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[00:00:00] Kc Rossi: Are you ready to scale your business in a way that's aligned with your soul and profitable? I'm Kc Rossi, a business and leadership coach. I've been a full-time entrepreneur for 30 years and love business. I help conscious leaders increase their impact and optimize their lives. Join me each week for tips and deep conversations on cultivating confidence, increasing your visibility, .
[00:00:28] Elevating your vibration and leading with purpose without burning out. Let's go. Hey Alison. Thank you so much for being here on the show.
[00:00:39] Alison Proffit: Thanks Kc. I'm excited to be here.
[00:00:41] Kc Rossi: I'm excited to be here. I love your personality for the couple of times we've been able to connect. We have a lot in common and I'm excited to kind of dig deeper and hear more about your story and what lights you up and, and all of the good things.
[00:00:56] Alison Proffit: Let's roll.
[00:00:57] Kc Rossi: All right, let's do it.
[00:00:58] So I want to first start off because I read in your info that you had four failed business launches, and I'm very curious about the magic ingredient that helped you catapult into the successful launch.
[00:01:12] Alison Proffit: Yeah, so it's sort of simple, which that's one of my acronyms. I like to follow the kiss method, but keep it soulfully simple as the way that I position it instead of the corporate, keep it simple, stupid.
[00:01:25] Really, it's pretty simple. I brought more of my heart and soul into it. And in the other businesses that I tried to launch. I felt like I kept looking outside for advice on like what the, what the magic recipe was like, what's the system, what's the process. You know, let me look at somebody else who's really successful and, and, and just mimic what they're doing.
[00:01:46] And even if it doesn't feel aligned, which often it didn't. And so this time around, I just thought, what am I good at? What do I love to do? I'm going to go do that. So what that looked like it wasn't let me go build a website. Let me go get social media going. Let me figure out all my marketing. What I did this time is I literally started to talk to people about my business and ask them questions.
[00:02:13] And get into sales conversations fairly organically, and then close those sales conversations right before launching profit coach successfully. I had just finished working in a sales position at constant contact for a year. And I had no sales experience prior to that position. And so learning sales is the thing that that's awesome.
[00:02:38] Kc Rossi: I definitely want to rewind because I think something that you hit on that often startups, I think go backwards is you said I didn't go and immediately do the website and do all the things and get like the expert framework and all of that. And I think that. That is the kind of the cart before the horse, you dove right into what a lot of people fear the most, which is sales, but such a big piece of that is the connection and the communication between clients and potential customers.
[00:03:09] So I would love it. If you could give a few tips on what that could look like for somebody that's. That sounds great, but I'm an introvert or that sounds great, but I have no clue. And so I'm, I'm constantly looking outside for the experts or, you know, this script, give me the swipe file and I'm going to feel secure.
[00:03:27] So what's your advice on that? Because I think sometimes there is this you know, push against the logical mind and having that swipe file. And then that heart wisdom where it's like, Your intuition and tapping into your joy and all of that. How do you combine that? What what's going to work for people in that arena?
[00:03:44] Alison Proffit: Yeah. So where I often say like first, and I think some people are gonna say, well, this of course, you're going to say this because you're a coach, but like, don't do it by yourself. So. If you're too close to it, myself included. Right? So the way that an intro, what I, I work with a lot of introverts actually.
[00:04:06] And so often what I'll say to them is, well, what does it feel like and what is in place when you feel really comfortable in a conversation? And start with what you're good at, right. And what has to be there for you to feel good. So often for an introvert, once I get them away from thinking about a sales conversation or their business, and really start getting into their true essence it's often.
[00:04:28] Well, I prefer one-on-one. I don't like doing big group meetings. Okay. Awesome. Well, what is it about those one-on-one conversations that feels easier? And then they start kind of unfolding what that, why it's easier for them. And then I ask, well, what, what does the conversation look like? And it's like, oh, well, we, you know, I usually will start talking about this and, and really I'll, you know, I won't talk so much about myself first.
[00:04:54] I'll maybe try to ask them a couple of questions so that I can kind of find my comfort in this conversation. And then, you know, it's like, That's how you start a sales conversation.
[00:05:05] That's a lot of clarity. I love that it breaks it down. I think it takes away this big, bad mystery of, oh my gosh, there's going to be this or that.
[00:05:13] Kc Rossi: Or it's going to feel pushy or sleazy. I love that you can just peel back the layers and get to the essence of what's going to make them comfortable because we know automatically the person on the other end of that conversation is going to feel our energy and feel comfortable with. Yeah, exactly. And one of the best tips that I, I love to remind people of is breathe.
[00:05:35] Alison Proffit: Like, let's do that right now, Kc. Cause I feel like, oh, have I, like, when did I take a deep breath last? I think it was 45 minutes ago. Right? Like, let's do it, you know, just like putting your hand on your heart and just breathing into your nose and. Holding that breath for a moment and then breathing it out.
[00:05:53] Like, even if you just do that one time and you can do that while you're on these calls with people, you can do that when you're in a room of like, you know, people at a networking event. And if you're doing those, if you're an introvert and you're like, I feel like I have to do. Awesome. First off, you're probably not the only person that's feeling that way in the room.
[00:06:12] So maybe go find that other introvert that's like looking like a deer in the headlights and be like, oh, would it be great if we took that breath together? You know? And it might be weird, but it's an icebreaker that figure, yeah. That doesn't require you to know how to do anything. Everybody knows how to breed.
[00:06:27] We it's the thing that keeps us alive, but we're not doing it intentionally often. So it's so interesting. Something that simple.
[00:06:36] Kc Rossi: Incredibly powerful, especially like I just visualized what a networking event would look like. If somebody came up to me, if I was like alone in the corner or waiting for my little round table to be filled and they're like, Hey, I'm so and so let's take a breath together that bold, brave move could have instantaneous.
[00:06:55] Connection and impact. So I love that.
[00:06:58] Alison Proffit: Yeah. Yeah, exactly. And then, so then the other piece of it for people that might feel like, well, I don't know, what am I going to say? What's the script I need the swipe file. So one of the things I do help people with is scripting. And the reason why we do scripting is because ultimately when you're in that conversation, you're not going to use the script, but the script is like a security blanket for your brain and your nervous system.
[00:07:24] And the whole process of the script is really to help you realize you already know what to say about this. You already know about your service and if you don't, you do have to start there. Right? What is it? I always say, like, to start a business, you don't need a website. You don't need social. You need to know.
[00:07:40] I don't like that word need, but like, these are things you need, right? You need to know what you're selling, right? Like, is it a package? Is it a, is it a product? And like, it's not, not 20 services. Like one. What is it you're serving. You need to know how to talk about it, and then you need a way to collect money.
[00:08:01] You can have a successful business with those three things, because then you could go out and take the action of having the conversations. Because the thing that makes us nervous is we don't have clarity on what we're selling, how we talk about it. And those two things, like if you're still struggling in your business, reach out to somebody that's going to help you with those two things.
[00:08:21] Kc Rossi: Absolutely. And I love the fact that you helped craft the script because one, it sounds like you're going to be able to pull out those personality, bits and core values. That's unique to the seller, which is going to be so very important. And I love too that we're not just saying. Because there is absolutely the need for that foundation and competence and security level as the base.
[00:08:46] And then that whole like interpersonal piece is layered on top of it. That's the secret sauce. That's where really that, that beautiful connection comes in. So I know Alison that and I, I know you referenced it in the, in the kiss, keep it soulfully simple. I love that. I love that tweak on, on that acronym.
[00:09:04] What does it mean to you to be a soulful entrepreneur?
[00:09:08] Alison Proffit: Hmm. It means sip your tea when you're thirsty. It really means alignment is the most important thing. Right? And so in order to have alignment, you have to understand what your values are. So it is starting from that place of really knowing your values and then looking at those values all throughout.
[00:09:30] Your decision-making process in life and business. And I also think that being a soulful entrepreneur means that integration of you, your whole self into your business. It doesn't mean letting your business consume yourself, but it does mean sharing your story. I've got people that I've worked with. They are leaving parts of their story out of their business because they're still healing around it.
[00:09:54] And that's totally fine. And you don't need to put all the dirty details about your story into what you share, but that's the connection thread. And so when you can, when you can share your story, not only does it end up being a part of your own healing, but it ends up being a part of the healing for other people too, because we can vulnerably put ourselves out there.
[00:10:17] Knowing that like, Hey it's still messy. And, but I, I radically accept myself and all the parts of my journey. I'm not ashamed of any of them because all of them are what made me, who I am today and who I am today is beautifully perfect. And I'm still on the path of like walking even further into that place of peacefulness in it.
[00:10:36] To me, that's what social entrepreneurship is and it, and it also means. Embracing the fact that it's messy, like I'm doing it this way today and something might change tomorrow and I'm not going to resist that change. It's not for me to fully understand and control. Like we are not in control. There is something bigger than us.
[00:10:54] I don't care what you call it. Source God, you know, spirit, your higher self. It doesn't matter. There is something more than just your logical self that is running the show. And when you move into that spiritual connectedness and realize that, like, you're not a spiritual entity by yourself, but we are a wholly connected spiritual entity.
[00:11:14] Yeah. Like that's just where I think when we can just let go and release and say, Hey, show me that. Let me tune in here. And I shared some personal things with you before this call. Some of those things that are happening in my world and my business right now. And it doesn't mean that it's not, you know, difficult, like sometimes uncertainty is difficult, but you can't be paralyzed by.
[00:11:37] Kc Rossi: And you can't and you have to take action. And, and on that note, because I think that, you know, globally, we have all experienced such tremendous challenges, both physically, emotionally, mentally, financially, spiritually. I mean, you talk about holistic, we've had holistic challenges. So what do you lean on in times of personal or career oriented bumps in the road?
[00:12:03] Like how do you navigate through those difficult times?
[00:12:06] Alison Proffit: Yeah. So for me there is, it's not isolating, but there is definitely getting quiet and peaceful with myself. So meditation, prayer, you know, pulling my Oracle cards, listening to guided meditations, it sounds fluffy. But the truth is, is that if we are so spun up in our nervous system and in our brain, we, we can't move into action.
[00:12:30] That's aligned. We're going to be doing it from this, like scarcity, your base place. And so for me, it does start with that. Like, if I'm noticing that I'm really anxious and worried and like, you know, stress and uncertain, like I get quiet and I tune in because the answers inside of us, which sounds kind of cheesy, but it's so true.
[00:12:50] And then I'll sort of pay attention to, okay. Show me the signs. Like, let me pay attention to. Who is it that I know that I feel called to, to reach out to right now. And when I can say that from a place of not being worried those answers always reveal themselves. And then I reach out to those people.
[00:13:08] I don't delay. I don't say I'm embarrassed. Right? It's like, oh, oh, I'm going to call Lori. Oh, I'm going to reach out to Amanda. Oh, I'm going to call ed. Right? Like whoever those people are. Those are people that I'm like currently reaching out to right now. So the names come to me. We all have those people.
[00:13:24] And if you don't and you're watching this, like consider me one of those people now I'm sure considered Kc, one of those people, like you at least have two people in this universe that you could reach out to that like could be your people. So figure out who your people are. Get quiet tune into who those people are.
[00:13:39] You don't even need to know what you're going to talk to them. You could just say, Hey, I'm going through some stuff and I need a space holder. I may not be looking for answers. I might be looking for answers. And so, and don't use those things as complaining sessions. I think it's like, yes, you want to vent and share what you're going through.
[00:13:57] But, but ask them to hold space for you because sometimes you may be able to actually reveal it through the conversation.
[00:14:04] Kc Rossi: I think that's awesome. And two things I want to underscore there. One is the getting silence you know, being still inside and cultivating that. That takes a level of discipline, especially in this very noisy, distracted online space, which many of our listeners are in other online entrepreneurs.
[00:14:25] So there is this kind of like, Double edge sword, if you will, where I need a presence for my business. And I also need the discipline on the flip side to cultivate that inner silence. I'm going to say three things because the other piece to that is even when you cultivate that silence. Leaning into self-trust is huge.
[00:14:47] So when that little voice comes up, that I have to call Amanda, I have to call Ed listen and trust that that intuition is guiding you in that proper direction. So that's huge, but I think the third piece, and I feel personally that we're even going to be needing to cultivate that at a greater capacity is a community.
[00:15:07] Having that sacred circle of trusted people that you can reach out to. And I think that we almost start to need are what I feel is gonna serve us is like start building these little playbooks, you know? So like when I need something, like here is my little personal playbook that works for me. If you were going to have to make a prediction for 2022.
[00:15:32] What do you feel is going to be on the horizon for that mission driven heart led entrepreneur in 2022?
[00:15:39] Alison Proffit: I think it is, you will flourish in community. My word for this year is four-ish. So I just came up with that. You a flourishing community, like it literally does flash in front of me as you ask that question.
[00:15:51] And I, and I think that what you said, like having that playbook and the community, by the way, doesn't need to be thousands of people like your community could be. For people, you know, your community could be 15 people. I think people, they, they, they, they think of community and then they consider themselves a failure when they don't have a certain metric or, you know, the number on the bottom of this thing.
[00:16:16] The truth is, is that you're making impacts. But if you're not taking action, because the numbers aren't showing you. A certain something, you're the one holding yourself back. And that's not a point of shame. It's a fact of, you're the one that holds the key to flourishing in community. And, and that's one of the things I'm sure you're going to ask this question.
[00:16:34] So I mean, maybe a little ahead of the game, but that's, you know, I'm, I'm running this soulful entrepreneur summit at the end of January and It's a, it's an event, but really it's more than an event. It is turned into a community. We did this event last year. It was really successful. And we really, the goal is to create a space where you can maybe find a segment of my community to come in and play in that playground with, and find your little playbook of people.
[00:17:02] And it's, it's, it's so important to feel connected, especially in the digital world. And, and it's important to ask yourself, Well, what is it about the digital world that you really resonate with and do those things? Don't do the things that don't resonate with you because they're going to drain your energy.
[00:17:20] They're going to stop your joy. That's one of my taglines is that joy is the best business strategy. So tune into what is it that brings you joy and what has to be in place. Maybe you hate doing your finances? Well, I bet there's other people that also don't like doing finances. So be in community with those people and commit to intentionally bringing joy to that process and do it
[00:17:42] Kc Rossi: or outsource it.
[00:17:45] But you are talking to me and it took me a while. Like I used to feel like it's oh no, to be a good business person to be an excellent business coach. I got to do all the things and, and, you know, especially have my finger on it. The metric. And when I let go of that and realized that. Just like you had said earlier on in the conversation, lean into your strengths and what's in alignment, where are you going to be lit up?
[00:18:08] Where are you going to have sustainability? And I was like, I can outsource this because this is someone else's joy, you know, crunching the numbers, like light somebody else up. So perfect. Here you go.
[00:18:18] Alison Proffit: Yeah. And I tend to work with a lot of earlier stage startup entrepreneurs and so they don't always have those resources to pay somebody else to do it.
[00:18:29] But that doesn't mean you have to suffer. The point is, is that figure out what you like to do? Do you enjoy working with other people? I do. Like I have ADHD, so having a body double for me. So powerful. So I like to use focus, mate. It's a really low cost solution. They have a free version too, where you can actually sign up for these coworking sessions and you're just matched with another human and you share what task you're working on and that 15 minutes.
[00:18:55] And then I am so productive in that time. But if I were to be on my own in those 15 minutes, you're not talking to them. They're just literally also they're working. There's like a commitment. Yeah. So like find the P find what works well for you. Like, I never give people a cookie cutter. Like here's the script on how to have a sales conversation.
[00:19:13] Here's how you run a successful business. It is your business. And so you have to figure out who, like, like who do you like working with? And like, what kind of things do you love doing and what do you like about technology tools? Like it took me a while to find a CRM because I needed it to resonate with.
[00:19:31] And I, and I had to put that whole decision on a shelf, which meant my business was running really inefficiently for a while, but I trusted that. CRM was going to just come across my path. Cause I was tired of being in the rabbit hole and then it did. Right. And, and so like you can find systems in a very intuitive based way.
[00:19:49] And when you, when you're not getting the answer cause I think tech can be this thing that winds up, right. Or it can, you know, all the different things in our business running our business can wind us up. So if you're wound up about it, maybe yes. Like identify, Hey, I'm gonna want to make a decision about this and I'm going to.
[00:20:08] Lean into this a little bit. And then if the answer is not coming to me, I'm going to walk away from it because sometimes when we walk away that space between working on it and walking away from it, that's where the answer comes to.
[00:20:19] Kc Rossi: It's so very true. And it's actually liberating because we do get to do it our way.
[00:20:25] We are the artist of our business. It's a reflection of our life, and I love that you brought in the core values piece. And so it's exciting. I mean, this is, I think a lot of why people get into business for that freedom and flexibility. And so bring that energy and enthusiasm and put your CEO hat on and celebrate the fact that you get to design this in a way that works for you.
[00:20:45] And there's not just one right way the right way is what's in alignment for you as the CEO. So yes, I am excited about the soulful entrepreneurs summit. So that's coming up January 24th to 28th, and we are recording this in 2022. So happy new year. Woo. What are you most excited about this amazing summit that is just right around the time.
[00:21:08] Alison Proffit: Oh, my gosh. I, my, just even thinking about it, my belly gets so excited. I have such a fire in my heart for this event. It's honestly the magic of the live event. It's not prerecorded. All live there's one track. So you don't have to figure out what do I, what I want to see this person. And, but I also want to see this person and they're at the same time, it's like, no, we've kept it simple.
[00:21:33] And, and the, the way that the event is structured, I think it all builds on itself. We start with mindset day and then we move into time and money. Which is really about the operation stuff we just were talking about. It's like, how are you spending your time? And are you soulfully aligned with your money and your money mindset and how you price your services and what you invest your money in on your business.
[00:21:54] And then we move into messaging day and then community day, and then five day five is holistic success. And I really just love how intentionally we've stacked the days on each other and how it all builds our speakers and panelists and sponsors. They're also amazing. I know I'm not giving like. Specifics because I really am so excited about every single component of it.
[00:22:16] And throughout the event it's not just panels and speakers, but we also do these we call them like experiential embodiment activities. So it's bringing in breath work and guided meditations and yeah. We've got one of our low and they're like little 15 minute segments. And one of them is like a moving from your head to your heart, through art.
[00:22:34] So she's going to be doing a little art activity with us in that 15 minute break that she's got. So and there's time built in. Yeah, like there's time built in for breaks that you can stretch your body and we play music and it's just such. Sun soulful curated event. That's about learning. It's about connecting.
[00:22:53] It's about, you know, kind of finding your community and And we've got a mighty network community. That's a part of it too. And there's already like magical engagements happening in there. So it's just, I'm excited about the whole thing. The opening keynote and the closing keynote speaker, people that have had a profound impact on my own life and business.
[00:23:11] And so to be able to have our event book-ended with these people who are really powerful forces in and of themselves, but they've also personally affected me. Is just such an honor. I feel weepy. Actually. I feel a little, it sounds so magical.
[00:23:28] Kc Rossi: And just share with our listeners. Is this online in person or a hybrid?
[00:23:33] Alison Proffit: Yeah, it's an online virtual event. And so it's all just conducted on zoom. You know, we've kept it soulfully simple knows no crazy technology tools that you need to download or use everybody uses zoom. So that's what we use. There are some decisions I have in my heart for doing some things with the sole entrepreneur community in person later on this year, but I'm waiting for those things to reveal, but this is all all work.
[00:23:59] Kc Rossi: I love it. And so both times that we have chatted and especially even when you're talking about the summit, you can really feel your passion. I love that. You said that you, you know, there's like a fire in your heart cause you feel that. And so I would love it as we start wrapping up. I would love your wisdom on if we have a listener right now that feels a little disconnected to their passion.
[00:24:20] If they have kind of their lights a little bit dim, right at the moment, what is something that they can do to re-ignite. That passion within.
[00:24:29] Alison Proffit: Ooh. So I, I would say, you know, like come into the soulful entrepreneur community, it's free. So if you're like, I don't really have money to spend, like, there's, there's a free ticket that gets you access to the community.
[00:24:41] And watch the panel conversation that, that, that we recorded yesterday. It was very inspiring because we had one of our panelists started her business a year ago. One of them started in 2012 and the, the arc of the story. Can be really, really a great reminder to know that like you're not alone and it's not a straight line.
[00:25:03] It is a journey, right? I mean, who wants to walk a straight line in a forest? Nobody you want to walk a line in a forest that follows the stream and a stream is, you know, cause you can hear the babbling Brook and that's not a straight line. Right? And so just remember, it's not a straight line connect with people, listen to the stories of other people who are walking the journey to and, and, and reach out.
[00:25:25] Like, if you're like, who do I reach out to reach out to me? Like, I'm not gonna have a sales call with you. I want to get to know you. And just recognize that like, you're not alone. Like Kc said, I, I failed in my business four times. You know, the hierarch of that story is like between 2017 and 2019.
[00:25:39] When I started my business, I moved nine times. I was let go from four jobs. I had four failed businesses. I changed careers twice. I got a divorce. Like I've walked through fire for this fire to like burn in my heart. So like, you're just not alone. And, and, and just remember that, and don't suffer by your.
[00:25:58] Kc Rossi: Yeah, absolutely. What a beautiful Testament to just harnessing all of those trials and tribulations, and really, truly bringing them to who you are right now. And I love that analogy of the fire. Like you had to walk through the fire in order to just kind of have a little bit of that re-ignition because most of the time that's where our true lessons are, is like right on those coals.
[00:26:22] And then afterwards, like, The space in between. So, yeah. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. I'll make sure to put the link for people who want to register for the soulful entrepreneurs summit in the show notes, you're an absolute pleasure and I would love it. If you could leave our listeners with one last nugget of some bright light wisdom before we do.
[00:26:44] Alison Proffit: Oh man. You know, joy is the best business strategy and your values are the coordinate points to that joy. And your intuition is the GPS to get you.
[00:26:57] Kc Rossi: Amen sister, you're speaking my language all the very best to you. And until we meet again, breathe joy.
[00:27:05] Alison Proffit: Thanks
[00:27:05] so much.
[00:27:07] Kc Rossi: I hope you enjoy today's episode. I know you have a ton of choices of where you spend your time, and I appreciate you taking a little part of your day to tune in.
[00:27:16] If you love the podcast, you can share your thoughts at love, the podcast.com. Slash brilliance. And I wanted to share what the VEVE USC from the U S. She says five stars love her podcast. Casey does a phenomenal job of bringing her listeners in and sharing truly impactful messages that help them move from being stuck to taking action.
[00:27:43] So they can be the female powerhouses. They really are. That's awesome. We have so much untapped potential inside of us. And I love that this podcast can be a spark of inspiration for you to be able to truly embody that truth. Again, if you want to share your feedback, head over to love the podcast.com/brilliance.
[00:28:09] Thank you.
