It's time for the b a q a A to b a q a. What you said, the b a q a not Manday, but the b a q eight with tifin a, the b a q a with Bernard A.
We're feeling around, were like, how we're gonna do this is.
Gonna be okay. We have a guest in the Berna and not.
She's got this new amazing book called Money Out Loud. If you didn't listen to the prior episode, which you want to, because it's amazing. Bernad is a new author, but she's not new to the game. She's ruse of the game. Her book is amazing and awesome. It came out about a month and a half ago. It's available everywhere. But I said, Bernard, come to the stew with us today and answer some one helped me to answer a financial question. And then two, Berna low Key high key
is one of my mentees. And so she's gonna ask me a business question, which I don't know what she's gonna ask, and so we'll answer that in the second half.
So let's get start.
Well, first of all, Bernard, I'm acting like I didn't introduce you to the people. But that was the last, you know, the last. Let me introduce Burner. She's not just some you know, She's not just some girl off the street. Okay, anyway I am. She's an award winning producer, speaker, podcast host, and rich auntie in training and financial hype women, which is her made up way of saying. She creates
financial education media all over the Internet. Born and raised in the Bay and a prowd and a proud Okay, I don't know why because I'm like Filipina. I don't know why. I'm like, I know, but you know it because the app has thrown me off. Anyway, Filipina America.
It's perfect. It's perfect.
Hey, daughter of immigrants, she taught herself how to pay off over fifty thousand dollars of debt and then did what any millennial would do yelled about it on the Internet. Bernard's work has been featured on platforms like Forbes, New York Times, and BuzzFeed. She received a Pollutus Award for Most Entertaining Financial Content Creator. The Pollutice Awards are like the Ammys of the Oscars of the financial education space. Big deal, and she did it not one year, but
two years in a row and was named abs. She was named the Global pinoy Idol. What year was that was that recently?
This was I want to say twenty twenty A little bit, no matter.
But you can find bernerd online at hayberner on all the platforms, in heyburner dot com or curled up with her nieces watching.
The office the office scene.
Now, Oh, so Berna's in the still and we're going to take a question and Berna's gonna help me answer it, and then Berna's going to ask her own business question. Few questions for you. I need a little change. At fifty three? Am I too old to buy a home? Too old to change careers? The new career would be in LPN, which is a type of nurse. I believe, girl, don't give me the line. She also says that it's being said that the US dollar is losing value? What does that even mean to us? Should I even try
to buy a home anymore? Should people leave the US? Sounds like prices or skyrocketing even more? This is not flacking. I'm like, oh, girl, getting nervous. Just in My blood pressure is going up.
Bleed, bleed. I just thought of something else.
Oh my gosh, mL said I'm exploring housing options and condos, then mobile homes starts to show up. I've seen some beautiful ones. Do you know if they earn equity? Is that a waste of money? Do I even consider it? M L has like this like ten questions.
Here, it's EML is spiraling, EMIL is spiraling up down around spiring.
So let's help perus O Berner, what would you say?
Just like initial reaction to ML's fifty one questions.
Fifty one thousand questions exactly, I'm like, we ask twenty one question? Is that a fifty cent Yeah, I'm like, and this is also what I would have said to fifty cent at the beginning of that song breathe, hold up. Let's like a collective breath in and out, because I feel like when someone has this many questions, what they really have is one question, and like this question, all these little questions stem from the top question, and my mind, the top question is like I feel insecure financially?
What do I do?
And I'm that annoying person that's always like when you have a question, I have seven back to try to like get all the way to the bottom of it. But to me, it sounds like mL is at a place where she's like, I I'm panicking. I want to make options to change my financial situation. And the thing that my brain latched onto first is am I too old too? Because it sounds like I need a life change at fifty three? That's the question. I need a life change at fifty three. Now where do I go?
Because now mL is like do I change my career? Do I buy a mobile home? Do I leave the country? Like do I start learning about the economy? Like I think the life change question needs to be dealt with first, and so my brain is chewing on what's the first step if if it's just there, I just need a life change at fifty three. It sounds like the rest of these questions have to do with not so much that mL is like, oh no, I need to like I absolutely need to earn more money, or like I'm covered in debt.
What do I do?
It's like they're looking at a lot of options to just like bring a financial change. So that's where my brain is at first.
I'm like, let's start there.
Where do we go?
I love that?
And you're right, I think that mL to Bernard's point, and I get it. We've all been here when like one thing leads to another thing leads to another thing, and it just feels so overwhelming. You know, what I read in here is uncertainty based in fear, and certainly that's not a judgment because it does feel like scary times. Yes, you know, we just came on the tail end of the pandemic, a mini recession, a potential looming recession. It's
been very up and down. But I'll say this emil into anyone listening who might be feeling like everything's going to hell and back. That the economy is cyclical, Yes, meaning every ten to twelve years or so we hit a recession without fail, and about every I don't even know longer than that there's a depression, which is two consecutive years of recession, and meaning that it is normal for economies to be up and money is flowing to be down and money is tight and something in between.
So there are things that are beyond your You have not done anything. Just by nature of living, you are going to live through ups, downs and in between.
That's just how it goes.
And so you know that you know that where we said like where we are right now, they're always saying the dollar is down, the dollar is up, and we will see it again in another twenty years, and another twenty years after that, another twenty year, you know, And so I wouldn't be so afraid of the super specifics of now other than take knowledge, Oh, this is part
of the normal cycle of the economy. And if you want to ease yourself, you can literally say to yourself, let me actually, maybe I'll google a YouTube video about the cycles of an economy so I can understand. Ah, it's almost like your kid is crying, you know, like like you have a newborn and they're crying, you know, at like two am, and you can focus that in the moment they're crying at two am, or just know, like connestly, my kid cries every morning at two am
because they're a newborn. This is part of the life cycle of like what it looks like to raise a kid. It's not that something is wrong. Certainly is it nerve wracking because you know who loves crying at two am, But understanding it's a natural part of growth of babies that you know they say to be up back, tell yeah,
that's what So let's start. There is to like acknowledge that what you're feeling is normal, but to acknowledge that it is part of a larger cycle that we have been through before and we will be through.
Again, Yes, one hundred percent.
I mean, it's it's hard not to panic because every time you turn on the TV, you go on social media, there is new reason to think that we are legitimately
in the apocalypse, like the world is. And I feel that same tension in this message from mL all around me of just like it feels like everyday things are getting worse or things are so bad, and even just hearing this from youtip and like pulling my head out of the two am crying baby and being like we've said these things before, especially in terms of the economy. Of course, things are happening in the economy that are different from the last recession, but recessions are It's literally
part of the life cycle of our economy. So I'm like, oh, yeah, I think I got caught up a little bit in ML's panic, and I'm like, she's.
Right, what do we do? I'm waiting, I gotta go.
I was I'm one of many people who just in the last few months contemplated, like do.
I need to go do I need to get the heck up out of here?
But to take that breath like you said, like we were talking about, and go like this is normal. This is cyclical because when you make decisions from that place of panic, that's when people mess up their investments. That's when people like rip money out of their fore or one K. That's when people ignore things kind of building block things like having an emergency savings, what does your retirement fund look like? What's your high interest debt look like? Like,
let's take care of our basics. People ignore that and go like I'm moving a Portugal.
Literally all the financial people girls are who to Portugal?
Bye? What? How are you starting a commune?
Like I didn't get the invitation, but you said something that is that.
I think it's going to be so helpful for m now, which is when things get rough.
Yes, you should get down to the basics.
Yes, exactly.
And my budget in do I have savings?
Yes?
Am I maintaining good credit? Am I managing my debt in a responsible way?
Am I?
Do I have an income that I'm earning and I'm pretty confident that I can continue to earn that Like these those are the core fundamentals. So when things get really rough, I ask myself, let me review my fundamentals. My budget could be a little tighter. M okay, my savings, you know what, let me see if I can, if I could save a little bit more. The scores looking good now currently I don't have any credit card debt.
That's good, you see.
And so like getting down to the fundamentals and then too, like once you can allay some of those fears, especially if you have your foundation strong, I want instead of you making decisions from a place of running away from yes, you know, I want you for EML and anyone listening to ask my ask yourself, what can you run towards? Yes, you know, like something joyful like mL. Do you want to be an LPN If that sounds awesome to you,
run toward that. You know, do you want to be a homeowner because it's something that you're excited about, Then run toward that versus I want to do that because no, no, no, what do you want to do? Not what do you feel like you're forced to do?
You know?
And so that's just that's the space we want you to make financial choices from.
Like like I did.
This earlier, like with in our previous episode with Berna, where I ask kind of like, where do you see yourself in two to five ten years?
You know, I want you to. I call it dreamscaping.
Sit out on the couch, look out the window, play your favorite music, and ask yourself, Oh, man, if I could just come up with my ideal life, it would look like this and this and this, and then you could start to ask yourself what do I need to do financially to support that life?
Because that's from a place of.
Joy and excitement, you know, an adventure versus like, you know, a place of fear and shame and uncertainty. And so that's what's so drop down to the fundamentals budgeting, savings, debt, credit, earning.
Look at all your fundamentals. Are they strong? If they're not?
Money Out Loud is a great book to help you to start to get you You see what I did there?
I did get good with money too? Also good with money? Can we play?
All?
Right?
So you get that book to start to bring that, you know, to get yourself to this financial, financially fundamentally sound place and then start making you know, start dreamscaping and then aligning your financial choices with those.
Dreams exactly exactly we were saying this before and reviewing the question of that, it's like, it's it's never too late to make these kinds of life changes. But I love what you're getting at, and I think it gets at that. What is the umbrella question, which is ML's first question, I need a life change at fifty three? Why what is the life change? Right? Like, I feel like that's the kind of questions I would ask myself if I were mL and I was sitting on my
couch dreamscaping. Do I need a life change because I need excitement because I feel insecure financially? Like, what is what is the problem that we're trying to solve? Because buying a condo and running away might not solve it when originally the question, like the solve is just I just need to shake things up, or like like you said, I would be interested in a nursing career, but it's hard to make those distinctions when we're in a place
of panic and scarcity. So I'm like, I want to curl up on the couch next to mL too and be like, what's what feels expansive? And I think what I like what you were getting at earlier too, is like, yes, you're fifty three, let's not make decisions from a place of like, oh god, time is running out. You're fifty three, You've got decades ahead of you. If we look at these joyfully like you like make it feel I'm just like I've got all this time? What do I want
to do with this time? Like that sort of like juicy.
That's why I love called dreamscaping, where literally it's like landscaping, so you're like designing what your external life looks like. But with dreams that's why I call it dream I'm literally like, ooh, I.
Could see myself on the.
Beach like this, like literally like I get excited and I'm like you know, and so like that is as an awesome place to make decisions from. So am I hopefully that was helpful. I forgot to say b a QA listeners. If you have a question, ask it. You can go to brannibisionpodcast dot com. Email us at Brandambision Podcasts at gmail dot com. We are Brown Ambition Podcasts on ig You can send us a message there. You could tweet us at the BA podcast and yeah, but
remember we are not your financial advisor. Well, I'm not your mom, mom, I'm not your doctor, your turney sue, somebody else. Take what we say with the smallest of the smallest of grains of salt. Okay, we're gonna take a break, and then we're gonna come back with a business question, because, as you know, Berna is one of my mentees, and so I don't know what question she has for me, but I'm gonna try to lead her down the path as best as possible.
This see back in a moment, and we're back and black and brown and baqaing. We have Berner.
Anna's in the stew, the new author of Money Out Loud, an awesome book to help you wich Auntie and your little niece's and Nessy Nephie poos as they navigate their financial journey, but from the place of fond and lightheartedness, but also financial education.
So Berna is in the stew And y'all know that I mentor especially women of color and just business. I've been in business for fifteen years. You know.
We've been able to scrape together over forty million dollars in revenue, so much of which we poured right.
Back into the people that we serve.
You know, I'm proud that I get to have a business that you know, makes income, but most importantly makes impact. And so I get a lot of young women and young as in like young in business asking me questions.
And so I have some like people who I get to chat with, like Berna, but I just get so many requests I was like, I can't take them all on, and so I started this Patreon, which is this platform where I can mentor literally there's like I think I have like thirteen hundred mentor mentees there now, and if you'd like to join us, it's ten bucks a month my mentor Tiffany dot com. But the thing is, Baqa comes out on Friday tomorrow, I believe tomorrow morning. The
price doubles from ten bucks a month to twenty. But if you lock yourself in at ten bucks a month, you will always pay ten bucks.
So the twenty is gonna be for the new people.
So if you're interested you want to dip your vaper toe in, now is the perfect time because my mentor, Tiffany dot Com will be doubling tomorrow.
So all right, Burton, your.
Question is what okay?
So to lay out some context, Tiffany has taken the last like year to give me the keys to the kingdom. She's like, oh, you're writing a book. You wanted to be impactful. Here's literally everything that I did. And if you know Tiffany, you're one of her mentees, whether you're like in person mentee or you're on her patron you know that like Tiffany's all about giving the keys to
the kingdom. There is like no gatekeeping ever. And so I first want to just say that, like my book launch is the way that it is and was the way that it was, like largely because of Tiffany's guidance as to like, here's what to do strategically, but also here's how to enjoy it in a way that is fulfilling with your community. And so it's been legit, like no joke, the best two months of my entire life
up until now, Like it's just been so incredible. And my question basically the umbrella over it is like now what, who know what?
Oh my gosh.
And we talked a little bit about like the now what emotionally on our the main Brand Ambition episode. But I'm thinking of in terms of leverage, you know, like now I'm proud of the book. I'm proud of the impact it's made, the reviews and feedback that's coming in. I'm like, it's exactly how I wanted to hit. And this summer I'm taking, you know, some time off to sort of recalibrate and reset myself on my nervous system and stuff. In the fall, I'm doing a school tour,
like university tour. I'm touring again so that I could try to get this book in front of as many young b ipoc as possible, and of course, like have the universities buy things and have donors by things I want to I would like to know from your perspective, besides sort of touring and selling the book itself.
I'm like, what do I do next?
You know, like, how do I leverage the fact that I've I feel so successful with this book. How do I leverage it into what I want to do next? And what I want to do next. I want to
do more on camera stuff. I want to do more video stuff, and I also want to have more of what we've been talking about, which is more just sort of like not so much passive income, but things that don't also don't require me to be on camera and in front all the time, like how do I leverage now the success of this book into the business goals that I want, but also like aligned with the softer life of not not sprinting anymore, not doing as much now.
I love this question, and honestly it's a question that it shows maturity in business, you know, because typically I can tell where you are, but the kind of questions you ask so typically you know, very very very newbies and business was there's nothing wrong with it. It's really like how do I not make enough money to survive?
You know?
Like how do I just make money in general? You know?
So I know, like, okay, this is a new person in business. I got to get you to your first five hundred to one thousand bucks a month, yes, you know, and then it's like, okay, how do I make enough money to actually like to like be okay? And so the fact that you're asking this question shows like, oh, you're like, you know, you're a little teen in business.
I grow I'm living, which I love.
And so what I would say first and foremost is that I want you to ask yourself like I mean, you've got you give me a little bit of clarity, but I want more clarity on how in general do you want life to look so like the next I would say, like five years, So are you okay with being on screen and being face forward for the next five years or you're like, hmm, girl, I got about another year of me and I kind of want to be behind the scenes because that's critically important with like
how you want to payvot. So what would you say to that, like in the next five years, how much do you want to still be like on camera?
Great question, I think honestly, I have the kind of personality where I think I'll probably want to be on camera until God takes me out, Like really truly, I love being on camera, but I want that to be like a joyful choice I get to make, as opposed to here I am again, like five years from now, if I have to be on camera every single week, then I'm going to be that's too much for me.
Dollar exactly.
I don't want to be dancing for a dollar in five years, Like guys, don't feel like I'm doing my dancing for a dollar for sure, But in five years I'd like it to be like selective speaking gigs or one or two weeks of filming something that then gets distributed, you know, throughout a season or streamed. I'd like to be selective about the camera stuff and and be more in five years, definitely be more behind the scenes. And by behind the scenes, I mean like napping and traveling.
Yeah, okay, no, I love that.
This is kind of the transition that I've been making with the budget said, because I was like, I don't want to dance for a dollar anymore. So what I would say is this, and this is what I've done over a budget staid with the team is you are in which is really smart.
You are in pre pivot mode.
So most people wait until they're forced to pivot and then they turn and then but you're doing it, like now earlier, from a place of panic, place of rush, to a place of uncertainty. So really, really, really really smart business owners learn to see the thing before the thing, before the thing, getting pivoting and turning the boat way
before the iceberg is visible. Yes, so by the time it gets here, you're like, oh, I'm so glad I pre pivoted, because you know, we're basically almost already turned.
So hey you saw you got me you down?
Yeah, you know, you know, take another Titanic out, not me exactly right. And so what we're doing at Budgetista now is I had told my team this years ago.
I knew.
I was like saying, like, you, you know, I've got a big personality, love to be face forwarded, but I knew it wasn't gonna last forever. So I said, we have to start to identify ways that we can make money that don't require my face y. That's what I said, exactly, you know, And so you have to start to lay out for yourself. So one of the reasons why, like I am I like Patreon when I do like my my my mentee like right, So that I mean that was kind of like just like a test, but it turns out.
It makes really good money.
You know.
You figure, I've got like thirteen hundred people ten bucks a month. You know, it was kind of accidental. It was like, oh, let me pour back into these women that keep asking me questions. But now it's a good chunk, like you know, of like some money that we make. I'm like, oh, and I go live once a month.
But then the mentees also help each other. I enjoy having dinner with them and doing other in person things, and so I say that to say that, like, that was one of my okay, pivoting moments where I get to do the thing I like, which is I'm like, I grew up with four sisters, so I'm like a girl's girl, you know, so I get to do it. But I'm like, oh wow, this actually makes some really great money coming in. So that's part of my pre
pivot le. I always had kind of like a blog, but I had not really leaned into it, you know. But what I love about a blog is that, like old school brands still very much want to be featured on your blog, so they'll pay for that, you know. Like there are products that I really enjoy and that I used to I remember there was this one bank account that I love so much and I sent like three thousand people opened up bank accounts with them. And I didn't know they had an affiliate program for twenty
five bucks per person do thed. I was like, we what I know? And this was very early on in my career. I wept because I had no money. It was like fifty thousand dollars.
Oh my god, Like wait, whatzy no work for you too?
I mean, so then so now I started to lean into like affiliate things, like so I have a list of maybe like four or five things that I already love, I use, and I like and I trust, And then I reached out to the companies that they didn't have it already kind of like on their site, like do you have a program because I use, like and trust you guys, and I would love to share you with my audience, but girl, a kickback would.
Be cute, you know, yes, And so you're.
Always honest obviously when you share like these things like hey, you know this is a tool or resource that I use, but know that I also get paid every time someone signs up.
So that's just the law. But also too, it's just good practice.
So affiliates were one of the ways something else too that we started to I still do some spokesperson work, speaking work, but that was like seventy percent of our income last year, and so this year those far, it's only been twenty five percent, which is great.
Wow, that's where I'm trying to that's my five year goal. Yeah, I want to cycle that.
So it's not been easy because you know, it's like we've I might not make as much money this year as I did last year because of that pivot, you know, so I'm always keeping.
An eye on that prize.
So one of the things that we did is before we made that pivot, knowing that we might drop an income, we have six months of money saved of operating expenses,
so that's payroll and all of our bills. So in case something gets tight, like this month we didn't make enough to cover our bills, but we have six months, you know, because next month I have some things coming in that's gonna be enough to cover bills for five months, so we'll be able to put the money back in our you know, our emergency savings and then be good
for the next like five months. But so do you see that even in the pivot, it might look like a drop down, So do you have the money set aside for that?
So prepare for that, you know. As well. I'm trying to think some other things for doing a budgetista.
So it's affiliate, it's the blog, it's Patreon, and then we're coming up with like some courses, you know, because like courses that people can purchase and by so we're looking at that, but even other things I'm looking to think, like, you know, are there some sort of partnerships where their overhead is not so high, Like, for example, maybe I can put out a white paper.
This is something I was considering, Like I.
Have two million, specifically black women that where you know, it's like why do black women navigate? They do with their finances, and I have the ability to like have people like ten thousand people in two days do a survey and then put out a white paper to say, here's why black women navigate. Y'all know, child, look at that commercial, it's whack. Here's why black women do the way because I know this is what they've shared with
me why they do what they do. So that's potentially something too where people, you know, brands might say you have to figure out a way to do so ethical obviously you're not sharing people specific information, but in general, like basically I can be a trend spotterer, you know, because I have my ear to the streets and say, hey, honestly, like bank, they don't mess with you because we don't like the way you talk to us, Yes, and so like here's the language they're wanting, here's the interest rate
that they're wanting. Is that something that you can provide?
You know what I mean. And so that's something that that's been swirling around in my head.
And so I just say, for you, you want to get really clear about first things First, how do you want life to look? Because if you start externally, you end externally. You want to start internally to say, I want my life to look like this. I want to be to do no more than two lives a month. I don't know, I'm just making it up, you know. I want to not have like I only have a team meeting every two weeks. This is me And when I do sometimes it's a walking team meeting where I'm
walking in the park. That was something that I really wanted to be able to go outside every single day as long as weather permitting. You know, I wanted a team that did not need to be babysad. So I have to be very intentional of hiring and letting go. I had to let go more than half my team of people who did not need to be babysad. Then
they're fully autonomous. They had the agency. And so you see, like if you're wanting a thing in business or otherwise, it's really the foundational component that's going to allow you to have it. And maintain it. And so do you have the savings, do you have the team? Are you clear about how you even wanted to look? And then
you put it into practice. So I get to live the very thing that was in my head, which is like all this time available to me, a team that doesn't need me to babysit them, you know, like people work joyfully. I make good money, although maybe less than last year because we're making that pivot. But the pivot does not require me to be on a plane every week. And so I'm living the thing that I intended then
build a foundation for and then work through. And so first it starts with your intention, Berna, like I want this to be the thing.
What foundation do I need?
And then you have to take it to the streets and practice it and then adjust as you go, knowing that like it might look like I make a little less temporarily, but that's part of the pivot, and the sooner you can get to pivoting, because eventually what happens is you will burn out and then you're to force yourself to pivot and it's not going to be clean and easy. So if you can pre pivot now on your own, you know, from your you know, from a
place of like no panic, of like calmness. Then by the time the you know, maybe that you're a little bit over it, you're like, oh, thank goodness, I put that stuff in place because it's only twenty five percent of my income or five percent of whatever comes from me being face forward. Thank goodness, I put that stuff in place five years ago.
Yes, you know, so exactly.
That's this is exactly what I needed to hear and like kind of the blueprint that I needed because I understand now that I feel like a strike while the iron tot It's kind of a little bit of a panic at the moment because my book just came out right, and there's like lots of like there's more media than usual about like what I'm doing, and then there's more eyes than usual on like what my work is. So I feel a little bit of panic of of that pivot.
How do I how do I pivot these eyeballs and this attention now and also in the fall, when there's we're going to do another media cycle again and touring again. What am I going to point people towards that will unlock like the tools of this pivot, which is you know, do I point people towards a membership a Patreon? Do I point people towards courses that I made? Because and I need to sketch this out, Like you said, what is my five year vision of? Like what do I
want my life to feel like in five years? I want that, like I have a team that I trust that I'm I don't. I honestly, I've seen this through practice. I don't think I'm an amazing people manager. I want a team that I can trust with a person who manages the team too, a person that I can trust to manage the team that I want to be able to be selective about being on camera a few times a quarter or producing fun things like a few times
per quarter and not every single day. I'm getting on Instagram and being like, you know, pills or whatever I want. And like I was saying before, I want enough space to check out for the summer so I could be that summer camp on tee and whatever passive tools are in place are like working for me through the summer so that when I get back in the fall, I'm not like, oh.
My, we got to run around and make money again.
This is so great, Like now I want to I know exactly what I want to chew on the summer of basically yourself.
Like what is the return on investment?
So the questions I ask my team every time you meet is the same, I say, you know, like first I ask them, how's your weekend? Like this is I just had this meeting this morning, so it's super fresh. It's my CFO, my content manager and director, my like logistics manager and like project manager.
So we get on a call, you know.
I always ask them how because and you say you're not a good people manager, and I certainly was not at first, but you grow to that, like you want that's a skill set that's really important to develop, you know, yeah, because you have intrinsic kindness, like that's the first start, which I'm much better now. And so anyway, so I always ask me, know, how's your weekend, how was yesterday?
Whatever?
You know, just to connect and share how mine was. Then I asked basic questions, what are you working on? So cause I want everyone to hear what are you working on? What is working you know? What challenges might you be having? And most recently I started asking is it worth it to continue?
Is the juice worth the squeeze.
Oh, because I found out that we'd be working on something and the person working on it would be like, this is not even worth it. But they're like Tiffany said, we doing it, so we're doing it. And I'm like, no, girl, I don't. I'm not emotionally tied to that thing. If it's not worth it, we could. I tell them all the time, I don't care. If we're at ninety nine percent completion and you're like, girl, this lift there's no real return on impact or income.
Then we can stop. Today. We are the queens of the castle. I'm always empowering them, like you literally get to decide. I'm here to just say.
Okay, and so what are you working on, what's working, what's like, what's not working?
And is the juice worth the squeeze? Those are the.
Four questions that you know, I asked them, and in doing so, what it allows us to do, especially when you're in a pre pivot, that is the juice worth the squeeze?
So important? That return on investment, you know, Like I'll give you an example.
I was hosting these things called wealth walks, which were great, and I I said something offhanded and I said, oh, you know these walthwalks. I love doing that because such a lightlift, you know, because I just got to show up at the park. We walk and then we sit on the blanket we talked. The first one we did was like fifty.
Women showed up.
It was awesome. Oh and I was saying it to like one of my team members. I just was talking to her on the phone, just checking on her. How the kids da da da, And I said, oh, yeah, the Wealthwalk was so fun. I can't wait to the next one. She was laughing. I said why. She was like, oh, it's always funny when you say something is a lightlift. I was like, wait what.
She's like, Oh girl, it's not like live right here like the team has to do.
I was like, wait what. She was like, oh yeah, she was like, wait, you didn't realize. I'm like, she said, it's not a lightlift. My heart dropped, and I'm like, oh my gosh, my already stressed team.
I'm stressing them out because I want to walk in the pork with the girls.
You're like, let's do this three times a week.
And then on top of that, those Wealth walk I mean it's free, there's no return, there's no, I mean, sure, is there impact for the fifty women that are there, Yes, but there's also no income. And I was like, oh my goodness. And so I went back to the team. I was like, is this That's when I added is the juice worth the squeeze?
Right?
And they were like it's not.
I was like, then we stop now we have one schedule and we're like we have this one more schedule which we're going to do, but we stop now. But do you see how important it is to like you have to check in and depending like we if we were making hell of money and like that is like, like we're super good, like the budget says in transition.
So if it was all this money that was just flowing.
In automatically, then we have time for a little wealth walk because we're not busy.
Let's just do it. It's cute. No.
Right now, we are in pre pivot mode and so everything we do has to make impact and income. We cannot wait on both. We have to do both, you know, we can't wait like, oh, the impact is not for two years. No, we need to make impact now. All the income you know we'll see in six months. No, we need to make income now. And so just keep that in mind as you're you know, making this pre pivot, like does this thing make sense? Is it making the
impact I want from audience? And isn't making the income that I'm needing, you know, in order to have my goals be met? And then once you know, you might think to yourself, oh, when I'm in the summer, Like I challenge you to think that, like do I have to make money during the summer or do I make enough money before.
The summer to see me through? You see what I mean?
Like if I'm like, oh, okay, because when I was a school teacher, that's what happened, Like we worked ten months, but I didn't get paid in the summertime. They used to literally pull money out of our paychecks. And if we can get money, so that money. So it's like, you know, it would be like I don't know, you know, you take an extra whatever twenty percent and in the summer I got that money from the school district to see me through the summertime.
You see what I mean?
So you can do that for yourself as well, because sometimes we'll get tied up and like this is what it has to look like. It's like, no, what are you actually really saying, You're really saying, I just want to have enough money to see me through. And so and I'll end on this that this is something I was talking. So I have the CEO of my online school of the Literature Academy, but I also mentor Tammer too, because I was a CEO there for like the last
six years. And so we were talking this morning, and we're pivoting there as well, and like I had an aha moment of it. It's something new that we're going to be doing that's going to really transform our business. And I told her, I said I, and I tell you listening to and you Burner, then what you will find is that the better the question you ask, the better the answer. So what that means is that in the beginning, you know, like when you're first trying to
like suss out like what change should I make? What should I be doing next? That question what should I be doing next? Is like it's a good base question, but the answer is going to be only as vague as a question is.
So it's going to be like huh.
So as you ask more questions, your questions are going to be clear and clear and by nature of there being a question, the answer is born simultaneously.
There are twins.
Yes, you know, and so if you can say it's so you want to get to the point where you're not asking like it's a good place to say what should I be doing next? But you want to get to the point you're literally asking what's what's one plus one?
Because then the answer is too very.
Definitive answer that's out there for you, and so for you, like you know, start working your mind into more, like, you know, in general, how do I want life to go? How do I specifically want business to go on this way? How could I make this amount of money?
You see?
Then all of a sudden, the question then becomes how do I make reoccurring income in a way that that I can make enough money? Then all of a sudden, it's like, oh, there's an answer to that because that question is so specific, and so the better the question, the better the answer. And there's nothing wrong with having
the bag question. That's how you start. Yes, But I told Tam today, I said, you see the answer that we just received because we've been asking the question for a year and getting better and better and chipping away at the unnecessary parts of the question. And so now we have a such a clear question that we finally got a really clear answer about what we're supposed to do next, right, And so that's just like, yeah, the
better the question, the better the answer. Just know that if you can get clear about the question, its answer was born simultane Now awll you got to do is go find it.
Well, that's what's funny is even as I'm sitting here, I'm like, I'm outlining more specific parts of the question for myself, Like the umbrella question is what do I do next? And in my mind I'm like, well, like, okay, well, what's the amount of income that I can make so that I can take off summers to be at summer camp? So how many months am I working? How many months am I not working? What does that income look like? What then would lead to that income? How much of
that do I want to be passive? How much of that do I want to be on camera? Like, this is what's going on in my brain as you're talking, and again, like asking the umbrella question and talking it through you, I'm like, oh, what you came out of this was more questions, But it's almost like a worksheet now as opposed to like a theory. Now it's like, oh, when you fill in this blank, will fill in this blank, will fill in this blank, and then it's a plan.
And that's like more of what I'm working towards.
I know that now.
Now, like this summer is the like bit hit the big reset button for me.
So it's a big question time.
But I can already see of just like well, I'm thinking even by the end of this summer, end of this like next quarter, I'm going to have more of a like almost like mad libs of just like in order to for my life to look like X, I need to earn why. Here's the lever I'm gonna pull for this and this to earn why. Like I'm like, yeah, like because it's empowering.
You're like, I'm not I'm not a victim in this.
I'm not like this bystander, Like I am actively making the thing happen, you know.
And then if you go step by step, yeah, like I'm like, oh, business, this is the question. I'm like, Oh, I can and finding too. As I'm answering asking those questions, I'm like I can find the answer to that questions. And then once I have that question. If I just do the math, I can find the answer to the next question, Okay, and it like it starts to branch out. So I'm just like it's I'm like having like a Jimmy neutron. That's so yeah, Like my brain's going like, oh, okay, we can do this.
We can do this.
We just need to like take the time.
That's the favorite part of business, honestly, because the thing is that people don't understand that when business is good, it's hard. When business is bad, it's harder, yes, you know, and so business is not easy, but it doesn't mean it's not joyful.
It doesn't mean that has to be overwhelming or overworking or whatever.
You know.
That's not what I'm saying, is that like we're not being hard, I mean challenging, but in a good way. You know, it grows you all of a sudden. You're like, you know, you're going to become a better leader. It's only just the last couple of years, after fifteen years, that I've become like a leader that I think, like, Okay, Tiffany, I would give myself a solid.
Bee in leadership. It's been fifteen years, you know, and so like business really grows you up.
It allows you to have unlimited potential income for yourself.
You know.
It allows you to participate more easily on lifestyle design. You know, potentially, it can allow you to look after your family if you so desire. You know, it can allow you to pour right back into your community. You can really shape your world when you're a business owner. It's certainly not easy, but the benefits are that, and it's not for everyone to believe me, Yes, you know, the benefits are that because there's also a lot of
risk involved. And so I just like, I'm just like to watch you grow and blossom and learn and your reason know, I'm always here for you, just a phone call or text or whatever away. But no, I love that. So as you get like, as your questions get more and more concrete, you know, I'm one of the resources you can reach out to to say, Okay, So I thought about what you said, what about this, this and this, and what I love with a good mentor that a
good mentor is not just they don't have all the answers. Instead, a mentor is also like a like a sponsor, you know, and a connector.
So it's like, you know what I don't know.
Let me talk to my friends such and such, or I'm actually going to connect you with my friend such as such.
And she's going to talk to you, you know, and so like.
So if y'all look it for a good mentor, I'm just saying my mentortivity dot com.
The price is doubling, but not for you. Oh it is like you know, you lock it bucks.
You're gotta worry about the twenty bucks a month because tomorrow is the last day. Then the price goes up. I don't want to hear.
I live in Hawaii and I didn't know. It's like it's over. You know, you can still pay twenty bucks, but why pay twenty week? You pay ten? The link for my mentor Tiffany will be in the show notes.
But also and we have a book. Berna a not she's been here. Not only a businesswoman, she is a financial educator and one that is one of my favorites because she is fun, she is aligned, she is authentic, and she's just really smart.
Money out loud is available whoever books were sold, but we're gonna find you and the book. Berna.
I'm having a funny moment right now because I've straight up forgot that recording a pod.
We're recording a podcast.
But I'm just I'm like, all these people are witnessing like incredible mentorship convers like, this is what it's like to be a mentee with Tiffany. I again, can I just double click if you're wondering what you would get
inside of my mentor Tiffany. I can't guarantee that you're gonna have one on one, long, beautiful recorded conversations with Tiffany, But like I forgot that we're recording fo this is how magical the mentorship is for me, and to just get a piece of that, it is so worth it at ten at twenty, like please don't be don't be ridiculous, do it. I'm I'm living sitting proof that her mentorship
is magical. But I can be found at Hayburna everywhere on Instagram most principally, I'm like the most annoying on Instagram, and then you could find the book. You can find the book at Hayburna dot com. Anywhere that you buy the book. I always go and tell people by local hit up hit up bookshop dot org because that's where you can support indie bookstores It took me a minute to get back into like talking to other people in
the mic mode because I'm like, it's not a phone call. Okay, Sorry, Hi everyone, Hi, Hi, and by forgot y'all are there?
Oh Bernida the awesomest thank you so much for coming on again.
Oh so we'll have you on again.
But yes, if you guys have a question for Baqa again, brannonbistionpodcast dot com. Click contact button Brown and Bishpodcast at gmail dot com. You can email us. We're a brown a Vision podcast. On Instagram, you can said it's a d of the MS and the B eight podcast. On Twitter, you can tweet us a question and we won't answer them about career, business, money, and just anything else you want to talk about.
But I'm like, Tiffany is very much alike. She could think the word jump and I'm already I've hit the ceiling. So if if anyone is gonna come sideways at Tiffany, I'm not gonna lose.
So dope, honestly, yes, all right, y'all until next week, Bye, yes, bye bye, Hey ba fam. We could not do this show without your support or the support of our team behind the scenes.
The Brown Ambition podcast is produced by Imani Crosby and Dennis and Plinsky is our in house tech guru. I am your co host Mandy Woodrif Santos, and we will see y'all next week.
BA FAM