Episode 11: How to Make the Most of Your Investments

Hello. Hello everybody, and welcome back to the podcast. Today we have a hot topic that was very much requested by you all, um, about how to make the most of your investments. Now, this is something that I know is on many people's mind, because when you are thinking about your investments, you want to make sure that you are using your resources wisely. And today I'm going to be talking to you about how to do that. So, within your life and within your business, you have typically three different types of resources. You have money, that is a resource for you to utilize. You have energy, which is a resource that you have the capacity for, and then you have time. These are the three most important resources for you to consider when you are thinking about making personal life decisions. And of course, for your business, this is also helpful. When you're thinking about selling to customers, you want to be thinking about how to make the most of your investments for them as well. So, within your business, you want to have a very clear intention for what this, um, investment will be. As you guys know, I love planning things out and I love evaluating every single week. When I'm thinking about making an investment in my business, it's because typically when I have the evaluations, there's something that comes up that is a pattern. I'm always looking for patterns. I'm always looking for ways and things that, uh, I'm like, okay, if this has come up enough times, and I've really tried to solve this on my own, and it's not working yet, I want to invest strategically to make sure that I am spending money to fill the deficits that are within my business. Like I've mentioned many times before, there is no such thing as a business without problems. You always are going to have problems as you encounter your business. The issue is, and the thing I want to draw your attention to is that you want to make them. Anytime that there is a problem, you want to come up with a strategy based solution for that. So when I'm thinking about spending my time, money and resources on purchasing things or investing my, like, time into things, I want to be really clear about why, what is my big why, what is the gap that I need someone else's support with that has done it before me and that could help me. So, for instance, one of the things that I focus, uh, on is I think about which programs are talking about which kind of results I want. For instance, I actually just invested in four different programs, programs all at the same time, which is not something that I typically do. I typically do one investment at a time. But one of the things that I found really important about that is I want to let you know that it's okay to invest in a couple of things at a certain time, and you want to also be really clear about why you decide to do different things. For instance, I decided. I noticed that when I was thinking about, uh, being a seven figure earner, having a seven figure business, and running a million dollar business with a team and all these awesome things that I am creating, I noticed that I felt very shaky about that. Like, when I was like, yeah, I'm going to run a million dollar business. Every time I said it, I kind of felt like I was going to throw up a little. And I was like, hmm m this is like, I feel like this is a lot. Oh, my goodness. I had a lot of thoughts about me being a teacher and creating this kind of, um, um, income and wealth and all these different types of things, and it freaked me out, honestly, and still does a little bit. If we're being honest. I'm sure when I listen back at this podcast years from now, I'm gonna be like, oh, my gosh, of course this happened. But I know that because my mindset, because my self concept, because my confidence is not at, uh, a seven figure earner standpoint right now. I knew that's going to be huge, and it will hold me back because I'm not going to make decisions like a million dollar CEO. I'm going to make decisions like a six figure CEO. And I kept seeing it come up over and over again, even with this podcast and things like that, that I was like, I'll, uh, put it off till later. But a million dollar CEO would never put off a podcast till later. They didn't understand their reasons why for doing it. And they're like, yep, I'm going to make these decisions strategically to grow the course of my business. This is my projections. And I noticed that because I've had a lot of growth in the year that I'm, um, recording this. It's 2024, and I've already surpassed all of last year's revenue, um, within the first four months of this year. So for me, my self concept, I knew, was needing to develop at the rate and accelerate at the rate that my business is growing. So I created the intention and I saw as an obstacle that my self concept and my confidence needed to grow. So I invested in an amazing mindset coach and an amazing mindset program, the $2 million, um, um, mastermind that Stacey Bateman runs. And I was like, this is to even just say, I'm in the $2 million group, for me, was already helping me to settle myself in my self concept that I am a million dollar CEO, that I can make decisions really strategically and putting myself in a container with many high earners I knew would help me rise to the occasion. I know whenever I put myself in a room full of people who are further ahead than me, I always, uh, like, it's something that I know from past experiences that has really served me. And so I'm going to invest strategically in that. So that was the first thing that I invested in. Another obstacle that I saw was that I needed some strategy. I needed to know how to run a team. I'm in the process of learning that I have team people working for me. But as I am, um, growing and building my business, there are some things that I'm like, oh, I need support to understand how to train people, how to make sure that everyone is doing what they need to do. I also know that I'm going to be doing larger launches. So I really want someone to look at my emails for my launches. I want someone to look at my webinars that has done this before, that knows where the key components to, to a successful webinar. And I also really wanted to have some sort of, um, um, protocol, some strategies, some action line, tangible things that I could do to move my business forward. And that's why I decided to invest in DL Sharon's liberation. So she has this program called six figure liberation. And I know that they look over your emails. I know that they look over your webinars. And I saw the backend of her. I literally saw, like, the calendar and, you know, I'm a as if you guys listen to, like, last week's podcast. I buy based on the results I get and see. And it literally just took me seeing that they would look up more emails and my webinars, and I was like, done buying right now. It was just like, yep, this is all I need. And I have not listened to her podcast. I really don't follow her on social media. I actually, um, consume, um, very little social media content because I focus on creating more than consuming unless I'm paying for it. So for me, I was like, yep, that's all it took. And so I invested, and it was, I think it's going to be a really great investment. Um, um, another thing. So that was another obstacle. This is like, the, the reasons why you want to make a list of all these, um, um, investments based on the obstacles that you're experiencing. The next investment that I made of the four investments I made this year was a program called seven figure wealth. One of the things that I think I have not learned as I've grown my business is how to manage the funds, how to manage the revenue. I do have an accountant and things like that, but I was like, okay, like, should I be putting these into different accounts if I would like to buy a house soon? Like, should I have an, like, where should I put that money? Should I be saving up? I do not have children at this point, and I'm recording this podcast, but I'm like, should I be saving up for my kids? Like, should I be saving up for maternity leave? How do I make these? I, like, there was a lot of overwhelm with the amount of money that I had going into my business. So I invested in seven figure wealth with Gina Knox, and she teaches you how to manage your money and how to create a saving, um, experience. My also, one of my goals with that is that I know that I would, I probably will work in my business, like, forever. I love working. It is so fun for me. And I also would love the idea of creating a work optional experience. She talked about, like, not necessarily like, retiring early, but being work optional, where I would have so much revenue that I've accumulated over the years and invested strategically that I would be able to, like, have my business going for just the pure joy of serving people. Not necessarily to cover, um, um, a mortgage or things like that. So those are the reasons, those are the obstacles that I could see. And I was like, perfect. I will invest in someone who will help me do this. Last but not least, I got engaged this year, which is very exciting. And I knew I really wanted to take, prioritize my physical health. I wanted to get in shape, getting, um, sweating for the wedding, like, you know, all that fun stuff. And so I was like, ooh, I really would like to work with a coach that can teach me how to manage my physical body so that I can, first off, just feel really great, and second off, also get super fit. And one of my dear friends, Jenny, she is Jenny the nutritionist online, and she has this program called create your shape. And I. I was actually, like, we were, um, looking over each other's launch emails and I realized that she, like, I love her. And I was like, I'm actually just going to do your program. And so I decided just to sign up for again. I'm like, when I learned that she looked at my blood work and did a scan of my body and had some like other facets of her nutrition program that didn't even realize that she's a functional medicine person. I was like, perfect. I was like, yep, I'm gonna do that again. I'm a very quick buyer, but I do so very strategically. It's not like I'm investing, um, just on a whim. It's just kind of like as I see their problems, I invest in people who have solutions. So that's the first step. You want to have a clear intention and goal for every obstacle that this investment will create a strategy and a solution for. So that's the first step on how to make money the most of your investments. The second thing that you want to do is you want to make time for the investments. One of the things that I have realized is that with each of these programs there is also time that needs to be spent in order for me to execute the programs fully. So what I like to do and what I'm actually going to be going through this weekend is I'm going to be looking at the modules for each of the programs and I'm actually going to calendar them. I'm going to make sure that I know when I'm going to need to listen to things is a part of my like Monday hour one. But it's kind of aggressive when you join a program. And I'm like, all right, I'm just going to make sure I make, put all the calls on my calendar, of course, but I'm also going to make time to listen to the modules, make time to, um, um, show up and join the group and participate in whatever capacity that is. That also means that I need to know what is expected of me to get the most out of each program. So I will, if it's not inherent and if it's not listed, if the modules aren't clear, I will ask them. Okay, like, do I need to do like revenue reporting? Do I need to give you my budget? Do I, when do I need to get these launch emails to you? What do I need to do to make sure you have my weekly fitness, um, um tracker? And then I go ahead, and I calendar them. So instead of like being like, oh man, it's like I need to get this progress tracker in. I didn't do that for a week. I actually make time for that in my calendar. Now with my programs currently the way that they are, I try and do the majority of the, um, um, of the time for you and anything outside of the program I like, actually have you put on your calendar, but for other programs, they. That is something that, like, I'm doing on my own. So that's what you want to make sure you do. Just make sure you get the most out of it. The last piece is really, really critical and something I don't think a lot of people consider is showing up for each of these things in whatever capacity you can, even if it's b minus work. When I was teaching and getting certified at the same time and running my own coaching practice and working with a marketing coach and an overall business coach and learning how to sell, I wasn't always able to show up for things perfectly. I, uh, typically am a perfectionist and a people pleaser, and I want to be the best student ever and I want to be like, awesome. And I want to be like, I want the instructor to for sure like me because I am a people pleaser. And I know that that is not actually the most effective way to get the most out of my investments. At this stage of my life and the stage of my business, I know that I'm probably not going to be able to make every call for every single thing that I do. I also know that me listening back to calls is not always something I have time for. Depends on the program. But sometimes I don't have time to go back and listen to things. Sometimes I want to make time for it. Other times I don't have the capacity for it. So if I do something like missing a week, sometimes I will listen to the call, but other times I won't. And that's okay. We want to be okay with b minus work, because if you are trying to be the best student and do the best things, a lot of times it'll keep you in, in action. What I mean by that, if you are trying to wait and have, uh, a set time to write down every single note for every module that you have for a certain program, it's going to take a significant amount of time. I remember I did a program and I was, this is how you know you've got a problem. I was like really, really thankful I had Covid so I could do a program and like, do all of the, um, do all the modules for a program. And I was like, this is a problem. This is a problem. If I feel the need to be that much of a, uh, perfectionist that I'm actually happy I got sick and I can just like do all these things, quote unquote full out. That's what your brain might try and trick you and be like, oh, like, I'm not doing this program to the fullest. If I don't take notes on every single thing and I'm not on every single call, it's also going to have you stop you from making investments over longer durations. So like, for instance, this summer I plan on going on travels and I invested in these four programs. If I was like, oh my gosh, oh, I have to be here for every single call and I have to do all these things, it would stop me from progressing. I wouldn't be as effective because I would be trying to do it perfect or do it right and get it all done within the time period that I have. So this, what the b minus work looks for, like for me is sometimes that means listening to the modules while I'm driving instead of taking diligent notes. Sometimes it means that I am listening, uh, to a call while I'm cooking or doing laundry, and that's okay. Sometimes it looks like me looking at a module and I'm like, I don't know if this is applicable for me and not watching it at all. And that is fine too. You do not have to go ham and show, uh, up fully for every single thing because it's going to stop you from actually progressing in your business. So my recommendation is to show up in whatever capacity you can, even if it's b minus work. So to wrap this all up, how you make the most of your investments is to first have a clear intention and goal or obstacle that this investment will create a strategy or a solution for. The second, um, thing that I would suggest to make the most of your investment is to make time and calendar time to actually show up for the requirements of the investment. And last but not least, the third thing I would recommend as you're making the most of your investments is to show up in whatever capacity you can, even if it is b minus work. So that is what I have to teach you guys today. I hope you have a phenomenal week. Enjoy making your investments. Make wise, strategic investments for your time, money, and energy, and I will be seeing you guys soon.