Expand Your Fempire Podcast #133 Transcript

Actions to Create 360° Wealth with Jackie Swift

Welcome to Expand your Fempire with Caterina Rando, the podcast for women in business on a mission. Sharing ideas to support you to grow and thrive. Now here’s your host, Caterina Rando.

[00:00:00] Caterina Rando: Welcome back to another episode of the Expand Your Fempire Podcast. I’m your host, Caterina Rando. And I am blissing to be with you today. We have an amazing guest, Jackie Swift. She is the founder of The Wealthy Woman. She works with women entrepreneurs to support them in creating wealth all over their life.

[00:00:53] And when we talk about wealth, we’re not just talking about money. Jackie, great to have you with me. Thanks for being here.

[00:01:00] Jackie Swift: Yes. So wonderful to be here. Thank you so much.

[00:01:04] Caterina Rando: Thank you. Now, Jackie, you are a woman on a mission like myself, like our listeners. Let me start there. What is your mission?

[00:01:15] Jackie Swift: Yeah, my mission is for women to claim wealth in their life, to absolutely declare right where they’re standing, not some future point, not some time down the line when they have X number in their bank account, but to really claim wealth in their life right now. And I want that to happen with as many people as possible.

[00:01:33] And I really want women to then look at what does wealth mean for them, right? Like step one is like claim it. And then it’s like, what does wealth mean? And let’s start expanding that definition.

[00:01:43] Caterina Rando: Beautiful. Jackie, you are really passionate about what you do. And my curiosity is up. I’m wondering how you got from young, vivacious gal to the entrepreneur you are today.

[00:02:02] Jackie Swift: Yeah, so in a quick nutshell I rose up through the corporate ranks like a lot of women did and I worked really hard and got into a startup and just basically rose up to a director of sales.

[00:02:14] That was my whole background. I loved it. And then the whole department got shut down almost overnight.

[00:02:22] Caterina Rando: I love that you can laugh about it now.

[00:02:25] Jackie Swift: You do, right? That’s what you do. And I had a choice, I had a crossroad. I could have continued on that path in the corporate world and kept climbing. But I really was like, you know, I see this as a huge opportunity and that’s something I talk a lot with my clients about, right? Like, instead of seeing it as a problem, where’s the opportunity here.

[00:02:42] And so I saw it as an opportunity to say, what do I want for my life? Do I want to keep climbing this ladder? Is this the ladder I want to be climbing? What else do I want to do? And ultimately decided that I really, really wanted to take my expertise, which was in sales and marketing, out and help more businesses, right? Help businesses grow.

[00:03:01] So that’s where I got my start. And then over time, as we all do, I kind of evolved that and found that my vision was much bigger than that.

[00:03:08] I really enjoy working with women because I think women have such a unique thing to say. And yes, we’re out there saying it, but we need more of us saying it. Right? So it’s like, how can I help more women say what they need to say? And yeah, that was kind of, that was, that’s my journey in a nutshell.

[00:03:27] Caterina Rando: Love it. Love it. Love it. Well, one of the reasons why I’m excited to have you with us today is because one of the things that I see with women is that they start their businesses because they want to be of service in whatever their Area of expertise is: coaching, image consulting, professional organizing.

[00:03:54] I have a great new client named Tina, who teaches people how to master Excel, to set up all their systems in their business. And I see their passion to serve and I see them blissing when they’re serving. The challenge often is though, that they’re not earning or they’re under earning. And of course, you know, Jackie, I teach sales because if you can’t sell you can’t serve.

[00:04:23] What I want to ask you from your perspective, is what are some of the challenges that are in the way? And I know we want to talk about wealth all over, okay, but right now I want to talk about money. What are the challenges you see that are keeping all of these super smart amazing Women with massive value to bring is keeping them under earning?

[00:04:48] Jackie Swift: Yeah, so I mean the short answer to that is I think it’s important to know that you are literally the only thing holding yourself back from making more money. It’s so easy, especially in times like now, right? Where like the economy, there’s a recession coming. How long have we been hearing this drumbeat of there’s a recession coming? There’s this coming. There’s that coming. Clients aren’t buying that right now. People aren’t doing this. People aren’t doing that.

[00:05:14] It’s so easy to hear that and get caught up in it. But at the end of the day as women business owners, we have amazing skills and there will always be people out there who need what we have.

[00:05:29] There just are. So the only thing stopping us from getting where we are to where we want to be financially, and that’s different for everyone, is ourselves. And so it’s really about going back and looking at that 360 degree of wealth.

[00:05:45] So I know I say it as if like, okay, let’s look at all of our life. But the reason for that is, is that a lot of times we need both- one, examples of where we’ve done this before, because especially when you start a business or you get really excited and you’re out there in your business, and then you’re trying to do something new, you’re like, I haven’t done this new thing before. We’ve all done new things and done them really well before. We all have examples of that.

[00:06:12] And so it’s important to look at our life. Maybe it’s not in our business, you know, maybe because we’re new in business, or maybe it’s a totally new direction. Maybe we’ve decided to pivot our business.

[00:06:22] So it’s really important for us to look at our whole timeline of our life and say, where have I done things like this before? And then go, “I can do this too, right? Like, just like I did that. How did I do that? Let’s figure out. Okay, now let’s apply that.”

[00:06:37] And then I think the other important piece is that I do find that a lot of women are not allowing themselves to have the wealth that they want because of something else that’s not necessarily tied to their business.

[00:06:49] So I see it sometimes in the women I work with in their relationships.

[00:06:54] Caterina Rando: Okay. Let’s pause there for a second. Let’s come to that in a second, Jackie, we come there. But before we go there, you mentioned about, you know, not having something they haven’t done before. What I find is too many women are getting ready to get ready to begin to think about getting going.

[00:07:14] Yes, taking them way too long to get in action. And I was talking to a gal this morning, she’s telling me she’s going to do her workshop. She’s been telling me that for six months. There’s too much getting ready to get ready.

[00:07:29] I do believe as you say you say, you know, why aren’t they earning more? You said well is because of them. Yeah, I do agree with that and I think that this is a big part of it, that there’s too much wanting to get it right or perfection pursuit, even though they don’t even recognize that’s what they’re doing that is interfering with them taking action that’s going to result in more revenue.

[00:07:54] Now I do want to talk about the relationship part, but before we do that, well, I, I also want to say, I was talking to a gal this morning and she’s a new client and she was telling me about what she’s doing. And what was clear to me. What she’s not doing: which is talking to people about being her client.

[00:08:14] And I think that a lot, not, I think I know, in fact, I would make a big bet on it that a lot of women spend way too much time on marketing and social media, conflating the idea of all those things with sales.

[00:08:33] Jackie Swift: With making offers.

[00:08:35] Caterina Rando: Yes. Sales and marketing are not the same thing, and we need them to do more revenue producing activities.

[00:08:44] Okay, my friend, I stopped you before because I wanted to touch on this, but now let’s go back. What did you want to say about relationships?

[00:08:52] Jackie Swift: Well, I’ll, so now I’m going to get there in a second. Okay. I want to hop back on. Yeah, I totally, I absolutely agree with you. I think that so often women are afraid. Especially, you know, to put ourselves out there right? And when we do, we’ve been trained that we need to do it perfectly, that we need to do it with precision.

[00:09:11] And that is so common it’s and it’s something I want to tell you guys that is not something that happens to men, nearly as often. Right? They look at who goes out for a job, for example? Who puts their resume forward and who applies for jobs? And men only need to have like six of the ten parameters. They only need to hit six of them before they’re willing to apply for a job. Meaning they don’t fully match what that employer is looking for.

[00:09:37] Women, we need to have all ten. We need to feel like we are perfect for that job before we will say “yes, I will take that job on.” and unfortunately that means we miss out and it means the same exact thing in our business, right? We’re going to miss out.

[00:09:51] Caterina Rando: And Jackie let’s hang out there for a second because I know this, I’ve heard this about the men in The jobs and they do all this stuff they go after that they’re not qualified for and and that that’s a good thing Okay? As entrepreneurs, how does that show up?

[00:10:07] Jackie Swift: I think as entrepreneurs, it shows up exactly what we were talking about where it’s like, you’re stuck in the “I need to wait until I’m perfect.” So…

[00:10:15] Caterina Rando: …or I’m smarter or I have more clients or I have bigger resume or more experience…

[00:10:22] Jackie Swift: yeah. You need all the testimonials. You need to make sure before you shoot a video that you have all your makeup done and your hair every single time right? It’s about that precision and perfection every single time, which you can never be. No one can ever be right. The only way we get better at things is by doing them, which sounds so, you know,

[00:10:40] Caterina Rando: …but it’s the truth. It’s the truth. I remember… I was reminiscing this morning, Jackie, to the days of teleconference calls where I would teach, you know, four classes in a day and no beautification would be required. And I, as I was getting ready for a call this morning, I was, I was reminiscing to the old days of teleconference calls.

[00:11:07] But, but my point here is that I remember the first time I got on a teleconference call and it was new because usually I would be in front of an audience and I couldn’t see anybody, of course, cause we’re on the phone. And it felt so uncomfortable and so weird. And like, “are they paying attention? And are they with me? And is anybody there?”

[00:11:28] But, you know, the more you do it, the better you get, right? And then I remember getting to that place where I was vibing with doing that. And it felt so easy. And of course, the same thing with zoom, the beginning of our zoom lifestyle. And I remember too, like way into the pandemic, like two years, I was somewhere virtual, some virtual room and some gals were complaining about the pandemic and how it had impacted their business. And I was the guest speaker, so I didn’t say, “mama, what’s wrong with you?” I was much more gracious, but the point is, I was like, “you know, we’re, we’re two years in the pandemic. What are, what are you complaining about? Everybody has pivoted. How come you haven’t pivoted?” And the reason was probably exactly what you’re talking about, that they didn’t feel ready to do it yet. And now they miss the boat because everyone else is massively monetizing for the last two years, but not them.

[00:12:26] Okay. so let’s talk about relationship and how that interferes with our wealth.

[00:12:33] Jackie Swift: Yes. So, I mean, there’s so many ways that can play out, of course. Everyone’s going to be a little bit different. But ultimately the other areas of our life can directly impact, especially our business success, because oftentimes without realizing it, we might hold ourselves back from the next level of success because of our relationships.

[00:12:52] So an example would be, I have a client who was holding herself back from reaching that next level in her business. Because Once we dug in, worried about how it would impact her relationship with her husband, right? She had always had a certain dynamic with her husband. It had been out of balance. It was not a healthy, good thing for her, but it meant that they worked right? And this idea of if she suddenly steps in and starts making more money, doing more with her business, and she’s no longer dependent on him, well, that changes their dynamic completely. And so that’s just one example. It can play out in lots of ways.

[00:13:29] A lot of times I see it with moms, right? They’re worried about what it’s going to do to their kids if they have to spend more time at their business. You know, there’s lots of different ways where we kind of sabotage or block ourselves from reaching that next level.

[00:13:43] Caterina Rando: Yes, I’ve heard many women talk about, “well, what if I get so many clients and, you know, I don’t have time for my kids or I don’t have time for my spouse.”

[00:13:52] And my refrain to them is, “it’s your business. You get to run it any way you want.”

[00:13:59] And, and I think sometimes because women have had a corporate background where they had to do what they were told, and they had to work as many hours as they were supposed to, that they don’t really realize that they get to set it up any way they want.

[00:14:18] Jackie Swift: Yep! And you can change it. That’s the other great thing unlike a job where you’re stuck there and your manager is telling you this or that or it’s like you can change it at any time. Just like when the pandemic came along you either pivoted your business or you got left behind. And that’s the same thing.

[00:14:35] At any moment you can change and go, “you know what? I don’t like that. I’m not getting to spend enough time with my kids right now. How do I change this?”

[00:14:42] But first let’s go out and create the big business. Let’s create the big vision. Don’t pull yourself back from a vision you’re nowhere near creating.

[00:14:51] Caterina Rando: Exactly. Okay. Now, we’ve talked about the relationship aspect of it, and by the way, let’s hang out here, my friend, a little bit more, because over the years, I’ve encountered several amazing women who did not have supportive husbands.

[00:15:12] They were fine for them to start the business. The thing is that when they weren’t Insta massively monetizing, their husband was no longer supportive. And I want to ask, how do you advise women in that situation? Because the truth is when you start a business, might be a year might be two years where you’re really bringing home bacon and really it might even be more.

[00:15:42] I mean, it depends on what type of business you’re in and many factors. But the thing is that you don’t start a business and the next day you have a full client base. So how do you advise your clients in this situation?

[00:15:58] Jackie Swift: Yeah, I mean, that’s really where you need to start really having a bigger conversation about their relationship.

[00:16:06] And because again, it’s about changing that dynamic. You’re going to have to change that dynamic. Or you’re going to be constantly battling them, right? Where every little downturn.

[00:16:16] I see it so often people then aren’t able to tell their partner when they’ve had a bad day or they’ve lost a client because they’re worried about, Oh, now their partner’s going to say, “Oh, well then we better get you back to a job,” you know?

[00:16:30] So it’s so important then to figure out what is important to you and how do you make sure that you are having that relationship with your partner that gives you the support you need? And that should be a non negotiable in relationships is that we support each other in what matters most.

[00:16:48] Caterina Rando: You know, one of the things, Jackie, why I think it’s so important for women to have coaches, for women to have a community, is because you don’t want to be using your partner as all of your support for your business.

[00:17:06] Because if you tell them on Monday that you are disappointed because you didn’t get that client and you’re telling them on Tuesday that, “Oh my God, I’ve worked so hard today.” and you tell them on Wednesday that you’re so disappointed about some challenge du jour by Friday, he’s going to say to you, “why are you doing this?” Right.

[00:17:27] And this is what women don’t realize. And then they’re concerned and, and complaining that their husband’s not more supportive. Well, he only wants you to be happy. So if you tell him all this stuff, that’s not…

[00:17:40] Jackie Swift: …you don’t sound very happy…

[00:17:42] Caterina Rando: …yeah exactly. He or she, whoever your partner is. It’s very important that we recognize this is why we have business girlfriends. And this is why we have a life coach and a business coach. And I know if people say, “Oh, well, Caterina, and that’s fine for you cause you can afford that. I can’t afford it yet.”

[00:18:00] But the thing is, that’s what community is for. And you can definitely afford to be in a community of like minded, like hearted women.

[00:18:09] Jackie Swift: Absolutely. And I think that’s one thing that women do particularly well in other areas of their life. And I think there’s so many examples of what we should be doing, and we just have to apply them in different ways. It used to be that everyone was a really strong community. And then we kind of got away from that. We moved to a lot of this idea of like the nuclear family and the kids at home, and you have to take care of everything yourself right? That puts all the pressure on one woman and their partner. And that’s really, really hard. But ultimately when you go, no, my marriage doesn’t have to be everything and all of it to me, right?

[00:18:47] My kids don’t have to do everything and be all the, right. You can have nieces and nephews and you know, the kid next door. Like we have these massive communities when we reach out, when we expand them and we don’t need one, anything, right?

[00:19:01] We want lots of support. And so I totally agree. We want that coach, life coach, business coach, get what serves you.

[00:19:09] And, you know, ultimately, like you said, there’s always a way to have what we need at the price point that’s going to work for us.

[00:19:16] Caterina Rando: Yes, there are many solutions at every price point. You bring up a very important point also, Jackie. A woman starts a business. That means she’s got to give up some stuff that hopefully she’s happy to give up. You know, first thing, do not clean your own house, it’s not a revenue producing activity, unless you’re a cleaning business, you know. I’ve got a great gal who comes with her assistant. They’ve been coming to my house for years. It’s her entrepreneurial business. She’s put her two kids through college. She’s blissing. She got a new car. She’s massively monetizing in her cleaning business. Hire a woman entrepreneur to clean your house.

[00:20:02] And oftentimes women don’t even realize… their mother was at home. Yeah, well your mother wasn’t probably CEO of her Right? Plus, you know meal prep.

[00:20:11] Oh, my new favorite thing is SHEF, S H E F, where they’re gals that are having their own entrepreneurial business in their house. Making food. Their kitchens have all been approved for commercial use, and you can order the food and it gets delivered.

[00:20:35] You got to order it like two or three days in advance, and you can order Indian food and you can order whatever. And I had a friend coming to visit me, and we wanted to get soul food, I have no expertise or really not a lot of experience in soul food. So I went to the SHEF website. I ordered several dishes of soul food. My friend came, he opened the plastic things. He was like, “Oh my God,” he’s thinking to himself, this is not going to be very good.” He loved it. Now every time he wants to have some soul food from SHEF. Anyway, that’s my new favorite thing. That’s a sidebar.

[00:21:13] But my point is look at every place in your life where you can create some support because while we are great at managing a lot, we don’t have to, right? And we do want time for those relationships.

[00:21:30] Okay, my friend. Well, I know we could talk all day we’re gonna have to come back. We could do it again. Yeah because there’s so many more hot topics we didn’t even get to.

[00:21:38] Jackie Swift: I know.

[00:21:39] Caterina Rando: Jackie, tell everyone how they can get in touch with you.

[00:21:43] Jackie Swift: Yes. So you can find us on social as The Wealthy Woman. You can also find us at our website, obviously www.thewealthywoman.Com so we’re, we’re out there and we would love to connect with you to figure out how to create 360 degree wealth for you.

[00:22:02] Caterina Rando: Every woman deserves 360 degree wealth. Jackie, thank you so much for being with us today on the Expand Your Fempire Podcast. My friends, if you have not listened to all the other over 125 episodes that we’ve recorded, go to caterinanrando.com/podcast or wherever you got this podcast. There are many more.

[00:22:31] And if you have not joined me for a free virtual workshop on selling or speaking or strategy, please go to my website to sign up now. Again, caterinarando.Com.

[00:22:47] Jackie, thank you again. And let’s go build more wealth for women.

[00:22:52] Jackie Swift: Let’s do it. Thank you so much, Caterina.

[00:22:55] Caterina Rando: Thanks my friend.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Expand Your Fempire with Caterina Rando.