Mind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth - 2482: Success Secrets from Badass 8-Figure Entrepreneur Jasmine Star

Episode Date: December 5, 2024

Success Secrets from Badass 8-Figure Entrepreneur Jasmine Star Why she quit law school. (1:07) Chose the unknown. (4:46) Tapping into people’s emotions. (7:32) The biggest mistake people make. (12:02) Trading hours for dollars. (13:52) If they ask, they are willing to pay. (16:53) Content begets content. (20:40) The moment that completely shifted what she was able to do. (21:54) Acting and behaving like a successful entrepreneur. (25:10) Gold-plated grit. (28:56) The big mistakes people make trying to build an online business. (29:52) The work ethic around learning and leveling up. (31:36) The fear of letting people in. (36:20) Specializing is the name of the game. (38:48) Balancing work life and being a mother. (39:33) Living in the cages that we construct for ourselves. (40:52) The only person that stops you is YOU. (42:54) If you don’t have a hater today, you are NOT doing it. (48:20) If you don’t make a move, the move will happen to you. (50:24) Her favorite part about the game of business. (52:42) Her perspective on masterminds. (54:52) She chose a frame for how she wanted to live in the world. (59:11) How is the game changing for her now? (1:01:30) Just DO! (1:04:43) Social curator. (1:05:25) Related Links/Products Mentioned Visit Legion Athletics for the exclusive offer for Mind Pump listeners! ** Code MINDPUMP for 20% off your first order (new customers) and double rewards points for existing customers. ** Cyber Monday Sale is ALL MAPS Fitness Products 60% OFF. Coupon code CYBERMONDAY. Sale: Monday, December 2nd and expire on Friday, December 6th. CreativeLive: Do what you love. Watch Martha | Netflix Official Site The Jasmine Star Show Podcast Mind Pump Podcast – YouTube Mind Pump Free Resources Featured Guest/People Mentioned Jasmine Star (@jasminestar) Instagram Brené Brown (@brenebrown) Instagram MrBeast (@mrbeast) Instagram Kim Kardashian (@kimkardashian) Instagram Katt Williams (@kattwilliams) Instagram  

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with your hosts, Sal DeStefano, Adam Schaefer, and Justin Andrews. You just found the most downloaded fitness, health, and entertainment podcast. This is Mind Pumped. Today's episode, we talk about success secrets from a badass, eight figure entrepreneur, is a friend of ours, Jasmine Star. She breaks it down. You're going to want to listen to this episode if you're trying to build a business or if you're interested in doing so.

Now this episode is brought to you by a sponsor, Legion. They just came out with an energy drink. It's amazing, it's delicious, and of course, like all Legion supplements, it's one of the best. Go check them out. Go to buylegion.com forward slash mind pump. Use the code mind pump. Get 20% off your first order.

Also, Cyber Monday's still going on right now. All maps programs, all maps program bundles, 60% off. This's still going on right now. All MAPS programs, all MAPS program bundles, 60% off. This is still going on. It expires December 6th, that's Friday. So if you're interested, go to MAPSFitnessProducts.com and use the code Cyber Monday for the discount. All right, back to the show. Jasmine, we've heard a lot about you,

but Adam told me you quit law school. I want to start there. Why did you quit law school? Well, I start there. Why did you quit law school? Well, I come from a long line of quitters. Ooh. No, legit, and I say that with a sense of pride. I was raised in a household. My dad is an immigrant from Mexico,

and he came and he said that I had to do jobs and I had to do things that I never wanted to do to make sure that my family was taken care of. So he's like, if you don't want to do anything, quit. Interesting. Yeah, which is the counter opposite of what most parents say. And so, you know, my husband's family is's like, if you don't want to do anything, quit. Interesting. Yeah, which is the counter opposite of what most parents say. And so, you know, my husband's family is just like, no, you stick through something all the way through.

And so I've only ever come from the world of like, life is too short. And when I was 25, my mom was 50. She had been diagnosed with cancer about nine years before. And the doctors had said, you know, two brain surgeries, chemotherapy, everything we could possibly do. And they said, it's just time. So I was in law school, I was struggling with depression. And then all that hit. And I thought to myself, if I die in 25 years, I was 25 at the time, my mom was 50. So if I die in 25 years, I don't want to die a lawyer. I don't want to die

so like unhappy. And I thought, oh, how stupid. Who says I have 25 years? I might have 25 minutes. And so all of a sudden, everything came into calibration. And I was, oh, how stupid. Who says I have 25 years? I might have 25 minutes. And so all of a sudden, everything came into calibration. And I was like, what do I want to do with my life? Life is too short to be this unhappy. And so I quit. I walked into the dean's office. I was literally on my way to school.

I lived on campus. I had a full-ride scholarship to UCLA. Then the bus would pick you up and take you into campus. Walked into the dean's office, fully stocked with my 18 pounds of law books. And I was like, I think I'm going to quit. I said, my mom is sick. And I was on scholarship. And she had told me, you have three years to come back and get your scholarship. Go and take care of your household affairs. And I was like, okay. And I thought in my mind, I'll come back. And I never did. Well, you just glossed over something I didn't know about. I didn't know you had a full

ride to UCLA. I got accepted to the top 1% of law schools, but I decided to go to LA because I knew my mom wasn't in a great situation and I wanted to be able to move back and forth as quickly as possible. I didn't know that. Now why law? Was it because, okay, law, lawyer, successful, immigrant family, I'm from an immigrant family,

so sometimes you're like, okay, this is a good job, you know, good career type of deal. Is that why you chose that? 100%. It was like I went to college thinking I was gonna get a degree in English. I was like, I really wanna write. My first year, freshman year, I'm in my seminar,

and the very first paper I turned into, the professor has, it's written all in red ink. It looks like somebody bled on the paper. And then she says, I wanna see you in my office after class. And so I went into her office and she's going through and she's explaining what was going on with my writing. And then she had asked me, do you come from an immigrant family?

And I was like, oh, yeah, I do. She's like, I can kind of tell by your writing. And right there and then I was like, oh my God, you can tell, what can you tell? And I felt like there was like two parallel universes. It's like the first time that I, so I have a twin sister and we ended up going to college. We both got scholarships to go to college.

And so it was like the first time in my life that I saw like discrepancy, disparity, a different, a setting apart of, and I thought to myself, oh, I can't play that game. And so I would start going to the English writing lab, but I had already decided I am not gonna play a game where you could tell who I am or what I do by the way that I write.

I wanna do something that's pure merit-based. And so I started pursuing things that I was quantifiable, finance, accounting, and getting a degree in business. And so you're going to law school, you have this moment, was it just a moment, like that's it, I'm gonna quit? Or was this a thought process for months? When you're kind of unhappy, you keep on doing things and you're like, okay, what's my tolerance for unhappy?

There's a thing that I don't like and then there's the unknown. And oftentimes we choose the thing I don't like because the unknown is just too scary. And that was the first time in my life that every time I come up against this wall of like, I'm not happy and then there's the unknown, I'm now always just choose the unknown. Some people would be like, I don't want to do this, so I'm just going to go quote unquote and join the life party, relax, whatever. But you obviously didn't because you're extremely successful. So what did you do? I worked three jobs in college. I got straight A's and I just poured myself into helping

whoever I could around me. Was it a process of figuring out then what you want to do or did you know? Yeah, when did the camera pick up happen? When did you actually pick up a camera? It was okay. So, so every time I got stuck and I was like, I'm unhappy, I'm going to choose the unknown. And in law school, I was just like, I'm so unhappy time I got stuck and I was like, I'm unhappy, I'm gonna choose the unknown. And in law school, I was just like, I'm so unhappy and I hate this year, what am I gonna do? And I just thought to myself, like, if I had a dream,

I would wanna become a photographer. So we get married, I want my husband, I want my mom to see me and my husband get married. So we plan a wedding in three months and it's just our families. So we get married and then he asks me, I get a letter to go back to school. I was like, I'm so sick, man,

I don't wanna go back there and I hate it. And he says, if you could do one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? And I said, I wanna be a photographer. And he's like, okay, you don't have a camera. I was like, I know, but if I did, I think I can do this thing. And it's just like, who's crazy?

The person with the crazy dreams or the person who believes the person with the crazy dreams? I think he's the crazier of the two. A couple of months later, he gives me Christmas, goes to Best Buy, buys a camera off the shelf. People look at it like, oh, what a joke. And it probably was, but I didn't know any better. So I was like, oh, and he's like, listen, one year. We had no money. He was with this startup. I worked part time at my dad's church. We literally had no money. So I get this camera. Then I think like, oh my God, this is my passport.

Like I'm getting out. I don't have to go to law school. And I don't have any lenses. I don't even have CF cards, like memory cards. Can't afford that. So then I start renting. I start renting cards, I start renting lenses. I was like, I'm gonna get out. And like that became my life jacket, like my preserver.

And I said, I have one year. And if this doesn't work, I'm gonna go back to law school. And so in that first year, I made $100,000. And the irony is it was done all on rented gear, rented cameras. I didn't have a website. I didn't know which way was up and I was not that good. Wait a minute. Hold on. You made a hundred men? Was this even a hobby for you before this?

No, I didn't have a camera. Like legit. It just sparked in your head. Well, it was something that I was just like, okay, and here's another thing is that if we're choosing between something we like and that's something of the unknown, but there's something in you that's calling, you wouldn't be given this crazy idea. You wouldn't be given these things in your body and in your soul if you weren't actually destined to do them. And oftentimes we call them and we just say,

okay, this is not the thing that I'm gonna do. But I'm like, I don't wake up and feel like, oh, I wanna play for the WNBA. Of course not. But I wake up and I can be like, man, what would, I think I could be a photographer based on nothing. But the same way that many times people like wake up and are like, man, you know what would be really cool? Be really cool to get into woodworking. It'd be really cool to cut body fat by 14%. If you weren't capable of it,

you wouldn't have that idea. And I didn't know that. And the more that I started honing in on that over life, the quicker I found success after a lot of failure too. So you made a hundred grand your first year how what were you selling? What were you doing? You had no experience? Very first deal first person to page you Was burning them on DVDs I bought it staples I was going door to door, I'd probably sell more legit. I was burning them on DVDs that I bought at Staples. I would be like, I would literally, I didn't have a website.

I didn't even know how to do anything. And I was 25 years old and I didn't know a single person in my life who had a business. Like I hail from housekeepers and nannies and gardeners. So for me to think that I had the audacity to start a business is crazy. And I was like, can I just make money? It wasn't even a business. It was like, can I just make money? It wasn't even a business.

It was like, can I just make money doing something that I want? And so then I started a blog on Blogger back in the day. And I was like, okay, I know how to upload a photo. And I would just write. I would write about the photo. I would write that. And I would literally, it was, man, you guys, it's so bad.

I was just like, okay, so I was on the street and I asked this guy if I could take his photo and he said no. I just documented every letdown, every disappointment. And then I was like, okay, if people don't let me take their photos, we had this orange tree in our, we lived in an apartment complex

and this orange tree right in the middle. And I would just go and shoot the orange tree. I was like, okay, I'm learning this thing called backlit, side lit, exposure. And I would post these photos of this orange tree for nobody to read. But lo and behold, there's this thing called SEO. And so then I start taking pictures of just life.

Like literally I was in LA and in Little Tokyo taking pictures of some art, not very good. I would put it up, a picture of my ramen. And all of a sudden I start narrating the journey of becoming a photographer and people became interested. And I just started shooting with other photographers. I would go and be like third or fourth shooter. I would be like, I would pay somebody to go and shoot a wedding with them. I would turn over my stuff to them and I'd be like, listen, I just want shooting with other photographers. I would go and be like third or fourth shooter. I would be like, I would pay somebody

to go and shoot a wedding with them. I would turn over my stuff to them and I'd be like, listen, I just want to be here. I just want to get my hands dirty. I'll carry bags. I'll do whatever. And then they would allow me to use their photos but that would have to attribute credit.

So I just started bringing them on CDs from Staples and then I would get a white ribbon and then people would be like, can I see your portfolio? I was like, oh, unfortunately my website's under construction. Not a full lie. Like, you know, like half lie. It was going to get there. And so then I would just put it in a padded envelope, handwrite their address and I'd

be like, put the CD in your computer and watch my portfolio come to life. And that's why I booked my first client. They had said, what's your price? And I was like, oh, you know, what are you working with? And they had said, $1,000, 12 hours of coverage and they wanted all the photos. And I was like, oh, you know, what are you working with? And they had said, $1,000, 12 hours of coverage, and they wanted all the photos. And I was like, done. A thousand bucks?

I can think of a thousand bucks in 12 hours? Which, you know, when we think about it, it's not that much, but I was like, hey, yeah, like I'm doing my thing. And that bride had 12 bridesmaids. I burned them all CDs. My space was just taking off. They started posting those photos.

And then boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. People started booking me. On my blog, I was writing a story. See, shout out to that professor who said I couldn't write. I would write their story. I would add a few photos. And people started being like, oh, she was there. Like she got whatever was going on.

She got what we put down. And I saw the client for who they were. I wrote their story. I posted their photos. And then SEO started taking off. And so people, I remember the third client I've booked, she had put in Korean Hollywood hairstyles. Well, I'm born and raised in LA.

So we were at Yamashiro. We were at dinner. I was talking about how I shot a Korean engagement session, an engagement session for a Korean couple, and they found my portfolio. And she was like, listen, I'm not getting married. My best friend is, I'm gonna send her your stuff. And so I sent them a CD, and then just word of mouth.

And I knew that if I put my photos with my words online, I quickly understood that people, by and large, make emotional decisions about intellectual opportunities. So if you're looking for something, like if I'm looking for a trainer, I'm gonna make an emotional decision. I actually don't know how good you are at what you do,

but do I resonate with you? Do you get me? Do you make me a promise that I believe? There are other people, there are other trainers who are probably more talented, whatever that is in this year, but I'm gonna choose on emotion. And I quickly understood that if I can tap into people's emotion around an intellectual

decision, I could win that game. So I was winning on the emotional game and then my skills caught up. And then I was able to raise my prices. So every three weddings I booked, I raised my prices $300. So in the span of 12 months, I had booked over 50 weddings. And I went from shooting weddings for $1,000 to shooting base weddings for around six grand, and then we, towards the end of my career,

I was shooting weddings for 20 grand. Wow, so you opened this by saying, essentially, I'm gonna put it in that shell, you're willing to do whatever it takes. I'm gonna go work for free. I'm gonna go tell other photographers, I'll even pay you to follow you around, to learn from you and meet people.

I'm gonna give out these burn seats that you paid for to people so they can see what I'm doing. Oftentimes you hear people talk about, oh, internship, how much do they pay me? Or, oh, go do that thing for free? I mean, we work with trainers all the time and coaches, and we talk about giving people your services for free. This is how you build your business initially.

Sometimes we get pushback like, why would I do anything for free? Do you see this as being a big mistake? Huge. It is the most un-leveraged. Me, a professional entrepreneur, I would go and do something for free. I have offered to another very high-profile entrepreneur who had a very high-profile opportunity. I said, I'll go and I'll create content for you. That is like, if we're just being honest, that's so far below my capacity

as an entrepreneur. But if I can get into those rooms and I could see the way that those people play and I can act and behave, then game over. I will do anything to get into a different room and to be around other people because I learn how to up level. Somebody had once said you to change your life, you have to change your environment. But oftentimes, you're kept in environments that are not open to you. So I'll do anything to get into that environment. Still to this day.

Now, while you're doing this that first year, what's your husband thinking? He's seeing this process. Is he like at first like, oh cool, she's got this, she's driven, obviously you're already a driven person. He's like, she's driven, she likes this thing. And then you start making money. At what point was he like, honey, what is going on here?

When I asked him to leave his job. How long? Just like just over a year. And I said, listen, I've made enough money. And now people are flying us out from LA to shoot around the US. And later that year, we'd be flown internationally. So I said, I'm going to have to hire somebody. So how about we just tighten our belts. If we can estimate that we're going to do another 100,000, 150,000,

we could do this. No, here's the thing. And oftentimes people hear that and that's not an impressive amount of money. But coming from my family, my dad raised a family of seven and didn't make 100 grand in three years. So in my mind, I was like, we're high in the hog. Like, we can do this. We get to travel, we get to be together. And so he said, yeah. I said, okay, so I'm not gonna pay somebody else. We're gonna do this together.

And like, we're going all in. And literally he and I are sitting at the dining room table, like going through the manual of a camera to figure it out. And then we'd go out, we would practice, we would get paid. And we're like, it doesn't get better than this. Like we're eating Taco Bell on a Thursday night in front of a fireplace, date night. Like we're living our best life.

Like we dreamt of moments like this, and then it happened. And then lo and behold, our portfolio's expanded. I started getting awards for my work. I started teaching other photographers the business of photography. And then people were like, yeah, but how do I learn more from you? And so like late one night, I just sat up and I was like,

okay, I understand this business thing. So I said, people are having a hard time booking their clients. They kind of go as like cold leads. And so then I wrote 20 emails at the time, but what we call today, email funnels. I was doing that. I didn't know I was doing it. So I said, here's an email that you send to somebody after they inquire. Here's the 12 questions you need to ask. And so it was an email template.

I uploaded for like 1999 into an online story. Again, no idea how to build an online store, something called E-Junkie. I just uploaded a PDF, put it up like a buy button, and that created a six-figure revenue stream based on a 1999 PDF. So you were writing copy essentially, you wrote 20 emails. What point is it, how old are you at, how far is this? This is a year after the... This point is about two years. Two years into the game, so JD, my husband, business partner, we were working together about a year. And so at this time, we're trading hours for dollars. And I thought to myself, I'm still blogging, I'm still creating content, and people are

asking questions. And so I'm sharing a bunch of free content, and I'm building trust with people. So I make an offer. The very first digital offer I ever created was $19.99, and that thing just sold. It just met value and demand, and it was like lightning in a bottle. And that's why I knew, oh, there's something else here. Explain what you said, trading hours for dollars,

and then talk about how you moved from that to the next level. Oh, so there's like a distinct differentiation of having an online business and having a business online. So when you have a business online, that means somebody can buy something from you. I could book a training session. I can send you an email.

You can send me an invoice. But having an online business means that you have a secured pathway to revenue regardless of your effort. The same amount of effort can yield $100 or $100,000. That's an online business. And that became a game changer. Yeah, because a lot of people,

so again, I come from an immigrant family and my family are very poor and their understanding of creating wealth was you just make a lot per hour and you make a lot for what you do, meaning you want to make more at some point you just keep working more and more. You're saying you took it from that to no no I'm gonna make more money with doing the same amount of work. Correct. So just create it. Now you're creating this email template, these 20 emails, what's the next thing? People wanna see me shoot.

And so I was like, okay. Now are they telling you this? Are you waiting for your market to tell you where to go? 100%. I don't create anything unless somebody has said it multiple times, like the queue for me is three. And if I hear the same thing around three times, I start putting things out on social. I start asking questions in newsletters.

I start saying, wait a minute, if three people say it, how can I duplicate this so I start getting more information? So let's pause right there. This is really important. Adam talks about this all the time with our coaches. Is oftentimes a lot of mistakes people make start because they believe they know what the market wants. So they throw out ideas, which is fine,

but you're gonna probably throw out a lot of failures before you succeed, and you really don't ever know. You're saying, I don't do that, I wait until my people tell me what they want, and then I figure out how to create it. Right? 100% and beyond that is when they ask,

that means they're willing to pay. And if they're not asking, they're probably not willing to pay. And if they're not asking, they're probably not willing to pay. And so what happens is like, we are very educated around what we know people need to succeed. And that's not often the thing that somebody wants to buy. And so it's like chocolate covered broccoli.

In order for them to eat the broccoli, it's probably, I'm actually, not a good analogy for y'all. I know like chocolate and broccoli, I know, I know. But it's like, how do you get them ultimately? How do you, how do you give them what they need and sell them what they want? And that is truly on the back of listening to what people are saying. And every time I've tried saying, oh, but this is what you really want. It never sells the way that the other stuff did. And so then we kind of decided to flip the script.

So we had this 1999 PDF and people are like, we want to see you shoot. And so then we decided, okay, well, what if we hosted a one day event? People want to see me shoot. They want to build their portfolios, $2,000. Come hang out for the day. I'll walk you through my business. I'll have a shoot and then we'll see what happens.

We had 20 tickets. We sold out in less than 20 minutes. And I was like, oh my God. So we decided to do that every other month. That created a different revenue stream. But then there was a ton of people who were like, $2,000 is just way out of our league. Because they were booking so fast.

So that's a market signal. It's like, I have a product and it's booked right away. Who else was doing this at the time? Because I feel like, yeah, that was probably very slim. I mean, here's the thing. So it's a very myopic view, right? So it's like, if you have something that you think is really proprietary, you don't wanna share it.

So I just decided, let me flip the script and let people, and let me do it the opposite way because I'm only creating the thing that I wish I had and the thing that people are asking me for. And all of a sudden, and now, that's a very duplicative model in the industry. But at the time, people weren't doing it and people were literally, like,

we were selling out so fast, we had wait lists, and we're like, okay, we could start doubling down on this. And there was a whole segment of people that were left unserved, and so what happened, we were creating content around this thing. People were like, we want more, but we can't afford this. And I was like, okay, let me reverse engineer. What do they actually want?

And so I started asking people, I would email them, okay, but what is it about it? Is it the business component? No, it was never the business component. They wanted to see me shoot. And so then I hired a videographer. I said, come with me to three weddings. And I want, at the end of this, five minute videos

just of watching me and the dynamic of shooting. And so then we had, I think we had uploaded like 12 videos and we listed them, gosh. So a new digital program. New, it's not even, you guys, it wasn't even a program. It was a 2.99 five minute video that you can download. And we just put them up for $2.99. And we just like, just ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.

And I was like, there's something here. There is something here around building trust with people, creating free content, and then having a way for them to buy and go deeper. And that's exactly the model that you guys had built. But this was like early on. We're back in like 2011-ish, you know? How are you finding the leads for all of this

through this process? How are you getting people to talk to to do this? Blog, the blogger. Blog. So this whole time you're continuing to write the blog and put content, how often are you writing and putting stuff out there? Seven days a week, sometimes one or two posts a day. So every day, you're still this whole time you're consistent putting stuff out there.

Oh yeah. Okay, and people are going to wonder, where do you find the content for that? How do you write every single day? It's crazy. Content begets content. Because you make something and if you make it long enough, one person will ask a question and then all you have to do is signal. So I was asked today, or even better if you highlight, long enough, one person will ask a question and then all you have to do is signal. So I was asked today or even better if you highlight, you know,

like Stephen from Connecticut asked and people like, wait, we can ask him, we can ask her. And so I started shouting people out and then if they had a blog, I would link to their blog. At the time, the blog was getting like 25, 30,000 hits a day, unique hits a day, which I didn't even know meant something. But I was like, oh, people are here. And so all of a sudden people wanted to be listed and they started giving me the content that they wanted to know and see. And all of a sudden, questions that I thought,

oh, this is dumb or not interesting, that thing lit up. And the stuff that I thought was really interesting, oh, people are gonna love this. Didn't care. Didn't care. Didn't care. How many times have we learned that lesson? So many times.

We've learned that lesson so many times. So this whole time you're writing, this whole time, and you're creating these digital products, How many times have we learned that lesson? So many times. We've learned that lesson so many times. So this whole time you're writing, this whole time, and you're creating these digital products, things are starting to take off. At what point are you looking at this and looking at your husband and going, we're going to be millionaires? Probably not for a while. In fact, like earlier, before we started recording, Doug and I were chatting and I said, you know,

I did this thing in 2010 called Creative Live. And there was a photographer at the time, his name was Chase Jarvis, and he had started creating online content. And people are thinking, when they hear that now, it seems so silly. But at the time, there was not a way to broadcast on the internet.

There was this thing called Ustream and that was it. And so I got a phone call. I don't know this guy, he doesn't really know me. And he's like, hey, I hear you're creating waves in the wedding world. Let's do something crazy. And I was like, okay, what's crazy? He says, what if we have a real wedding

and we broadcast it live on the internet? Now at this time, I have no frame of reference. I'm like, wait, wait, wait, you're breaking my whole frame of reality. Like, what are you even talking about? And he's like, real people, a real bride and groom with their real family members, and then people will watch it.

Live. Live. And I was like, yeah. Again, get me in the room. Get me around the people who are breaking the frame of reality and get me to, cause when I looked at, like he's on the cover of Newsweek, he had an app, he was an author, he was shooting all celebrities,

and I'm like, I don't know how to behave, I don't know who I am, if I get into the room, I can model. Like, let me just model what that version of success looks like and then I can embody it. And so we did that and we quite honestly broke the internet. We were trending right behind President Obama and right above Lindsay Lohan on Twitter. And I think it was over 40, excuse me,

over 400,000 people were watching live at one time of a real couple getting married. And so I was telling Doug, I'm like, that completely shifted what I was able to do. And the online store was all these tiny little things and on the back of that much exposure, then I was like, okay, we're playing a different game now. I was just gonna ask you,

how did you leverage that exposure? And imagine if we didn't have the digital offerings, there wouldn't have been a way to scale it because the other arm of the business was trading hours for dollars. Right. Even if everybody wanted to book a one-hour call, you can't scale it. So we did have some things on queue that people can buy on demand. And then the wait list for the live event skyrocketed. And we were having one every single month.

But at the same time time you realize, okay, I think it's time for an expansion. What did that look like? Okay, so then there's the thing you know and the thing you don't. And I was like, I think I'm being called to create for a larger audience, a larger TAM, total addressable market.

So I had gone so deep with photographers that I realized I can take what I'm teaching to photographers and go into bigger markets. And people thought that was crazy because they're just like, wait a minute, you literally got to the 1% of the 1% in your industry. You were literally charging with the top people charge. You were in magazines, you were writing editorials, you're making so much money from photographers. And he's like, absolutely.

But there is a bigger circle here. And I want to at least try to start taking what I've learned and applying it to different industries. And that was really scary, because you have to burn the boats. You have to leave the thing that brought you to that point when you're very serious. And that was like a two-year iteration.

And I've noticed that every time I've pivoted, it's been like a two-year iteration. Tell me about the next, from where you were a photographer, what was the next bigger circle? What do you mean, explain that. So I was creating blog posts, I was creating content for photographers,

and then other companies in the industry started saying, well, can you go and do that for us? Got it. And I was like, okay, you want me to do what I'm doing, but I get paid for it to do it on your behalf? Yeah. And I started realizing, oh man, here I am, I'm trading hours for dollars.

And I said, okay, at the time there was like six or seven companies that were paying me to do this. I was like, you know what I'm gonna do? I'm sorry guys, I'm gonna focus on my arm of the business now that I have digital offerings. And then they had said, well, can you come in and teach our teams how to build a brand and market it on social media?

And I had never heard of the word consulting. They're like, do you do consulting? And I was like, well, how much do you charge? Or like, how much do you have? And then I saw that you could be a consultant, which means that you just tell people the work to do, and then they go and do it. I was like, well, how much do you charge? Or like, how much do you have? And then I saw that you could be a consultant, which means that you just tell people the work to do, and then they go and do it. I was like, I could do this.

So we started consulting, and then I started realizing, okay, there's some teams who deploy, there's some teams who don't, and as a consultant, you go in and then you're valued on the veracity of the team. And I was like, I don't like to be judging somebody else's work, because that was a non-controllable. And I was like, this is no longer suiting me. And it was at that point in time where we went

from doing the work to consulting about the work where I moved into a larger TAM. And I said, I'm going to create a digital course. I had this idea. Okay, this is stupid. It was actually stupid. It was very stupid. I hate talking about myself that way, but it really was.

I was just woke up and I was like, I'm going to create a class on how to build a brand and market on social media for business owners, period. In punto, this is it. I'm going to rent out a studio in LA. And I just did so wrong, you guys. I hired like eight videographers. We had a producer.

I mean, we had a live audience. I charged $1,000 a ticket for this one day thing. And when I got the bill back from like the video team, I was like, oh my God, I think they charge like 80 grand for this event. And I was like, what am I going to do? I have hours and hours of event. And I was like, what am I gonna do? I have hours and hours of content. And I was like, what am I gonna do?

I'd never even heard of a course. So I just start Googling, how do I sell long form content? And then I came across something that said, it was like a mastermind. I didn't even know what a mastermind was. And I was like, okay, I'm just gonna see what this thing is. This guy has this online class, called it a webinar.

I was like, what's a webinar? And he says, join my group of people. And I'm watching this with my husband, we're making dinner, and I was like, man, I think this is expensive. Like, I think he's gonna charge a lot of money. I was like, this guy is gonna charge like $5,000. My husband's like, he's gonna charge 10. We're sitting there, he gets to the end of the pitch,

and he's like, so for $25,000, I was like, oh my God, I shut the computer, I was like, this fool! He needs someone to buy his like, snake oil. I'm smarter than that. Next day, I was like, oh my God, I shut the computer. I was like, this fool, he needs someone to buy his like snake oil. I'm smarter than that. Next day, he says, in order to apply, you have to put down $1,000, put down $1,000. And I was like, I don't know that world, but what did I need to do? I needed to get into the room.

I needed to act and behave the way online business owners did. And that changed my life because in that time that I was there, I had literally hours and hours of content. I had to figure out how to make this course and he's like, Hey, how can you just test this new audience? How deep is your personal brand? Because with photographers, they're going to buy your stuff. But how deep is your is your brand with non photographers with just business owners?

I said, I don't know. He says, can you just do a cheap offer? Just kind of test the water. And I was like, I don't know. He's like, give yourself two months, make this offer, put it out, beta test it in four months and launch it. I did meet $255, I don't know. He's like, give yourself two months. Make this offer, put it out, beta test it in four months, launch it. I did, made $255,000 in five days. I was like, oh, we're going to be millionaires.

What was the product? It was $197 program for how? It was only 197, too. That's a lot of volume then. Yeah, we did volume. Wow. And what was it? Instagram for business.

I said, if you want to use Instagram for your business, buy this course. And that was your first test? And then from there you're like, okay, there's something here and I'm gonna continue to make products and services for people who wanna build their business through social media. What year was this?

That was 2015. Wow, and that's such a thing now. Everybody's like, oh, you can build your business through social media, but you were just just starting. Were you, did you at that at any point when you were doing this we were like oh we're kind of trailblazing a little bit. No you know I maybe some people do maybe people with Hutzpah, Cajones, not me I was like this is a mess. This is going to fail. What the heck are we doing? We're doing it wrong Why are we up at midnight trying to figure out what a lead page is to our email software

system? Like you, it feels so messy. Brittany Brown says it best. She says it's gold plated grit. We look at something that we did that was like really hard in the past. We're like, oh yeah, we did that thing and it was great and easy. But what people don't see in the middle of it, which is what I was documenting on my blog, I was just like, I think I'm underwater.

We just bought a house. Our construction was so much more than we had anticipated. I'm $80,000 already paid for this videographer, not even including the edits or the uploads or anything along that. I was like, I don't know how we're going to get out of this. I think that there's something really compelling about somebody just speaking their truth and then seeing that climb up and bringing them with it. So what are some of the big mistakes that people make trying to build their businesses

through social media and what are some of the best ways that they could move forward? I mean obviously you know what you're doing, so what do people screw up? Because everybody wants now, everybody's like, I want to build my business, I got to use social media. But not everybody can do it. I think the first mistake is people think, well, if I had more followers, then I would have more customers. And the fact is, if you have 100 followers now

and you don't have customers, having a thousand followers doesn't mean you're gonna get a customer. Like, the way that you're presenting your business isn't working for the small segment. Volume doesn't fix it. Volume only enhances, but also volume exposes. If you don't have people now,

you're not gonna have it if you have more. So, thing number one is don't focus on what you want, focus on who you have, and then figure out what they want or what they need. What are people asking about? And people are like, oh, well, nobody's leaving me comments or nobody's leaving me DMs. That leads to point two. Well, how consistent are you?

Like, consistency is the thing. They have to know and trust that you only don't show up. It's like, you're silent for three weeks and all of a sudden, like, oh, my program. You're like, oh, lose your 50 pounds at the beginning of the year. And when you haven't posted anything since the previous Halloween when you were able to walk around without a shirt.

Everyone thinks that you're just there to sell them something and they smell that. So in order for you to move past that, trust is the currency on social media. And then the third part would be, what's your plan? Nobody says, oh, I'm going to get healthy or I'm going to go to the gym and I'm going to work out and then you don't have a plan. It's like your success is directly correlated to what your plan is. Yeah. We learned the whole follower thing that you said early on. I remember Adam had found someone on social media that had, she had like 3 million followers and we had her post about

Mind Pump and we're like, oh, we're going to get this new flood of listeners. Nothing. Zero. We got zero. We didn't feel it at all. That was our first lesson and like, oh, followers don't necessarily mean influence necessarily. It just means. I want you to talk a little bit about your work ethic around learning and leveling up. Like something that we kind of glossed over, the fact that you were able to get into USA

tells me a lot about the behaviors that you built around being a student and a student of the game, learning, like I also know personally like how much you invest in masterminds and groups and getting in the room. During even that process of photography, how much time are you also spending in reading, learning, getting in rooms? What is that? Because obviously you were consistent with the posting, that's a big part, but you obviously leveled up too, and I know that is partially through the practice in doing it, but I'm assuming you probably were doing more outside of that too.

If we can back up a tiny bit, because I feel like this story encapsulates every story, because I think it's hard when somebody looks at somebody who's successful and be like, okay, well that's for them. That worked at that time for that person in that way. But I think if we were to peel it back and all things being equal,

I got straight A's in high school, not because I was the smartest or the wittiest. I worked really hard. I got straight A's in college, not because I was really smart. I just worked really hard. I was literally the last person standing when it came down time to meet with a professor to study principles of marketing. I got an A not because I was the smartest. I got an A because I was the last person to leave that room and I knew every question

that was going to be in that test. Six hours later, not everybody's willing to do those types of things. And so I knew that I, I knew and I know I don't test well. I didn't learn how to read until I was 11. I'm not necessarily like IQ smart whatsoever. I'm just, I'm driven. And I think that that's a good story

that people can look into because if I was smart, people would say, oh, well, it's because she's like that. But I'm like, no, no, no. I just have, I don't know, the stupidity, the hutzpah and the courage to stay as long as it takes to get to where I want to go. And so I knew that when I was going into my LSAT, I went through two courses. I paid for all of that. I did the things that you're supposed to do.

And I was testing like dumb as a doorknob. I was like, OK, I'm going to take this LSAT. I'm probably going to do poorly, just factually. And guess what? I was right. I did not do well. For all intents and purposes, I shouldn't even have gotten to a tier three law school. So then I started calling admissions offices. Nobody answered. I started emailing.

I'll just go to an admissions page and be like, who do I email? I started emailing people. And I said, can I talk to somebody about what it would take for somebody who's not qualified on a test taker to go through and get in? Like, I got like 999 nos. And this one brother from UCLA says, what are you looking for? And so then I was, can I call you? I pick up the phone

and I said, this is it. This is the truth of it. I know I'll kill it. I'm just getting like, I just need to get in. And he's like, you need to create a case for why you belong in law school. You want to be a lawyer? Create a case. I took that like freaking Bible and I was like, I need to create a case. So all of my admissions were just like in the past, I didn't learn how to read till I was 11. I was homeschooled. I didn't have very much money. When I started reading, I was reading War and Peace when I was 13. So, I just know that if I have the opportunity, so I laid out the case and I think that that's when we talk about every room that you get in there after. It's what do I need to do, who do I need to become

in order for me to get into the room? And so progressively I've been able to get into bigger rooms and better rooms because I have more money to spend. But this goes back to how much are you willing to reinvest in yourself even if all things considered, not exactly eligible to be in there? Yeah, how important is that for success do you think?

From my opinion, from my opinion, having the ability and accessibility is the game changer. I don't know it from anybody else's perspective. I only know it from myself, a first-time Latin, a female, a first-time founder. The fact, I mean, what a beautiful country. You get to say, I want something. How do I get it?

You're not guaranteed to get it. You can reverse engineer and you take tiny little steps to get there and so I think that is to me the greatest gift and how you Jump over other people is by paying to invest in yourself because my dad always said a country can take away your car Your home your zip code. They can't take away your knowledge and that's what he was a huge defender like learn They can't take that away. And now I've just applied that to my business and it's always 10X paid back. Do you think immigrants have an advantage or children from immigrants have an advantage

because they see the, I don't mean advantage in terms of like, obviously they're not as privileged, but the work ethic oftentimes you hear comes from children of immigrants. Did you get that from your parents? Did you see that? 100%, my dad was like the hardest working person I knew, but it was very hard. I saw my father lose two homes, from children of immigrants. Did you get that from your parents? Did you see that? Okay. 100%. My dad was like the hardest working person I knew,

but still it was very hard. I saw my father lose two homes, not because of lack of diligence, but there's just no money. And so we kind of floated around from apartment to apartment. And I think that just working for everything you have and watching how he showed up for his family and then being so happy with whatever little there was,

like really set the precedent for how much it's the game. I want the money, but you're not in the game for the money. I think that that kind of has a different perspective. I think there's something else too that I'm picking up from your story that really helped to catapult your success in terms of you being so transparent in your process and documenting that and allowing people to that process. And I think that that's a very rare thing, especially that early. A lot of people now are trying to kind of do that and show that on social media. But talk to me about that in terms of like the fear of letting somebody in to your process when you don't even really think

you know what you're doing. You know, the greatest gift that you can give yourself is the ability to trust that people are gonna have an opinion either way. They're gonna have an opinion if you sit on the couch if you go to the gym, they're gonna have an opinion if you eat a pizza or you have a smoothie. They're gonna have an opinion if you run the marathon or not. And so if you know that people are gonna have an opinion if you decide to pursue something, then let it be. Let them have an opinion. They're going to have an opinion if you're living your best or if you're absolutely living your worst. And I just kind

of feel like myself, if you don't like me, I want you to be real sure. I don't need you to be lukewarm about me. I need you to say that you saw what I did or you heard me speak and it's like, I don't like her. Great. I don't need to be for you. I need you to trust that what I'm saying is 100% my truth. I would rather be 100% of myself. And somebody say, that's not for me. Cool. I wasn't intended to be. I think that if we go in and we understand that the future,

not just of business, but of life, but specifically want to be strategic about business, is from now on, it will only be niche centric, content centric around something that somebody wants to go deep with. Gone are the days of Oprah, gone are the days of Paris Hilton, gone are the days of Mr. Beast, gone are the days of Kim Kardashian. As our attention gets more and more segmented, the way that people rise to the top is becoming so super specialized on what it is they're talking about and creating content around

that one thing. You will never ever, ever be all the things to all the people because Oprah descended because it was a vehicle for a lot of women watching a show at 3 p.m. in the afternoon. But what were the other options? Not very much at that time. And so Kim Kardashian came in at a time where it's like she was getting an attention in one or two social platforms, became famous for one or two things, and then became famous for being famous.

But what we see is like Mr. Beast, not as much as Kardashian, but went real big on one outlet trying to master that outlet. And what do we see from there? You're going to have to start doing different things specific to a topic on a platform in order to have relevance within that group. So the name of the game, and this largely has to do with just accessibility. There's so many channels, so many outlets, so many different people that specializing is the name of the game now.

Getting real specific and real specialized in what you do. Do you have any examples of that? Well, I mean, when I look at the stuff that you guys are doing, it's like you guys are going after a very diverse group of people, but you're serving them in very specific ways. I think that's the only way that you're gonna be able to leverage that beyond that. So it's like, I may not brag, but this morning I did mommy maps.

I mean, I'm not gonna brag, I'm not gonna brag. But like when you build stuff out like that, that speaks to where that person is on their journey, it makes them feel like it's resonant with them. They're gonna spend more time, they're gonna spend more money, and they're gonna have a lot more allegiance to it. How do you balance, you are a mom, right? I am. How do you balance being a mother with what you're doing? feel like it's resonant with them. They're going to spend more time, they're going to spend more money, and they're going to have a lot more allegiance to it.

How do you balance, you are a mom, right? I am. How do you balance being a mother with what you're doing? I have a really great partner. I feel like, you know, I've really taken a big step back. I don't really talk so much about it, not because I don't love it, not because I think I don't,

I know I have the best kid in the world. I know, I know, I know, everything's set. She's just perfect for me. And so I understand that a lot of times, like as a woman and as an entrepreneur, people say, well, how are you doing it? And I'm like, I'm not the person that you want to be talking to

because I'm an entrepreneur who's a mom. I'm not a mom who's an entrepreneur. And I'm very open with my partner. And we have like, it doesn't have to look good for anybody else, it doesn't have to be great, it doesn't have to be approved. What works for us? And we are 50-50 partners and parents,

but during the work day, he is taking the lead as the parent during that time. And so here I am, I flew up today, I'll float back home, he dropped me off at the airport with her, he will pick me up at the airport with her, and he's on dad mode. I like how you're not apologetic about it. I feel like moms in particular can sometimes struggle with that, right?

Like because of either expectations or whatever. It's like, I don't know, you know, and men don't necessarily feel this pressure. So I like that you're super transparent about that and just very open about it and kind of like this is how I am and this is what I like to do. Where did you get that from? You don't often hear that from people that kind of like, like earlier you said, you're not gonna be lukewarm, you're gonna love me or hate me, but I'm gonna make sure it's one or the other. Where did you get that from?

Did you inherit that, or were you born with that? No, I think that, I was recently watching a documentary about Martha Stewart, and she said that she had to go to prison in order to be free. And I thought that was so powerful because oftentimes we live in the cages that we construct ourselves.

And I feel like for so long, I was so afraid of the opinions that people had had about me. And there was a time in my photography career where I just got ripped apart. There was a group of people who just decided just to go after everything about me, my content and all the things. Was this when you started taking off

and other photographers were like, you're not experienced, you don't have experience. And it was like the kind of like slow burn and then there was like this pinnacle and it just like hit me like a freight truck. How were they coming after you? Was this on social media posts and stuff? On social media posts, this is like, you know,

when it was like Facebook groups and then people were coming to the blog and then just leaving all these like terrible comments and they would go to my Facebook page and leave terrible comments. And so you think that something like that is going to be the end of you. And you think that that will ruin you.

And you are- Did it feel like that? Oh, I thought it was that. I was like, I'm done. I'm done. I literally thought that my clients were gonna ask for money back. It was bad.

The way that people were showing up and you couldn't stop it. It was just a machine. And it was a wake. Did you feel people were showing up and you couldn't stop it. It was just a machine. Did you feel like at any point, like, okay, I quit? I don't want to go nowhere. Oh yeah. Absolutely. I mean, just the nature of my business is that people were booking me so far in advance that had I not had all of a book of business to fulfill on, I would have been like, I'm out. I'm out. I thought I was ruined. That was my first stepping into therapy. And I was just like, what's wrong with me that I care about like Jerry pants 246 and his opinion about my business? Why do I care? What it is affecting me? I couldn't, I couldn't sleep. I was losing my hair. I was sad.

I was like my whole life, I never had anything to lose. And we'd built a business and I felt now we're going to get taken away by haters. Yeah. How did you, okay, talk about that because it's important to explain or talk about these kinds of challenges because now we're hearing, we see your success, we heard about all your successes and I think sometimes on the outside people are like, oh, well, okay, well, did she really go through crazy struggles? So you're saying you were depressed, you couldn't sleep, you lost your hair.

How long was that period and how did you manage yourself? What did you do to get through that? Well, big advocate, I'm still in therapy now. Like, think of it's the best thing. And I don't know, it's hard to talk about a little bit in Latino culture. I can only speak for my family. It's not ever something that people are like, oh, therapy.

No, no, no. Like, you know, it's like therapy is like a chunk on the back of your head and be like, toughen up, let's go. You know, exactly, exactly, exactly. And so it's like, my husband and I had moved to Newport Beach and so that's around the time that I started therapy and kind of family joke, you know, Mexicans like really mean to each other sometimes.

They're like, oh, she's rich now, she goes to therapy. So, you know, but a lot of it was just like a reconciling of like, who am I and what do I want? And then you have to be very aware that the only person who stops you is you. Yeah. The only person who's going to stop you from taking business or building is you.

And I thought to myself, well, I don't want to be the reason I stopped doing this. So then I had to make the reason and give myself reasons to continue showing up despite how awful it felt. I think therapy used, I mean, obviously used properly, I mean, it's like coaching. Like, why wouldn't you hire somebody to help you work through some, how long was that period, that challenging period where people were coming after you and you were like struggling?

Was that like two months, a month? I think it was about, it was pretty hard, hardcore, about six months. Oh, that's brutal. Yeah, it was unrelenting. I was like humiliated. When was the turning point where you were like, okay, I'm gonna get out of this?

I'm sure throughout that period you were like barely feeling like you were trading water. You know, I think it's kind of, it's like the weirdest thing. If you woke up every day and you came into the office and Adam punched you in the face, I think that you kind of almost become anesthetized. Like you know what's coming and you're like,

I didn't die the day before. All right, here we go. How good that analogy is though, right? Yeah. Africa, every morning, South Africa. That laugh took, yeah, every time. So a little bit of like, oh, I survived. So I applied the same methodology.

You just got tougher. Yeah. What was the actual turning point? Like, do you remember, was there a moment where you were like, okay. Well, so what happens is like, the vitriol got so bad that I was speaking a lot on photography conferences and stages and I got pulled from all of it.

They're like, we just don't want any of this negativity. Really, what were they saying about you? Everything, literally that I faked the story about my mom having cancer, that how my family should go back to Mexico, how statistically Puerto Ricans are pregnant by the time they're 18. Like it was just, it was just, I mean it was everything though, it was everything across the board.

It was like how, it was like they said, I looked like a man, everything, everything. What were the most hurtful ones to you? I would imagine it was ones that actually attacked your talent because that's your work. Because all this stuff is stupid, like, oh, she, you know, like, whatever, that's not true. Like, what was the stuff that hurt you the most

during that period of time? I think, I mean, all of it, like all of it. It's like when they attack your appearance, both for and against, like, oh, the reason why she's able to book clients is because she wears skirts when she shoots. It's like, it's like stupid, stupid stuff that all of a sudden eats at you and you're like, oh, I was wearing a skirt.

Was that inappropriate? Like, stupid stuff that never even crossed your mind and then that's all of the stuff that you think about. And you're like, okay, I can dwell in this space and I can listen to what other people are saying or I could simply decide I'm going to move on. And very similar to being the last person with my marketing professor after six hours,

and he openly said, I'm going to tell everybody the questions that are going to be on here. I'm literally writing the test. So I sat down, at the time, there was 30 people in the class, 13 people showed up. After hour one, people left.

After hour two, people left. After hour three, and I said, I'm not leaving until I know every question. And I think I just applied the same thing. I am not leaving this industry. I am not gonna stop taking clients. And for every stage that said, I am not allowed to go back, when you come back and ask me, and they have,

I'm never going back. I do not forget the people who did not stand with me when you knew the truth, when I called you and I laid everything out and you didn't stand with me. Have you had any of that satisfaction? Has anybody called you back? You're like, hey, remember. Of course, of course.

Of course they call back and you think that the satisfaction is going to taste like nectar and ambrosia and it tastes like cardboard. And the visceral that I was carrying around being like, one day, one day, and then the day happens and you're like. What a lesson. You're like wah, wah, wah.

Right, right. Did you forgive them? Did I forgive them? Did they need forgiveness for watching their own? I understand why they made those decisions. They had a conference to run. They had sponsors to fulfill. They didn't want drama. They didn't want bad press. They watched their own. They watched their own. If they had given me an opportunity,

I would have done right by them. I'm sad that they didn't do that. I don't think that there was something to be forgiven because I understood why they did it. But I now have learned in that situation, when you see somebody down and that person comes to you and says the truth of it, make a decision that's gonna be the best for you and them, not on the worry or the back of bad press. Do you coach people, because you wouldn't have gotten all that heat had you not become successful.

Nobody would have noticed. Right. Do you ever coach people like that? Like, hey, by the way, if you start to crush, this may actually happen. Oh, all the time. And expect, okay. I mean, it's not even coaching as much as it is,

I just talk about all of my content. Like there was this bit by a comedian, Cat Williams, and he's just talking about like, you don't have a hater today, you're not doing it. Yeah, you ain't doing shit. Like my goal is to get one more hater, and I cannot tell you, when I had looked at that, it was after everything had went down

and I'd kind of done like, I'm better, I'm well. Like I'm my health most healed version of myself. And then I saw Kat Willans, I was like, that's right. What are you talking about me? Spell my name right, give me a link. Bring it, bring it. Because, because those people tried tearing the business down,

and that year we were tenfold more successful than we had been on the year that we did Creative Life. Wait a minute, that same year that you're getting all that bad whatever? Yes, because they came out with a whole concerted effort of how they were gonna take me down, but what they ended up doing was creating a whole silo of information pointing to me, being, she's terrible,

she's this, she's that, and all of a sudden people who had no idea who I was were going to my site and then having an opinion about me on their own. No way. They found the truth out. When did you realize that that was happening? Because I'm sure at first you're like, this is going to crush my business,

and they're like, wait a minute, honey. Well then we started to say things, but I was paranoid. I was paranoid because I'm like, they're going to go through the videos and they're going to go through my PDFs and then they're going to rip them off and they're going to sell them to other people,

they're going to tell you several things, they're going to misconstrue and they're gonna go through my PDFs and then they're gonna rip them off and they're gonna sell them to other people. They're gonna tell you several things. They're gonna misconstrue my words. I had literally thought they were gonna clip out words from one PDF, create another PDF, and then have me akin to like this, can we say Hitler on the show? They were making me, they were drawing comparisons between me and Hitler.

It was really, really, really, really, really, really, you guys, I'm telling you, I'm telling you, I mean, it's awful. So we sit there and we think, oh, like, that's so silly. But when you are in the middle of it, even when we were making those transactions, on the back of it, I was just like, no, something's not right, something's not right here.

Any strains on your marriage during this whole process, or did it just make you guys stronger? Made us so much stronger, and I think very distinctly in a way. So my husband and I met when we were in high school and he's just the kindest, good, mature, level-headed person. And that man was just stult-ward. He was just like, you know who you are, don't let them buckle. He's like, you can quit, you're not quitting this year. You're not gonna let them take you down. And I needed, I really needed, I'm a tough, like I'm a baddie, but I needed somebody.

I was crumbling. I needed to be soft, I needed, so you know, we had to have like a clear distinction between are we having a business partner conversation or are we having a husband and wife conversation? And that whole year, I was like, I can't even function as a business partner or even as a partner.

So he just, he held it down. Wow, and then you started crushing, and then you're like, cool. That's why, yeah, I was always, it was like this expedition. Like, so sometimes, so sometimes we talk about the unknown and the thing that you're not happy with. If you don't make a move, the move will happen to you. I thank God for that experience because I probably would have stayed in the industry

longer than I had been. I felt like I was like, I have everything underneath me now and I'm going. I'm going. But during that time, I had made the decision to leave the industry and I was still in the industry another two years. So behind the scenes, making moves. Stack cash, got to move things differently. I'm no longer speaking on those stages, I'm going to go speak on these stages.

I'm going to start making content in this way and just kind of like parlaying. So it's two tectonic shifts caused the earthquake and I'm like, I'm on longer speaking on those stages, I'm gonna go speak on these stages. I'm gonna start making content in this way." And just kind of like parlaying. So it's two tectonic shifts cause the earthquake and I'm like, I'm on new land, I'm out. So you open with a pretty provocative statement that you're from a bunch of quitters and that you quit an industry and now you're talking about this one as, you know, I was hell bent on this industry and I'm gonna stick here. And what's the difference between the two for you? It's harder with the more success that you have It's easy to quit when you have nothing to lose plus you were quitting on your terms

Not theirs like quitting because everybody else is telling you to quit Well, it kind of feels like I don't know you I've just met you, you know I know I know you from Adam, but you seem like the kind of person that if someone tells you, you're gonna quit, and they're like, no. Oh yeah, no. Okay, yeah. You don't tell me what to do.

Okay, all right, I pegged it right there. So the audience knows, you and I go back over two years now, we've been in the Hampton Group, so we've got to know each other. I love talking off air business with you. You, like me, I think, love the game of business. What is your favorite part about that? What is your favorite part?

I know you love the game of business. What do you enjoy the most of it? I read this quote and it said, the purpose of life is to determine why you're here. And the work of life is to hone your purpose. And the reason you are here is to give the gift away. And that's the quote more or less in it. And I think that what I actually really, really, really love

is sharing the messy parts in the middle. And then being able just to clock the documentation and being able to say, I showed up in the good, the bad, and the ugly, and I know that you have to show up in the good, the bad, and the ugly. And so when we reach those pinnacles and those apexes, we can look back and be really proud of those decisions. And so as much and difficult as creating content is,

I think Adam and I have both said, we cannot wait to throw our phones away. We can't wait to submerge, you know, podcast mics and phones and laptops. We can't wait for that day. Even though we know that that thing has given us a passport into a new galaxy, deep appreciation. I can't wait for that day for me not to have to do that anymore. It is a privilege. I look forward to forfeiting the privilege.

Until that day comes, I love freaking sharing what it takes and on the back end and how ugly and hard it is. Cause I think what happens is social media has glamorized what it means to be an entrepreneur. And I'm like, what kind of businesses are you running that everybody's like on the Amalfi coast? Like what?

And so I think I like the documentation of the process. I like the game. I like showing the ins and outs and I like giving people access to rooms, which is why when we go to these Hampton retreats, I create content because I think that for perhaps people of color, perhaps women, perhaps first-time founders, perhaps people not in the tech space or with large personal brands, they want to know what it is to be there. And so what a gift for me to be able to create that. Talk a little bit about, not just Hampton,

because you've done a lot of mastermind groups and to pay to get in the room. And you've changed my mind a little bit about that. My audience knows that I came out talking a lot of shit about masterminds for a very long time, yet I fell in love with the group that we have and have renewed and we're staying together and we continue to. And you have a different perspective on it. So I like hearing that. So share with the

audience, because there is a lot of mastermind scams. It seems like that's one of the biggest hustles on the internet right now is prove that I can kind of do my craft as soon as I can prove a little bit, I get a little bit of attention and then now I'm going to sell everybody else on this because I consider myself a master. How do you parse through all that and hone in on the ones that you want and what is your experience? Have they been all good? Have you had some that are like, oh, that was a waste of fucking money or have they

all been a home run for you? Okay. So I'll say this as a major caveat. You put me in any room and I'm hardwired to find the win. I'm just hardwired to find the win. Because, so when my mom got sick and like, you realize how quick life goes and you realize that time is not guaranteed. And so whatever time you have, my barometer of it is so distinctively different, which is why like today I thought I was late when I had showed up

and I was like, no, my God, because time is your most valuable thing. If I don't respect that, that is, like, such a hit, because we only have a few minutes every day that actually matter. And so, in my mind, whatever I invest in or wherever I go, even if I don't like it, or even if I feel like, oh, I could be doing something else, I'm like, you're here now, you better find the win. You better make this a win.

And so have I had some experiences that were easier to find wins? Yes, absolutely. But for us, the way that we operate is we are going to go out of our way to find people that we connect with to create wins. And so the more investments that I've made, the more I feel inclined that I'm gonna have to make it

a win, so I recently made an investment, it was really large and I was like, this is freaking crazy inclined that I'm gonna have to make it win. So I recently made an investment, it was really large, and I was like, this is freaking crazy. But I was doing it for proximity, and then when I kind of felt like, oh, maybe it's not as aligned, then I started looking around like, I'm just gonna set up a call on my own with you,

and I'm gonna ask this person to make me this intro, and I was like, how do I now reverse engineer? How do I get an ROI on this? I'm so glad you said that, because I think that's the part that you really changed my mind, is because I think I did view that the wrong way. I looked at it as like, okay, what is the material this person's going to

bring? Does it align with what I'm trying to do? And is it something I don't know? Versus what I know about myself is the same thing, is that you put me in a room with enough people that are doing things that I'm not doing or have done something that I have done, I will find out. And that in itself is so powerful. And so it has reframed or reshaped the way I look at some of those groups. And maybe that's why there's such a clear divide of people that hate them and talk so much shit is because if you pay that big ticket to get in that room and you expect it to just give to you your ROI, maybe you get lucky and you hit a good one, but probably not.

No. Versus, I know that I'm going to be in a room of other people that can afford to be in this room, but that alone already filters a lot of people out that I could probably learn from, even if the main person running it doesn't have what I need offer, I'm going to find that shit in this group. Yes, amen. Which is how I felt that Hampton has paid out for me. It's like, you know what? It's less, I've told you already, I don't use the actual group at all, but the relationships that I've built from it, I would pay five times that amount for. Yeah. And I'm like a little bit sharp edged. So the guys after year one were having considerations,

do we sign up again to be in the same group? And I am a diehard loyalist. Even if you don't want me to be loyal to you, I'm just even if you don't want me to be loyal to you, I'm just gonna be loyal to you. I'm loyal to gas stations, gonna have their card. I'm loyal to grocery stores. You know, it's like stupid. But these guys, some of them were saying, oh, well, I think I wanna be in a group

with other people who have businesses that are similar to mine in similar industries. And I'm like, why? Why does everyone wanna sit around and talking about like what it is you're doing so that you keep your current frame of reality? I was like the reason is get in front of other people who are doing things in different industries that are so different from you And you say that could not possibly ever work in my industry and then you have like a small test to see if it can

It's supposed to break your frame of reality That is how you leapfrog over your competition because you're not doing anything the way that the industry is currently doing it You know you said something interesting too because we've had the opportunity and the privilege and the blessing of meeting a lot of really successful people and there seems to be this common thread and you kind of said it where, you know, he said, are there any masterminds that you were in that sucked and you're basically like, well, I always find a win in each one. So you've got this attitude that's like, a lot of people say this is a negative, I'm going to find the positive.

Adam oftentimes talks about his upbringing, how challenging it was, and he's like, I think it was an advantage, it made me who I am. You brought up being a woman, being a child of an immigrant. Do you look at those, a lot of people will say, oh, disadvantage or whatever, do you look at those and go, no, there's advantages to them, or these are things I'm gonna use,

or this is gonna give me an edge. Do you look at those and go, no, there's advantages to them, or these are things I'm gonna use, or this is gonna give me an edge. Do you look at things that way? The frame at which we view a situation is the truth. If I say it's been powerful to be a brown female entrepreneur, that's true. If I say it was a disadvantage, that is also true. I simply choose to pick a frame in which I want to view the world, and then I make it true.

But I am not special. This is what we all should be doing. We look at a situation as facts. And so people will say that I am powerless because a person, a thing, or a situation has rendered me voiceless, moneyless, penniless. And at the same time, the things that keep us powerless are the things that could actually make us powerful if we simply choose to decide, despite the facts,

I will find a new system to believe. The facts could be, yes, you're poor. Yes, you were abused. Yes, you lost your job. Yes, she left you. Those are the facts. But what do you want to believe about those facts? That you are a loser, that you'll never come up. If you want to believe that, go right ahead. Or do you want to say is what will find me, will find me.

And what is better will come. And I will get better along the way. You choose. This morning I had a conversation with my sister. She had texted me and she's like, what's that thing that you said about hard conversations? Because I need to have a hard conversation. I said, nah, you need to have a conversation. If you want to call it a hard one, go right ahead. You want to call it healthy one, a productive one, go right ahead. Whatever label you want to apply. That's your decision. It is just a conversation. Yeah. Framework, mental framework. Excellent. How is the game changing for you now? I feel like, you know, when you

reach a certain level of success, at least is how it's been for me, you know, you spend so much time trying to get to that kind of destination or reach that level and then it kind of arrives for you. Does the goalpost just keep moving for you? Have you reframed what the next five or ten look like? Like how is the game kind of changing for you where you you reframed what the next five or ten look like? Like how is the game kind of changing for you where you're currently at right now? Oh I don't know, I was hoping you would not ask. I was like dang it. You knew I was going to. So I had this conversation with Jidi, I was like man, I'm like you know there's this way, there's this thing with this way. The more like the more attention or the more people like look at you a certain way, there's this

knee-jerk reaction to protect it. And so what I explained in the photography world, there was like a two-year kind of genesis where I had made a decision that that time had come and then two years making moves behind the scenes. And what I think has been our time that Adam has known me has been like a kind of like an inflection point where I know I'm choosing the unknown and I know that behind the scenes we're making moves.

And it's kind of like that awkward, like I'm in puberty of business and being like, oh, people have to see my oily hair and my acne as I'm doing this thing behind the scenes we're making moves. And it's kind of like that awkward, like I'm in puberty of business and being like, oh, people have to see my oily hair and my acne as I'm doing this thing behind the scenes. And it's like, when you make a decision to shift from people's perceptions, it's like, oh, she's really good, go to market strategist. She's really good at social media.

She's really good at business building. Yes, but what people don't know behind the scenes is I'm also serving in as advisor and we have a holding company and we're investing. And so what happens is I don't want to put the cart before the horse and say, oh, yeah, I got it together. I literally don't. It still feels like when those early days are like, oh, did you know what you're doing?

How did it feel? It felt like a freaking mess. I will tell you right now that people will say, well, she's never been more successful. I'm like, it feels like a freaking mess. And I feel like for the first time, it feels really good to come in and say, I know where I'm going and I've seen it. Right now it feels like a freaking mess. And I actually can't even describe what it is that I'm doing.

In the business world, there's ways to describe it. And I don't know how to describe those ways But I also know that when I wrote that 20 email PDF that that was an email funnel I didn't know that then there's something in me that I'm doing that I know I'm gonna look back and be like damn girl You didn't know what you were doing and you were doing it and it goes back to this thing I wouldn't have this calling to be an advisor and have a holding company So I know I I was like, there's this thing, Jay. I was like, there's this thing.

I'm like, I think I'm gonna build like this octopus. It's like, you know, the cat has like these different arms and two months later, I'm sitting in a mastermind and somebody says the word holding company and I described it like an octopus. I was like, JD, it's kind of like an octopus. And he's like, okay, I was like a business octopus. So it's like this thing.

And somebody at a mastermind uses the word holding company. They start describing operators within each arm of the octopus. And I'm like, oh my God, I'm on Google there. What is a holding company? And I was like, holy God, you're building a holding company. That was LLCs in place for all these other things.

You're doing it and it feels freaking messy and it feels scary. And it feels like you're taking big risks. And I'm like, okay, the worst has already happened. I'll be okay. Any favorite people you like to work with or types of people? Oh, just doers. Just do. Just do. Just do. Like, stop thinking. And thinkers, man, thinkers. Feelers even worse. Oh Lord Jesus. People thinkers, man, thinkers, feelers even worse. Oh Lord Jesus.

People who feel like, it doesn't feel right for me. And I'm like, I don't care what it feels like. You have to do. Give me facts, give me data, tell me you did it. We can work with 1800 things that went wrong. You're better off thinking, feeling about it. Just do. just do. The more lessons that you learn,

the more crystallized your knowledge becomes. You are unmessable with, with crystallized wisdom, and crystallized wisdom only comes on the back of getting punched in the face again and again and again. Share with these guys, social curator, what that has been like for you to start that, build that, like where you came up with the idea, what it's been like for you to start that, build that, where you came up with the idea, what it's been like to catch them up to speed. Okay, okay, okay. So let's go back to the story.

This is kind of like a film noir, like a French film that's all out of order. Okay. What the heck is going on here? Okay. So we talk about how we move into a different industry. So we go from consulting to creating a digital course. And so then we created other digital courses, each of them creating their own seven figure revenue stream along in the business. And then what we started realizing from courses that people are like, oh, we want continuity and we want fresh.

And so then people come in asking for a membership and I was like, I don't wanna do a membership, that seems kind of crazy and like, that's just too much pressure. And then what did we do? We listened to what people wanted. And I was like, okay, well, what do you want in membership? And we just reverse engineered.

And so as part of this membership, people were like, I don't really know what to say on social media. So then I started writing like fill in the blank captions, kind of like Mad Libs. And I would go in and be like, add your name, add your city, add your business, what you do, the three benefits of your, like literally.

And then people are like, and we really don't have photos. And so I started doing photo shoots and I was taking all these photos, thousands and thousands of photos for people to use on social media. Then I would have like business coaching in there. And then we have like courses. So we launched this thing and JD and I said, well, if we can get 500 people in the first five days,

well then that would be the ultimate success. And the first five days we got 2,444 people to be paying us month over month for this type of content. And I was like, oh, something's here. And so then the membership continued to grow, thousands and thousands of people. And then they started saying that there was a friction point between getting their social media marketing and scheduling it. And so then all of a sudden I'm like,

okay, well the friction point is tech. And in order for us to integrate in all the social largest platforms so that people can schedule their content, well we need to create a SaaS company, and I've never done coding or development. And so I just did what I always do. There is the suck of the known, and there is the unknown.

And so 2020, when the world is on fire, we had just adopted our daughter and we are moved into a new home under construction. So we're living in an apartment and I'm like, I don't know what's going on, but I know I need to fix the problem. Hired a CTO and by 2021, we launched our own tech stack to have a SaaS application. And so now people go in and they build a profile for their business. And instead of using those ad libs, we've programmed the back end.

So it's like our AI is running through your profile, through those ad libs, giving you content and ideas, serving up what we call a social media marketing agency in your pocket for individual business owners. Awesome. Awesome. Love it. Love it.

Yeah. This has been great. You're a busy lady. Great conversation. A lot of fun. I can see why Adam speaks so highly of you. Thank you. Yeah, this has been great. You're a busy lady. Great conversation, a lot of fun. I can see why Adam speaks so highly of you. Thank you, guys. Yeah, I appreciate you sharing this. Thank you.

I really hope someone listening right now can get some, I mean, you dropped so much wisdom in an hour. I think you're gonna help a lot of people. Thank you. Yeah, I get it. Work to find all the stuff for social creator. Where's the best place for people that are listening that are interested in that?

Well, I'm a firm believer. I'm not even gonna go for the pitch. I have a podcast, The Jazz and Star Show. I firmly believe that you shouldn't buy something until you actually know from that person. So if you don't like me, that's just as good for me. Go in, do your research, figure out what it is. So Jazz and Star Show, you can get a lot of free information

before you ever decide to invest. Love it. Awesome, thank you so much. Thank you guys. Thank you for listening to Mind Pump. If your goal is to build and shape your body, dramatically improve your health and energy, and maximize your overall performance, check out our discounted RGB Super Bundle at mindpumpmedia.com. 9 months of phased expert exercise programming designed by Sal, Adam and Justin to systematically transform the way your body looks, feels and performs.

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