When Did You First Know?

Today, I’m inspired by Karol Gadja’s post over at his blog. He writes about making the decision, early in his life, to be a business owner.

When did you make that decision? When did you first know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

For me, the decision came in high school. Somewhere along the way I’d made the correlation that my parents worked very hard, but didn’t have alot of money. There was a time when my dad worked 2 jobs, but it didn’t seem to increase our finances. So I decided that in order to control the amount of money I made, I didn’t want to work for anyone else. I’d say I decided this in the 10th grade, and I majored in Business Administration during my first year of college.

My professors discouraged me from this path. Why not go work in Corporate America for at least 5 years, THEN start my own business? I couldn’t see the point in that. Managing staff for a Fortune 500 company didn’t make sense to me, when I’d probably have a very small staff and need a different set of skills than a corporate job would give me. Plus I just didn’t want to. I can’t begin to tell you how disheartening it was for me to be dissuaded from this lifelong dream, in favor of building someone else’s business.

I still think I made the right decision for me, especially in light of how business models have changed since I was in college.

When did you first know you wanted to be an entrepreneur? How has your path evolved since then? I’d love to hear your story.

12 Expectations for 2012

Maybe it’s just me, but the end of 2011 was a real doozy.

It seemed like almost everyone I knew experienced tragedy of some kind. Whether they were laid off, a loved one died, or they battled a health crisis, I just kept hearing of bad things happening to good people.

Do you think this year will be better? Here’s a better question – what do you plan to do to make it better?

I have big plans for 2012 and I hope you do too! Create a list of your expectations – we receive what we expect, not just what we hope or wish for! Post it near your desk so you look at it every day. Then go out and do the work to cause your expectations to come into your life.

Here are 12 expectations I have for 2012:

1. I expect greater abundance. This year, I expect the ability to quit my day job and run my coaching business full time. I’ve created a marketing plan and I will follow the plan to attract more clients.
2. I expect greater joy.
3. I expect love. I expect to attract and date wonderful men, and I expect that I’ll start a committed, romantic relationship this year. I also expect that I’ll strengthen my bonds with family and friends and to support those who are moving forward in their lives.
4. I expect fun. I expect to enjoy myself! All work and no play makes Anilia a very dull girl. I expect to do more of the things I love and enjoy.
5. I expect happiness. I expect to have time to do the small things that bring me happiness for no reason. I expect to find more of these things that I hadn’t realized before.
6. I expect good health. I expect to release unhealthy eating habits and  excess weight. I expect to gain mental clarity, better health, restful sleep and to enjoy eating healthy, unprocessed foods. I also expect to become more physically fit and to exercise daily.
7. I expect new experiences. In order to learn new things and reach greater success, I have to push myself out of my comfort zone. I expect to meet new people and do different things, which will cause me to view life and the people in my world just a bit differently. I expect to have new experiences as a result.
8. I expect expanded vision. I expect to read more, expand my mindset and believe in new possibilities. I also expect to improve my mindset in the areas that need improvement.
9. I expect new relationships. From the new experiences I’ll have in 2012, I expect to gain lifelong colleagues and friends who are also high achievers and forward moving. I also expect to meet mentors who will help me reach the next level of my business success and in life.
10. I expect new perspectives. From the expansion of my mindset and social circle, I expect to learn how to look at things more efficiently. I also expect to improve my ability to think outside of the box.
11. I expect greater wealth. I expect to learn more about investing and other ways to grow financially. I expect to improve my mindset about money and attract even more into my life. I expect the new experiences and relationships I’ve formed to positively influence my wealth.
12. I expect renewal. I expect to receive enough rest and to adequately care for myself. I expect minimal illness or injury. I expect to feel refreshed and energized.

What expectations do you hold for 2012? And how can I help you realize those expectations in your life?

4 Ways Entrepreneurs Hold Ourselves Back

The other night, as I was talking myself through a self-imposed hurdle, I was inspired to write this post.

I’m familiar with what it takes to start a business and each step along the way. But that doesn’t mean I’m immune to the fear, self-doubt and worry that can come along when you put yourself and your ideas out there.

Sometimes you can get so paralyzed by the fear that other people will tell you ‘no’, that you don’t even put yourself in the game. And that’s really sad.

Because that is simply confusing one person’s opinion with your worth. For example, if someone looks at one of my shirts and doesn’t like them, I’ve come to learn that that’s just their opinion – their opinion isn’t a measure of what my business or my product is worth. Just as someone’s good opinion isn’t a measure of worth for me. Ultimately, I set my own worth – my opinion is the only one that truly matters.

How We Hold Ourselves Back

I’ve found that we limit ourselves in alot of ways because we subconsciously seek outside approval. I think this is caused by being attached to the outcome of what we do. It’s not enough for us to start a business and do something we love – if other people don’t validate our worth, then we tell ourselves that we’re not good enough.

Here are four ways entrepreneurs hold themselves back, and strategies to get around them:

Click Here To Continue

Only The Crazy Succeed

If no one has called you crazy, then you’re not trying hard enough to succeed.

I was talking to a close friend the other day about a big idea she has. Her excitement was so contagious and her vision was definitely one I appreciated. Then, the next day, she told me that she shared that vision with someone else, who called her crazy.

Has this ever happened to you?

It’s frustrating sometimes. You see things differently than the people around you. Instead of those people respecting that, they’ll call you crazy, and say things like “good luck with that!” or just shake their heads. Why are things that are different necessarily bad?

We don’t all have to agree. Heck, we all don’t agree and rarely do. So it’s not like someone with a different outlook, a different goal or a huge aspiration is something new.

Let’s look at a few people who were called crazy for wanting something different:

Click Here For The Crazies

A Shift In Focus

Today I realized that I’ve been playing kinda small, and for that I apologize to you guys.

For as long as I remember, I’ve been passionate about entrepreneurship. I’m naturally a big dreamer and you guys know that I love to inspire others, drop an encouraging word and contemplate how great we all can be. But in my quest to build this blog, I got lost in the sauce somewhere.

Lately I’ve been more concerned with popularity than the value I give to you - with the number of subscribers and Facebook fans I have, how I measure up to similar bloggers, the kind of recognition I could receive from this. When all of that isn’t the point, and never was.

I lost sight of the fact that this isn’t about me – it’s about you.

When I stay true to my core self, you guys benefit. When I’m excited, when I’m motivated, when I’m growing, I can better take you along with me. Since I veered off someplace else, it’s been hard for me to write. Since I wanted to put a glossy finish to everything, I wasn’t being the best me I can be and my words and thoughts have stopped flowing like they used to. I didn’t want to show you my mistakes, didn’t want to look too close at what’s not working or admit that I could do better – because that would mean I’m not doing my best now.

How does the saying go? The truth shall set you free?

In my effort to include as many people as I could in my blog audience, I wasn’t including myself. I was trying to write about what I thought you guys needed, which resulted in me leaving out the things I’m most excited about – entrepreneurship, and lifestyle design and optimal living. And in the end I wasn’t writing about what either of us ultimately need.

So that’s where my focus will be, from now on. I realize that some of you aren’t into those topics and won’t come along with me, and I’ll come to terms with that. If, at the end of the day, there’s only one person here – me – I’ll be okay with that. This isn’t a personal blog, even though I write about personal topics sometimes - my mission is to motivate you. But if you are looking for something else than what I have, that’s okay too.

The biggest part of this change is that I’ll write more about topics that I haven’t become proficient at yet. I’m still building my business empire and becoming the person that I dream about growing into, and it’s not an easy thing to publicly say “hey, I’m not there yet”. But that’s some of what I’ll be doing here.

So what do you guys think about my shift in focus? At the end of the day, we don’t all have the same dreams, and I want to help as many of my readers as I can reach the dreams I’m best able to motivate you guys to pursue.

16 Reasons Madam CJ Walker Is My She-Ro

I have been remiss in my duties as Motivation Maven – how could I have neglected to feature Madam CJ Walker??

She serves as a fountain of inspiration for countless African American female entrepreneurs, myself included. If you have not encountered her inspiring story, let me introduce her to you.

1. Madam C.J. Walker was born Sarah Breedlove on December 23, 1867 in Delta, Louisiana. Her parents Owen and Minerva Breedlove, both ex-slaves, were sharecroppers who lived on the Burney plantation. She had 5 siblings. Her mother died first, possibly due to a cholera outbreak in 1872 (when she was 5). Her father remarried and died shortly afterward when she was 7.



2. Sarah moved in with her older sister, Louvenia, and brother-in-law, Willie Powell. She later said she married Moses McWilliams when she was 14 years old to escape Powell’s abuse. Three years later her daughter, Lelia (called A’Leila) McWilliams, was born.



3. When Sarah was 20, her husband was murdered by a white lynch mob. Shortly afterward she moved to St. Louis where three of her brothers were barbers. For 20 years she did backbreaking work as a washerwoman in Vicksburg and St. Louis. While working as a laundry woman, she was able to save money, educate A’Lelia, and join the National Association of Colored Women in the 1880s. In 1894 Sarah married a man named John Davis. That marriage ended around 1903. In January 1906 she married a newspaper sales agent, Charles Joseph Walker. After her marriage she began using the name Madam CJ Walker. They divorced in 1910.


Click Here To Continue

How To Be Ridiculously Extraordinary

I’m very excited about today’s post!

This is the first interview for Motivated Sista and I truly believe you’ll enjoy it.

One of the blogs in my daily reader is Ridiculously Extraordinary by Karol Gajda. Karol writes about living the travel freedom lifestyle – but overall loving what you do. I’m inspired by Karol because he is passionate about helping others live their own versions of freedom. In fact, his goal is helping 100 people reach (their definition of) freedom.

How inspiring is that!

Can you tell I was nervous? I was worried that I’d pronounce Karol’s name wrong, my voice would crack (I was getting over a sinus infection), or that my computer would freeze and jack everything up. But the important thing was to feel the fear and do it anyway .

Highlights from the call:

• Karol’s inspiration to be a hustler
• Why freedom isn’t for everyone and how people hold themselves back
• How the Mind Control Method can help you reach your goals
• How the law of attraction is a scam
• Why he gave his work away
• The mindset to get unstuck

You’ll love this interview if you aspire to a mobile traveling lifestyle (as I do), if you like immersing yourself in different mindsets, or if you’d like to hear the perspective of an online business owner.

Links to Karol:
Karol’s blog, Ridiculously Extraordinary
Karol on Twitter
The American Dream Is Dead (free ebook)
The Mind Control Method

How did this interview inspire you today? Let me know in the comments.

The REAL Reason Why Your Business Will Fail

We are living in uncertain financial times.

The economic climate here in the US has been tense and rocky for the past few years. I have brilliant friends who’ve been unemployed and underemployed for at least a year. The forecast for our nation’s recovery isn’t promising, as everyone has said “things will get worse before they get better”.

This is not why your business will fail.

Consumers are now bombarded with more advertising and more businesses are competing for the average person’s time and attention. And they all have more money, more resources and a deeper understanding of your market than you do.

This is not why your business will fail.

There’s one simple, evergreen reason why you won’t be successful. Its the same thing that holds every business owner, professional, hell anyone who’s trying something new – this reason holds all of us back.

Click Here To Continue

Do You Know When To Ask For Help?

Yesterday, I had a blog consultation with Annabel Candy from Get In The Hot Spot. If you’re not familiar with Annabel’s blog, she writes about how you can integrate blogging, social media, and personal development to increase your business success.

Not only was Annabel’s advice awesome (seriously y’all, she rocked my world!) but I learned a valuable lesson about business that I want to pass on to you.

Know When To Fold ‘Em

Hate to toot my own horn here (actually, I don’t… but you know what I’m sayin’), but I consider myself an expert on motivation.

I’m NOT an expert on blogging, leveraging my blog content, increasing traffic, or social media.

As smart as I am, I fell into the dumb trap of thinking I could figure it all out on my own. And as women, and solo entrepreneurs, some of us often do that. We’re so used to working on projects and tackling problems alone that we attempt to answer questions and find solutions that are outside our areas of expertise.

Click Here To Continue

Happy Birthday To Motivated Sista

Do you know what today is? Its OUR ANNIVERSARY!! *throws confetti*

That’s right y’all, today is Motivated Sista’s first birthday!!

I wanted to make a video to thank everyone for reading, subscribing and supporting my blog… but then I realized that I left my power cord to my camera at my Mom’s house in Florida….(boooo!) So we’ll just have to settle for a lil ole post…

I cannot begin to express how happy I am today. How happy I am that y’all even read this blog and that its doing so well. I’m immensely grateful for every comment, every retweet, every time you share a post on Facebook, and every time you like a quote or something I post on the Facebook Fan Page.

Here’s how the blog is doing as of today:

206 Total Subscribers
995 Facebook fans
35 Google Friend Connect friends
113 Posts
332 Comments
18,058 total views!!! (what?!! wow!!)

So now that I have a year of blogging under my belt, I want to make Motivated Sista even better for my Motivated CEOs and Boss Ladies. To that end, I created a survey and it would be a huge help if you completed it. It’ll take you less than 3 minutes. Here’s the link: http://bit.ly/motsis

We are truly destined for greatness. Thank you SO MUCH for coming along on the ride with me. The best is yet to come!!

Next Page »