trafficking in her lifetime. ”

I dare you to read their origin story and not be inspired…

“Nomi Network’s namesake is an eight-year-old survivor of sex trafficking who now lives in a supportive partner shelter in Cambodia. Co-founders Diana Mao and Alissa Moore first met Nomi on a visit in 2008. As a child living in a rural village, Nomi was sexually abused by multiple perpetrators and was treated worse than an animal. She has physical scars, but also emotional scars from her abuse which will pose major challenges to her living independently and reintegrate back into society. Nevertheless, Nomi has grown into a beautiful young woman, with a warmth that’s contagious and a generous heart. It was through her friendship and resilience that we realized that she did not have to be defined by her past, but that she could be defined by her future. Nomi Network exists so that survivors will be able to say with confidence, know me, know my story, know my success.”

“Nomi Network exists so that survivors will be able to say with confidence, know me, know my story, know my success.”

So if you are searching for meaning, impact, a life to help or a change to make this is the episode for you.

So without further ado please enjoy my conversation with Diana Mao.

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.

Kumar Arora - Hustling with Heart

Written by Codie Sanchez                                                          

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Kumar Arora

Cleveland Hustles w/ Heart

TV Star, Angel Investor, Fashion Mogul and Entrepreneur Dishes His Story

If you’ve watched Lebron James, TV show Cleveland Hustles, if you are a fashion or streetwear savant, or if you play in the realm of angel investing then you probably know my friend, Kumar Arora. If you don’t know him I loved this quote from Inside business magazine on him, “Kumar Arora is cool..” They have a point. He hosts parties at hidden gems through his Black Rose Entertainment. He is a co-owner of the popular streetwear brand Ilthy, and also owns Sunglass brand Rogue eyewear which really lives up to it’s name and is doing some pioneering work with stone glasses.

So if you see Kumar today, with companies that have millions in revenue a year, launching new products constantly, on TV and sites like Inc and Inside Biz, you might not realize that he’s had to grind just like all of us. Some of my favorite parts of this interview are him talking about how he (like many of us in 2008) couldn’t find a gig and so his counselor told him to go make one. And he made multiple.

How he analyzes a company in a way I’ve never heard any other investor contemplate, how he sets small goals which snowball into large ones, and how he systematically created his own empire based solely on the things and people he loves. Also pay attention to the part on the question he always asks in meetings, and the best way he’s ever been pitched for anything. If you are looking for seed money, a mentor, or just how to get more of what you want there are some nuggets here.

Get your popcorn ready.. and your notebook and pen out, or get with the 21st century and open your evernote file, because this guy spits some sage wisdom at us.

Some of the questions we dug into:

Your origin story…. What made you the man you are today, serial entrepreneur, angel investor, founder with companies that rev over $8mm annually, in numerous startups tv star on Cleveland hustles?

When did you decide you wanted to build a company as opposed to be a part of a company?

What drive keeps you going when you are burning the candle on both ends flying back and forth from LA to Cleveland, grinding on your businesses and your brand?

I’ve been struggling lately with the balance of promotion vs. creation? What do you do to balance the two?

What is the one thing you believe wholeheartedly that almost no one agrees with you on?

What are you most excited about that you are working on currently? (Spoiler alert it's a kickstarter campaign for epic sunglasses!).

Hope you enjoy our chat below as much as I did!!

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.

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

View fullsize

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.