IAM076 – Best-Selling Author & Speaker Helps Entrepreneurs Write, Self-Publish & Tell Their Stories

Vickie Gould is a Law of Attraction business and book coach, best selling author, and speaker. She is the author of the new book (Released September 4, 2018), “Courageous World Catalysts 2,” an anthology showcasing over 10 entrepreneurs and their stories. She helps entrepreneurs to write and self-publish their own business books to share their story, grow their following, and create more impact, reach and clientele. She has written 8 best sellers such as Hit Publish and Standing in the Gap, and helped nearly 100 others to become best selling authors as well.

• CEO Hack: Automation or omnipresence like IFTTT,  Amplifer and Byron Katie “Loving What Is” 
• CEO Nugget: Be patience
• CEO Defined: Treating your business like a business and not like a solo hobbyist

Website: http://www.vickiegould.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vickie_gould
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vickiegould/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vickiegould/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vickiegouldcoach/
Books: https://amzn.to/2OUtw8C

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Transcription:

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Intro 0:02

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 0:26

Hello, hello, hello, this is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Vickie Gould of vickiegould.com. Vickie, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Vickie Gould 0:37

Thank you so much for having me. Such a pleasure to be here.

Gresham Harkless 0:40

Awesome. Well, I appreciate you for taking some time out of your schedule. What I wanted to do was just read a little bit more about Vickie so you can learn a little bit more about her. Vickie is a law of attraction business and book coach, best-selling author, and speaker. She is the author of the forthcoming book Courageous World Catalysts 2, an anthology showcasing over 10 entrepreneurs and their stories. She helps entrepreneurs to write and self-publish their own business books to share their stories, grow their following, and create more impact and reach in clientele. She has written over eight bestsellers such as Hit Publish and Standing in the Gap, and helped nearly 100 others to become best-selling authors as well. Vickie, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

Vickie Gould 1:22

Absolutely.

Gresham Harkless 1:25

Awesome. Let's do it. So the first question that I have was just kind of to hear a little bit more about your CEO story. And what led you to start your business?

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Vickie Gould 1:31

Yeah, actually, you know, what people know about me is a lot of the stuff that you shared, right? But what they don't really know a lot of times is that there was a time in my life that I was actually running away from my story. So back in 1989, and I'm dating myself now I was a senior in high school was the second semester of senior high, and I was due to graduate. But the problem was that it was always stormy. And it was stormy inside my house.

So this particular day, my dad had been away on a business trip. And it seemed that you know, stuff happen then between me and my mother. When he was gone. Because my buffer was gone. My sister had gone to college, and that buffer was gone. It was just me and her.

And while I understand now that she did the best that she could, she was an immigrant from another country Taiwan. She wanted what was best for all of us. She was trying to get, you know, the best life for herself as well. It seemed that no matter what I did, I reminded her of the things that she couldn't have or didn't achieve. Maybe it was because I looked like she acted like me or something. But she took that out on me. And that day, I remember we had a massive brawl on the kitchen floor, she pulled my hair, and I pulled her hair. Eventually, I ran upstairs, slammed the door, and I grabbed all my stuff in my backpack through my contact lenses. And there, I was a good student.

So I threw my books in there too. For some reason, and I don't know why there was a bungee cord in my closet. And I quickly took that bungee cord, hooked it to the post of my canopy bed, tied a sheet to it, and let it out my second-story window. And it's not like it is in the spy movies where you just kind of drink, drink, you know, down the brick wall. It is all like that. When you jump out the second-story window with a bungee cord is elastic, and you kind of just plop on the ground that's plopped on the ground. And I thought if I could just run away, I could run away from that story. I could run away from life. I could run away from the voices in my head of her saying, You're not good enough, you'll never amount to anything. You're not worthy. Nobody wants you, you know, just all these things that she would say I thought if I got away, I would be away from the words.

But what I realized was I took that baggage and all those words with me in my head, there was no running away from the story. And as I said, I know that she did the very best that she could with what she had given this was a country where she still didn't speak the language very well. She felt like an outsider. She wasn't confident in herself. But what I realized through that, and through all that forgiveness and everything is that there are so many reasons for us to go through what we go through in life.

Many of us probably say, at some time in life with our struggles why me? Why did I have to go through this? Why is this happening to me? I don't understand what the lesson is. And I think for me, it was understanding those lessons, what we share, and how we share them with the world. Those are the things those journeys are things that we help each other with. And sometimes you go through stuff so that you can help others to go through their stuff and hold their hand along the way. And so part of what I do with help people who write books, and one thing I say a lot is the most transformational book you'll ever read is the one that you write.

So many of my authors say that by going through their story and digging through that story and getting really into that pit in that valley of sharing their vulnerability, they have healed so many things within themselves while writing the book. And that's what I love so much about writing the book, it's not just the book that you get is not just that you become a best seller, it's not just that you get more credibility and authority and expert status, you get a connection with your audience that you can't get anywhere else by sharing that story.

And you get to help people and make a bigger impact and create change in the world. And that's why I do what I do now. And that's why I love what I do now in helping others to share that story from a place of vulnerability. So that they can really touch the hearts of the people that they want to help. So that's how I got started. That's how it all happened.

Gresham Harkless 6:01

I'm sorry to hear that you had to go through a difficult period. But as you said, it's been a great way for you to kind of maybe help out the clients that you work with, so that they understand and can be transparent and can be authentic in telling their story and being able to help out others through their story as well, too. I wanted to drill a little bit deeper in here a little bit more about like how you help out the clients, and how you serve the clients that you work with.

Vickie Gould 6:22

Yeah, a lot of times, they come to me with a lot of different topics, because you know, we all could probably write about a bunch of different things. So the first thing that we do is we get really clear on how they want their book to connect to their business, because I work with entrepreneurs, right?

So what they want in essence, is to leverage that book to turn readers into clients, if you are a, let's say, relationship coach, it doesn't make a lot of sense to write a book about cooking, even though you could maybe that's your hobby, and you're passionate. And that's part of what you do. But it doesn't make sense, right?

So we have to make sure that it's aligned first. So we pick the topic, and usually, that topic is going to be aligned as well with some sort of signature product that they have because the book profitability and ROI return on investment is actually in the upsell into a product rather than the royalties. Again, it's not just about the book and the credibility that you get, but I also help them to see how they can leverage that into getting that reader to purchase something else with them, but not in a salesy, slimy, awkward, you know, sleazy way. And then also within that story, because I'm really about the story in case you haven't figured that one out.

And so we leverage a story in the book. And while I'm best known for the book, you know, the book coaching part is leveraging the story and everything else that you do, because we all have major stories, minor stories, and stuff.

So it's like, we use that same story that's in their book, in their videos in their media features, maybe they want to get on entrepreneur.com. Maybe they want to get into health toast or thrive globally. You know, we use that because those platforms are all about sharing stories, actionable items, and content, right? Kind of like what you've done here and your podcast, where sharing stories, but you're now wanting to know some real nitty gritty, let's have some actionable items, right, that we can actually use in our business, we then leverage those items that are within their books, so they can get even more following even more opportunities, and even more features.

Gresham Harkless 8:21

That makes perfect sense. And I think is a great fit. How you have and start out with a story. And then everything else kind of flows from there. So now I wanted to ask you for what I call your secret sauce. Or what do you feel makes you unique, or distinguishes you as an entrepreneur business owner?

Vickie Gould 8:35

Well, specifically with the business, I would say that what makes me different is I don't stop at writing the book. Now, if that's where you want to stop, we can stop there. And I've had clients that stop there, right, we continue to go on, like I said, you know, with the previous example about leveraging that story into other places and making the book profitable. I've heard before that some people just consider a book an expensive business card. Well, sure, it's gonna be a really expensive business card, if all you do is hand the book out and you don't do anything else with it, you really need to leverage it.

So I think my difference with other books, writing coaches, publishers, editors, or whatever people want to call them these days is that I have a marketing background. And I'm all about leverage. We don't end with your book and your story.

Gresham Harkless 9:22

I love that. I love that. And as you said, it's like a living, breathing thing, because you're able to do so many things on top of writing the book that's just kind of like the start of everything, so to speak. So I think that's pretty awesome. What I wanted to do now is switch gears a little bit Vickie and ask you for what I call a CEO hack. And this might be an app or a book or a habit that you have, but it's something that makes you more effective and efficient as a business owner.

Vickie Gould 9:45

So there are actually a few things that I really, really enjoy. One of the things I like is automation. I like being able to do one thing and be able to have that spread out all over the place that I call that in my marketing terms, I call that Omni presence. And I want to and I want my clients to have their visibility seem to other people like, oh my gosh, she's everywhere.

So one of the things I love is this app called IFTTT. So it's If This Then That, ifttt.com. So you can take your athletes is what they call it inside it. So I can post something, let's say to my Facebook page, and it will post it out to my Instagram. Oh, no, it won't. Sorry, not Instagram, it goes the other way with Instagram. Instagram is that freaking freak of nature and social media. So Facebook page to maybe LinkedIn or Twitter or Pinterest, or it'll even save something to a Google Doc, if you want, it'll take my Instagram.

And you know how sometimes with Instagram, it'll post you can link it to LinkedIn and Twitter, but then it doesn't have the native photo with it? So it looks funky and ugly. You can get IFTTT to post it with a native photo.

So actually looks nice. So it really shortcuts a lot of things because I don't have to double-post in other places. So that's one of my favorite ones. Also, Amplifier is kind of like that thing that you can do this, you know, post it in one place. And then it spiders out into other places as well. And then my I know you asked for one, but I'm telling you more than one. My favorite book is Byron Katie, “Loving what is”. And that one is about letting go of some of your limiting beliefs, turning them around, and getting to experience life, as if those limiting beliefs don't exist. Like what would happen if? So, I love that.

Gresham Harkless 11:41

Awesome, awesome. Yeah, we love I love those CEO hacks. Just helping people to of course be more efficient, like you mentioned, but also great resources that you mentioned as well, too. So now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. And this might be a word of wisdom or something that you might tell your younger business self.

Vickie Gould 11:59

What would I tell my younger business self, it's probably gonna take you longer than you think it is. But it's so worth it tough to muddle through and not give up. I think a lot of times, I don't know about you, but I'm kind of impatient. And I want stuff to happen right away. And while things can happen fast it probably does take a little longer than you might give yourself time for.

Gresham Harkless 12:24

Very true. Yeah, I always, you know, sometimes when you want things to happen, you want them to happen yesterday. So it makes perfect sense that you know, being patient and understanding that quote-unquote. Rome wasn't built in a day, is a very good reminder and a very good CEO, nugget.

And now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is kind of like the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different CEOs on this show. So what does being a CEO mean to you?

Vickie Gould 12:49

It means treating your business like a business and being a savvy business person, rather than a solopreneur hobbyist. So I think being a CEO means that you have the mindset of being in charge of something phenomenal and brilliant and wonderful and that you act that way. I hope that makes sense.

Gresham Harkless 13:14

Yeah.

Vickie Gould 13:14

Because I think a lot of times, we start out so much being a jack of all trades wearing so many hats, especially when you don't have the money right away, right? So you're like, Okay, I have more time than I have money. So let me do this, this, this, this, and this. And one second, your assistant, and the next second, you know, you're the janitor, and another second year, the Social Media Manager, and then you know, you're doing all these things. But when you really put on that CEO hat, you look at things differently, you price yourself to be profitable, rather than to be liked.

Gresham Harkless 13:53

I love it. Yeah, it's all about kind of a different mentality that you have. Vickie, I truly appreciate you for taking some time out. What I wanted to do was pass you the mic, so to speak, to see if there's anything additional, you want to let our readers and our listeners know and how best people couldn't get in touch with you.

Vickie Gould 14:07

Yes. So anything additional would be when you put yourself out there, especially in a book, one of the biggest things that come up for my clients at least and it's come up for me as well is that fear of judgment. What if somebody doesn't like my story? What if somebody doesn't like me? What if you know all the what-ifs? And then it's like, what if they don't read my book? And one of the things my very first book out there, I was like, Oh my gosh, what if nobody reads my book? Like, oh, what if they don't read? It is not good.

And I finally got it out there. I was like, Oh crap, what if somebody reads my book, you know, it's gonna come up, you're gonna get judged. We're just every day so you might as well get considered for something that you're passionate about, that you love, that you feel convicted to share with the world. That is really making a difference because if you stay within the safety zone of what you're comfortable with sharing and comfortable doing at the end of your life, all you can say is that you kept comfortable, you stayed in a comfortable place.

Personally, I would rather have at the end of my life to go, you know what I risk, all these things, I risk judgment, I risk, my fear, I risk my failure, I risk success. I risked all these things, to make the world a better place to leave my mark, and to have my children and my grandchildren then go back and look at words that I put on paper that live forever, and feel like they get to know me, as well as the rest of the world that I can help. So that's my last parting words, I guess.

Gresham Harkless 15:46

Awesome. Thank you. Thank you. And then people that want to follow up. What's the best way?

Vickie Gould 15:49

Yes, yes, yes. They can get in touch with me. My email is Vickie, but okay, I gotta spell it, vickie@vickiegould.com, all sorts of things. If you Google it, you'll find all sorts of things as well. Hopefully all good things.

Gresham Harkless 16:06

Awesome, awesome, awesome. Well, thank you so much, Vicki, and we'll have those links in the show notes. But I appreciate you for being transparent and being so powerful to be able to help others out and also tell your story. And I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

Vickie Gould 16:18

Thank you so much for having me on. It was great.

Outro 16:21

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co

I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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