Does it sometimes feel like everything that can go wrong is going wrong in your
life? I know when it happens it can feel like a really dark place and as
entrepreneurs it can be really exacerbated because you have no safety
net to fall on and it can be easy to think that maybe you need to give up or
that you're just not cut out for it or you need to go get a job. If you've ever
felt that way or you are feeling that way and wondering how you can succeed
against the odds and today's interview is for you because I know when we're
done you will have a whole new vision for your dream.
Hey there, I'm Nafissa Shireen, success coach and business strategist for
entrepreneurs and welcome to Living Forward TV where we help you to create a
thriving business you absolutely love all around your personal freedom. Today
we have a very special guest my friend and colleague Francesca Anastasi also
known as Sabeya and well she's an incredibly accomplished businesswoman it
didn't start out that way. Her story is so inspiring and she really
shows that no matter what life throws at you if you make up your mind to succeed
you'll be unstoppable. You're going to want to watch right to the end because I
know that no matter where you are in life you're going to find the nuggets
that you need to power through to your dream. Francesca is the founder and
director of Confidence Institute where she offers business and personal
development programs and she's also the creator of two really really cool events
the international charity event called shimmy mob and she's also the creator of
the Magnificent You Women's Conference and she has her own podcast and YouTube
show as well which I'm also privileged to be a guest on and I'm gonna link to
it below the episode today. Francesca welcome to Living Forward TV.
-Thank You Nafissa for having me here.
-I'm so excited to have you here I know there's
so much to your story that's really going to provide a lot of inspiration to
our viewers because I know that as entrepreneurs as we said in the opening
credits sometimes things can just all go wrong and it can be so easy to bury our
head in the sand and think I can't do it and you have really proven that you know
no matter what life throws at you you can not only do it you can just catapult
and thrive and so I'm really excited to have you here and I'm dying to get into
your story. But before we do I want to ask you the one question I ask all our
guests and that is what does Living Forward mean to you?
-To me, Living Forward means having a purpose not being stuck in the past and having a purpose
big enough that is the driving force to do things to fulfill a purpose to get to
that purpose and live it.
-And you really have, right?
-I do my best, I try.
-I find your story so inspiring. Now I'm familiar with it because we've we've interviewed
before we've talked before but I know our viewers haven't and I'm wondering if
you would be willing to share it. Like how you started your
entrepreneurial journey.
-My entrepreneurial journey started out of
disaster pretty much. What you can call tragedy I guess. And not in a million
years would I have ever thought growing up and even in my adulthood that I would
ever be an entrepreneur and have my own business. What happened was I was going
through a divorce and I hadn't really had a job, I was one of those
stay-at-home moms I fiddled around with a few things but I didn't really have a
career of any sort. And while I was going through a divorce I I lost everything in
the place where I was living. I was living a basement suite and someone
decided to set fire to the place while I was living there and my landlord died in
a fire so it was quiet an extreme fire and ten days after that my company
basically laid everybody off because it was kind of folding and I couldn't
find work after that. It was a quest for finding the job because I did have legal
bills I didn't have insurance for the things that are lost because I didn't
have a big income because that I didn't have a career so it was just any job
that could pay you know the day-to-day stuff.
-And you had a young child too, right? -Yes
She was pretty young. She was, I keep saying it was nine but it was actually around ten at
that time and basically like I was going to job interview after job interview
after job interview and it was either you know, too qualified I don't know how
it could have been but it was either you too qualified or under qualified and or
they're not the right fit and you know after you do this for the whole period
of your unemployment insurance and then you coming to the end of that and then
go now what and then 9/11 happened right at the end of my unemployment insurance
and the interview stopped because the mood was so dark at that time that the
companies were not even hiring they're just everything got quiet. I don't
know if you remember that time. -oh yeah. -It was pretty, you know, everybody was kind of
on this very reflective mode, not in a hiring mode and here I'm like I need to
put food on the table and I have a child to support
and at the time I wasn't getting child support so it was totally on me and so I
decided that if nobody's gonna hire me then I have to create a job for myself
and the only way to do that is start my own business so and that's what happens
so that's how I became an entrepreneur it was kind of out of desperation right, not out of inspiration.
-Well and I love what you said and
I've also heard you use the expression so if no one's gonna hire me I'm gonna
hire myself and I love that and for our viewers today you know I really want you
to take that to heart because despite everything that was happening what I
haven't heard in any of that as a victim narrative it's like okay I'm gonna take
control here I don't know what to do and I'm still gonna take control and I think
that's so inspiring because it will really help others who might be feeling
like everything's out of my control you brought it back to taking control
and I love that. -Yeah and you know what, thank you for bringing that up because
it's a very important point and a lot of the messaging that I like to bring
when I speak and that is that up to that point when I got that phone call because
I wasn't home when the fire happened I was away and my friend called me she
said I have bad news, can you sit down as I have some news for you and I'm
like come on, she's like no this really bad you really need to sit down.
And up to that point I was one of those people very common feeling sorry for
myself for everything that was happening to me, why me, why everything you know why
nothing good happens to me and so I always played that victim role but
something happened to that phone call where I I remember holding that phone
and and just thinking okay I could feel sorry for myself right now like this is
just like the ultimate right I hadn't lost my job yet this was just the home
at this point and and all of a sudden I kind of picture myself down the road
collecting welfare and I was like no I can't do that
it was just like that is not what I want my future to look like, I have to do
something different, I'm gonna have to face this in a completely different way
something that I don't know how I don't know how I'm gonna do it but I know that
that's not the direction and if I play the victim that's where I'm gonna end up
and so I'm going to embrace this other way which I had no idea what it looked
like it was totally blank. But I knew what that looked like and it was not
pretty. -Yeah, and so you made a decision. -Yes
exactly it was all about decisions and it was the best thing I ever did was
deciding not to be a victim before becoming an entrepreneur.
-Which is really cool and and so you know you made that choice
to start your own business what and it you opened a dance studio. - I did. -And so
was that an idea that you had or had you always been in dance like how did you
bring that to fruition? -Okay, so I always loved dancing since I was a little girl
and my parents could never put me into dance classes for various reasons the
main reason they didn't have the finances so I actually started my dance
training as an adult so when it came to what when the whole divorce happened at
that time I was taking lessons more or less since I was training for myself
just because I enjoyed it and I was on the good side of the instructor so I was
helping different instructors running their classes and so it just seems like
the natural thing. It's something I love I decided if I was gonna be starting a
business it would have to be something I'd totally enjoyed and I knew that
there would be a lot of other women like me out there that would want to learn
how to dance, even though they missed out when they were children, so I thought
yeah I have a market I know I had a market. -Again that is just so cool right?
Because you took something you loved, you found a need, you also approached it from
being your own ideal client right? Because this is something you wanted
to do and were there other women out there that would want to dance and I
and I can remember sometimes looking for dance things and there maybe wasn't as
an adult it was all for kids, right? So you know you I just love that and I hope
you're really taking this to heart you know Francesca looked at what she
wanted to do looked at what she wished existed for herself and then created it
and I think that's really cool. So did it all go smoothly, opening your studio? -No.
And I think you may know this part of the story that I
once I decided that I was going to start a business and have my own business I
took a self employment program and you know I learned everything they teach there,
everything, you create a business plan, you present your business plan, you learn
about marketing, you learn about sales, and I was so happy. I did everything
everything by the book. And I opened the studio and the doors and nobody came. Not
one single soul showed up and I was like, what happened? What did I do wrong?
I did everything everything by the book, why don't I have people here? And I
could've easily you know said to myself okay this is wrong, it's the wrong
business. And some people had suggested that I should go and be a dance stripper
to make money that way which is not something that aligns with me, no
criticism to people feel comfortable about doing it, but it's just not
something I would feel good about. I was like no that's not what I'm gonna do, and
I'm just gonna have to make figure it out. I have to find a way to make this
work, so I gave it no option I had to find a way to make it work so that
people would know where I was more. Like I had to really create the visibility
and that's what I realized, that I did everything but I did not create enough
visibility. -So how did you create visibility for yourself then?
-- Cause I was broke too. So I I really took a major leap of faith, I take my credit
card and I maxed it out and I put 100% of all that I had on my credit card into
printing flyers, but I was very strategic about what was on those flyers and
mailing them out strategically in the homes that I wanted to reach, the kind of
the demographics that I wanted to reach and sold out. Like so this was in April
nobody came and the September sold out every class I had. -And and I just want to
pause you here for one second and and I'm really hoping that you're getting
the nuggets here, there is so much like the first one was creating a
business based on something she would love to do and would have loved to been
a consumer. And the second one was to saying there's no
option but success and and I love that I mean I think as entrepreneurs we've all
had launches that fail and bomb whether I mean it's online or live and it hurts.
I mean it really hurts at your heart when that happens but it's not a reason
to give up and and I love that. And the third thing was Francesca took a risk.
She knew that she had something that would work
and so she invested in her business and herself and then, a full studio.
-Yeah and I had a full studio and it was you know sold out all the classes
and they just kept growing from there so ran you know I had it for ten years I
decided to change direction and do what I'm doing now but if I may, if can I
share will story is actually it's actually a joke back in Italy with but I
think it just kind of portrays how sometimes we give up just before you
know I said before the miracle happen. The story goes like these two prisoners
are escaping from prison and they know they have to climb these walls and there
are a hundred walls that they have to climb but they don't know that there
were 100 so they're climbing these walls and as they go wall after wall
after wall at the 99th one looks at the other says I'm just tired let's just go
back. Not knowing that all it would take would be just that one more.
And I think that a lot of people in business give they cut
themselves short, they don't give it all the options and they're not open to
hearing other options they feel they've done it all
when they really haven't. It's they've done all they think, all they know of, but
they don't they haven't really done all that is possible. -And that's when you get
the help. -And that's when you get the help, you need the perspective from
someone else right because you can't see everything when you in it.
-So tell me, Francesca, how you went from running a dance studio to doing what you're doing
now because I know you teach other you were teaching other people how to run
dance studios you've expanded that you've got an international event every
year raising money for charity, shimmy mob, and that's where I met you because I
remember you standing up and saying this thing about shimmy mob I'm like that
sounds really cool, what is that? Right? And you're putting on this like one of
the biggest women's conferences in Vancouver. That's a long way from
losing everything. So let's talk about how you got there from the dance
studio, what made you shift and start to expand and do other things?
-Well the dance studio we you know we had there were both women and men as students but
the majority were women and the studio became like a second home to a lot of
those women and I, yeah, even though was it dance studio and we had the dance
fitness, there were there were a lot of conversations that were happening before
class, after class, during class, and there was these you know there were these
common topics that kept coming up popping up, these issues, women issues,
things that women deal with. And throughout the time that I had the the
studio like I always thought I should do a workshop on this topic I should bring
somebody in for this other topic and you know so that was always there and when I
closed the studio I still wanted to continue with the with the business
consulting and the training and but that still nagged at me, I gotta do something
more than just that. And so the whole idea is like you know what it just needs
to be a conference. Because it's the only way that I can bring all those topics
together under one roof and the way that I would like to present it and I used the
same method as I did with the studio is I am a, this is the conference that I
wish was there for me. And so that's how the conference, how it started.
-And you were you were prepping it for a couple of years there was a lot of work
that went into this conference. -Well in my head I think was seven years, just as a
thought and then it was two years in in the mind, but I started talking about it
two years in advance. I was gonna do this and here's the thing, because when you're
doing something that is new and is big so this is for your audience sometimes
you'll have people doubt you because you haven't established that credibility for
something got me a big. To me the conference was big.
I had people face but like literally to my face in my face, who are you to do a
conference? But you don't have the background to do a conference like why
do you think you're gonna be good at this?
Don't you think this is gonna flop? -And how did you handle that? Because it's hard enough to
deal with your own voice saying who are you to do this, right? -Yes and I did have my own voice just so you
know I did have my own voice I had many times where I I got to the point where
it this is so big what if people don't show up what if then it's gonna look
terrible and then my reputation is gonna go down the line
and I had all those voices and I was like well I could just cancel everything
come up with some excuse and say that you know and just cancel. And then I
thought why did you want to do this in the first place Francesca? What was the
reason? And that was that the purpose and it got me out of that. Suck it up and do
it anyway even if one person shows up you will you will have that one person
so that's where that was the drive for that and how did I handle people being
negative? It was basically saying well I know I know what I'm doing,
I know what I'm capable of, if people show up show up if they don't
well they don't, but I know what I'm capable of
and I can't let someone else interfere with that.
-It really was an amazing conference
you know and it was full and I was there and the women were just I mean everyone
was buzzing with excitement and purpose and fulfillment and the speakers were
amazing and and you see I saw all these women being lifted up by being there and
it was you know seeing you on stage knowing that you did it and it was so
cool to see that how did that feel when you got up on stage? -Well that first day
the first day that morning I was I don't know if you were quite there at that
moment when I first when I first got on the stage the first day I thought I
would just talk and I got emotional. I started crying. And I said to
everyone I don't know why but I'm emotional because there was something
that I guess I had put so much thought behind it
it just meant so much to me and it's important to me that people get
something out of it. It's not about me and the whole conference is not about me
because that's what we have the speakers and it's about being able to help
someone else that may be in a situation similar or different but the feelings
are the same when you're going through a struggle, sometimes it feels like you can
never get out of it it just feels like it's bigger than the life and that
you'll never be able to get through it and the whole purpose is like, you can.
That's the reason. -It was really awesome. And so there's something I've been
wanting to ask you. So, you said that it was a one-time
thing. -I did. -Iit was a one time conference. -I did! -A little birdie told me that there's another one coming up. So what made you
change your mind to do this again? -Well you know, it was supposed to be a one-time event
and and I said it and I announced it that like take this one because I'll
never have it again and I remember on day two the the speakers cornered me
literally they put me in a corner, you have to do this again. And I said but that's not
the plan I. No, you have to do this again. just look at the lives you've
changed, look at the reaction, and I'm like I have to think about it. So I still
said no I was not gonna do it. And then so I thought about it and I keep thinking, yeah, no, I
don't know so I am doing it again. But it will be different, it won't be exactly
the same. So the focus will be a little shifted more towards entrepreneurship so
it is about unleashing a business, that's the theme for the next one. The first one
was on mindset because without that you have nothing.
So to me the two are one, like you can't be successful without a
proper mindset so they kind of marry each other. -Would you mind telling our viewers
when the conference is? -Oh! The conference is going to be on March 24th. Saturday,
March 24th 2018. -Perfect and tickets are available. -The tickets are
available you can go online to mywomensconference.com -And we're
gonna put a link below this video to make it really easy for you.
Check it out and even if you have to travel to get to Vancouver,
get your butt here and get to this conference it is amazing. So I'm really
excited that you're you're bringing it back to Vancouver. Now what is what is
your hope for this conference? What the attendees can take away? I
remember on the last one you you had talked about it having the one thing
that can change everything and I'm hoping to that with our interview today
that there's things our viewers can take away that is the one thing that can
change everything and I'm curious with your intention for the one coming up is
that the same or is there another theme that you have? -It is the same but, because the
theme is different, because the theme is business this time. The way the way I'm
tailoring it is so that no matter what your business is there is something
there going to be so many different topics that my hope is that not one
single person leaves without something that they can that they can really
implement right away in their business to move it forward, live forward,
live forward through your business. -Perfect, I'm really excited for it.
That's really cool and I and I just think that is so inspiring you
know because when you got that phone call that your home had burned down did
you ever imagine you'd be holding I mean not just one but two major major
conferences that get media, news attention all of that? -I had no clue I
didn't even know I was gonna have a dance studio and and actually before I
even open the dance to you I thought I was gonna go into image consulting
because I did have a certification on image consulting and and then changed my
mind but yeah yeah so it was like I'll be doing image consulting out that's
what I'll do and I started doing my plan and all that and then it was just like
that isn't it like no, I'm opening a dance studio, like where that come from?
Like I you know like it kind of kind of switched that like. -I mean you have to
listen to that calling, right? And your spirit and your soul. Now, we didn't
touch on something also really cool that you do and that's Shimmy Mob.
-Shimmy Mob, yes. -Could you tell our viewers a little bit about shimmy mob, cause I think
that's just so incredible. It's all over the world and it's...
-It is all over the world it's funny because that started as a one-time event
too. So that started when I had the studio and I decided to bring together some
teachers from different studios and do flash mobs and just around the Lower
Mainland so that we could dance. -I'll just pause you, that's what we refer to
Vancouver just the area the urban Vancouver we call the Lower Mainland.
-Sorry, and then what happened was as we were preparing to do these flash mobs
the point was to raise awareness and funds for... -And it was flash mobs of
belly-dancing. -Flash mobs of belly dance, and to bring awareness and raise funds
for shelters that give aid to victims of abuse and before I knew it it spread all
over the world so on that first year we had 35 locations instead of just a few
here in the first year. -In the first year? -Yes. -You like to go big when you do things.
-I didn't try to make it big, it did. And now we've surpassed over 200 locations and
it is it is worldwide it happens every year on the second Saturday of May and
anybody can participate. We have husbands that participate, we have children to
participate, we have friends that participate and the whole point is to
bring the awareness of where the shelters are, the local shelters as well
as the a new section that I've added to it is bringing awareness of what abuse
really is outside of physical violence because we all know about sexual sexual
abuse and physical abuse but there's a lot more to abuse that is not understood
or perceived as such which is which is as devastating if not more. So trying to
bring that awareness so you can prevent getting to this to the place where you
get physically abused and physically abused and so we're also gonna put a
link to shimmy mob below this video too because I think that's something you'll
want to check out and be part of it I mean it's a worldwide event so. -Yeah
and you don't have to know how to belly dance to join, it's made for anybody to join.
-I think it would be a lot of fun. Flash mob belly dancing. -We get you on next one.
-I know. I'm a little shy about shaking my hips but I'd love to try it.
So Francesca tell me how you work with people and how you help your clients.
-I like to mentor my clients. I don't like to call myself a coach. I'm more of a
consultant when it comes to looking at a business and breaking it apart and
really creating strategies for that specific business. Sometimes it's the
business that needs a strategy, sometimes it's the person,
sometimes it's both. And so I like I like to do that I work with women that is my
my heart that's where my heart is because I think women undervalue themselves they don't
see their potential and I do and tend to be... I'm a visionary as you can see, and I
have visions for my for my clients so when they don't have vision I help them
find one for them. So mentorship and one-on-one that is what that's where my
heart is right now. -And so how can people find you? We're gonna have links to your
events but if they want to find out more about you, what you do, what your services
are, where can they find you... -You can go to my website FrancescaAnastasi.com
and there you can see everything I do. -And we'll we'll link to
that below as well. -It's just my name -And check her out, I mean she's
amazing and I'm so glad that you came here today.
Now before we conclude I was hoping that there's something that if you could tell
our viewers today for that one woman who might be sitting there thinking that
everything's going wrong and I don't know how to pull my head out I don't
know how to succeed because everything's against me what's the one thing you
could tell her to do today that would really make a difference for her?
-I would say where you are right now is only temporary and knowing that fact just
find a big goal to to work towards because that's what will pull you out of
where you are now. Even if you're completely broke like I was, whether
you're homeless like it was, whether you're jobless like it was, there's
nothing that. You are bigger than any problem.
And any help is can be just a few clicks away on a computer or it's just an ask
away just ask somebody. You're not alone
-Thank You Francesca, that's really
inspiring. I'm really hoping that you were just as inspired as I was today and
if you were, please make sure to like this video give us a thumbs up and leave
a comment below and tell me what you found most helpful today and you know
check out Francesca. I would love for you to go check out her sites and check out
the conference and make sure to tell your friends and share this video
because I think this is a really important message for all women out
there and all entrepreneurs out there to know that they can do it. And if you have
more questions or need more help and I'd love to invite you to join me in the
Living Forward Facebook community that's where I come to you live each
week on 'After the Episode' and answer your questions about the topics we spoke
about here today and it's also a place where you can network get daily
inspiration and grow your business. All you have to do to join is go to
livingforwardcommunity.com, click the Join Now button, and I'll see you on the inside.
For more infomation >> Sterling Silver 18K White Gold Plated Adjustable Ring With Top Quality Zircon - Duration: 0:55. 
For more infomation >> No, the TSA says you can't carry these items onto a plane - Duration: 1:36. 
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét