834. How To Create More Choice For Yourself

My goal for this company is to obviously enjoy it, make it profitable, have an impactful company that we love building that changes the way that women connect and do business, but also get acquired in the future because then I get to pay out my investors if it actually happens and at a great price. So then I get to create choice because of the choice that I wanted to create for myself. Welcome to the Earn your happy podcast. I'm Lori Harder, founder of Light Pink, best selling author, three time fitness world champion, and I'm a crazy, multi passionate entrepreneur. My journey has taken me everywhere from being a broke waitress, barista, retails associate and personal trainer with massive anxiety and no belief in myself to later becoming a multimillionaire in love with my life. In 2007, my husband and I lost everything. We found ourselves hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt at rock bottom. We had no ideas and I had no education to fall back on. This is when I found personal development and learned everything I could about business. Not by choice, but because I realized no one was coming to save me. The conversations on this podcast are going to let you know that you're not alone and that we all feel like we don't know what we're doing. We're going to give you the tools to help you face your fe, take action, start your business, and grow those massive dreams that are keeping you up at night. It's time to create a life that you can't hide from and put so much on the line that your higher self is forced to come out. You're going to stop waiting for someone to approve of you and you're going to anoint yourself. Because I'm obsessed about building businesses that give women a platform, I want to feature you. So if you text the word podcast to 310496, 8363, you can get your questions answered on our Q and A segment along with a shout out. And if you rate, review and subscribe to this podcast, we're choosing someone every month to get coached and featured on our show. It just might be you. So let's get started. And we're back with another episode of he said, she Said. And I'm pretty sure that before every episode we argue for a full 60 seconds.

Well, that's because for a full five or ten minutes before that, you're dinking around on your phone and then you're, you're coughing into the mic right as I hit start and the whole nine yards.

That was two minutes and I needed to do an IG Post that we were recording this.

Oh, yeah. It was crucial.

It was. How do we. How do you do? Engagement.

Okay. Well, anyhow, we are definitely back with you. Good episode for you guys. I promise you that. Because despite this beginning, we've actually been, like, over the moon happy in 2022. Like, radically different. Like, radically up leveled, radically shifted into this crazy happiness all the time.

Yeah. And I can't wait to share what we've been doing, because while I do think, you know, we talked about luck last week, creating your own luck. Is luck a part of, you know, your. Were you born with? Are people born with some luck? So if you guys haven't listened that episode, definitely go and listen. But this week, we want to share different reasons why we really feel like we have set ourselves up this year. We do think that there has been some sort of unexplainable shift, but Also, I think 80 to 90% of it is very explainable. Explainable.

Yeah. Well, I. I can tell you what it is for me this year. I have choice. I have so much choice. And I've said all along, one of the best things that you can have is choice. Like, it's one of the greatest luxuries in the world is choice. But it wasn't like some miracle that it showed up. I spent the entire last year working tirelessly to close loose ends, to shut down programs that I didn't want to do anymore to. To clear Runway and at the expense of millions of dollars of revenue. Right. In order to create choice this year. And it feels so good. I get to choose what I want to do with half my workday because it's not slammed with as many things as it used to be. I get to choose, like, what I feel like doing in the middle of the week. I get to choose when I feel like working. Oh, choice feels so good.

But tell me. So I want to know, because when we talked about this topic and what we were going to talk about, you were like, choice and how good it feels. And I was like, but how are we going to tell them to get choice? What does it look like to set your life up, to finally get to this place? Because, Chris, for the last four or five years, you have. The last four, for sure, have been the most hustle I have ever seen from you in my life with your schedule. So tell me about that.

Well, you get. You get to a season of choice by toughing it through a season of nowhere near as much choice as you would like. And that's just the truth of it. Short of winning some lottery or something like that. You only get to achieve a season of choice by wading through and plowing through and pushing through a season of not very much choice, like doing things that you know are planting seeds so you can have choice later, doing things to set the foundation so you can build a house of choice later. You don't get choice overnight. You earn a life of choice.

Yeah, I'm thinking about this. Cause this is the first year where, number one, I've gotten paid really well my speaker fee that I've always dreamt of having. This year, I booked two different things where I finally got that, that I literally. You guys, this is so funny. This is such a lesson. So I booked them at the same time, literally probably the same week, and they didn't bat an eye at the speaker fee that I had been freaking out over, like, no one's gonna take this and not even gonna talk to me. And by the way, I did pitch that speaker fee a couple years ago before COVID and people didn't return my email, so there was that. So I had a bit of fear. Like, you know, I said my number twice before COVID and nobody got back to me. So I'm telling you this because, number one, I now have choice. And I'm able to kind of be able to put a number out there and decide which speaking event that I want to be at and what's not for me, because I literally spoke at so many different events, spoke on so many different podcasts, spoke in so many different masterminds that I got myself out there as a speaker and did a lot of that for free. And so now I have the choice to pick the stages and get paid. But look how long I've been doing this, right? I've been doing this career now. I had Bliss project 10 years ago now. So I have been speaking and putting myself out there for 10 years to where I can finally charge an amount that I'm like, holy hell, this is huge. This is amazing.

Well, and get this choice compounds more choice, and that compounds more choice, right? So it's so hard getting that snowball built and rolling in the first place. It's tougher than you think. It takes longer than than you think. But when it starts rolling, you start getting more choice, then that clears space to be able to say yes to other more fruitful things that then create even more choice and so on and so on.

I also just want to share because I want to wrap that story up with a bow. But the reason that I was Saying they didn't bat nye at this large price that I was thinking that I charged. I immediately learned very quickly that I'm going to up that price because they didn't even negotiate or bat an eye. And I realized, you know, when I shared it with a couple people, a lot of men charge a lot more. And sometimes I think that women, as women, we can definitely worry about the value that we're bringing. Where guys are like, look, I'm not doing it for less than 30k, 50k, 100k, whatever their number is. And they're like, eh, I'm gonna go and be me. Like, I've literally heard these things. I'm gonna go and be me. And they've seen me out in the world and you know, whether you wanna pay this or not, that's totally fine. But it was just a really interesting lesson. Not only of choice, but just that moment. So I tie that up.

Interesting little addition to what you just said. I just got done reading Gary Vee's new book called 12 and a half and he talks about in there. In the past year there were some speaking opportunities that he really wanted to say yes to because he loved the event or he loved the people putting it on, but they wouldn't meet his fee. And he said, I'm sorry, I can't do it as much as I want to because it'll actually cause damage to the brand and to future speaking fees. And that was pretty mind blowing to hear him talk about that. Like, listen, I want to be there. I love you, I love your brand, I love this event, but I can't say yes to your fee because it'll actually lower the bar for future fees. That was fascinating to me.

That is interesting and it really does. Right. Like how many times have you heard this on the speaker circuit too, where it's like, you know, oh, well, they did it for half price for me, so maybe you could ask them for something. Or they did it for free. So maybe you could, you know, just see on this. And sometimes free is what people want. Sometimes I will go speak for free if it is like a dream fit. But now that we've gotten so busy and we've created choice for ourselves and we have this life where we do want to not burn ourselves out. Like we have put so much time in and now I really want focus time. Like, I'm not going to lie, I'm kind of burning myself out on light pink, but I'm trying to keep it very balanced. I don't want to be a bad example in building a company. But there are times, Chris, that like I'm going to have to hustle hardcore for months or a year or a couple years with this company. But it's going to give me even bigger choice in the future which at this point in my life I am so focused on legacy income and building legacy money for my future family. And also I want to create choice for other women, which means I want to make so much money that I create a fund and get to invest and create choice for women so that they can do the same thing. With the holidays and the new year coming, you probably are looking around your house thinking that you would love to upgrade and freshen up your environment and there is no easier way to do that than with your window treatments. Nobody covers windows better than blinds.com blinds.com brings your space to life in your way. They have free design help. Other retailers may claim to have experts, but blinds.com has spent nearly 30 years building an award winning team of over 100 design consultants that are ready to help you create your dream space. Always convenient, always tailored to you. Three ways to shop 1. Perfect fit Whether you want to DIY have it all done for you or you're somewhere in between, choose what works for you and rest easy knowing the fit is guaranteed. So the holidays come fast you guys, and you can freshen up your window treatments fast as well. And unlike some competitors, the price you see is the price you pay. No hidden fees and there's zero pressure. From blackout in motorized options to classic shutters, blinds.com has window treatments for every room, style and budget, even shades for your outdoor space. The Black Friday deals@blinds.com are going strong all month long, so don't miss your chance to save big. And as always, our listeners still get $50 off when you spend $500 or more. Just use code earn at checkout limited time offer rules and restrictions apply. See blinds.com for details. 2026 is the year that you launch your business. It's the year that you become the boss. You become the leader. That idea that you have that has been eating at you forever that just will not leave you alone is going to come to life. Maybe it's something that someone tells you you should always sell or a store you've already designed in your head. And with Shopify, 2026 is when you finally make it happen. Shopify gives you everything you need to sell online and in person. Millions of entrepreneurs have already made the sleep from household name to first time business owners. Just getting Started, you guys. I use Shopify for glossy, and I remember when they sent me my little shopping bag celebrating my 10,000 sales, and I literally cried because I was so scared to take the leap. And I'm so glad that I did and that I use Shopify. It gives you all the tools to easily build your dream store. You can choose from hundreds of beautiful templates that you can customize to match. Your brand setup is fast with Shopify's built in AI tools that write product descriptions and headlines and help you edit photos. So marketing is built in too. You can create email and social campaigns that reach customers wherever they scroll. So as you grow, Shopify grows with you. You can handle more orders, expand to new markets, and do it all from the same dashboard. In 2026. Stop waiting and start selling with Shopify. Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com happy. Go to shopify.com happy. That's shopify.com happy. Hear your first cha ching this new year with Shopify by your side.

I love that. You know what's funny is that next level of choices is selling your company and having a big exit, right? That's the ultimate choice. You got a stack of cash, you know, Deca millionaire type of cash or 100 million type of cash.

I don't know if I've heard that, but I like it.

And then you have ultimate choice because now everybody wants you to sit on their boards. Everybody wants you to be a part of, you know, what they're doing, and you get to sit back with all of that cash and all that time and all that expertise and all that deal flow and literally choose how you want to dip your toes in here, how you want to dip your toes. That's the ultimate level of choice, and that's what we're working towards right now, right? So Lori's working on creating an exit, I'm working on creating an exit, and hopefully both turn into great exits. But you got to have those irons in the fire to get to that next level of choice.

I want to really have you guys grasp, like, this level of choice for yourself where you're like, I want the ultimate choice, right? Like, I want to create income that creates choice for other people. You know, my goal for this company is to obviously enjoy it, make it profitable, have an impactful company that we love building that changes the way that women connect and do business, but also get acquired in the future because then I get to pay out my investors if it actually happens. And at A great price. So then I get to create choice because of the choice that I wanted to create for myself. So. So if you can grasp that your dream, whatever it is, is always going to create more choice for other people, then it's not just selfish to go hard for a while and figure out how to create more choice. So have the choiceless years where you're just like, oh, holy hell, I'm doing, like everything to put your name on the map and get yourself out there and get your company out there. But you will eventually get to the place where you realize you can get really focused, which is more enjoyable in general because you feel better about the work that you're doing. You know, focused work, I always feel goes a lot deeper and you just feel more purposeful and centered and focused and all the things. But it will always impact other people.

Amen. Amen to that. The best choice you can make in the world is choice that will also give choice to other people. Right? And that's. That's what you're working so hard for. Listen, we hope you guys appreciate this episode on Choice. I just want to really drive home the fact that you have to go through a season of not very much choice to earn yourself to earn your way into a season of massive choice. And choice is the best thing that success can buy. And one of the keys to you guys being more successful is getting more eyeballs on you. And our dear friends Chris and Jen, Chris Winfield and Jen Gottlieb, they have the biggest, best PR firm for entrepreneurs in New York. Now, we're not selling you something. This thing is, well, I shouldn't say free. I think it's $17.

Yeah.

One, seven. $17 to be a part of their Beyond TV boot camp. And you guys actually get a special price and some perks if you go to the Beyond TV bootcamp.com forward/harder. Like our last name again, that is the beyond tvbootcamp.com harder. That $17 that you'll spend if you go there gives you this week long boot camp where tons, not a few tons of people that do it end up on tv. And then you get to take that, you know, when you're on the news or local news, national news, whatever TV you end up on, you get to take that and push out to the world. And it has a compounding effect that will help you get to a season of more choice. So again, right now, hit pause and go to the Beyond TV bootcamp.com forward/harder.

You know, my whole team is doing this boot Camp. It's actually, I made it required because I believe in it that much, because we're going to be using it to. They teach you skills to pitch yourself, tell stories, like, amazing stories about yourself and your brand and all the different ways to pitch yourself. So whether you want to pitch yourself on podcasts or TV or, you know, for masterminds or stages, you're going to learn skills that are going to get you booked. And not just that. I can't tell you how many people you know, because we've done different things with beyond with their boot camps before. How many people come out of it with so much confidence and a new skill to know how to do this? I'm telling you, I don't know how many times I've seen people on TV or in magazines or writing books or whatever that is that I'm like, you know, we're all kind of average. But it's how you pitch yourself and tell your story. Like, I don't think anyone is actually way more special than anyone else. I think you've learned how to tell the story and you've learned the skills of how to connect with these people.

And you've learned the skills of how to get it out in front of people.

Totally. I have so many friends who are like, look, I'm not. I'm not anymore special, but I booked this because this is what I did, or this is how. Or this was the relationship that I built over the years. And it's just the truth.

Life's truth is this for all of you that are ambitious, for all of you that are trying to get ahead. If you have two people in your genre, one of them is great at what they do, but they haven't been on TV for it or been in magazines for it, and the other one is equally as good, no better, no less. But you've been on TV and you've been in magazines, you're gonna get picked over the other person every single time, by clients, by speaking opportunities, by everything. So right now, drop what you're doing. Go to thebeontvbootcamp.com harder. Don't miss this opportunity. Literally, some of the best education you can get for 17.

All right, you guys, we're so grateful for you, and we will see you next week.

Love and appreciate you.