Breaking Free: Twenty-Nine Mindset and Behavior Shifts that Helped Me Raise Over a Million Dollars to Build the Company of My Dreams
Henry Ford is the inventor and business magnate that transformed the automotive industry by introducing the moving assembly line to car production. And so we can especially appreciate the beauty of this quote that he has often been credited for saying : “If I had asked my customers what they wanted they would have said a faster horse.” It reminds us that while customers (in particular) and people (in general) may know the details of their problems, they may not always be aware of the solutions. When someone ask me how I have managed to raise money to fund my education and then my business, what they are really asking me for are my contacts. They want me to give them access to “the people with money.” Or they want me to email them the “money form” or the “special database” with all the pots of gold attached. But is this the solution?
While raising money (or attracting it) is about relationships and who you know, it’s about so much more. It’s about how you think about yourself. It’s about what you think about others. And it’s about the footprint you want to make in the world. No one ever wants to hear that part (LOL). Instead, they scream “show me the money.” The truth is this: Even if there was a magic database or a special list, without the right mindset and behaviors, it’s so easy to “fumble the bag.” I know from personal experience. (And to be honest, I’m still working on how to keep it. That’s another skill and different post for another day. But I digress.)
As you wait for those exclusive connections and that introduction to the right person, consider these twenty-nine mindset and behavior shifts. These are my secrets, lessons I have cultivated over a 30-year period. Some of them I learned early on while selling cookies, cakes and lemonade as a child on the schoolyard or front porch. Others I learned from being one of only a handful of students to benefit from having a sponsor pay for my high-school tuition while attending an exclusive boarding school. I learned even more lessons while securing the kind of dollars that allowed me to attend college and graduate school through scholarships and fellowships, not having to pay a dime for my own tuition. (I did, however, take out student loans to cover the cost of five of my children’s daycare expenses while I went to school tuition free). Finally, I learned even more lessons while raising over a million dollars to build and grow my small business, the social venture of my dreams, without incurring any debt or giving away a portion of my company. These lessons are better than any list of contacts I can offer you. If you follow what’s here, you will be able to generate your own list and accomplish your own “impossible” financial goals…It’s always sweeter that way.
Build something bigger than you. No one cares about your widgets. People care about the impact of your widgets.
Consider this quote from the Go-Giver. “Does it make money?’ is not a bad question. It’s a great question. It's just a bad first question…The first question should be, ‘Does it serve? Does it add value to others?” Be intentional about the value you bring to the world.
No one is really self made. Rally entire cities around your vision.
Move with integrity. Your credibility is better than an 850 credit score.
Trust yourself. Your way of doing things is as good as anyone else’s.
Surround yourself with people who will cheer for you and the mission louder than you will.
Always say “please” and “thank you.” Everything in life is about relationships, especially business so treat people with respect. Don’t take them for granted.
Imagine what a comfortable, satisfying and pleasurable life will be. Create a plan that matches that vision.
Ask for what you want. More important, believe you deserve it.
Make sure your actions align with your plan.
Have a system in place for coping that matches the mission — not sabotages it.
Keep learning: Read beyond your degree. Ask a million questions, and then ask one more. In other words, become a sponge.
Listen with humility.
Spend time reflecting on, strategizing about and/or revising both your dream and your plan…daily.
Invest in yourself. No one will invest in you if you don’t.
Be an ambassador of your dream. Tell anyone who will listen about your mission.
Build a brand before you build a company.
Surround yourself with people who will not only cheer for the mission but fight for the mission.
Get comfortable with being the villain in a chapter of your kids’ story so that you can be their hero throughout the series.
Runaway. Disappear for months so that you can bring something good back.
Buy yourself flowers, light a candle, burn incense. Make yourself feel beautiful, valuable and at ease while you’re writing and negotiating for money. It will increase your confidence, help you think, and allow you to connect from a comfort not desperation.
Create a work environment that reflects where you’re going, not where you are.
Hire a coach.
This sh*t is hard. Breathe through it.
Remember this: You have a solution to offer the world. You do everyone a disservice if you don’t make it to the finish line. Keep going.
“Don’t flail.” No matter how desperate you may think you are, hold it together. Stick to the script, and stay the course.
Don’t act like your circumstances. Act like your vision.
Don’t fake it until you make it. Make it until you make it.
These are the shortcuts. There are no quick routes.
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ABOUT THE BLOGGER
Dr. Sagashus Levingston is an author, entrepreneur and PhD holder. She has two fur babies, Maya and Gracie, six children (three boys and three girls), and they all (including her partner) live in Madison, WI. She loves all things business, is committed to reminding moms of their power, and is dedicated to playing her part in closing the wealth gap for people of color and women. She believes that mothering is a practice, like yoga, and she fights daily to manage her chocolate intake. The struggle is real, y’all…and sometimes it’s beautiful.
Follow her on Instagram and Facebook @drsagashus