Sara Lamond, Owner of the Atlanta boutique Fig & Flower, connected to a passion for health and wellness as a way to cope with the pressures of law school. As she adopted this cleaner way of life, she became aware of a need in the marketplace for stores offering all-natural beauty and skin care products. With that, the idea for Fig & Flower was born.
What inspires me about this episode is Sara's transparent account of the ups and down of entrepreneurship. I got chills as we were recording, so I'm hoping that you love the result as much as I do.
Mission: As Sara knew that she wanted to give back in a positive way. Being able to impact individual's personal wellness as well as positively impact the environment played a major role in her decision to make the leap.
Mindset: Sara openly shares that her career as an attorney left her soul-searching for something more. She knew very clearly that she did not want a career in law and from that place she connected with the idea for Fig & Flower and the courage to bring it to life. She says, "If it didn't work out I'd never regret that decision."
Marketing: The early days of Fig & Flower found the store growing simply through word of mouth from friends and family. As cash flow increased Sara partnered with a PR firm to help bring new attention to the store and she shares her lessons learned from that experience.
Momentum: Finishing her first holiday retail season brought a new sense of momentum for Fig & Flower. Sara shares how the new growth in the business allowed for a period of reflection and strategy.
Masterminds: Sara shares the different groups of people she turns to for advice and support, some from unlikely places.
Mastermind Challenge: In life and entrepreneurship, we get what we give. Today's Mastermind Challenge is to support local store owners and help keep someone else's entrepreneurial dream alive and well. Talk to the store owner and learn more about what inspired their journey. If you have a great experience, share the word with friends and family. We're all in this together! Share your photos with the hashtag #mastermindchallenge
Learn more at MastermindYourLaunch.com
In this episode, Hogan Bassey, Founder and CEO of LivFul, shares his mission to have 200,000 lives by preventing mosquito borne illnesses in 3rd world countries. His story has garnered national attention as he was recently named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 List and he's currently working with global brands to bring his mission to life. Prepare to be inspired and empowered by this awe inspiring, entrepreneurial journey.
Mission: Amazingly Hogan survived 4 different cases of Malaria as a kid growing up in Nigeria. Watching his mother's pain when he fell ill, coupled with the fact that he was missing out on his childhood favorites gave him an itch to find a solution. It was at an early age that he connected to the mission to launch a pharmaceutical company dedicated to preventing mosquito borne illnesses.
Mindset: Starting to take action as a young person may have worked in Hogan's favor. He had taken on a big mission and took action before truly knowing the large challenge ahead. As he went on, he developed a fear of failure, as we all do, but Hogan truly believed that this was not only a mission, but God's calling for his life. Listen at minute 10:00 as Hogan shares one of the most powerful messages I've ever heard.
Marketing: Networking had played a large role in the advancement of LivFul's mission and progress towards making it a reality. As Hogan shares, "results don't happen in a vacuum". He advises entrepreneurs to get out there, share their needs, find the right people to connect with and talk to your customers.
Momentum: When asked about momentum in his business, Hogan makes a powerful point that it's not just gaining momentum that's important, but having the system in place to capitalize on that momentum. He recommends learning to attach the momentum of one event to another in order to keep driving the business.
A budding partnership that is bringing new momentum to LivFul today is with the global pharmaceutical company, Merck. As they combine technologies and leverage Merck's mosquito repellent IR3535 it's opening a new chapter for the company.
Masterminds: From encouragement from friends and family to advice from experienced entrepreneurs, Hogan leans on the energy and insights of those around him to keep him moving and focused on his journey.
Mastermind Challenge: I was deeply moved by Hogan's words around knowing his life's calling and imagining the day he would one day have to look back and answer whether he achieved it or not. Regardless of what you are currently pursuing, I urge you to dig deeper and explore what you believe is your true calling. Are you living up to your challenge or have you chosen a different road? If so, what steps can you take to get back on track?
Learn more at MastermindYourLaunch.com
Re Perez is a Brand Strategist and CEO of BRANDING FOR THE PEOPLE, a leading branding agency that helps emerging entrepreneurs and established small businesses achieve rapid growth, whether it's doubling, tripling or quadrupling their income.
In today's interview, he shares just how to get inside the mind of your ideal client to create the brand that perfectly communicates your value in a way that speaks to them.
Mission: After traveling the world working with some of the top global brands, Re felt a stirring to create more impact. After taking time away to clear his mind, he connected with the powerful mission to bring his knowledge of branding strategy to the everyday entrepreneur and small business.
Mindset: Like so many at the beginning, he wondered if his new business would work. Re shares that "even the best of us have some sort of fear of the unknown." His advice for anyone in this place is to see the big picture, connect with your "why" and know that you have nowhere to go but up!
Marketing: I love the value that Re brings as he shares exactly what hi did to launch BFTP. So many entrepreneurs spend a lot of time and money on things like their logo and website. I've been there too! Ironically, this branding expert spent his energy in other areas and it paid off in a big way. If you're launching your business, you will be inspired to rethink where you spend your time and resources during these early days.
Momentum: It was the bold move to host a branding workshop that began to launch the momentum behind BFTP. Re shares the steps he took to launch that event and how it led to his first wave of clients.
Masterminds: Re is a member of a high level mastermind and not only credits the community with offering support and ideas for his business, but it's also given him another platform to connect with clients. The relationships that are developed in mastermind groups go much deeper than your average networking group. Re credits his mastermind with introducing him to opportunities he would not have had otherwise.
Mastermind Challenge: If I could pull one word from this interview it would be passion. How can you add more passion and heart to your business? Is it through the people you work with? Or perhaps it's the mission you are impacting? Just like Re found his calling to leverage his branding expertise and help small business owners, how can you be more intentional about not just making a living, but making a meaningful impact?
Learn more at mastermindyourlaunch.com
Laurie Sluser, bizHUMM Co-founder & CEO, has successfully managed or owned 5 different companies over the past 25 years. Most recently he served as General Manager of a software engineering staffing firm, which he led to ten-fold growth in revenue with over 25 million dollars in gross sales.
Laurie co-founded bizHUMM.com in 2014 to help small businesses and entrepreneurs find everything they need to start and grow their business. He recently co-authored a book entitled How To Start A Business: The Ultimate Free Guide.
Mission: Laurie took on the mission of bringing bizHUMM to life with the experience of 5 previous startups under his belt. When it comes to his advice to new or aspiring entrepreneurs, he enthusiastically says, "Do your homework!" Do it once now or twice later. Be intentional about your actions and resist being lazy in your thinking.
Mindset: Even with Laurie's entrepreneurial experience he maintains a healthy fear of the unknown and launching bizHUMM was no different. Building a great team and creating a well-thought plan help to provide peace of mind, but at a certain point you have to do your best and see where the cards fall.
Marketing: A deep understanding of your business and customer is essential for crafting the marketing and promotions that not only sell your business, but attract supporters and partnerships. If you are struggling to nail down the right words to match the ideas in your mind, take Laurie’s advice about laying the foundation. He recommends not forcing it, but allowing yourself time each day to write, reflect and communicate with trusted advisers. As you hone your message gradually, you will see your ability to communicate and gain followership improve.
Momentum: After a year of development, bizHUMM launched their site and the How to Start a Business Guide bringing a lesson in the importance of promoting your content and drive traffic. Leveraging Facebook and Google advertising, bizHUMM went from 50 to 10,000 visitors a month! Laurie shares exactly what he attributes the fast growth to and the traffic sources that brought the most engaged visitors.
Masterminds: Listening to Laurie speak about the bizHUMM team and his approach to working was personally a touching moment as an interviewer. We all have experiences (good and bad) of working with a team in an organization. Laurie shares his philosophy to “treasure, respect, love, give to the people you work with.” What a beautiful way to approach workplace collaboration. I hope more people will be inspired to bring such a positive and nurturing attitude to their workplace, regardless of their title.
Mastermind Challenge: There are moments for every entrepreneur when you get the flash of an idea and feverishly jump into action. While fast action can be courageous and is a trait to be commended, there is something to be said for the benefit of giving the seed of an idea fertile ground to grow organically. Today's Mastermind Challenge is to take that one big idea you have and write it down with pen and paper. Set aside time for the next 3 days to come back, read your words and hone your idea. Watch how it evolves and improves. THEN, with a well-crafted vision, jump into action.
Learn more at MastermindYourLaunch.com