Celebrating 40 Years & Counting

40 YEARS AND COUNTING! This month, I celebrate 40 years of being in business. It's so hard to believe. Tomorrow, I will gather in a very small, intimate event with close friends, clients, and family to celebrate. Someone asked me how did I brave 40 years as an entrepreneur because most people don't last that long. My answer, Grace...God's grace and favor. Yet, I wanted to share 10 things that I did to create a sustainable business. They are not anything that's profound...just some common sense strategies. I hope you find them helpful.

1. I knew as a young girl around 9 that I would own my own business. It was definitely a calling. I heeded the call early in life.

2. I watched my mom run a very successful hair salon for 38 years. My mom created duplicatable systems and strategies in that company which has allowed it to still be a very lucrative business, even though she's no longer with us. Mom was my inspiration to stay the course. My niece still follows mom's playbook for business success and has kept that salon open and running. That company is 55 years old and it's still lucrative and successful.

3. I had and still have great mentors and coaches. For one year, I used to drive 3 hours every Monday to sit with one of my mentors and learn from her. I have spent many hours and lots of money to learn and be coached/mentored by the best. I will always remain teachable and coachable. I am matured enough to know that everything I don't have lies outside of the realm of what I already know and that I can't be the student and the teacher in my own life. I invest in having the right mentors/coaches/teachers.

4. I have never built my business on following trends. Of course, I know social media and online visibility is important to every business. But you will never find me jumping on every new thing or running after every shinny new idea. I am NOT on all social media platforms. I am on the ones that work for my business and when the data shows it's not working, I make the adjustments. When I started, there was no internet. We had to work to build it the old fashion way. I still use a lot of the analog versions of business building because they still work. I will never be glued to a digital device to earn money and build my businesses. Guess what? Heavy hitters don't spend their time out here either. Their staff and team does. I go where the heavy hitters go because I'm not interested in accessing the team. I will always have my finger on the pulse of what is coming because I realize by the time the masses know about it, the real money has already been made.

5. Time is a business owner's biggest money leak. I don't waste time. If I manage my time, I will have more of it. I only work on income producing tasks for my business. Everything else is outsourced. I use duplicatable systems in my company. Good companies are people supported and great companies are systems supported. By having systems in place, anyone can run the company in my absence. I didn't say anyone could be ME. But I need to have others who can do what I do. I have a business, I am NOT my business. My philosophy of doing less and being more, has given me the TIME freedom that should come with entrepreneurship.

6. I learned that I needed to be a better business woman than I was talented. For years, I struggled in my business because I was good at what I did, but I sucked at business. I learned the real keys to building a successful business and I up leveled my skills. That was the external part. I then needed to work on the internal landscape such as my belief systems, my mindset and breakthrough my blocks around money, wealth and success. I did and the rest became history. I continue to work on the transactional and the transformation...everyday.

7. I will only place my time/efforts on income producing tasks. A mentor asked me once, "do you want fortune or fame?" I never wanted to be famous...I merely wanted to effective. I figured if I was effective, then I would have the fortune. Side Note: I don't carry business cards, yet, I am in many powerful folks personal phones and they in mine. This is a little key strategy that has created massive success for me.

8. For 40 years, I have built a massive network of leaders, partners, sponsors, entrepreneurs, media friends, investors and colleagues. I spend time nurturing these relationships on a regular basis. In doing so, I have created amazing joint ventures, collaborative projects, business ventures and more. My Network has always created my Net worth.

9. I am working on projects now that will out live me. Andy Warhol once said, “The idea is not to live forever, but to create something that will.” I know I will not live forever, but a true body of work that impacts lives, can. This is my focus in this third act of my life. This is what drives me now.

10. My mission everyday is to demonstrate love, awaken lives, and create memorable moments with my family, friends, clients and the world.

It is my hope that you found some value in these 10 things. Are you ready to Amplify your life and business? I show up in people's live when they are ready.