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Last Updated on April 20, 2023
Welcome to the Success with Soul Podcast! When it comes to growing a business, it can become overwhelming to search for resources that will help you move the needle. That is what Incubator client Ximena Borges discovered, and what led her to ultimately make a business coaching investment. And it paid off! In this episode, Ximena shares about her inspiring work (a must-listen for parents especially!) and the power of taking imperfect action. You just might be inspired to invest in yourself and business, too!
Table of Contents
Have you ever been caught in a vicious circle of doubting and questioning a decision? In business especially, that circle can lead you farther and farther away from taking any action at all. Whether it comes to implementing something new in your business or even starting a new business at all, that perfectionism and hesitancy is all too common.
But what if I told you that you don’t have to outline a perfect, fail-proof plan before taking action? I like to call it “taking imperfect action.” When you have all the ideas, you actually have to start putting one foot in front of the other. Then, down the road, if you have to correct course, you correct course! And then you keep implementing what you have learned.
Taking imperfect action is a scary and uncommon idea. Most of the time we feel like others demand perfection. But the truth is that nobody is actually able to achieve perfection, and especially not the first time trying something. Allowing that fear to paralyze you is worse than launching something that needs improvement!
This is exactly what Incubator client Ximena Borges learned during her time in the Incubator and it is the motto that she is taking with her as she and her business partner, Margo Keller, expand their business, Juliet and the Elf.
An opera singer and musician by trade, Ximena knew when her son was born a few years ago that she wanted to share her love and appreciation for music with him. But Ximena wasn’t putting on Baby Shark or even Baby Einstein, but rather, music that she likes to listen to and that she knows will actually complement his brain development stages. From jazz and Duke Ellington to, as he grew, the Beatles and Corinne Bailey Ray, Ximena knows from her studies that she doesn’t have to go mad listening to Baby Shark over and over again – AND, she’s doing her son’s brain a favor, too.
It was from this passion that Juliet and the Elf was born, and Ximena and Margo embarked on a mission to help other parents learn about music’s power during their children’s brain development stages, from helping their child sleep to knowing how and when to stimulate them with the right music.
A strong vision and two brains investing in the business got Ximena and Margo as far as they could with Juliet and the Elf, but they were facing challenges in decision-making, taking action, and growing their business. So they decided to take the plunge in making a coaching investment by signing up for the Incubator.
If you’re anything like Ximena, you might know what it feels like to have different parts of your business that you can’t figure out how to connect. Maybe you have tried, like Ximena, to look for courses on SEO or email marketing or listening to podcasts and reading blogs to learn the skills you needed, but the time spent scavenging around the internet to find the right resource was more work on top of running a business! Plus, finding business coaching for creatives isn’t always a walk in the park.
For Ximena, nothing was really sticking and moving the needle. She was craving to have an expert to bounce ideas off and help her and Margo know if they were even taking the right action steps to grow their business.
When Ximena and Margo decided to take the plunge and sign up for the Incubator, they were relieved to find a mastermind where all the resources they needed, plus coaching and feedback, were all in one place. They got guidance on how to connect the different parts of their business and clear feedback on what ideas to try implementing. But most of all, Ximena walked away feeling empowered about taking imperfect action and letting go of fear.
While Ximena admits that she will be paying off the financial investment for the Incubator for a few years, the wealth of support and knowledge that she gained in just one year of business coaching was worth every penny.
At Success with Soul, we are all about “woo”. We’re not just here to tell you how to make money and the steps to do so (although that’s definitely one part of it!). Instead, we are passionate about empowering women to live holistic, balanced, empowered lives in every aspect.
But sometimes the time and work that this inner work takes is overwhelming. And when Ximena first signed up for the Incubator, she wasn’t in a season to take that time for herself. With a growing newborn and business, all she had capacity for was to learn and implement the practical business advice.
Now, she is in a different season and embraces the power of woo in her personal and business life. And you know what? Her journey is completely normal! As women, we are accustomed to seasons and cycles, some for rest and creativity, others for hard work and focusing.
Do you resonate with Ximena in any way? Whether you are tired of scouring the web for helpful resources and want to have a one stop shop for growing your business or you want to learn how to live a more holistic and balanced life, Success with Soul is here to support you.
If you are ready to make a business coaching investment, then join us starting April 24th! We are hosting an Incubator 4-day live challenge where you and other entrepreneurial minded women will challenge yourselves to invest in and grow your business, all with support from our team. Learn practical skills in live webinars to scale your business and put what you learn into practice!
If you’re ready to take your business to the next level, learn best SEO practices, achieve your goals, and join a community of women taking inspired action, then put the challenge on your calendar today.
Sign up at: successwithsoul.co/challenge
Thanks so much for listening in this week! If you enjoyed this episode, here are some ways you can join our Success with Soul movement:
Although the financial investment may seem daunting, the payoff of investing in a coach or program that can truly equip you to make impactful changes in your business is worth it. You either invest precious time into searching for “free” or cheap resources, or you can invest your time into learning how to sustainably grow a business.
The Free to Focus Planner by Michael Hyatt is a companion to his book, Free to Focus. With it, you can block your work and be guided through productive, focused work flows.
Too often the fear of launching something “imperfect” keeps us from launching or starting anything at all. At Success with Soul, we believing it is more powerful to take imperfect action and course correct based on what you learn than waste time trying to perfect something before launching.
Bront'e Singleton 0:00
Hey, this is Bront'e Singleton, current client and student of the incubator, the most amazing program that I've ever been in in my entire life. I just wanted to take a moment to share how amazing this program has been for me, my mindset, my business, my progress, and the wins that I've had since joining the program. So since joining the incubator, I've grown more confident in myself as a business woman as a person, and then my expertise and my ability to run my business. I was recently able to launch my course for language learners, which is amazing. And it was a huge undertaking. And because of this, I was able to make two sales on my first launch of my course, within my business as a whole, I've been able to create a system for content creation, and streamlining that process in a way that works for me and my business. So I'm less stressed out about what to post when and how. And the biggest thing which I never thought I'd be doing in my first year of business is that I created and turned on my evergreen funnel. The Incubator has given me the tools to be able to focus my time and attention on the things that really move my business and help my business grow, but also take time to take care of myself because if I'm not well, I don't have what I need, then I can't serve the people that I want to serve. So I 1,000% love the incubator program and I'm so glad so glad that I joined
Intro 1:20
You're listening to the Success with Soul podcast with Kate Kordsmeier X journalist turned CEO of a multi six figure blog in online business. But it wasn't that long ago that Kate was a struggling entrepreneur who lacked confidence, clarity, and let's be honest money. But all those failures, experiments and lessons learned helped Kay create a thriving business that impacts 1000s and brings freedom, flexibility and fulfillment to her life. If you're ready to do the same and make something happen with holistic, soulful, step by step strategies from Kate and other experts, you're in the right place. Here's your host, writer, educator, mom, recovering perfectionist, bookworm and sushi connoisseur, Kate Kordsmeier
Indira 2:08
Welcome back to the Success with Soul podcast I'm your guest host Indira with tiene que que and today we're doing an incubator client spotlight with us is New York Venezuelan experimental musician, Ximena Borges. she's an extremely eclectic songwriter armed with an array of digital and analog technologies, using her voice to blend the music of disparate times and places, creating alluring Sonic collages all in real time. Daughter of one of Venezuela's most prominent visual artists, Ximena went on to study at the Manhattan School of Music. A gifted musician since her youth, she was already poised for professional stardom upon completion of classical training. She's performed in concerts and festivals and has appeared regularly and national TV and radio and has toured the United States. In New York and Berlin. She participates in multidisciplinary collaborations, including composing music for theater dance companies, and in 2020, she co founded Juliet and the elf, along with fellow mom Margo Keller, to help families integrate classical and jazz music into their family's life, while having a profound impact in their kids brain development and the adults while being he meant it lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children. Since joining the incubator, her company has had a sold out founders launch. They've also sold out their online courses, and they've gotten crystal clear on the direction they want to take their business in. Ximena also shares the advice she'd give anyone interested considering joining the incubator. I'm so excited to dive into this episode with y'all today. Let's do it.
Welcome, Ximena, to the Success with Soul Podcast. I'm so excited to have you on here. Right before we let the audience know who you are. But tell us a little bit about yourself and your business and your entrepreneurial journey.
Ximena 4:21
Yeah, it's great to be here, Indira. So I am an opera singer by training. I went to conservatory I started piano, violin, opera, all the things. And I've been a musician. Yeah, for my whole life, essentially, since I was two years old. And when I had my son Marcel, almost five years ago, I was so excited to share music with him and the music that I loved. And I was just doing that sort of naturally in my everyday life and all my friends started asking me like, What are you playing for him? What is this music in the background? I like your Instagram video. And that's how my business was born because I realized that a lot of people wanted this information and didn't really know how to navigate, like, what music to play, especially the classical and jazz music is so wide and difficult to navigate if you're not a musician. So that's how Juliet and the Elf was born. My second name is Juliet. And I always called my son the elf. So we're Juliet and the elf together. And we help families integrate classical and jazz music into their lives in an easy and doable way, while having a profound impact in their children's brain development and in the adults well being. So that's essentially what we do.
Indira 5:39
That's amazing. That's amazing. So what was your main reason for joining the incubator? Like what led you to us?
Ximena 5:48
Yeah, so this project or this company, I need to stop saying project, it's a company is lead with me and my cousin, Margo, were co founders. And we had been doing it for two and a half years or so. And I had been following Kate for a long time, when she was doing 6FBA, and I really wanted to get into 6FBA but then it just felt like spending money that we didn't have at the moment. And then two years in, I was getting really burnt out, and we weren't moving the needle enough. And I was just feeling like, either we get some advice, or I think we're just gonna let this go. And so that's when the incubator kind of started. And we were like, Okay, I think this is the time. And the biggest just push for us to join, honestly, were our husbands. They both Yeah, they both I mean, what we told them what the investment was, like, what the amount was, and they both, you know, had seen us work at it, you know, at night after our putting our kids to bed after working other jobs and just like putting our whole hearts into it and not seeing it grow like we want to, we hoped it would have grown for the first two years it did grow, but just not enough. And they both were like, Yep, this is what you need. You guys need to do this right now. And I was pregnant, very pregnant, I was about to give birth. And I was like, Is this the right time? I mean, I'm gonna, and they were like, just do it now. Like, just start now. And that way you start getting this learning and this advice and this guidance and coaching. So yeah, they were like the biggest proponents, both of our husbands.
Indira 7:19
That's amazing. I will say, I think this is the first time that I hear that particular story that it's the partner that's like pushing you that's, you're so lucky.
Ximena 7:32
Yeah, we are very lucky. Yeah.
Indira 7:34
Amazing. So I know that since you've been in the incubator, you have sold out your founders members launch? Tell me a little bit about that.
Ximena 7:46
Yeah, that was, you know, I think the biggest thing for us in the Incubator that has been incredibly valuable is that, because we're two of us, and we both think very differently, I think we're the only like to somebody Yeah, and then. So we have a particular set of not issues, but approach because we are two people. So we have two different opinions. And I think the coaching and the Incubator has allowed Kate to be like a referee between us. And also to be like the breaking opinion, you know, like the third opinion outside that also has more experience. And so it has been able to unlock a lot of things that we would both get so stuck on, we would have an idea. And then both of us would want to come at it from different points of view. And we would just get stuck in a vicious circle of like, if we do this, and we do this, what if we do this? Why don't we should do it that way or this way? Or people other people do it this way should we do and we would just not be able to move forward. And that was the first few months of the incubator of Kate and Rachel. Well, Rachel wasn't there. But like Kate being like, come on, you guys. You have all these ideas, but you actually have to start like putting one foot in front of the other like do just take make a decision and move forward. And just like take imperfect action. I think that's like my motto that I'm taking away from the Incubator. And so with the founders launch, what happened was that we wanted to do this course. And I was, you know, I had the outline ready. We had workshopped it and all and then we said, well, now we need all these other things. We need the sales page. And we need the funnel. And we just have so many steps ahead of us. And in one of the calls, Rachel and Kate were like, wait a minute, you don't need any of that. Let's just get it out there. Just put together five emails, put it together a checkout link, no sales page, no funnel, just like get it started. Say that it's imperfect say that it's new say that, you know, you're getting started. Be open about that with your audience. And just just start, just get out there. And that was so liberating and so relieved. It was such a relief to take away all those other steps. And yeah, we open up seven spots and the Seven Spots filled up immediately or like within the first day is five emails that we send out. And now we released it to our wider audience and that but it just really Yeah, again, just the Incubator has allowed us to really unblock us to just get going, just move forward make a decision, it doesn't have to be the perfect decision, just make a decision and take action. And then if you have to correct like, you're correct, and we'll workshop it. But yeah, that's how that came about.
Indira 10:22
Yeah, I think Kate always says action creates clarity. It seems that that's what exactly would happen with you and Margo, know that inside the Incubator, there's a whole module on like, just all you need is to create an offer and a place for people to pay you for the offer. And that's how you run at the very beginning, which it seems as what you did. So tell me about your course, I understand that your course sold out, too.
Ximena 10:54
Yeah. So the course for this first course that we put it that we're still putting out now, that was the other thing, I'm sorry, is that I thought you had to have a whole course like finished before you put it out. And you go, yeah, just put it out as you go. I didn't want to do it live because my target is parents of newborns. And it was like finding a time for people to come online. It's just going to be impossible. It's recorded, but I'm releasing it every two weeks, so I have time to build it out. And to keep adding things as we go. So I'm still building it out now. But the course is this first one is for parents who are from pregnancy through the first 12 months of their baby's life. Because those first specially the first 10 months is basically the smarter their smartest your baby will ever be the most malleable their brain will ever be is the first time.
Indira 11:47
Nooo, I missed it! Mine's 11!
Ximena 11:52
Oh yeah, it was 11 months or 11 years old?
Indira 11:55
I wish
11 years old!
Ximena 11:57
Yeah, you're past that. No, yeah, though, those first 10 months, their brains are the most absorbent sponges they will ever be. So that's when they can learn the most complex concepts, which is movement, communication, emotion, all of that they learn all of that in the first 10 months of their lives language. And so that's the critical period to introduce them to complex music, which is essentially classical and jazz music, which is this music that isn't as predictable. And as basic as, say, kids, traditional kids music, which is fine and lovely. And they learn words and vocabulary from that. But music and our auditory perception is such a complex part of our system and our sensory body that we kind of forget about doing that for our kids, like we give our kids like lots of different or babies, lots of different foods and lots of different books. And and we show you know, we take them to different places and different playgrounds and meet different people. But we kind of forget to expose them to lots of different music. And so
Indira 13:05
Can I just interrupt you for one second? Does the baby einstein CD count? Because I did do that?
Ximena 13:12
Yeah. So that's yeah, I mean, that's kind of part of the theory. Or part of the the concept of the Baby Einstein and Baby Mozart is only Mozart, which is great. But Mozart is actually pretty predictable. Yeah, it's not that complex and unexpected. It doesn't have tons of dissonances, or minor chords or things like that. It's still great and beautiful and has harmony and polyphony and orchestral instrumental sounds, all that is still great. But that's still limited to just basically one composer and we show them tons of different composers. We also show them lots of jazz because jazz is the most unpredictable kind because it's all improvised and it's constantly changing and modulating. So our course teaches back to our course that was a big round of while way to explain. Our course teaches parents everything from like the science behind what is happening to your baby's brain when they're listening to this music, to how to use it actually in your parent takes so how to use it for your routine. So we have a specific playlist for naptime, a specific playlist for bath time, a specific playlist for bed time. And if you do it consistently and with the steps that we show you, that creates a neurological set of cues for your baby, that when they listen to this music immediately, they become asleep. Like if it works, it's scientifically backed. And they they just become used to having these transitions be musical versus you having to say like it's bath time, it's bath time, it's fast, you know, and it that becomes kind of annoying for them kind of pretty quickly. Instead, we use music so you put the music on and they get the cue that okay, this is what's happening now, in this part of the day. Especially when they're pre verbal. So within the first year of life, first two years of life, it becomes such a powerful parenting tool. And the third base, you know, big thing that we show them is how to use music to help themselves. Because, I mean, you know, Parenting is hard at any age, but especially that first year is really, really hard and is lonely. And there's a lot of anxiety and a lot of pressure. And a lot of not knowing what you're doing. And a lot of long days with a tiny baby and not talking to adults. And music can really help you feel better. And you feel, you know, in an afternoon, when it's been a long day of just you and the baby and you play a certain playlist that we will share with you and it'll just make like your mood, like, come up and your blood pressure comes up and you're like, Okay, I got this. We just got two more hours, we can do this, you know, I can do this. So the part of like adults wellbeing and us feeling better is a big part of our course as well.
Indira 16:00
I love that. And I'm pretty bummed that that was around when I was a mom because you're right, it is lonely. I spent the first six months of I was a stay at home mom and I spent the first six months I didn't really leave the house, you know, because I was nervous to like, socialize him around other kids. It wasn't until he was six months that I started like my first Mommy and Me class.
Ximena 16:22
Yeah, that's a long time.
Indira 16:24
It's a long time I was home all day with my baby and my dog. And you know, obviously I would go out and stuff. But you know, your core seems amazing. I wish that would have been around when I was a young mom and I can absolutely see the benefit.
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Kate Kordsmeier 17:45
Hey, have you ever considered using your interviews on other podcasts as core content for your own marketing strategy, and her podcast go pet yourself? My friend Angie Trueblood shares about how this unique strategy can help you create a cohesive simple content marketing plan for your business. I love Angie's podcast and this episode talks about what pillar content is and gives practical tips on how to actually start using your interviews to create marketing content for yourself. Plus, she offers tips on how to utilize the power of partnership with podcast hosts to help content reach further. If this sounds good to you, I highly recommend you head over to the go pitch yourself podcast episode number 84 titled podcast interviews as pillar content and give it a listen.
Indira 18:33
Now that I'm a mom of like a preteen, I'm wondering, as your baby grows, do you see this evolving to Okay, now let me hit different stages like toddlers and preteens. I mean, I'm hoping that you decide, maybe I can do all ages at some point.
Ximena 18:55
That's the plan for sure. So as soon as this course I'm done finishing it, and putting out the next one, which will be from one year olds to three year olds, which is a really key part also because they're starting to be verbal. So you're going to start teaching them the names of music because one of the reasons why kids always ask for like Baby shark or old McDonald's is because they know the name. We don't teach them names of other music so they don't feel ownership of it. They don't know how to call out for it. So if you as well as showing them those names. You're playing Mozart or you're playing a play that's about the trumpet and you're like, This is the trumpet. This is a trumpet. Let's talk about the trumpet. Then eventually, I guarantee and I've seen it happen, kids will be like, I want to listen to the violin concerto, though, you know, and they will because they feel ownership because they can call it out. So between one to three is a really great age to teach them and to empower them to feel that this music belongs to them to if they want it to. And then the next one will be three to six which is now when they take all the exposure have all these different musics and kind of start deciding what they actually like, and what they want to listen to over and over. But now it's not just restricted to like Coco Melon because that's the only thing they feel listened to. They have the option to choose anything they want. So my son who's now almost five, he goes through periods where like he only wants to listen to Duke Ellington, then it's like the Beatles, then right now he's like, obsessed with Corinne Bailey Reyes, Put Your Record On. Do you remember that song? Yeah, so that's like, his favorite song of all time. Right now this man, you know, and or it has been period long periods where he was obsessed with Singing in the Rain. And all he wanted to listen was the musical singing on the right. But because he's been exposed to this plethora of different music, he gets to feel empowered, and say, Actually, right now, this is what I want to listen to. And this is what I want to listen to. And the great thing is, I love all this music too. So I don't care if we'll listen to Singing in the Rain 17 times in a row. Versus I cannot like Baby shark will drive me up the walls. And I think there's no one that can't dry. Like it's an ear worm that will just, and if you're already like anxious and nervous, it will make the whole household feel worse. So you want to expose your children to music that you also love because we can't cover our ears like music affects all of us, it will infect your entire household, your entire car. Like there are so many instances where we're on a drive and you know that point where like there need you need to get there and there's still like an hour to get out there. And music has always been our Savior. It's like, Okay, everybody, we're gonna sing some fun songs. And you know what? I know, I told my son, he'd be like, how long is it left on this road trip? And I'm like, I'm five more Beatles songs, and then we'll get there. And you know, that's a really tangible thing for them to think about versus like 25 minutes. But yeah, the idea is to bring out courses according to ages, depending on the different developmental stages that they are in.
Indira 22:00
I love that you mentioned the Beatles, I will say that my son is a musician. He plays the bass guitar, the piano, the violin, the drums, he has been listening to the music I listened to since he was a baby. So we never did Baby shark either. I was like, Kid babe, I never he was listening to The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Queen as his favorite band. He's like a classic rock. And obviously, he likes classical music, too. So I'm with you, 100%. With that, and I'm glad I never went the route of like the baby music because it would be very stressful. I want to go back to something that you said, originally, when I asked you about joining the Incubator, and you said at the time that you didn't, you know, you weren't sure about making that investment when your business wasn't, you know, making money. So tell me like, what's one thing that you were resisting the most, but it ended up making like the biggest difference when you changed or you decided to start applying it.
Ximena 23:08
Here's what I can remember, I was like seven months pregnant when we got into the incubator. So I knew that I wanted to get a lot of things sort of moving. Before I had the baby, even though honestly, I was on our zoom call, like three days after I had the baby because it was like my me time, like I have class, somebody watched the baby, but in the beginning, I did not want to go down the road of like, you know, all the parts of like, looking in more than trying to figure out what kind of CEO I wanted to be and what the visualization was and the lunar cycle and the menstrual side, just like all that part of it. Or we would have calls where we would be you know, meditation or a tarot card, and I just be like, I can't, I don't have time to do this. I have very limited time I want to get like the practical stuff done. And that was just the phase that I was in. And it was okay to be in that time. And now after 10 months, 11 months that we've been in it. Now I'm a different part of my life. And I'm being able to like practice yoga again and have some time for myself and be able to take those times to have that inward exploration that is so essential. And I just, it just had to come at the right time. But I think that was the initial part of the Incubator that I was like, okay, whatever, I just want it what's the 123 the steps, you know, I gotta follow.
Indira 24:29
Okay, so for our audience who doesn't know you're referring to the soul, part of the incubator, like the soul sessions, and would you also categorize the mindset portion of that in that or was that separate for you?
Ximena 24:45
I wasn't against doing the mindset work. It's just I kind of felt like I was in the right mindset. I totally feel like I needed a lot of work on that part of it. I thankfully don't suffer a lot of like impostor syndrome or Yeah, that wasn't really what I was in the incubator for, it wasn't self doubt, which I can see that happening in a different point maybe at a different for a different project, or different parts of this company even understand that completely. It just wasn't really what I was in the incubator for, I think our biggest impulse to be in the incubator is that we had all these different parts of our business. And we couldn't figure out how to connect them to make them work and to move the needle. And we couldn't figure out what was going to move the needle. And we had, you know, read blog post and listened to tons of podcasts and tried things. But because of things weren't really working, we couldn't tell what wasn't working, we just didn't have enough information we didn't have someone to bounce it off of. And I think it was that it was that we felt at that at some point, we were just like throwing things against the wall to see what stuck and nothing was really sticking. And we didn't have the conviction of knowing that that could eventually stick to keep trying either. So that was our main motivation to get into the incubator is like, let's go into this place where they have all the information in one place. So we don't have to go scavenging around the internet for hours, which we don't have time to do that. I even took, like, I grab like a little SEO course at some point. And I didn't finish, I just didn't have time to like, dive so deep into one thing, because there were so many things we had to take care of. So that was what we were really looking for in the incubator, and that is definitely what we got, like what we got was guidance on how to connect these parts, what are the things that really have potential to move the needle, and therefore, if they're not trying to work in this first time, let's workshop it, let's try it again. And like giving us that confidence that, yes, this is a good idea. This can work. Let's just try it from a different angle. And also, at that point, we had a membership. When we entered the incubator, we had a monthly membership, which was lovely. But also it was a lot of work. It was consistent work. And we were more and more realizing, again, I was pregnant, I was about to have my second child, my co founder has two children. We're just more and more realizing that with our lifestyle, we just didn't have time to like consistently put out content for our membership all the time. And it felt like such a huge pressure. And the incubator talking with Kate, she allowed us to open up the window or the door of saying what if we closed the membership? And we're like, what, what we just opened it like a year ago? How do we tell people and she was like, you just tell people, you just tell people, this is you know, no longer the thing we want to do. And now we're going to do this other exciting thing. And she just gave us permission to say, Yeah, this is not right for our lifestyle, we want something else. So that was the biggest transformation that we've done in the incubator, is we moved, we closed our membership, and we moved towards making courses. And that was what we were looking for completely. So we definitely got what we wanted.
Indira 27:57
It's amazing. So what are like the top three things that you would advise somebody who's applying to the incubator, maybe they're in the same place that you were where it's like, they have an idea, they have a business, maybe they're not making the money, or they don't have the sales that they would want up to that point. And now there's this big investment. So what advice do you give that applicant?
Ximena 28:23
Yeah, I mean, we, you know, we had to like take out a couple credit cards with zero APR to do it, we didn't have the cash flow to do it. And you know, we still we're still paying for it, of course, but we just feel like the worth was so I can't even explain how much it was worth. But what is the advice, three things I would tell someone, if they're in the position that I'm in, is that by waiting, you're not going to make the money to be able to pay for this anytime soon, I think is what we learned. By investing the money upfront, of course, it's a lot of money, but by investing in the amount of growth that you're going to be able to have in that time period that you're in the incubator is not comparable at all to the amount of growth that you're going to have isolated by yourself. And the reason is because not only is all this information in one place from a trusted source, and there's so much information in the incubator, there's information on any that you need any period or time frame that you are in your business. It's not just advanced, it's not just beginners, it's the whole range. So wherever you are, you're going to find a whole module with seven different lessons about wherever you are, whatever you are doing. And the collective calls ground you in this community where you're hearing where everyone else is and you're learning from everyone else. And then the work critiques are giving you very targeted coaching and advice on specifically what you are working on. So the combination of all those things will just jumpstart your business and make you leap forward as such a fan masterpiece, that it just makes sense to make that investment because yes, maybe we'll be paying for this investment for the next year or two. But what we have achieved and this year will help pay for that, if we hadn't achieved that, and we hadn't been in the incubator, there was no way we were going to generate that money before getting in the incubator. And what we have learned is so valuable, and it's going to carry us for the next several years of our business, that is just completely worth it. And it's completely worth it to think of how being isolated is not going to get you to that place as quickly or as or as healthily also, as the incubator allows you to be because that's the other part that Kate really works on is being able to have you tune in to what is what you need, what is good for your lifestyle, and just be able to give you permission to say, this is what you want to do. And you feel like you should do it this way. Do it that way. Let's figure it out. And you can do it that way and giving you that support. So I just don't think yeah, it's a little bit of a roundabout way to answer of like, invest first, and then the money will come. But that's just how it is.
Indira 31:09
Yeah, yeah. I always say, if you know, nothing changes, nothing changes. So it's a risk, for sure. But what better risk than to invest in yourself and in your business, and we're glad that you did. Ximena, tell me one word to describe your experience in the incubator.
Ximena 31:27
Liberating.
Indira 31:29
I love that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I love that. Okay, so now we have come to the lightning round. And I'm just gonna ask you a few questions. Oh, do you know this round? You're like, yes. Okay, so the first question is, what's your favorite way to make time for self care while running your own business?
Ximena 31:50
practicing yoga.
Indira 31:52
Is there a particular yoga you do?
Ximena 31:54
Just regular, you know, vinyasa sequences? Yeah.
Indira 31:56
Yeah. What is one tool or strategy that you use for time management?
Ximena 32:02
Free to Focus Planner and Book
Indira 32:05
I've heard about this...
Ximena 32:08
Well, it's in the incubator as one of the recommended. Yeah, yeah, it's been essential for me to understand how to block time and sort of do tasks that are related to each other together. And then with the planner, which I'm planning because I have always right next to me, it gives you every day, how to break your week into three major things, and then each day into three things that are going to get you closer to those three major things. And yeah, it's just kind of clarify what I have to do each week.
Indira 32:38
I love it. What's the most powerful business mindset or entrepreneurial book that you've ever read?
Ximena 32:44
Honestly, this past year, Free to Focus, I think was the biggest one. Yeah.
Indira 32:49
And tell me the author?
Ximena 32:51
Free to Focus is by Michael Hyatt,
Indira 32:53
Michael Hyatt. Yeah, like, he just did a new book in January. That's why am I? Yes, yeah. Okay. Okay. What's your favorite quote, or mantra or affirmation when things get tough, and you feel like giving up?
Ximena 33:09
Take imperfect action.
Indira 33:12
I love that. And you're in the Success with Soul podcast. So what does Success with Soul mean to you?
Ximena 33:19
I think it just means like embodying being an intrapreneur, in exactly the way that feels right to you, not in accordance to what other people say it should be or what it should look like, or what you traditionally you know, the steps that you should take, is just really creating a business that looks like you and like your lifestyle. And people will come to you for that authenticity, and that genuine realness. And I think that is what Success with Soul means to me if I'm able to really create this business into a successful business that I feel proud of that is completely in accordance to my personality and my life. And the thing that I love, then, yeah, that's success to me.
Indira 34:12
I love it. Ximena, tell our audience where they can find you.
Ximena 34:18
Yeah, so they can find me a julietandtheelf.com. And on Instagram, also Juliet and the elf. And, yeah, I would love to hear from them. And they will, if they sign up to my newsletter on Juliaandtheelf.com, they will start getting free playlists from me for different parts of the day and all kinds of resources for how to integrate music into your family's life.
Indira 34:44
Awesome. It was such a pleasure to have you on the podcast. Thank you so much, Ximena.
Ximena 34:50
Thank you for having me!
Kate Kordsmeier 34:57
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