Alayna Wiemer Interview

So we have this real comfort level that we sit in, and when anything tries— something goes wrong, it has to be us because I'm seeing everybody else. Everybody else is successful and everybody else is making 6 figures. All of those things, it is not you. It is finding the right solution for your business.

Hey guys, welcome to the Women of Wealth and Worth Summit. Oh my goodness, we have been having so much fun during this summit. It's been like 3 weeks that this has been live and I am so excited today to be coming at you completely live with my amazing clients. client, friend, all the things, Miss Elena Weimer. Welcome, Elena.

Ah, thank you, Val. I'm so excited to be here. This is wonderful.

Me too. I am so stoked that you're here. And ladies, you want to tune in, crank it up, take notes, get the contact info, do all the things today. If you are an online business owner, we're going to be talking about how Elena creates positive solutions and holistic solutions on how to quit the burnout, like get rid of the burnout, stop thinking that you have to do all the things all the time, be on your phone all the time worried that you might miss that one sale that's going to completely change your company or whatever it is. If you want to take your time and your freedom back and be able to actually spend time with your family or doing the things you love, tune in. This is where it's at. So, so Elena, share a little bit about who you are and what you do.

So I am Elena Weimer and I am the CEO of my company, which is— this has been my dream, and it's Ignite Positive Changes. And the name of the company really sets the tone for what it is. We help create positive solutions for online entrepreneurs and It's a unique solution, right? It's not the cookie-cutter solution to everybody because each entrepreneur is unique and has a unique style and what they need, what they love to do, what they don't love to do. And so we help create that way for them to get their time back in their company by giving away the stuff that they don't want. And this— so a little bit about me. That's about my company and HR support that I do. And then a little bit about me is I'm a mom, I'm a foster parent, my husband and I own a business locally. It's his dream to run a bookstore, so he is running his dream of the bookstore downtown. And we work with all kinds of families to help create positive community and with businesses that we come into contact with. So that's just a little bit about me. I am the middle child, and for all middle children out there too.

Oh my goodness, yes. And I love that you talked about how, you know, you guys just want to give back, like you have the heart to give back. And I think that's something that, you know, a lot of the women watching this right now are going to understand that. They're going to really get that. So I'm going to brag on you for a minute.

Okay.

This woman the other day, like we've been working together since February. I have you up on my board, February. So it's been about 5 months. And literally just last week I found out you have a nonprofit, you're doing all these things. And I'm like, oh my goodness, you guys, this woman is amazing. She is incredible. And that's why, you know, I know that a couple weeks ago in the— during one of our lives, some people had asked for you to come on and share about what you do. And so this is, you know, an amazing time to really showcase that and bring that in.

So why—

I know that you also offer, you know, like HR consulting because your background's in HR. entrepreneurship, being the CEO of a big company, you know, like the manager of the company that everyone would recognize if we said it. So, you know, like you don't— you didn't play the game. You didn't play.

No. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And it's so it's interesting because yeah, so I worked— what drove me to this was I was, I was a CEO of multiple companies, actually. So yes, if I did, we did the same name, you would know. multiple companies, multimillion-dollar businesses, created extensive revenue. My style of leadership helped create and generate just a culture of, oh, a culture of just wanting to grow and become better. That was the culture that I created. And yeah, I loved it. I loved what I did, but I felt very confined as I was. I wanted to do more than I could in that corporate capacity. And that was hard for me, and it was hard to give back the way we wanted to give back, right? My husband and I were in corporate world. We had no kids for 14 years, and we always wanted to do foster care. Started foster care and realized, yeah, you can't work 90 hours a week, and it's just not doable. And for us, that was, that was a huge shift for me. It was a hard shift. It was a really hard shift to go from this safety and comfort, and I was really good at what I did. I was— people wanted to promote me, to stepping out of that and creating my own business. And that was scary and terrifying, but at the same time so exciting to be able to give back in the way that we wanted to give back, right? So I had so many dreams on how can I bring these biological parents in, how can I bring these foster kids in, and my hands were tied in the business that I worked for. Because it's corporate, they have all their legalities. So I wanted to create a business that allowed me and gave me that freedom to give back in the way I wanted to give back, to connect the way I wanted to connect, and really create those positive, those positive changes for people within an organization and outside the organization. That was huge, huge for me.

I love it. And I just want to say hi, Lori. Lori said hello. Sorry, you guys, if I'm not saying hi to you. Facebook is not telling me who's popping on. It was doing that yesterday too. So hello everybody, let us know you're on here and say hi so we know that you're here. So, you know, here's what I'm hearing you say, and I think that a lot of people can relate with this. You know, my background as well was in, you know, the successful corporate life and that feeling of like not being able to be who I am or have the freedom to run things the way I am, the way that I would like things doing, and you see a lot of gap in the way that, like, especially like big box or big corporations are running. How did that influence how you can serve your clients today?

Oh yeah, great question. It— because the whole idea is each business is unique, each person is unique. And when you get so big, which we all want to grow, we all want to have a great organization, but the needs of the individuals that are running those businesses have a specific need and a skill set. So realizing that there's these gaps that you can't fill, it, it allows me to step back, see how do we provide this gap for— right? So CEO of a company, you're talking about Walmart. Doug McMillon does not go around pushing the broom. He doesn't. He can't. He does— in order for him to make that business successful, he can't be in that position. And that was a huge connection for me is I think a lot of small businesses, a lot of online businesses really have this desire to want to do it all and feel like they have to do it all. And what I realized in my life prior is that you can't. And in order for you to have a successful business and to grow that, you have to be able to— you have to fill those little gaps. So that's what I did. I identified the person within my organization filled it because it may have been out of their scope, but it was what they love to do. And so what I— seeing those huge gaps made me realize that a lot of leaders, a lot of entrepreneurs really don't know how to fill that, right? Because it's not fun for a lot of people. It's not— they want to focus on the fun, creative, building their business. And that— seeing that gap allowed me to identify even now as myself, right? So I had that life.

I did it.

walking into this new beautiful world that I'm in, it was, wait a minute, you're right, I don't, I can't do it all and I know I can't do it all and yet I want to do it all. It was kind of, it kind of came to a point for me too that I have to find the right person to meet the needs of me and that's tough. I'm good at it, that's what I loved to do, it was one of my favorite parts of my job and that's what I, that's how I can fill that gap for other entrepreneurs is what is that need? Because it's unique. I can tell you right now that the needs that I have, I love bookkeeping. I enjoy doing it. My brother-in-law or my brother, no way. Not even wants to be an entrepreneur, but doesn't want to touch it with a 10-foot pole. And it's hard to figure out how to find that right person to do that. So real living in that life of knowing how to run a business as a CEO, gave me a lot of vision on how do we fill that gap for small businesses so they can run and function as a large corporation, right? Having the benefits of that income and doing that, but still feeling— doing it the right way, filling those little gaps, creating that— pulling away, creating a better solution for their clients. It allows them to create that space. That makes sense.

Yeah, that is great. Yes. And I want to say hi, Michelle. Hello. Hello. So gosh, you know, every single thing you're talking about is like, I feel the pain. I'm like sweating over here because, you know, that process of hiring someone and finding the right person, like I remember to relate back to my corporate world, I was in restaurant management at one point. And I remember like doing the things like cutting things when we got really busy, like cutting food or like going and washing dishes. And I used to joke that I'm the highest paid dishwasher in Central Oregon because they would pay me this like huge salary when they could be paying someone like $12 an hour to wash these dishes and I would be washing dishes. And so like a lot of times I also, you know, just like we've walked through that process, there's things that When I started my business, I remember thinking I had to be on Facebook Messenger all the time and doing this and creating graphics and creating sales pages and blah, blah, blah, all these things. And then I'm so caught up doing these things, sweeping the floors, like you talked about the Walmart CEOs not sweeping the floor and stocking the shelf and doing all the things, like wasting all these times. And then I can't do the thing that I was meant to do, what the reason why I went into business in the first place.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And I want to clarify too, I think it's really important to understand that it's not that you're not willing to do it, right? So we go to leadership summits and we say you should, Never give a task to someone that you aren't willing to do yourself. And there's some value in that, but that doesn't mean you have to, right? So I can't tell you— I've, I've plunged a toilet and people are looking at me like, who are you? I said, well, I'm a CEO, so I am vested in my business, but I don't plunge toilets all the time.

And it's not—

if I spent all day, then yes, I'm the highest paid plumber. And it doesn't give other people an opportunity to serve and to fill their niche. We sometimes— it feels like we're doing a service, but in reality, we are— it's a little selfish, right? So we think, oh, we have to do all these things, and I have to do all this, and I have to do it myself. Because one, maybe somebody can't do it the same way I can. And there's a lot of fear around that of, well, if I let it go, what's that going to do to my business? The reality is that you're right. You can't grow your business if you're sweeping the floors. The sweeping floors is important. It's a critical piece of the business. That doesn't mean that you have to be the one doing it, and it's okay that you're not doing it. That's the other thing, right? So I— and I remember when I started this journey, I was on— I've been on a couple of Facebook groups, and it was recommendations from all different kinds of people. Okay, hire a bookkeeper, and then don't forget you have to hire a social media person. Oh, and by the way, don't forget that you have to get— I mean, everybody was telling you how you needed to run your business, and I started panicking going, You're telling me I gotta spend 50— because I know what it takes to hire. I said, okay, I have to— first of all, you have to find the right person with the skill set. You're telling me I've got to spend 50 hours to try and find somebody to take on 15 hours of work? You've lost your mind. That is not efficient at all. It has not served me as a CEO to do that. And that was a huge wake-up call for me. Because I was— I sweat sometimes still thinking about having to hire 5 different people to serve to do that task. I mean, I think, what is that about? And but that's what we, a lot of people discuss, a lot of people talk about. And that's, it's not necessary. You don't need to do that. Yeah.

Oh my gosh, seriously. Because I mean, like, whenever I've thought about hiring, you know, when I hired my company, you can like, the good thing, like, I've used people who have gone through my programs and stuff and have realize that they're not necessarily CEO, they're better on a team, which is like, so ended up being mutually beneficial. And when that happens, it's the perfect storm and everything falls into place and everything works out well. I've had the same for 18 months. However, when I don't have that beautiful thing just fall into place, like the nightmare I've gone through, and I know that, you know, a lot of my clients, I have several clients going through the same thing right now. where they're looking and looking and looking. And because, you know, we are so focused on building our business and doing these things, like the thought of training someone up or finding out, do they really have that skill set? Are they really motivated? Or are they just looking for a quick buck? Like, what is your— how does your company like help fill that gap?

Yeah, great question. Well, I think the big thing is, is that we— communication and finding that person is key, but understanding the needs of the business. Right? So we as entrepreneurs, we as CEOs, we communicate differently in our world than you have to communicate to the person that's doing the frontline work, right? So it is important. I would always have to change my language. I would talk to my leadership team and it would be a way I would discuss and have conversation. When I went to my frontline employees, I had to shift. I had to change my communication. I had to see what that was. I have— so what I— how we fill that gap is this. I meet with the clients. I figure out as an entrepreneur, what do you need? What are really your needs? What are your gaps? What is your vision? Understanding your passion, what you love to do, what you don't want to do. Finding out, okay, this is— these are the 3 things that you don't want to do. Awesome. I have a person perfect to fill that because I know that person. I know their skill set. It is taking the needs and the desires of the entrepreneur and the CEO and meeting them with the needs of the person who is working hard, wants to— has this skill set. It's meeting that need and meeting in the middle so that it becomes that mutual beneficial situation more than not, right? So if we find it, it's great. But the idea is we find the people that it resonates with and they understand. We translate your vision, what you need to the tasks that need to be completed so that it can get done, it can get done efficiently, it can get done the way you need it to get done. And you're not trying to figure out if it's not going to happen. And you have a team really, because if somebody is off, right, so then you think about that. Well, my one, my 5 people that I hired all decided to go on vacation on the same weekend, so they don't have access or whatever that looks like. You have a team behind you to make it seamless. That's the goal. The goal is to create a plan for you so that that feels seamless to you, so that you don't feel, you know, the bumps and the things that happen, because they will happen. We don't want you as a client to feel that. And we don't want your clients to feel that. The idea is if we can help you smooth that out, then you will be able to keep it smoother for your clients.

Oh my goodness. I'm just imagining like, yeah, so I'm just imagining how much time and money something like what you have could have saved me personally. Just to share a story. Um, I had an employee who, you know, was hired for a certain thing and then kind of went MIA for 3 and a half weeks on vacation right before this big thing. Right. And I mean, it literally cost me almost a month of time and somewhere around $25,000, like just the bottom line. And I'm imagining like, if I would have had something like your company in place, where I'm like, hey, so I need these sales pages and I need this and I need this and I need this. Even if that person was gone, it still would have been filled. And oh my goodness, that would have saved me like a lot of gray hairs and a lot of things. So I really see how having something like this is great because that's one of the first things a business coach I had told me was like, hire as soon as you can, hire an HR person and make sure your employees are happy. Because they're not going to come to you and tell you. Yeah.

Yep, absolutely. And that's so true that— and that's hard, right? So when you're in this online space, it creates even— it's even more difficult to connect sometimes with your employees. And that's what we do. So we create this space where we're the ones connecting, we're the ones making sure that they have what they need. We're worrying about the stuff behind the scenes, right? So you have People who are employees and people who are CEOs, and we need all, we need every single person to fulfill their piece. But they, they need to have, they need to feel valued. They need to feel that they, that you understand them and that you get them. And that's, that's difficult if you're meeting with them, if they only are doing 5 hours or whatever that is for you. It's hard, right? It's hard to connect with, oh, you're doing 5 hours of work, but let me invest a ton of time. It's important and it's necessary. It's just hard to do and make that shift sometimes. Yeah, HR. And then figuring out, right?

Nobody—

you talk to a lot of people, what do you do? Oh, well, I'm HR business. Oh, good luck with that. Let me know how that works out for you. Because nobody really enjoys it. And even when you talk to a business who's been hiring for years, I remember when we first started talking about HR and I said, well, this is You know, some of the services you provide. Oh my gosh, I know 3 people that need you right now because they— it's not, it's not always natural, that HR, that piece, especially when you— it's just not— the entrepreneur is a creative spirit. And confrontation is not always great. And when you deal with people and you deal with employees, it's— you always get that. So yeah, find that. And what I love that you said too, Val, is that it saves money. So I think sometimes I have done this. I think, well, I'm going to save all this money by doing it myself.

Hmm.

Well, no, you don't. Because the reality is, is all that time you're spending, you could be generating more, you could be creating something. And it's not your— it's not your field of zone of genius, really. It's, it's, it's somebody else's zone of genius. You know, those people that you sit and you think of an accountant, right? And they get it done in 5 minutes. So it would take you 10 hours to do. That's really—

I love it. Been there.

That's what it is. And I think we always— I think when we come out of corporate, we think we have to box it. We have to box all the different roles. And really how we create this, it's a creative and it's sustainable and it's a really positive solution because it's unique to each organization. And that's what I think makes this so different is I can hire an employee, I can tell them to go in, I can tell them to do this stuff. It's different when you can sit down with an employee, tell me what you're good at, what works well, because really, I believe those people are getting— are falling through the cracks.

Hmm.

They have a zone of genius, but their zone of genius in one company means like 15 different things that are not their zone of genius. And I think we can definitely do a huge service to even people in our community by creating this space for them to live that like we are. Right? Like as entrepreneurs, we started these businesses because we are passionate about something.

We love it.

We're engaged. And yeah, it will save time. I do. I think of, oh yeah, if I'd have had a social media person 6 months ago, the amount of revenue I could have generated and the time I could have saved is unheard of.

And yeah, and that's the thing. Like I really want for, so for those of you who are watching, I really want you guys to if you're in the business world, if you're in the online space, like really hear what Elena is saying because of the fact that, okay, here's what people usually do. So you think you have to do all the things for all the people all the time. And then you get caught up in this idea that you're going to save money by Frankensteining all these things together. Next thing you know, you've signed up for 1,000 different freebies because you're trying to figure out how to do Instagram and copy and graphics. And you're trying to figure out LinkedIn and you're trying to figure out how to do this and how to do email. And should I send email? Is email dead?

Blah blah blah blah blah.

And what you're doing is like, okay, you wouldn't use a phone from 2012. So why are you using methods from 2012? It is 2020, right? And so you're trying to Frankenstein all these things. Next thing you know, your inbox, your email box is the freebie and webinar graveyard, and you haven't opened a single one. And then you're putting all this stuff out there, pieces of all this stuff, and you're hearing Jiminy Crickets. In your business?

Oh my gosh. You know what's so funny about that? I'm listening. I have an email when I first started. I'm laughing. So I have an email that all I did, because I thought, I can't even, I can't even unsubscribe enough. Because that's what I mean, right? We all did it. And I have an email that my auto-reply is, this mailbox is not being monitored. If you really need me, email me here. Because I couldn't. And I just started a new email. I was like, I am done with this.

It is—

I cannot unsubscribe. And here's the thing too.

We—

so if you think of online entrepreneurs, most of our businesses are a personal connection, right? So we— it is people are selling, people are buying from us as we connect with them. So why wouldn't it be different when we're trying to— when we're trying to fill that need for them, when we're trying to staff? Right? So that's the thing. I want to make a personal connection. I, I want the entrepreneur to feel valued and heard. And yeah, I'm laughing. I still— I'm gonna— it's gonna hurt after this because yeah, I do. I'm— and I'm stressing out. I'm like, oh, I have that mailbox and I wish I would have never signed up for all that stuff. But it's not— you will not get what you need when you need a unique situation by doing all of the other things, right? So you need someone who can really Because think of the situation, right? So you talked about a situation where you had to think of hiring all these people. And I don't know how many of you guys are sweating right now because you're thinking of all the 15 people that you have to hire and you have to cascade your vision to 5 different people. It's— you are trying to create a mini, mini you. And it's— but you're, you're putting it across 5 people as opposed to one connection. And then I'm the one That translates that vision to the tasks that need to be done. So you're getting the tasks done, and I'm hearing your vision. It's, it's a connection. It's a personal connection. I need to know who you are, what you're trying to do, so that when we find those tasks and we put that solution together, it's a solution you really need. And it, it may be a little uncomfortable sometimes, right? Because there's things that you think you don't want to give up and you want to give up. It can be painful, or it's just scary. Letting go. I mean, this is our baby. These are the things that we birthed, so to speak, and giving it to somebody else. You, you need to know that the person you're connecting with is going to make sure that your needs are met. And that's hard sometimes when you're Frankenstein-ing and you're 5 different, 6 different people. It's just hard. And the time that it takes to do that is just—

Sorry, I was gonna say, what about the woman I'm thinking about right now? The woman who's like, yeah, I hear what you say. I'm hearing that you can be like my— the personal shopper of my business because you walk in, you're like, Val, oh, you love pink, ruffly, and glittery. Great. Here's a whole wardrobe of things. Or hey, we got these new shoes and you're going to love— and I just love them. So the personal shopper of my business. However, what about the woman that is like, yeah, but you know, I keep going through this cycle where I hire someone. We have the vision, I get my expectations up. It's just like dating. I think that this is going to be forever. We're going to have this team. It's going to be great. We're on board and like it never works out. So there must be something wrong with me.

Oh no, you know, it's that it is not you. Here's the thing. And that's— I get it because I've been there and that's hard. It's a hard space to be in. There's this It's this really self-doubt, right? So we have this real comfort level that we sit in, and when anything tries— we are very hard on ourselves. We are our own worst critics. So we think that because something goes wrong, it has to be us, because I'm seeing everybody else. Everybody else is successful, and everybody else is making 6 figures, and nobody else talks about how hard it is. All of those things, it's It is not you. It is finding the right solution for your business. And I think what that means is that we— and we can't always see it either, Val. We can't always see it when we're sitting in it. That doesn't mean that you're doing something wrong. It means you need an outside person to be able to help bring context to how you're feeling. Where are you at? And it is you, right? We're in our own minds all the time. It is not always It can be great, and then there's sometimes it's not so awesome for us. We, we have personal connection for a reason. We need that personal connection, right? So I have— if I'm trying to work through a problem or solve a problem, I cannot do it if I'm just sitting in my space trying to figure that out. It just doesn't work. I mean, it, it will be okay. And you'll have a temporary solution, but you're not going to have a long-term permanent solution to your problem. It is when you bring other people in, you engage with them, that helps you create a more holistic solution. So one, there's nothing wrong with you. Those of you that are having a hard time, it's, it is one, it's normal. I can't, I can't tell you how many times as a leader I would be called in to go and help work with another leader because they were struggling with staffing and struggling with hiring and figuring that out. And it, I can't, I can't. Well, let me help you figure out what is it you're really looking for? What does that really look like? really asking those questions that we don't always ask ourselves to really have better clarity and understanding of what is it that we really do need. Because it may be that you hired really great people and then decided, yeah, but I really love this thing. I really don't want to give up this thing. It's working through that. And that's, you know, hey, Elena, I know we hired you for this, but I'm really feeling icky about this and I really would prefer to— okay, so we'll adjust, we'll shift. It's having that It's a fluid— you know how when we talk about it's a living, breathing document? That's what this is. It can't be stagnant and it can't be, that's it, that's what I'm doing. Because as your business grows, that need will change and grow, and you have to be able to grow and change with that and have that team that can do that with you. So yeah, it's not about you. It's about the strategy. It's about really identifying how do I fill my needs and my gap. And we don't always know what those gaps are. We like to think we know them.

Mm-hmm.

And, and we should be saying, We like to know them. We should know them because we're this professional, yada yada. If I can't figure it out, something should be wrong with me. And I know that because I've been there. I've had those thoughts. But it's not true. The reality is, is it's not about you. You, you have— you need to have that vision. The world needs your vision. The world needs you to take that and do something with it. And it's, it's hard. It's a hard adjustment to make to to shift that. So yeah, I think it's, it's really about getting the right vision and then make sure that they have the people on that to, to create and to support your vision. But yeah, it's definitely not you as a person. It's— I have seen highly successful— you've had CEOs of companies, multi-billion dollar companies that have probably felt the way that you're feeling about it. I can't get this right. I don't— can't figure this out. Why can I not hire somebody? Every person of an organization you talk to has at some point or another felt that they're the reason they can't hire the right staff. What am I not doing as a leader? What am I doing wrong? And it's man, we we beat ourselves up a lot.

Mm hmm.

How do I know that? Oh yeah, because we hold our not bad, right? Right. The reality is that yeah, that's yeah for those women out there that are feeling that way or feel like you. You're doing that. There's also a mental block too. When you get to a certain point and you've done that a few times, you just, you're kind of done and you're like, I just can't keep doing this. It's exhausting. I'm done sharing that. I'm done doing that. And we can definitely help with that too, because you already know what you want. You're cascading it and it has to be fluid. People are going to come and people are going to go, and that's normal. As people learn who they are and as they grow, they may decide, yeah, this, I really do want to do this. And Promoting that, by the way, is where you get the best people. And that's the big thing. It's don't be scared that somebody's gonna leave. Be okay with it. Because— and that's what we help do is create this environment where they can, when they feel that it's time, not because, you know, and still feel that need for you, for the entrepreneurs and the online. Yeah. Yeah, I know it's hard. That actually made me sweat when you told me about those women feeling that.

Right. No. Yeah, I, I myself have felt that. I have had clients that felt that. And it's, it's definitely a real thing. You know, we think like, what's wrong with me? What's wrong with me that I can't keep this assistant or I can't keep people or, you know, people aren't seeing my vision. But the thing is, like, no one's going to have your vision. And it's hard to really communicate that too.

Yeah, and, you know, I think it's important to be reminded that not everybody's going to get along with everybody. That's okay. And, and that doesn't necessarily need to be— when you're growing your business and trying to do that, that's a hard thing. You know, when you get to become— that's why having a service that provides that, where I can connect with them individually, meaning I can connect with my people, they know what my expectations are. So I have a certain set of standards and expectations and They know what the client's expectations are. They can meet that. And it's just— it's not that— it is the personal connection. And again, people change and not all personalities work, right? And that's kind of what we're trying to help alleviate too is that you interview these 5 people and maybe your personality isn't— which is fine, right? Like there's plenty of people that don't get along with me. perfectly fine. We don't hit and meet with everybody. But I— the people we do connect with and the people we can connect with, we need to. And it is— yeah, definitely not— I know what that feels like. It's icky.

Yeah.

It feels like, what's wrong with me? Why can't I keep somebody? Why can't I keep somebody employed? Or why couldn't I keep a client? Even as, you know, we have those thoughts, but that, that's negative speak. That's definitely not help— I mean, it's not helpful for us because That's our safe and our comfort zone. I think a lot of times too, it says, if it must be me, right? It must be something's wrong with me when I see all these other things happening. And no, not necessarily. It just could be the situation. I think sometimes we give a little bit more credit to the situation itself than we need to. It's a situation. It's happened. Okay, move on. Figure out how to solve that problem next. And sometimes I'm great at it.

I love that. Yeah, that's so— I'm sure that a lot of women will find comfort from that. What's up, Rachel Marshall? Hello, hello. So yeah, like, and I want to stress something for anybody out there that's thinking like, yeah, but I just, I can't, I don't right now in my business. I don't see how, you know, yeah, I would love to give up some of these tasks. I would love to move forward. and grow my business, but there's still that scarcity. Or, you know, like I tried to do it all on my own for a really long time, longer than I should have. And I just want to like give some people a little bit of backstory for you because I don't want you guys to see Elena and think like, oh yeah, this was so easy for her.

Yeah.

Because Elena is, when we started working together in February, she was still in the corporate world. and had an idea that she wanted to go into business for herself. Had this, I mean, she had her business with her husband, but she had all these really great ideas, a lot of great ideas, like a lot of entrepreneurs, you know, all the ideas, like all the ideas, right?

Yeah.

All the ideas. And she started her company, the day that she went official in her business was the day that here in Oregon, we went into shutdown. I want you guys to really hook onto that because if you have a belief or a story in your mind that, yeah, but I can't because, because of COVID because of shutdown, because of whatever, like I want you to really hear this and realize day 1 of her business was shutdown.

Yeah.

And she's gone on to build this amazing, incredible business where she's giving back She's making great money. She's able to build and provide opportunities for other people.

Val, thank you so much for that. I really think it's important to know in my journey, I had my own journey. Like, I had to work through some stuff that was tough. I was— I had been 20 years in corporate world. I had the— we call them the golden handcuffs, right? Those things that— that's why I stayed longer in the corporate world than I should have because of those golden handcuffs. But it was hard. I'm not gonna lie, that day that COVID hit, I went, seriously?

Uh, okay.

Like, there's always gonna be that, and it's what do we do with that when we have it? Yeah, that was— that was— I'm not gonna lie, that was tough. That was a, okay, what do we— I have all these ideas, and, um, I was inspired. Like, I actually had— on that, I had a full-time job offer with estate benefits, all of that that came that I turned down to do this business and COVID hit. So it was getting out of corporate world, have all these ideas start. Like I had turned down some pretty, what would be secure stuff for this business. But I will tell you that I am learning and as I continue to learn is that the world needs our ideas. There are so many issues, problems, things that need to be solved. I mean, if you think of how many people are on world. And only certain— and we can fill and we can solve a problem only as we can because we are so unique. That is what's so incredible about it. So are there other people that could do what we're doing? Probably. Are there people that can do it the way I'm doing it? No, because they're not me. And that's the thing about your business is I— if I could, that's one thing that I've learned over and over again is it's It's the connection they're making with you as a leader and as an entrepreneur, not just the stuff you're doing, right? And, and we think a lot of times that the stuff we're doing is a reflection of us. And the reality is who we are as a person, how we make people feel, that connection is who we are. That's going to propel your business. That's what's going to make people want to say, yeah, I could buy, you know, we have doTERRA, absolutely love the stuff. You might have 2 or 3 friends that do that. But you're going to buy with the person that you connect with, and that you want to see be successful. That's a personal connection. And that can't be cookie— you can't cookie cutter that, and you shouldn't. And that's, and that's where you need to spend your time. But it— yeah. So it was fun. It was exciting. You know, but, and we still have, you know, this, this place that we're going, these things we want to do is still out there. But That's, I think, the biggest thing is it's been— I was talking to somebody. I actually went into my old corporate world where I was managing a big box and, oh, I just can't do this. I don't, I don't know. And I said, well, why, why can't you do it? Well, because what about— well, there's so many people that are already doing it. Yeah, but it's not you. You're not doing it. And you connect with people differently than other people connect with. My husband is a bookseller. That guy connects with people and sells books. I, I don't even know how he does it, truthfully. I stand back in awe sometimes, like, all right, that's impressive. But you put me to do that, I can't do that. There's no way I would do it the same way he does it. And that's the beauty of— That's the beauty of where we're at in society and what we have, right? So we think about how things used to be and how things are, and we are in such a beautiful time where We get to connect personally and we can build these businesses on a personal level, which never was one of the, one of the reasons that some of these corporations got so big is because they had a really good strategy. They had a cookie cutter. They did it. We're flip-flopping from this cookie cutter, right? Do you remember shopping, retail shopping, how it was a very personal experience? We all went in and it was connection and then it went to convenience.

Mm-hmm.

So everybody shifted. to the convenience model. And everybody, in my opinion, what I'm seeing is shifting back to the connection.

Mm-hmm.

So if you are, if you don't think that you're in the right business or you don't think that your ideas or you think other people are doing it, other people are doing the tasks.

Mm-hmm.

They're not doing you. You know what I mean? It's, they can't replicate you. And that's what you have. That is yours. Nobody else can do that. And that's like a pretty big market, right? If you're gonna market it, I'm me. Nobody can do me like me. You're right, nobody can.

Love it, because there is— there's only one you, and only you can do how you do it in the way you do it. And it's about that personal connection, which I love. So how did you have— hearing all that, like your journey and your, you know, to get to here, I mean, that's only been 7 months, 6 months, 4, 5 months. It's really quickly. So how did you have the mental toughness? Like what helped you get through COVID and doubts and all of these things.

I needed help. Truthfully, I had to reach out to somebody. It was, well, to be fair, I had actually been on that journey a little longer. I saw progress quicker when I got the help that I needed. And it was really interesting because I think we don't like to ask for help. OK, high empowered, intelligent, we don't like to ask for help because if I can do it, I am going to do it, right? And actually, there's a joke. My husband and I have a joke about that. He's like, I'm like, if I can do it, I should do it. Okay, whatever. But I can pay someone to do that. Yeah, but if I can do it. Okay, knock yourself out. But it took, I tried to do it by myself. I tried to figure it out. I tried to work through those emotions. I tried to bounce it off in my head. It was slow. So let me tell you that this has been like a In all full transparency, it was like a 2-year process.

Mm-hmm.

And then when I actually got the help that I needed in February, boom, it's that same thing, you know, because we're in it, we live it, and we can justify it all day to ourselves. Like, we're going to justify everything to ourselves, whether it's positive or negative. And so that shift for me was, it was having a Coach, truly. The mental toughness I had, actually, I think we always have the mental toughness. I think what it changes, shifts, isn't whether or not we have the mental toughness. Because we would have never gone into business for ourselves if we didn't have that toughness. Because people don't do that. They don't go into business for themselves if they're not already mentally tough and strong. It's, so I was, I think that that's definitely something that as I learned and grew, that was where it was at. I just didn't have the right way to work through— it faster. So I had the mental toughness. I honestly didn't have the skill set to help myself through that because I'm sitting in it. I'm, you know, it's that— I'm gonna jump in there. I don't know if you guys have heard that quote. Yeah, if you've heard that quote where one man walks by, somebody's in the manhole. I don't know if you've heard that. Someone's sitting in the manhole and somebody walks by and they— and it's dark and they say, hey, can you help me get out? Oh, you know, I, I can't. And— or try to do a ladder, couldn't get him out. Second person, same thing. And then the third person jumps in, right? Jumps into that sewer, sewage thing, and the guy goes, what are you doing? Now neither of us can get out. He goes, oh no, I've been here before. I know how, I know the way out. And that's really what is, when I think of it, that's how I think. I think you, the reason you've been extremely helpful is because you felt it, you know it, and that's I think what's so important is find that person that has been there, that you can trust, that can help you work through those emotions because you're going to have them. It's okay to have them. It's really important that you work through them because when you start to work through them, you become more of who you were, more of who you were meant to be.

Hmm.

But you can't if you don't work through it. So that, it was, yeah, it was I know we talked about February and we've come a long way. It was— I kind of chuckle sometimes. I'm like, oh man, 2 years ago would have been great. But that's— that was for me. That's what it was. It's finding a person who you can connect with, who can help you work through that to be the best you and be who you want to be and create that business you want to create. And I wouldn't have said that probably 2 years ago because again, I can do it. I can figure— I've done lots of stuff. I've done hard things. I I can figure this out on my own, which I still do sometimes, right? And then I have to reach out, but okay, Val, seriously, I need to jump on a call because I'm like spinning here. But it's— we all are there. Yeah, and truly, yeah. And our experiences are extremely valuable too. That would be the other thing too, is, um, what I've experienced, what I've done, is that's part of what makes me unique and me. And I had to work through that at my level. I had to work through that and feel it and just retrain my brain to transition from corporate world, which was one— it is. And I'm seeing more. What's funny is even after now, the more we do it and the more I work on it, I'm like, oh my gosh, how did I not see that when I was there?

Right.

You're in a different place, you're in a different time, and you're going to see it differently. So as you look back, you're always— it's going to change because you're going to see it from a different perspective every day because you're in a different place every day. So it's true. Yeah.

How can people find you and get a hold of you, connect with you if they're interested in your services, if they're interested in reaching out to you? How can they get a hold of you?

So a couple of things, you know, what if I don't know if you're really right. So we have And I— we can probably post it in the comments below, but I have a survey that if you can complete this survey within 24 hours, I have a $50 Amazon gift card for you.

Ooh!

For that, we'll draw. So if you can get it done within 24 hours, we're going to draw on Friday. I think we can draw on Friday for that. Does that work? Tomorrow and draw for that winner. So if you take that survey within 24 hours, and then I have a website. So if you go to ignitepositivechanges.com, You can go there and then you can also just schedule a meeting, a 30-minute free consultation. Really, I want, I want to say it's not a sales call. I want to be real clear and transparent. It is really for us to have a conversation and a genuine conversation. I'm not about cookie cutter, but I want to know what your needs are. And we can talk about that and see what is, how you're feeling, what does that look like? And it's a free 30-minute call with me to figure out what your needs are. How you're feeling, what is it that you— and if you don't know, and you're like, ah, maybe, and I don't know, that, that's fine too. We can work through that and ask the questions and go from there. But yes, so yeah, reach out to me or you can email me. So our website, if you go to ignitepositivechanges.com, then you can get there. It's elaina@ignitepositivechanges.com.

So if they fill out the survey in the next 24 hours, you're going to do— we're going to do a raffle tomorrow. Tomorrow for a $50 Amazon gift card. So you guys want to click on there. Um, it's just— I did it. It's really easy. Just asks you about— you're just gonna put like your name, your email, phone number optional, no pressure on that. And then you just answer a couple questions about what you like to do, what you don't like to do, and that's it. You're in.

And why not? Yeah, and at the end too, it also has the links to the website. And, um, oh, perfect. What I would say is, if you, if you were an entrepreneur and you're in your mind thinking, I don't know, I would just say, if you have 30 minutes, let's get on a call so we can kind of talk through. If nothing else, you will have more clarity around what it is that you need to do. Whether or not you can decide to work with me is fine. Our goal is to help support. So I want to make sure it's not— you're not pressured. It's really to help you identify and clarify what it is that you need. And that's what I believe we can do by the end of the call that you have with me. So. I love it.

Alaina, thank you so much for coming on today and just pouring so much of your heart into this. And, you know, I know your heart. I know that you just wanna help people and create positive changes in the world. You wanna ignite positive changes in the world. So thank you so much for joining us this morning and for just serving in such a huge way.

Val, thank you so much for the chance, the opportunity. You are incredible. I am so blessed to have you as my Coach. I can't even tell you that it's— I know. I just, I'm in awe. I'm just in awe too sometimes with where I'm at from where I was. So I am super grateful that you have been on this journey with me. So thank you very much. Thank you.

Alright guys, thank you so much for watching. Don't forget, tomorrow we're going to do the drawing for the gift card, so don't forget to fill out the survey and connect with Elena. And then tomorrow we're going to come back at 10 o'clock, same time next— or 10 o'clock Pacific time— to do our celebration call and to kick off the end of this journey. Oh my goodness, can't believe it. Alright, so you don't want to miss that. Join us live tomorrow at 10 AM. Fill out the survey. You got this. You're gonna win $50 to go spend on Amazon.

Who doesn't want that? Oh my gosh.

All right, guys, love you. See you tomorrow.

Bye.