The Better Business Theory

Laurie Gerber, Head Coach at Handel Group and avid debunker of humanity’s duh-mb theories, welcomes one of her favorite shiny, sparkly, inspiring entrepreneurs to Facebook Live. It’s her dear friend, Carmen Marshall, who teaches her clients how to create success that stems from their soul.

Oh, just that…

Have a seat and read on to debunk some of the most common bad theories about starting a business. If starting a business is  one of your dreams, we are sure you’ve heard (or proved!) a few bad theories yourself!  

Here’s an excerpt from their lively FB Live:

Laurie: Hello everybody. Welcome to this Facebook Live, the Debunking your Theories series. Today, we’re going to talk about debunking your theories about starting a business. I’d say about 30-50% of the people who come to coaching, come to break up with something, they want to start something new. But, for many, it’s so scary. 

Carmen Marshall is a very old friend, fan, and partner of Handel Group. She epitomizes living the life of your dreams, so I think you’re a great inspiration to people. She is a business coach so she is the perfect person to help us debunk some of your theories. 

Carmen: Thank you for that great introduction. I think what I’ve always appreciated about Laurie is that she asks the best questions! She really gets under the hood of everything, which is what life coaching is all about.

So, SOUL CRAFT, my business, essentially looks at your business, your money, and then your lifestyle. So everything in your life from your health, to your relationships, to your purpose. I’m all about having it all in balance and not sacrificing your integrity or your values. How can you live a life that you really want to live in your own terms.

Laurie: Yeah, I love that about you. What’s your proudest accomplishment in designing your life?

Carmen: Probably living around the world. When I first started my own business, I really wanted to be in business for myself because I didn’t want to work for somebody else, you know, work really hard to make them wealthy. I wanted to take my own work ethic and put it into my own business. And I wanted to do what I loved on a day-to-day basis. And that’s not to say that when you own a business there aren’t days that you’re like, “Oh, my God,” and you’re pulling out your hair. That’s just life. But I wanted, for the most part, to really love what I was doing. 

And then the second thing I wanted is to live around the world and not just as a tourist, but to actually live in Bali, or in Maui, or Australia. And so, I started doing that in 2012, and actually rented or purchased a house in these places and built my business around the world. So I think I’m proud of doing something I love, and helping other people do the same thing. 

Laurie: It’s really great. Sometimes people have a great talk but they don’t necessarily walk their talk. And having an example in front of you that did it, that figured out how to do that “independent, live around the world” dream that so many people have, is very inspiring. 

So that’s a good segue into what you are doing, and a thing a lot of people want to do, which is starting your own business. And not only starting a business, but being successful at it, and making money at it, and being able to live all around the world. I like to debunk bad theories, and smart people have a lot of dumb theories about how hard it is to start a business and maintain a business. So, I asked you before this interview to come up with your list of the main theories you hear. And we came up with a very similar list: I’m too old, I’m too young, I’m not experienced enough. Why me? How could it be me? 

I would love for you to debunk that please, to the best of your ability.

Theory #1: It’s too hard to start a business. 

Carmen: Absolutely. I want to start with I think the number one is, it’s too hard or it’s going to take too much effort or too long, et cetera. My response to it is what I tell everyone, “Choose your hard.” Meaning, which would you prefer: would you rather be in a mind-numbing 9:00 to 5:00 job that has no potential, or putting your work ethic into something that is going to get you where you want? 

And good things take time. A good body, a good relationship, it takes time and it’s work. Anything that just happens like this is usually not something that’s going to be sustainable. When you look at successful people, they’ve failed more times than most people would even try, but they just keep getting up. 

A really cool thing is Googling. I always think if there’s something that I want but I have a bad theory or a negative belief, I always think first, “I’m probably wrong.”

Laurie: That’s a great beginning theory: “I’m wrong.”

Carmen: Yeah, I’m probably wrong because there’s other people that are enjoying a successful business, great relationship, living around the world. So probably, my theory is incorrect. There’s something I need to shift. So then I just go Google it. 

Theory #2: I am too young / too old.

And so, in this case, if you think you’re too old, Google successful entrepreneurs over the age of 40, 50, whatever it is, and you will find so many! Colonel Sanders was 62 when he developed Kentucky Fried Chicken. Probably not the healthiest thing, but… Chris Wilson, the founder of Lululemon was 42. 

Or if you think you’re too young, go Google successful entrepreneurs under 18 that are changing the world. It’s incredible what you will find. It’s not age that determines whether you’re going to be successful. It’s your desire. And it’s of course your work ethic and your being able to be open to new ways of doing things. But it’s mostly your desire. If you’ve got that desire and you’re resourceful, you’ll find a way.

Theory #3: The market is too saturated / Everything has been done before. 

Laurie: So let’s talk about brattiness, theories like: it’s too hard to stand out in the market. Which to me, is a nice way to say like, “It’s hard, man. It’s hard. People won’t like me. And what if I’m not good enough? There’s too many people out there. How will I possibly…” It’s like such a sweet excuse, you could almost have compassion for the childlike nature of that concern.

Carmen: And it’s very real because we have social media, so people want to know, “How can I stand out? Because there’s so many people out there,” or, “It’s all been done before.” 

Or, you mentioned one, “I’m introverted. I’m not an extrovert.” That’s another one that I hear a lot. Basically, it all comes down to, “I’m not good enough, or special enough, to stand out and have a chance of success.”

So, again, I would even Google things like that, like “introverts who are successful.” And I always love looking at founders. This is very interesting. 50% of founders are extroverts; 50% of founders aren’t. And they’re very quiet and shy and you never see them out there. You hear me, I’m excited and we’re talking, but you know me, I’m an introvert. I’m not an extrovert. I love people. But if you look at my Instagram or you look at my videos, I’m not like, “AHH!” I’m pretty centered and calm. And I’ve had that thought too: “How can I stand out?”

But, I’ve always believed if you just be yourself and you’re really transparent about the things that you like, you will stand out. So I’m quieter. But people know I love dance, people know I love Bali, or they know my little quirkiness. In my videos I might stumble, but I keep going. So I’m open and transparent so they can relate to me, but I don’t try to be who I’m not. So just be yourself and you will find your tribe. They will come to you.

Laurie: I think that’s, again, counter intuitive because we’re all, by nature, just wanting to be liked by everybody. But I think people are so attracted to authenticity, vulnerability, and realness. 

Carmen: Yeah. It’s about reality and authenticity.

Laurie: Everybody got that? Don’t believe the hype in your mind because it’s BS. Many people have proven it wrong in the past. You can be the one that’s wrong today. And for sure if you’re going to start your own business, which could be the right thing for you, get the right mentor and the right coaching. What do you offer people who are on this path?

Carmen: So my signature course launched a year ago and it’s SOUL CRAFT Your Way to 100K, so it specifically helps network marketers in any company. And Handel Group methodology, as you know, you’ve always been my coaching company of choice to recommend because I’ve gone through it so I know how profound it is. I think what’s so different about Handel is it’s tough love. It’s very loving, but it’s also like, “Okay, let’s just get rid of all the BS and let’s really help you move forward in your life.” And I really like that. It’s loving and it’s championing.

Laurie: Thank you for helping me shout that from the rooftop!

Carmen: You’re so welcome.