Top 5 Factors That Separate Successful Entrepreneurs from the Rest (#75)

Episode 75 is a huge milestone! Many podcasters quit before reaching this point, but I stuck with it—because success comes from action, not just great ideas. 

Today, I’m sharing the top 5️⃣ factors that have driven my success as an entrepreneur. Plus, you’ll hear wisdom from some of the amazing women in my Successful Working Women Rocking Reinvention Facebook community.

Here’s what you’ll learn: 

🔹 Discipline Creates Freedom – Structure your time, set boundaries, and train your mindset for success.
🔹 Run Your Own Race – Stop following what works for others and embrace what fits YOU.
🔹 Hold Your Boundaries – Say no to what drains you and yes to what fuels your business.
🔹 Flex Your Resilience – Failure isn’t the end—it’s part of the journey.
🔹 Have Fun – If you’re not enjoying the process, it’s probably time to shift.

You don’t need perfection—you need action. So what’s one change you’ll make today to move forward?

🎧 Listen now and then go write your success story! Has this show been helpful for you? Send me an email and let me know: karin@karinfreeland.com. I’d love to hear how this show has impacted your life through these first 75 episodes.  

If you're looking for additional support through coaching, visit my website to learn more about working together and my signature program EDIT Your Life™: www.karinfreeland.com/life-coaching

Then book a call here!

Not ready for coaching? Get a copy of my self-help book: Grab Life by the Dreams!

Transcript

Karin Freeland: 0:00

Welcome to Rock Your Reinvention, where I help high-achieving career women like you get unstuck, make your corporate exit strategy, and successfully transition to your next chapter. Hi, I'm your host, Karin Freeland, a certified life coach and corporate exit strategist. Whether you want to start a business, become a speaker, or something else, I'm here to give you the tools and strategies to shift your mindset, build your confidence, and take bold actions so you can rock your reinvention. Ready? Let's go. Today is our 75th episode of Rock Your Reinvention. Ah, crazy. That is a huge milestone because a lot of podcasters give up before they achieve 75 episodes. But not me, because I know you're here showing up every week looking for great content, so I will not leave you. I thought for today, because I wanted this episode to be a little special, a little different, I'm going to reflect on what has made me successful up to this point in my career. But before I dive into my official tips, I want to remind you that I had to start by taking messy action. Yeah, I had to buy a microphone and it was not the one that I'm using today, right? I just bought the cheapest thing I could find on Amazon. I had to have the confidence to press record. I had to hire someone to help me edit my show, right? There was an investment that needed to be made. You don't become successful by sitting around thinking about it, dreaming about it, or trying to be perfect. And if y'all go back and listen to some of those early episodes, whoo, that sound sucked. Like the audio was bad. But at least I was taking action. At least I was putting it out there. And that's what you need to do now. And hopefully these tips I'm going to share with you today are going to help you more confidently take the action that you need to take. I'm also going to be sharing some wisdom from a few of the amazing women who I admire in my Facebook group community, Successful Working Women Rocking Reinvention. Really excited that they wanted to be a part of today's episode. So the first thing that I believe has made me successful is discipline, discipline, discipline. Yes, I needed to say it three times. My coach, because yes, I have a coach, taught me that discipline is a counterintuitive concept. I went into entrepreneurship for freedom, not to have a rigid schedule every day. But having discipline is actually the thing that affords you all of that freedom. The first time I heard that I thought my head was going to explode because it actually started to make so much sense. The more structure I could have within this flexible schedule, the more freedom I could actually enjoy. And the first place we need some discipline is in your schedule. I'd been trying to do the four-hour work week and working just like, oh, when I felt like it, when I was inspired. But I needed a strong system in place so that I could run my business even when I didn't feel like it and still have the freedom and flexibility that I craved. So I started by blocking out my personal time first. And you can do this in your calendar as well. You know, I put in the time to take the kids to school, time to work out. time for watering the garden in the summer, picking up the kids from school, going to women's Bible study every Tuesday morning. All those things go into my schedule first, and then I schedule my business activities around it. My coaching calls with clients, my potential discovery calls with clients, you know, clients who may want to sign up. My marketing, recording podcast episodes, looking at my finances and planning. All of that has to fit into those regular business hours around my personal commitments. And I leave Friday through Sunday open for me and my family. And there's very little structure on those days. It's kind of like whatever needs to get done, whatever we've got going on. And it's so freeing not to be overscheduled on the weekends. Because again, that discipline that I run my business with Monday through Thursday allows me to have time off for friends and family. Here's the thing. You have to actually stick to the schedule once you set it. It's not discipline just to schedule the time and then do whatever you want, okay? So make sure that if you don't already, you start to build some discipline into your schedule. But that's not the only place you need discipline. You also need discipline of thought, and that is your mindset. Listen to your thoughts. Really listen. Every time a doubt, a fear, or self-sabotaging belief creeps in, I want you to catch it and flip it. Replace it with the empowered version and repeat it until it sticks. Discipline in this way gives you more freedom. Freedom from the fear of failure, from financial stress, from feeling stuck in a life you don't love. And it all starts in your mind. One of the most powerful disciplines you can master is controlling your thoughts because everything begins right there. So what's one discipline you want to embed in your life from this moment forward? This is a great place for me to share our first tip from the Successful Working Women Rocking Reinvention Facebook community. And it comes from Elise Coulson, who is a business mentor for Done For You service providers. And she said the number one thing is not being afraid to fail. Because more than likely, it might. But that doesn't stop her from taking action. If you want to be successful, the fastest way to get there is failing faster. Eliminate the need for everything to be perfect. Failing is growth and allows you to make better, more effective decisions going forward. Couldn't agree more, Elise. Thank you so much for sharing that tip. Now, the second thing I want to share with you that I believe has made me successful is to run your own race. This means not trying to be like others and running your business or your career or your life the way you want to do it, not what you see others doing. And I know this can be hard to resist because sometimes we don't know where our ideas start and someone else's ends. It takes a lot of discernment and listening to your body's signals to really determine if something is a fit. But most of us don't take enough time to sit with those things before we take action. Some of the things I've decided aren't a fit for me, dancing on TikTok or pointing at words that pop up on the screen on Instagram. Remember that old chestnut? That was like such a big fad for a while. Using every trending audio, creating a digital program, right? Just because other life coaches are running their business that way doesn't mean I have to do that. But it's not just the obvious outward facing marketing tactics that I've jettisoned. What about the fundamentals of others' business models? I was perfectly content being a boutique life coaching firm. And then I started letting a lot of voices get into my head. And they kept talking about growth and becoming a seven-figure entrepreneur. And I really started to doubt myself. I started feeling like my business wasn't good enough. or I wasn't a real business owner if I wasn't making more money. But newsflash, not every entrepreneur wants growth. And I am finally okay with really owning my business strategy. And there's something so freeing when you stop comparing yourself to others and you start running your own race. So food for thought, what's one action you'd stop If you decided that from today forward, you were going to run your own race or maybe one action that you'd take, this is your permission to go for it. And the wonderful Patti Kilmer, who's been on this show before, she's the owner and expert resume designer at Epic Resume Design Plus. She had a tip and said, believe in yourself and don't give up. Surround yourself with those who appreciate and support you. And it's so simple, but it's such a great reminder to pay attention to your network. Allow them to lift you up and to support you. Let them be your sounding board. But at the end of the day, even when you get that input, remember to go back and do that gut check for yourself, right? Believe in yourself and take the path that feels best for you. Awesome tip. Thank you, Patty. Okay, the third one I want to share with you that I know has contributed to my success. is hold your boundaries. You know, when I first started my business, I made myself super available. I mean, I had evening discovery calls with people. I took calls on Fridays. I would overpack my schedule. And like, geez, sometimes it just felt like, wait, I'm right back in corporate. Like I might as well have stayed in there. I've called all day. I'm exhausted by the end of the day. And it was really starting to drain me and even make me resent my business a little. So I started to trust myself more and I began saying no to nights. I took all my evening options off of my calendly. I stopped doing workshops or free webinars at night. I stopped working after 3 p.m. and I would decline calls and discussions after that time. I said no to clients that I knew weren't really a fit. And that's a hard one, especially when you feel like, oh, I need the money. Why am I going to say no to this money? But you have to protect your mindset as well. You have to protect your time and your energy and hold those boundaries. You know who you can serve. You know who you're made for and meant to work with. But now, because I've held these boundaries, I enjoy my work so much more. I get to stick with the clients who are in my sweet spot and who I know are motivated to get the work done and truly want to change. I've had to realize that I can't save everyone, especially the people who don't want to be saved. And I wish that I had learned that earlier, but my ego and my scarcity mindset definitely took a little longer to get in check. So the question for you is what boundary do you need to set and hold in your life? I'm sure there's something, whether it's in your career, whether it's in your relationship. You know, I've had to have some hard discussions with my husband and talk to him about why he can't call me any hour of the day just because I'm not in a corporate job and I'm not in an office and I'm not on back-to-back calls doesn't mean that I'm not busy during the day. And that was a boundary that I had to learn to hold with him. And the wonderful Kathy Feather, who is a business and lifestyle strategist at Kay Feather Solutions, shared a beautiful quote in our community. And she said one of the things that's made her really successful is this quote, be bold enough to use your voice, brave enough to listen to your heart, and strong enough to live the life you've always imagined. You've got it in you and can recognize when you need help. Being brave and strong allows you to know when and how to ask for help. What a great reminder that we don't have to do this all on our own either, ladies, right? There are people around you who can support you and help you when things do get challenging. And they will, right? I mean, that's just the nature of when we do something different. There will be challenges, but it's nothing you can't face. Okay, the fourth thing that I believe has made me as successful as I have been is flex your resilience. Hands down, resilience is the biggest key to success. It's not being brilliant, okay? It's not being a savvy marketer. It's not having the biggest network or the best product. There are lots of people who have crappy products and they're very successful. You know why? Because it's Resilience. And I know firsthand that being resilient is the number one critical quality that has allowed me and continues to allow me to be successful. Why? Because there are so many times I could have given up and I even wanted to give up a few times. A few told me to give up. They were like, hey, maybe you should quit. But I didn't. And maybe you don't believe me and you're like, yeah, yeah, Karin. Okay, that's what they all say. But let me give you a few examples. I remember with my first book, The Ins and Outs of My Vagina, which was my tell-all memoir. If you're hearing this title for the first time, you're like, what, what? Check it out. It's really funny. Won some awards. But when I first started sharing about the book, I was looking at the numbers and this reporting system. And I was thinking like, oh my gosh, I sold 4,000 copies this year or this month. Like, oh my gosh, I just sold 300 copies today. And I would wake up first thing in the morning. I would check the numbers and I would run in. I'd be screaming all around the house. Oh my gosh, it's happening. It's happening. My dreams are coming true. And then a friend who also had his book published by the same person even though we were self-published, like they did the cover and they did a lot of the backend stuff. Anyway, calls me and he's like, Karin, I don't really know how to tell you this, but I think you're reading the numbers wrong. And it turns out that what I was putting into the system on the backend was giving me all the books published under this one gentleman and not only my book. And I was crushed. Y'all, I cried so hard. I was like, oh, I've only sold like a fraction of what I thought I sold. And it was so heartbreaking. And I was so embarrassed because I had shared so many of those numbers like on social and been like, oh, my gosh, I just sold this many books. And I just remember feeling like, oh, my gosh. Maybe I wasn't cut out for this. Maybe I should stop. Maybe I don't want to ever talk about this book again. And it was just it was a really hard moment for me. But I didn't give up. And I have not sold as many copies as I would like to. But you know what? The ones that have read it have loved it. And so it's worth it. I remember when I launched a program called Success Without Sacrifice. And I was so excited. It was my first group program and it was really geared towards women who were in corporate and they wanted more balance and they just, they wanted success, but they wanted to do it on their terms. And I launched the program and I put out all the marketing and I'm like, this is going to be so great. And no one signed up. No one signed up, not a single person. And I remember being so crushed. And I was like, you know what? That's okay. I'm going to do it again. I'm going to launch it again. I'm going to launch it better. I'm going to do it different. And guess what happened? No one signed up again. Now I did run it a couple of other times and I successfully got people to enroll and it was great. And we had an amazing group and program, but You know, there were two times that I launched this and got no one. And that was really hard. I could have totally just been like, well, screw it. I'm done. This is over. I'll go back to corporate, whatever. But I didn't. Every time I jumped back up, took another step forward toward my goals. I didn't focus on my failures or dwell on them for too long. Right. I acknowledged it. Sometimes cried my heart out, but I always gleaned what learnings I could. And then refocus the tasks at hand. And I know if you tap into your resilience, you'll experience more success in your life and career too. You know, I just think about all that I would have missed out on if I gave up in those early days and all the lives that I would not have touched. And I'll just give you a quick example. This happened to me last week. After I was on Fox Carolina, you know, I have a monthly mindset segment that I do every month. And after I got done with my news segment that day, I got a message on Instagram from someone that I didn't know. And she said, good morning. I just saw you on Fox Carolina and I just wanted you to know you helped me see what it is I need to do going forward. You have a follower for life now. Keep it up. And I just about fell out of my chair. That's never happened to me before. No one has ever reached out to me and said, I saw you on the news. And I was just like, wow, this is working. I am having an impact on people's lives. And whatever it is that you want to go do, you are going to have an impact too. You just have to take the first step. And I love this because one of my dear friends and business entrepreneurs who has become a friend, Kim DaSilva, she is a marriage mentor for women and the host of the podcast, Language of Relationships, said, one of the biggest factors in my success has been persistence, something rooted in my faith. Often there's the temptation to quit and choose an easier path. But every time there's that steady voice reminding me to keep going and and to serve a greater purpose. And we do, we all serve a greater purpose. The last tip that I wanna share with you today, the fifth thing that I think has made me as successful and resilient as I have been is have fun. We only get one life. So if you're not loving your work, it's time to infuse it with some joy, make a pivot or kick it to the curb. OK, I don't care whether you're a VP at a Fortune 500, the CEO of your own business, a teacher, a stay at home mom or whatever label you give yourself. There's always a way to have fun doing your work. Now, do I have fun in my business 24 seven? Like, no, of course not. OK, but 95 percent of the time I'm having fun. I'm enjoying the journey. I like I'm enjoying this right now. This is fun for me to record a podcast episode for you. And that's one of the reasons that I have so much resilience and why I have so much discipline. It does sometimes make setting boundaries hard because I want to be able to help the next woman or be on that next podcast as soon as possible to get my message out. I want to do that book signing and squeeze in that networking call. But if I want to be able to keep doing this fun business and living my fun life, I can't risk the burnout. Not gonna do it. So having fun is actually the glue for me that holds everything together. Are you ready to start having fun again? I'd be willing to bet you're more ready than you realize. And sometimes we have to actually experience it to realize just how possible it is. Trust me, when I was in my soul-sucking corporate career, And I was stuck and I was miserable. I was like, have fun. Yeah. Okay. That's not something that adults do. Okay. I haven't had fun in my life in like five years. And no, how could I have fun at work? And now I'm like, I can't believe I wasted that many years in corporate. I should have left so much sooner. I get to have so much fun. I had no idea that this kind of lifestyle was even possible. That's why sometimes you just have to jump in. Okay. So as a quick recap, the five things that have made me successful once I decided to take action, because that's the first step, is discipline, discipline, discipline. That is a non-negotiable. You cannot run a successful business or have a successful career and balanced life if you do not have discipline. Running my own race. You're wasting way too much time looking what everybody else is doing. It doesn't matter. And you don't know what's going on behind closed doors. So that person who's at the C-suite and they look like they're having it all together and their marriage is crumbling, like, you want that? No, you don't. You don't want that. So run your own race. Hold your boundaries. Flex your resilience. And when all else fails, just please have some fun. Life's too short to take it too seriously. Plus, today you got to hear from some of my amazing members in our Facebook community and what's made them so successful. So now you get to go write your own success story. Well, that does it for the 75th episode of Rock Your Reinvention. Thank you for being here with me and being open to trying some of these tips in your life. If this show has helped you in some way, shape, or form, I would love to hear from you. Will you send me an email? Karin @karinfreeland.com. Don't forget it's Karin with an I. K-A-R-I-N. Karin@ karinfreeland.com. And tell me which episode and tip resonated most. That would really mean a lot to me. And until then, here's to the next 75 episodes.