Podcasts about transcript three

In this episode, I'm here to help you tackle the challenge many mom entrepreneurs face: balancing business growth with family time during the summer break. I'll share practical strategies to maintain momentum in your business while spending quality time with your kids. Drawing from my experience and my signature three-step method, you'll learn actionable advice on leveraging the summer months to refine your company vision, boost energy levels, and enhance storytelling skills. By involving your children in these activities, you not only strengthen your bond but also tap into their imaginative perspectives. Together, let's ensure you feel empowered and supported as you navigate your entrepreneurial journey. Today's episode is my answer to this listener question below.  Q&A: It's time for growth in my business.  This fall I plan to hit the ground running. I know I will have to network more to take my business to the next level but I feel rusty and fear coming across as inept. What are some things I can focus on this summer while respecting that I also said I want to spend more time with my kids during this break? Do you have a question? Send in your mom founder question today: https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/ Key Points: Summer Challenges for Mom Entrepreneurs: Balancing business growth with family time during the summer break can be tough, but I'm here to help you navigate it. The Imagination to Impact to Income Method: Let's dive into my three-step method tailored for mom entrepreneurs: accessing a fertile imagination, making impactful decisions, and creating pathways to income. Practical Strategies for Summer Success: Revamp Your Company Vision: Involve your kids in reimagining your company vision, leveraging their fresh perspectives and creativity. Boost Energy Levels: Focus on essential self-care practices like nutrition, movement, and emotional well-being to increase productivity and capacity. Enhance Storytelling Skills: Practice storytelling with your kids to refine your communication and articulate your business narrative effectively. Networking and Confidence Building: These summer activities contribute to enhancing your networking skills and boosting confidence in business interactions. Opportunity for Growth: Consider joining my group coaching program, "Fertile Imagination to Networking Success for Mom Founders," where you'll find support, mentorship, and a community of like-minded mom entrepreneurs like yourself. As you navigate the summer months, seize the opportunity to invest in your personal and professional growth. By implementing these strategies and participating in my coaching program, you'll be equipped to tackle the challenges of entrepreneurship with confidence and purpose, achieving success while cherishing precious family moments. This episode is brought to you by the Fertile Imagination to Networking Success for Mom Founders Program: A LIVE 9-week group coaching masterclass to fast-track making connections with the right people to take your business to the next level. What's included in this program: 9 weeks of live networking coaching and community Value-packed on demand curriculum on everything from navigating impostor syndrome to who to network with, how to find them, what to say, and on planning your fall and winter 2024 networking calendar focused on your business growth goal. 3 hours/ weekly investment this summer (2 whenever or wherever you wish) to hit the ground running in the fall and feel ahead for a change Lifetime access to tools and resources built for mom founders including meditations and unexpected ways to let go of mom guilt and overwhelm Exclusive opportunity for the first five mom founder participants including a multimedia podcast guest feature, two private bonus sessions, and a 30% discounted investment Special extras: Daily Wins Workbook, Impostor Syndrome Journaling, and Networking Email Templates and More I'm also offering exclusive bonuses for the first five mom founders only which is a guide on how to boost your productivity as a solopreneur so you can easily fit this into your summer calendar, two private one-on-one (to implement networking outreach, to role-play your elevator pitch), and a 30% discount. Where do you want to be 9-weeks from now? There are two options you can feel excited, intentional, and prepared to hit the ground running in the fall ready to pitch, connect, or partner with absolutely anyone who can help your business skyrocket into next year or you can play smaller, stay stuck in the same day-to-day monotony of business hiding from the people and places where the better opportunities can be created? You are bold. You are the type of founder who will do anything for your clients! It's time to do this for yourself! Treat yourself the same you have committed to treat others. Go for option 1. Bold you! Believe in yourself as much as you believe in others! Imagine if you believed in yourself as much as you believed in your kids! You'd knock yourself out of every and any park! The fastest way to get to option 1 is by investing in Fertile Imagination to Networking Success today. Sign-up now for the 15-minute call for the details and summer start date--> https://go.oncehub.com/ClientSessionMelissaLlarena Let's talk here so that you won't miss out on all of the bonus exclusive to this round of five mom founders. If you have questions email me melissa [at] melissallarena.com TRANSCRIPT: Three things you can do this summer that are going to help you feel like you're ahead of the game come this fall. This is a question I got from a listener. She says, it's time for growth in my business. And this fall, I plan to hit the ground running. Now, I know I'm gonna have to network more in order to take my business to the next level, but I feel rusty and honestly, sometimes I'm scared that I'm gonna come across as inept. So what are the things that I can focus on this summer as a business owner? While respecting the fact that I also said that I want to spend more time with my kids. Okay. I love this question. And if you have your own questions, absolutely send it over. I'm on Instagram at Melissa Lorena. I love this question because it comes up every single break, whether it is a winter, spring, or a school break of any kind, anywhere you are in the world, this is something that is uniquely a challenge for the primary caregivers of their children or family members who might be aging. And I want to be sure that you have. All the tools you need this summer in order to feel supported and to know that there are things that you absolutely can do in order to make progress on your business. So I wanted to just share this idea with you. A recent client who participated in my group coaching program, fertile imagination to networking success for mom founders, Michelle. She actually pointed something out pertaining to what is the point of differentiation of partnering with me versus someone that doesn't acknowledge the fact that you are a mom first. Here's what Michelle had to say. She said, it made me feel, the program that is, as if I wasn't always failing. I wasn't always failing. Um, having to feel disappointed when things were not going my way or when things were not the way I imagined or hoped. So in the program, Michelle goes on to say that there was so much context around this idea that as long as you are moving. Towards your dreams, even if it's at a snail's pace, you are doing what you can, and that's more than enough. So here's the thing. During the summer months, our schedules completely change for a lot of us. And we have to reprioritize what comes first, but here's something that I know personally and I also know having helped a lot of mom founders who have very different circumstances. If you decide not to do anything pertaining to making progress on your business, then there are absolutely consequences. And here's some of them. Come September, when all of our peers are out there full force, marketing their programs, marketing their podcasts, marketing their offers, we often will feel left behind. Like we are way behind the eight ball come September. And what then happens is this pattern. You end up doing. Everything that you should have been doing little by little over the summer in the beginning of the fall, in September. And so that is what then brings about burnout. That is then what brings about this idea that our business and motherhood is an all or nothing game. It's something that either you're all in, Or you're fully out of, and I want to really, really emphasize that it does not have to be the case. There are absolutely things that you can do this summer that are gentle, that are purposeful, that are intentional, that will keep the ball rolling in your business. And I really, really encourage you to think through. What you want to feel in September once the kids do go back to school once the kids are back in their Regular routine and you have a bit more time to yourself to think so something else that is a consequence of not doing anything that is strategic and quite Intentional over the summer that is going to give you the biggest bang for your time Buck is this idea that It is going to be so important, irrespective of where you are as a mom to really, really keep your kids engaged over the summer. I know, right? I heard you from the left field. So here's why that matters. As it relates to our children during these summer months and at any point, they are what I like to call imagination experts in residence. Thanks. And we lose sight, oftentimes, that a day spent with them can actually help us gain access to our own imagination. A day spent with them playing around can help us feel fresh, give us the opportunity to think differently about things, give us this sense of fresh enthusiasm that plugs us back into why we started our business in the first place. For And so you will be missing out on this opportunity that's quite special during the summer to hang out with the kids and actually learn from them over the summer, see how they might consider certain challenges and approach certain things, right? So that's something else that if you decide to completely let go of your business over the summer, you might miss out the opportunity to bring that fresh sense of enthusiasm, fresh perspective, a fresh playfulness. To something that you've been struggling with or thinking about in the year before while the kids were in school, like now you have these amazing humans that are around you who can help you rethink, reimagine what's possible for you in your life and in your business. So why not leverage that unique time during the summer to bring them on board your own sort of team, right? So that's something else that you will miss out on if you decide to not do anything business related over the summer versus figure out a way to bring your kids into the loop. Here's something else that tends to happen. So we get rusty. That listener mentioned that her networking skills are already rusty. So now imagine a summer spent where you are at home or you are on vacation and you are a hundred percent not in a business mindset and not using that way of thinking. What ends up happening is that you're going to have to warm yourself up come the fall and you're going to be warming yourself up come the fall when everyone else is. Would have already been warmed up throughout the entire summer season. And this is not to say at all that you don't get to decompress, relax, not think about business. But what this is to say is that there are huge benefits for making progress on your business, even at a snail's pace. And I would argue that that is the reason why over the last 12 years as a mom founder with three children, I have been able to do some pretty kick ass things, such as bringing amazing guests to my podcast, like Suzy Batiste, Beth Comstock, I mean, amazing humans, and it's because I never really fell asleep, like a comatose on my business, never, never, never, even when I was tandem nursing, my identical twins, I've I continued to make progress and again, we're not talking about rockstar progress. We're talking about snails pace, but snails pace might be the way that you achieve your big bold ambition. All right. So now let me share with you three things that you can do this summer that are not going to put you in a place of conflict. Where you're going to be telling yourself, but I promised that I was going to be spending more time with my kids, and then of course I also promised myself that I would hit the ground running come September. That is the conflict that I want us to really nip in the bud right now on this episode. Okay, so here's where we will begin. I want to share with you my framework. This is the framework that I teach my participants in my group coaching program. And this framework really comes from experience and having partnered and worked with so many working moms just like you. It is called the imagination to impact to income method. So three step method for mom, business owners. Here's why this method works for a mom founder, and it is specific for someone. Okay, so the first step of the method is about having access to a fertile imagination. That is also the title of my book, my bestseller. The reason why this is critical and key and cannot be skipped for a mom business owner Is because oftentimes we find ourselves in the most complicated and gnarly experiences and we need to figure out how to keep going, whether it is figure out who's going to pick up Jake versus who's going to pick up Mary or figure out how we're going to stay, stay in terms of And the best, keep our best foot forward when we are exhausted and we're trying to complete our launch marketing plan, whatever challenge you have as a mom, if you do not have access to your fertile imagination, you are limping your way through business and life. What this means is if you do not have the ability to think expansively beyond what you may have seen another mom. Ever do as a business owner or as a matriarch of her family, then you are greatly limited because modern society comes to you at a fast rate and thinking expansively and beyond what you have seen is the name of the game when it comes to maintaining your mental health and still kicking ass in business and being an amazing mom. So that is step one to. Everything and anything that I teach my clients who are mom founders who want to find business success on their terms, on their timeline and alongside their kids. Now that's step one. Step two is impact. So at the end of the day, a lot of us go into a lot of things and we end up feeling scatter brained. This is impossible to actually make your maximum impact. So once you have access to unlock these fresh ideas, because now you have access to your fertile imagination, which is step one of the three step method, it is then that you can choose from all those ideas, the one idea you're going to go all in on. Okay. After you have decided to go all in on that one idea, That is when we could start talking about step three, which is what are the possible roads to income for you on your terms as a mom founder and the pathways to income have everything to do with the things that are within your control, the things, the skills that you need to get very good at, including storytelling, including networking, including productivity. I mean, there's a plethora of skills that I do teach my clients. But then on top of that, there's also this ability and desire to communicate your story and communicate why you are the person to actually help someone else solve their challenge, right? So as a business owner, that is why we opened up our business, our businesses in order to solve challenges. So this three step method, I https: otter. ai into precisely what it would look like to begin this three step method alongside your kids during this summer, and in a way where you do not feel like you are robbing time from your kids, nor robbing time from your business. So, let's get to it. So before we get to the nuances here, overall, the reason why my three step method works for mom founders is because oftentimes we have gears that are just stuck in our minds, right? And so again, we're starting with the imagination, so we have to unlock the ability to come up with fresh solutions, fresh ideas. Then we're filtering, we're going from scatterbrained to focused by having one thing that we're going to focus on. And ultimately that is what's going to help you save time and money. And so now let's go back and see what that looks like for a summer well spent that you absolutely are proud of and excited about come the fall when you're ready to run fast towards your goal. So, this idea of a fertile imagination. Step one, as I said, you have got to turn on your fertile imagination. Here's how you know that your imagination is dead, is in a coma. Well, let's imagine that you have the same challenge this summer as you had last summer and you don't have a new solution. That is how you know that your fertile imagination is turned off. So we've got to be sure that that's step one. Our kids are the best human beings. to help us turn on our fertile imagination. Think about it this way, right? Our kids, they clock in about 10, 000 hours of using their imagination when they're little. Imagine having access to an expert who has clocked in those 10, 000 hours and is not shy about sharing what is in their imagination, right? All right. So here are the three things you can work on with your kids that are related to your business over the summer and not feel guilty about doing so either. First thing, and this is something that I have worked on with my clients in my group coaching program, and I have invited them to actually bring their kids along for the ride. So point, the first point, you can work on your company vision with your kids. So let's imagine you've been in business for six years, for 12 years. For more than one year, chances are your company vision might not be pulling its weight. Your company vision has got to be re imagined with more expansive thinking. Your company vision needs to energize you. Why is that? Because moms, we have finite energy. So we need all of the. Energy levers we can get right in order to keep going. So over this summer, what I would encourage you to think about is your company vision. Your company vision is not a one pager business plan. It's not what you might have on your pitch deck and share with your investors. A company vision is deeply personal. It should be visual and it's okay if it is totally unreasonable. I actually encourage you to make it unreasonable. Thank you. And who's often unreasonable? Our children are often unreasonable. That is why I would invite you to actually, age appropriate, speak with your kids and work on your company vision together. Have them present some dares to you. Have them stretch how you think about what's possible as a business owner. Have them Encourage you to simplify your language pertaining to what makes your business different. So I'm a hundred percent sure you have not thought about this. The reason why I have thought about this is because there's a lot that we say we can't do because we have kids. And I want to flip the script on things that we can do and we could probably do better because we have access to these imagination experts in residence over the summer. So working on your company vision, that is where it's at. And I remember when I was partnering with Michelle, she has an organization that's a nonprofit. And in terms of the work that they do, it's something that you wouldn't imagine talking about with your children. It's about NICU stays, pregnancy, and the loss of children. But even in that scenario, there's a way for you to share your story with your child. And there's a way. For you to really refine your messaging and have them help you focus or hone in on one point of differentiation, where it feels like a good experience. It feels like a meaningful experience. It feels like a quality time spent with your child over the summer. So that is one thing you can totally do over the summer with your kids. You can absolutely whip out the crayons, do what you got to do and think about your company vision. Learn And your vision needs to energize you. If it is not energizing you, then what you just did was come up with like a boring website company description. And that is not what we're going for here. So company vision with your kids, leverage your imagination, make sure you're tapping into your expansive thinking. This can be a fun thing. This is something you could write on a post it note, put on your laptop every time that you feel a bit exhausted, but it'll get you over that hump. That is one thing you could work on over the summer with your kids. There's a process behind them. There's a criteria, a five prong criteria for a company vision. All of that, those are the things that I share with my clients during the group coaching program, which effectively only takes about three hours of your time every single week. And most of it would be on your time because there's an on demand training component too. Here's a second thing you could work on over the summer alongside your kids. And this is, again, having to do with the three step method that I presented earlier. So these are like pieces of the method that I want to bring to life for you, for someone who wants to spend time with her kids, but also wants to continue with her work. Making progress on her business. I encourage you to work on your energy levers with your kids. What does that mean? So in order to be very productive You need to increase your Capacity in order to increase your capacity as a leader of a business It is important that you have the essentials down packed. What do I mean by the essentials? Well, when it comes to your nutrition, when it comes to movement, when it comes to your emotional health, all these things and sleep all need to be worked on in order for you to feel like you have more in you to give to the world. And these are the things you could work on over the summer with your kids. Personally, my kids still go to bed at 8 PM. I don't care if it's a break or not. Because ultimately, mommy doesn't want to break and so for me, when it comes to these energy levers with my children, I mean, I'm very much so well practiced over every single break and that is something you could work on over the summer with your kids and you can feel like you're making them. Major progress pertaining to your business goals in the fall. Why is that? Because right now you need to gather energy. You need to figure out like when you are best, are you a morning person, a nighttime person, do you get more output before your kids wake up or when your kids go to sleep in terms of your business? Figuring those things out now over the summer will pay off in the fall. You don't want to spend the fall season thinking about how to organize yourself. You want to think about and plan these things over the summer and you can absolutely do this with your kids. Here's one thought for, for food or food for thought, right? Imagine if taking a nap with your kid over the summer, like one day, imagine if that would actually be a great investment into your business. Like, is that possible? I know it is. And so I want to encourage you to think about that over the summer. Here's something else that you can work on. This is the third one. Third thing you could work on over the summer with your kids and feel like you're making progress on your business. This idea of storytelling, when it comes to storytelling, it is so urgent that you are able to articulate a story that is going to resonate with the right person. Who can help you take your business to the next level come in the fall. So why not practice the art of storytelling with your children? A, they're going to be honest. If you're telling a story and it's boring, they're going to tell you. B, they're also going to challenge you so that you can really, really have some sort of focused message. You can really be more innovative in terms of the way that you articulate a story. You can speak more clearly, maybe a little faster, make it a bit more punchy. I mean, they can absolutely help you communicate and they can even help you Draw on a napkin your story, draw on a napkin what makes your business different, draw on a napkin your business idea. Why is that important? So here's the thing, when I've spoken with a lot of mom founders who have business ideas and want to bring on investors. They, they have shared with me how they feel that oftentimes a man who has the same idea could just draw something on a napkin and then he'll be cut a million dollar check. And so that is why I encourage you, a mom founder, to actually, over the summer with your kids, again, break out the crayons, the markers, or what have you, and draw on a friggin napkin your ideas. Leverage the art of storytelling, practice this with your children and you will be better off come the fall. Now these are very practical ways for you to optimize your summer days so that this way in the fall you don't feel as rusty. And these are core skills pertaining to networking. And here's what I want to really say about that. When it comes to networking, you need to have a kickass company vision, period. If your company vision doesn't light you up like a Christmas tree, then there's no way that you're going to magnetize the sort of investors, partners, or clients that you would want. That's step one. Two, when it comes to selling anything, enthusiasm and illustrating high energy, again, those energy levers you'll be working on over the summer with your kids. If you don't have that sense of energy and this ability to just like bounce from enthusiasm pertaining to talking about your business, you're just not going to get the attention that you deserve on your business, nor on Your own story. And so again, this is going to be helpful in terms of networking. I'll tell you what, when I interview my podcast guests, for example, when I interviewed Beth Comstock, former CMO of GE, something that she shared with me and on a lot of my podcast guests have shared with me is that they love my energy. And this is not about inflating my ego at all. What it is is it is a strategy I can teach you to grow. But let's start getting the basics down in terms of practicing these energy levers that I just shared earlier with your kids over the summer. Then, when it comes to storytelling, how does this help you with regards to networking? You want to be interesting. Otherwise, who's going to want to hang out with you? And the bar for interesting? Is totally doable. I don't want you to feel like, Oh, I'm not that interesting. I'm just a mom. I just do like regular things like that is absolutely ridiculous. You and I can have the most fun time humanly possible by just talking about something that we have both experienced over the summer. I'm pretty sure we can. And honestly, you are interesting. I just want you to just see that as a fact. I want you to just not even imagine that that's impossible. And at the end of the day, you're so interesting that you decided to create a family and create a business and create a life that you absolutely want. to cherish. So I believe you are interesting. So yeah, interesting people tend to network with interesting people, interesting people hang out with interesting people. And so that is going to be important pertaining to things you could do over the summer to actually go ahead and feel like in the fall, you're not so rusty. You have some very relevant networking skills and you have an idea of what works best for you and your family by way of energy levers. Okay, so what does this all mean for you? I just shared with you a sense of how you can make this summer freaking amazing pertaining for being with your kids and also making progress on your business. I just shared with you things that you can absolutely sneak into the day and leverage your imagination expert in residence at the same time. And these are things that you can do on your own. I mean, you could effectively devote about three hours a week this summer working on these things. Thanks. But, here's the thing. If you don't have the nuances behind my step by step method, my three step method, as in, what each step contains, then it is going to be way harder to get the juice out of this lemon over the summer. The other thing is if you don't have access to other moms that are trying to do the same thing, then that means you're going to be hoping to find motivation to keep going versus having that group experience and that group encouragement available to you if you join me and four other mom founders this June in my group coaching program, fertile imagination. To networking success for mom founders. We kick off in mid June. Now, am I nuts to kick off in mid June for mom founders? Absolutely not. I'm not, because what I know to be true is that all you would need is to dedicate three hours a week for nine weeks through the necessary steps that I have shared with you in this episode, along with the steps that we would go through together. In my group coaching program, this is what I know to be true, to be the case that you need in order to feel so ready in September to speak with the right people and to have the right conversations that can truly take your business to the next level. Let me give you an example with regards to my client, Michelle, something she shared with me, which I'm so proud of pertaining to her experience in the program is the following. She had known about the first IVF baby for years before partnering with me in this program. But having gone through this program and gone from feeling hesitant to put her big dreams out there, too bold about asking for what she wants, she had the guts to actually approach the first IVF baby and ask her to wear her merchandise. And she's like a huge influencer. I'll share the testimonial that Michelle has after this episode, so you can hear what else she got out of the program. But what I encourage you to do is really just imagine, imagine if you used this summer to get so ready for the fall, that in the fall, you didn't feel like you were behind. You didn't feel rusty anymore. You didn't feel like you never get to win and you also got to use this summer in a way that filled your heart as a mom who could be present with her kids and also share with her kids a piece of herself, her business. And I think that's important. I really do think it's important. So here's the action step for you. I want to speak with you. I want to speak with you soon because of the following reason. This cohort of five mom founders in total who are going to be part of Fertile Imagination to Networking Success for Mom Founders this season, so this mid June, this cohort is going to have things that are exclusive opportunities. The investment level for this cohort is going to be at a 30 percent discount for participating in this round in terms of having a private midpoint coaching session that is going to be a bonus for someone that participates in this round starting mid June. You're also going to have an opportunity to be a guest on my podcast. If you're starting in this round again, starting in mid June, and you're going to have my eyes on your business so that you have a sounding board for whenever you want to approach a investor, you want to approach a partner, you want to approach a podcast guests or someone that's going to sponsor your business, you're going to have the opportunity to ask me, Hey, Melissa, am I being direct in what I want? Hey, Melissa, is this email going to get. Opened and is my message on target with what you and I talked about or hey, Melissa, if I do this in the fall, am I going to reap the most rewards or am I going to be like stretching myself thin again? Like I did last year. These are all the sort of questions I have answered for my mom founder clients in the past in my group coaching program. So I want to be sure that. If you are curious about participating in a program with me, this is your shot. This is your shot to participate with me over the summer. And really, I am so, so committed to making sure that when you're partnering with me, we are honest about the motherhood season that you are in. We are honest about the business season that you are in, because that is how we can make it work. It is important that you do spend time on your business, but it is obviously even more important that you're a present parent. And I make sure of it pertaining to my group coaching program. So I will leave you with that. You will hear Michelle's Q& A with me right after this. And I really encourage you to do that. To reach out to me, the link will be in the show notes. You can absolutely schedule 15 minutes with me for free. We'll go through the program details and I will answer everything that's on your mind in terms of the group coaching experience. Again, it would just require three hours of your time each week. Most of it is on your own time from your, your couch or anywhere you are in the world. It'll be about one hour. That is a Q and a session and I'll give you all those details on our 15 minute free call. So go ahead and call me or schedule that time with me. And we will absolutely go through the details. You can also email me melissa. lorina at gmail. com. Everything is in the show notes, and I hope you have the best summer ever. I never do this, but I wanted to just share a conversation between Michelle and myself pertaining to her very specific experience in the fertile imagination to networking success. Group coaching program, certainly, if you have any questions pertaining to being one of my five mom founders this summer, so that this way in the fall, you are as confident and competent as Michelle is in distinguishing her organization versus anyone else and the confidence that she had to reach out to the first IVF baby. If you want some of that confidence by this fall, Go ahead and send me an email, Melissa dot Lorena at gmail. com or sign up for 15 minutes with me on my calendar. You can see all this information in the show notes right on your device. All right. Enjoy the conversation. It is really raw and candid, and I hope that it really answers any questions pertaining to what it would be like to partner with me and to have me as a mentor, I would love to have the conversation and I'd be honored to support you and your company.

Attention, mom founders! With summer on the horizon and the impending chaos of kids being out of school, there's no better time to reclaim control over your precious time and accelerate your business growth. In this episode, Melissa dives deep into three common time wasters holding mom entrepreneurs back from reaching their full potential. But fear not, because she also provides actionable strategies to replace these obstacles with productivity and profit. Say hi, I want to know if you agree or vehemently disagree with these three? https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/ Time Waster #1: Second-Guessing Yourself It's time to kick self-doubt to the curb! Melissa shares valuable insights into overcoming the hesitation that often holds mom founders back from reaching out to potential leads and seizing opportunities. Learn how setting a timer and taking decisive action can transform your approach to networking and business growth. Time Waster #2: Fixating on Gender Disparities in Funding Don't let the fact or myth of effortless funding for male entrepreneurs discourage you! This is huge! Use your finite time focused on getting after it! Find the people who will be more likely to listen rather than waste one second on imagining who is not going to listen to you! Melissa encourages mom founders to channel their imaginative prowess into seeking mentors, partners, and opportunities for growth. Discover how embracing proactive networking strategies can empower you to break free from limiting beliefs and achieve your goals. Time Waster #3: Spreading Yourself Too Thin Are you juggling too many activities, diluting your focus and impact? Melissa highlights the importance of prioritizing strategic endeavors over scattered efforts. Learn how to refocus your energy on key initiatives and leverage targeted outreach to accelerate your business growth. VIP Networking Day Opportunity: Take Action Now! Ready to supercharge your networking efforts and achieve tangible results? Melissa introduces a limited-time opportunity for mom founders to participate in a VIP networking day. During this intensive three-hour Zoom session, you'll receive personalized guidance and hands-on support to execute your outreach strategies in real time. How to Secure Your Spot: Act Fast! With only two spots available, time is of the essence! Don't miss out on this exclusive opportunity to level up your networking game and propel your business forward. Sign up for a 15-minute Zoom call with Melissa within the next 72 hours to explore the details of the VIP networking day and secure your spot at the special rate. Remember, the clock is ticking, so act now to seize this opportunity for accelerated growth and success as a mom founder! Contact Information: For more information or to schedule your 15-minute Zoom call, sign-up here: https://go.oncehub.com/ClientSessionMelissaLlarena . Let's make this summer your most productive season yet! TRANSCRIPT  Three time wasters for mom founders and how to replace that time with more productive activities. I don't know about you, but I have three children. I am looking at the summer season and I cannot say that I'm going to have more time to devote to my business and my practice where I'm teaching mom founders like you to leverage the art of strategic networking for profit. So what I have to do every single season right before is really map out The most optimal use of my day hours. So I wanted to give you a sense for some of the things I've noticed, some patterns I've noticed when I've been coaching mom leaders throughout these last 12 years. So here's the first time waster that I have noticed that are stealing money straight out of your pockets. Okay. So time waster number one, second, guessing yourself. I'm just going to say it like it is. You are having sex with your self doubts, and apparently it seems to be something that feels very good because we do it quite often, and I include myself in this as well. Oftentimes, it is hard to really almost take the wheel back of our days when it is us who is captivated by This idea that no, I don't know how to sell myself or no, I shouldn't talk to that person because I don't have a warm intro and what happens is essentially you're just there stuck looking at a long list of human beings that most likely will want their problems solved. Buy the person that's gonna call them and you do nothing you do nothing and the reason why I share this is because I was talking to a mom founder for example she literally has warm leads in her linked in right now we're talking about people. Who have raised their hands and said to this person that they want to connect with her and potentially they want to do business with her. Certainly they would like to make money with her. And yet there's this hesitation. There is this hesitation to do the deed and reach out to people that are. Literally warm leads in your LinkedIn platform. And that is a time waster. This idea that we're looking at something multiple times in a day and wondering to ourselves, should I do it? Can I do it? How will I do it rather than starting to take the steps necessary to actually reach out to those people and follow up with every single one. So I wanted to just share a potential solution. This is going to sound so obvious, but I want you to actually take action on this one. I invite you to set a timer. It could be 20 minutes. We could consider the Pomodoro process where it's like 20 minute increments and then some breaks. Set a timer and get that list of warm leads in your LinkedIn platform done. It sounds simple. It totally does. But I want you to ask yourself, like, why haven't you done it yet? Like if you actually have people, again, who have raised their hands in your LinkedIn said, I want to do business with you. Certainly at minimum, I would like to make money with you. Why have you not actually gone and done this follow up? Right? So that's the first point. Second, guessing yourself. It is often very, very enticing, very, very alluring to just think about thinking about and thinking about thinking about. And I've noticed this so, so often, especially with a lot of mom founders who are hella educated. Because I think we had the luxury when we were in business school or law school in grad school to really reconsider and re argue and recreate and reinvent the wheel where right now the market moves quite quickly. And I don't think we have that luxury as a mom founder, you don't have that luxury unless you have a lot more time than me, then my God, please. Tell me, how do you have more time? So that's the first point. Here's a second time waster for mom founders. And again, how you might want to replace that time with more productive activities. So there's this idea and I hear this time again, and it frustrates me just because there have been so many opportunities and moments in my life where I could have said the same thing. And even had the same thoughts. Here's this idea. The idea that you are not getting investment dollars as easily as men who can at minimum just spit an idea on a napkin and somehow magically conjure up millions of dollars in investments. I want to ask you for real, for real, how does having that thought help you? Now, if you need that chip on your shoulder, if it drives you crazy and it makes you fight harder than amazing, but if you're wasting your already stretched out mental bandwidth on using this excuse or thinking about it, Then, again, you are wasting your time. You really, really, really are. And I believe that as moms, our superpower is having a fertile imagination. Just the other day, I was interviewing one of the most influential people in the book industry, Zibi Owens. And her imagination is wild and amazing and wonderful. And so she's building out her business. Now if she had to just think to herself, my goodness, all these guys that are at the helm of leadership and other organizations, they have it so easy. Maybe I know from the people with whom I've interacted, let me not even try. Then I just can't imagine that she would be one of the most influential people in publishing. I just can't see it. Instead of thinking about that idea, that whole, like, drawing a napkin on the table. It must be so easy for a guy. Instead of that, why don't you find a guy, quote unquote, it doesn't even matter if they are a guy. Why don't you find a person that you believe literally just drew on a napkin and sold their idea for millions of dollars and ask that person to mentor you. You're going to think that is wild and crazy, but you know what? I've done similar things in the past and I've approached strangers in libraries. If you're one of those strangers in the libraries, yes, it's me. And I have absolutely figured out a way to build rapport with strangers, connect with them, turn them into connections. And also add value by my way as well, not just me taking from their insights and wisdom. And so again, if this is your thought, okay, great. How can we leverage that idea in your favor and take action? So you stop wasting your mental energy unless you have extra energy. I don't know. I don't know. There are some moms that have like A lot of energy, but I just want to invite you to imagine this idea that you can actually step up to a person that you think just drew on a napkin and got millions of dollars, and you could just ask them to teach you how to draw. You could go to a supermarket, buy a whole, Oodle of napkins and just start drawing like a mofo. And let's see what comes up for you. Certainly something will come up. That's going to be more productive than just thinking in your mind that I wish I were a single guy. Okay. That's the second time guzzler third one for mom founders. And again, how to replace this time guzzler or waster with more productive activities. So spreading yourself and your efforts across a  wide array of activities. And I want to be really nuanced here, specifically doing this, spreading yourself across a wide array of activities, because that one activity, that one activity that you originally were thinking about doing, because you knew in the heart of hearts that that activity would turn around your business, such as having B2B conversations. Whereas in years before you've only had. B2C conversations, right, where that one game changing, I've never done it before idea started to get hard because you were actually starting to take the steps and doing that big, crazy, unnatural for you idea. Let me be super clear when I say that. So let's just imagine. That you have always sold to individuals. You have an organization. You've always sold to individuals your product. And now you're trying to gain distribution at big box stores. Let's just imagine. And you know, like, okay, like if I crack that code, then I'm going to make a Real progress towards my dreams. Then I'm going to have a business that is like a really kick ass amazing business here. Right. And so that idea, it sounds wonderful. Like a fantasy. It sounds amazing. Like a goal. It sounds amazing. Like even a napkin drawing, but then once you start taking steps and you hear rejections, or you're not getting callbacks or. People are questioning, well, how many units have you sold? And what is the, what was it? I remember when I worked at Procter Gamble, the whole like shelf, uh, velocity, right? Like how quickly can it fly off the shelf idea? When those numbers just don't land in terms of the ones that you offer to the person that is in charge of distribution, like that is when all of a sudden you'll say to yourself, you know what? Let me just do more of B2C. Let me just do more of B2C in all these different ways. Let me just do anything other than this brand new thing that I set out to do. And that is where you start to lose focus and the impact that you can have on your business really is diluted for sure. So what would be the best way to actually replace that time waster with something that is a lot more productive? So something that will be a lot more productive is to go back to the original strategy and find someone who executed precisely on that strategy, maybe ask them to mentor you, ask them for templates, pay for their templates, hire them as a coach, and do it in differently, right? So if whatever it is that you're doing is not producing the results that you imagine, that's one side of it. The other side of it must be or could be that the sales cycle is going to be longer. And so that's the other side of it. So if you intend to actually make some progress in that way, it's important to just go back to the drawing board, but not like erasing the whiteboard, but go back to what you originally intended to do, what you know in your heart to work. Okay. And figure out how to crack that nut or code or whatever it is that you're selling or trying to accomplish.  If you are living any of these three time wasters, right? And let's just imagine that your cash runway is running out. Then I want to invite you to imagine this scenario. This is a crazy idea that I am so excited about. Because This is how I support my mom founder clients. So picture it. Yes, we are going to Sophia Protillo from the Golden Girls. That's what she used to say. Picture this. A power packed three hour zoom session right from the comfort of your home. We do it over zoom. So you don't have to sacrifice time from your business or your family. And during this intensive session, I am your guide. We literally hop on zoom, share screens and start diving into the trenches together, reaching out to potential investors, maybe podcast guests or partners or media giants in real time. So you know that list of warm leads? Yeah, we're going to execute on it real time together so that this way your spirit and my spirit are co creating some happy flow of progress. And we are not stopping to let you think over, think, rethink, or re imagine. So, This idea of a three hour session with me, it is called a VIP day. It is a VIP day that you will be very prepared for because I'll provide a questionnaire up front. You will have an opportunity to really think through. How we will leverage every single minute, because every single minute counts for a mom founder world, we'll have the opportunity to, again, before we hop on that three hour call, I will know what your business goals are, your target investors, or potential podcast guests and partners or media contacts, right? And also what challenges you are facing, whether they are more mindset or strategic or tactical, right? And we're just going to be making sure that those three hours together are maximized, just totally maximize. Then real time. Live on zoom. It's just about action. We're going to roll up our sleeves and dive into the heart of Networking reaching out following up doing everything that feels hard to do when you're by yourself Because you don't have someone telling you like do the work It's not like you have this boss, right? And we're gonna actually implement everything that I just shared with you as far as execution in real time So we're gonna leverage some of the insights from your pre work We're gonna identify the people as I said all on the spot And you're going to see firsthand how you can actually craft some compelling outreach messages and make meaningful connections that matter. And it does not have to mean you are being stopped or paused by gatekeepers. That is actually what makes my process different. I don't actually engage with gatekeepers. Fun fact. All right. So. Again, a lot of this outreach tends to be so daunting, especially when you're doing something new, exploring a new strategy. But with my guidance, you're going to get it done. I mean, whether it's through email, LinkedIn or another channel, you're going to have a clear plan of action and you're going to have a ton of confidence to execute this real time. Okay, so I think it's so important. Also, follow up. I know a lot of times, of course, like one point out, one reach out, one email is not going to be get you all these results immediately. Although, for a client, it only took an hour for her to get On the calendar of someone in an insurance company, but let's just imagine we're reaching out to 50 people, a hundred people, and some will not get back to you within that three hour timeframe. So I'm going to make sure that you know how to follow up with the individuals that we reached out to during that three hour, let's just call it sprint. So at the end of this VIP networking day, you're going to feel empowered. energize, and you're going to be totally unstoppable. I think it's so urgent right before the summer lets out that you have optimized your time in terms of outreach efforts, that you have absolutely done as much as possible to put the ball in your court so that things start moving towards the direction of your biggest ambitions. And I can help you there. Now, I want to be really, really clear. I have a special rate for this VIP networking day for members of my podcast community, and I will happily share with you what that rate is during a 15 minute. Zoom call with me, because I need to get to know you. I want you to get to know me and we need to like have a certain vibe so that I know that you will get the results that you deserve. Right? So I'm going to put that link into the show notes. You will be able to sign up for the 15 minute call with me so that we could hop on zoom, go through the details of this VIP day. But here's what I neglected to mention this very moment. To lock in the special rate that I do have for you, my dear listeners, you're gonna have to secure your spot in the next 72 hours. What? Yes, 72 hours because I want to know that you are decisive. I want to know that you are ready to work real time, not delay, not overthink, not get ready to get ready. This is about action takers, right? So in the next 72 hours, go over to the link in my show notes, which you can see on the device where you're listening to this conversation and sign up for 15 minutes with me. Within the next  72 hours, now, I will share with you the details during that call. We will get to know each other during that call and you can make a decision on that call. You do not, to be clear, you do not need to have the actual VIP day. In the next 72 hours, the VIP day must happen by May  22nd, May 22nd is May 22nd, a magic date. It is not, but I am a mom founder too, and that is the last day of school for my three boys. So I want to make sure that I can 100 percent focus on you. And that is why we must get this accomplished by May 22nd. So. Go ahead into the show notes and be sure to sign up for the 15 minute session. So you have a good idea of precisely what you would be getting into. If you were to secure your spot, I only have three spots. That is it. That is all I'm doing in terms of the VIP networking day. So three hours with me, we're focused on those warm leads that have been hanging out in your LinkedIn. Or we would be focused on going after those B2B clients that you feel like. Intimidated about, or we will go after the podcast guests or partners with whom you'd like to make more money. And so that is what we will do all about action. And honestly, the clock is ticking, so I encourage you to act very, very quickly. Three spots must talk to me within the next 72 hours, and the VIP day must happen by May 22nd. So, that is an option available to you, my dear podcast community listener. Now, if for whatever reason you're not able to go to the show notes, You can email me melissa.  larina at gmail. com m e l i s s a dot l l a r e n a at gmail. com. Again, this will be in the show notes.  Here's what I want to say, here's what sets me apart in terms of as a coach to mom founders. So I, as I said earlier, I totally skip gatekeepers. And I know that it might feel a little eclectic, a little direct, a little, Oh my God, who does she think she is? But here's the reality of the matter. I always aim to get on the shortest supermarket line. Okay, hear me out. So I have several strategies that I have leveraged in order to bring the guests that I have on my podcast, whether it's been Beth Comstock, the former CMO of GE or Gary Vee, who has millions of people. Knocking at his digital door. I have absolutely never found a situation where I am working through someone to get to someone to get to someone else. It's been direct, I have not had a PR agency, and it's worked for me, a mom founder with three kids. So I want to teach you how to do the same exact thing so that this way, this summer, you already have a lot of hot irons out there in the fire, right? That are out there and can absolutely produce the results you need when the time comes, whether in the summer or in September, when you have full focus of your business and what you want to accomplish next. Okay. So I want to leave it there. I also want to say that You can email me melissa. larina at gmail. com. If you are an entrepreneur or you are an investor, you're absolutely welcome to have a conversation with me. If you are looking to tackle another list or another outreach effort in this very way. I am not going to offer this VIP day for someone that is not a mom, because what I know to be true is that a lot of times we have had to, as moms, pause our careers, slow down our efforts or downshift what we've been doing in the world of work. And I want to help moms very specifically fast track their success. So this way you could have the right conversations, you can get into the right rooms and you could absolutely have the success that you deserve and that you're deserving. children would want you to have two. Could you imagine that? Could you imagine, could you imagine, just imagine for a second, your child seeing you on that three hour zoom call, right? Like from a distance, let's say they're having a snack and they're with a childcare provider with your partner, or they're being entertained in some way. And they're seeing mommy. Get it done. They're seeing mommy like on zoom, just like zooming through a list. They're seeing mommy like show up for herself, right? They're seeing mommy not waste time by second guessing herself, because here's the reality. Our kids think that we're like amazing sometimes.  Imagine if you felt the same way. Imagine if you actually believed that you were as amazing as your kids see you. Imagine that. Yeah. So let's kind of Melissa dot Lorena at gmail. com and me, but go to the show notes and be sure to sign up for the time. Alrighty. Enjoy the rest of the day. Next week we're going to have Zibi Owens, again, one of the most influential people in the publishing industry in New York on the podcast. We're going to go over so many things that are unexpected, including how having an MBA versus being a mom. Compare and contrast, right? What are some leadership skills that we have learned as moms that we did not learn in our Ivy League MBA educations? I think you're going to absolutely enjoy that conversations. It is amazing and we really get to it. So have a wonderful day and do not hesitate to reach out to me. I actually want to hear from you because I want to know How I can support you, I have seen way too many mom founders second guessing themselves, assuming that they're not, you know, worthy of success and really self sabotaging your own progress. And I want to help you stop that so that this way everyone can be happier. Thank you very much. 

Written by Charlotte O’Farrell Voice : Dafydd Morse Charlotte O’Farrell is a horror writer. A lifelong fan of the genre, she aims to share her love of the weird and wonderful with her readers. Her stories have appeared in 25 anthologies. She writes daily flash fiction on Twitter @ChaOFarrell and always enjoys interacting with her readers. She lives in Nottingham with her husband, daughter and cat. https://www.amazon.com/Charlotte-OFarrell/e/B07SBKX1G6?ref=dbs_p_ebk_w0m_abau_000000 Dafydd Morse is a voice actor and member of the Alternative Stories team. He lives with his family in Wales. Music and sound design are by Chris Gregory Alternative Stories and Fake Realities is an anthology podcast producing audio drama, short fiction and poetry using writers and actors from both sides of the Atlantic from its base right in the middle of England. You can find us by searching alternative stories in your favourite podcast app or clicking on https://www.buzzsprout.com/411730 We’re social on twitter https://twitter.com/StoriesAlt And Instagram https://www.instagram.com/stories.alt/ Email: office@alternativestories.com TRANSCRIPT “Three groups tried to settle the lake through the centuries. None lasted a decade. The disappearances came, then the suicides. Something ancient and unfathomable drew people to the lake. Last week developers came, new houses planned. Let’s see how long they last.”

Transcript -- Three people saying what they do in their spare time

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Transcript -- Three dialogues between a hotel receptionist and a guest

Transcript -- Three people saying what they do in their spare time

Transcript -- Three people describing important people in their lives -personal characteristics

Transcript -- Three dialogues between a hotel receptionist and a guest

Transcript -- Three members of the DU301 course team join William Brown (senior course lecturer) to discuss the recent financial crisis of 2007/09.

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Transcript -- Three generations of the Wang family have harvested peanuts, which grown among their carrots. Their income has risen four fold. They grow nine different fruits, vegetables and cereals. It's no longer a matter of survival, as they now make money from their produce.

Transcript -- Three generations of the Wang family have harvested peanuts, which grown among their carrots. Their income has risen four fold. They grow nine different fruits, vegetables and cereals. It's no longer a matter of survival, as they now make money from their produce.

Transcript -- Three mothers discuss the importance of sharing information with learning practitioners, and how this two-way process can invigorate the development of children and their individuality.

Transcript -- Three mothers discuss the importance of sharing information with learning practitioners, and how this two-way process can invigorate the development of children and their individuality.

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Transcript -- A talk through the three stages in changing behaviour and how schools provide the best value as a driver of change.

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Transcript -- Three famous biographers, Ex-Speaker Betty Boothroyd, broadcaster Peter White and writer Martin Amis all discuss their experiences writing autobiographies.

Transcript -- Three different takes on aspects of family life involving divorce and living as a lone parent, and the positives and negatives encountered by in these conditions.

Transcript -- Three walkers begin a field trip navigating a route in the peak district.

Transcript -- Three walkers begin a field trip navigating a route in the peak district.

Transcript -- 65% of people in Ethiopia don’t have access to clean drinking water. With the dangers of contamination and pollution, some people are forced to use the river as their only source of water.

Transcript -- In Gondar, a quarter of a million residents rely on the city reservoir and water treatment works. In addition to increasing pressures from a growing population, the reservoir is already filling up with silt washed down from the surrounding area; made worse by soil erosion and inadequate environmental protection.

Transcript -- A water pump has transformed villagers lives and given them  better health, improved productivity and has brought the community together.

Transcript -- 65% of people in Ethiopia don’t have access to clean drinking water. With the dangers of contamination and pollution, some people are forced to use the river as their only source of water.

Transcript -- In Gondar, a quarter of a million residents rely on the city reservoir and water treatment works. In addition to increasing pressures from a growing population, the reservoir is already filling up with silt washed down from the surrounding area; made worse by soil erosion and inadequate environmental protection.

Transcript -- A water pump has transformed villagers lives and given them  better health, improved productivity and has brought the community together.

Transcript -- Three adult learners talk about the value of life experience and describe how they managed their studies alongside other commitments.

Transcript -- Three adult learners talk about the value of life experience and describe how they managed their studies alongside other commitments.

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Transcript -- Comparing three very different Sikh temples or Gurudwaras, beginning with the most important shrine, the Golden Temple in Amritsar

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