Entrepreneurship is in my blood. By the time I was 21 years old, I had already made over $1 million in sales… and I was broke. Earning money and keeping money are very different skill sets. I’ve had great success and even more significant failures.
I was raised in a travel trailer, but I didn’t understand deep poverty until my late 30s. I felt guilty for everything, for my decisions, for my son’s illness, for the hurricane… I just wanted rest, but every waking hour was filled with trying to survive. We dug a hole in the ground, serving as my kitchen for 18 months.
That hole of fire would become my sanctuary. Hours before the sun came up, I would slide out of my hammock, tent, or moldy RV, wherever I was sleeping that night and go to the coals from the night before. There, She would meet me in the peace of the night, with the bugs and the stars in the warmth of her fiery glow.
My heart swelled with gratitude. Thank you, Mother, for this wood from the church across the street. Not that they gave us wood; their building was my offering. With each 2 x 4, I gave thanks as the crackling fire brewed my predawn coffee.
The hours before my family arose were filled with praying, writing, and staring into Her fierce power. She gave me peace that surpasses understanding, endurance, and great courage, which I would need.
My mind was consumed with how to make money when no one had anything… It isn’t easy to believe in abundance when trading in water bottles, sandwiches, and chainsaws.
I have always been an avid learner, which caused me to drop out of school… twice. I was not born to conform. I’ve never seen the need to earn a certificate to prove myself. My life is my degree, and I have lived a full and abundant life of adventure and love.
As I read, I learned that the most financially successful people were not the ones who followed the system but the ones who created it. The truly wise individuals were not the ones who taught the books but the ones who wrote the books.
Sitting down and reading a book taught me discipline. However, I also realized that I wasn’t necessarily learning. When I read books out loud, the information would further transform my life. When I discovered audible, my life was transformed. Nowadays, my books are aesthetic or reference books.
The point of reading is not to read but to learn, grow, and expand one’s experiences and understanding. We only learned to read and write in the last few hundred years, we have been learning through listening and modeling for millions of years.
I spent some time in my early 20s selling insurance and annuities, which gave me a good understanding of the culture of money and how it functions. It isn’t a great system, but it is what it is. The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason, The Financial Feminist by Tori Dunlap, and Money by Rob Moore are great for building a solid understanding of money.
Get Rich, Lucky Bitch by Denise Duffield-Thomas will help with knowing what is possible for you! She triggered the shit out of me, and it took me almost six months to finish this book, but when I did… I discovered my rich bitch attitude!
I love her money, forgiveness checklist, and deep ponderable, “Why not me? Why can’t I be the one to get everything I want? If other people can do it, so can I. Why not me?” This attitude is how we envisioned and obtained our big house with SIX bedrooms! I have my OWN room, and everyone else does, too! The financial recovery that we have made in this economy, with seven humans, is insane. If we can do it, you can do it!
Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk helped me stand in my power as someone who creates within a capitalistic society with a heart to serve, not save. The freedom within the capitalistic society is that I don’t have to be a part of “their” system, and you can create your businesses your way.
If you don’t like the services, offers, or experiences you are experiencing in the marketplace, then it’s possibly your responsibility to help change those industries and create new ideas. AND when we treat ourselves and our staff with dignity and respect, along with a living wage, the world will continue to become a better place.
Russell Brunson is the godfather of the funnel. His “secrets series,” Expert Secrets, DOTCOM Secrets, and Traffic Secrets, will save you about $100k in scandalous business coaching if you insist on learning Bro Marketing. Russell and a handful of other marketing bros have “perfected” the world of online sales and systems. Every “new” tactic I’ve heard in the last 15 years of online entrepreneurship can be traced back to or through Russell.
If you hear bitterness in my voice… yep. There’s a saying that states marketers ruin everything, and there’s a lot of truth to the saying. Marketers sell shit. That’s it. You can save yourself a lot of time and money by NOT purchasing business courses or coaching from men. I’ve received refunds on TWO 24k+ programs because all the ridiculous men coaches did was regurgitate “secrets” and pump up their “value.”
Healthy businesses sell a quality product with excellent customer service and build the lifetime value of their customer, which is actually person with feelings and uniqueness. When you solve your customer’s problem, an exchange of value is essential to balance gratitude, power, and energy. It’s not about money, and it’s all about money… think black cat energy*
To summarize the entirety of the make-money-online-entrepreneurship niche, in the lowest price point products, they give you every bit of information you could ever need to sell anything in the whole world and how to sell it. The more you pay them, the more they strip away the chaos and overwhelm and help you create a straightforward system. You do not simply read Russell Bunson’s books; you read his books, pick out very few things, and then don’t think about the rest. Lol!
Business books are also chock full of right/wrong, good/bad, and sometimes downright ugly shit. Discerning the difference between healthy strategies and toxic BS is critical. Being You, Changing the World by Dr. Dain Heer is a fantastic book for discernment in life and business, and he is so fun! He says I earn another $5k every time I let my weird shine! Join the Creatress Book Club and practice letting your weird shine!
After all the linear money thinking, you’re going to have to unlearn some of the beliefs that you just learned. LOL! I sure did! It’s Not Your Money by Tasha Silver was exactly what I needed! Some of her prayers shifted the power of my Red Magic. Surrender is POWERFUL and essential.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is one of my favorites for activating my adventure and looking for magic all around. It’s just a classic!
Every entrepreneurship journey includes writing and expressing ideas, feelings, and beliefs. Made to Stick by Dan and Chip Heath is excellent for the logical side of writing or any book that details the hero’s journey.
The creative side of writing stumps most people. Don Miguel Ruiz’s Fifth Agreement builds on the Four Agreements, but the Fifth Agreement is all about sharing your story with dignity and grace, which is pretty profound when writing about relationships, trauma, or human problems.
My favorite book on writing is On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft by Stephen King. His character development is profound, but what makes him such an influential writer is his ability to bravely write what his characters are thinking, regardless of how fucked up it may be. May I be so bold with my words that my true heart is seen in all my chaos, honesty, and victories.
It’s taken me a decade to unravel why I had multiple businesses fail. Turns out the enemy I was fighting was sleeping in my bed.
Want to read these books and others together? Join the Creatress Book Club!