A Word About Business Archives - Page 3 of 5

Success Isn’t a Given – You Gotta Go To Work, Work, Work, Work, Work, Work, Work

April 14, 2017 By Lindsay Gee

I was recently chatting with someone who had a business close and the hurt, frustration and general feeling of being jaded by business emanated from her. I felt every ounce of grief, sadness, frustration and anger and my heart broke for her. I don’t like to see people fail. Even when my “competition” fails, my heart goes out to the business owner, because I know what goes into running a business. I know how much of yourself you commit to your business and watching it close must be devastating.

After I finished talking with the woman who closed her business, I took a few moments to reflect on myself, my brand, my company, my Hot Mamas. And, here’s what I came up with…

HOLY S**T…this year we celebrate 5 years in business…and I’m still here. I’m. Still. Here. And, I’m thriving.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’ve gone through some extremely low points over the years. I’ve doubted myself, my vision, my ability to execute. I’ve quit. I’ve been hurt. I’ve been scared, mad, frustrated, angry and I’ve never doubted myself so much in my life. Welcome to entrepreneurship. It’s quite a ride.

The best part? You can handle all of those emotions if you learn to ride the wave. If you can buckle down, forge ahead and believe in yourself, you can achieve. You will achieve. Now, it might not be in the business you initially intended because well, maybe that just wasn’t the right business for you, but once you find your place in the business world, you can succeed.

There are 1000’s of pieces to the puzzle that is entrepreneurship, but you need to build your business from the four corner pieces and work from there.

My corner pieces? It took me awhile to realize how essential these pieces are, but I now know that these are the pieces that have brought me to where I am today:

1) Passion. Now, this is a given and you probably know this one. But, I’m talking true passion. I’m talking “wake you up in the middle of the night with your heart racing and ideas slamming around your brain” type of passion. Whatever you decide to do you need to be LIT UP by it. Because, on the days when you want to quit (and there are a lot of those days), it’s this passion that will help you forge ahead. If it’s your true passion and you don’t work on it, you’ll feel like you are missing a big part of your life. If the thought of not working on your business breaks your heart and deflates you, you’ve got it right. When you think about your passion, you should be filled with drive, determination, and energy.

2) Belief. You need to fully believe in the success of your company. Your belief has to be unwavering. How you get there and the journey you have to take will make you question everything about yourself and others, but your belief in your company? Un-wav-er-ing.

If you go into business with the mindset of “I think this could be good”, you’re going to fail. You need the mindset of “This will succeed, there’s no other option”. Why? Because if you believe in what you’re working on, you can’t quit. You seriously, absolutely, 100% can’t quit.

I believe in what I do with Hot Mama and I know I make a difference. I also know that we will be successful. We may have rocky times, but in the end, we do a lot of good work and we help a lot of people. I believe in the goodness of my company and of all the women working with me…I can’t fail. There’s no way. I have never doubted the importance of Hot Mama or how much it is needed. So, I believe in my company. I believe in its success. Always.

3) Grit and perseverance. Like I said, business is hard and will make you question everything about yourself and about others. It’ll pick you up, throw you down, stomp on you, then pick you up again only to throw you down and stomp on you twice as hard. You don’t have to like it, but you do have to get through it.

You’re going to get knocked down. People are going to let you down. You’re going to let yourself down. You’re going to make mistakes. And, as your company grows, you’ll need more grit and more perseverance than ever before. People will question you more. People will doubt you more. People will plant more seeds of doubt in your mind than ever before.

Grind it out. Get through it. Stand your ground. Push, dig and drive your business. If you’re passionate about your business and you believe in your business…you constantly pick yourself up, adjust your ponytail, straighten your clothing and you get back to work. To do that…you need grit. You need that something inside you that says “No, you’re wrong…this is worth it. Let me show you just how far I can go”. That’s grit. That’s perseverance.

4) Solid support. Now, the above three points are incredibly important but most important is support. You need a cheering squad. You need a strong team forging the path with you. And, you need a soft place to land on the hard and brutal days.

Support comes in various ways and you need them all.

Support within your company. You need support IN your company and you need to work with people who are passionate about what you are doing. You need the support of the people you get to work with every day. In your company you need people working with you who believe in what you are doing and in what you’re trying to do (because yes, they’re two different things). You need people who will walk through the fire with you because they believe in you and your business as much as you do, if not more so. That’s your team…and if you don’t have a supportive team, you’re hooped. Every now and then you need your team to say to you “I believe in you. You can do this”. Because let me tell you…if you don’t hear those words or you don’t have that support, your journey just got a whole lot harder.

Support at home. It will be impossible to build your business if you don’t have support at home. Your partner, your family…they all need to be onboard. You’re going to take out a lot of frustration and anxiety on them and it’s often your family that will have the guts to tell you to knock it off and get back to work. If you don’t have that, you’ll fail. You need someone so fully in your corner that no amount of bitchiness and self-doubt causes them to waver. You need someone who pushes you to believe in yourself and who will knock some sense into you when you start to be ridiculous. You need unwavering support from your family because trust me, you’re going to doubt yourself enough for the entire world, you don’t need their doubt riding on your shoulders too. You have enough of that all on your own.

Support from your friends. Now, support from your family is essential but equally important is support from your friends. They’re your soft place to land. They’re the ones who will pick you up off the floor (literally), give you a glass of wine and listen to your doubts and fears on repeat for years and years. You will sound like a broken record because your fears and doubts will always be your fears and doubts. Good friends, they listen, they hug, they let you cry, they let you doubt…then they also give you a kick in the ass and tell you to knock it off. Friends who support you allow you to be you, allow you to grow and change and become what you’re meant to be. Find the people who accept you as you are today and as you are as you grow and hang on tight to them. You’re going to need them, not only for support but for celebration…because nobody celebrates your success like your friends do…nobody.

There are so many more puzzle pieces you need to be a successful entrepreneur, but I feel like these are the four pillars that have helped me build a business and keep it running for five years. It’s not easy, being an entrepreneur, it’s not at all easy. If you think working for yourself will be fun and amazing, that you can make your own hours and work on your own time, you’re wrong. You’re going to be your worst boss ever because you’re going to be more demanding of yourself than anyone else. But, if you have passion, belief in your business, grit and perseverance and a support team in all aspects of your life…you can do this.

Make sure your business is right for you and get to work. It’s not easy, it takes patience. It takes determination. And, honestly…it takes a really bombass idea and an ability to work harder than you’ve ever worked to execute your dream. But I’ll tell you one thing: it’s worth it. It’s all worth it.

Good luck to any and all of you entrepreneurs out there. I’ll be here…grinding it out, doubting myself, and loving every single moment.

A Message to ALL Women Entrepreneurs

February 20, 2017 By Lindsay Gee

Being an entrepreneur is difficult. It means your mind doesn’t stop and that you’re constantly thinking “what if I…”, “what if we…”, “I wonder if we could…”. It happens at 3am, it happens in the middle of dinner, it happens in the middle of your kids’ concerts. Your mind just doesn’t stop. A true entrepreneur is always creating, always developing and always thinking, thinking, thinking.

But, did you know that only about 35% of entrepreneurs today are women? I started wondering why that may be. Is it because we’re only now just starting to stand our ground and speak our minds? Have we just recently found our voice in a sea of men and started to speak loud enough to be heard? Are we finally able to rise about the noise and the words that countless people throw at us and stand tall to forge on?

When I first started Hot Mama I had an advisory board who said I would do “pretty well” because I had “a pretty face an okay idea”. True story.

Um…excuse me…what? Oh…I see…you men sitting on my advisory board throwing pens at one another when you disagree is a much better way for the business world to grow and change the world, am I getting that straight?

Please tell me you read that previous sentence with extreme sarcasm.

A Reminder to Myself

January 14, 2017 By Lindsay Gee

Dear Me,

You had a hard week. It scared you. It shook you to your core. Hospitals and medical issues scare you. You are okay.

You had a hard week. It made you cry. It made you cheer. It filled you with doubt. It filled you with joy. You’ve never once believed in yourself so much and so little in a day. You had a hard week. And Linds, it’s okay.

You’re ok.

Exhaustion settled in again. Your body took over. It’s a reminder to rest, recover, slow down. At some point your body will take over and lead you to the reality of your health. I hope it’ll lead you to strength and power, not fatigue and hospitals.

Enjoy the moments. Be present. Sleep. Rest.

You had a hard week. But in the week you also did good. You got people moving. You inspired people. You made your kids smile. You stressed your husband out and irritated him beyond belief (is that a win?!), but you also made him laugh. Remember that you did good. You are doing good. The people challenging you, pushing against you, demanding from you are there to teach you. You should be grateful for these lessons.

And I know you are.

Your mind and body are strong. Believe in yourself. Believe in your goodness. Believe in your joy. Believe that you have the right to experience success. Believe that you have the right to show pride and joy. Believe that you work hard enough that people don’t mind if you take a moment to celebrate, to #dancedammit. Believe that you also have the right to rest.

You had a hard week. You’ve been told that before great success comes great chaos. Well, holy shit…success is imminent then, isn’t it? Ha! We’re witty, you and I.

You had a hard week. But, you have 5000+ women supporting you. Failure is not an option and even if those 5000+ women weren’t there, if it was only you believing in yourself, failure is not an option.

You need to work hard. You need to forge ahead. You need to continue to push and dig and drive and cheer. It lights your soul up. And when people tell you to rest. Do it. Just rest. Not for long, because I know you, but rest. Your body and soul need the joy and light that inspiring others brings, but they also need down-time and nobody can fault you for that.

So, let’s do this. Let’s change the world. Let’s be the voice so many Mamas need. Let’s motivate and inspire. But Linds, let’s also take care of us. Deal? Deal.

Now, go get your coffee, drink up and always, always, always remember this:

Remembering the Good in Yourself

December 7, 2016 By Lindsay Gee

Have you ever had those times in your life when you question your worth? When you start looking at the person you are, the person you’ve become and you start thinking “jeez, I could do better, be better, be more”? I’ve recently just come through that experience and the secret to coming out of that nonsense?

People.

It’s that simple. Now, don’t get me wrong…people are most often the cause of you having to dive into the abyss of yourself and search for your goodness and worth. But, please know, it’s also people that pull you right back out and into the bright, warm, strong arms of love and acceptance.

To say I’ve had a rough few months would be an understatement. My health has been poor and I wasn’t sleeping. I was also at a crossroads with my business and there was a lot of change happening…something I struggle with. So, I started to doubt myself. I started to wonder if I could actually pull off this mega-dream of world domination.

Then…I traveled to see the people who I am working so hard for. As the Founder of Hot Mama I often get pulled into the business side of things and I forget who I am doing all of this for. It’s for you, Mamas. And my family, of course. But, it’s for the benefit of families, of Mamas and of their children that I work so hard. And I have the Alberta Hot Mamas to thank for grounding me and pulling me out of my cave of doubt and worry.

I recently traveled to Alberta to visit some of our Franchise Owners. Often times I don’t look forward to traveling, but this time was different. I NEEDED the Hot Mamas. I needed to remember my why. And what better way than by surrounding myself with the very people I am working so hard for (and with!).

There wasn’t a moment during my trip when I doubted myself. Mamas were excited to meet me. Nervous to meet me. And so open and warm and friendly. There was NO WAY I could possibly doubt myself.

I haven’t laughed, loved and felt more honoured in quite a long time.

I know why I’m here and I know why I work so hard. But sometimes, you need people to remind you. Sometimes you need to let the energy you’re helping to create surround and ooze back into your soul. Sometimes you just need to let all the bad go and accept the good.

I cannot thank the Alberta Hot Mamas enough for my last visit. I enjoyed every single aspect of it. From cooking with our Calgary West Sarcee Mamas for Made by Momma, to participating in classes with Edmonton SE and Edmonton SW, to kicking some serious Spruce Grove Hot Mama ass, to hanging out with some of the coolest St. Alberta Hot Mamas in town! Aaaaand, how can I forget the wine, the Caesars and OH!…the Santa Shuffle 5k.

See? It was busy, busy, busy.

The best thing? Our Sherwood Park Franchise Owner texted me at the end of the trip and said “You all looked so happy!”…and Mamas…I don’t think “happy” has been an adjective to describe me in a very long time. And what a wonder it was to hear that!

Thank you, Hot Mamas. Thank you for bringing the happy back into my life. You have reminded me of my goodness and my worth. I am forever grateful.

One last thank you…I GOT A SELFIE STICK FINALLY! YAY!

With much love and mad respect,
Your OHM

The Day Exhaustion Took Over

November 22, 2016 By Lindsay Gee

Be careful.
Take time for yourself.
You need to rest/sleep.
Self-care is so important.
You are important.
You can’t keep working at this rate, one day it’ll catch up with you.

Yeah. I’ve heard it all. And, until it actually happened, I just smiled, nodded and agreed with the person spouting their wisdom…then I got back to work.

For the past 4.5 years, I’ve worked hard. I mean, really, really stinkin’ hard. Most days (not all) I work 15-16 hour days but lately it’s been more like 20 hours per day. It takes time and energy to build an empire and plan for world domination, and with only 24 hours in a day, I tried to put most (if not all) of them to good use.

Until I couldn’t.

For the past month, I’ve pushed myself past what was healthy. Past what I knew I was capable of. But, the demands were there and the work had to get done. No one else could do it. My team was already taxed to the max, so as the leader of my crazy company, I needed to step up, give more, do more, push more and get it all done. And I did.

Until I couldn’t.

Last Friday I woke at 1:30am and started to work. That was atypical, but recently, my mind just won’t shut down. If I wake to shift in bed, I’m up. There’s no getting back to sleep. I’m a classic insomniac. And that is not something I say with pride.

So last Friday I woke at 1:30am and got to work. By 7:30am when my kids woke I’d put in a solid 6 hours of work, was ahead of my plan for the day (how couldn’t I be?!) until it all came to a screeching halt. All of a sudden I was shaky, agitated, exhausted, nauseous and to be honest, I’ve never felt so awful in my life. I managed to get my kids to school then headed to bed. I tried to sleep but couldn’t.

I was restless, my body wouldn’t settle, my mind wouldn’t stop. I had things to do, but no energy to do it. No amount of willpower was getting me out of the hole I had dug for myself. My body wouldn’t rest. It was revolting against me the only way it could…by knocking me flat.

It was time to stop. I had hit the wall of exhaustion and it felt like the worst illness ever.

I’ve never been scared of my body before, but I can honestly say that last Friday, I was scared. I didn’t know how to stop, to breathe, to rest. I couldn’t stop or breathe or rest.

So, I reached out. To friends, to family, to loved ones. I broke down so I could build back up.

It’s true that your body will only handle so much. You and your mind can push and push and push and still feel like you can push some more, but your body is the ultimate gauge of how healthy you are. Because when it’s maxed (and after 4.5 years I think I’m finally maxed), it gives up. No notice. It just…stops.

You drop.

It’s not a pleasant fall and it’s been 4 days of medication, fever, sleep meds and self-care to get my feet back under me. Four days isn’t so bad…but I still have some recovery to do. I have to rest.

As I laid in bed trying to rest, the following questions kept coming forward in my mind: Why do I push so hard?

There are the typical excuses of world domination, founding a company, wanting to be successful, showing up all those who doubt me, etc…but the real reason? I think it’s because I don’t want people to think I’m not working for them. I want people to know that I’m working…literally day in and day out…to help build our business. I need them to know that they haven’t sacrificed their family’s lives for someone who sits around and does nothing.

And that’s where I’ve gone wrong. I’ve sacrificed my own body for this. I’ve sacrificed my health for this. I’ve sacrificed my own family for this. And while our mission at Hot Mama is extremely important, it cannot be at the cost of me.

It cannot be at the cost of me.

I went to the doctor on Sunday and she asked when I wanted to be admitted to the hospital. I didn’t even tell my husband that. She said, “do you want to be admitted now or would you like to keep killing yourself for another week and really feel the depths of exhaustion…because you’re there now…next step is medical”.

Well…holy shit.

Oops.

Talk about a wake-up call.

So Mamas…here’s me . Claiming myself back. I talk and I talk and I talk about the importance of prioritizing. Of putting yourself high up on your list. But I certainly don’t practice it. I try to. I do small things, but it’s time I role model to all of those who follow me the importance of rest.

And yes, right now…I need medication. I need meds to help me sleep. I’m okay with that. Because after a few nights of sleeping from 9pm to 7am I’m slowly crawling back to myself. I’m committing to rest. I’m committing to me and my own importance.

I’m important. It’s time I start treating myself like it. I need rest. And so do you, Mama.

Don’t be me. Don’t push so hard and work so hard your body breaks and shuts down. Learn from me. I am not a martyr so I’d best stop acting like one. I will commit to rest. I will commit to sleep. I will commit to these things because I know I need it.

I’ll write about how I plan to take care of me soon; maybe I’ll even come up with the ultimate self-care guide. But for now, I commit to sleep. For now, I will use the medication my doctor gave me, but soon I will come up with a new plan to help with insomnia and I will let you know what works for me and what doesn’t.

But Mama, please listen: if you’re tired, exhausted, pushed to your max…don’t be me. You need to stop. Put your head on your pillow, tell yourself you’ve done the best you can with the time you’ve had each day and rest. Just rest. Rest your mind, your body, your soul.

Just rest.

Because trust me when I say that if you don’t, your body will eventually take over your mind and the results are not pretty and they are certainly not fun.

Rest, Mama. You need to rest. Ain’t no shame in that. And that is what I’ve learned over the last four days. There’s no shame in resting.

And rest I shall.