How to Thrive While Starting Your Own Business [The Stress Less Show - Episode 32]

Read the blog post version of this episode here!

>> Carlee: Have an incredible business idea but don't know where to start? You'll find out in this episode of The Stress Less Show. I'm Carlee Meyers, a stress management expert, and one thing I hear a day in and day out is that we feel like we've tried everything when it comes to stress management. We may have tried the mainstream... mainstream approaches to managing stress but have we really tried to get to the root of the issue. Each episode, I bring on experts and leaders to not just put a Band-Aid on your stress but to actually get to the root. This month I brought on guests to talk about job security and the one thing that we haven't talked about quite yet is starting our own business. So I brought on an amazing guest, Emi Kirschner, to tell us a little bit more about what it's like to start a business. An investor, serial entrepreneur, coach and international speaker, Emi Kushner masterfully combines her intuitive abilities with her analytical sense to help entrepreneurs and visionary leaders build businesses that make an impact with doubling while doubling revenue. I think that's my favorite part.

>> Emi: Right?

>> Carlee: So I'm curious. You've got investor, serial serial entrepreneur, international speaker - I mean these are pretty impressive things. How did you get into this line of work?

>> Emi: Well first of all, Carlee, thank you so much for having me on the show. Super excited to be here. And the simple short answer is everything has just built on itself. And if you'd asked me 10 years ago like would I be here, I would have been like, "I've no idea," because my path to entrepreneurship and owning several businesses has been the most windy path you could possibly imagine. It started with my first couple of businesses as a personal chef and caterer. I worked as a project manager in like a very small marketing agency, boutique marketing agency and I actually started this business as a health coach and it very organically kind of circled back and into business coaching and helping creative entrepreneurs really succeed and be profitable because of all the different things that I've done. And then because I love talking to people and my mission is really to be able to touch as many lives as possible, speaking and then being able to take on additional projects from an investment standpoint has kind of come into play and I love taking advantage of new opportunities and I'm definitely a high risk tolerance person, so when I have the opportunity to do something and be able to to really make a difference whether it succeeds or whether it is able to move forward at all then I try to do that when I can... With the basis that it has to be kind of a creative, sustainable, making an impact for people because everything is really up here. So it's really you know what what you're thinking about and

>> Carlee: I love that.

>> Emi: Yeah

>> Carlee: And I love that you're you're talking about the windy road. I think a lot of us entrepreneurs don't always share the whole road with everyone. But I love that you're that that authenticity is coming out like it was a windy road and in fact it makes you so much better. I know we spent some time on the phone prior to this when we first met and I got to hear the whole story and boy is it a story. And I love, I love that all of that experience has led you to where... where you're at today. So what do you recommend for someone who's starting their own business?

>> Emi: One don't like it.... Well first of all the list is really long. So I'm gonna keep it short. Like Don't overthink it and just go for it and don't stop at No. So. For instance, like I almost started a farm to table restaurant... I was... I loved catering and wanted to do something where I could really show people - and this was over 10 years ago - but I wanted to show people that organic healthy food could taste amazing. And I spent a year and a half and you know, like a dissertation length business plan and you know and working with architects and contractors and everything to create the space and it didn't happen. And part of it was because I initially couldn't get the loan that I wanted. It was you know 2009, the market had crashed. The SBA wasn't... Like you couldn't even buy a business loan, never mind just get a regular one right? It was impossible. And I didn't stop and I didn't stop and I didn't stop. And I finally got the financial backing and then ended up walking away because the space I was looking at wasn't working. But that type of perseverance and persistence is really what makes most entrepreneurs because most entrepreneurs have more than one business experience or business ownership experience whether it works or it didn't work. It's that they consistently keep trying new things and they just figured out they're problem solvers and it's so important. Whether you're starting your own business or you're in another job where you're looking for a job. Just keep going and be creative.

>> Carlee: Yeah I think that's one of the most common things I I hear. Or I heard when I first started was a lot of no's and it's easy to question yourself and be like, "Am I in the right place? Am I doing the right work?" But it really at the end of the day is persistence. I don't think either one of us would be here if we hadn't have kept plowing through those no's and yes, it will become a yes.

>> Emi: Yeah it's... And really the mindset shift to have it is. Like no matter how many no's you get, just remember you're one closer to the yes.

>> Carlee: Yes

>> Emi: So important because it'll happen. I mean I think Jack Camfield said that they... He wrote The Success Principles, but he he's also the kind of the founder and the catalyst for the Chicken Soup for the Soul... For the Chicken Soup for the Soul books. Like I think he gotten 111 112 rejection letters from publishers before somebody would finally pick it up. Like that's persistence.

>> Carlee: Absolutely. And we think like, "Oh one or two no's?" No this is... yeah like that level of like being prepared. Counting down those hundred and twelve or one hundred thirteen or even more or less no's until we get to the yes.

>> Emi: Right and the other thing too is that starting a business can be really lonely and isolating and you can feel like you're in the dark about so many things and you're learning as you're going, so it's so important to surround yourself with what I refer to is your life and your business team. And those people aren't necessarily that you know your friends and family, but they're the people that you meet and you start developing relationships with that are going to support you and your crazy idea. And that can back you up in the persistence piece of continuing to move forward. And for me at least - particularly with the life team - that looks like my financial advisor, my accountant, I have a couple of friends who make sure that I do social things and other friends that are really just great like, "hey I have this idea and does this make sense to you?" And we can flesh it out and kind of get into the nitty gritty details even if it's totally off the wall. They're great at like just going in deep diving into the details of that and making it work and like making it a reality.

>> Carlee: Yeah that reminds me of I of... When I first started my business, I had a really really hard day and I texted two of my, two of my good friends. One of which was more of an like had an entrepreneurial spirit, one of one of which didn't really understand the entrepreneurial world. And I texted them both the same message which was like, "I think I'm going to quit. I don't I'm cut out for this." And one said, "it's OK, it's OK to give up. Like it's like. Yeah it's hard." And the other person was like, "What?! Your dream... like you absolutely have to do this." And so that gave me a very clear picture of like all I needed was a little support. Right? On. OK. The person who gets me, the person who understands the vision, they should be on my my advisory board. So I love. I absolutely love that tip.

>> Emi: Yeah it's like that is so key in having that because regardless of how quickly you build your business... And really in any other thing, like you want something that's just going to help back you, understand what your dream and your passion is. And that leads me really into the last tip and that's managing your monkey mind. Like we have sixty thousand thoughts a day. Right? And most of them are not going "hurrah, you're awesome!" And that's what causes so much stress is we've got this little person in the back of our head going, "You suck, this is crazy, you can't do it. Who are you? It's going to take too much money. You're not doing it the right way." You know blah blah blah. Like the list is endless. And if you listen to that, then it's so much harder to be successful. It's so much harder to get out of your way and do things differently. And to be successful you have to get into your uncomfort zone.

>> Carlee: Oh my goodness. Absolutely. So thank you, Emi, so much for coming on this show. For those of us who are listening who want to find more of you so they can get more information maybe they want to start their own businesses. Where can they find you?

>> Emi: Absolutely. So I would invite everybody to come play with me on Facebook. Join the Tribe of Leaders Facebook Community and come hang out as I said and ask questions. We have a really cool group of entrepreneurs in there.

>> Carlee: Awesome awesome. So this episode was sponsored by the Tribe of Leaders Business School. Are you ready to be the CEO of your business? Becoming a founding member of the business school. Become a founding member of the business school when you join before October 4th. You can visit The Tribe of Leaders dot com for more information and to sign up. So this concludes this episode of The Stress Less Show and we'll see you next week.

>> Emi: Awesome. Thank you.