Selects Edition: How to unlock your zone of genius and achieve more success with Ali Brown

This is the Selects Edition of the Eventual Millionaire, where we choose to republish the best interviews I had with millionaires. (This episode was originally published on April 8, 2019.)

Ali Brown is one of the world’s most recognized entrepreneurial coaches. Named the “Entrepreneurial Guru for Women” by Business News Daily, she provides business coaching and advice to over 250,000 followers via AliBrown.com, her social media channels, and her Glambition Radio show and has been on ABC’s Secret Millionaire.

“You need to start looking in your industry, and whatever everyone’s doing, you look at how you can do the opposite. How can you stand out doing something completely different?” – Ali Brown

Episode Highlights:

• Why “making better programs” than your competition is not enough anymore (and what to do about it)
• How she changed her business focus and evolved the old business practices to achieve more success and happiness
• Secrets to making an impact as a woman entrepreneur in the masculine world of business
• Why you need to disrupt your metrics (and some tips on how to do it)
• Why you need to start looking in your industry, and whatever everyone’s doing… do the opposite

Websites and Resources:

AliBrown.com
GlambitionRadio.com
The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks

Connect with Ali:

Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
LinkedIn

Transcript: Download

Video Transcription provided by GMR Transcription Services.

Jaime: 
 	Welcome to Eventual Millionaire. I'm Jaime Masters, and I have Ali Brown on the show. Now, I've been watching her since way at the beginning. She's been on ABC's Secret Millionaire. She's got a podcast on a radio show called Glambition Radio, which is superawesome. She's a guru. Even though she doesn't call herself a guru, other people call her the guru. Thank you so much for coming on the show today, Ali. 
Ali: 
 	It's great to be here, and congrats on your show. You've been doing this a while, huh? 
Jaime: 
 	A long time. Nine years. Yeah. 
Ali: 
 	Yeah. 
Jaime: 
 	But, you've been doing this longer than me, so I bow down to you. The first question I wanted to ask you was about the transition and change you've seen over the years. Because, I feel like this industry has grown a lot, and changed a lot, since you started. So, tell us a little bit about the before, and the up-to-now. 
Ali: 
 	Oh, gosh. Yeah. This is like This Is Your Life, kind of thing, right? 
Jaime: 
 	Yes. 
Ali: 
 	Okay. I'm going to be dating myself a bit, but this really gives a lot of context. And, I want everyone to take this in, that when I started my business, about 20 years ago, I was doing copy-writing, and I loved it. I was in my 20s. I was in New York. And, the defining moment was someone handing me the AOL CD. If you remember that – Jaime, you look like you're 12. I don't know how old you are, but – 
Jaime: 
 	I appreciate that, but no. 
Ali: 	Okay. Good skincare. – A CD that you put into your computer, and 
would hook you up with dial-up internet. And, I remember, at that moment, thinking, “My little business is about to change.” Because, what I did at that time, I just watched what everyone else was doing – which is what we do when we're starting, and we're supposed to do this, by the way. I'll tell the opposite of that later. And, I started a little email newsletter, and I realized instead of marketing one-to-one, I now can market one-to-many. I started sharing what I knew. I started getting clients. My little business hit six figures, and it started to grow. 
 
 This started to transform into more of an info-marketing business/coaching, if you will. When I started having people ask me, “How are you doing this email newsletter? How are you getting clients?” And, I'm like, “I don't really know what I'm doing, but I know more than you, apparently.” So, I created – I literally searched for an e book on how to sell e books. I bought it. I learned HTML code; put up a page; and started selling e books. And, I have to tell you, it was just mind-blowing, at the time, how easy it was. And, I'm not trying to make you all feel bad now, but it's become so complex now. 
 
 Back then, we had no social. And, you also had no one to look at what they were doing, so it was just you in this exciting little bubble, just buying things, and implementing it, and making money. Imagine that. The coaching, for me, started about – I was doing courses, and tele-seminars, and stuff. The coaching started about 2004 because people started to ask, “Can you work with me? I don't want to buy the thing. I don't want to take the course. I just want to work with you.” So, I made up some programs, like three months for $4,000.00. I just started figuring this out. 
 
 And, as an evolution – I'll just share, for context, my timeline – I think, 2005 or 2006 was the year I hit my first million. And, a few things contributed to that. One was I started offering the coaching. The second was I started doing some live events. And, at the time, there were almost none. My workshop was it. If you wanted to come learn internet marketing – and, especially as a woman. And, you didn't want to hear it from some of these guys – it was the thing. It was called The Online Success Blueprint. What changed everything – I want you kids to listen to me, okay? – was social media. When social media was introduced, that started leveling the playing field for everyone to get in on the game. 
 
 	Stuff started getting easier. You could just copy and paste things. 
You didn't even need a website. It all just really started shifting. And, there are a lot of great things about that because more people could get online, and have a platform, and have a voice, and start publishing, and starting a business. And, that part has been incredible. But, from someone who's been in the industry for so long, it's added this whole new dimension of complexity to our businesses now. And, sometimes – I'm going to be honest – I miss that simplicity. 
 
Jaime: 
 	A million times over. And, I used to code my own blogs back in 2006, too. I used to be so proud of how good I could be because everybody else didn't know how to do it. And, everything making it easier is now amazing, amazing thing. Don't get me wrong. 
Ali: 
 	Yes. 
Jaime: 
 	But, like you said, the people that don't know how to code, can all do it. 
Ali: 
 	Right. 
Jaime: 
 	So, the competition must be crazy. 
Ali: 
 	Yeah. 
Jaime: 
 	So, from 2006 to now, what do you really feel has changed in that social media realm? Because, you get on social, and everybody's sort of starting at the same level playing field, even though everybody knew your name. 
Ali: 
 	Yeah. 
Jaime: 
 	Don't get me wrong. I remember knowing your name back then, too. 
Ali: 
 	Yeah. Well, I'll tell you a big – Can I share a big mistake I made? 
Jaime: 
 	Oh, definitely. 
Ali: 
 	Is that when I saw all this saturation happen, and suddenly everyone was like – My team was like, “Look at this.” And, we're looking at Facebook, and there are ads just copying my ads. And, ads copying what we were doing. And, I started to panic, and I kept thinking, “We don't have to worry about it because people will be able to tell the difference, and they know who I am.” So, we just kept building better programs. We kept doing better work. We kept really creating stuff that was truly better. And, the problem with that was I wasn't checking in enough on my positioning. 
 	And, this is the No. 1 topic I talk on now – is that because I took 
my eye off that ball for a few years, and was doing what I thought was right – Let's just create better, and better programs – people weren't seeing the difference – from the outside. And, I have to share that the defining moment – that I knew we had waited too long, and I'd been working too hard making the programs better versus my positioning externally – was we got a phone call, and my team said – my team called me – and, they said, “We're getting calls asking the difference between your programs, and the cool girls that dance in their videos.” Okay? 
 	
Jaime: 
 	Yes. 
Ali: 
 
[Crosstalk] 
 	And, I'm like, “You are kidding me.” I'm like, “What is happening to the industry? It's becoming entertainment. No one is even looking if someone's qualified to teach business.” And, look, there's a lot of fun stuff, and I always had fun stuff at my events, too. We'd have dance parties, and all this stuff. But, it was like, 
“What planet have I landed on, and what's happening?” So, I did a huge clean-up. I did a huge shutdown. Many people were watching, and they were like, “What is going on there?” I shut down my programs. I changed a lot of my team. You know, this happened over several years. I also, by the way, finally met the right man, and had twins. 
Jaime: 
 	The twins. 
Ali: 
 	– Magically. So, there were some other changes in this. I went on the show Secret Millionaire. It was like this perfect storm saying, “No. 1) You can't do stuff the way you've been doing it. It's not working anymore. And, No. 2) What is this really about?” What is this really about for me, Ali Brown, and what I want to create? I had a lot of fun, but you guys have to remember, I've been doing this for so long, it was time for a change. So, a lot of people saw, from the outside, “Oh, wow. She's shutting stuff down. It must not be going well,” or, “What's happening?” 
 
 	You know, we still had hundreds and hundreds of people in our programs. The year that I started to make changes, we were on track for about $10 million that year. Don't get me wrong. We weren't crying in the corner, but that almost made it harder because I'm like, “This isn't lining up the way I really want it to. How do I turn this ship?” If that makes sense to you? 
Jaime: 	I love that you're talking about this because nobody really talks 
about this – the behind the scenes of what actually is happening, especially to a business where you had responsibility to, no, only the people in the programs, but your team, and all sorts of stuff. How do you do that as a leader? I know I'm taking you off a little bit. I will get back there, but I really want to know. 
 	
Ali: 
 	No. It's wherever you want to go. It's your show. That's fine. You mean, are you asking me how did I do that? 
Jaime: 
 	Yeah. As a leader, to A.) Make that decision, and to B.) Turn a humongous ship. That's a lot of pressure, too, with everything else you had going on. 
Ali: 
 	It was probably the most agonizing thing I'd ever had to do. Because, here you are. You have a team of, probably, 20 people. And, you're feeding them, right? They're depending on you. 
You've built this company, and said, “Here's where we're going.” And, then, internally, you know you're at a point, like, “This just isn't doing it for me anymore.” But, you still feel very responsible for them, to the clients. That's why it took about three years, honestly. I fulfilled a lot of my obligations. I had some hard chats with the team. 
 
 	The ones who are still with me, I helped them start their own businesses. They have clients now. And, they're saying to me now – two of them are like, “You know, I could have never started this multiple six-figure business if you hadn't made that change, and talked to me about it.” 
Jaime: 
 	Wow. 
Ali: 
 	You know, I gave people – There's never an easy way to do this stuff. What sucks is:  This is the stuff that no one talks about. And, this is where most everyone stops. And, they will continue that business because of the way that they had built it. And, we're at a time now – and, especially for the women who have really just gotten into this, and they're doing the multiple six, seven figures – it's a point that I want to talk about a lot because there will be a point that maybe what you want will change; you'll see the market change. But, the way you've built things may be hard to change. 
 	And, you have to see that coming, and be working with a coach, 
especially, or mentor who this ain't their first rodeo, and they have been through many variations of models, shifting models, shifting the perception of the model so the clients understand why it's happening. I mean, if you're teaching the same thing over and over, doing the same business for more than a few years, right now, you are gonna be in trouble because things change. And, people are seeing that. 
 	
Jaime: 
 	That's exactly why I was bringing up the whole evolution question. Because, there is such a rapid change in all of the market, and let alone, technology. I mean, of course technology, too, but everything in the market is shifting at rapid speeds – wonderfully, in many, many ways. Lots of opportunity, also. And, when people are new in business, it's like – even, new, I mean by three or four years – they're like, “This is the way it went. This is how it goes.” 
Ali: 
 	Right. 
Jaime: 
 	“Oh, no.” And, they – this catastrophic, “Ah... This is not the way it's supposed to be.” But, what I see is a lot of people hold onto the, “But, this is the way it is.” 
Ali: 
 	Oh, they do. 
Jaime: 
 	And, it's not. 
Ali: 
 	Oh, they do. And, “Facebook ads aren't working, so we just hired a different guy, and now we're paying twice as much.” I'm like, “The emperor has no clothes, and no one's talking about it.” 
Jaime: 
 	Yes. 
Ali: 
 	Can I share the end to that story a bit? 
Jaime: 
 	Oh, please. Please. Yes. 
Ali: 
 	– To give a little picture, is that, I want to share that this took several years, and also people not understanding what I was doing. Rumors were flying around. I have all stories about that. I'm like, “I'm not in the street with a cardboard sign. Everything's okay. I'm still driving my Porsche. I'm fine.” 
Jaime: 
 	Right? I mean, that's a huge thing, too, yeah. Everybody talks. My goodness. 
Ali: 	And, so, you're making these changes, and the decision I made, 
and the reason I made it, was that most of all, for me personally, is that I had to get back to my genius work. And, there's a book that I read at the time call The Big Leap by Gay Hendrix. I recommend it to everyone who is maybe at that point. They've been in business more than a few years. And, it talks about the difference between being trapped in excellence, and then breaking through to your genius. And, I realized I'd built a whole business on excellence. It was where I was proven. It's where the money came from. It's where it all was happening. 
 	
 
 	But, I was creatively craving working back in my genius. And, so, for me personally – now, this isn't what everyone needs to do – but, I realized my joy is high touch. I'm high concept. I can teach well, but I'm not really a teacher. I'm more of a – I hate to even use the word Coach anymore because it's become so bastardized – but, really, that coaching is working with a client, and stirring up what really do they want, and how do we play with the model? How do we blow this up? And, I'm going to provoke something that you're gonna, maybe, blow up, or turn over in an hour, and I poke at things. And, that's what I love. Helping people learn to think differently; do things differently. 
 
 	So, I reinvented the business, and here's what you love from the money point, Jaime, is that my personal net now is more than it was before with a team of four people, and a very simple business model that I work with – seven and eight-figure business leaders. I do coaching, workshops, and strategic consulting. And, that is my whole model. 
Jaime: 
 	Wow. 
Ali: 
 	My ego fought that. My ego was like, “Who are you if you're not renting out Tow, and having dance parties at your events?” Do you know? 
Jaime: 
 	Yes. 
Ali: 
 	The bigness of it all. 
Jaime: 
 	Yeah. 
Ali: 	And, we are in a world right now that there's a toxicity to social, as 
well, in that you're always looking at numbers, and followers, and we're programmed to want likes. And, so this is a huge conversation we're having. There's so much to this. But, I really want to emphasize that this is the only way out. And, so, if you're in a model right now that maybe isn't fitting, or you're following directions, or a formula, that isn't working anymore, or you're just bored. And, even if it is working well, you need to look ahead. 
 
Jaime: 
 	We got it. Keep going. I just came back. 
Ali: 
 	Are you there? 
Jaime: 
 	Yes. 
Ali: 
 	Okay. All right. You dropped out for a minute. So, okay. 
Jaime: 
 	So, to me, when we're diving into this, this is huge, right? When we look at the difference in going into your genius, how do you figure out what that is to begin with? Because, some people are like, “Oh, I'm just doing what I've always done.” And, what you're saying, the excellence to genius flip is people are craving it, and yet they're like, “But, I don't know where I'm at; how I dive deeper into that.” How did you – or, how do you coach people to go into that mode? 
Ali: 
 	Well, pick up the book because there's a lot to it, but I would say:  What are the – And, the questions sound cliché when you ask them, but – What do you lose track of time when you're doing? What brings you so much joy, you can't even believe that it's work? And, along those lines. There are more questions to it. I would suggest you take a look at it, but it's was really where – and, for me, from a positioning point – and, this is not in the book. It's what I took from it, though – It's where I'm untouchable. 
 
 	It's where no one can touch what I'm doing. No one can come close to being as good as I'm good at it; where I'm absolutely confident, and have no problem even wondering if I know what I'm doing. Do you know what I mean? 
Jaime: 
 	Oh, yeah. 
Ali: 	Like, are we doing the right thing? You're doing these programs, 
and you're always like, “Are we doing the right thing? What's everyone doing? Is this the thing to be doing? Is this what's working?” And, then, when I'm in this other zone, I'm not even thinking of that. There's no comparison. There's no competition. It's this immense freedom to it. So, that you are now in that category of one, and you really are untouchable. So, I'm working on my book now, which tentatively is called Iconic. That's the name of my events now because for the women I'm working with, it's not just about the formulas anymore; It's what my great work in the world is. 
 
 
 	And, so, kind of taking that big leap concept, but then adding this external component to it, as in, “What do you want to create now?” Now that you've proven yourself; now that you know that you can make money. You put some away, hopefully, right? And, then, what is the next level? What is this really about? That's where I get juiced up helping people. 
Jaime: 
 	Oh, I love this. Okay. So, now that we're here, what do they do – Besides hiring you? Besides, when your book comes out, buying the book, of course. But, so, they're sitting there, and they're realizing that they need to make a change. They know what their genius is – at least, close, because they know, right? 
Ali: 
 	Yeah. Yeah. 
Jaime: 
 	What do they do? 
Ali: 
 	The first thing I would do is actually look at what you need to let go of. Look at what you need to – 
Jaime: 
 	Ouch. 
Ali: 
 	Are you okay? Do we need to do a session? 
Jaime: 
 	No, no. Right. But, that always hurts, right? One of the hardest things for a business owner, in general, over anything – let alone you tell us to do it. It's like, “Oh.” 
Ali: 
 	Usually, there is going to be a period of a disconnect, or letting go of something that may be even served you for a long time; served you well; served your clients well. But, it is just not lighting you up anymore. And, this is very hard. For myself, I know, and some of my clients, that letting go had to come before knowing what was next. And, you know, when we start a business, we kind of – you muster up that courage, and some of us have that dark night of the soul that lead to starting our first business. This is a whole new dark night of the soul. It is a whole new time of – because, also, you have more to lose now. 
Jaime: 
 	Totally. 
Ali: 	And, you start questioning, also – you start, actually, kind of 
second-guessing yourself in some ways. You're like, “Well, I thought I wanted this. And, I built this. And, it's not. So, what do I want now?” But, this is very natural. We, especially as women, are not used to this because we are the first generation in history to have these liberties; to be creating businesses like this. And, in a business culture that changes so quickly, we're not even – we don't even have the language to process a lot of what we're feeling right now, as we're building these businesses. 
 	
 
 	And, so, be gentle on yourself, but I be right now you know there's something you've been doing that just doesn't do it for you anymore. If you can't blow it up right now, then just makes notes on it, like:  What is not lighting me up? What is unfulfilling? Or, I can't stand these people anymore, or these events. I have to find something different. What is it? Just start. Awareness is the first step, right? 
Jaime: 
 	Totally. Okay. So, once we have awareness, let's say they're like, “Okay. Thank you for saying that because I now know I need to let go of this, and the other thing.” And, especially if somebody is like, “That's great. But, all my money is coming from it.” What does that transition look like? Or, how – 
Ali: 
 	The money thing. Yeah. 
Jaime: 
 	How do we plan for this? 
Ali: 
 	Totally. 
Jaime: 
 	Because, it's tough. It's all feelings, right? 
Ali: 
 	Yeah. 
Jaime: 
 	And, then we have to actually take action on it. And, what's the real action we should be taking? Not the, “I want to blow it all up,” piece. But, maybe that is it. 
Ali: 
 	I'm sorry. I heard a weird noise on the computer. 
Jaime: 
 	Yeah. 
Ali: 
 	I didn't know if that was your thing, or my thing. Okay. Sorry. Indulge in a juicy new project that will pull you forward. 
Jaime: 	Great. 
 
Ali: 
 	If you can't let go of anything now – and, I was in the exact point that I couldn't – that is exactly when I started the podcast. And, while that may seem like a strategic business decision, I'm going to tell you what happened. I was on a team call. There were, like, ten of us on there. And, at this point, I'm doodling on my pad. I'm like, 
“Another launch. Another thing. Another program. Okay. Blah, blah, blah.” And, my mind just starts going. And, remember, this was 2014. So, podcasts were kind of hot for a while, then they disappeared. People weren't talking. And, then, suddenly they were starting to come up again. I said, “I think I'd really enjoy this.” 
 
 	And, so, there's this pause on the call, and I remember just blurting out, “I want to start a podcast.” And, there's silence. And, then they all jump on the plan, right? They're like, “Great. Okay. Let's do. What's the pre-sale? And, then it's gonna have an up-sell. And, what's the funnel? And, blah, blah.” I said, “Stop. I am going to do this because I'm really gonna love it.” It makes me want to cry when I think about it because I hadn't given myself permission to do that in so long. Everything had to have a strategy around it. 
 
 	I said, “This is gonna juice me up. I love having amazing conversations with amazing women. I know there's much more we could do around this, but I'm just gonna go do this, and I'm letting you know. Like, you all need to just back me up on this.” 
Jaime: 
 	Right. 
Ali: 
 	And, it turned into just the most joyous thing that I have done, probably not unlike you, and how you feel about this. I love nothing more than these kinds of conversations, and having them. And, my show is called Glambition Radio, which, today, ironically, starting off with no plan has become one of the biggest ways people find out about me – is the show. But, the example of doing – give yourself permission for an amazing project, or juicy – something just juicy for you, that you start working on, that's gonna pull you up into that genius, even if it doesn't have a monetary connection right now. 
Jaime: 
 	I love this – especially because I'm starting a new thing that has been pinging me – a new podcast – pinging me for a year. 
Ali: 
 	Really? 
Jaime: 	And, I kept going, “But, it's not in the plan. It's not in the plan. It's 
not in the plan.” 
 
Ali: 
 	Yeah. 
Jaime: 
 	I just got so annoyed that I was like, “You know? I'm just gonna do it anyway. It can be on the side. It doesn't matter.” 
Ali: 
 	Yeah. 
Jaime: 
 	So, how do you deal with starting – because, especially for somebody who's already had success, how do you deal with starting something new without crazy, nutso strategies? Because, the numbers probably would have been better technically if you had crazy strategies, or whatever. Like, how do you deal with starting from zero again? Because, now that I'm launching this, and thinking about doing it in a different podcast, I'm like, “It's gonna start from zero. Hm? How do I deal with that?” 
Ali: 
 	You need to disrupt your metrics. 
Jaime: 
 	Okay. 
Ali: 
 	And, when I use, “disrupt your metrics,” I mean the metrics that you based how you value things in your business. 
Jaime: 
 	Mm. I love this. Okay. Tell me more. 
Ali: 
 	This is huge, and this is an exercise I do at my Iconic workshop. I can't give it away, but there's something I do that, in the moment, they all realize how much we judge things, and value our worth on the value of some things in our business. So, for example:  like, number of followers. That's a little thing, right? And, when I made that shift, for example, to my new model – which I still hesitate to say, “small,” because me ego is like, “No. It's not. It's simple, but I'm still doing big things,” you know? 
Jaime: 
 	Yeah. 
Ali: 
 	My ego is like screaming right now, still. And, I'm like, “Shut up. I'm keeping more money.” 
Jaime: 
 	Right? I know. That's the funny thing. 
Ali: 	Hello? Yeah. So, the metrics of it:  Change your metrics in that – 
I'll give a quick example:  Two clients come in. This is a hypothetical, but also not. I see this every day. Someone comes in, and they can fill a room, right? There are butts in seats. There are people hanging from the rafters. They have 500 people in a room. And, they're really attached to that, right? Because, they're the person who fills the rooms, and the seminars are all full, and it looks good, and it feels good, and that's what they're into. 
 	
 
 	Client B comes in, and they have small 50 person workshops, but maybe they don't always sell out. And, maybe there are some empty seats in there, right? So, at face value – you guys see where this is going, but if I wasn't taking you here, guaranteed, unconsciously, you're looking at this person A and saying they're more successful. 
Jaime: 
 	Of course. 
Ali: 
 	Even though the event was practically free. You could bring ten people, and your dog as a guest. There's a mastermind for dog. Like, it's just a mess, right, but it looks good, and feels good, and that's what our egos attach to. Client B, meanwhile, is making more money, but no one's really looking at that, and even guessing that, right, that she's making more, and banking more. So, it's a metrics game in that we need to shift a lot on – a lot of this industry was built from the male point of view, and the guys did a great job. I mean, they're all about the money. They're driving the sales. It's all about the numbers, and we can learn a lot from that. 
 
 	What we have brought to the industry is actually questioning things; looking at things; looking at the meaning of things; looking at where this is all going. And, not just repeating the same mistakes. So, I will sometimes have a client fighting me on changing the model because they're so attached to it, when really there could be such a simpler option. It depends on your goals, but shifting, for example, Client B:  Her metrics is net profit per event. It's the quality of clients in the room because she's selling a higherend program, and doesn't want everyone off the street, and their dog, and people came in for the free air conditioning, right? 
 	So, it's such a different game. And, my metrics now – one of my 
metrics is:  How much time, of each day, am I spending in my genius? That I'm so lit up. That I so enjoy? Right? So, play with your metrics. Look at what metrics have you been valuing, and honoring without even realizing it, probably? And, then, on the flip-side, how can you replace that? Maybe it's the quality of clients you work with. Maybe it's actually how little you work versus how busy you're showing your are. It's flipping it all. 
 
Jaime: 
 	Oh, the little piece that you just said, though. I have two kids, also. Not twins, but – 
Ali: 
 	Ah. How old are they? 
Jaime: 
 	Nine and 12. 
Ali: 
 	Oh, tell me it gets easier – a little bit? No? 
Jaime: 
 	It totally gets easier. 
Ali: 
 	Okay. 
Jaime: 
 	It's amazing now. And, I was a single mom for a very long period of time, and so busyness – when you bring up the word busyness, it's always like a mom-guilt busyness thing, right? So, to me, I'm always – I say, “full,” now. Like, I don't like the word, “busy,” because it has a bad connotation on it. 
Ali: 
 	Yeah. 
Jaime: 
 	But, how do we manage that? You're a mom, right? And, I technically work 30 hours a week – ish, but I love working, so I definitely work over that. But, with the kids and stuff, I'm always on, right? 
Ali: 
 	Yeah. 
Jaime: 
 	So, how do you change up the metrics on those pieces, right? So, yes I technically work – 
Ali: 
 	That's interesting because we have metrics about parenting, don't we? 
Jaime: 
 	Oh, yeah. Yes. 
Ali: 
 	Ways we – we really do. And, for me, I had to shift that it wasn't about quantity of time with them; it's about quality. So, I'll give a quick example. And, again, I feel like I need this mom disclaimer, because moms just get ape-shit. Everyone needs to calm the fuck down right now, everywhere. Like, everyone's losing it, like everywhere. 
Jaime: 	Yes. 
 
Ali: 
 	Have you noticed? 
Jaime: 
 	Yes. We're supposed to be perfect moms on social media. You didn't realize that? 
Ali: 
 	I know. You feel like you're going to offend everybody, at every moment, and it's just gonna happen. 
Jaime: 
 	You will. You know. 
Ali: 
 	So, for example:  I don't drive my kids to school. I don't enjoy driving. It's a half-hour drive, right? We have a wonderful nanny. Okay, and I'm happy to talk about that they have a nanny. I have a nanny. I have a nanny. She's amazing. They love Jenna. Like, Jenna shows up, and they love Jenna. So, it's what you place a value on. Driving them to school:  I'm stressed. I don't enjoy it. I'm watching the road. I can't really be with them. I would much, much rather we take half an hour to cuddle in the morning. They jump in bed with me. I'm not rushed to get up. We have cuddle time. We have talk time. We can have breakfast together. 
 
 	You have to decide what's important to you, and your children. And, my kids are only five, but they've never said, “I really wish you would drive us to school.” And, I don't think that would be something they'd say when they are older, either. And, I'm here when they get home. So, you have to decide what's right for you, and again, it's not – everyone's things are different. Maybe you love driving. So, I have one client who hired somebody to help get dinner ready because she wanted to go pick up the kids from school. That was very important to her. She loves driving. She loved picking them up, and talking to the teacher. 
 
 	And, it can change any time. This is your business. So, you have to figure out what's important to you, and do that. And, you still – you're gonna need more support than you think. Oh, my god. 
Jaime: 
 	You have twins. Yeah. 
Ali: 	I talk to moms all the time, and I'm like, “I am so sorry, but four 
kids? Just get a sitter. Work harder.” I had no idea the emotional weight that we carry every moment, thinking of those kids, and how much they've changed my life. It's incredible. And, knowing, as a business owner, you're going to do things a little differently, and you have permission to design your parental life just as much as you design your business. 
 	
Jaime: 
 	I love all of this. And, I don't drive my children to school. They go to a school that's quite far away. The PA is actually downstairs 
making dinner at this moment – 
Ali: 
 	Awesome. 
Jaime: 
 	– trying to be quiet for our interview. 
Ali: 
 	I'm coming over. 
Jaime: 
 	So, right. So, hopefully going to be good. No. But, what's interesting, that I find:  As I shift things, I keep trying to tweak, and tweak, and tweak as best as I can, and there's always stuff that still pops up, right? 
Ali: 
 	Like, guilt, you mean? 
Jaime: 
 	Guilt. Yes. 
Ali: 
 	Yeah. 
Jaime: 
 	So, I was talking to my [inaudible] [00:28:34] about hiring somebody to drive them because I was like, “I want to be the person who drives them,” right? But, even now, there are always little things that keep popping up as we start clearing things away. So, does it every get – right? And, then, I start feeling guilty about – and, don't get me wrong. My life is amazing. I'm not saying that I'm guilty all the time, or any way, but I want to try to keep tweaking to make things a little easier, and a little easier, and a little easier, and happier, and joyful every day, right? 
Ali: 
 	Yeah. 
Jaime: 
 	So, how do we mitigate that with hugeness, right? When we live – especially as a female entrepreneur – in the masculine world. And, 
I work with mostly men, right? So, all of these men are like, “I need bigger, better.” Whatever. How do you mitigate that, especially because your kids are only five, right? 
Ali: 	Yeah. 
 
Jaime: 
 	And, you could be doing bigger, better, like you said. How do you actually internalize that they smaller numbers are okay, and that you don't need to be absolutely huge? 
Ali: 
 	Yeah. Well, I looked for – I did need to feel fulfilled that I was making an impact, and out there, and the show did that for me. I didn't have any guilt about working a lot less – like, three days a week. And, if you added up my hours, it probably is still three to four days a week, honestly. So, you mean mitigating it with the mom guilt, or just literally just practically, how do you work on these big projects when you have a family? Is that what you mean? Just in general? 
Jaime: 
 	Well, don't you want to do, “more,” right? Like, once your kids are older, when we start looking at ten or 20 years out, do you feel like you're going to be like, “Oh, I still want more,” or, are you just going to keep it at this level? 
Ali: 
 	It started – It's interesting because it went away for a little while, after the kids, and I was very happy with that model. And, then, last year, it was like catching a cold again. It was like I woke up, and said – I don't want to say, “I'm back.” That's so cliché. But, I was like, “It's on.” It's on. It turned on again. And, I think, for me, it was just a cycle. I have, typically, a three-year creative cycle, which is good for everyone to be aware of. You may have a cycle that you have a model that works for three years, and then you get bored, or you want to make a change. And, that was happening. 
 
 	That's when I called the agent who's been chasing me for two years, and said, “I'm ready. I'm ready to write the book.” I told my team, “I'm ready to respond to media requests again.” It lined up with the kids going to school, so maybe that happens for a lot of moms, but I felt I just knew I was ready again. And, I have to say, I give a shout-out to my husband who is just an amazing man. And, we approach this as a team. He has worked in my business, and outside of my business, on his own thing. So, we kind of do that dance, but he's often in the business. And, he just really sees the bigness of everything that I'm planning behind the scenes right now, too. 
 	And, he's the one saying, “Don't worry about this. We've got it. 
You need to go do this.” So, when I say, “I'm about to have a breakdown, and need to go check into a hotel because I haven't worked on my book, and I'm having this book crisis,” he says, 
“Go. Check into the resort. See you Saturday.” He gets it. I feel 
very blessed to have a partner like that. But, you have to, then, make priority. And, what's interesting is my kids – I guess they – I'm pretty lucky. They're just pretty awesome kids. And, they get – like, I heard Jordan talking to Madison. Jordan kind of has this old man voice. And, Maddy was like, “Where's mommy?” And, he knew I was working. He goes, “She's unavailable.” 
 	
 
 	So, they just kind of know. I know it may be weird, when they're older, to say, “Oh, my mom goes and checks into hotels by herself to work on her book, but she always comes back in a day or two.” I don't know. But, we all just figure this out. It's messy, but it's what we have to do. 
Jaime: 
 	See. I so appreciate you allowing us to hear about part of the messiness, right? Because, I feel like we never fix it all. We're never perfect. No matter how big, or how small, there's always going to be something, and the fact that you're willing to say, “Hey. Sometimes, I need to go to a hotel.” I agree with you a million times over. I'm so thankful that you're willing to say that. 
Ali: 
 	Yeah. Or, just walk – Or, they're driving me nuts, and I'm like, “I love my kids, but I need to walk away before I end up on the news. 
Like, I'm gonna lose it.” 
Jaime: 
 	You have five-year-old twins. My best friend has five-year-old twins, too. Whew. 
Ali: 
 	“Mom abandons family in Scottsdale. She never came back.” That will never happen, but you have those moments you're like, “I need to go just breath, and be alone.” 
Jaime: 
 	Yeah. 
Ali: 
 	One of my number one values has always been freedom. And, so it was an incredible challenge for me to step into motherhood, as much as I love it. There was always in me this push-pull – this rebel single girl still there, who wants a lot of time alone. And, then there's this mom who never wants to leave her kids. And, I think, for a lot of us, we have that dance. And, thank God we're alive today that you can get help with the things that don't matter as much, and then make time for the things that matter. 
Jaime: 	It's so amazing. That's why you're a guru, right? You can admit the 
craziness of life, and give us help so that we can see the forest for the trees. Because, it makes a huge difference. 
 
Ali: 
 	Yeah. 
Jaime: 
 	When you're in it, it's so much harder to see than when you can listen to someone like you, and go, “Ha, ha. I'm doing good, and it's messy.” It just – it is. And, at nine and 12, way better – just so you know. Like, five was rough. Nine and 12. 
Ali: 
 	Oh, wow. 
Jaime: 
 	Way, way better, for me, anyway. So, I love this. I know we have to start wrapping up in just a second. So, I'm going to ask the last question that I always ask, but I want to have you back on the show when your book comes out, so that way we can push that. Because, I know everyone needs to read that, too. But, what's one action that listeners can take this week to help move them forward toward their goal of a million? 
Ali: 
 	I'm going to give the counter-intuitive advice to everybody. Because, you'll hear other stuff from everybody. You'll hear the same thing. You need to start looking in your industry, and whatever everyone's doing, you look at how you can do the opposite. Look at how you can do the opposite. How can you stand out doing something completely different? I advise a lot of the clients who come to me, when they're either ready to break, or over seven figures. I tell them, actually, to stop going to industry events. 
 
 	I did a whole creative workshop on this because I saw people just locked into such formulaic thinking that it took two days to get them out of their industry formulas, and into thinking completely differently. Looking at different industries; reading different things; reading different magazines. Just break it; shake it up; and, think about what you can do. What's one thing that you could do that would be dramatically different than anyone else in your industry? That's my best advice. 
Jaime: 
 	Nobody ever says that. Thank you. 
Ali: 
 	Good. Good. So, I'm walking my talk. 
Jaime: 
 	Right. One follow-up. I normally don't do follow-up, but – 
Ali: 
 	Yeah. Yeah. That's okay. 
Jaime: 	But, what if they're scared like crazy to do that? 
 
Ali: 
 	Those people aren't your friends, anyway, so just go do it. 
Jaime: 
 	Yeah. [Inaudible] [00:35:18]. 
Ali: 
 	It's true. No, it's true. No, really. Everyone's scared. Usually, what comes up is actually not fear around the clients, or how they can help them, or what they want to do. When you really keep digging down, it's pissing someone off in your industry, maybe. Maybe, because you're friends with people. I'm generalizing, but I see this a lot. And, then I always nail them. I'm like, “Are you really good friends with these people anyway?” They're always like, “Well, no.” I said, “Well, they're all talking about you, anyway. You may as well just go do the thing that you know is going to change people's lives.” 
Jaime: 
 	I love it. So, where can we find more about you online? I know it's AliBrown.com. Where do we find Glambition Radio, and all the follows – everything for you online? 
Ali: 
 	You 	can 	jump 	to 	Glambition 	Radio. 	Just 	go 	to 
GlambitionRadio.com. It will take you right to iTunes. We've had some great guests lately. I just had the Ellen Latham – the founder of Orange Theory – the fastest growing franchise – one of them – in the world. We are having – oh, I can't mention her yet, until it airs. Just some – We have some amazing, amazing, high, high quality women entrepreneurs, and leaders. So, if they like this show, they'll love my show, too. And, I'll be hoping to have you on my show soon. 
Jaime: 
 	That would be amazing. Everyone, go follow Ali. She's amazing, and a change-maker in the industry. And, we need more women like her. Thank you so much for coming on the show today. 
Ali: 	Thank you.

Categories: All, Business, Millionaire Interviews

Hi I’m Jaime. Each and every week I bring you the top business advice from the people who know best.

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