IAM089 – Business Strategist Helps Mompreneurs Raise Their Businesses while Raising Their Families

Allison Hardy is a Business Strategist for Mompreneurs. Through infusing their business with a hearty dose of automation, authentic social media driven by Facebook Live, and stepping into the role of an influencer through email marketing, Allison helps women raise their businesses while they are raising their families so that they can live life by design. Allison is the creator of the Life by Design Podcast, a Huffington Post Contributor, have been featured in YFS Magazine and was named one of Washington, D.C.'s most influential professionals under 40 by Washington Life Magazine. She's also wife to Teer, and mom to five-year-old Camden and 6-month-old Nora.

• CEO Hack: The Desire Map and sometimes just more sleep and taking care of yourself
• CEO Nugget: Build your e-mail list and have an automated stream of passive income. You're capable of doing anything you want. Be unapologetic of saying this is what I want and this is how I'm going to do it.
• CEO Defined: Making a bigger impact that extends upon me and myself. Leaving a legacy.

Website: http://www.allisonhardy.com

FB group: www.facebook.com/themompreneurcommunity
FB Page: www.facebook.com/allisonhardy2015
IG: www.instagram.com/allison_hardy_

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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 0:27

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 Allison Hardy of allisonhardy.com. Allison, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Allison Hardy 0:37

Gresh, thank you so much for having me.

Gresham Harkless 0:39

No problem, no problem. What I wanted to do was just read a little bit more about Allison so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. Allison Hardy is a Business Strategist for Mompreneurs. By infusing their business with a hearty dose of automation, authentic social media driven by Facebook Live, and stepping into the role of an influencer through email marketing, Allison helps women raise their businesses while they are raising their families so that they can live life by design. Allison is the creator of the Life by Design Podcast, a Huffington Post Contributor, has been featured in YFS Magazine, and was named one of Washington, D.C.'s most influential professionals under 40 by Washington Life Magazine. She's also the wife to Teer, and mom to five-year-old Camden and 6-month-old Nora. Allison, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

Allison Hardy 1:29

I am ready

Gresham Harkless 1:30

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

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Allison Hardy 1:35

Yeah, so I've always been an entrepreneur ever since I was 21. After graduating from college, I've had a side hustle, I went to college to teach college-level art. So that's what I did after school, I did all the right things got the terminal degree, had the fancy, quote-unquote, fancy job, and was living the dream.

I had it all supposedly, and then I got married, and we got pregnant. And at six months pregnant with my first who was Camden, I got laid off from that dream job that I had worked, for 10 years, and it was devastating. It was kind of like one of those moments when you have like a total life kind of meltdown. And it was a really scary time because I was only going to be able to take five weeks off after Camden was born just because of finances. And that's how it was.

So getting laid off at six months pregnant did not financially work for me and for my family. So thankfully, I had a super side hustle little business that I would work on occasion. And I make a couple of dollars every now and then from it. But I had that and I was like, alright, first off super grateful I have this second off, it's time to make it work like it is time to take this business full time, it had been something that I had been really kind of wanting because I saw the writing on the wall I saw teaching wasn't going to work with my life with a kid like it just wasn't going to happen this. The 12-hour days, 6 days a week, we're going to be possible anymore.

So it was an opportunity for me to really kind of rewrite my story. And I took that business from part-time status to full-time status and replace my 9 to 5 income in the three months before Mr. Camden was born. And so that's really that's kind of like the start of my full-time entrepreneurial journey.

Gresham Harkless 3:27

Oh, that's awesome. And obviously, I'm sorry to hear, you know, of course, that you were laid off. But it seems like it puts you in the trajectory of where you were supposed to be anyways. And as someone who has been laid off as well, I know, it can be definitely a difficult experience and a difficult period. But kudos to you for having the courage to be able to kind of push forward and get everything in line so that you your family, and of course, Camden and Nora can have a happy life.

Allison Hardy 3:48

Yeah, it was a terrible, terrible time. It was really like I had like a total quarter-life crisis. Like I lost my mind over it. But really, it was it's been the best thing that's ever happened to me because I wouldn't be here today if it didn't happen.

Gresham Harkless 4:00

Absolutely, absolutely. So I wanted to drill a little bit deeper and hear a little bit more about like how you serve the clients, and what products and services you have.

Allison Hardy 4:07

Yeah, so I really help women dive deep into their businesses and figure out what's working for them, what's not working for them, getting rid of that stuff that's not working, and really maximizing what is working. A lot of times women come to me and they have existing businesses, but they've kind of like hit this plateau. And no matter what they seem to do to get past that plateau. Nothing really seems to be working.

So they're kind of at like a crossroads. They're like, Okay, do I need to work more? Do I need to work less? Do I need to outsource? Do I need to have some automation? Do I need to have passive income? Should I get rid of all my active income? Like what is like what does that look like for me? And that can be it can be hard to figure out because what got you here won't get you there.

So the stuff that got you to the point where you are now will not get you to that next level. And so it's figuring out what that stuff is that will get you to the next level that I help women really do. And so I serve my clients through masterminds. I have a year-long mastermind that I run. I have a membership site. And I just recently wrote a brand new course called From Wallflowers to Groupies, and it's a Facebook group course to really help you monetize your Facebook group, but also step into the role of an influencer and create a community around your brand.

Gresham Harkless 5:19

Awesome, awesome. I love that name, by the way, Wallflowers. I think that's an awesome name. So it sounds like you're doing some really awesome things to help out so many, women and mompreneurs that are wondering how they can move from being that wallflower to actually having those people that are their raving fans. So, I think that's pretty awesome. So I wanted to ask you now for what I call your secret sauce. So what do you feel kind of distinguishes you or set you apart from other people that might be doing something similar?

Allison Hardy 5:45

Yeah. So I feel like- what sets me apart, do I really, truly understand my ideal client because I am my ideal client. I've done everything wrong. I've done all the wrong things, I can tell you exactly what not to do. And then I've had successes in my business.

So, I really understand the unique struggles that we as women who have maybe home-based businesses or online businesses, and little ones at home, I understand the priorities, I understand the struggles, I understand how hard it can be sometimes and how incredibly amazing it can be, I understand how you can second guess yourself.

And third, guess yourself, and fourth guess yourself. And you can really feel it can be isolating sometimes because it's not, you know, it's not a normal thing to do is having a home-based business while you have your kids around. It's just not something you go to college to do, right? In school, you're not asked why do you want to be grown up and you don't say like an online business owner, that's not a response that people have.

So it's you know, it's a different way of doing things is a different way of running a business. And I get it, as I understand it. And so my clients are all ridiculously ideal, we connect on a deeper level, because, again, I understand it, and they understand me and we can have that sort of that trust and that rapport with one another. Because of our situation.

Gresham Harkless 7:07

Yeah, that makes sense. And a lot of times I feel like people you know, want to be heard, they want to feel like they are able to connect with somebody. So you having you know, built the business and understanding exactly how to help out those mompreneurs and entrepreneurs and women that want to build businesses and not really sure how to do it and afraid to kind of make certain mistakes, you can kind of speak to them and develop that connection. So I think that's a good example of a secret sauce.

Allison Hardy 7:29

Yeah, and I think a lot of women are afraid to do this whole crazy online business thing, right? Like maybe they thought that being a stay-at-home mom was going to be the best thing that's ever happened to them, or, and then they realize, how this isn't, this is not my favorite thing in the world.

And it can be scary when you kind of realize that but a lot of women get really caught up and feeling guilty about wanting to be ambitious, or wanting to create a business or wanting to be home or wanting to do both of them, like giving yourself that permission to want both of those things to be there to raise your kids and to start this business and make a bigger impact. And sometimes it's just a matter of granting yourself that permission and then finding those people that get it.

Gresham Harkless 8:12

Yeah, exactly. And I'm sure like, you know, having an overall environment that helps you to kind of feel confident and doing that and feel like it's okay. And asking for, you know, whatever you want in life is also, you know, very important. And I'm sure like by you being able to build that community, you've been able to kind of see that as well.

Allison Hardy 8:29

Yeah, exactly.

Gresham Harkless 8:31

Awesome, awesome, awesome. And I want to switch gears a little bit and ask you for what I call a CEO hack. And this might be an app or book or habit that you have, but it's something that makes you more effective and efficient as an entrepreneur and business owner.

Allison Hardy 8:42

Yeah, I actually have two. So my first one is the book, The Desire Map by Danielle LaPorte, and I read this book, I actually read this book probably four times a year, it's a book that really helps you kind of walk through and figures out like, why you do the things that you do. And it helps you establish your core desired beliefs. So one of my core desired beliefs is security.

So it really helps you figure out like, why you do the certain things that you do to help you to feel secure, like what do you do to help you feel secure, and I encourage you to, to really look at your actions and to understand that why that you do certain things in your life and in your business because of your core desired belief. So it really helps you, quite honestly learn a lot about what motivates you and how and why you do certain things.

So that was a really big, impactful book for me. It still impacts me every year I read it often. And then the second thing is you always hear about how you need a morning routine. A morning routine is so incredibly important. It sets you up for success, all of that stuff. But really sometimes what sets you up for success is more sleep.

So when you have little ones at home or you know like just you're being woken up throughout the night. I think a lot of times we could put pressure on ourselves because we think we're supposed to do these things we think we're supposed to have this morning routine. We wake up before everybody else. And we do our meditation and our mantras, and we do the things that move our business forward when in reality, the things that really move us forward are taking care of ourselves. And part of that is sleeping.

So if you're not sleeping, sleep, like don't feel pressured to implement these things, these habits in your life that work for other people, because they work for other people, you have to figure out something that works for you.

Gresham Harkless 10:28

Exactly. That makes perfect sense. And a lot of it is kind of like self-discovery and understanding of what works for you. But you have to make sure that you fill your cup up because you can't give you know, to your children or even you know, to your clients, if you haven't got any sleep and you're tired, and you're exhausted, and you're not yourself, and you're not able to present your best self. And often when you do take that rest, you can also be even better than you would if you wouldn't take that risk.

Allison Hardy 10:51

Yeah. And yeah, you may have less time in the day to work on your business. But really, you're going to be so much more productive, because you actually can think cohesive thoughts because you're not exhausted.

Gresham Harkless 10:59

Exactly, exactly. Awesome, awesome, awesome. And now I wanted to ask you for a CEO nugget. And this is a word of wisdom or piece of advice or something, you might tell your younger business self.

Allison Hardy 11:08

Oh my gosh, yeah, and I have two things again. So number one, build your email list. Your email list is your bread and butter, that's where people are going to buy from you. And that's my biggest regret in my business is I didn't build my email list early on email marketing was kind of like this afterthought for me, because I need like I needed cash, I was kind of in that, like, I need money, I need cash coming into my business because I'm about to have a kid.

So I really wish during that time, I would have worked on my email list and built that more. And then the second thing is, you absolutely need to have the stream of passive income that is automated in your business, it doesn't have to be a course that's $1,000, it can be something that's $27. But having something that is automated, that makes you money makes your business life-proof.

So let's say you get sick for a week, you can just lean on that funnel, that email funnel, maybe it's a Facebook Ad to an email funnel that again, pitches your $27 or something, you can lean on that to make you money and to keep your business afloat while you are handling your life.

So when life comes out, you like your kids get sick, or you have a baby or you just want to go on vacation or you want to take a day off like your business is still afloat and still generating income on automation in the background.

Gresham Harkless 11:08

That makes perfect sense. Yeah, that's definitely a great reminder, both of those, obviously, but definitely, making sure that life always does happen. So it's always you know, something that pops up. So making sure that you have, a backup plan for the kind of like your backup plan, so to speak, it definitely helps out and having that additional stream of income.

Allison Hardy 12:39

Yeah, for sure, for sure.

Gresham Harkless 12:41

Awesome. And now I wanted to ask you, my absolute favorite question the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different, quote-unquote, CEOs on this show. So I wanted to ask you specifically, what being a CEO means to you.

Allison Hardy 12:52

I actually really love this question. It took me a while to figure out my answer to it. So, for me, being a CEO means making a bigger impact that extends beyond me and myself. So it's an impact that can be felt for generations, and one of the big motivators in my business is leaving a legacy. My mastermind is actually called the legacy mastermind because I want to and my clients want to create the sort of ripple effect like I want my great-grandkids to look back on me and be like, my great grandma, she was kind of a badass, and like, totally handled this like crazy business and built this like amazing nonprofit and gave back like, I want to be that I want to be remembered, I want to be remembered as a really generous and giving person through impacting women to do the same in their own lives and in their own businesses.

So kind of like being a CEO, for me is me realizing that I can make a bigger impact and that I am making, I'm making a bigger impact than I am making now. And I'm striving for that every single day.

Gresham Harkless 13:51

I love that. And I love the perspective, I can visualize and see your grandchildren saying that you are a badass, so I definitely can see that as well. So I think you're well on your way.

Allison Hardy 14:01

Thank you.

Gresham Harkless 14:03

So, Allison, I truly appreciate you for taking some time out of your schedule. 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 can get a hold of you to find out about your Facebook group and all the awesome things that you're doing.

Allison Hardy 14:17

Sure. So, I guess the last thing I wanted to say is, you're like you're capable of doing anything you want. You really are. I think society a lot of times puts us kind of in a box and says no, you belong here, this is where you're gonna stay. But really like I think for so many of us, we have these visions and this drive and this ambition, but we let life get in the way.

So if you have that drive and that ambition no matter what it is, if like if it's making that impact at home, or if it's making the impact on other women or making the impact in your local community, you're in a homeless shelter at your kid's school like you can do that. You can be this amazing force of all kinds of goodness in the world. It's just a matter of you saying this is what I want and this is what I'm going to do, and being unapologetic about it because if that desire if that dream was in you, it's never gonna go away. And so you might as well just acknowledge it and do it because it's gonna drive you crazy if you don't.

So that's me that's kind of the last bit of advice. And then my Facebook group is called themompreneurcommunity. If you search on Facebook, you'll find it. And my Podcast like you said earlier, it's called Life by Design.

Gresham Harkless 15:21

Awesome. Well, I truly appreciate you, Allison. And we'll make sure to have all those links in the show notes so everybody can click through and follow, and engage with all the awesome things that you're doing. But I truly appreciate you again and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

Allison Hardy 15:32

Thank you.

Outro 15:34

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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