From News Anchor To Full-Time Entrepreneur With Molly Trotter

All right everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Molly Trotter with us, and she went from being a news anchor to a full-time entrepreneur. She now owns a consulting business as well as helps people in financial literacy. So welcome to the show.

Thank you, thank you. I'm excited to be here.

Of course, grateful to have you on. So the first one I got for you, we start off with your story. We try to get, you know, deep right in the beginning. So What is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?

Oh man, the best story, you know, I would have to say, um, probably the transition from going from news anchor to full-time entrepreneur. So long story short, I was in news for 5 years, um, got into Tell People Stories. 2 years in, I was like, oh, corporate, no, no, no, no, no. I don't know what I'm going to do after this, but it's not going to be this. I just knew I was meant for a bigger stage and people must be like, but it's television, what do you mean? There's way bigger stages out there to actually make an impact. So point being is I kind of dabbled into entrepreneurship my last year in news. During that year, I was building a business on the side and basically I ended up posting a transformation photo 'cause health and fitness is a big part of what I do. And my boss was basically got the call from corporate and was like, we don't like this. I essentially got fired for a transformation photo. And I said, you know what, I'm not gonna fight this. Thank you, goodbye. But they ushered me out of the building like I just lit the place on fire or I just hurt somebody. And I was like, excuse me, like you have people competing on stages in string bikinis, but I post a transformation photo and I get treated like a criminal, okay. Point being, get out of that. And I literally had to make a split decision. What do I do now? Immediately was like, okay, I wanna go into entrepreneurship full-time. So I was in Spokane, Washington at the time. That was my last news stop and I packed up what could fit in my car, anything that couldn't, sold it, moved down to Southern California and just here I am and I've been here ever since. And the biggest story from that is like, you know what, I didn't know how I was gonna do it. I didn't know what it was gonna look like. Quite frankly, right before I got fired, I had a really bad breakup from somebody I thought I was gonna marry. So I had boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. But for me, it was one of those things where if not now, then when? And it had to have been that moment. So I made that decision. I've been through so many ups and downs, but that decision has put me in a place now that I've been able to really launch and skyrocket from and do what I set out to do from the very beginning. And that's help people. And now I get to do that full-time.

Yeah, no, that's, that's an awesome story. And it's like, I think that's why for me, I even knew from like a young age that like I could never work for like a big corporation. Because like, I never wanted to like be afraid of like doing anything that I wanted to do, you know. So, it's like after that, like even though that was, you know, that time was probably pretty bumpy, but like if they were gonna fire you for that, like that's pretty limiting. Like what, you know, you could have done anything. Yeah, what if you post a picture with like a martini or something like that?

I mean, you, it's like I was like, Really? And I could have fought it if I want to, but the thing is, is that that was my out and I could have gotten another job at another station, but I was like, no, no, no, this is it. Like I'm done and I've gotten what I needed. And quite frankly, I get more views on a Facebook Live than I did on the newscast. So, and I was like anchoring and out in the field. I was one of their main people. So I'm like, you know what? Bye. You do me the best favor.

So yeah, yeah. Things are definitely going in an online direction as well. So it probably was a favor. Um, so next one I got for you is what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?

Now, I mean, yeah, I kind of dabble in a couple different ones. So honestly, I'm gonna go towards the financial literacy one because, you know, I'm a huge proponent of health and fitness. You know, if you feel good in your body, you feel good, look good, you do good. Um, but unfortunately, money rules the world. If you don't have money to or into a gym membership or nutrition or whatever, you can't really do anything, right? So the financial literacy part, um, repeat the question one more time just so I have clarity. I had to go through in my own mind.

No, no, you're good. So like, what's the— it is, what's the most valuable piece of information we should know? And we'll gear it towards like financial literacy.

Perfect. So what I do, what I help people do, is I actually show them a way that they can do what the banks do— make money with your money. That's the best way that I can describe it. We're on our phones anyways, scrolling through social media, doing this, that, and the other thing. But our phones, it's literally, this is a small device that can connect us to anything and everything in the world. I mean, my income is 95, if not more, percent done online. So when it comes to financial literacy in this and showing people how to make money with their money, do what the banks do, it's in order to create true wealth, you have multiple streams of income. This is a passive way for you to learn a skillset. And the benefit of this right here is being able to learn a skill set that's going to pay you for life. You're not dependent on somebody else. It's something you learn, just like driving. You can't be like, hey, Tyler, you need to unlearn how to drive. Go figure it out again later. Like, you don't do that. So when you learn a skill set, you have it with you for life. And it really empowers people to truly live that lifestyle that they want because it does start with money. But then when you have that money, what do you want to do? You want to travel, you want to help more people, you want to look good, feel good, do good, all positive things. But it starts with the baseline right there.

Yeah, I agree. I think that's like a big mindset shift for a lot of people is like, you go— I think when you're younger, at least I went through this, like I kind of went through, maybe it was like a hippie phase. I don't know. I was just like, money is evil, like this is bad, you know, we're all equal like this. And, and to translate what I mean is like, once you get a little bit older Maybe not everybody, but for me, I started to realize like, okay, maybe I don't agree with how everything is run from the government and all that stuff, like whatever. I don't think anybody does. But at the same time, money is valuable. Like, the more money that you have, the more good you can do. So if you view money as being evil, then that's probably not— you're probably not going to get much of it because you're like deflecting it all the time.

Oh, 100%. And I want to just add on that real quick is money Money magnifies people. So if you are an evil person on the inside, you're going to do crooked and evil things with it. If you're a good person at heart, you're going to help and know that you're going to invest in other areas, people, things, businesses, whatever, and only grow it from there. So it just magnifies you. But I was the same way. Like, oh, if I have too much money, I'm rich. Like, that's a bad thing. No, because my heart is pure. I truly want to do it to help people and my paycheck reflects that how many people actually get to help. And that's why network marketing is so powerful because it's like, it's one of the fastest growing biggest industries and you literally just get paid to solve people's problems. Like, it's a no-brainer. So I hear you on the whole money aspect of things. And just on that note, sidebar, it's like we're in schools and they're teaching us, you know, what's the square root of pi, yada yada. No, what you need to be teaching us is like financial literacy and how to put our money into something that's going to grow rather than us get stuck in the rat race. And I'm just going to be very blunt, stuck in the rat race, 9 to 5, somebody tell me when I can use the restroom, when to show up, how to look, how to dress, how to be proper, but yet you cap my income here and then I can't really live life at all. So it's like people want people to be scared of or, you know, have fear or not want a lot of money. It's like, no, like there is a whole world out there, not just America, to go discover and to really have those life experiences. Because people work till they're 60 to have 20 more years to enjoy life if they're not living paycheck to paycheck or depending on Social Security.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. School as a whole, well, we could go deep there. Um, so yeah, uh, next one is, uh, what's your best piece— and maybe we covered it— what's your best piece of overall business advice? So not necessarily like industry or expertise specific.

Hmm. My best piece of business advice. Um, you know, I think a big, a big thing, um, that I would say is who you go into business with matters truly, truly does. I, before I jumped into the financial literacy, um, sector of what I do, I actually said no hundreds of times before I said yes, because people saw me for various things as their cash cow, as a person that can speak, a person that can help their agenda. They didn't once ever ask for mine. So my business partner that I'm in with now is like, not is like, he is my best friend. We talk every day. We're on the same mission and he really heard me and sought me out. So I say that feeling stuff to go to this. It really does matter who you go into business with because what you guys can build, two is always better than one. We're not meant to do it alone. So I've always been a person being in news, do it on my own. I got in on my own. You know, I don't, I don't need anybody. And jumping into, you know, something like network marketing, it was one of those things where it's like, okay, you need people, you know. If I do this alone, I'm gonna get crushed. I put up a post today that talks about that. It's like, if I try to do what I have my goals set at by myself, I will get crushed. It is, it is designed to have multiple people along the way. But who is in the forefront right next to you to do this with? So who you go into business with truly does matter. Really vet that out and see how genuine their heart is. How do they show up? Um, because at that point, like, then it's just, you know, oh, money, money, money, money, money. But like, really, at the root of it, like, humans just want connection. They want to be— they want to be seen, they want to be heard, they want to be understood. And so find that person you gel with and build whatever it is you want to build.

Yep, I couldn't agree more. And be like cautious with it too, because like I've had, and I'm sure everybody has, like, they've had bad partnerships and good partnerships. And the bad ones, like, if you let them like go for a— they can really be bad. So just be like, you know, be cautious.

And it's like, don't look at like, what do they call it, like the, um, the wolf in sheepskin or whatever. Like, don't, you know, be very careful because there's a lot of people out there that, you know, that are trying to scam, scheme, and make that quick buck. It's like longevity, legacy, words like that get lost in translation today because we want quick fix right now, blah blah blah. Like in what it is that I do, I have a lot of people being, well, how quick can I make money? And I'm like, what if I told you it took you 10 years to make 7 figures? And there may be what, 23, 33, a lot of people in, you know, 33 or even 43 aren't even seeing 7 figures. So it's people miss the translation of it's not going to take you that long, but be invested, you know, be invested into something that is going to change the trajectory of where you're at. Because otherwise you're just going to be stuck where you're at. Or you're gonna maybe have a little sprint, but then you're gonna stop and you're gonna be stuck again. So that's, that's what I would say.

It's the long game. It's a long—

exactly.

Um, so the next one is, if you, if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?

Oh man. Um, a lot. Gosh, younger self, a piece of advice. So Hmm, well, you're right, a lot is going on. I'm like, what do I want to say? Just spit something out. I would say that for the longest time I have just been very self-sufficient, never asked for help, do my own thing, and I don't— I was just let down by too many people that it's just like, you know what, I'm not asking for help, no, no, no. So I was stunting my own growth by just trying to do it on my own and just do my own thing and go for it. Jumping into where it is that I am now, looking back, it's like, okay, I could have gotten a lot further, but at the end of the day, I'm glad that I went through it and kind of learned the hard way because here I am now. And I'm the type of person that I see a silver lining in everything, but I was just, no, everything's good. We're cool. It's fine. Blah, blah, blah. You know, and it maybe really wasn't. So asking people for help, opening up, talking, and I really got into that a lot more of really getting into my true self of, okay, what does Molly need to the core? Because if Molly's gonna help, you know, hundreds of thousands of people in her lifetime, which will happen, I have to take care of Molly first. Otherwise those people aren't gonna get the adequate help, or maybe I'm gonna miss people that I was supposed to help in the first place. So asking for help, seeking, you know, hey, can I talk to you? Or maybe, You know, personal development is huge. Don't even get me started on that. I've spent a lot of money on personal development to be able to help level me up, which other people, you know, see and they gravitate towards you because they're like, there's something different. But that came in the last couple years of me really diving into that because I had to. Being an entrepreneur, it's like you are on your own unless you bring people in. But even now, then, or when I started back then and even now, right now, I need people more than anything because my mission, and you're going to see this all over my posts on social media, the hashtag, it's bigger than me because it is. And it's not just about me. It's what I can do to help people, but it's a team effort. It's a group effort. Um, and that goes back to the business partners that you're with, you know, who is in your circle, keep your inner circle tight, but don't be afraid to ask for help. It doesn't make you weak. It makes you human.

Yeah. I think that's a common problem with a lot of people. Like they're afraid to ask for help and like, be honest with where they're really at. And like a lot of people nowadays, they're like putting on a show like everything's fine, but then like behind the curtain it's like, whoa dude, if you just ask for some help, like, and it doesn't always have to be business, could be life, like whatever. Um, but I just think the quickest way to get where you want to be is just to be open and upfront with where you currently are and where you want to be, uh, and then seek out those people that are where you want to be. Because I'm sure you agree with this quote, you're the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. Right, your close-knit group. And, uh, it's so true. And you won't like get those people that, that are meant to be those 5 if you're not upfront and honest, right, with where you want to be. I don't think— like, I think you have to be very clear with what you want. Um, so yeah, it's really important. Um, so kind of going a little bit down a different path now, in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?

Ooh, okay, the key to happiness. I mean, I used to be one of those people, I'm just gonna be very transparent because why not? That's how I try to do everything because I feel people, your story is not your own, you really connect with people when you get raw, real, and make it relevant. So I used to be one of those, you know, women or people that would find happiness in a man, in a relationship. If I wasn't in a relationship, I wasn't happy, I was missing, it was FOMO, right? But really, the times that I've been single, and I currently am now, when you really focus on you, pouring into you, I'm a huge person of faith, so I pour into that a lot. I'm a huge person of just being able to help other people. You do good, you're gonna get good in return. Our rent on this earth is service to others. So happiness is how can you pay forward to other people? And maybe it's not gonna financially benefit you, Maybe it's not gonna be, you know, the most glamorous thing, but pay it forward and it'll come back to you at some point. So my happiness truly actually has never really been found in a relationship with somebody else because I had to be 100 with me first before I could be 100 with somebody else. But now my mission is so big and it's become so clear and so laser-focused that I don't even have time to think about that. You know, I literally have to give up my love life put that on hold, which is not easy to do, but when you're so focused and you know that you're in your purpose, it's like tunnel vision. And me being, you know, like trying to dabble in all that, it's like, nah, it'll happen when it happens. But really happiness, it's pouring into yourself and what do you need to get right with yourself? And last year, about a year ago, I went through this program that really dove deep in for a couple months of, you know, who I am as my own personal self, business, relationships, my own body, and then I really just got got super, super in tune. And now I'm able to take that and help other people, and that pours right into my coaching. So again, personal development is key, but you got to focus on you first before anything else really comes into play.

Yeah, I think that's a big thing with relationships that, that you said that, like, I think a lot of people learn that, like, because it just comes out in different ways when you're in a relationship, but you can't seek— and it doesn't have to be romantic, it can be anything, but it typically happens in romantic— where it's like, if you're seeking happiness Or you're like, um, attaching happiness to the other person. So it's like, if that person's with me, I'm happy. If that person's not, I'm not happy. That is just not— that's going to self-destruct, um, typically. Um, so you both have to be happy separately, and then when you come together, then maybe you can be happier or something better. But, you know, you got to be cool with yourself first. Um, so next one is, what is the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from that?

I would say, man, these are good. It's like, now I gotta pick all these things. I've had a lot of good books. I would say the one that has really opened my mind up, I'm a huge John Maxwell fan, huge, and there's a book that I was given called No Limits by John Maxwell, and it's talking about your capacity, breaking through that glass ceiling because we set a ceiling for ourselves and only we can break through and just keep growing and leveling up. And when I go through that, first of all, man, if you want some good quotes, it is a gold mine. I think there were months there where I was like, ooh, I'm gonna post that and post that. These are good. These are really meaty. But it really has so much value too because he puts it in such a way of like, here's my experiences, here's what I've learned, you know, here's how this is gonna, you know, obviously project on you. And it just really helped with my capacity and thinking bigger. Because for myself, I've always felt at a very young age that I was very different and I actually had to level down to associate with certain people because they didn't vibrate the same frequency. And that was hard for me because I was like, they're not like me, but I want to, I want to hang out with people. So I got to kind of step down a little bit. Well, now within like the last year or so, I found people at my vibration, but I've been leveling myself up to this point where now it's like, oh my gosh, yes, there are people that exist that get it, that are like me, you know. And when we all find those people, it's like eureka, found the gold mine. Eureka! Eureka! So that book, No Limits by John Maxwell, was huge. And I took my time reading it. I didn't want to rush it. And there's just so much value. There's so many personal development books out there. There's so many, but, you know, John Maxwell really speaks to me because, you know, a lot of it is faith-driven, which is really huge for me. But really the capacity part. And that's something that people don't really talk about. It's like your capacity, like what can you handle now? You got to break that, shatter that, you know, crumple that draft away because it's time to keep leveling up. And we're never going to have that final product, but we're only going to have better drafts and better versions of ourselves. So that to me was, it was huge. And that really started everything for me a couple years ago.

And that, I'm so glad what you said about the quotes because the next question is what is your favorite quote and why?

Um, let's see here. Um, I always jumble up the words, so, um, give me a second. It's a really good quote, but every time I get it backwards. Um, why? I don't know, because it's my favorite, so I should know it, right? Um, oh gosh.

And if it's not exact, it's okay. We can, you know, we'll just put it a lot.

And watch, once this is done, I'm gonna be like, there it is. Um, Oh, got it. Okay, so I heard it actually from a really good friend, so it's not somebody who's anybody famous. His name is Julian Doan. Follow him on Instagram. He just— it rang so highly for me. It was, it's, people fight for their— I fight for people's possibilities while they fight for their limitations. I fight for people's possibilities while they fight for their limitations. And when I heard that, I was like, whoa, because it's so true because we are the ones that stop ourselves from getting that, this, getting that, get whatever. Like it's us stopping us and being scared to push through. So for me, I know I'm that person that I'm going to fight for your possibilities. I am. And I'm probably going to want it more than you, because I see potential, but potential doesn't mean anything unless you actually put action behind it. But when I heard that, it's so true. I fight for people's possibilities while they fight for their own limitations. It's like, if that doesn't ring to you, it's like, what are you limiting yourself on at this point? And who's trying to fight for your possibilities? And are you just kind of shutting them out? Or are you actually listening, not hearing, but listening and doing something about it? So yeah, it's— that was powerful for me that I think I heard that maybe like a year ago. It's not any famous quote, but that right there, it packs a punch.

Yeah, no, it really does. I think it's— and it talks to like people always having excuses, you know, or it's like, I, I worked hard today so I can relax now, or whatever, which is fine, but it's just like you, you don't want to be fighting for your excuses or your limitations, you know?

Right.

So, um, well, listen, thanks for coming on. Uh, last one I got for you: where can our listeners best find you online?

Yeah, so all over social media. So the best places are on Facebook, First and last name, Molly Trotter. Instagram, you know, Molly_Trotter. You'll see everything on there. You know, you'll see the value that I drop and really just me being me. So you'll see some goofy stuff too, because I feel like social media is everybody's highlight reel. Got to keep some realness in that highlight reel, people. Like show people the quirky side. You know, show them what makes you unique. So that's where they can find me. But Tyler, thank you so much for having me on. I really really love what you're doing here. Um, and I hope that this message today will be able to really reach a lot of people and, and help them in their journey as well.

Awesome. Thank you again. I appreciate it.