How to Manage Your TIME for SUCCESS | Nicole Walters

And so the moment did come where I said, where can I use my time best? But at the time, I felt like it was, how do I find my purpose? But in reality, it was just a realignment of using my time well to serve others best.

One of the favorite lines that you have, that I've heard you use is this term called everyday entrepreneurs.

Yeah.

And with all the businesses in the world, all the big corporate entities. I know you're all about corporate entities. Right. They get all the focus because they have all the, you know, thousands of jobs coming to so and so, and thousands of jobs coming to so and so. But when you do the math, you realize that the early entrepreneur. Right. Is the one that actually provides most of the jobs. How did you find that you were directly called to serve that particular entrepreneur?

Well, one of the things that happened when I was younger was my dad was a cab driver in Washington, D.C. so we spent most of our life kind of in intense poverty, but driving around the streets of D.C. and I was sitting in those passenger seat, my dad would say things like, you know, what's great about America is you have two choices. You can, you know, decide to clean a building, or you can have your name on one, but either way, the options are open to you. And. And that's kind of stuck with me all my life, you know, that I really am in the land of opportunity. And there's nothing more evident than when you're driving through the streets. I tell my kids all the time, every single business you see, whether it is a large business like a major bank out here, or a small business like your local dry cleaners, they started as everyday entrepreneurs, every single one of them. Even Walmart, you know, the Waltons on Main Street. So it's one of those things where it lets you know that there's endless opportunity, but it also lets you know that, you know, everyday people can make a really big impact.

Well, you know, so you and I both love the every entrepreneur, right? We are those people. We grew our organizations from nothing, right?

Yes.

You know, which goes to show there's a powerful idea. I'm curious to know from your standpoint, what you see in the marketplace today, given all the experience you have. What do you think the number one thing holding most entrepreneurs back right now is?

I think that, honestly, it's some of the content that's being created out there. I think that there's a huge push towards automation, and a lot of entrepreneurs are feeling like if they can't get a grasp around social media, around automation, around Facebook ads and email sequences and segmentation that they just can't stop. And frankly, that's not true. You know, I always try to remind people that Facebook started without Facebook. So that definitely means that, you know, there's space for all of us to build potentially billion dollar businesses doing it the old school way, which is building relationships, putting in that work and that grind and making sure to deliver a solid product. So, you know, for those entrepreneurs who are struggling to get started, it's that it's get back to basics, it works.

Yeah. Well, let me ask you about this. I mean, so it's interesting, you know, you decided to put your family life on camera, right? So everything from your assistant to your daughters to your hubby, all of them. Right. I'm sure that's been an interesting shift. What made you decide to go that far and give the public that much access to you?

Well, I think a lot of it has to do with, you know, kind of wanting to put some color behind the black and white of social media. So, you know, there's only so much you can say in just a few characters. And social media isn't a complete picture. People are on there posting least lives. You know, they're showing you laptops balancing on their knees and bank accounts that are struggling. You know, so it's one of those things where you could actually let a camera into your home from a major cable network. You know, where people can see the ins and outs of balancing a family and running a business. You know, there's nothing more real than that. So I wanted to kind of give an opportunity to show what it's like for the everyday entrepreneur in a very real way.

It's a terrific show I've enjoyed. I've caught a few episodes myself and now I've got to go binge watch all of them.

Thank you very much.

So, no, I'm loving it. You know, it's. I think it goes to show that there really is no limitation on what you can do with a business or an idea if you really go for it. Now, I know for you, you follow the traditional career path, right? You went to work, you did the college thing, only to find out it had lack, you know, very little meaning and purpose. And I think we've all kind of been there and some of us may be even better right now. Talk to me a little bit about that because ultimately it seems like finding your, like actually operating your purpose past the fear is actually what led you to a life you love.

Absolutely. So it's interesting because when I You know, this was almost 10 years ago now when I finally jumped into entrepreneurship and aligned better with my purpose. You know, that was the language that I used. I needed to find my purpose. I needed to get to this destination. I needed to realign. And, you know, after the years, you know, now I look at it, you know, having built a multimillion dollar business and headquarters with all these employees and another headquarter, another office in California, you know, all these things, I just look at it and I'm like, you know, purpose isn't some destination. It's not some place that we're not really doing anything all along the way until we get there. It's in the doing daily. And so I look back on it, I see that time through different lens. I realized that the time that I spent in corporate was valuable, and I'm glad that I wasn't looking at that time begrudgingly because the tools that I garnered there helped serve my purpose daily. And so the moment did come where I said, where can I use my time best? But at the time, I felt like it was, how do I find my purpose? But in reality, it was just a realignment of using my time well to serve others best. And I think that once we make that shift, if you're an entrepreneur who's currently in that space, you'll make your time presently more meaningful and your leap or your jump or your journey will happen probably a little quicker than you think.

Yeah, for sure. I mean, and you, you really did leap.

I did. I was like, are we going to talk about people who are like, I.

Was going to ease my, get my side hustle on and I'll figure things out. I'll wait for my side hustle, become my, my full hustle, and then I'll go, no. You're like, no, not am I going to do this? I'm going to do it live while on periscope? I mean, because why not?

You know, I mean, like, if you're going to cross the bridge, why not burn it to cinders behind you?

Yeah, that's what happened. I mean, I'd been building my business on the side and I always tell people, you know, you might hear about these people, like, I quit my job, I did all this. But a smart person, you know, builds a place them to go. They make sure that they're going to be a good boss to themselves. And that's exactly what I did. There's never been a day where I haven't paid myself a full and proper salary similar to what I paid in corporate, and I think that's just a really important call out. But, yeah, I been tracking the journey the whole time. People have been following along, and so it just felt honest and an integrity to take them on that part too. So I called up my boss, and in front of 10,000 people, I quit my job.

We're not necessarily recommending you do that.

If God tells you to do it, then knock yourself out.

That's right. If you feel that leaning right. If you feel that inclination, you better oblige him. But just saying, it's not for everybody.

Well, I'm curious knowing that, you know, as a fellow entrepreneur who has teams of people, you know, I'm constantly trying to work with my team on helping them better understand themselves or gifts, their talents, all the stuff that I think God put in them as a rule of thumb. I'm curious to know, given that you had that experience with corporate America and you knew that wasn't you, the real you, the authentic you, how has that, like, positioned you to work with your own teams? How has it, like, taught you to work with your team?

Sure. So, I mean, I think one of the things is that we regularly. I think everyone on my team has some degree of a side hustle. And frankly, if they're there to serve their talents, I thank them regularly for lending their talents to our organization. Because one of the biggest differences in corporate is sometimes I think it feels kind of like they own you in a lot of ways, where you're like, everything has been built and positioned where I can't get out. You know, like, you've got my benefits, you've got my tenure. I put in this much time, I'm waiting on a pen, and it almost feels like you're trapped, you know, and the reality is you're not. But, you know, because you're never trapped anywhere. But it's just tough because I never want my people to feel that way on my team, you know, and because it isn't true. And I don't want that to be the ever present. So, you know, they have their own things going on. We always have very open conversation around, what is it that you need? Do you need a more ergonomic chair in order to get more work done? Do you need a more flexible work schedule? We do this thing called flex time during our launches or whenever we're doing major enrollment and onboarding where, you know, if somebody's working late on one day, then they start late the next day, or they get to, you know, not be in the next day because I'm not assuming they're this unlimited. Well, for my purpose, you know, and, and I think that that's something that, where even though we're still a corporation and we still have benefits and 401k and you know, PTO and all those things, we try to be one with feeling and heart that actually sees the people that work with us. And that's just how I wanted to be treated. So, you know, I feel like a lot of that probably comes from my Christian faith. You know, just as a Christian, like I align to something more than the dollar. And it's just really important for me that whatever I do is something I can hold to my personal values as being something that I'd be proud of, you know, and so that's a huge part of it. Family is really important to me and I want to make sure people aren't compromising what matters to them behind a dollar. So we practice that internally and we teach it externally.

No, I love it. You know, it's interesting. I, I feel like the culture within my organization is directly tied to my faith. Right. Treat people how you want to be treated. You know, if you see somebody who's, who needs a hug, give them a hug.

Like, just give them a hug. Just do the right thing. Just do the right thing.

Rocket science. You know, we've gotten to this, we've gotten this thing within my organization, organizations from time to time where we'll say, how you doing? If you can see a glimmer of like anything uncertainty, it's like, no, how are you really doing?

Yeah, let's talk about it. Absolutely. And I love that because it's that seeing people, you know what I mean? Everybody wants to be seen. And what's great is there's a trickle down. If you are running like that in your company and you're encouraging your people to treat each other that way too, it bleeds into your business as well. So I mean, you know, stuff like that, that how you doing tactic, it works in our customer service. If we find that someone within our courses kind of drops off or disappears and we reach out, we find out what's going on and we find out someone's like unwell in their, you know, what's the right thing to do? What would we do if they worked here, if they were a family member, if they were a neighbor? Maybe we'd send them flowers, maybe we'd organize a meal train. I mean, we try not to run the organization where you, we look at a problem and walk by it, you know, because that's not how we'd want to be treated. And we're all interconnected as God's children, so let's, you know, treat each other that way. So it worked.

Well, you know, it's not for sure. Well, we're not widgets, right? I mean, people aren't, you know, and I'm glad you mentioned the kind of, the time give back. It's interesting you mentioned that earlier because at least with my teams we've done stuff that's been similar where like, okay, if you work late, you know, here's, here's a PTO build up or whatever you want to do. I find that just acknowledging the, like, just acknowledging the fact that they gave it, they're like, yeah, I don't need any more time off. I just noticed that I'm busting my butt.

Absolutely. And then what's great also is if something does come up, they aren't afraid to communicate. And honestly, when it comes to, I mean, anyone who's been married or, you know, run a business, you know that it comes down to communication. And I think that all these things seem like checkmark tools, you know, like, oh, offer this and do that. But the reality is it just keeps people comfortable to communicate and that's really what matters. I mean, we've had people on our team who said, look, I'm going through financial hardship right now and I can't afford this thing and it's causing me stress, which is affecting my work. And we're able to say, how can we alleviate that? Whether that looks like helping aid with that expense, or do we need to adjust your pay portfolio or is there a project you want to tag team on where we can, you know, add some extra revenue? What can we do? Because it's not, it doesn't serve anyone if you're in a place where you don't feel good, you know, and we value you. So, yeah, no, I love hearing that companies are being run like that. And I encourage everyone to do it because it's your business, design it the way that you want to show up in the world.

Yeah, no, for sure. Well, I got, I got a question around, one more question around team members because so a lot of the folks that I have on the show, you know, many of them are entrepreneurs like us, many of them are not. And it's funny, entrepreneurs already always can recognize another entrepreneur. It's like you can, you can almost.

But one of the things that I've struggled with in years past that I've been getting better at and I've watched you do it really well only because you let people behind the scenes is dealing with unruly team members.

So my man Eddie, I love him, he's a handful. He's hilarious. But you manage that relationship with such a grace. And I'm curious how the heck you have the patience.

Listen, you know, grace upon grace upon grace. We keep talking about my faith, but you know, sometimes I have to really tap into that, that heavenly peace in order to get by. Because, you know, I think a lot of it is that, you know, when you're a public figure in social media, you're subject to a lot. You know, there's a lot of criticism, there's a lot of opinions, there's a lot of exposure. And the same thing applies when you have a team. There's a lot of responsibility, there's a lot of obligation, there's a lot of personalities. And what I found is that just remembering, one, how would I like to be treated? You know, that's the first thing. Two, you're still running a business, so what expectations are reasonable? You know, like, we can't excuse that things still need to be done. But then the last part, let's do our very best to say it with grace. And extending that grace to others is important because it teaches you how to extend it to yourself and it teaches them how to also extend it to others, you know, and what I found is that I don't always get it right. I do make mistakes. Some days if you catch me on the wrong day, I'll say things and I will be snarky or snappy or not my best version, you know, not my best version of myself, you know, and pretending like I'm, you know, perfect in every way that I say things or every way that I approach things or I don't get angry is just not realistic. But what I do try to do is circle back and say, look, I'm sorry, that wasn't my best self and I'm going to try to be better. And then what happens is those days end up not being as often, you know, and again, you're giving somebody an opportunity to extend you grace, which, you know, builds a healthy relationship. So, yeah, it's not easy having lots of personalities, especially personalities, but you do your best to manage them with grace. That's actually the biggest tip.

And guys, if you really want to see this in action, she's the boss on usa, go check it out. Make sure you do that for sure. It's hilarious. Give him, give him my best. Because he's like walking around your own private Steve Harvey.

Oh, he is a character. Character. That is for sure.

Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Well, look, you know, in the subject of entrepreneurship, let's talk about the bootstrap entrepreneur. Yeah, right. So, because a bootstrate.

So.

And I'm going to, I'll try to position this a little bit different. So when I started my first business, the audience knows I was homeless at the time. So that the audience knows that. But you know, that's a very bootstrapped. So I started out of necessity.

Right.

A lot of other entrepreneurs start out of curiosity. Necessity, curiosity. And then others aren't actually starting a business. They're just doing a business based on something they know. Which for me kind of leads them down that purpose less trail. In other words, they go and create a business, it ultimately becomes a job.

Absolutely.

How does someone start walking their way into discovering what their purpose really is so they can really sort of build a legacy out?

I think that a lot of that comes with a willingness to pivot and a willingness to lean into risk. So like you said before, I mean, I'm similar to you. I started with $24 in my bank account and three kids I adopted from the street. So it was a situation where I had to make money because I had to pay these bills, you know, and I also come from a debt free perspective. So I wasn't trying to build something that, you know, I would end up having to owe to someone else later. So all that said it was bootstrap it, you know, lots of long nights and all that. But again, that's a willingness to take on risk, you know, because what if it doesn't work? And what if I, you know, someone. I've had countless people try to buy my business or offer me investorship and every time I said no, that is still taking a risk. That's me saying I'm willing to do it with God in his time, then do it on earthly time and hope that that works, you know, So I think that that honestly is what the shift is from that person who's doing that creatively driven purpose, you know, sort of, you know, an immediate practical type work versus saying, you know, I want to do something that feels better, you know, that seems more in alignment. And you know, I think it's biblical, but it says, you know, your, your provision resides in your purpose. So you're really going to make your most money if you're doing the thing that you're best aligned to do based on your Gift and your calling. So even if you are a great painter, if your true purpose and ability to show up in this world is to teach others to paint or to, you know, develop a new color theory or concept around painting, then you got to take the risk to lean into that calling. And that's the first step to actually finding the provision and the payment for taking that risk. And yeah, that's the only difference between, I think people like us who are bootstrapping entrepreneurs, you know, and people are entrepreneurs, you know, out of practicality. You know, it's that they may not feel that same drive or fire or risk based energy, but you can create that and, and it can change everything.

Yeah, it really can. It's, it's interesting. You know, I, I was telling somebody not too terribly long ago, they were, you know, they were like, well, you know, what do you do? And I'm like, well, I'm a serial entrepreneur. They're like a serial entrepreneur. I said, yeah, I have a few. You have a few businesses? A few. I'm like, well, yeah, that's how you do it. How does that work exactly? I said, well, I said, in short, my first business, I started out of necessity. I grew it as much as I possibly could and I still own it. And we had a team meeting today and everything and great, great, great people, very thankful. God is good for sure. But in doing so, I discovered that I didn't. My first business was a construction business. And I discovered that that construction business wasn't actually a construction business. It was a personal development company masquerading as a construction company. Know what I'm saying? And what I've discovered is, is this, this sincere desire to create legacy by creating other entrepreneurs along the way.

Right.

People that, you know, if I look at my life, the reason I am where I am today outside of God is he put people like Steve Myrick and these first mentors that I had that literally just pulled into me with no expectation of return.

Absolutely.

And then I stumbled on this statistic. It was, gosh, I wish I could quote the actual statistic, but they said that the top 1% earners, of the top 1% earners, there are roughly 72% of them have eight or more mastery level skills.

Oh yeah.

But only 30% of them teach them to other people before they pass.

That is heart wrenching.

Yeah. So you think about it, I mean everything.

So think about it. Everything that they've built and they've acquired and they've amassed literally falls away within two generations.

Oh, heartbreaking.

Yeah, yeah. So meanwhile, you take someone like you, who. And myself who are. Who are. I feel like we're legitimately trying to build legacies that outlive us.

Right.

We're legitimately trying to say, all right, I want to be a five talent partner or six talent partner. For those of you guys who may not share our faith directly, There's a concept in the Bible that talks about investing what little you have. And those that invest with the little that they have will be made master over much, essentially. That's a very short synopsis, by the way. I'm curious to know from your perspective, what has been the key point in early entrepreneurship? Because I know you have a young entrepreneur in your house.

I do.

So what are you teaching her today? What are the do's and don'ts?

So this without turning into a sermon here is a biggie for me. So I went to service very early on in entrepreneurship where I was feeling.

And I think a lot of people can relate to this, whether or not you're faith based, you know, like, it's just, it's a similar feeling that we all feel and we're all looking for this moment in order to kind of get out of it or move forward. And so I was feeling like the work I'm doing is right, but I'm feeling guilty about it because it almost feels so good and I'm making money and it's working, you know. But am I really serving? Am I really helping? Am I really showing up? How long is this thing going to last? There's a lot of trauma that comes from living in poverty. And there's a lot of trauma that comes from doing without or building on your own or wondering if you have support or building without a map. You know, I mean, these things are why you get mentors and support, because you want to limit your trauma based decision making by having people around you to support and say, hey, that's not the truth, you know, and for me, a lot of that comes from my faith. And so the number one thing I taught my daughter is that it's my Bible verse that drives my Life. Right. It's 1st Peter 4, 10. And you know, because there are lots of different versions, I'm a message version Christian, which means I barely get it together versus the King.

King James Version is all day long.

Yeah, I mean, like, listen, they're the ones who, God bless them. King James Version, people are going to have a separate priority line because they understand that the buses and the vows, you know, the rest of us, you Know, ushered through the back. We're the ones with the late service sitting in the back. So that said, you know, basically it says.

That we are all given, right? Each of us has a God given gift and that we're supposed to use those gifts specifically to serve others as the best way to glorify God, right? So even if you're not a believer and that glorify God part doesn't hold much for you, what I think is really powerful about that phrasing and that I teach to my kids and I share with other entrepreneurs, no matter what their faith is, is that it's almost predetermined that we all have a gift. Our only job is to figure out what it is to land upon. And then we're also told specifically in that second portion of that verse that we're supposed to use it to serve others. You know, so I think a lot of us as entrepreneurs get, we land on that gift and we may figure out how to use it, but we forget that the whole process point of the gift is to serve others and to put it into like real world application example. It's like if Beyonce only sang in the shower. Do you know what I mean? What are you talking about? You know, you aren't given a voice like that to just sing to yourself. You're given a voice like that to be on stage and for her to be able to take that voice to as many others as possible. There's financial reward behind that because you can't get to Italy without a plane and you can't fly commercial and talk to everybody who loves you and land and still have a voice. So there's a reason she flies private to Germany to get on that stage. You know, these are all. So it's, it can be difficult for us to understand why we have to build something and use it to serve others. But the reality is it's predetermined. It's how we're hardwired. And that is the answer to that thing that's inside of you wondering why and how do I show up every single day?

Yeah, well, let's, let's talk about perspective, right? Because, you know, because I love what you just said and it makes me think about, okay, there was a time in my businesses where it was, okay, I'm, I'm, I'm doing the work because I need to get paid, so I need to pay the debt.

And some people would argue, and this is where the perspective comes in. They would argue that, well, I only have a product to sell, like I'm only selling a computer. Or in your daughter's case, the head wraps.

Yeah, Right.

So how does that change the world? How do I make an impact? I'm curious, if you don't mind, reframe that for us, because I want to see. I want people to see how easy it is.

Yeah, absolutely. So, I mean, people always get so caught up in the only, you know, in the way they show. But everything is a means to an end. So, you know, my daughter selling her head wrap, she was diagnosed with cancer two years ago. It was stage four. And, you know, these head wraps that she sells, for every head wrap she sells, we donate, you know, a head wrap to, you know, someone who's currently battling cancer. And the same thing with computers. That computer could unlock someone's life, you know, and what you do with the funds that you're using to sell this computer, what are you doing with that, you know, are using those funds and investing them in the thing that is going to change the world. I mean, there are just so many ways to connect the thing you're doing every single day. And I hesitate to add only or just as a precursor to anything that I do with my time. If I am just taking my kid to school for carpool, that moment and that conversation in that car that about business or entrepreneurship or whatever could be the thing that changes her life, you know, and it was just taking her to carpool, you know, so it's really important for us to realize that in every moment, there can be value and in every task that can be valued. Be the best computer salesman ever. Because that very story could be the thing that helps leverage your career. Career, you know, so, yeah, gosh, I try not to get caught up in that thinking because it's so. It's so damaging and it really doesn't serve, you know?

Yeah, well, I know. And. But I think that's the difference. One of the things I've been trying to. And that people are watching in this, listening to this world, whether it's going to be real time or. Or that's a recording, but you know what I mean? They're going to be watching this. Right. One of the things that I've been trying to circle the plane around, so to speak, is this is this concept of legacy, right? And, you know, as I'm circling the plane around, it's like, okay, I got a product, I got a service. Okay, well, the product or service just serves the customer. No, it serves the customer. Customer. It may bring them more confidence. It may bring them happiness. It may, it may allow you to have charitable contributions to other organizations of the 501C3s and stuff like that, you know, and I just want people to maybe take a notepad and a pen and look at their business with a different set of eyes and say, how can my business, my product, my service, my time, my talent, my resource, how can I see it differently? And I would, I would go ahead and argue from God's eyes.

Yes.

In what way can I position this to create a lasting legacy that ultimately lives out us? Right?

Yes, absolutely.

Now, is that something you do every time you get ready to launch a new product or service yourself?

Oh, it's, it's not just that. It's built into the hard, hard wiring and makeup of our business. You know, we consider ourselves not just. We don't refer to our clients as just clients or legacy builders, you know, because we want to always keep it in perspective that they may think they're only selling hair cream or whatever else, but how. What we do in our company is we pay school fees. You know what I mean? We help people get mortgages, we help get people out of debt. We help inspire hope. And we might be doing that through a product, but ultimately that product is serving a greater picture because if they're able to pay that college tuition, that could be college tuition for the kid who's a medical school, who cures cancer. And thank God we were able to play our tiny, tiny role in helping make that bigger picture happen. And then on a personal level, legacy is where I am right now. So for my company, I just recently hired a CEO so that I could step back and take on a chairman role so that this way I could specifically focus less on the day to day, but more on the greater vision. How are we showing up philanthropically? Where are we looking to support organizations? My preferred organization is City of refuge in Atlanta, Georgia. They're a Christian based organization that offers 360 support around women and children who are survivors of sex trafficking and homelessness. And so I work with them and we're integrating that entire organization to our secession plan. How can we make sure our business, this forever and all time will help support this organization forever and all time, you know, and these are the legacy driven actions that can only happen if I started off selling my one product and my one program to one person. So, you know, for me to get here today where I'm able to donate, you know, multiple figures to organizations is because I started off selling one product for $11 to one person, you know, so Legacy matters. And it starts with a dollar.

Well, and another I think reoccurring theme that keeps coming up too is this despise not small beginnings. Right?

Yes. Do not.

All we want to do is we want to get to the top of the mountain. And I was talking to somebody not long ago and they were like. And this guy comes up to young kid and says, well, when I make it, I'm like, what does make it mean?

What does that even mean? What is the number?

Yeah. And he's like, well.

I'm like, well, when you can describe what make it means. Now we're starting to paint a picture of a vision right now. You don't have that.

That's right.

So how would we encourage an entrepreneur right now that maybe is in the early stages? For example, maybe they've got an early stage business. They're in their purpose. In other words, they're getting meaning and significance. They can see how it creates legacy. But maybe they're not getting the return on revenue right now that they're hoping for and really need even make it self sustaining. Or they got a brand spanking new idea and they're trying to get it to fruition, but they're scared to death that they don't have the resources and time and talent to bring it to fruition. How do we coach them?

So one of the first things I always tell people is something that I had to believe and has proven true when I only had $24 in the bank account and no money to start this business, is that no one can outwork me. Now, I'm not encouraging burnout and I'm not encouraging, you know, not having balance. But what I am saying is that work ethic is free, it is abundant and people don't use it, you know, and so it is my biggest differentiator. So you can put me next to the other guy who grew up in a home with all the privilege and all the money and all the cash and all the tools. And if he's not willing to show up the way I'll show up, I'll beat him every single time, you know, and that is something that we always talk about and champion in our company, that no one will ever beat us on customer service. People pick Chick fil a and they're super long lines because of their service. Knowing that because the machine at McDonald's, the ice cream machine is going to be broken, you know what I mean? And half the menu items will be gone, you know, and it's that it's not that the line is, it's not that the product may taste any better. It's not that, you know, they can't get food. It's that we're willing to deal with so many other things because we know that the service is going to be better. And you control that. And it's free and abundant. So I always tell every new entrepreneur who feels like they're not seeing the traction or they don't have enough or they are want to stand out more, the market is saturated. All the excuses that come to mind, just remember that work ethic and customer service are abundant. And if you can deliver that consistently, you will beat out and outlast every other competitor.

Well, let me ask you this. I mean, so let's bring it. Let's talk about competitors just for a second.

Sure.

Are competitors something you, you pay attention to or something you completely ignore?

I don't even know what those are. I just use that term as in, like, in response to other people saying, I have competitors, I don't have them. Like, I literally.

It's.

It's funny because people always say, like, well, what are your. Who are your favorite, favorite people to follow? And you know what? You know, I have people I admire and respect. You know, I have peers in this space, but ultimately I don't really have competitors because what I've been called to do is uniquely my mission, you know, and it belongs to me solely. And what God has for me is solely mine. And everything that belongs to me will arrive to me. So I'm not really worried about anybody else, you know, and I don't spend any time consuming. I spend more time creating. And then more than anything, I try to remember that life and business are dynamic. If you had asked me what I was younger, that I was. If I was going to have, like, what would I do in the future? I wouldn't have said, oh, have a podcast, have a reality TV show and a business with a huge digital presence. I couldn't say it because it didn't exist. So I've learned to stop limiting myself to thinking I can only do what I see other people do and start limiting and allowing myself to hopefully see myself as close to how God sees me, which is limitless and, you know, to whatever destination he wants to take me. So that means I can't spend time looking left and looking right. I'll look ahead to.

I love it. I love it. Well, I want to chit chat with you about. You got some exciting projects coming up. You were very kind to share that with me. Before we technically hit the air. And I know it's a little early, I can't help myself, but I think the audience will be super stoked.

This is exclusive.

Yeah, this really is an exclusive. Talk to us about what's coming down next in the pipeline.

Yeah. So I'm really fortunate to have inked a over seven figure deal with Simon and Schuster to write my, my first book. So I'm really, really excited about that. You know, I guess the business lesson and all for the entrepreneurs listening is that a lot of us again, do what we think we have to do in terms of the rinse and repeat routine or what we see our peers doing. And that would have naturally meant writing a business book, right? Like how to succeed in your own way or, you know, 10 steps to such and such. And I'm not gonna lie, that's where I started. You know, I said, this is the next chapter. Write a book. It's part of the business, part of the brand. It's make sense. And everyone was open to it. You know, people were, publishers were just waiting to see what I would offer. And it took me seven months and to put together this proposal. And when it was done, it wasn't right. I ripped it up, I started over and I wrote, I took the risk. I wrote what needed to be written, which is my memoir. You know, it's how did I get here and what was it like sleeping on a couch while I was 12 and what was it like picking up three girls from the streets of Baltimore and taking them into my home to raise them at the same time that I quit my six figure job and launched a business and how did I get a TV show? And what does it feel like being exposed like that and being married, you know, to someone who is interfaith, inter race and you know, has a whole host of his own life things, you know, that I'm coupling with, trying to build a business and writing all that out and being honest about it, you know, while also explaining how I'm chasing the American dream as a child of immigrants, but with values and, you know, not wanting to get caught up in, in this world, you know, I want to be in it, but out of it, you know, and.

Then submitting it, knowing it wasn't what anyone asked for.

And, and then in the biggest way, having 26 publishers show up, you know, in a bidding war and one publisher offering over seven figures for me to take the conversation off the table, you know, and knowing that I sat on a proposal for seven months in fear that this Wasn't going to be what people wanted. And now I'm writing it. And the book will be available for order in middle of 2022. And I'm excited for people to read it and I'm excited to see the impact it makes. And again, legacy wise, this book will go places that I never could before. It goes places where you don't need a phone to charge up. And that's the real blessing. Hopefully it'll reach minds and change how.

Well, I think I know and I don't think it will. I know it will and I know it will because it's not the book that you wanted to write is the book that needed to be read.

Really hoping that it makes the impact that it needs to make. I feel confident. But also what I know is that I did the right thing in writing this book and I'm doing the right thing and putting this messaging out here. And some people are going to love it. Some people are going to be like, didn't expect this, you know, and no matter what, it's honest, it's in truth, and it's aligned with my, my calling. So. So thank you for your support. I'm excited about it.

Absolutely. Well, and right during the actual launch phase, you have to come back on and talk.

Oh, definitely. I have to come back. And then we've got to like, give away some books or something like that.

Yeah, for sure.

Get a hold of them.

Let me ask you this. Who is the person that needs to read it? If you had to, if you had to pick someone, what's going on inside of their heart and their mind and their soul, who is that person?

So to tell you the truth, I'm writing the book with my daughters in mind, you know, and that doesn't mean that the book is meant for young girls. It's the person who's been put into circumstances that may not have been what they decided for themselves, you know, but still they're responsible to get them out of it. So, you know, when you've had trauma or tragedy or struggles or you've just sort of ended up in life because society told you this is where you have to go and you have the blessing of being awakened to this doesn't feel right. But what's next, you know, and how do I get out of it and what are the big changes that I have to do? This is that book to say, look, you're not alone. It will be terrible. You will still survive it, and you're going to meet problems every single day. But you also have the power to solve them. So this is that book, and I can't wait to get these tools out there because they're true and they're real and it's a message that people aren't talking about.

It's going to be amazing. I know it will be. I know it will be final. One thing, if you have one left to share some money about purpose, what would it be?

I think it'll harp back to a little bit of what we talked about in the early conversation. It's that every day you are living in your purpose. If you're showing up with intentionality, purpose isn't a destination. It's in the daily doing. So make sure that you're intentionally doing something every single day to push towards your legacy because that ultimately is enough.

I love it. I love it. Nicole, thank you so much for coming on Stuck to Unstoppable. I really appreciate.

I appreciate you. Thank you so much for having me.

All right. Can't wait to do it again. Talk to you soon.

See you soon.

If you love that interview, go ahead and check out this next one right here.

You know, my good friend John Rulen says this all the time. You do not have to have millions of followers to make millions of dollars. And I would say and millions of dollars nor millions of dollars make you influential or successful.