Do you want to reinvent your life or leave the job that is killing your soul? “Life on Your Terms” may be exactly what you need to begin your career transition. Aspiring entrepreneurs get ready to be inspired!

“Life on Your Terms: The Support You Need to Follow Your Passion From Inspirational Entrepreneurs,” offers personal liberation stories for budding entrepreneurs and people looking to reinvent themselves.

Claim your autographed copy of Shann’s wildly popular book HERE or claim your copy at Amazon. 

“Stories are how we learn and heal, and Shann has collected wonderful stories that are lanterns of hope and goodness to illuminate your way. Enjoy the light!”

-Jennifer Louden, author of The Woman’s Comfort Book and The Life Organizer

Energize your life with insights from this exceptional group of entrepreneurs. In this series of success stories, coaches, authors, executives, doctors, artists, and visionaries generously share their personal secrets for liberation.

“Life on Your Terms” is a valuable resource for any entrepreneur or budding entrepreneur, and reminds us that we define success and personal freedom for ourselves.

This collection of more than forty personal interviews turns over the stones of accepted wisdom to reveal the tremendous power of the entrepreneurial perspective. Some of the entrepreneurs include: Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos and author of “Delivering Happiness”, Mike Michalowicz, author of the “Toilet Paper Entrepreneur “ and John P. Strelecky, International best selling author of Life Safari and CEO of Big Five for Life . With commentary and insights by Shann Vander Leek—an inspirational leader who, after eighteen years of serving the television advertising sales model of the Corporate world, reinvented herself as the founder of True Balance International, creator of the Transformation Goddess Experience and co-founder of Anxiety Slayer.

Visit the Life on Your Terms marketing page to claim your autographed copy and special bonuses! You can also claim your copy at Amazon. 

We’ve created the Life on Your Terms Accelerator Series to support you through your transition from employee to entrepreneur.  Learn more about this powerful coaching program HERE.

EXCITING NEWS! Life on Your Terms is included in Aspire Magazine’s Top 10 Inspiring Books for February. I’m honored to be one of the ten empowering books written by women this month. You’ll discover topics ranging from Love, Mindfulness, Relationships, Resiliency, Self-discovery, Transformation and much more.

Since 2005 Publisher Linda Joy has been on a mission to inspire women around the world by bringing them the best in inspirational, empowering content, resources and tools. Check out February’s Top 10 Inspiring Books  Check out this HOT LIST.

“Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.”  – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Picture yourself walking down the street in a busy urban area of New York, London or Los Angeles.  Moving along you are mesmerized by magnificent architecture, the innocence of a child’s laughter, the fanciful shop windows, the smells and sounds of the city.  You are completely lost in thought when, by the grace of a complete stranger, you are saved from being run over by a rogue vehicle blowing through a red light.  Your heart is racing and you are wicked stunned.  You thank the superhero on the street by offering him your first born and stumble off,  grateful to be alive.  Your wake up call has been delivered.

What will you do with this message?

It’s time to get out of your own way and begin taking action in the areas of your life you deem most important. There is no more time for ego-teasing lip service or negative self talk.  If you need help getting focused,  schedule a coaching session with me or another coach out in the world and move one step forward on the path of your desires.

One of my coaching clients is a brilliant creative visionary. Her vision of greatness paralyzed her for years from taking action on the small things, which bit by bit, drop by drop, adds up to the full life she is desperately seeking. Couple this paralysis with brutal self-talk and we have vision versus fear challenge.

Like the fantastical dreamer meandering through the city, this bright woman was preoccupied with rich textured dreams and magical notions.  She almost missed the harbinger of a tragic nightmare threatening to suck the life from her extraordinary vision.  We are working together to travel back to the beginning of her story with the commitment of making plans and celebrating incremental actionable steps over a clear and specific time line.

Big Ideas —> Plans Phases —> Action Steps  = Critical Path Time Line

Creative people overflowing with ideas and wacky scenarios love to play. Dabbling here and experimenting there can be big fun and certainly not as scary as stepping into your power to create your life’s dream.  I enjoy experimentation as much as any creative,  but have learned that too many experiements lure me away from the laser focus I am finally learning how to surrender to and flow with.

As a transformational coach I share my time inspiring creative entrepreneurs to accelerate their journey toward a full and balanced life on their terms. In my opinion, the best way to foster liberation is to live it, breathe it and study it. I am ecstatic to shine a focused stream of dazzling golden sunshine with the purpose of illuminating each bold and interesting plan of the people I play with.

Getting out of your own way looks like this:

* Learning how to be happy with incremental victories that lead to your BIG VISION

* Being grateful for your experience and talents – there is nobody in the Universe quite like you

* Reminding  yourself about all you have accomplished each day

* Setting realistic daily, weekly and annual goals

* Kicking your own ass, hiring a coach or tapping into a mentor to accomplish short-term plans

* Creating an environment of daily creative productivity

* Communicating with like-minded people who are happy to be a part of your support system

Open your eyes and look around.  You can get out of your own way and honor your creative vision.

It is never too late to begin again.

To celebrate 6 years of entrepreneurial freedom, we’re offering The Complete Life on Your Terms Accelerator Series for 50% off through the end of November!

If you are ready to the leave the job that is killing your soul, and curious to explore becoming an entrepreneur, this series will help you navigate through your career transition.

Check it out!

Entrepreneurial Spotlight

Christine Laureano, Founder of Ba6 Botanicals

“Go for it and don’t look back.”

- Christine Laureano

This month I invited the fabulous Christine Laureano to share some of her entrepreneurial secrets with the Life on Your Terms community. Christine has worked through the ups and downs in her journey as a small business owner, mentor/coach and entrepreneur.  As the creator of Ba6 Botanicals, her all natural, handcrafted skin care line, she shows women how to love the skin they’re in, and create a Buff & Beautiful Life. I’ve been using Christine’s skin care line for the last 4 months and love every single product I’ve tried.

I’m sure you will enjoy Christine’s Entrepreneurial Spotlight.

1. What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?

The Universe! No, really. It took me a while – and several corporate years – to realize I didn’t fit the corporate mold. I was an idea generator, wanted to do things my way, and couldn’t conform to the corporate norm. I loved doing things in a different way and had a business vision that was unique. Once I “found” myself, my entrepreneurial spirit took off!

2. How have you created your life on your terms?

It took me a while. As a people pleaser, I found I was always exhausted. Doing for others first, and for myself much, much later. I have been a lifelong student of personal growth and inner development, so I went in! I went into the depth of my soul, looked at the hard questions, and found answers. It took courage and patience, but I understood that I was always creating my life. For years, I had let other people’s feelings and emotions dictate my response, rather than choosing how I wanted to “BE” in my life. Once I was aligned, I began creating my life on my terms and have become a powerful manifestor because of it!

3. What have you learned from role models and mentors in your life?

I wouldn’t be where I am today without my mentors! Since I can remember, I have had a mentor or teacher that has helped lead me to my truth. I’m very discerning about the information I take in, some with a grain of salt and other’s with great depth and reverence. My mentors and teachers have taught me to connect with my inner wisdom, be an observer of the world, have fun, and not take things too seriously!

4. Please share one tip for living a full life.

Listen to your own guidance! We are bombarded by thoughts, “to-dos” and advice on how to create a business, raise children, and live our life. This advice is well intentioned, but you are the only one that knows YOU deeply. Only you can make the choices that align with your values, goals and intentions. Don’t count your own wisdom short – you know more than you realize!

5. What would you like your legacy to be?

“Hey, isn’t that the woman who made those great skin care products.” Really, I want to be able to inspire others to love WHO they are, revel in their unique gifts, and live life to the fullest.

6. What is your overall message to a someone ready to follow their passion?

Go for it and don’t look back!

7. What is your favorite inspirational quote?

My favorite quote is by Marianne Williamson “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us… Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?” If you hold back your gifts to the world, you are doing a disservice to the people who are waiting for you!

Learn more about Christine, and Claim a copy of The Ba6 To Your Buff & Beautiful Skin at the Ba6 Botanicals Website. www.Ba6Botanicals.com

If you are ready to leave your job, have lost your job, or dream about starting your own company, the following exercise could be the inspiration you need to take your first step toward personal liberation.

You can live your life on your own terms. You can liberate yourself from your golden handcuffs. You can be brave, and you can do what you love…

Are you ready for a career change?

How do you know when it’s time to make the leap from dancing in a cage for a paycheck to living your life on your terms? Here are some obvious signs:

1. Are you feeling under-challenged and under-rewarded?

2. Are you using up all of your sick time, regardless of whether you’re actually sick?

3. Do you dread going into the office every day?

4. Are you tired of reporting to a boss who seems clueless, disinterested, or out-of-touch?

5. Have you hit your company’s proverbial “glass ceiling”?

If you answered yes to more than two of these questions, you may be ready to move on.

Self-Discovery

Learning to rely on your personal strengths while being mindful of your resources is a valuable lesson for any aspiring entrepreneur.

1. What is your current skill set?

2. What are your core talents and strengths?

3. Which areas need attention or further education?

4. What will it take to get your financial life in order before you make the leap?

5. Can you pinpoint the time in your life when you were happiest? What did that look like?

Your individual strengths and interests become your gauge for defining and designing your new life. You get to choose what you do with your time and energy. You simply MUST discover what you love.

Letting Go of Fear

Fear is the biggest saboteur of your auspicious goal to reinvent yourself. In order to move past the stage of your initial “I’ll do it!” you will probably need to face at least one major fear.

1. When you think about striking out in pursuit of your passion, what do the critical voices in your head say about it?

2. Are your fears grounded in reality, or is your inner critic conjuring them to keep you “safe?”

3. What is holding you back from creating your life as you wish it to be?

4. What is the worst case scenario for moving forward on your new path?

5. If you weren’t afraid what kind of experiences would you explore?

You CAN learn to do the things you think you can’t do. Take a deep breath, do your research, create a meaningful plan, and ask for help with the implementation.

It has been my observation that healthy personal development, as well as success in business, absolutely depends on aligning your business goals with your lifestyle choices and core values.

You could stay small, you could play it safe. But that’s not a life, that’s just existing. At this moment, everything is up for review and change.

Check out the Life on Your Terms Accelerator Series for the support you need to navigate through your transition.

The inspirational and effervescent  Michelle Casto created an 11 day Odyssey of interviews with people that she defines as Destiny Discoverers.

Big love and thanks to Michelle for inviting me to be part of the fun.

Hop on over to Live Your Destiny and get inspired to leave behind your “default reality” and step into your Destiny. 

If you like what you find please share with your friends on Twitter and Facebook.

A majority of the coaching clients I play with are powerful professional women in transition. Whether these women are looking at career changes, lifestyle changes or have just begun to figure out what makes them tick, the common thread they often share is “My well is dry.” The consensus is that they feel like they do not have anything left to give and look at me cross eyed when I recommend making some time for themselves.

Too many professional women are totally overwhelmed by all they have to do and all of the roles they play—knowing that there must be more to life than a never ending list of responsibilities.

A lucky few have decided to create a better life by stepping off of the fast-paced treadmill of things to do. These women are no longer willing to ignore the essence of who they REALLY are inside.

If you share this feeling that your well is dry, I have a couple of questions for you.

1. What might it look like to live a life overflowing with abundance, including time to be more than the roles you play?

2. How do you want to define yourself in the next chapter of your life?

When you have answered these questions, you are ready to tap into an overflowing well of inspiration.

Here are a few supportive exercises:

* Evaluate Your Commitments

How much are you asking of yourself outside of work, family, and social time? Are you filling up every second of your time with tasks and responsibilities? Can you carve out an hour of time for yourself every day?

* Get Silly!

One of the best teachers in my life is my daughter Marin. This child is straight silly. While discussing what to make for dinner one night we mentioned making big tossed salads. Within moments Marin was singing “Big Tossed Salad” and dancing around the laundry room.  Children have a way of reminding us to be silly. Get your silly on!

* Ask For Help

When is the last time you asked a friend, peer or family member for help? Are you trying to do to much on your own? You are not meant to be a martyr. You are not weak if you ask for assistance. You are only as strong as your network of support. Reach out and allow yourself the help you need.

* Create a Collage of Beautiful Pictures

Have you ever created a collage? It’s easy. Grab a few magazines and catalogs, construction paper, glue stick and a pair of scissors and get down to business. You can quickly create your theme with bold phrases and colorful pictures that call out to you from each page. When you are finished, put your collage in a space where you can admire it. If you have children this is a great activity to do together.

* Quiet Reflection

Your life is a gift. You deserve more time to play and wonder where your life could lead. You do not have to be so frigging serious all the time. Lighten up and enjoy what each day brings. Spend quite time alone. Surround yourself with natural beauty. You deserve peaceful time to balance how much of yourself you give away.

How will you fill your well today?

If you are in the throes of a significant career transition, you can expect to experience manic emotional mood swings.

During my transition from corporate America to lifestyle entrepreneur, my biggest fear was losing everything I’d created over a lifetime of service to the only career I’d ever known. I had power, money, an exquisite lifestyle and lots of material wealth. How could I chuck the stability to follow my dream? I struggled with self-doubt. Breathtaking highs followed by terrifying lows.

Was I a fraud?

Could I really go it alone?

No matter how you go about it, reinventing yourself can be a manic ride. Here is a poem I wrote while experiencing the mania. Can you relate?

Manic

One day

I rode a manic roller coaster

Twisting and turning

Rising and falling

Crashing through

Frustration

Patience

Hunger

Happiness

Aggression

Love

I prayed for the ride to stop

Yet somehow got off on

The thrill of being out of control

One day

I rode a manic roller coaster

Gaining momentum

Spinning around

Hands in the air

Tangled thoughts

Wanting to climb out of my skin

Inner calm

Understanding how to bask in peace

An endless appetite for life

Contemplating how much is enough

True joy

By appreciating natural riches

Ripping on the way things are

Gaining momentum in my disgust

Kindness and selflessness

Always wanting more

… Love 

 Entrepreneurial Spotlight

Arlene Battishill, President & CEO GoGo Gear

“Go and be fabulous!” – Arelene Battishill

Arlene Battishill constantly has new ideas popping into her head. When she realized that the company she worked for planned to lay her off, she decided she was finally free to pursue her own ideas. Arlene is inspired on a daily basis by things around her, both ordinary and extraordinary. She sees opportunity in everything, and loves to interact with new people because, “You never know what can happen!” She creates a life on her own terms, first, by not allowing others to determine her fate, and second, by not being held hostage economically. Believing anything is possible is a way of life for Arlene.

This year Arlene’s new company GoGo Gear was featured on Shark Tank and at the last minute, Damond John stepped up for $300k and 65% of the company.

Here is Arlene’s Life on Your Terms interview. Enjoy!

What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?

I’m one of those people who has a new idea every minute. It’s just a matter of trying to execute it before the next idea pops in my head. When you’re that kind of person, but still need to have a paycheck, it’s very frustrating. You know so many things are possible, and that there’s so much you can do – but you also need to have a steady source of income, so you end up feeling trapped. When I lost my job, it was a blessing, because it forced me to live with a tremendous amount of uncertainty. I had to learn to trust that everything was going to be okay. That was a good lesson, because being an entrepreneur is much more demanding than working for someone else, and there is never any certainty. There is also no paycheck early on in the process – but there is no greater reward than working for yourself, determining your own fate, and knowing that if you succeed it will be because of your own efforts. When you work for someone else, all your effort is on the behalf of whatever company you’re working for, and there is really no return on your investment other than a steady paycheck. For some people, that works, but I would rather take the risk of working for myself. Then, even if it doesn’t work out, I will know that I have done everything I possibly could to create my own success.

I came up with the idea for GoGo Gear in the middle of 2008. Knowing that I was likely going to lose my job by the end of that year, I wrote a full-blown business plan and set about putting things into motion. Within two months, we were in business. It’s been a whirlwind ever since! When I left my job, I was fortunate enough to own three homes, all purchased during more prosperous years. Suddenly, I had no income, but was still carrying the mortgages on all three homes. When some people lose their jobs, they end up being paralyzed by the loss and the fear, but I felt that I was finally free. Yes, I still had financial obligations, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from pursuing something I really, truly believed in.

How have you created your life on your terms?

Number one: I will not accept someone else dictating my future. I think that the most common way that we don’t live a life on our terms is because we’re tied into some other person or entity economically. We sell our souls for a paycheck; we resign ourselves to give up who we are for that paycheck. But if we just do the things we feel passionate about and find a way to get paid for them, we start to live life on our own terms. I cannot tell you how much joy I felt when I was let go from my job. I work harder now than I ever have before, but I couldn’t be happier. I have a wonderful partner and wonderful friends, and I feel that as long as I am doing something I enjoy and feel passionate about, and that I feel has possibilities, then I am living the life that I want to live.

Many people go to school with the idea that they’re going to become this or that. Then, harsh reality sets in when they find out what “this” actually is, but they’ve got too much invested to back out, and they end up miserable. I never bought into the “my job defines who I am” idea. I am probably very fortunate in the way I see things in life; I never get too attached to any one idea. If this whole Scooter Girls and GoGo Gear thing doesn’t work, I’ll just get started on the next idea. I don’t have a huge emotional attachment to anything, and that makes it easier for me to withstand it when something doesn’t work out. I don’t take it personally, and I don’t see it as a big catastrophe. I just think, “I need to find more money, because I’m going to start something else now.” I think it makes you a whole lot more resilient, and probably more successful, when you don’t have all your eggs in one basket. You say, “I’m going to throw this idea against the wall and see if it sticks. If it does, that’s what I’ll do, and if it doesn’t, then I’ll throw something else.”

What have you learned from mentors and role models in your life?

I was one of the subjects for the big desegregation programs in Detroit in the mid 1970s. I was arbitrarily selected from an allwhite high school and sent to an all-black high school. There were only six white people in my graduating class. One of my teachers suggested I try out for the school’s golf team, and introduced me to the talent scout from the Detroit Pistons basketball team, an older black gentleman who took me under his wing and really taught me how to play golf. Three times a week, we went out to the course, and while he was teaching me the game of golf, he was also teaching me about life. He should have been the Tiger Woods of his day, but before desegregation, there were no opportunities for him. Still, he wasn’t bitter. He had a long-term view of how things work in life, and where justice and fairness come into things. He had a profound effect on how I see things.

Another mentor came into the picture after my partner was diagnosed with breast cancer. As a caregiver, I not only needed assistance, but I needed to talk to somebody about my own challenges and fears. I went to talk to a woman from my employee assistance program; she started out as a therapist, but turned into more of a personal coach. She became the one person I could share things with about what I wanted to do and how I see things.

At no point did she nix any of my ideas; she always said to me, “Just go do it!” That was already my philosophy about life, but I was surrounded by people who were very practical about things – people who were not visionaries or leaders, and who were all about, “Well, how are you going to do this?” They wanted to get into the specifics of this and that, which is a major buzz kill. It is not how you do something; it’s the idea itself that launches you toward where you ultimately need to go.

Please share one tip for living a full life:

You have to see opportunity everywhere. That’s not just a frame of mind; it’s a way of life. Most people wake up and say, “Ugh, I have to do this today.” They live their lives thinking about their problems, their challenges, and all the things they have to overcome. For me, it’s all opportunity. There’s opportunity everywhere. You just have to reorient your thinking and recognize that opportunities are out there in abundance – but only if you’re open to them. If you spend all your time focusing on what you don’t have, you close yourself off to the possibility of amazing things happening.

What would you like your legacy to be?

It’s more a matter of what people will say about me. I absolutely believe, without fail, that anything is possible: that’s how I live. People will probably say at my funeral, “She’s lying there dead, but she’s probably thinking about how she can get up out of that coffin.” And then they’ll sit there, waiting to see if I make it happen.

Arlene’s Message:

Instead of focusing on the challenges in your world, open your eyes to all the opportunities surrounding you. Release yourself from any attachment to things that keep you stuck where you are, and realize that you always have options. Once you know that everything in life is about choices, you can choose to completely change your life!

More about The GoGo Gear Story

President and CEO Arlene Battishill created Los Angeles-based GoGo Gear to provide men and women with chic alternatives to traditional riding gear. Arlene combined her educational and corporate experience to undertake an exhaustive R&D effort resulting in GoGo Gear, the groundbreaking line of modish safety apparel designed by and specifically for women. Arlene has been selected as one of the top 100 most influential people in the Los Angeles fashion industry.  Learn more about GoGo Gear at  www.gogogearla.com 

Entrepreneurial Spotlight

Michael Michalowicz

“Passion begets persistence, and persistence begets success.”

I had the pleasure of interviewing Mike Michalowicz for Life on Your Terms  and have kept in touch with him ever since. Mike is a force of nature with a quick wit and generous heart. I know you will enjoy his interview and recommend reading The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur and his new book, The Pumpkin Plan.

A former employee at a computer store, Michael Michalowicz became an entrepreneur at the tender age of twenty-four, after he got tired of working for The Man. He quit his job without knowing what his next step would be – but thanks to his thirst for success, his willingness to be completely real, and his staunch adherence to his four “immutable laws,” he’s catapulted himself into the national spotlight with his book, The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, and his third company, Obsidian Launch.

What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?

The reason I became an entrepreneur was not traditional. I didn’t grow up wealthy, and I didn’t grow up poor with something to prove. We were a total Beaver Cleaver, middle class family.

I’d never had an ounce of interest in becoming an entrepreneur, but one night, after finishing work at the computer store, I went out for a couple of beers with a coworker. After throwing back four or five cold ones, I said, “Screw this, I’m not working for The Man anymore. He’s not even that smart. He’s probably a multi-millionaire of off my sweat! I’m quitting and starting my own business.” My friend replied, “Well, if you’ve got the guts, do it now.”

I’d made my announcement in a drunken stupor, but it turns out I did have the guts: hung over, I resigned the next morning. I was twenty-four, married, and had a three-year-old son. The job I’d just left was the only one I’d had since I’d gotten out of college. I came home that day to my wife and son and said, “Good news, bad news. The good news is, I think we’re gonna be rich. The bad news is, I have no idea how, and I just quit my job.”

It was pure panic the first year or two, just surviving. Initially it was the fear of failure that drove me; later, it became the thirst for success. There was a lot of sacrifice. I had a young family, no savings, and now, no salary. We were renting an apartment we could no longer afford. Our parents were not excited about us moving home, nor did we want that ourselves. The day I quit my job, I told my wife she had to find us someplace to live that was really cheap and safe for our son. She found a retirement village that we lobbied to get into, and for a year we lived with people in their eighties and nineties.

How have you created your life on your terms?

Necessity really is the mother of invention. I always thought you needed money to make money, but now I emphatically believe that the lack of money incites ingenuity, passion, and persistence, and those are what make real money. I started becoming inventive in many ways. I would do marketing stuff, which takes no money. People actually pay me to help them with their marketing now, because I come from the mentality of “How can we do it without any money?” My company, Obsidian Launch, specializes in helping new entrepreneurs learn how to grow healthy businesses.

The biggest guiding principal – and this is the bedrock for building a life on your terms – is discovering and then defining your laws. I don’t say “values,” because the term is so used and abused by corporations. But we have our own core values: we know what they are the moment we break one of them, because we feel sick to our stomachs and think, “I can’t believe I did that.” Other times, people are shocked because you’ve declined an “opportunity,” but you feel really good anyway, because you adhered to one of your immutable laws.

I discovered my four immutable laws early on. They’re clearly defined: I have them on my wall, and I look at them every morning. They have become the standard filter. Documenting them, and living them religiously and emphatically, has helped me recognize the “sacrifices” that will actually become gains in the long term. One of them is “No Dicks Allowed.” I will never be a dick to someone else. If someone is a take-take-take person, I have no interest in dealing with them. When I’m hiring an employee, I’m not just asking what his or her background experience is; I’m asking questions to find out what kind of person they are. “Are you a dick?” I ask, “Or not a dick?” I’ve turned down what I considered big deals, because the manager on the client’s side was a dick. Although I’m losing out on a lot of money, I’m gaining a lot of life. To work for someone who’s a total dick is so draining!

My other three laws are: “Give to Gift,” “Positivity or Death,” and “Blood Money.” You’ll hear people say “give to get.” But then, when you give something, you’re assuming you’re going to get something: you’re going into it with a “taker” mentality. It’s a bit dickish, actually. If you don’t want to give for the joy of giving, then you’re really not giving – you’re just trying to manipulate getting.

Next is “Positivity or Death.” I’ve found that people are wired to be half-empty or half-full when they see that glass, and you can’t teach anyone to see it the other way. I constantly seek out people who see the positive side, even in dark situations.

The final immutable law is “Blood Money.” Money shouldn’t be treated like water or urine, so don’t piss it away. Your cash flow is the blood of your business, and without it, you’re dead. You have to treat money with respect, and you have to use it in a disciplined way. A savings account is like a blood bank: you should keep a reserve of money for an emergency situation, whether your own or a colleague’s, and you should always be building that blood reserve, because you never know when that life-or-death moment will hit.

What have you learned from mentors and role models in your life?

When I first started my company, I was under so much stress. Someone recommended that I read How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie. I thought a book couldn’t help me, but what a powerful book! That was my first experience with a mentor, even though Mr. Carnegie had passed away fifty years prior.

Currently, I have three mentors, and I’m looking for a couple more. I always start with the categories where I think I need the most progress. I believe that right now there is a major surge in terms of women becoming entrepreneurs, to the point where in ten years, we won’t be saying, “The next Bill Gates,” we’ll be saying, “The next Barbara Gates!” Women are going to take over the leading roles. I have lots of arguments to support this, and beyond just believing it, I’m behaving that way. One of my most important mentors is Nancy Devine. She’s an entrepreneur, but also a spiritual and strong woman. She’s gone through some big challenges in her life and has come out very successful and positive. For me to live the belief I have, I have to entrench myself in it. I meet with her once a month for a cup of coffee and just soak in every single word and experience she’s gone through.

Howard Hirsch is a mentor too. He’s in an investment company, he’s part of the “No Dicks Allowed” belief, and he constantly drives home the value of his company. The guy is not money first: money is fifth with him. Instead, the customer is first; then, being true to who you are, integrity, and ethics. After these, the money is automatic.

Frank? He just happens to be my long-lasting mentor; he’s worked with me for fifteen years. From the first day I became an entrepreneur, he was there. He’s all about business discipline.

Finally, I’m in a mastermind group – a whole group of mentors. My group includes eight other entrepreneurs and we’ve been meeting for eight years. Everyone in the group has something I don’t have. There’s one guy I really admire for his fathering skills: he’s extraordinary. There is another person who went through challenges with alcohol, and has overcome that. I’ve never experienced that, but we all struggle with an addiction of some kind, and her experience is so powerful.

Please share one tip for living a full life:

Unequivocally, it is being yourself. Many of us still pander to what we think society wants or expects of us. I did it too: I was constantly pushing myself down so I wouldn’t stand out, or embarrass myself. I was always comparing what I wanted to do with how my wife wanted me to behave, how my parents raised me, what my friends would think of me.

I’ve had three companies, but it was only with my most recent company that I said, “Fuck it. I’m me! Why not just be me?” I put the real me out there and the result has been overwhelming, tremendous, and fulfilling for me and my business. A year ago, I didn’t have a book, and I didn’t have a web site. But just by being myself I became this soapbox person – the kind of person people look at and say, “Holy shit, there’s someone that says what I think. I like that!” When people connected with me, it was great for business, but internally I was so relieved. I thought, “My God, all this time, all I had to be was me? How bizarre!”

What would you like your legacy to be?

It changes. I don’t know that I legitimately have a legacy yet, but at the moment, I want to change the entrepreneurial frontier. Right now, I’m taking my stance: I do not believe in get-rich-quick, and I don’t like when people try to take advantage of other people. Turn on the TV at 10:00 p.m., when the infomercials kick in, and it’s like, “Are you desperate? Well, here’s your salvation!” Then, it’s, “Give me ten thousand dollars and you’ll get a million dollars!” They’re going to take your money because they’re scammers. The great irony is that they’re scammers with huge amounts of wealth behind them.

I don’t believe in get-rich-quick. I believe in get rich right, and the “right” is determined by all those things we discussed earlier – your immutable laws. I’d like to deliver that legacy to women entrepreneurs. They are positioned so well right now to take off, but they have a challenge that men don’t, and that is that women analyze much more than men. I see a lot of women who are ready to become entrepreneurs, but they get into an over-think process, and stonewall themselves before they ever get started.

Mike’s Message:

Be yourself. You don’t have to work with or surround yourself with anyone who devalues your own belief system. Don’t try to get rich quick: live by your immutable laws to get rich right.

Be sure to check out Mike’s new book, The Pumpkin Plan.  

“The Pumpkin Plan” drops July 5th at Amazon and is available for pre-order today.