Amy Porterfield’s Step-by-Step Guide On How To Make A Career Pivot & Be Your Own Boss

So 10% edge goes back to thinking about what you're going to create as let's say your starter idea. You only need to have a 10% edge in order to teach or create what you want in the world. That means you're 10% ahead of those you serve.

Hey everyone, welcome back to the show.

This is such a fun episode with.

One of my amazing friends who is also a mentor for me, someone that that I take her online courses. You guys, I just finished one. And today we have the incredible Amy Porterfield on the show who in my personal opinion has written the book of 2023 that not only everyone needs, but everybody should gift to people who know want to start their big dream, start their big vision, launch that business. She's an ex corporate girl turned online marketing expert and CEO of a multi million dollar business, you guys. She's CR crushing it. And I only want to learn from people who are out there doing the do and crushing it and doing the thing that I want to do.

So during her corporate days she worked.

As a with mega brands like Harley Davidson as well as peak performance coach Tony Robbins. And after one fateful boardroom meeting and witnessing the lifestyle, financial at work and freedom of online businesses and what they had to offer, she developed her 9 to 5 exit plan and never looked back. Through her best selling courses and top ranked marketing podcasts which I love. Online marketing made easy it is in my rotation. She has helped turn hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs turn their two weeks notice and trade burnout for freedom, income and impact. And we talk all about her book, two weeks notice, start to finish. You guys, what this actually looks like to start the thing, leave the job, the conversations you have to have at work, with your family, family in your home life, step by step by step, you're going to learn every single tool you could possibly need in order to build the business of your dreams. So let's get started. Amy Porterfield, I am so excited to have you on the show. Thank you so much for coming on.

So happy to be here. Thanks for having me, friend.

Oh my gosh. Okay, so this is going to be the conversation of all conversations, you guys. If you have been listening to this podcast, we've been sharing with you all the tips and strategies and all the things that you need for mindset and all the fun stuff around starting your business or scaling your business. But let me just tell you, I feel like this is the new bible for people who are ready to start their big dream. And I don't think it's just Starting your big dream, though, because, like, I am getting things from this book. Like, I will be taking things from this book. I know it, Amy. Like, by the way, you guys, I literally learned from this woman. I have taken her courses. I listened to her podcast, so she is one of my mentors. That. I love you, Amy, because you are such a. I don't know how else to say this. Like, you feel like such a safe teacher, meaning, like, you just break down every single thing and every single word that someone may possibly not know. And, like, for me, that's incredible. And the way that you teach is just so linear. And, yeah, you're. You're a really, really. You're one of those people who truly, you are a teacher archetype through and through, and I feel like you leave no student behind when I take your course.

I love that. And I know it was so funny when you sent me a picture of taking one of my courses recently, and it says so much about you because you're still learning, you're still getting in there, you're still finding value in all of that, and I love that. So I know that you take my courses, and you say that about me is a huge compliment because I want to be that step by step girl. I want to make sure that I'm not going to assume you know all this stuff, because most people I serve, they're starting from scratch. No one teaches them this. So we use all these words that are so foreign, and we expect people to know funnels or know what this means or that means, and we don't in the beginning. And so basically, I teach the way I wish someone taught me when I was first starting.

Well, it's working because I've been in this industry for a long time, and I still learn so much from all of your stuff. So love, love, love. So, you guys, we are talking about her book today, which we're not just.

Talking about her book.

You're going to get so much value from this. But the title alone, I swear to you, I'm like, there is no way this book is not going to just be every. Because the title. Two weeks notice. Find the courage to quit your job, make more money, work where you want, and change the world. Like, I'm eating out of your hand right now, but this is really what you do. So, first of all, why this book and why right now?

So why this book? I have been in the industry for almost 14 years. My last corporate jobs with Tony Robbins, and I was the director of content development. I had a great job, but I wanted freedom. And so when I went out on my own, I really had a rocky. Those first two years, I was clueless. Mindset and strategy, like both of those, I didn't have the right mindset, so I doubted myself at every corner. And I also didn't know what strategies to do. And so I wrote the book that I wish I had 14 years ago when I went out on my own. Like, everything I needed to know from how to change your mindset, to think like a business owner, to actually what the heck you're supposed to do step by step by step. And I could have written so many different books in terms of growing your business, scaling your business, but I really have a sweet spot for people that are in a 9 to 5 job or doing something they don't want to be doing right now, and they want to make that pivot, but they don't really know what that transition is going to look like. That's where I want to come in. I also know that many people don't realize there's this whole other world out there that they can have such big opportunities in if they go for it. A lot of people listening to this podcast already know that the online space is a beautiful opportunity if you take it. But there's a lot of people out there that have no clue what we're all doing out here. And so I want to make sure that they know this is for them as well.

I love that you said that. This is also for people who could be pivoting into something else. Maybe you. Maybe you've already been in the online space. And for me, I've been in the online space for a long time, but I had worked with specific teams, and now that I'm not working in that way, or now that I have to go find new teams, I kind of need to relearn the language and relearn what we did. So that's why this is so powerful, is it's. It's a reminder of kind of how to set everything up again, even in a new opportunity or a new route or new, new idea. And I think that's, you know, and even in our group of friends, a lot of us are finding that we're going in a pivot. We're going through, you know, a new chapter in our life. And it's really important to go back to the things that worked and remember. And also you throw in things, you know, that are working now and updated and all of the things. So, okay, let's start from the beginning and that is kind of. If somebody is listening to this, who is at the 9 to 5? How do they just decide when to quit? How do they talk to their boss? How do they know that they can even do it? Like, tell me all the things.

Okay, so in the book, I lay out what I call the Runway. And so you need a Runway. If you're still in a 9 to 5 job and you're starting to think, yes, I want to go out on my own. Let's get a plan together. I'm a girl with a plan, and if I have a plan, I can find the courage. If I don't have a plan, I'm just going to worry about about everything and not ever take action. So the Runway is your plan. And here's what it looks like. The first thing is you gotta decide what your why is. Why do you want to leave your 9 to 5 job if it's just because, Amy, I hate my job? That's not going to pull you out of bed as an entrepreneur when things get really tough. So I need you to get clear on your why. For me, it was simple. I didn't want to work for someone else. I didn't want to be told what to do, when to do it, or how to do it. I didn't want to be on someone else's time or someone else's dimension. I wanted to be free to call the shots, to create the life that I want, to build a business full of creativity, to be a boss. I wanted to be a boss. And so when I got clear on my why, that started to kind of be the domino effect for everything else. So get clear on your why. And it doesn't have to be huge, lofty. Someone says it doesn't have to be a pageant. Why? Which is really sparkly and beautiful. It was, sure, you want to change the world, but let's just start out with. But what do you want right now? Let's get kind of clear for you first. So that's the first thing. The second thing is you've got to choose a exit date. So this is so important. It seems like, well, of course, Amy, I got to choose a date. I want to leave. Most people don't do that, so they stay way longer than they need to. So I want you choosing a date either 3, 6, 9, or 12 months from today. 3, 6, 9, or twelve. Anything more than a year fears getting in the way. You're probably never going to leave. If you just kind of say, in two years, maybe. No, no, no. We need a Little bit more urgency. When you choose that date, you're going to put it on a post it note, you're going to put it on a mirror where you see it every single day when you get ready. And you're going to ask this question, what do I need to do today to move me closer to that date? Do I need to make a call? Do I need to listen to this podcast or buy that book? Or what is it that you need to do? For me, one of the things I needed to do was I needed to understand how my business was going to come together. And what I mean by that is I was watching this woman online years and years ago, so we're talking like 15 years ago. And she had a business online, exactly what I wanted. She sold digital courses, she taught marketing, she did great on social, she had these different packages she'd offered and I thought, that's the business I want. So what I did on that day, what do I need to do today to move me closer to the the date I chose that day? I emailed her on her contact page on our website and I said, I know you don't offer this, but can I pay you for an hour of your time to ask you about how you built your business? And she said yes. And so in my office, I had these really thin walls. I got underneath my desk at lunchtime. I was so afraid people would hear me. I got underneath my desk. I'm whispering to her like, okay, so how did you come up with your first offer? How did you know you wanted to do digital courses? How much money did it cost you to get started? I got to ask her all the questions. Women are generous in that way and so I really love that she just shared it all. And that wasn't what she did in her business, but she did it for me.

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So I loved that. So I just put myself out there and I asked her to help me. So what do you need to do today to move you closer? Every day I ask that question and usually anything you come up with, you're Going to get a little uncomfortable. That's a good sign you're moving in the right direction. When you're uncomfortable, you grow. So we got the exit date. We're going to look at it every day. And the next thing you want to do for your Runway is you got to look at your finances. And I know this is scary. If you're in debt, I get it, you don't want to look. Or if you're thinking, oh, this is going to be messy, let's look at the finances. And the question you're asking is, how much money do I really need to make each month in order to pay the bills? Because if you get clear on that number, we can reverse engineer what your business might look like. So not knowing is not going to serve you. So let's look at those finances. And you and I have a mutual friend, Jonathan Fields. And when we were talking about this concept, he said, before I quit my job as a lawyer, I told myself I need nine months of living expenses. When I hit that nine months of living expenses, I quit as a lawyer. I thought that was another great way to look at it. And so maybe if you want to save a certain amount of money, don't be over aggressive with this, or you'll never leave your job. But if you want to save a certain amount of money, how quickly can you do that? So that's another thing. And then finally, I think everyone should start a side hustle. If you're still in a 9 to 5 job. I love this idea of starting something just to get your feet wet. It's not going to bring in tons of money. It's not supposed to take over your salary in the beginning. But let's start floating some ideas out there. Let's maybe do a little coaching. One on one. You put together a coaching package and take two clients. Or I did people's social media at nighttime for small businesses. That was my side hustle. But bringing in a little extra money helps immensely. So that's essentially what your Runway is going to look like.

Amy, I love this because this is to a T, exactly what I did. Like, really. That's why I'm like, I am so glad this book is written and that it's all in one place, because people ask me that all the time, and it's. It's like a. It's. It's kind of hard to explain all the things. And thankfully, you did it and you put it into a book, and literally, you just brought me back to, like, those moments of, I wanted to Leave earlier. But I didn't have the Runway yet, so we needed to push the date out just a little bit more because I needed to go back to the finances. So it all ended up coming into exactly what you said with your plan. And, you know, I just want to share for anyone listening, that's actually what I did. Even when I was pivoting again, because I was like, even when I was online, I had already started, like, a fitness membership program and a couple other things, but I wanted to go full time into network marketing and personal development stuff. So I did the same plan again. So it works even for when you're already out there and you're your own boss. I had to do it to me, like, when can I leave this thing? What does that look like? And we set a date. We did all those things. We set the financial Runway, and it was like, when this side hustle is earning this much is when I can leave my. My last thing that I had started.

I love that you said that. That's right, because you were in a totally different industry, so you were already your own boss, but you needed to make that pivot. And that is. I think so many people listening are like, oh, okay, that's me. I can. I can get behind that. So I think putting together a Runway for a pivot is just as important.

So same thing. It can be applied to wherever you're at. That's why I love this. Okay. So it also includes because some people might be listening right now and like, okay, this book sounds great. I'm gonna get so fired up to want to quit my job, but, like, I don't know what I'm gonna do or what I'm good at. So, yes, I know you have some advice around this.

Yes, we have to talk about this. So I had the same experience when I was working for Tony Robbins, and I decided I want to go out on my own. I worked with a gal who was a writer, and I looked at her, and I remember like, it was yesterday. I said, said, you're a writer. You could do ghostwriting. You could be a freelance writer. You could go out on your own. I looked at her and said, I have no skill that would translate into being my own boss or an entrepreneur. Like, I do not know anything that could work. And she looked at me like, what, are you kidding me now? She was right. I did. Everyone does. And this is what you do. I finally had to take myself through what now I call the sweet spot formula. And this is what it looks like. There's Four quadrants. The first one is, what are you good at? Where have you gotten results for your personal life and business life for yourself, or maybe for customers, where have you gotten results? And that might mean, like, in your personal life, if you went from the couch to a marathon runner in 60 days, how did you do that? Look at exactly the steps you took. That literally could be a business or in your business, what are you good at? If you're an accountant, you could absolutely build a business around being an accountant for yourself. So we got to look at our business and our personal life. Where are we getting results? What are we good at? That's the first one. The second quadrant is who do you want to serve? One of the easiest ways to address this is maybe you serve someone that's you, but like, five years ago or 10 steps behind you so you can show them the way and so you could think about, what are they struggling with? What's keeping them up at night? You were them. You do know, like, I wrote the book for me 14 years ago. And so that is easy to say, okay, I know who they are and how they're thinking. So that's the second quadrant. The third quadrant is, where are people spending money? So when you start to think about this idea you want to create as a business, do people spend money in this? Are there books about it, programs about it, coaching about it, podcasts about it? And if the answer is yes, that's a great validator. So we gotta pause there. A lot of people will say, amy, it's already being done. I get. There's no space for me. This girl is doing it and she's making millions of dollars. I can't do that. There's over 7 billion people in this world, and you need a sliver of the Internet to pay attention, to make great money in what you want to do. And some people don't want to learn from her. They're going to gravitate toward you because they like your style, your experiences, your stories, how you teach. And so just remember, there's always room for you if you're willing to put yourself out there and stay out there, be consistent. So if it's already being done, great validators. And finally, the fourth quadrant is what lights you up. Now, notice I didn't say, what's your passion? What's your purpose? You're going to go down a rabbit hole and never come up. If that's what we're looking for right now. It's just something you enjoy talking about, teaching. You're going to sleep, eat, breathe it for a long time. So on the hard days, it needs to get you out of bed. So you need to enjoy whatever it is you're creating.

So I also know that you give them, like, an action plan checklist so that they're not missing anything. Is that not true?

It's true. And I. I literally live my life by checklists and action lists and all of that. And so I thought, I know people are saying, okay, Amy, great, I can get started. You're. You're showing me what I need to do, but in what order and what exactly am I doing? Action by action. So in the book, we give you an action plan. But here's what's so great. Because I'm a marketer, I know that I need to take people beyond the book to really dive in and what they need to know in terms of marketing. So there's a link in the book that you'll see throughout that you get to go to a resource center for free. And I've got the templates, the cheat sheets, the checklists, the guides to take what you learn and bring it to life. Like, I don't want you just reading my book. I want you implementing so I could brag about you all over the web of what you've created. And so, yeah, I'm an action by action kind of girl, so that's how I kind of set up the book as well.

Okay.

I'm loving this so much, and I just have to share that. I think this is going to be one of those books, if anyone's listening who knows, Jeff Walker, his launch strategy book.

Yeah.

Here's why I love this. I would read that book and I'd stop and I'd integrate, and then I could pick it back up. And when I was doing all the things, I would follow it like it was the Bible.

Yeah.

And I did that for probably, like, no joke, probably six of my launches until I understood. I was like, oh, I don't need the book anymore. And I think people are gonna find they're gonna hold onto this book like that, and then one day you're gonna be like, holy. I'm in my. I'm in my dream job. Like, thank you, Amy. I can down for a minute because you did it. I'm sharing that book with you because it's one of. With our listeners. Because Jeff Walker's book is one of those books that I believe Amy's book is like, it's truly the step by step that you keep picking up, because everything is in There for every step of the way. And it felt like he was holding my hand. And I know that that's exactly how I feel when you teach and when I read your stuff. So it really is like, oh, what was that? I forgot. Okay, I can look. It's all here. Okay. Am I doing it right? Okay, this is right. And I can go to my checklist list and know that it's right. Okay, so you cover everything. I mean, you talk about building an engaged email list, you talk about content strategies. Like there's no place that you're leaving people behind. So let's talk about that. We kind of have our ideas on how to strategize what we want. We're starting to think about, okay, you know, I, I set my date, I know my side hustle, I have the finances. But now when we're thinking of taking this thing that we have an idea on and switching over, we've got kind of, we have the website left, we.

Have content, social media, email list. Let's talk about it. Okay, so one of the things that I think is important to remember is that there are certain things you shouldn't be focused on when you go out on your own. And I bring these up in the book because they're so important to remember. Here's number one, you do not need a full fledged business plan. I don't even know what a full fledged business plan looks like. Most of my peers have never put together one either. Like, do. Did you put together a full fledged business plan?

No.

No. Thank you. So that means we need a starter idea. We need to know who we're serving, we need to know how we want to put our together our offer, everything I cover in the book. But we're not going to go and write a 19 page plan. It's not needed. Another thing that's not needed is business cards. I know it seems silly that I bring it up, but people get really stuck on the font, the color, the card. Like no one hands out business cards anymore anyway. And it's just a distraction because we're afraid. So we're going to start with the easy stuff and then we're going to obsess about it. It. We're not going to do that this time. And the third thing that you don't need is a fancy website. So you know how our parents used to say, I used to walk to school uphill both ways kind of thing? Well, I kind of feel that way with websites. When I had to build a website 15 years ago, literally, you needed to know coding and design or you were not going to get a website. These days there's so many great resources. I list them all in the book of how to get a website up and running in like a day that looks beautiful and so that is there waiting for you. We're not going to spend tons of time on website because I want you to spend more time on creating really good content, putting together your message, knowing who you serve and putting together an offer so you can make money quickly.

There are so many challenges to business that I don't want starting to be.

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And so those are the things we're not going to focus on. Business plan, website, business cards. We don't need to obsess over those. But here's what we do need to obsess with. Content. Like I mentioned earlier, this is something that you and I really take seriously. And it matters because it's helped us create the businesses we have today. What are you going to post about? What is your messaging? Who are you? What are you about? How do you serve? And then what does that look like on social media? And maybe a podcast or a blog. I talk about, you know, where to put the content, how often to put the content, what to put a plan together, what does that plan look like? Content is everything for building an audience. Audience. Because a lot of people say, amy, I don't even have anyone who follows me on social media yet, but maybe my family, we're going to change that quickly. And so content is going to be a big focus. And then also your email list, I mean, you know how I feel about this. And a lot of people are going to want to build their business on social media. And I always say, if you only build your business on social media, you're building your business on rented land. And Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk now can change that algorithm and boom, the business you created on social looks dramatically different in the morning because that algorithm, you. You can't trust it. And so instead, also build an email list. Use social media and also build an email list, because you own that. How do you build an email list? I teach you step by step by step inside my book.

Oh, my God. It's so important to have those lists because we, we've launched different things and Instagram has gone down or Facebook is not working. And if that's during your launch week, that can dramatically affect you. And not just that, it can really knock the wind out of your sales and really affect how you're showing up. So I think that's. So it's Just, it's the number one thing. Especially now as I'm building a new company, Amy, with products, it's like you've got to have an email list where they're gonna see what you're doing and promoting and also nurturing them, you know? So. Okay, I want to know somebody listening right now who's like, oh, my goodness. You know, I've been working for someone else for a long time. I don't know what my kind of like, if I'm capable of like a hundred percent all the time. Like, what do you think is the percentage that even if you showed up this much per day, we could still get you there? I know it's a random.

I love this question. I would say this is. This is someone, like, who's in a 9 to 5 job or has a lot of other responsibilities. Yeah, yeah. Give me 10% every day. Most people won't even do that. Give me 10% every day. And you're focused on it. You and I have a mutual friend, Jenna Kutcher. And I can promise you that woman works fewer hours than most people I know with a multimillion dollar business, because when she's working for just a few hours a day, she's going deep and she's focused and she knows what she's working on. A few hours a day could get you so far if you stay focused and if you have a plan. And so I love this question because you're right. A lot of people listening, they. They can't go in a hundred percent. They can't make it all work. And be this. Be their end all. Be all. There's a lot of moms listening that they're like, I've got kids at home. How am I going to do this? So, number one, you do make sacrifices. You do need to want it bad enough that you're going to make those sacrifices. 10% a day can get you so far, if you're consistent.

I want to, like, really point out what you were saying about, you know, the logo and the business card and even. Even the branding and a gorgeous website and all those things. Things. If you're giving 10 in the right areas. What's happening is we're giving. We're going hard in the beginning. We're giving 90%. We feel maxed out. But the 90% is being spent on hours and hours of like, what does this look like? This needs to be perfect. Is this the right thing? And it's all stuff that actually doesn't matter at all. Like, done is better than Perfect. Let me tell you that I've seen some of the freaking ugliest websites and business cards where they're are crushing it.

Yeah.

Doing the actual work that moves the needle, not caring about the looks. So that is one thing I've learned is I have some ugly that works that I'm like, if anyone looked at my website right now, it's hanging on by a thread, but it's working. So I agree.

I don't think I have a great website. In fact, my team thinks it's outdated. And I'm like, okay, this is what I said. Fine, it might be outdated. You know, we haven't updated a lot in a lot of years and I don't care because what I care mainly about is serving my students, putting together offers that they genuinely will get value from and showing up on my podcast twice a week. Like that matters to me. That's how I have a multimillion dollar business. So I don't care if it's not the most perfect website. And so I love that you said that you could spend 90% of your day working on your business, but if you're working on the wrong things, it doesn't matter.

So true.

So I hope we free you up to put up, out, put out effective ugly. And it's still, it still works.

Done is better than perfect all day long.

You can go back to it. You can always go back to it. What's your 10% edge?

Yes. I love this. Okay, so 10 edge goes back to thinking about what you're going to create as, let's say, your starter idea. You only need to have a 10 edge in order to teach or create what you want in the world. That means you're 10% ahead of those you serve. So you don't need to be light years ahead. I don't teach everyone I teach. I'm not 100 years ahead of them. I don't have degrees that they don't have. I just have the knowledge and know how in terms of how to get results in this area. So I'm going to teach them how I got that. And so as long as you can look back and say, come on, let me, let me show you. Follow my lead, you're good to go. So the 10 edge should make everybody listening right now, take a deep breath, let go of that tension, lower the shoulders, you are good. You already have it in you. And now we just need to serve people that are a little bit behind you that want you to lead them.

I always think of that, even looking back to the beginning. I would love to know for you, because I have some crazy things that I offered that I'm like, people paid for that.

I know what were.

Do you have one that you remember that you first put out that you're like, wow, okay.

So what I did in the very beginning is I charged $300 for a Facebook page audit. And this is when the Wild west people didn't even know what was going on with. And so I would review their Facebook page and tell them what they were doing wrong and what they could do better, and I'd give them a little report, and people ate it up. They loved it. And these days, I don't think that would fly as much, But I had to start somewhere, and I had to make some money. So I love this idea of getting scrappy. Like, can you think of something you offered in the beginning? Yeah, I want to hear. I can't wait.

You're gonna love this one.

Okay, I'm ready. All right.

Right.

So I did, like, a. I was, you know, in health and fitness and people. I would always post these different recipes, and I was like, mama needs to make money. We were broke.

We just lost our house.

We, like, lost our cars. We were $300,000 in debt. My wheels were spinning. So I came up real quick. Like, in one week, I was like, oh, my gosh. I'm going to offer, like, a revamp cooking class. Like, a recipe revamp. I put it out online. I had five strangers come to my little apartment. Oh, my gosh.

Literally.

And they sat on the bar stools at my apartment counter, and I essentially took everyday recipes and just swapped out ingredients. All I did pretty much was swap out, like, cheese for cottage cheese and Greek yogurt for fattening things, and that's it. We tried, like, five different things, and they all seemed happy. And I charged. I think I charged, like, a hundred bucks or 150 or something like that. A person. And I just threw together shit like that left and right. Just. That one didn't stick. I think I did it twice. And I was like, okay, that was a lot of work because you had to get all this stuff. But I, like, honestly, I just want to share this hearing you, Amy. And you throw stuff at the wall. Yes, Just throw things at the wall and you let it be okay. And honestly, you're so much better on the other side of them because you know what you want to do and what you don't do. So the things that you don't want to do get you really clear and they're important to do them in the beginning. If you're unclear, yes.

And you're an example of getting scrappy. I'm all about getting scrappy. Like that you will not know one, what will work, but two, what you enjoy. Like when I first started, I did social media for small businesses. So that's another thing that I did. And I realized I hated it. I don't want to do social media for small businesses and I don't want to work one on one with clients. But I would have never known that if I didn't try it. So you're supposed to be making mistakes in the beginning. Even though my book will walk you through step by step and share all the mistakes I made so you can sidestep those mistakes. Mistakes you'll make your own. You'll make some that I didn't make and you'll figure it out as you go. But unless you take action, you're always going to be stuck playing small in a 9 to 5 job that you do not want or in a business you created. I created a business I didn't want anymore. That social media business, I couldn't wait to get out of it. So pivots are welcome in entrepreneurship, that you should be making pivots. So give yourself permission to do so.

Okay, that is huge. Because I think that people, oh my gosh, this is an epiphany. But not at all, like, it's right in front of my face. Like, I think that people get scared to begin because they think they're creating like, their legacy business. And I'm like, oh, no, honey, this is like you're jumping off point.

I love that you said that. Everyone asked me at the end of my interviews, they'll say, like, what's one thing that you wish you could tell your younger self when you first started? And it was, don't take everything so seriously. Every decision is not serious. Set in stone. The business you have in the beginning is very different than the business you'll have 10 years from now. So just get started. So I love that you said that.

That's been something that's been so helpful through all of my decisions because it doesn't put so much weight on everything. Like, it lets you zoom out for a minute and go, oh, there's going to be a lot of things after this, but I'm going to learn so much from this particular experience. This might be backtracking a little bit, but what are our boss traps and unbossing? The same thing. Thing.

Okay, great question. So this concept of unboxing is realizing that you can lead yourself, that you don't need permission, you don't need to get everybody's opinions and buy in. So it's a process. Embossing is over the years you're going to learn more and more that you can trust yourself, that you can make decisions and when they don't work, you can recalibrate. But for those of us, including me, who's had a boss since the from the beginning to the day I left my last 9 to 5 job, I was very comfortable being told what to do. And so you have to get comfortable making the decisions yourself. That's the embossing. Now, boss traps are when you get. They're very similar. Getting back into the mindset of you're an employee. So now you're out there in the world doing your own thing, being your own boss, but still acting like an employee. So let me give you an example of what I did. I had mentioned that I did social media for small businesses. So I had clients. Clients. And so I left a 9 to 5 job where I had a boss and then I built a business where I had like eight bosses because I acted like an employee. We'd get on a call and I would be consulting on their social media. We'd get off the call. I had 20 action items to their zero. I said yes to everything they wanted and I would literally let them boss me around. They'd call me at every hour. Their expectations were wild and I said yes. I didn't yet emboss myself. And so you have to have boundaries in the beginning so you don't act like an employee in your own business. It's very easy to do so. So be very careful when you are literally acting like an employee. Even though when you look in the mirror you're like, oh, I'm the boss.

Oh, so good. Amy, let's talk about you dove a little bit into trusting yourself. I think that this is the eternal journey as an entrepreneur and I would love for you to speak on what the journey actually looks like and how much failure is a part of it and grace for yourself.

So if you are willing to fail, if you're willing to start from zero, I always say, what's your capacity for zero? Are you willing to have zero social media following zero email list, Zero money in the bank from your business? If your capacity for zero is high, welcome to entrepreneurship because that's what it needs to be. And so I believe you will fail so many times. And I wish I knew that that was part of this journey. I wish I knew that was going to get me to my multimillion dollar business actually being willing to make the mistakes. Because in the beginning, like I mentioned, I'd make a mistake and I'd make it mean I'm not cut out for this. I'm actually not a good business owner. And I feel as though keep, when you keep telling yourself that, it's true. Total side note, but I recently watched the Pamela Anderson documentary on Netflix. Yeah. He talks about the fact that, that she didn't make a lot of money through her career and she really struggled every time she used her credit card when she was famous. Use her credit card and hope that it would work. And she said I'm just not good at business. Well, I'm sure she's told herself that a hundred times and she absolutely believes it. So that's another thing. We need to be very careful of the story we tell ourselves when things don't work out. And so I told myself I wasn't good at it for many years and then realized this is not serving me and I am struggling. So then when I started to make those, continued to make those mistakes, I'd say okay, where's the lesson? What, what did go right in here that I could double down on that and forget all the rest. So it's like flipping this the script on yourself. But you're going to make all the mistakes. There's, there, there's no way around it. Right?

I'm your capacity for zero capacity. That is like for me the key takeaway from this. Because if people, if people can be a beginner over and over again, if people can experience that feeling, if they can know it's a part of it, if they can actually think you should seek it frequently. Because if you're at zero, you're at a new, you're, you're learning new things that are probably that are important for wherever you want to go. And I love that so much so. And it is, it is like a tolerance, right? Because that, that you're expanding and you can only expand it through sitting in the failure and continuing to come back from it. And you know, you and I were just in this mind blowing room with these incredible people. Like I don't know about you, you were sitting across from me and I'm just like, I'd have these holy moments of how am I in this room with say 40 entrepreneurs like little Lori and little Amy would have been like what the hell?

It's true. True. And you Know, I will say this. You and I have been in business forever, and here we are in this room with these great minds, and I. I felt insecure at moments like, do I belong here? Am I saying the right thing? Am I sharing enough? And that still comes up 14 years later. But here's what's different. When you have. Have more experience and something to look forward to. For those of you just starting out, I had the thought, I had the feeling, but then I was able to bounce back in and be present, being like, no, I've got a proven track record. I've got something to share. I'm here. Let's go. So it's. It's jumping in and out of those thoughts faster is something you can look forward to. It does happen. But I'm here to say it will never go away. You'll never stop thinking, am I enough? Unfortunately, it just comes up a lot.

So I love that, Amy, because what you just said, though, is that you had a sentence to, like, fall back on. It was, nope, I belong here. I have a track record. And that's something that, whether you know you did it or not, you chose to insert that sentence instead of a. A disempowering sentence. So you have to catch that first. So anybody listening who finds themselves in a position, who, you quit your job, and maybe you've made a little bit of money, but now you're questioning yourself or you're about to do it, but, like, it's always figuring out, what is that exact sentence that you're going to input into there. And mine in that room was, now what was it? There are no mistakes. So I was like, there are no mistakes. I'm in this room for a reason. So find it.

I love it.

It was like, find it. Figure it out.

And.

But that took work from my past, right? So now I'm like, there are no mistakes. I'm here for a reason. So even if I'm in a failure, I'm like, there are no mistakes. I'm. I'm in this failure to learn something really big for, like, my next step. So this failure was not actually a mistake, because there are none. So it's just having that sentence, as an entrepreneur, having that 1 to 3 to 5, whatever you need in these situations, because you're gonna be in these sticky situations. You're gonna be in these, like, who the heck am I? This is a big failure. I lost a lot of money. I don't know about you, Amy, but I have lost. I've lost good chunks of money.

Amen.

Same.

I remember the first time, the biggest chunk in initially that I lost. I've lost more since then. $20,000. I. I gave $20,000 to this woman to create something for me. It was a disaster. And I thought I beat myself up so much about that. But I recently lost $60,000, basically a recruiting thing that didn't work out, and I've moved on. I'm like, oh, that's a lot of money. In, in perspective of how much I make, I get that. I not saying that the 60,000 didn't matter to. To me. I couldn't beat myself up for losing it. I tried something. It didn't work. I have to just move on. So you do get more resilient.

And I don't know. Everybody I talk to, I ask questions like this because I want to know I'm not alone. I don't know one person who doesn't have these stories in big ones. Because the more money you make, the bigger the risk you take on teams and people and investments. And we were just having this conversation with investments, and I'm like, most of our investments have not paid off, but the ones know you have to. You have to risk like that. You have to do these things you have when you start to play bigger. Yeah, I guess your perspective on how you view them and you take obviously smarter risks, but at the same time, there's still risks and you're still going to lose. So I just hope somebody listening to this, if you're in that situation knows, like, okay, you're actually doing it. If you have failed in this way, it means you've actually put your neck out there and it's, it's working. So don't give up. Okay, Amy, last words on just anything we have left out for somebody who's like, I'm right there. I'm ready to go.

Okay, last words. This is what I'd say. You literally are one decision away from the life that you truly want. And what I mean by that is that all you have to do is decide that no matter what, you're not stepping off the field. Amy, I'm going to get into it. I'm going to make my mistakes. I'm going to follow your guide. I'm going to do this step by step. But I'm on the field. And our mutual friend Jasmine Star always says, then you've already won. If you are on the field and you refuse to get off, you've already won. I just heard a story from a friend of mine, actually, it was Chris Robbins MEL Robbins HUSBAND and he tells this story, so I know I'm not telling his own story. He tells it publicly, but he talked about being on the basketball team when he was young, and he got kicked out off, and he refused to leave. So he just kept showing up for the games. He kept suiting up. He's like, no, I'm on this team. And they would take him to the games. He got to go on the bus, but he wasn't playing. And I love that story because I'm like, yes, just keep going. Just keep showing up. Don't. If they say you can't play with them, you show up anyway and you make your own table. And I do believe as long as you stay in the game, you cannot lose.

That was the best. Yeah, Amy, this was the best. I'm so excited for people to get this book. I'm. I told her before I got on and, like, you know, I can tell my family about stuff all day long, but I'm so glad you wrote this book so I can just give it to him and be like, you can't fail with this. So, yes, going to my family members, I actually have a couple right now who are going to start a business. They just need. They need this in their hand to feel safe.

So.

So I think that's a really big thing, is this is going to be the thing where it's like, oh, now I can. Now I can start. So I can't wait for my prediction to come true. This is going to be so huge, and I'm just grateful that you poured your heart and soul and wisdom into it. And, you guys, this is not just a book she decided to write. This is her life's work.

Yeah.

This is all of Amy's time in brilliance and wisdom in one spot. Like, don't be an idiot and not get the Cliff Notes. You know what I'm saying? It's like, so cheap for all the money she spent. So what I want to do, Amy, for my listeners, because my listeners are so freaking awesome and they're book obsessed as well. You guys, I am going to be giving you 10 books. So 10 books to the first people. Not 10 books each, one book per person, but to the first 10 people that share this story. Tag myself and tag Amy and tell us what your biggest takeaway was was from this podcast.

Yes, I love that.

Your biggest takeaway. And I will be DMing you back and asking for your address to send you a book. So first 10 people and everybody else, you guys, even if you're the first 10. Go buy this book for a friend. Literally do, do it as a book club. I don't know, find a business partner. You're gonna the leap into entrepreneurship or even just having a side hustle. Honestly, it's one of the most empowering things you can do, especially in this time to put it back in your own. You feel so much more empowered out in the world. Even if you are somebody who is 9 to 5 and corporate and career, it feels real, real good to know this is something you can fall back on. So Amy, I'm, I'm so grateful for you and who you are in the world.

Where can we find you?

Follow you? What is your tag?

Okay, so if you go by two weeks notice, I want you to go to two weeksnoticebook.com so two weeks noticebook.com I've got bonuses for you when you buy my book. So go buy it and then come get your bonuses to take you even beyond the book in order to get started. And then I am always on Instagram. Instagram. So I'm just at Amy Porterfield on Instagram. Thanks so much for asking. Lori, I love you so much. I love your energy, I love your intelligence, I love everything you do. So you inviting me on the show meant the world to me. So thanks again, friend.

Oh, this is just fun for me. I'm so grateful. Is this, is this our life?

Did we really create this?

It is our life.

I'm so proud of little little us when we had that big dream that we actually did it. So you guys, I'm so grateful for you and I can't wait to see all of you of these incredible shares. I can't wait to hear about what you think of the book. And until next time, earn your happy. Bye, everyone.