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So what really is this freedom that we as solopreneurs are are striving for, is our end goal. What does it look like? How do we get it when we've seen a lot of messages from some of the, you know, bigger entrepreneurs out there who are earning their seven or eight figures and travel around the world and buy expensive cars and houses, we hear about financial freedom, we hear about lifestyle freedom, we hear about being your own boss. But as solopreneurs, I feel that the conversation is more around what's freedom for you and how do you get it? So that's what we're going to dive into in this episode. We're going to keep it more free flowing than usual, less of a structure to this. So let me know how you like it, and we'll get into that in just a minute. Ready to break free from the solopreneur struggle. This is the ease and impact thriving as a solopreneur Podcast. I'm Frankie Jay, a sofa a mum and an eight year solopreneur myself. Join me as I peel back the layers to a thriving online business without the guru hype or the burnout. I'm going to show you the proven strategies and tools that I use so you can build a sustainable digital business without sacrificing your well being. Let's get you thriving as a solo preneur.
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So welcome to ease and impact thriving as a solopreneur. I am your host, Frankie j and if this is your first time here, then make sure you hit that follow that subscribe button, because I'm all about giving you weekly inspiration tips, practical strategies that you can implement so you can create more impact with ease as a solopreneur or a coach. So I said today that we're going to talk about freedom and what that looks like. How do we achieve it? So I want to start by painting a little picture for you of what it looked like when I started. So when I started working online, working my first business, my in person workshops, a
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solopreneur or an entrepreneur who'd been in the game for years, asked me, what's your what's your end goal? And for me at the time, that end goal was, well, I want to have a side income. I want to have this is just going to be a side thing, you know, I'm not going to really, you know, it's not going to be too big or anything. I just, you know this, it's going to sit there, do it on the side. And I was working as a reporter for a news agency at the time. Then as I sort of got more into my business, I'm like, well, actually, no, I want this to be my sole source of income. Beyond that, I want this to be the sole source of income that supports my family, so my wife can stay home and take care of the kids when they're then when they're younger, and then going on from that, you know, I wanted to move to a location in New Zealand that wasn't dependent on my job, but it was at the location that we wanted to move to.
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And so through all these iterations, I guess
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freedom meant something different at each stage. However, the interesting thing that I didn't realize until later on was I was manifesting freedom, the freedom that I wanted in my core without even realizing it. And it was pointed out to me by an amazing friend, an amazing coach, just an amazing human Francis lamb, and I'm gonna have to have her on the show at some point. And I said to her, you know, I'm, I'm, I'm earning money and I'm taking care of my family, but I'm really not earning as much as I'm where I want to be. And she kind of looked at, sort of my values and my vision for my my business and my life.
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And it was two things that came up. I wanted to work maximum four hours a day, because that's what I was seeing the the big, you know, great stew, maximum three to four hours, moving two hours for some of them. And my other value, sort of was family. Family was my, my highest value. And she said, Well, the universe is giving you exactly what you asked for. You asked to work a maximum of four hours a day. Solopreneur, no va, just me, but your priority at its highest point is family. So you're getting that. And
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it was until I stepped back and I realized I was getting the exact freedom that I was asking for without even realizing it, because what I was being shown on social media was seven figure lifestyle, you know, big cars, big houses, only working three or four hours a week, three or four hours a day. Sorry, I was
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seeing that, but what it is that I wanted in my core was something different.
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And so I think
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this
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makes a chance for you to sit back and think, am I actually achieving the freedom that I want in my heart, in my soul, and it comes down to values. That's why I have to have Francis lamb on the podcast, because she's going to talk, I wanted to talk about values and what you value, I guess, almost externally, what you see in social media, like, yes, I want that
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is different to what you value deep inside you, and for me, top values, family surfing,
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freedom to be my own boss. No one can tell me what to do, when to do it, what to wear.
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All that kind of stuff, and to take off time whenever I want, and that's what I get every single day. I am literally getting the freedom that I want in my core every single day. And I think sometimes we forget that because we are fed so much on social media about a certain freedom lifestyle that most people put out, and that's great if that's their priority and that's that they value awesome, you know, awesome for them. So I think take a look at what you are actually getting in your life and what your values are. If you don't know your values, have to do this in an episode, but what are those three or four top of your priority list, and be honest with yourself. Mine's family and surfing. Sometimes it's surfing and then family, you know, like Be honest with yourself. What are those things you actually value? Cuz it may not be seven figures, a $2 million house, or whatever it is, what you think you should be wanting. What is it actually deep inside that you want? So that's the first thing to sort of look at in terms of your freedom, is maybe you just need to change the definition of freedom. It's not what you see on social media, it's what you see inside. I think the key thing to remember is, when you see these big entrepreneurs, they're great for inspiration.
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And you know, for me, I learned from James Webb more. I've followed Marie folio and Amy Porterfield for a time, and there's so many out there, right? I think we forget because we see them where they are now, not realizing that they, too, went through stages of freedom. So let's take because I know James Webb more, a bit more than the rest is James. Is probably I, I'm, I'm basing this on what I see. But his idea of freedom, probably, when he started, was to have his own business, right? And he did that. He started a bartending book, like starting your own mobile bartending business. So that was his idea of freedom, was, I'm going to be my own boss, you know? And then he went through his next stage, and then it was like, Well, I'm going to turn this into an online program around YouTube videos, because I learned video, and he learned, went to school for film, you know, and I'm going to turn this into a business that runs itself in terms of earning money on the, you know, Evergreen, that kind of stuff, right? That was his idea of freedom. Then it will have changed to all these iterations throughout his growing as a solopreneur into an entrepreneur that has a massive team of people, I think we forget because we see that end result, and we see them with their VAs and their teams and their, you know, houses and their systems, and we forget that that's where they are now, and that may not be where you are now. Don't get me wrong. Can still learn from these people amazing I am. I would not be where I am today if I hadn't been for people like James Wedmore. But the thing is that we get caught up in where they are now and forget that what? What is it that we want now, and what is the the freedom that we're striving for, and what is the freedom that's almost encoded in who we are, and maybe those values need to change, and that's work you need to do, but
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understanding what those values are now realizing that that that's where they were too. They didn't have the fancy vas. They were hustling 4080, hours a week, whatever it was, to get to where they are. And this also touches on the whole getting a VA to provide you with freedom.
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Totally it does. But I think people get so focused on I need to hire VA to do all the things that then they get into a bit of trouble paying this VA that they're not making money in their business, and they have to go back and find a day job in order to pay the VA to run the business right? I didn't hire a VA for the longest time, and I was in James's program who he actually talks a lot about hiring VA, and he's right. It does provide you with freedom, and it frees you up to do a lot of other higher level stuff in your business. I didn't hire it for the longest time, and I had my own mindset around this, but I think the things to remember you
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need to understand your business and what it is you want to do in order to hire a VA that's actually going to create that level of impact and create more ease in your life. Because if you're starting a business, and you don't really know the systems, the strategies, how things actually work in your business, and you hire a VA to do it, and they're relying on your guidance and leadership and expertise in order to implement what it is that you're telling to do. Then you're going to, and I see this a lot, tell them, oh, let's redo the website. And then you redo the website like, I don't know, let's actually do it again, because that's not right. And, no, I don't want to do that. I want to change this to be this. I'm going to rebrand my website. And then you do one thing. You would launch one product. Oh, that product didn't work. I'm going to go rehash a whole new product. Hold on a sec. I'm going to do a do that, and you keep bouncing around all these things, paying your VA to do all of these, these elements, when you don't have the clear picture yourself and you haven't learned the strategies and the elements you need to in order to effectively direct your VA. Now, don't get me wrong, like I said, I didn't hire a VA for the longest time.
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I had a whole mindset issue around it, and when I did it has it has made a big difference, because I'm like, You know what? I don't need to spend the time doing this. My VA can do that, but I'm able to recognize that because of the fact that I understand the strategies and how my business works and how systems work, right? And this was actually a conversation that came up in an accountability group that I'm a part of, and we were actually talking about how, you know, we forget that the big people have these lives that they started just like us, hustling in a little back room somewhere, trying to make things work right? And that's why we want to learn from them, because
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they know how the systems work. And so it's the fast track to us being able to implement those systems. But let's not forget, freedom is seasonal, almost. You're going to go through seasons in your life where freedom means something different to you, and freedom is going to be based on what's inside you, your core values, not what you see on social media, what you think true freedom or true success is. You need to redefine that for yourself, and it may not be the same as everyone else, and that is okay. Now there is one extra tip that I want to leave you with. Sometimes we get lost in not realizing that the universe is providing us exactly what we're asking for, because we get in states of busy so this is particularly relevant because I have family kids, right? And sometimes I'm like, there's just isn't enough time to do eight hours of work today or four hours of work today, whatever it is, because I have to do this, and you don't have to clean the yard, and I have to take the kids here, and I have to do this. And that right there is my mistake.
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Is using the words have to. So if you can, if you notice, when you say, Oh God, I have to do this today, and I have to do this today, take a step back, change that have to to get to,
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right? So
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I want to be my family. Sometimes you get frustrated, right? Because you just like, I don't have time for all the things, right? But if we sit back and go, Oh, actually, I get to take my kids to sport, I get to all of a sudden stop working and go to the assembly to see my kid win an award like I get to do these things. I don't have to do them. I get to do them because that is my value family. That is what the universe is providing me. Sometimes I just get lost in the noise. So if you enjoyed today's episode, I'd love to hear your comments about what you liked best, or your experience of freedom and what it means to you. Put it in the comments below. I love to read comments. Please share them with me so I can respond in person or personally to them all. Thank you so much for listening. Let me know how you like the format of this episode, and I will see you next week. Keep creating that impact with ease.
