IAM2219 – Business Coach Helps Entrepreneurs Integrate Joy into Life and Business

Title: Transcript - Tue, 27 Aug 2024 16:20:22 GMT

Date: Tue, 27 Aug 2024 16:20:22 GMT, Duration: [00:16:58.82]

[00:00:00.20] - Tasha Prados

You feel so much pressure to present as successful because otherwise, why would someone hire you, right? But the fact is that you can have a tough moment or a down moment for yourself and in your business and still be freaking amazing at what you do and still be a really good investment for someone.

[00:00:19.42] - Intro

Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEO's, entrepreneurs and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the Imceo podcast.

[00:00:46.85] - Gresham Harkless

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh from the Imceo podcast. I have a very special guest back on the show today. I have Tasha Prados. Tasha, excited to have you on the show.

[00:00:55.18] - Tasha Prados

Thanks so much for having me, Gresh.

[00:00:56.86] - Gresham Harkless

Yes, super excited to have you on and talk about all the awesome things that you're doing. And of course, before we do that, I wanted to read a little bit more about Tasha can hear about some of those awesome things she's been working on. Tasha is the founder of Diraka Strategic and a business coach for service based entrepreneurs. She helps you get so clear and specific in your brand positioning, messaging, and marketing that you're consistently attracting the highest quality dream clients you love working with, who make you feel valued, respected, and appreciated. She'll help you build your true dream business that supports your dream life with the cash, time, and freedom you desire. After four years at a top three global ad agency, Tasha quit to start Diraca. Strategic is a Puerto Rican for. It's Puerto rican for tough Cookie. And that was her nickname growing up, and she became a digital nomad. She's won dozens of awards, industry awards, and work with Fortune 500 companies and government clients. And her true passion is helping small businesses make a bigger impact. And Tasha was a guest on episode number 1018 of our Imco podcast. So I love having her back on. And one of the big things I love about her is that she's a digital nomad. So I imagine she has a really great perspective on everything just because she's seen so much, has so many different great experiences. But one of the things I was reading about, she said she's still trying to find out the answer to where is your favorite place that she's been? And with all that experience, including being the peace Corps, which I've always wanted to join, I'm super excited to have you back on, Tasha. Are you ready to speak to the Imco community.

[00:02:24.38] - Tasha Prados

Super excited. Thank you so much for having me.

[00:02:26.47] - Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. Well, to kind of kick everything off, what I wanted to do was to hear a little bit more on what you've been working on, hear about your CEO story. We'll let you get started with all the awesome work you're doing.

[00:02:34.94] - Tasha Prados

So I'm a business coach. I work with service based entrepreneurs. Like you just said in the intro, I really help you get really clear and specific on your messaging, your brand positioning, your marketing and your sales strategy so that you're consistently attracting high quality dream clients you adore. There's a number of ways you can work with me. I've got my live vip accelerator, premium clients unlocked, which is an amazing, small, intimate mastermind community. You can hire me one on one. And I do coaching and mentorship in terms of anything related to any of that stuff, brand positioning, marketing, messaging, business model, the vision for the business, how we're going to get that, all that good stuff. And then I also have self study courses. I've got my book out, your business marketing bootcamp, zero to launch. For those of you who are just starting out, I've got a really fun five day challenge called fearlessly visible. For those of you who are trying to get out there on social media and actually use it to get clients and get sales. So there's lots of really fun ways that you can work with me depending on where you're at in your business.

[00:03:33.21] - Gresham Harkless

Yeah, that makes so much sense. So what kind of led you along this path? What have you been working on, I guess since the last time we've been speaking?

[00:03:39.93] - Tasha Prados

Well, when we first talked, so actually many years ago now, which is so crazy. And I'm so happy to see that both of us are still here, still entrepreneurs. You know, I think it's great to see the people that you kind of start out with and like, you start your businesses and then you're like, you look around, you're like, who's still here? Five years later, a lot of people aren't there anymore. And that's one of the things that I love doing, is helping, making sure that people are building sustainable, successful, long term businesses that are going to really be there for the long haul. That's what I'm all about. And I think, you know, if I could take you back to, like, back when we chatted, I don't know if I was in Bali then, but, like, you know, in 2019, I was working at a top three global advertising agency. I was living in DC. I had everything you could possibly want on paper. I had a job people would kill for, as I was told by my supervisor. But I just had an itch and I wanted more for myself. I kind of looked around, I was like, is this gonna be my life? You know? And I really wanted something more. And when I first got to Bali, which at the time was like this big digital nomad capital of the world, I thought I was gonna work with digital nomads. And the reality was not that. The reality is I was at that time really struggling to sell like literally $300 coaching packages and I was running through my savings like really fast. Now, almost five years later, and I have a successful six figure business. It's sustainable. I work with CEO's of 60 million and 100 million dollar companies. My favorite thing to do is to work with small business owners and people of color and women who are just starting out and help them build that true dream business. Because otherwise, what is the point of being your own boss if you can't really enjoy it?

[00:05:20.16] - Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. So I appreciate you and getting even a little bit of a snapshot of the space that you hold and how you help pour into people so that they can ultimately shine and make an impact 1000%.

[00:05:31.18] - Tasha Prados

Because I think it's like, it's too. I think as an entrepreneur and a business owner and a CEO, you feel so much pressure to present as successful because otherwise why would someone hire you, right? But the fact is that you can have a tough moment or a down moment for yourself and in your business and still be freaking amazing at what you do and still be a really good investment for someone. But we've created a culture where it's really hard and scary to show that vulnerability and that's not necessarily what people think that people want to see. And so there's almost like a culture of fear and shame around it if you're not doing amazing to like share those things. And so it makes it really hard for people. And that's why, that's a big reason why people hire coaches and mentors like me, is so that they can get that support and have that safe space and be reassured that like, hey, this is normal, you are doing great. Here's the thing, here's the roadmap, here's the plan, here's what we're going to do, and here's how we're going to get you back to that place. Because the truth is that it's okay and it's normal to have not everything be a thousand all of the time. Like, if everything was a thousand all of the time. Everyone would be an entrepreneur, and everyone would have a successful business, and everyone would be a billionaire, and that is obviously not the case.

[00:06:42.75] - Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. And I wanted to hear a little bit more on what you consider to be what I like to call your secret sauce. This could be for yourself, the business, or a combination of both. But what do you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you nervous?

[00:06:51.99] - Tasha Prados

Yeah, I mean, I think my philosophy is that business is simpler, better, more fun when you have fewer, higher paying clients that you really enjoy working with. You know, I work with a ton of different entrepreneurs, and it's like, there's so many people who are caught in the hustle, like, working really hard, working all the time, and sometimes working with clients who they feel like don't respect their boundaries, don't respect their time, don't appreciate them, maybe even some. Some really icky scenarios where people haven't paid them on time or ghost them after they do all this work. And, like, really, I don't know if we can curse on the podcast, but, like, okay, shitty things that have happened, like, not cool shit that has happened. And it's like, if you're gonna be your own boss, if you're gonna have your own business, I want you to have a life that you freaking love, that you freaking enjoy. Like, the whole point of doing this is to have the flexibility to spend your day how you want to be able to go where you want. Like, I'm in the French Alps today. You know, I've worked from, like, 17 different countries since starting my business. And so my zone of genius is really about helping you figure out exactly what services to be selling, how to sell them, who to sell them to, what business model to have, so that your business is an actual joy to run. You're getting well compensated for your gifts. You love your clients, you love your work, and you also have time and money to reinvest in yourself and your business. Because I talk to way too many people who are still stuck in this mindset of, like, oh, should I, like, give things away for free? Or, like, you know, I'm struggling to make ends meet, but, like, you know, let me. Like, I don't want. I feel bad selling or I feel bad charging someone. And, like, it's like, you don't have a successful business if you can't fully support yourself and your family, and you don't have time. You can't take time off, and, like, you can't rest and nourish yourself. You can't reinvest in support and building systems and capacity in the business. So. So I'm really all about making sure you are set up with a sustainable, successful business for the long term without burnout that you actually really enjoy. And I think having spent, you know, four years at a top three global advertising agency, having worked with big Fortune 500 and US government companies, like, I really know my stuff. And I just love helping small business owners and entrepreneurs leverage the kinds of best practices that are being used by those huge companies. Because it's like, why should they have all, well, like, let's spread it around.

[00:09:15.25] - Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. I wanted to switch gears a little bit, and I want to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an Apple book or even a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

[00:09:25.30] - Tasha Prados

Well, here's maybe a little bit more. I don't know if it's a CEO hack or, like a life hack, but I like to call it, like a happiness recipe. I'd say, like, and this is how I try to kind of build my life. And this is what makes me, I think, so happy, both in my personal life and in my business. Think about, like, maybe five key things that make you your happiest. Like, what do you need on a daily basis to be happy? You know, is it, like, movement? And then what makes that thing, like, level ten happiness? Like, what is the best possible iteration of that thing? And maybe, like, you can't go for a hike in the alps every single day. Like, maybe you can't get to level ten every single day. Maybe some days it's just like, okay, I'm gonna go for a walk around the block. But keeping in mind, like, what are those things that make me really happy? And how can I incorporate those into my routine every day, or almost every day, so that I'm showing up as my best self? And I think one of the best parts of having your own business is being able to structure your life and structure your day how you want. You're not beholden to some corporate schedule or a corporate attire or, you know, you get to wear what you want, you get to do what you want. You get to be where you want, you get to be who you want. And so take advantage of that. And that's why I say, like, create the business that supports your dream life. Like, your business should really support the life that you want to have, you know, and not the other way around, where you're spending all your time and energy working to support this business. Like, you need to be able to enjoy your life as well.

[00:10:55.32] - Gresham Harkless

Yeah, I absolutely love that. And I think that's so powerful because I think so many times we could think either or. Okay, I do this in my business. I do this in my life. But really, they're very much so integrated. They're very much so intertwined. And like you said, if you are having not having a great business day, maybe you're probably not having a great personal day as well. Those things are very much so intertwined. So I think starting with that happiness recipe is such a huge thing because, again, it's getting back to your why. Your why as an individual of, like, what really lights you up, what does that look like? And then kind of reverse engineering what that could look like on a daily basis so that you have that happiness in your life every day.

[00:11:31.70] - Tasha Prados

Definitely.

[00:11:32.77] - Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. So what would you consider to be a little bit more what I call a co nugget? So this could be a word of wisdom or piece of advice. I like to say it might be something you would tell your younger business self if you were to hop into a time machine or potentially your favorite client.

[00:11:45.84] - Tasha Prados

Okay, well, feel free to shut me up because I feel like I have a lot of these.

[00:11:49.60] - Gresham Harkless

We're here for it.

[00:11:50.89] - Tasha Prados

Let me think. Okay, stop overthinking. Like, I see my clients before they start working with me. They waste so much time overthinking. Like, should I do it this way? Should I do it that way? Like, just get out there and do the thing. Like, we're so afraid to fail and be perceived as failures and have people watch us fail that it stops us from taking action. Like, some of us are such perfectionists that we're like, oh, I don't want to do the thing unless I know I'm going to get great results. No matter what happens, no matter how perfect your plan is as you start executing it, you're still going to learn things. And if you're not failing, you are not trying. Like, I've had failed launches. All my successful clients have had failed launches. Like, you just can't let it mean anything about you and your abilities and your services. It's just learnings. It's data. The faster you fail, the faster you will succeed. So done is better than perfect. Just put it out there. One post is not going to make or break you. There are people who, for example, have been on my email list for years. They've come to every single free training I've ever done. And sometimes I'll reach out to these people and be like, hey, would you like to work with me? Where are you at in your business? Let's take you where you want to go. And they'll be like, oh, I just can't afford it. But the thing is, they're not progressing, and they've been in this pattern for years. So it's like, would you rather be stuck where you're at now, or would you rather take a leap? Like, if you want the uncommon results, you have to take the uncommon action. You have to leap. You have to go all in. You have to bet on yourself. So, obviously, as a business coach, like, I strongly invest, recommending in coaching and mentorship, and, like, obviously hire me. But focus more on your zone of genius. Focus on the thing that you started your business to do, and then look at ways to outsource and build capacity and build systems. Because it's like, it's not like, okay, I run this business for years, and the higher quality, better paying clients are just magically going to find me because I put in these years of experience and I've gotten all these reps and I've served all these clients. No, like, you have to create the vision for the business you want, for the kind of client you want to serve, and then you have to go out there and create. Create the movement, get them to come to you, attract them. And it's like, if you're not doing that, it's not going to happen. So I think that's. Those were a lot. Those were a lot. So hopefully one of those is helpful to somebody.

[00:14:30.85] - Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. I wanted to ask you now my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And our goal is to have different, quote unquote, CEO's on this show. So, Tasha, what does being a CEO mean to you?

[00:14:40.72] - Tasha Prados

Ooh. I think the first word that comes to mind is freedom. You know, I mean, I think that's. That's a big reason why I started my own business. I think that's the reason why a lot of my clients start their own business, is, you know, you don't want to be beholden to someone else's idea of what your day should look like, what your work should look like, who you should work with, what your life should look like. And having the freedom to decide all of those things in today's society is truly such an incredible privilege and joy. Like, to be able to work from all over the world, work with amazing clients I adore, have once in a lifetime adventures, like, every week, almost like I just feel like the luckiest girl in the world, but it's not luck. Like, I very intentionally created this reality. And if you're listening, you can, too. You just got to put in the work. It doesn't happen overnight. You have to intentionally create that freedom.

[00:15:40.79] - Gresham Harkless

Yeah, that ends up being such a huge thing. And Natasha truly appreciate that. And of course, I appreciate your time even more. So what I want to do now is pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional that you can let our readers and listeners know. And, of course, how best people can get a hold of you. Find out about all the awesome things that you're working on.

[00:15:56.29] - Tasha Prados

Well, you can go to my website, duracastrategic.com, if you can spell that, it's dashastrategic.com. i'm also on instagram@duracastrategic.com. i'm on LinkedIn as Aasha prados, and I think those are the main ways.

[00:16:12.30] - Gresham Harkless

Okay, perfect. And to make it even easier, of course, we'll have the links and information in the show notes as well, too. And I hope you have a phenomenal rest of day.

[00:16:18.50] - Intro

Thank you for listening to the imceo podcast, powered by CB Nation and Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at Imceo co Imceo is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and everywhere you listen to podcasts. Subscribe and leave us a five star rating. This has been the Imceo podcast with Gresham Harkness Junior. Thank you for listening.