The Four Phases of Growing Your Business to Six Figures

The other day I was having a conversation with a friend.  She's an entrepreneur who's somewhat in the early stages of scaling her business.  The two of us like to discuss our short and long-term business goals.   In one particular conversation, I went off on a small tangent and elaborated on my philosophy of how a business should scale.

My philosophy isn't necessary the truth, it's just my opinion based on personal experience and studying the path of others.  Since our talk, I decided to put some more thought into my process. I felt it necessary to share because I know there is a group of you who are either working on developing your business or want to explore entrepreneurial freedom in the future.

Here are my simple thoughts on the growth goals you should consider establishing along your journey to become a successful entrepreneur.

Phase 1. Earn Your First Dollar
I've said it on this blog before, but THEE most important milestone you can ever achieve is earning your first dollar. It's critical because when you receive actual money, you mindset shifts.  Generating your first sale is that special moment when your business transforms from being a dream to becoming a living, breathing thing.  It's the validation you receive for putting in so much time and hard work.  I urge you to try to accelerate how quickly it takes to get to start earning by not spending too much time on researching and on other non-income producing activities.  Sure, there's a lot of upfront work involved that must be done but don't get stuck in that phase.  Move quickly to the point where you start earning as soon as possible.  Earning your first dollar should be your number 1 priority.

Phase 2. Earn Enough to Pay A Bill
Once you have earned your first dollar, now it's time to get serious.  The very next goal on your list should be to earn enough money to pay a monthly reoccurring bill.  That bill could be pretty much anything.  But when your business generates enough, on a monthly basis to take care of some of your basic necessities, you're definitely moving in the right direction.  Earning your first dollar is one thing, earning regular income requires a bit more dedication and consistency.  You'd have to be working on it day in and day out.  It's a daily grind but you're seeing the results of your efforts.  Keep going.

Phase 3. Replace Your Income
The biggest dream all entrepreneurs have is to be able to support ourselves from the money we earn.  This is the ultimate form of validation.  Not everyone will get to this point.  The reason for this is because there's a different level of effort required.  For some, their biggest mistake they make is continuing to treat their business like a part time endeavor.  So it continues to provide part-time results.

Having a business that replacing your employment income may require the following:
1. A (much)greater investment of your time.
2. Working with coaches who can help you determine where to focus your actions.
3. Scaling of your efforts.  Examples of this include increasing how much you spend on ads or outsourcing tasks to professionals instead of doing everything on your own.

Basically, if you want to replace your full-time income, you'll have to transition from being an amateur entrepreneur to becoming a pro.  Going pro means leaving your amateurish ways behind.  Steven Pressfield talks about this concept in his book Turning Pro.   In his words, "when we turn pro, we give up a life that we're comfortable with. Turning pro is free, but it demands a sacrifice."

Your business becomes a priority.  You miss out on the normal things in life like weekends with your girls or sleeping in.  You scale back your lifestyle spending so you can funnel money into growing your business.  Whatever it takes, you make it happen.

Phase 4:  Running a 6 Figure Business.
Most of the small business coaching programs out there lure in potential clients by alluding to the fact that they can be running a six figure business in less than a year.  Scaling your business to more than $100,000 a year is a huge victory.  But not many people get there.  We're so used to operating like a small business that we have a hard time growing the business to new levels.  I personally think that a six figure business, while impressive, is only the beginning.  To me, this demonstrates the potential of the business.  You should quickly want to grow to multiple six figures ASAP.  A multiple six figure business (hopefully) brings more money to the bottom line.  Which means more money in your pocket.  Once your business reaches six figures, your next objective is to determine how much it needs to earn for you to generate a six figure salary.

This a simplistic rundown that doesn't go into great detail but it's a start.  With each phase of growing your business, you have the privilege of studying others who've reached the outcome that you desire.  Learning from and replicating their strategies is probably one of the best tactics for rapid growth.



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Is This Alternative Facial Treatment The All Natural Replacement to Botox & Fillers?

Yesterday, I stopped by local skin spa for another B12 shot.  While waiting for my appointment, I had a  conversation with another patient.  After communicating for a little while, we realized that we both shared a love for micro needling.  I've received multiple needling treatments and can confidently say that micro-needling was one of the best decisions I've made.

This whole idea of leveraging needles to promote collagen production is quite fascinating. Something magical happens when the skin experiences microtrauma. This mild trauma kicks off a healing and repair process that produces healthy, younger looking skin.  

Today I'm here to bring you yet another treatment that may produce similar results with less trauma.

Gwen Stefani @ 47 years old

You've all heard of this procedure before, it's acupuncture.  But did you know that acupuncture can be an integral part of your anti-aging beauty routine?   I started looking into this after researching the beauty regimen of Gwen Stefani.  The woman is nearly 50 years old yet still could pass for someone decades younger.

When I try to uncover someone's beauty ritual, I have to sift through lots of articles that don't really reveal their true rituals.

But with Gwen, I learned that she maintains an almost daily ritual of acupuncture treatments.  Gwen is so consistent with her acupuncture that you can find countless paparazzi pics of her leaving her daily appointments.   Acupuncture started off as a therapeutic treatment for Gwen's pregnancy-related migraines.   But these sessions became a permanent part of her life long after migraines subsided.

I'm going to create a wild theory.  Part of me believes that Gwen is the recipient of the benefits of cosmetic acupuncture.  The experience of the microtrauma combined with her dedication to receiving this treatment every day could play a huge role in the fact that she practically looks exactly the same as she did 20 years ago.

Take a look at this testimony from a happy camper who's tried cosmetic acupuncture for herself:

First I should say I am a believer in acupuncture having used in it the past to relieve pain from a sports injury. After a move and an emotionally tough 4 years, my face needed a refresh. I had tried fillers and botox, and while I liked the results, I did not like how quickly the fillers effects faded. The cost of the facial acupuncture is about the same cost of the fillers, so I decided to try. 

I do not have alot of fine lines and my skin is in pretty good shape, but I do have deep forehead lines, sagging skin, dark circles under my eyes, and a couple of concave scars on my cheeks. I really didn't think acupuncture would do much for the scarring, as other treatments have failed, but I did hope it would help with the other issues. I noticed after the first two treatments that sagging in the tear trough area was virtually gone.  

After 5 treatments my face under my cheeks that had lost volume were plumping, and the scars on my cheeks now flush with the surrounding skin. My frown lines are no longer a constant scowl, but not frozen either, the effect I noticed with botox. 
After 6 treatments, I am very happy with the results. I intend to continue with twice weekly treatments until I reach 10, then move to maintenance treatments.

I dunno about you, but this treatment seems pretty promising.  Unlike micro needling, cosmetic acupuncture seems like a less traumatic approach. Once the needles are lightly inserted into the skin, you allow them to work their magic below the skin's layer.  And unlike micro needling, cosmetic acupuncture can address other signs of aging like dark under eye circles and skin sagging. A few testimonials I read online said that acupuncture actually helped keep their acne breakouts away.   Best of all, you'll still get that healthy glow but without the downtime associated with micro needling.

I've already experienced the wonders of micro needling first hand. So I have no reservations about jumping head first into cosmetic acupuncture.   Maybe Gwen's daily acupuncture treatments have nothing to do with her ageless visage, but something tells me that it's more than just a coincidence.

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4 Reasons to Love and #EmbraceTheShrinkage in Natural Hair

Shrinkage. Multiple textures. Eyebrows in severe need of a threading. I embrace it ALL.

The natural hair community is ever-evolving. 

I've been blogging long enough to see the transition from DIY mixtressing, growth secrets, and obsessive length retention regimens to big hair, bold colors, and of course, the slay.

Sometimes, I feel like the odd woman out - focusing so much of my energy and attention on the health of my hair above creating the perfect Instagram look.

Maybe I'm just being overly cautious, thanks to a hard lesson learned with red curls sans Olaplex. Or maybe I'm just over color period. I'm not, but if I tell myself that I am enough times, I'll eventually believe it. 😂

Either way, with my new curl styling regimen (video dropping soon), combined with a spring trim, I'm seeing more shrinkage than I've ever experienced in my natural life.

But oddly, I got excited instead of panicking.

Why?

When styling my wash and go today, I had an epiphany - I've been waiting for this moment. Doing intense protein treatments. Gradually trimming away at color damage. Keeping my hair moisturized. Treating it with care.

I'm finally enjoying the fruits of my labor.

I know, it can be hard to see shrinkage as a blessing. We tend to think of shrinkage as the thorn in our sides, the yin to our curly yang.  Shrinkage causes tangling. Shrinkage hides our true length. Shrinkage won't let us be great. But before you go on a tirade against shrinkage, know that shrinkage is:

1. A Sign of Health
The truth is, shrinkage is one of the best indicators of textured hair health. Although all of our hair will shrink at varying percentages (sometimes even on the same head, like me), the shrinkage, or spring factor means that the structure and integrity of your hair is in tact. It also lets you know that your hair is pH balanced, hydrated internally (aka your cuticles are doing their job), and your ends are healthy. You may dislike your shrinkage, but consider the alternative -- limp stringy curls that have no character. Trust me, I've been there before - and it ain't cute. See:

That stuff on the left? Color damage. NO fun.

2. Confirmation That Your Regimen is Working
Pause for a moment and travel back with me. Remember those days when you spent so much time and money trying to figure out what products, styles, wash day routines, and methods worked for you?

Pat yourself on the back, because those days are officially behind you.

Whatever regimen you're currently using is working, and shrinkage is the proof. So join me in the here and now and bask in the warm feeling that is knowing you finally hacked this natural hair thing. You're a member of an elite squad now. #blessed

3. Guaranteed to Turn Heads
Shrinkage is like our own little secret. An inside joke, if you will. We know that underneath the drawn up kinks, coils, waves, and curls, there's some serious length. And much like wealth, you don't have to always flaunt or broadcast it to prove it.

But if you get the itch to occasionally blow out or even straighten your natural hair...

I even shocked myself with how much hair I actually have.

Sis. You're 👏GOING👏TO👏TURN👏ALL👏THE👏HEADS!👏

Your mama. Your sister. Your BFF. Your Auntie Junie. Your boss. The cashier who rings you up at Trader Joe's every Tuesday.

Your man.

Seriously - even the people closest to you, that see you every day, will be astounded when your true length is revealed.

It might even be enough to convince Auntie Junie to finally give up the TCB No Lye.

4. What Makes You, You.
Shrinkage is an integral thread of the rich tapestry that makes your hair, your hair. Much like texture, porosity, density, and type, we all experience shrinkage differently. No two heads of natural hair are alike, and that's what makes it beautiful.

Embracing it ALL.

So embrace the shrinkage - you worked for it. And if you're still transitioning - hang in there. You're gonna make it to the Promised Land!

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This Picture OF Michelle Obama Rocking Her Natural Hair Had All Of Twitter Celebrating Yesterday

We are unashamed at how much we love and miss Michelle Obama and yesterday when a photo of her surfaced of just her natural hair, she literally broke the internet. The above picture was shared everywhere with headlines like “we have waited eight years for this moment”. Twitter user @meagnacarta was the one who shared […]

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Yet another use for coconut oil that you've never thought of.

Who among us doesn't have at least one container of coconut oil nearby?  The number of ways that I use this heavenly oil is infinite.   Seriously, I use this stuff from my scalp to my toes.  Coconut oil works just well as pre-shampoo treatment as it does a makeup remover.

Today, I've discovered yet another use for the mighty coconut oil and I can't wait to give it a try.
While watching a reality show, one of the contestants prepared for a day of filming by slathering herself with coconut oil.  She applied it to the usual places, her arms, legs, elbows, feet.  But the last step in her grooming process is what caught my attention the most.

After scooping out a little bit of coconut oil, she proceeded to apply a little oil to her armpits.

Immediately, I began to search out the merits of her actions.  Was there any benefit to applying coconut oil to her armpits or was she just being extra?

After checking opinions of various sources online, it does seem that coconut oil could make a viable all natural deodorant.  The primary reason why we should even consider putting coconut oil there is because, unlike other carrier oils, coconut has antifungal and anti-bacterial properties.

This could mean that coconut oil might be able to offer some type of odor protection similar to the stuff that we find on store shelves.

Some people suggest that using coconut oil in our underarms could possibly lighten them over time.  I'm not sure how true this is but maybe coconut oil can help to moisturize the skin of our underarms thereby protecting them from the harshness of regular use of razor blades.

I'm dying to try this out as an overnight deodorant.  My underarms tend to sweat while I sleep.  I know a bunch of detoxing happens at night so I don't typically like to use antiperspirant.  But I'm not happy waking feeling like I had a mild workout.  I'd be totally ok with applying a little bit of coconut oil if it means waking up feeling a little fresher.

I did a little quick test with coconut oil earlier today.   After realizing that my underarms needed a little attention, I swiped a small amount under each arm.  Hours later, I completed a bunch of tasks including cooking over a hot stove.  And, by the looks of it, coconut oil might be replacing my deodorant for good.  Just to be safe, I'll still layer on other tactics like making sure to lace my water with liquid chlorophyll drops to deodorize internally.  This will, hopefully, combat sweat odors so you don't have to rely solely on store bought antiperspirants loaded with chemicals. Chlorophyll is one of my favorite finds from last year and it's a must have as a daily summer detox.  I'm hoping that the combination of internal detoxing and an all natural option like coconut oil will be a perfect combination.

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How to Reach Your Goals without Taking That Much Action

We're at the start of a new month (and a new quarter).  This usually triggers me to take a look back at my previous results while clarifying new goals to focus on for the next 3 months.  This morning, as I thought about my strategy, I realized that over the years, I've utilized 2 main methods of goal achievement.

The first method is pretty traditional.  Identify what I want to accomplish, establish the right actions, then work hard until the objectives are met.  We're all familiar with this type of strategy because it's the most common.

The second method of goal achievement involves leveraging the law of attraction. It's a more indirect approach, but it works almost as well as the traditional method.  And it feels less strenuous.  

I know from past experience that my level of vibration matters just as must as my level of action.  When I say "level of vibration," I'm referring to how I feel, my level of belief, and my environment.

If all of those areas are aligned, achieving my goals become so much easier.  It almost doesn't really feel like I'm working that hard on my goals at all.  And it's a bit more fun.

For example, last year, I set some pretty lofty financial goals for my business.  But instead of grinding 12-14 hours a day on it, I started filling my life with various experiences that raised my vibration.  For the sake of my experiment, I chose experiences that would energize me. Most of it was self-care related like massages, sauna treatments & such.  Others focused on taking me outside of my mental comfort zone like the salt water float tank.  

This go around, I'll add a few new experiences like cryotherapy.  Although these experiences have absolutely nothing to do with my goals, they move me in a positive direction.  It's another way of taking down any internal resistance to trying new things.  So when it comes down to implementing new strategies in my business, resistance is also diminished.

 Over the years, I learned that my external environment plays a major role in my goal achievement process.  Whenever I want to experience new levels of abundance, I deliberately place myself in an abundant environment.  This quickly builds belief.  It has a greater effect than if I just sat at my desk all day grinding it out.

If you have financial goals, you have to remember that you don't actually want the money, you want the experiences available to you when money is abundant.  What I try to do is integrate some of these experiences into my life now.  I don't go overboard but I do just enough to make an impact to my subconscious.

I'm still going to put in actual work, but I'll start by laying a solid foundation for my goals to manifest.  Focusing on my feelings, belief, and environment is like putting in the groundwork necessary for the goal to exist.  Not to mention, it's a lot of fun.

Now that a new quarter has begun, my first priority is to identify the actions that support my goals from all sides.  Raising my vibration is of the utmost importance.  When my mind's right, my actions fall in line.

If you're having trouble reaching lofty goals.  Try a different strategy.  There are no rules to this. Going after what we want is a fluid process.  Have fun with it.  Think about what stimulates you to feel amazing and powerful.  Do more of what energizes you then use that energy to attack the most important things on your goal list.  



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“The Cheat Sheet For Getting Lace Wigs To Look Natural + 30 Second Method To Hiding Grids”

Contents Figure out your essentials Techniques to know Best practices when bleaching your lace When to see a stylist The other day I got caught in a cycle of posts on social media that was counting down the worse celebrity wigs of all time. As I looked through the posts there was a mixture of […]

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