How I Left My Corporate Job & Created A Business & Lifestyle of Freedom and Wealth- Val Nichols

Hey guys, Val Nichols here coming at you live again. And oh my gosh, you guys, I cannot express how grateful I am for each and every speaker that has been on here. I just want to wrap up with you guys the week that we've had. We had on day 1, on Monday, we kicked off with the amazing, powerful Elena Weimer. She is my friend, my client, a An amazing woman of Ignite Positive Changes. She is out there, you know, helping corporate retail people go from burnouts into, you know, creating a beautiful life, reigniting those passions. She gave away a masterclass that she's doing, I believe, next week. So yeah, if you guys want to hop in that, go back and check that out on day one. You can go up to the Units tab and check out all of the replays if you missed any of the days. Hello, Ashley! Oh my gosh, Facebook is telling me who's popping on. This is like Yay, we need to celebrate from the rooftops. Day 2, we had the lovely Courtney Berry. She is a confidence coach, and oh my gosh, that was magical. Day 3, we had, oh my gosh, who did we have on day 3? Why am I forgetting for right now? So on day 3, we had, oh my gosh, the power duo. We had Lisa Condon, who, absolutely amazing. I swear this woman is my soul sister. Oh my gosh. And then we had Varid Lerner, who was amazing. We had the powerhouse nonprofit leaders yesterday. We had Danny Looney of Rock Bottom Hope, and then we had Andy Buger of the Beulah's Place, which was absolutely amazing, all of those things. And then today we had some of my favorite human beings in the entire world. We had a powerhouse, Jeff Sagner. He has created a $1.5 million business off of an idea that he had that he was messing around with 8 years ago. So within 8 years, he went from zero Nothing, nada, putting stuff on credit cards to a $1.5 million business. And then today we got blessed with the amazing power couple Christina and Vince, who literally, you guys, they made it work. Like we were trying to figure out scheduling and they like jumped off a plane, weren't even in their rental car yet when they got on live with us. So go back and check that out. They're an amazing power couple. And yeah, I just want to come back on here and just wrap things up with you guys because like I, I intend to stay on, but then like I get so pumped about the speakers because each one of these I have handpicked, right? Each one of them is so generous, is so giving. You know, none of us question the, the purpose, the cause. Like we just collaborate and we give, we serve. Each one of the people who've been on the summit and each one of the people that are coming up, I have hand-selected because they're so generous. They're so giving. They don't hold back. They go all in. When you guys hop on, let me know so I can say hi. I would love to. I would love to say hi to you and wish you a happy, beautiful, amazing Friday because I am so. I've been pumped. I don't know about you guys, but I'm so pumped up. It's like Fire Friday, right? It's fire, fire, fire, fire. Oh oh oh! And if you guys don't know, I do have a free Facebook group. It's called the Wild Tribe. And so that's for originally it's women influencers, leaders, and dreamers. So it's entrepreneurs and business leaders because that's who I coach mostly. I do have a couple of male clients and there are a couple of men in there as well because, you know, they wanted to be a part of. And so if you are a business leader, entrepreneur, wannabe business leader, go check out my Wild Tribe because you can post your businesses in there today. Today is Flaunt It Friday. So you can go post, share your promos, share all of your things. And, you know, in there we're so supportive. And like we buy from each other, we support each other. It's an amazing— it's like 850 of my favorite human beings in the world, and you guys are quickly becoming that too. And I just want to thank you guys for being here because, you know, I don't take it lightly that you are showing up in here, that you have, you know, really you're spending your biggest asset, which is your time, you know, being here. And I want to congratulate you for that because, you know, sometimes it's taking that first step. I know that there's people in here who have side hustles or they wanna start a business or maybe you're currently in business, you know, no matter where you're at, that, you know, you are, you're taking this time to invest. And honestly, you guys, if we added up the speaker fees of all of the people that are in this summit, like I am not kidding, I have, we have such a caliber of mentors here, coaches, business leaders, entrepreneurs, that if you added up all of our speaker fees, it would literally be over $50,000. So I mean, wait, more than that. I haven't even added up next week. So that's just like this week, right? So if you were to add up all of the value of this, plus like people are coming up with freebies and stuff that they don't usually offer, and you know, so they're offering a lot of really great things just out of the generosity of their heart, you guys. And that's something that I really want you guys to notice because I didn't even like have this conversation with the speakers, but just notice that. It's in the generosity, right, in your businesses. And this has 100% worked for me this time. I say this time because I used to chase the money, right? And I don't know if there's any of you guys out there that used to chase the money, but I did in my 20s. I had a very successful marketing agency, and I was literally like calculating how much money I was gonna make from, you know, this brand or this brand. And I was working with like really big brands like Lance Armstrong Foundation, Kia, the Trail Trailblazers. Um, for those of you who don't know, that's Oregon Trailblazers in Portland. Um, let's see, I was on tour with Jewel. I was doing, um, gosh, I work with so many comp— Dr Pepper Cherry. Like, I was working with these big, really big brands. Fuel TV, I got to do like a really cool thing with them. And so I would calculate how much money I was going to make, and then I would choose based on that, right? So I used to chase the money, and I don't know if there's anyone out here that has done that, but you know what, like, I did that, and honestly, at the end of the day, um, it didn't really Oh, it just kind of felt icky, right? Like the motive that I had was wrong. The motive I had wasn't in alignment with who I truly am. And so this time in my business, you know, when I restarted my— when I relaunched my business and now do business coaching because I've had a successful marketing agency, started my first business at 11, and, you know, was a life coach for a while. And then I started doing like— I'm like, I've been doing this for my whole life, right? Like, sales, marketing, building businesses, obsessed. I was a marketing and sales director in corporate, and I was like, I'm just gonna go all in. I'm just gonna do it, right? And I committed to myself, you know, even though, just like so many of the speakers that we have had in this summit so far, I didn't have it all planned out. You guys, my husband is an engineer that has never been an entrepreneur. So for me to say, oh yeah, I'm gonna go from this, you know, 6-figure steady income We have insurance through my company. All of these things, the title, the office, the stability, all of that to saying, I'm going to start from scratch with nothing and I'm going to build this business and, you know, like hope the clients come, right? Just hope it happens. You know, to go from that, like, and not knowing, I didn't know what it was going to look like. I had no idea. I had no idea, like, who the clients were, where they were going to come from. All I knew is I had a vision and I had this thing in my heart that told me I had this, this passion, this, this— like, for me, it's like this visceral thing, like right here in my— I believe that's called sternum, I don't know— but like, you know, that right here in the sternum, like I had this thing and this call that I knew that I was called for more. And I had these big dreams, I had these visions of being on stage and speaking in front of hundreds of people. And at the time, there's no way I would get on a stage and talk in front of people. No way. Now I do it all the time, all of the time. Much more before COVID happened. I was traveling a lot before COVID happened, speaking and doing workshops and all of that. But, you know, like, all I'm saying is like, you don't have to have it all figured out and you don't have to know what it looks like because if you just take the leap and, and go before you're ready, you know, obviously be wise. Don't, um, quit your job with, you know, $200 in the bank account. Maybe, I don't know. I can't tell you if that path is right or not. I'm not gonna actually say that because I don't know. But But I know there's times like, you know, investing in— gosh, I was in this year-long coaching program that was over $15,000, and I was like, oh my gosh, I don't know if I'm going to be able to do it. So I figured it out, right? Like, I figured it out. I went to my bank, made sure that, you know, I had a big credit line. I like had never used my business credit card before, but I put it on that and just said, you know, I have faith that investing this is going to return my investment, and I ended up like exponentially, just crazy. And now, you guys, like, I don't say this to impress you. I say this to impress upon you the possibilities, right? The first business coaching, um, I ever invested in— I talked about this earlier with Vince and Christina— it was $2,222. And in the time I was in corporate— this was 3 years ago this month— I was still in corporate, made tons of money. I had, you know, Let's see, a lot of money in the bank account. Like it was, it wasn't six figures, but it was like, you know, I had a lot of money in the bank account, but I was still had that broken money mindset. I still had the scarcity and lack that told me one, I couldn't invest in myself; two, that I couldn't trust myself to actually follow three, follow through; and then three was that I was afraid that if I took this leap, then what? Then what if I take this leap and I actually say out loud the things I want to do? If I actually say out loud that I want to start my business again? If I actually say out loud that, you know, on paper I have every single thing, that I have the job, the title, the office, the salary, the prestige, I have all the things, but at the end of the night I would come home And there was nights I would cry because I felt like, oh my gosh, there's got to be more than this. There's got to be more than this, right? I knew that, you know, even though I was having great success and I was the top salesperson at my company because I'm an achiever, right? Like, I'm an achiever and I was the top salesperson. And even though I had all that, like, I still felt like there was more. I felt like somehow I was compromising who I was, if that makes sense. I don't know if that makes sense for any of you guys, but I felt like I was compromising who I was. And you know At the end of the day, I was like, "But what does it look like if I take the leap? What does it look like if I do something different?" Because in the moment, I couldn't even see. I couldn't even see what that was. Thank you so much, Cynthia, for sharing this. I just got the pop-up that you shared it. So I'm gonna put you in the drawing, Cynthia Lopez. So you know, at the end of the day, I was just like, "I don't even know." You know, I don't know what it's gonna look like. I don't know. All I know is that. You know what? If I don't try now because I had done it, I had started a coaching business before. I was coaching executive coaches or executive people, you know, like in Seattle and in Portland. And this was 2014 before internet is the way it is now. There wasn't a lot of social media. And you know, so I was traveling a lot and I was like, if I don't try it, this was 2018, February of 2018. You guys, I literally have goosebumps when I think that it was just it was. 3 years ago this month that I was sitting in my living room drinking my coffee. It was a cold February morning. I just remember it was like this cold February morning, and I was sitting in my living room journaling, and I had this vision, right? Thank you, Tina. I will put you in there as well. So the thing is, like, I was like— I had this vision And like I said, I had this vision that I would be standing on stages in front of thousands of people sharing my story. And you know what my first reaction was? I was like, no way in heck. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Wrong person. No. And I sat in that for a couple weeks fighting it. And then I realized that, you know what, that dream, it keeps coming up for me. That pull, that call to do something bigger keeps coming up for me. Oh my gosh, you guys, I'm literally getting goosebumps right now sharing this story with you. I— okay, I have this crazy thought right now. Like, I know that there's no coincidence that whoever is watching this right now, or if you're watching this on replay, but I have a feeling it's someone that's watching this live right now. I have this crazy feeling that you need to hear this message, that you need to really not just hear the words but understand the concept behind this. That three years ago, when I saw that vision, I doubted myself. I didn't trust myself to do it. I didn't know what it was going to look like. I was terrified, and I'm going to share this with you guys. But like honestly, it took me two months. My husband is my best friend. We talk about everything. It took me two months to say out loud to him what I wanted to do because it seemed so scary to share it. It seemed so scary to say it out loud and to actually admit it because I knew then I would actually have to do something right. Like I'd have to actually do something with it. So, you know, 2 months later I shared it with my husband when we were, um, we were in our sauna and I shared it with him. And, you know, it was so crazy because he's like, okay, you know, he's very logical, he's an engineer. He's like, let's, let's plan this out. Let's say within a year you'll have your exit plan, right? Because I had to give a month notice because I was a key employee. Um, I was the director, so I had to give a month's notice. So we're like, okay, we'll give it 10 months. And then, you know, maybe we'll talk about giving your month notice and we'll see where we're at. We'll readjust. So the plan was 10 months. This was April 2018. 10 months. I'm gonna tell you guys, we had a camping trip planned in February of 2018. That was a month after we had that conversation. And at that time, I was looking around and I'm trying to figure out my schedule and I'm like, Babe, I don't know what to do. I am getting so busy with my, my side business that I don't even— I don't have time. I don't know what to do. I'm feeling overwhelmed. Like, I— this is a lot doing my full-time job and doing my business. And he's like, okay, well, I mean, I don't know. Like, I don't know how this works. Like, how does entrepreneurship work? He didn't know. You know, he's like, I'm gonna take the risk because I trust you, but I just, I don't understand any of this. Like, I don't understand. And I was like, I don't know, maybe it's just a temporary— like, maybe this is a fluke. You know, that, that self-doubt, that imposter syndrome. I was like, this isn't gonna— this— there's no way this can last. Like, maybe this is just because, I don't know, beginner's luck. I don't know, like, what it is. But I'll tell you guys, a month later I slid my notice across my boss's desk in June of 2018. I slid that notice across her desk, and I have got to tell you, in that moment I was so freaking excited and I was so freaking terrified. And not to mention, I had to put in a 30-day notice. 30 days I sat there wrestling, wondering if I made the wrong decision, worrying that I made the wrong decision, wanting to go take it back, wanting to say, nope, I'm just kidding. But you know, the cool thing is, like, the moment I clocked out for the last time— well, I was on salary, so I didn't technically clock out— but that moment I clocked out for the last time, I knew there was no turning back. And you know, this isn't everyone's experience. This was my experience. The moment, like, I took that action, The moment like I knew this is it, this is final, this is like the thing, like I'm— this is real. The moment it like, like it became like I hit that edge of leaving that office, the moment I did that— this was July 2018, so 2 and a half years ago, right? That month, not only did I have, you know, the commissions that were coming in from my corporate job, but I hit my first $11,000 month in my business. It— I didn't even— I didn't understand how that worked. I didn't even like— it didn't, it didn't make sense. It just didn't make sense. I'm like, there's no way. There's like— I looked at it 3 times, like 3 different times. I'm like calculating, like, what? Oh my gosh, it doesn't make sense, right? And so, you know, that's been my experience. Like, it's so crazy. But, you know, every time I uplevel myself— and I say this only because, you know, In this summit, my commitment to you is to help you find that edge, to help you go a little bit beyond, to help you go a little bit deeper because we're talking about turning your unique passions into profits, right? And I never, even though, I mean, you guys have seen my energy, I'm a very like, you know, high vibe type of person and I wake up with a lot of energy. Like this is just who I am, right? However, I never want to be the rah rah, okay, now what? Right? I've been to those like hype, hype, um, conferences where everyone's so excited, and then you walk away, and a little bit over time it just fizzles, and you end up doing nothing. And then you get back into the cycle, and then it just ends up being the same. And you're like, but I was really excited, right? I, I mean, I was, I was all for it. Like, you know, at the beginning of the year when you make these, these Um, New Year's resolutions, right? Like everyone was hoping 2021 would be so different and magical, and you know, this is the year we're gonna do this, is the year we're gonna do it, this year we're gonna do it. And then now we're in February, and honestly, all of that excitement has fizzed away, right? So it's like, if you find your edge, whatever that is for you, find your edge. And you know what? Whatever that is, that each one of us is going to be so different, right? For me, it was getting on stage in July of 2018. I got back up on stage after 20 years of not doing it because of an experience I had when I was 10. If you guys want to hear that story, go check out my live from last night. I shared about that, that you know in fifth grade I had this experience that kept me off a stage for 20 years. 20 years. So whatever your edge is, maybe for you it's, you know, gosh, I keep talking about this, this business I'm gonna do. I keep talking about doing it, and you know, because I lack the knowledge, I lack the know-how, like how do I actually do it? How do I get there? How do I build a business? How do I brand myself? How do I, you know, like take payments? How do I— how am I going to get clients? How do I let people know What I'm doing in a way that's effective and is going to actually like you know convert your following into clients. How do I you know do Instagram? How do I do stories? How do I you know da da da all the things? Like if if it's a lack of that, then that's your edge. If it's actually taking the action and just pulling the trigger and just going in, for goodness sakes, just do it because you know what? There's no such thing as the wrong decision. The only decision is if you don't make a decision and then life just happens by default. Life just happens by default. Maybe for you, that's going to the next level. You know, maybe you're making a little bit of money here and there, but you're like, you know, I'm ready, Val. I am ready to just start making that five thousand dollars a month. You know, if that's your goal, that was always my goal in the beginning. If I can just make five thousand dollars a month, I'll be fine. If I can just make five thousand dollars, then I have arrived, right? Since then, it's up and up and up and up and up. But you know, like if it's the $10,000 a month, or maybe it's, you know, I'm noticing patterns throughout this summit where like I need to be consistent because like I talked about in day 1, you know, like we have got to do consistently what other people only do occasionally, right? Like consistency. If it's time management, maybe that's your edge. Maybe your edge is that, you know, you have proven to yourself over and over again that you don't trust yourself because you, you know, maybe there's a lack of follow-through. Maybe you're really good at starting all of those things. And you look around and there's like, you started this and you started that and you started this and then you jump to that. And like, you have all of these projects sitting around your house or on your computer that like you've started, but actually completing, getting in the completion energy, actually finishing is a struggle for you. And that's okay, you know, if that's your edge, like that's okay too. That was me to a T. Right? I started so many things that literally I was afraid to tell people about this business because I'm like, they're just gonna say, oh, there goes another thing that Val started, there goes another thing that Val's doing that she's off and running, and oh my gosh, right? So if that's your edge, just know that, have the awareness, and then now, now what? Something I teach my clients a lot, like, now what? So when we know better, we do better. And we don't know what we know until we know it. And then when we know it, we do better, right? When we know better, we do better. So as these things come up, right— and this is a good lesson to hang on to for the rest of your life, because at every single level there's new stuff, right? Even though, you know, today at the level that I'm at with like, you know, full one-on-one clients— like, I have amazing clients who are hitting like a million dollars. I have clients who are hitting, you know, 6 figures, um, who are just like Freaking like crazy things are happening, doubling their incomes in 2020, all those things. And at this level, you know, it's, it's different, but it's this stuff comes up, right? So I always ask myself or ask my clients, then what? Then what? You know, if you recognize that your spending habits are, are off or you're, you're spending too much money, time, too much time scrolling on Facebook, like then what? Then what, right? Like, so if you know your edge is the completion or the knowledge, or maybe it's the mindset of starting a business or keeping or staying in business, like, then what? Now that you know, you get to empower yourself and go forward and learn and grow and expand and, you know, find a tribe to come along with you and, you know, find a mentor, find a coach, do whatever you need to do to really get there. And you guys, I know I'm saying that because, well, I'm a coach, but like, really honestly, it doesn't matter if it's me, it doesn't matter if it's you know, whoever else. I just want to encourage you because there's enough people out there, there's enough clients, there's enough coaches out there that you're gonna mesh with someone, you're gonna hear someone. And the person that actually gets you into action, that's the one to follow and stick with, right? Stick with. I wish someone would have told me that in the beginning because I was jumping around from coach to coach to coach doing all these things. And honestly, like, it was like I was spinning my wheels a little bit, right? I was spinning my wheels. And so, you know, follow their guidance. Find someone who's been where you've— where you're at, someone who has what you want and is actually walking the talk and, and doing the deal, right? That's so important. Um, so, so important. That's the best advice I'm going to give you guys. So, um, yeah, you know, just, just find your edge. And then now what? And this is a great reflection for this weekend. As we are, you know, on day 5, we're on Friday afternoon of the 2021 summit, maybe evening if you're on the East Coast. I'm on the West Coast, you know, maybe you're watching this on replay and it's, it's Saturday or Sunday or whatever. But, you know, just find your edge and ask yourself, and, you know, get out of your head and don't overthink this. Don't overanalyze or overthink because that's going to keep you stuck, right? Coming from an ex-overthinker, over-analyzer, that I could literally like I would go nowhere because I was so in my head and would never make a decision. I'd be spinning, spiraling, like just back and forth. So don't overthink it. Don't like get too caught up in your head and your mind, your thinking, all of that. Get in your heart. Just ask yourself now what? What actions do I get to take? What do I? What am I feeling guided to do? What am I? Going to do with this information, whether that's, you know, increasing your health or you're, you know, growing in your business, getting the knowledge you need, getting the coach you need, getting in a group coaching program, whatever that is. Like, now what? And the answers will come. The answers will come. I promise you that. All right guys, so with that, I'm gonna let you know, um, I don't know. I can't remember what next. Like, okay, so we will be back on Monday the 8th. I'm gonna come on here a little bit. I have a couple share just stories of hope that I'm gonna share with you guys tomorrow. Um, that's gonna be super powerful. So it won't be like the official, um, like summit piece, but it'll just kind of be more laid-back version of like some messages of hope that people have have shared that I want to share with you guys too. And you know, reach out. Let me know if you would like some support. Um, I am more than happy to like jump on a call with you guys. You know, if you are serious about building out your business, I would love to— I'll put my link in here. You guys can schedule a call with me, and if it feels like it's a good fit— because, you know, like, honestly, a coaching relationship is very sacred, and I want to make sure that I'm a good fit for you and you're a good fit for me, because, you know, there's different styles. I'm not for everyone, you're not going to be for everyone, and it's a very sacred thing. So if you feel like, if it feels like it's a good fit and you're, you know, qualified and all of that stuff, and you're serious, because that's the one thing, like, I only work with people who are serious. Like, I'm not interested in working with people that are just kind of like gonna try it out or put their toe in. Like, I work with solid freaking entrepreneurs and I get them damn good results, right? So I'll put that link here in the comments, and I'm gonna end this real quick. I need to go meet with one of my clients actually. So I'm gonna give away this really cute mug I found from Target. Who doesn't love Target, right? So it's super cute. It says, I really need a day between Saturday and Sunday, and that's super cute because I'm giving this away on Friday. So whoever wins this, send me your address and I'm gonna mail this to you. All right guys, so the lucky winner is— and again, if you share this out, share out one of the videos as you're watching them, as you get inspired, you know someone needs to hear it, share out the video. Every time you share, I Or you can also invite someone into the group. I'll know that you did that. So share the video or invite someone in, and I will put you in this beautiful drawing. And I have all kinds of cool prizes. So the winner of the super cute weekend mug is— oh, Tina Olson! Congratulations, girlfriend! Send me your address. That's so funny, you just shared it out. Good job! So congratulations. I'm gonna send you this mug. Send me your address and I will get it mailed out to you very, very soon. And again, you guys, if you didn't win today, that's okay because I'm gonna continue drawing. Your name is in here. You are in there. You're in it to win it. I'm gonna be giving away tons of prizes. Also, don't forget to go check out the silent auction page. We are doing a silent auction fundraiser for Rock Bottom Hope because I love to support nonprofits. And I've done it with every single summit, every single online event that I've done. And this time I picked Rock Bottom Hope because they're so special to me. They are so incredibly special to me. And Danny Looney is amazing. You guys saw him yesterday. So I love you guys. Let me know if you want any support. I will be with a client for the next hour or so, but definitely I'll be in the group supporting you guys, answering your questions, anything like that. Over the weekend, maybe not so much on Sunday, but I will be tomorrow. And yeah, just let me know. I love you guys so incredibly much. Thank you again for watching. Thanks for tuning in on this summit because you know, you guys, I just I appreciate you. I appreciate this beautiful community that you guys are creating within this group. So thank you. I love you, and I will see you soon. Bye. Have a great weekend.