Behind The Spotlight Podcast: Kristin Brabant

How you doing today? Welcome back to Visibility with Beth Nida. Today we have Kristen Brandt.

Bra—

Brandt. Sorry, Kristen, I always say names wrong. She's a business strategist, but she lives in freaking Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Who does not want to live like they're on vacation all of the time? She helps women entrepreneurs clarify what they are absolute best at, redesign their business offers and calendars to position them in it. This woman does amazing calendars for everything that you need for your business. I'm very excited about bringing her on. She loves to answer how do you earn more money while working less and resting more. She's going to give us all of the clues today because who does not want to work less, make more money, and do more fun things? I think sometimes when we start to be an entrepreneur, we don't always understand the time commitment, the consistency, all the things we need to put into actually being a business owner. And when you have those hacks and those automations and the tips and all the things that can make your life easier, well, it's just so much better. I actually had a conversation with a good friend of mine this morning that has a multi-million dollar company, and when I was talking to her about what I'm doing and what's coming up, the advice she gave me was just really to make it more simple, to just give them what they need for where they are. Because I know something that I often do is that I I don't remember how much I know versus what everybody else knows. So when I am creating now, I'm creating more from that point of view of like, what do they need to know? What's that specific little thing that I can teach in 6 weeks that they need to know that can make a difference in their business? So I'm really excited about Kristen coming on.

Hi Darla, so happy you're here.

There's Kristen, I'm gonna invite her up. I'm gonna request her to come.

He was on. Hi Jake! Hi lovey! My nephew is graduating design school this week. We're so proud of him because he has killed it at design school. Hey, how are you?

Hey my love, I'm doing great. How are you doing?

I'm good.

I'm so happy to see you.

I have a good friend of mine is on and my nephew's watching.

Hi Jakey!

Hey Jakey, how you doing?

Oh, you He's actually graduating from the design school in LA.

That's a huge accomplishment, Jake. Congratulations. It's huge.

And he has won every top of class, every everything. Um, he's an entrepreneur. Not only busy in school, but he's a fashion designer and a car designer. Oh my God, I'm just so proud of him.

Incredible. Jake, congratulations.

Okay, you got a shout out.

He's just ready.

Thank you. So, Kristen, we need to teach him and everybody else watching how to work less and make more money while having more fun. That's the goal.

That's the goal, Beth. That's what we're here to do. You know, that's entirely what my business is designed around, is just answering that one question of how do we as entrepreneurs, and I especially focus on women entrepreneurs, how do we earn more money, increase our revenue, while working less and resting more, prioritizing rest. You know, I grew up with a mom who worked 3 jobs including full-time teacher, part-time college professor, and then she ran a candle business as a side hustle and she never rested, right? Like she did that for our family. But we live now in a time when you don't have to do either or, you don't have to sacrifice your health and your wellbeing in order to earn a great living and live a rich life. So that's what, you know, that's my whole, that's my whole shtick. That's what I love to figure out with every client.

I love that, rich and rested.

Yeah.

You know, it's a diff— it's definitely a different connotation, but I know you ask them like, it's about what does that look like for you? And I've been having honestly this conversation a lot lately because What does success look like for you? What does rested look like for you? How do you help people that are focused so much on their like never-ending to-do list versus being rich and rested?

Yeah, I mean, that is the whole coaching program, right? Is how I— how we go about helping them. I think some of the biggest first moves are Number 1, figuring out what, what, what is enough for you? What does a rich and rested life really look like for you? And I think a lot of us stop short of even taking 20 fricking minutes. Like I down 20 minutes watching Bridgerton like that. But the resistance that we can sometimes feel to sitting down and free writing out What does a rich and rested life actually look like for me right now at this point in my life? Because that vision's gonna change. It's gonna change when your kids are young. It's gonna change when your kids are older. It's gonna change if you're like me and childless and, you know, I have a lot more free time, right? That vision's gonna change and it bears taking a moment, a beat, to just free write out that answer of what does a rich and rested What does life look like for me? And then there's this extra step of take a look at that. Take a look at your vision, like your ideal, your juicy ideal. Does it mean that you have a chef coming to your home and you don't have to cook 'cause you hate cooking and it drains you and you hate answering that question of what's for dinner every night? Well then how much, like actually girlfriend, go online and look at how much are private chefs going for in your area? And put a price tag to these bigger components of your vision, whether it's where you wanna live, or it's the kind of help that you want inside of the home, or it's the kinds of vacations you wish you could treat your family members to, or it's the frickin' handbag. I don't care, whatever rich is to you, you know? I love the frickin' handbag. It's something different for everyone, you know? And so first it's creating your vision, but then it really is about figuring out what you are the best at. That's your zone of genius. And for people who geek out on that, I really recommend the book The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks. He goes all into it. You've got it right there on the back of the bookshelf, right? I love that book. And it's the basis for a lot of the beginning part of my coaching. Is figuring out very specifically what is every single one of my clients uniquely best at in their work? What are their top 3 skill sets? And then how do we position whatever time you do have to work in your zone of genius so that you are not just going for the low-hanging fruit in your day, right? It's way easier to answer emails and respond to notifications on Instagram and get stuck scrolling and, make your inbox your to-do list, right? Responding to other people's urgent demands versus prioritizing creating that next talk or actually mapping out your, the content for a new program that you want to run and the marketing plan for it. Whatever it is, we got to figure out what your zone of genius is and then what does it look like to work inside of that? On a weekly and a monthly basis, and then we gradually shift your time to positioning you and your genius, and that's how you stand out in your industry. That's how you attract the right customers into your realm, and you get booked and busy, the best kind, you know?

Yes, 'cause I'm very busy right now, 'cause I've been doing, I did a lot of that stuff. No, I'm totally with you. But I wanna go back to ask you, what does your rich and rested look like?

I love that.

I never get asked what my rich and rested looks like.

Thanks, Beth. Um, you know, my, my rich and rested looks a lot like what I am living now, but there's still some things, you know, left to, to be going towards, but it is a lot of time freedom. And I like working the hours that I work. I start work at 9:30, 10 in the morning. I have my morning open for some movement of my body. And slow time. I like to be a tortoise in the morning, and I get to be. And then I work for a few hours. I have a 2-hour break in the middle of my day where I eat a lunch, I don't work, maybe I go for a walk, I journal, whatever the hell I wanna do. If I wanna read, I read nonfiction. But it's a brain break for me, and then I work for a few more hours and I close it off. And I go for a walk along the beach. I live in Mexico. That was a big part of my Rich and Rested vision was living on the beach in Mexico. I knew I wanted to live in Mexico and I've been there for about 4 years now. And I see somebody here that just joined called Generation Nomads. And I'm like, this has gotta be my people. Maybe you're living internationally too, you know? So I moved to Mexico and another big part of it was, um, just having the flexibility and the freedom in my business to be able to stop my business and be with family and travel internationally. And I just got back from a 3-week completely no work unplugged vacation in Argentina. And I went with my now fiancé. He proposed while we were there. Yay!

Congratulations!

Thank you! Aw, that's so nice. You know, this is a part of my vision is that like, I get that quality time with my family. And we got to bring my parents to meet his mom in Argentina. And I didn't work for 3 weeks, you know? And I have the team in place that can keep my business running. I've designed a system with my clients where I can stop for 3 weeks and not work and no social media if I want to. And I did want to and I did it. And so that's a big part of my rich and rested vision. The next part that has not yet materialized is I really want a home with an ocean view, with also on the property, we've got our own garden. I wanna be growing my own food back. I love it. And a couple of bungalows so that friends and family can come visit and they've got a place to stay with me when they visit. And I can host my own retreats for business owners there too. That's like the next part of the vision.

We put it out into the universe. Well, first, congratulations. Thank you for that. I'm so happy for you guys.

That's amazing. I never want that to be there.

There. But I really appreciate you sharing that because I think people don't understand, don't have like an idea of what rested means. But I know while I'm listening to you, um, for me, I work 10 to 5, 10 to 6. That's it. I, I have really strong boundaries. I don't work on the weekends because I used to work 60 hours a week and all weekend long, right? And my kids would be like, are you done working? And now that, and now that they're in college I continue to have that space so that I can go for a walk because I spoke to— I'm going to forget his name. This guy, he was a restaurateur. I had interviewed him on my podcast probably 2 years ago.

Yeah.

And he had restaurants in New York, in LA, doing really well during the pandemic. And I said, what's your secret? He said, quiet time. Not even thinking time. Quiet time.

Right.

Ever since he said that to me, I have like 45 minutes to an hour of quiet time a day. It could be at 8 PM. It could be at 8 AM. You know, and I'm with you. And I love how you're like, movement in the morning. And I'm like, go kill myself at Pilates in the morning. That's what I try to do. But it's all that stuff connected, I think connected to what your goals are. And for me, my goal was paying for college in cash. That was what I was working towards. Not killing myself and paying for college. But when you said that you take hours during the day to take— go for a walk or do lunch, I know people's heads were exploding. But I also know that you really calendar and you have calendars for your clients and for us in general to download to really work within our business.

I—

well, you know, I think you're a genius and connect the calendar to what you're doing because I think so often people don't schedule in creation time, rest time, all that stuff. Tell us a little bit more about why you use that in your company and how people can get it.

Sure. So the, the resource that Beth is talking about, the spoiler alert here is it's, it's in my LinkedIn bio and it's called the 5 Rich and Rested Calendars for Sustainable Business Growth. So that's something that people can go download and those are 5 different work and rest calendars that are based on my real clients' actual schedules. And it's clients at all different seasons of life and business. So your life and the way you run your business is gonna look really different if you are in startup mode and you don't have kids, right? AKA you have an abundance of time, but you have low demand for your services. So the way you invest your time is gonna look really different than, for instance, one of my other clients who is a mom of two and is the vice president of a wealth management firm, overloaded with clients, two small kids in the house. Her rest and work plan has to look really different. So I give five different calendars, um, in a self, self-assessment at the beginning. So that you can choose which work and rest calendar is right for your business based on whatever season of time freedom, demand for your business, uh, and an energy level that you have now. And so then based on that self-assessment, you go and you look at the calendar that suggests like, hey, you could be rearranging your work schedule in this way so that you do a 4-day work week and here's how to do it, or you do a 3-day work week. I have a client who has a, like, I think she's bringing in about $900,000 in annual revenue with very minimal expenses. And she works 3 days a week, 3 days a week.

Can people let that sink in? No. Days a week.

And my girl is bringing in $900K in revenue. Like, that is possible. And so even if you were to just mindlessly scroll that resource, it's the 5 calendars for, 5 Rich and Rested calendars for sustainable business growth. Even if you didn't even wanna do any of the work, and you just scrolled that shit for some inspiration, you know, to see that like, there are real women who are doing these things, and you can do it too. You don't have to just work as hard as you watched your parents' or your grandparents' work. Like there are people doing something different and you can be the next person, right? But at any rate, I'll get off, I'll get off that tangent. That's where that's coming from. But for me, how I calendar this stuff is I, I'm like you, I have a very clear shutdown time. So 6:30 is the latest for me. And I can pull that off because here in Puerto Vallarta in Mexico, we've got like a later sunset, you know? And so I still have daylight hours ending at 6:30, and I like ending then. So I end somewhere between 6 and 6:30. But again, I take— I also calendar 2 hours off in the middle of every single day. So from 1 to 3 PM, when my body and my brain are tired, I don't want to work then, so I don't. And that was one of the best pieces of advice that my first business coach gave me when I was trying to figure out how the hell do I create a schedule for myself now that I have a business and I'm not working for someone else. And he said, well, like, pay attention to your body's natural rhythms. When do you get tired? When is your brain at its peak energy level and creativity level? Work then. When you're tired, don't work. You know, take a break, rest, recharge. And so I figured out that my body, my brain is at its peak right around that like 8:30, 9:30 timing. I get really sleepy between 1 and 3. I don't work then and I shut it down at 6 or 6:30. And I also save, I don't work on weekends. I save Thursdays. Every other Thursday is a white space day. So I calendar that in too. Today is a white space day for me, but I'm happy to do this Instagram Live with you, Beth, because this is fun for me. But my white space days are days where maybe I'm listening to that audiobook that sparks a lot of different ideas for my business on a treadmill or something, but I'm not taking client calls. You know, I'm not working. I'm, I'm letting my mind meander. And go wherever it wants to go to figure out what's next for me in my business. It's that white space creativity time. And I don't think we have enough of it as entrepreneurs, right? It's like filling every nook and cranny of our day with more crap to do. And then we all love to complain to each other, I'm so busy, like it's a badge of honor. And I really can't recommend enough trying to calendar for yourself a recurring white space day or half day. And even if you ignore it, maybe in 3 months you'll honor at least an hour of it and see the difference that it could make in your business and actually having time to think like you're talking about earlier, Beth, right? And the other thing that I do for calendaring time off is I calendar a 4-day weekend once a month. Yes. And so it's just a recurring calendar hold. Like, it's not magic, okay? It's going into Google Calendar, and even this yutz knows how to like click 4 days off, a Friday through a Monday, and make it recurring once a month. And I mark it as busy so no one can schedule, like if somebody tries to schedule me on those 4 days, it bounces that I have rejected their calendar hold. So it, it saves me from me from being like, oh, I don't really need those 4 days off. I could do that coaching call on a Monday.

No, don't.

Right? And I set that calendar.

Love it.

And I figure out how I want to rest during that time period. Maybe it's staying at home. Maybe it's going for a getaway. Who knows? But I'll figure it out when I get there.

I'm totally with you. I take off usually Friday afternoons, and I don't start Monday until like 3 or 3 o'clock-ish. Yeah, because I have those other things to do. So I'm going to— I'm going to be in Vegas, LA, Vegas, Austin, like the last 2 weeks in May. So I have a stylist coming over tomorrow at— what time's she coming over? 12:15? To help me figure out outfits and help me pack, because I'm— that's not—

I love it.

I'm not great at that. I can put an outfit together, but you know what? A stylist can just like add those extra things, and that's how I I'm like, I'm gonna be— and I'm gonna be on stages, so I'm not working tomorrow afternoon. I'm having a stylist spend 4 hours in my closet, but it's something I need. And what I'm feeling from what you're saying, and I hope the audience is feeling the same thing, it's permission to give yourself that time. Yeah, because that extra time is actually going to make you more money. It's not going to impede your business. Because I think people are like, well, but I have to do this, I have to do this. Yeah, but if your calendar is scheduled— like, I know that today from 2 to 3 that I'm creating content for the next 3 weeks in my content calendar. So the end of May when I'm away, I'm creating content today for that, right? It's doing that kind of things. It's having a proactive calendar versus a reactive calendar. Yeah, so, but you're giving us all permission to do that. And I think one of the things that people, you know, I'm always thinking like, what, what's the audience thinking while we're watching our show? And you had given me a question which I think is really interesting on Um, you said, what do you— what questions for you? What do you recommend people focus on with the time they do have to work to generate more revenue? Because I think that's the question people are having listening to this conversation, right?

Right. Yeah. So it's like, if you do decide to work less, okay, let's go out on a limb here. Let's listen to this crazy stranger on the internet saying that I'm not lazy if I I schedule rest and rest is actually going to make me more money, right? Let's say we do that, okay? What do you propose I actually do with the time I am working knowing that if I work less, I have fewer hours to make money? So what do I focus my time on in order to increase my revenue? And the answer to that, frustratingly, is going to be unique to every person, but the general guiding point, right? Like the North Star for everybody is focusing the bulk of your time in your zone of genius. Like you, Beth, your zone of genius is speaking, right? Right. Part of it is speaking. And what are you doing for these 3 weeks in May? You are traveling and you are speaking. And when you are speaking, you are gaining new opportunities. You're growing your audience, you're gaining the new right types of customers. What are you doing right now? You're speaking, right? So there's different ways that we can apply our zone of genius skill sets. But in a nutshell, focus yourself on doing the stuff that you do best, which is often the stuff that we kind of avoid or we think Everybody's good at that. Like, I have, you know, I have clients who maybe part of their zone of genius is building relationships with people and connecting with people. And they will always look at me and be like, "Yeah, but Kris, I don't really think that's like my zone of genius. You know, everybody's good at that." And I'm like, "No, girl.

No." Not at all.

Let me tell you, I met the people who are not good at building relationships and connecting with people. This is a gift of yours. And so what— I do with that client then is we build these deep work blocks into her calendar 3 days a week where all she does is work in her zone of genius. So if her zone of genius is connecting with people, then we are scheduling connection meetings. I'm thinking right now specifically of a client who is in venture capital. And so in order to be successful in venture capital, you have to be building relationships with people. You have to be learning about new up-and-coming companies. You need to be talking to people who are also thinking about investing and what companies are they watching. So we fill her calendar with those connection calls, building relationships, following up with people, and planning events that get the right people in the room. That's an example of what I would do with a client if her zone of genius is connecting with people. That's where I would focus her time. And then we get really ruthless about, all of us have shit to do that is not in my zone of genius. Answering emails, not in my zone of genius, right? The admin associated with onboarding a new client, like sending them, the contract. That is not in my zone of genius. And so I have a wonderful executive assistant who I think might even be on right now. I saw her join earlier. Yay. And I delegate the things that are outside of my zone of genius to somebody I trust. And heads up, it took me 7 years in business to find the right hand that I really was looking for. And I got her now. Awesome. But that I don't want to like diminish how it's hard to find help. It is 100%, but when you get it, like it's a game of, with that work that's outside of your zone of genius, you delegate it out, you automate what you can. And then I also say you deactivate a lot of it too, which is like, what am I saying no to? I'm just not going to do it anymore. We create a list of that stuff. And then what, whatever remains that you must do, only you, that's outside of your zone of genius, we put those in shallow work blocks and we schedule those shallow work blocks for when your brain is at its sleepiest and you don't need that much brainpower to send the damn email or whatever it is. Um, so that's a little bit about how I would focus a client in, you know, with the time that you do have remaining, if you rest more.

Well, that was like a master class because it— all it did for me was like, okay, because I have time blocked out in my calendar to go into my networking groups and post, go to the Facebook groups and post. And, and that— and that's what I do with PR also. It's like I'm creating relationships with PR people, meaning like media people, hosts, that kind of stuff.

Yes.

And I do have in my calendar because otherwise it doesn't happen. Exactly.

So exactly.

What it's saying to me, and I bet a lot of people listening are like, okay, how do I work with you? I'm going to download your calendar. I know you have an amazing Monetize Your Genius VIP day, and then you also have your 6-month coaching retainer, right? Because if you don't have your calendar down and you don't have your workflow down, it is very hard to make even 6 or multiple, even 6 figures with having all that stuff. When I started actually having a flow and having a calendar that worked for me, that's when I was able to make some real money. So I really appreciate what you're putting out in the world. Thank you, babe, for coming today and having this little convo with me. I'm so excited.

I love this, Beth. Thank you so much for having me. And yeah, people can download that 5 Rich and Rested Calendars for Sustainable Business Growth. That was the resource we were talking about earlier that can help you. It's like the jumping off point to figuring out How do you schedule more rest? When do you work? That, that meets you where you're at, at your point in business, at your point in your life, however much energy you have, however much demand in your business you have, there's a calendar for you and they can get that at my LinkedIn bio. And also I would just say as a next step, an easy one, it's just saying hi to me. I DM pretty much every new follower if you're not a creep. And I say hello because one of the biggest things that is important for me as a service provider is just building relationships with people and learning about who's there, saying hi, learning about you, learning about what you're working on. And I'd love to talk with anybody who is watching this live and curious about, um, yeah, how they can grow their revenue and also grow sustainably and rest more.

Oh, that's so generous of you. And if you listen to what she said, she said DM me to have a conversation. So go make sure, right? We're all in action here at Visibility. So go DM this wonderful soul. Again, congratulations on your engagement. I'm so happy for you, and I'll talk to you soon, babe.

Okay, talk to you soon. Bye, Beth. Bye, everybody.