Lessons I’ve learned from building a female focused financial firm:
You can ONLY work with people who are aligned with your mission. If you start to play small to make your other partners, co-workers, clients, or prospects feel better about themselves, no one wins. Playing small doesn’t serve the world! Be surrounded by people who support the person you are today AND the person you are becoming.
- There are 3 main factors you need to stay focused on:
- Your money.
- Your time.
- Your vision.
Money:
If you don’t review your finances every week or month, you will find yourself off track. Whenever a new prospect comes, a new opportunity comes, or a new idea pops into your head, does it fit into your overall vision? Does it work financially? If it is a new service, what are the metrics? The costs to launch, the potential income coming in, and the time commitment. Every day or week you should be doing a financial audit, what is the money coming in, what are the expenses going out, and where are you investing your money for future growth in or out of your business?
When you don’t review your money math on a regular basis, you find yourself stuck doing a constant mental accounting. It looks like this: rent is due on the 1st, payroll on the 15th, pending invoice to be paid on the 20th. You are constantly tallying up money coming in and out, which is an energy draining exercise.
Build structure into your financial reviews, schedule your calendar when you will review and analyze your monthly income and expenses. It sounds like a large feat, but it will actually make you feel so free. You begin to find opportunities to fix your cash flow leaks, you will be more eager to get help, and implement a plan.
Time and Relationships:
Validate your relationships, let people know you hear them. I struggle with being a people pleaser, always worrying what other people are feeling, thinking. This is a very draining place to operate from because no matter what, someone is upset. Some people get upset because you have grown. Yet some people will love you for your evolution. Know which people are meant to be a lesson for you and which people are meant to be with you forever. Both are important. Let the people who are important to you know this, while setting up healthy boundaries around your energy, heart, and time. The happier you are, the happier the people around you will be so focus on you and see the ripple effect of this into other people’s lives.
I’ve witnessed our female advisor having some anxiety from their previous firm ripple over to our firm. They’d always think they were in trouble when I would reach out to them. It’s like we were in an abusive relationship before with our old broker dealers, and now need time to heal. We all go through a period of healing after our transition, a time when there aren’t many new prospects coming in. A very slow time, which can feel so uncomfortable, and something you will feel like you have to fight with every bone in your body. But this is the time God is giving you to heal, to rest, and in your rest you will receive. Remember, it is not by your efforts that you receive but by your frequency. Repeat this phrase as often as you need, especially during this healing season of your life: I receive when I rest, it is my frequency not my efforts that I receive. If you are exhausted, you feel like everyone is pulling all your energy down, sucking you dry of all your emotions, you don’t need a plan. You don’t need another to do list. You need to rest in God.
Your time is precious as a business owner! Trust in the lows because the harvest is coming. Build into your plan chunks of time to do strategic planning, schedule in time slots to rest, schedule appointments with new prospects and clients. This was a huge game changer for my business. I realized how overbooked my schedule was, and I literally had NO ROOM to meet with a new client. As I reworked my schedule, I was able to block off time to meet with new people. It’s incredible how those hours always seemed to work out for these new clients. Schedule it in, and they will come!
To get a glimpse at my schedule, here is a sneak peak!
Mondays are team meeting days! I only meet with my team and advisors on Mondays so I start the week with everyone knowing what their role and responsibilities are, what our goals are for the week, and what the energy we are putting out.
Tuesday through Thursdays I meet with clients and prospects. For prospect meetings, opt to schedule these during your peak energy times of the day. For me, this is mid day! For you, it might be early morning or at night. Test this because these meetings will take up most of your energy so pace yourself and optimize your natural energy flow of the day.
Fridays are my overflow days so if a client has an emergency, I have space to help them. If I receive new large cases, I have time to prepare for them.
Vision:
I love mixtiles! They are easy to order prints that stick on your wall without a nail. I cover my entire office with these pictures of old events, my family, and dreams to come. They are a constant reminder of what we’ve built, where we come from, and what our community is about. On my computer is a vision board. Next to my computer are my HUGE, high level goals like being interviewed by Oprah! I am always surrounded by reminders, by family, and all the things I love and what makes me tick. What are ways you can build your own dream bubble around your office?
Last year I decided to put up huge, pink peony flowers all over my conference room. I have a wardrobe of pink clothes when you walk in for my speaking engagements and press interviews. I just keep adding things I love, and it feels like a breath of fresh air when you walk in. I remember one woman who needed help finding an office stepped into my #pinkfix office. Her face brightened up as she asked what is this place? My office! I got 2 new prospects from this interaction.
Remember why God put you on this earth, you are meant to move mountains. I hope these help to remind you of your power, to keep you on track, and to surround yourself with the right people, the right reminders.
