Today’s Guest

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Have you ever been so overwhelmed with everything that you wish you could take a break from your business, yet you’re terrified of having to start over from scratch when you return? You’ll be inspired by Vasavi Kumar, who built a thriving online business over the course of six years, and then took a full year off her business to recover from a divorce. When she made her comeback in 2016, she signed four clients in 72 hours for her personal mentoring program. In this episode, she shares what it was like to make the decision to take a break from her business, what her business break was like, and how she made her comeback.

About Vasavi Kumar

Vasavi Kumar is often described as “your kick-in-the-pants guide en route to your desired destination.” She is a licensed social worker, special education teacher, and a certified coach. Vasavi holds dual Masters degrees in Special Education from Hofstra University and Social Work from Columbia University. She’s a pro at attracting media and works with her clients to create and go after opportunities that are aligned with their brand values. She has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, was a regular on NBC’s Kansas City Live as the “Keepin’ It Real Guru.” and was on VH1’s Basketball Wives where she coached one of the main stars of the show. She truly believes that with impeccable character, work ethic, and unwavering values, you can do, be and have anything you want. Connect with her at www.VasaviKumar.com

Listen to this episode

What You’ll Learn

Vasavi’s top tips on how to make a comeback after taking a business break
Her secret to not losing her community after taking a year off her business
How to communicate to your tribe that you’ll be taking time off from your business
The secret to making your business break worth it
How Vasavi gets 99% of all her clients (you’ll be surprised by this!)

Inspiring People

Lisa Nichols

Connect with Vasavi

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Transcript

The transcript for this episode can also be downloaded here (no opt-in required).

How to make comeback after a business break

HW: Hello, and welcome to the Business Mindset Podcast, episode 160. This is your host Holly Worton and I am here with today’s special guest, Vasavi Kumar. Vasavi is often described as “your kick-in-the-pants guide en route to your desired destination”. She is a licensed social worker, special education teacher and a certified coach. She is a pro at attracting media and works with her clients to create and go after opportunities that are aligned with their brand values. Welcome Vasavi!

VK: Hey Holly, thanks for having me.

HW: I am so excited to have you on the show!

VK: Me too!

HW: So, why don’t we start out by having you tell us a little about your background and your business journey and how you got to where you are today?

VK: Well, I have been in business for, it’s going to be six years; I think it is almost actually going to be seven years; I started out in 2010, right after I was finishing up my second masters in social work at Columbia university in New York where I am originally from. And, you know, I came across the coaching industry, and having experienced both sides of the social work field, being both a therapy client myself, having been in therapy myself, but now also studying the other side which is the practitioner-side, when I came across the coaching philosophy, just you know, really focussing more on the present and setting goals and a forward moving conversation (HW: yes!) rather than analysing the past – which, by the way, I’m huge advocate of therapy – everyone needs to be in therapy if you have issues that are still holding you back, you need to get that handled, so I am a huge advocate for therapy. But, personally, I just enjoy that I could be a facilitator and be able to help other people really move forward in their lives.

So, you know, I started off doing pro bono, one-on-one coaching, and then I started getting paying clients and I am really like, kind of like how you read in my bio, I am really good at attracting opportunities, finding ways to spread my message, such as doing podcast interviews like this. And that’s really how I started to build my business, by, you know, reaching out to radio stations, TV stations, I was on TV for a year and a half when I was living in Kansas City [and] doing podcast interviews. So, for me, you know, I am a firm believer that if you have a message to share which you think could help another human being move forward, then it is your responsibility to find different ways to get your message out there.

I have worked with really good mentors throughout my career, really immersed myself in this world of online marketing and, you know, there is so much more to it, I am sure if your listeners want to go over to my website, www.VasaviKumar.com they can easily learn more.

But, I think what I really want to highlight, which I know you said you wanted to talk about is that, you know, last year, I took a year off from my business. I had already built a well-known online brand, my business was 100% online, people were finding me through different platforms online, but I went through a divorce last year, that really forced me to choose. Do I want to continue pushing through and you know running my business, and acting as if, everything was hunky dory, or do I want to be real with myself and ask myself really what would be the healthiest thing for me to do right now? And as scary as it was, because you know when you build a brand and you have 7000 subscribers and all of a sudden you are like: “by the way guys my life is basically falling apart, so I am not going to be around anymore”. You know, that was very hard for me to do, but that was a decision that I made, and, last year, I did shut down my business, I just took a brief hiatus. Brief in like a year!

HW: That’s a full sabbatical! (laughing)

VK: That is like, yes, basically what I felt like I had just given birth and I needed to shut down, but I wasn’t giving birth, I was literally mourning the death of my marriage, right? So, I shut down my business; I stopped taking one-on-one clients; I stopped doing interviews; I ended up working five jobs, to keep myself afloat; it was the first time in my life that I was financially independent. So, I spent a lot of last year inwards, and really focussing on me, who I am, and getting myself together, you know? And people don’t prepare you for divorce. {HW: no} people say that it’s hard, but unless you go through it, you know, you really have no idea what to expect. So, I did, and then this past January, I came back full force, we are now six months into the year, and I have to say, it’s never been better. I have never been more clear and more aligned and more full from the inside out, and I think that why I have been doing as well as I’ve been doing. {HW: mm}.

VK: So, here I am today talking to you, you know, and just really hoping to share some value with your listeners and people who are looking not just to rebrand, I am not talking about rebranding, but really evaluating who they are, where they are in their business, is it aligned with how they feel as people, is it aligned with their character, and their people, and their work ethic? How are you serving other people and just most importantly are you happy? {HW: mm} Are you happy doing what you do? Or, are you just trying to keep up with the Joneses, you know? And, so, what I truly believe Holly, is that every single one of us has a gift and we need to get clear first on what that gift is, and there are different ways for us to monetise that if you want to help people moving forward.

HW: Hmm, so, as you are building your business, how long were you in business before you took a break then, about six years was it?

VK: It was probably, yeah. I would say five and a half years, yeah.

HW: So what do you think was kind of the secret to building such a strong community that you didn’t lose them in that year that you took a break?

VK: Oh my god, being a content machine, always giving free content, through the form of YouTube videos, I used to do weekly videos, called “keeping it real”, everywhere you went, there I was. I never turned down any opportunity when I first started, if you wanted me to be on the tele- summit, yes; if you wanted to interview me, yes; if you wanted me to guest blog, yes; if you wanted me to speak on a video station, yes. And I am a shameless self-promoter because I truly believe in what I have to say, and I also think that enthusiasm and confidence is what people really need to get going in life, right? There is a lot of talk, and there is not a lot of doing behind it. So, I really enjoy helping other people see that they have what it takes, and they don’t need to stay stuck. And so, I think the secret to my success is that I have no problem talking about what it is that I do, but more importantly I am extremely generous with the content that I have. It is not like, oh, if you want to access me you have got to pay a million dollars to talk to me for five minutes – I know I am being dramatic here. {HW: Yeah, yeah} But I think,

HW: We all know what you are talking about! (Laughing)

VK: Yes, I think that I am accessible to people, I am not as accessible now, but I would like to think that I am much more accessible than a lot of other people in our industry. I actually want to talk to human beings, I don’t have someone answering my emails, and I pride myself on that, like, if you write to me, you know, you are going to get a response back for me. Not from some lady in the Philippines. No offence, there is nothing wrong with having a lady from the Philippines write back to you, but my point is, that if you are writing to me, you are going to get a response back from me.

HW: Yeah, yeah; so, all of these podcasts and these blog posts and tele-summits that you are doing, were you reaching out to people to get these opportunities? Or, did people start to come to you, and invite you to their platforms?

VK: I would say, in the beginning, it was me, I reached out, you know, I don’t understand people who are just waiting for folks to come knocking on your door, that’s not going to happen, and that’s very silly for you to even think that. Even to this day, I am almost into seven years into business, I reached out to you. {HW: hm} Right? That’s the truth: I reached out to you. And that’s part of what you need to do in your own business, you know what I mean? You need to reach out, you need to find other opportunities to get your message out there. So it keeps you humble and it also keeps you in charge of, it just keeps you in control of – because I am a control freak, but.. {HW: laughing} But, you know, you can’t sit and be a victim and say “oh my god, how come all these people are out, getting interviewed and I am not” and it is like “no, that’s your job to do that”.

HW: Yeah, it is your responsibility to take action.

VK: Right, unless you have a full-blown marketing team advertising on your behalf it is your job to do that. So, I would say, you know, in the beginning, it was definitely me reaching out and then once my name started to get out there more, I think other people started to say: “oh, wow, she is open to doing interviews”. So, I have a lot of time, even to this day, I still have a lot of time for an interview request, but you better believe that I have a whole Google spreadsheet of podcasts that I reach out to. And I will follow up with, you having been one of them. {HW: yep} And here we are. Yeah, it is just, 50/50 now but I would say 90% of the interviews that you may hear me on, I have reached out to them personally.

HW: Excellent. I think that’s a really, really, good point, because it is so easy to see, there are certain people who do get interviewed everywhere and you see them everywhere and I think it is so easy to think: “oh well, they’ve got these opportunities because they are where they are in their business”, but, obviously, they got to where they are in their business, because, they reached out to people. You know, you can’t just sit back and just expect the invitations to flood in?

VK: No, that’s silly thinking once again. To think like: “oh my god why them and not me”, and it’s like you don’t really know what`s going on behind closed doors, no one actually says: “by the way, I do podcasts outreach once a week”. Tomorrow, for example, I have an entire three hours blocked out, because I have an entire Google spreadsheet of 35 podcasts that I want to reach out to. So, I am doing that, but no one actually says that out loud, but I am saying it to you out loud. I have no one on my behalf doing that, I do that, because you know why? Because no one can represent me the way that I can represent me.

HW: Yes!

VK: So, let’s not get it twisted, obviously, it is going to get to a point where I am sure the interview requests are going to come in, and I still get those, but, you know, I truly enjoy reaching out to people, like I said, it keeps me humble and it also is just part of what I have to do. {HW: hmm}

VK: It’s not just like: “yeah, yeah, I’m doing it to keep myself humble”, yes, that’s a by-product of it, but the reason is because I have to, it is my responsibility to do that. I told this prior to our interview, us getting on and starting the recording, 99% of all business, of new business that I get, comes from listeners who hear me on podcast interviews.

HW: Hmm, I know, and I think that’s amazing. I think that’s such a fantastic strategy and I love it because I have never heard anyone say anything similar to that. So, listeners, this is something to pay attention to.

Now, how do you go about building your magic spreadsheet? Do you just, you know, spend a couple of hours each week just looking at podcasts, looking at who is a good fit for you? How do you pick and choose the best podcast for you to be interviewed on?

VK: Well, actually, I should tell you this, I am going to be very honest so, when I first started doing this – I hate spreadsheets, I am the daughter of an accountant, so anything Excel makes me want to stick a needle in my eye, I don’t know how my dad does it but he loves spreadsheets, I don’t do things that way. When I first started, I would literally open up notes on my iPhone and I would [use those]. So this is to all your listeners, it is not complicated! I literally Google “top female entrepreneur podcasts”; “top podcasts of 2016”; “top podcasts of 2015”. I look up people who are doing similar things to I’m doing, and I look up where they have been interviewed, and then I literally take a list of those podcasts and I put it in my iPhone notes, I look up who the contact person is and I send them my email, or my pitch. I send them my pitch, right?

But, I met this girl, her name is Laura Yamin, I actually don’t know her website, but her name is Laura Yamin, I can give you that information: y-a-m-i-n. And she provides a podcasting service. So, we were talking just a few weeks ago, and she goes “let me find podcasts for you that are perfect for you. You know, that are kind of bigger, even bigger reach.” So, she actually made me a Google spreadsheet, and so I will send you that info so that your listeners can reach out to her, she is great, but she sent me a Google spreadsheet and give me a moment I can actually pull it up, but it is just: — xx podcast – the name of the podcast — the industry that it’s in — who is the host? –what is the contact info—right?, and that’s it. And then I made my own column, which basically said — date of pitch. Right? So, when did I reach out to this person and what was their response? Did they say: “hey, reach out in another two months?” I will make a note of that, and then reach out to them again. {HW: Hmm}

VK: It is just that simple to keep it all in one place, because iPhone notes will not work for me forever, because it is not very organised.

HW: No.

VK: You know, but I just operate the way my brain works, which is like “oh, let me just dump it”.

HW: Yeah, and I think it is great that you reach out personally to people, because, as a podcast host, I get pitches, and I get pitches directly from people like you, and then I get pitches from people who are like “hello, I am writing from the office of so and so, they do this and this and this, and we think that your podcast would be a good fit for them to talk about their thing” and it is like: “okay, that’s interesting” and yes I have discovered this new person, but I find it so much more interesting and I much prefer it when people reach out to me, you know, directly? Because, then it is like an instant contact with them, rather than via their assistant person.

VK: By the way, I sometimes wonder: “are you totally bull-shitting right now, are you really making this call on behalf of someone”.

HW: Yes, yes, sometimes I wonder that too.

VK: Sometimes I wonder that, but, the other thing is like: if I am going to be [interviewed], so for me it is building relationships, right?

HW: Yes!

VK: Even after this, you and I will hopefully stay in touch? {HW: yeah} Or, if I have a guest for you, I will recommend them, I will send my clients, who are totally ready to be interviewed by you, your way. So, it is going to be a mutual exchange, you know what I mean in some shape or form? So, for me, it is like, one of the things that bothers me on the online industry, is that it’s this “lets act as if”, you know it’s like you go to people’s websites and it’s like “me and my team” and I’m like “I don’t fucking have a team, it’s me”. It’s me, and that’s fine, listen, I do have one girl that I work with, we work on all the automation and the content, but my point is, why are you trying to act bigger than you actually are? Who you are, just be honest, it’s like, you know, I say in my automated sequence “write to me, I will write back” “I”. Stop painting an image and why don’t you just be who you are. And you know if you truly have a team, that’s great. But what I am saying is, if you are solo, on your own, doing it by yourself, then why are you trying to act like you have a team of eight people, because you are going to feel like an imposter if you do that, right? So, I am looking at down-the-road, how is that going to affect your self-esteem, if you are lying and you are putting it out there, and you are saying that all these people are working for you, when you really don’t, just be honest and be like “it’s me, I am going to write back to you”. It doesn’t mean anything, maybe that’s the way you want to run your business you know?

HW: Yes, I love getting first hand connections with people, because if I am going to be interviewing you on my podcast, I want to get to know who you are, more than just what’s on your website.

VK: Absolutely!

HW: I can tell a lot about someone from the way they pitch themselves to me. Like, I either instantly connect with them, or I kind of feel like, eh, you know laughing. So, that’s also my first impression coming from the person rather than their assistant.

VK: I hold that example because I have actually, got, emails like “tell us…” And I am like “I am writing from…” and I am like “no, not doing it”. And then they will invite me to be on the tele-summit about something that has nothing, about feminine leadership, and I’m like “I don’t talk about…” Why are you reaching out to me? I don’t…have you even researched?

HW: Yeah

VK: And it’s fine, I am all about feminine leadership, but have you done your research to even see who I am and what I talk about and what my approach is? Because I have been on tele-summits where it is like “the feminine way to run your business” and I am like the most masculine person that they are interviewing… {HW: laughing} And it is like, “hello”, it actually makes me look really good because I am so different from. everybody else, right? {HW: yeah} Shock therapy? But is also like, you clearly didn’t do your research when you reached out to me, so, that’s annoying too!

HW: Yeah when people pick you and you are totally not a good fit for whatever the topic is?

VK: Yes.

HW: So, you made this comeback, like, after a year off your business; now, what do you think were the biggest things that contributed to that? I mean, we have talked about, you know, you are creating all this amazing content, but what do you think really was the secret to just picking up where you left off? And just getting…I think you say on your website, or, in your email or something to me, I read somewhere, within 72 hours you had people signed up for your new offerings?

VK: Honestly, everything else, all the other options felt like a downgrade, you know, it’s like I, “like ok I guess I can go and get a job” (which I have never had by the way!); so, it was like “ok, I know I definitely want to get back to helping people”. I was driving for Uber, and all this shit, and I was like “all right, this is totally killing my soul, I have done this for a year, I know I definitely, I can’t not be of service to other people, I can’t not do that” (I know that is a double negative). But, so, I was looking at all my different options and everything else just felt, so, like, it just felt like a downgrade and I was like “what am I doing?, I have worked so hard to build what I have built” and I think I was scared too, that people would be like: “well, okay, crazy, because you left for over a year and now you are back”, like, “what’s wrong with you?”.

HW: They won’t take you seriously?

VK: Of course, it was all of that, all of that and then some, but, then I think what really fuelled me to get back was “I have to do this”. Like, it is the only thing that felt right for me, it was the only thing that felt like I wasn’t downgrading, you know, like downgrading me. I am not talking about anybody else, but it is like, my career, um, and how I make money, is so important to me, it was like, “I need to make money in a way that actually feels like I am doing good in the world, and I am connecting with other human beings”, and every other thing that I was trying to think of just didn’t fit. So, I am like: “wait a minute, why am I trying to reinvent the wheel?”, I have already, I already did stuff, I was already doing stuff that made me feel purposeful and then shit happened, life happened, I got divorced and I’m like “ok, I’ve just got to you know, pull myself up and get back to it”, that’s it.

HW: And when you made that decision to take this time off in your business, did you know you were going to give yourself a year, or was that just, I am going to take some time off, and however long it takes?

VK: I had no idea, I did not put a timeline [on it], I don’t do well with like timelines and stuff because I feel very constricted, no, I had no idea. I gave myself from basically, so I got divorced in November 2014, I moved out on my own in February of 2015, I like officially shut my business down, in like, March, and so, yeah, I had to deal with a lot of stuff, it was hard, I am out of it now, so I am kind of talking about it like it is no big deal, but, it was really, really, hard. So, I gave myself all the time that I needed, when I felt that I was ready I came back.

HW: Excellent, and did you, obviously, you had fears around shutting down your business, but how did that feel to just shut it all down?

VK: I felt like such a loser, because, I was like, you know, who am I without all of this? {HW: yes}

Who am I, you know, if I am not Vasavi Kumar of VasaviKumar.com then who am I? So, that’s really kind of what was going on. Like, I think I told you this, I was driving for uber, and so a lot of times I would be driving my little car and I would have these college girls get in the back seat, like, you know, drunk, and be like…and they are like ordering me around, and telling me where to go, whatever, not really talking to me, because people are rude. In my mind, my egos like “oh my God, don’t you know who I am? don’t you know?” {HW: laughing} That’s my ego, my huge ass ego is… {HW: yeah}

And it really humbled me to do this, and I did feel like a loser, I felt like such a loser and I felt so useless, but I’ve got to tell you, it is probably the best thing that ever happened, because, what happened was that I had to really ask myself, who am I without all of this external bullshit, like, subscribers and Facebook followers. And I never shut down my Facebook page, that was probably something very smart that I did, I worked hard, that’s all organic growth, you know? So, I felt really useless, I would still go to networking events by the way, here in [Austin] and people were like “What are you doing?”. And I said: “oh, I’m driving for uber” it really took a toll on my self-esteem, it really did, but what it highlighted was how much of my work and self-esteem was tied into the external achievements, you know? And I think going through that and starting to have more respect for myself, who I am outside of what I do, is what has primed me, what primed me to come back full force this past January of 2016, and also speak clearly, when I say speak clearly, my messaging is strong as, no matter what interview you listen to it is the same across the board and people like that, people like consistency, people like transparency, people like confidence and people wanna know how you are, how you represent yourself on your website, is how you are on an interview; is how you are when you are actually working with them face-to-face. And. I think I have done a very good job of being one person, and I know it sounds weird by that’s part of the problem with having a business online is that you can be anyone, you can represent or misrepresent yourself, right to get to the bottom line, and I didn’t do that. I took this time off to really get, you know, to get myself in check and to make sure that I am who I am behind closed doors, outside, on an interview, on my website, in my emails, you know what I mean? So, that’s really important to me. It is really, really important to me and I think that’s why I am doing well, I am doing very well actually yes, so.

HW: Excellent

VK: Did that even answer your question? I don’t even know if I answered your question?

HW: Laughing, yes, yes. So, for any entrepreneurs who may be listening to this and thinking I think I might need a business break as well, either because they are going through some kind of crisis in their personal life, or for whatever reason, what would your top tips be on how to make a good comeback from that business break, rather than just kind of, losing it all?

VK: Yeah, I don’t think you need to, I mean if I could do things differently this is what I would say, well you know what I wouldn’t do things differently, first of all let me just say that, everything that I did is fine as it is, right? I needed to do it this way and that’s it, I don’t regret is, but, I would say just get clear on why you are doing it, you know, you also want to have some sort of plan? I had no idea how I was going to make money at that point because I wasn’t doing one-on-one work and I was like: “oh my god, I can’t just get a job”, I get bored so quickly. So, I wanted to diversify how I was spending my time and making my money, so I did that. So, I did have some sort of plan.

If you are trying to take a break, so that you can spend time inwards, and you can focus on yourself, you know, last thing you wanna be is all stressed out, you know what I mean? So just figure out what you are going to do, what’s your plan, and also communicating it with your list. How are you going to communicate it with your list? You know what I mean, what are you going to say to them, you know what I mean, because if you have quite a substantial following you know, it is kind of, it doesn’t really look good, I hate to say it, but it doesn’t really look good. When you are like “bye, thanks for being on my list, I’m leaving now”. So, have some sort of, what I remember saying to my list was, some sort of “I’ll be back”. I let them know “this is what I am going through, I don’t feel an integrity anymore, running my business because I am going through so much and I do not have the emotional capacity to take on other people right now”. So, “I’ll be back, but I don’t know when”. So I didn’t trap myself in a box, I think if you do need to take a break, give yourself that break, because I am proof that if you give yourself that break, really allow yourself to get what you need from that break, which is, if it’s silence, if it is you know taking care of yourself, self-care, you know; if it’s, you know, just pausing so that you can really evaluate who the hell am I? And is this business working for me anymore or am I working for the business, you know what I mean? Like, get really, really, clear. If you need to do that, do it.

The world will not come to an end, I am proof that the world will not come to an end and the other big thing that I think, is why a lot of business owners do not want to take a break, is that they are so afraid of not being relevant any more. And I think what I realised was, was that regardless of I’m not relevant, what I mean by that is this: it’s like the world does not revolve around you, I know we like to think it does, and we like to have such a heightened sense of self- importance, but as soon as I was, you know what? People are not going to forget me, it’s fine, it is going to happen and that is ok, and when I come back, I will come back bigger and better and the people who jive with my content and jive with my approach, they will come back. So, the number one thing is get over yourself, right? Get over yourself so that you can start focussing on yourself. So, that’s tweet-able, I just made that up by the way, if you want to quote that. {HW: laughing} So, I, er, I definitely think that was my number one hesitation in taking a break was “oh my god, people are going to forget about me. And it’s like: “get over yourself”.

HW: And that you have to start from scratch, I think that is probably another big fear?

VK: Yeah, but… yes, that is another big fear, 100%, but when I had to start back from scratch I didn’t really have to, I did but I didn’t. I still had my list, I still had my subscribers, I wrote to them, I primed them for what was happening, I would rather have taken that break, started from scratch but come back clearer and more focussed and fuller on the inside, than continuing to run on empty. {HW: um hm} VK: You know what I mean?

HW: Yeah, burning out.

VK: Eventually, yeah, I am going to be a one-hit wonder. {HW: yes} I didn’t want to go out like Britney Spears, you know what I mean? I am going to take this break and focus on myself…

HW: Yeah, yeah, and I think that it is so amazing that you actually allowed yourself, kind of gave yourself permission to do that and then bounce back from it.

VK: Yes, you have to allow yourself to take that break, and trust that you will be able to bounce back. I think that’s another thing, that people don’t think that they will be able to bounce back, and it’s like: “how do I…?” And you know, trust yourself.

HW: Yes.

VK: You wouldn’t have come this far if you didn’t have something going on inside of you, good, you know, fuelling you and moving you forward.

HW: Yeah, exactly; so, Vasavi, do you have any women business mentors, so, are there any women entrepreneurs who inspire you?

VK: Myself, (laughing); sorry, ok I’m going to be really honest with you ok: I think that people don’t talk about this, but I’m just going to tell you, so when I first started out my mentors, or my mentor Lisa Nichols, who was in the movie The Secret; but Lisa Nichols is great, she taught me everything that I needed to learn in the beginning about affiliate marketing, multiple revenue streams, all my marketing, how to create courses, membership sites, all that stuff. I did all of it, ok. That was maybe four and a half years ago, three or four and a half years ago, and then, a lot of what I know now is self-taught and experimentation and failing and then getting back up.

And then also I am an avid learner, so I read, and I look up lots of things, I implement it myself, I look to see if it is working or not, and I take charge of my own learning and growth. But I will be really honest with you Holly, I am not going to bullshit you, at this point in my business do I pay someone to mentor me? Absolutely not! Do I have colleagues that I can bounce ideas off of? Absolutely! I go to my dad a lot. {HW: Um hmm}

My dad is, you know the freak who loves spreadsheets. My dad is the kindest, most successful, man I know from the inside out and he has such solid work ethic and character and for him, it has always been service first and money second, and he is a testament to that. And he does well and it is because he truly gives without attachment. So, I will bounce ideas off him, but I have come to the point in my life where my number one business adviser is myself, that’s it. So, I don’t know if people re that way, but you need to have a coach, you need to have a mentor, I say, yeah if you don’t know something then if you need some guidance from someone who has been there done that, yeah. But, I’m really happy about where I am at right now, I am also self-motivated. I don’t need somebody, I don’t need to pay somebody to hold me accountable. {HW: um hmm} You know what I mean? I don’t need to pay someone to hold me accountable, No. 1: I trust myself, I don’t trust anybody else the way I trust myself. No 2, if I need to get somebody’s input or advice, I trust myself very, very much.

So, I come to myself, and I know that, because all the talk out there [is]: “you need a mentor, you need a mentor, you need a mentor”. Ok, get what you need from your mentor, learn from it, implement it, and learn from your mistakes, if you need to go back to get a little clarification that’s great, I had a mentor for two or three years, so I am not even going to say don’t work with people, but there has to be a point in your life and in your business, where you start to trust yourself, and let me tell you why I am so adamant about this, because I meet so many people who have spent tens of thousands of dollars only to be taught cookie-cutter formulas. {HW: Um hmm}

VK: Ok, so that is why you know if you are going to hire a mentor if you are going to hire a coach, make sure that the person you are working with isn’t trying to just use some formula, {HW: um hmm} “This is what you need to do, you need to do this, this, this and this” and then [you] are miserable. Because I did that, I’ve been miserable, right, and, so, now, the only person I answer to is myself and that’s it. My whole thing, when I work with clients, is that a they don’t come back.

HW: {laughing} because they get what they need!

VK: I mean, I actually heard myself saying this with another client, she goes: “I think I am going to buy more hours from you”, I didn’t tell her this, but in my mind, I was like: “why?”, you know what I mean? {HW: laughing} It was fine, but my whole thing that I want to train my clients in is like: “you don’t need me, I need you to know that you don’t need me”. {HW: yeah} However, if you think that I still have value that I can give you includes: x, y, z areas, great, you can buy a package of hours and we can work on that, go ahead and rebook for me. I kind of self-sabotage, it really is, I don’t want people to be co-dependent and think “I need to work with this person, because I can’t do it myself”.

The mindset that I train my clients in is: “you have a level of expertise, you have resources, you have x, y, z, that I could really benefit from, so I am choosing to buy another package of hours”, not “oh my god, I am lost without you”. Do you hear what I am saying?, because then you get sucked into that cycle of just spending a shit-ton of money because you feel empty without a mentor. Does that make sense?

HW: Yeah, yeah, exactly. Ok, excellent, moving on from that, how can other women entrepreneurs work with you? What kinds of options do you have?

VK: Well, OK, the first option is that I do have a free training video, if you go to: http://vasavikumar.com/focusedaction/ that’s all one word, I have a free twenty-minute training video which is how to pick one business idea and take action in 20 minutes. After that, I invite you to sign up to do a twenty minute call with me, no strings attached: “here’s the extent of my sales pitch, when we get on that phone for 20 minutes you tell me what’s going on, I will review any of your materials ahead of that time, you will let me know whatever your problem is, I will let you know what my solution is”, “if I have a solution in the form of buying hours from me, I have, my number one service that people buy is rent Vasavi’s brain, it is package of 5 hours”. If it’s a fit if it works then we work together, great, and I have other ways that you can work with me if you go to my website you can learn all about it.

HW: Excellent, great. That’s pretty, damn clear {laughing}

VK: Yeah!

HW: So, Vasavi, I know you have mentioned your website, but what other places can people find you online? What are the social networks where you hang out the most?

VK: Facebook is great, Facebook.com/vasavikumarcoaching so I have my personal profile and my business page, just look up Vasavi Kumar and then Instagram where I post, usually photos of me going out and selfies and my dog and everything else in-between; and so, you know, I don’t just like to post inspirational quotes, in fact I never like to post inspirational quotes. {HW: laughing} I really don’t, I can’t do it anymore, you know if I have to read another Mother Theresa or Gandhi quote, I am going to die; I would rather learn more about someone and how they live and what they believe in and other stuff going on in their life. I have done it so it is fine, I’m not knocking it, but if you really want to look behind the scenes and look at me as a human being, you know, who I am as a person, then Instagram too, it is Vasavi Kumar.

HW: Excellent, well thank you so much for joining us today.

VK: Thank you! Thank you for having me!

HW: Pleasure to have you! And thank you for listening and remember to go to https://www.hollyworton.com/160 for this show notes on this episode. Thank you.

BMP160 Vasavi Kumar ~ How to Make a Comeback After a Business Break