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Set clear goals and create actions to support your goals

Ashlee Livingstone · ontario

Ashlee Livingstone

Episode

Ashlee Livingstone is the Chief Engagement Officer of Our Forte. She’s been working with leaders in the community for...

Key takeaways

  • Leaders must ensure their daily actions align with their stated priorities and values, otherwise they create confusion and stress for themselves and their teams.
  • Before starting a business, plant seeds with your network and secure potential clients early rather than quitting your job and starting from scratch without any financial cushion.
  • Trust yourself and stop asking everyone else for their opinion—you already know the answer deep down, and too much external input creates information overload and internal conflict.
  • Understanding cash flow is more critical than budgeting—always look six to nine months ahead to ensure financial stability and make decisions today that support your future needs.
  • Build a support system of advisors, coaches, and fellow entrepreneurs early on, because entrepreneurship can feel isolating and having people to lean on for help and accountability is essential for success.

Transcript

Full transcript page · Interactive episode

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TRANSCRIPTION WITH SPEAKERS
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[00:00] SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Canada's podcast.
[00:05] SPEAKER_00: Hi everyone and happy 2023.
[00:10] SPEAKER_00: I'm Phil Bliss, founder of Canada's podcast.
[00:13] SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Canada's podcast, the leading podcast for Entrepreneurs in Canada.
[00:18] SPEAKER_00: Today we're going to meet Islay Livingston.
[00:21] SPEAKER_00: Islay is the chief engagement officer of R40.
[00:26] SPEAKER_00: She's been working with leaders in the community for years to help them
[00:29] SPEAKER_00: re-focus on their mission, balance their priorities, and learn the skills it takes
[00:35] SPEAKER_01: to overcome the hurdles that are holding them back.
[00:41] SPEAKER_01: Ashley, welcome to Canada's podcast.
[00:45] SPEAKER_00: So Ashley, before we get into kind of a detailed Q&A,
[00:51] SPEAKER_00: why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself, you know, what you do,
[00:56] SPEAKER_00: how you got there, you know, just five minutes of who Ashley Livingston is basically.
[01:05] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, thank you.
[01:07] SPEAKER_03: I always think that's such an interesting question because I sometimes think I'm a little bit of an onion,
[01:14] SPEAKER_03: the more you peel back, the more you find out.
[01:17] SPEAKER_03: But what I can say is I, so I work one on one with leaders and their teams
[01:25] SPEAKER_03: to really help them discover what they really want.
[01:31] SPEAKER_03: And I like to say it's kind of like discovering the life you want right now.
[01:36] SPEAKER_03: Not the life that you think you're going to want when you retire or, you know,
[01:40] SPEAKER_03: the life that your parents had planned out for you, whatever it is, the life you truly want.
[01:45] SPEAKER_03: And I'm passionate about this because over my entrepreneur journey,
[01:52] SPEAKER_03: I've really had to hone in on that for myself.
[01:55] SPEAKER_03: And I started working in corporate, you know, a long time ago,
[02:00] SPEAKER_03: and realize very quickly that there are good leaders, and there are not good leaders.
[02:08] SPEAKER_03: And I left my corporate job because I was working in a very toxic environment.
[02:15] SPEAKER_03: I was working with a leader who said the right things,
[02:19] SPEAKER_03: but didn't have the actions to match it up.
[02:22] SPEAKER_03: So it was very confusing.
[02:24] SPEAKER_03: And when I started my own business, I did so with a lot of intention on saying the things,
[02:33] SPEAKER_03: thinking the things, and then actioning them, and making sure that I was very much in alignment.
[02:39] SPEAKER_03: And as I continued, you know, exploring and building my business,
[02:44] SPEAKER_03: I saw more and more people were not living like this.
[02:48] SPEAKER_03: More and more people were confused or stressed or busy overwhelmed
[02:53] SPEAKER_03: because their priority is what they say are important,
[02:58] SPEAKER_03: and what they do on a day-to-day basis don't match up.
[03:03] SPEAKER_03: Now leaders who say that their team is really important to them,
[03:06] SPEAKER_03: or they want to lead with gratitude, but then they don't know how to actually put that into action.
[03:12] SPEAKER_03: Or the entrepreneur like myself who says they do it for time freedom of balance in life,
[03:19] SPEAKER_03: but then they're working 24-7 and never spending time with their family.
[03:26] SPEAKER_03: So that's really been my key focus is helping people get that alignment
[03:31] SPEAKER_03: and have that time freedom of thought that's what they're looking for.
[03:37] SPEAKER_03: But really it's about getting you the life you want right now,
[03:41] SPEAKER_03: because I know for me personally I've worked really hard at creating that for myself,
[03:48] SPEAKER_03: and now I get to help others do that for themselves.
[03:53] SPEAKER_00: But one of the things that I find interesting is, you know,
[03:57] SPEAKER_00: so you became an entrepreneur.
[04:01] SPEAKER_00: That's a very lightweight statement.
[04:04] SPEAKER_00: Now, how did you actually get started?
[04:07] SPEAKER_00: What drove you to make the choice?
[04:10] SPEAKER_00: How did you afford it?
[04:11] SPEAKER_00: How did you do those, you know, maybe you were lucky,
[04:16] SPEAKER_00: but first six, 12, 24 months until that revenue started really being supportive kind of thing.
[04:26] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so I actually made the switch when I was on maternity leave with my son.
[04:33] SPEAKER_03: So when I was working in my corporate job,
[04:37] SPEAKER_03: I struggled also a lot with fertility.
[04:40] SPEAKER_03: So when I got pregnant, it was a really, really big deal to me and my family.
[04:46] SPEAKER_03: And once I had my son in Canada,
[04:49] SPEAKER_03: you are on maternity leave for a year.
[04:52] SPEAKER_03: I know it's expanded now even longer, but I was getting EI.
[04:57] SPEAKER_03: And I thought, you know what, I'm making do, I'm getting by on this amount of money.
[05:05] SPEAKER_03: Right?
[05:06] SPEAKER_03: And I was managing that tight of a budget.
[05:10] SPEAKER_03: And then when I started thinking about going back to work,
[05:14] SPEAKER_03: thinking about having to pay for my son to put a daycare,
[05:17] SPEAKER_03: and then go to a job I didn't even really like,
[05:21] SPEAKER_03: I did a lot of soul searching to weigh those pros and cons.
[05:25] SPEAKER_03: And it was important for me to be there for my son.
[05:31] SPEAKER_03: And still do something I loved.
[05:34] SPEAKER_03: When I started crunching the numbers,
[05:36] SPEAKER_03: I realized that really what I needed based on like, you know,
[05:40] SPEAKER_03: my partner at the time, what he was bringing in,
[05:44] SPEAKER_03: was able to say, okay, I just need to make this much.
[05:47] SPEAKER_03: So what can I do on maternity leave?
[05:49] SPEAKER_03: I started probably six months in,
[05:51] SPEAKER_03: planting the seed with my contacts to say,
[05:55] SPEAKER_03: here's what I'm thinking of doing.
[05:57] SPEAKER_03: You know, here's, here's where I'm going to be looking for business.
[06:00] SPEAKER_03: These are the types of clients I'm going to be looking for.
[06:02] SPEAKER_03: What do you think?
[06:04] SPEAKER_03: And pretty much right off the bat,
[06:06] SPEAKER_03: I did have two people who said to me,
[06:08] SPEAKER_03: if you start your own business, we will hire you.
[06:12] SPEAKER_03: So I went in having some cushion,
[06:16] SPEAKER_03: but strategically I didn't just quit my job and start from scratch.
[06:20] SPEAKER_03: I was planting the seed.
[06:21] SPEAKER_03: I was doing that prospecting before I officially started my business.
[06:27] SPEAKER_03: And when I actually left my job,
[06:31] SPEAKER_03: because I was on maternity leave,
[06:34] SPEAKER_03: I actually got paid out for the vacation time I didn't take.
[06:38] SPEAKER_03: So again, I had built in a bit of that cushion for myself.
[06:42] SPEAKER_03: And I didn't start drawing out of the business
[06:45] SPEAKER_03: until four months after I technically had started it.
[06:49] SPEAKER_03: But I was very much focused on cash flow.
[06:53] SPEAKER_03: So I was always building kind of six, nine months ahead
[06:58] SPEAKER_03: and making sure that there was always that cash flow in place.
[07:03] SPEAKER_03: And that for me was a big and continues to be a big part
[07:07] SPEAKER_03: of how I run my business is looking ahead
[07:10] SPEAKER_03: and making sure that the decisions and actions I'm doing now
[07:13] SPEAKER_03: are going to help me be okay in the future.
[07:19] SPEAKER_01: Well, that's great.
[07:21] SPEAKER_01: Actually, that was a really good kind of story.
[07:25] SPEAKER_00: If you like what you like most though about being an entrepreneur.
[07:29] SPEAKER_00: So you've been at it for a while now.
[07:31] SPEAKER_03: What what you like most about setting my own schedule.
[07:36] SPEAKER_03: I absolutely like I love that.
[07:39] SPEAKER_03: I said to you before we even hit record.
[07:41] SPEAKER_03: I just walked in the door from being away at the cottage with my family.
[07:46] SPEAKER_03: I love that.
[07:48] SPEAKER_03: And I do this intentionally.
[07:50] SPEAKER_03: I walk my son to school in the morning.
[07:53] SPEAKER_03: And that's so I don't start work until 9 30.
[07:57] SPEAKER_03: And I stop at three.
[07:58] SPEAKER_03: So I can go and walk and pick him up.
[08:01] SPEAKER_03: And that connection time is really, really important to me.
[08:05] SPEAKER_03: I can take days off to go watch his track meet.
[08:09] SPEAKER_03: And I can go there for his volleyball games or basketball.
[08:12] SPEAKER_03: I can be there.
[08:14] SPEAKER_03: And then knowing that I might need to catch up on emails or some creative planning work.
[08:20] SPEAKER_03: I can work on a weekend when he's off with his buddies.
[08:24] SPEAKER_03: I don't have to be on somebody else's schedule.
[08:30] SPEAKER_03: You know, somebody told me when the pandemic hit.
[08:33] SPEAKER_03: And I was worried like probably most people about my business.
[08:38] SPEAKER_03: And they said, you know, don't worry.
[08:40] SPEAKER_03: You could get a job anywhere.
[08:42] SPEAKER_03: I was like, yeah, but that's not the life I want.
[08:46] SPEAKER_03: And they did say they're like, you're a bit of a wild pony, though.
[08:50] SPEAKER_03: You've tasted freedom.
[08:51] SPEAKER_03: And it would be really hard to get you back.
[08:53] SPEAKER_03: And that's so true for me is that flexibility to work from the cottage.
[08:59] SPEAKER_03: If I want to work from the cottage or.
[09:02] SPEAKER_03: Just take an afternoon off to do something for myself or do something with my family.
[09:09] SPEAKER_03: That flexibility is definitely my number one.
[09:13] SPEAKER_01: So apart from the pandemic.
[09:17] SPEAKER_00: What's the greatest challenge you've faced to date?
[09:21] SPEAKER_00: I mean, I mean, obviously the pandemic's important, but we've all faced that.
[09:25] SPEAKER_00: So it's really just trying to, you know, it's not that it wasn't.
[09:30] SPEAKER_00: It hasn't been a challenging time, but there are other challenges.
[09:33] SPEAKER_00: I'm sure.
[09:34] SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
[09:35] SPEAKER_03: I'd say to my top two.
[09:38] SPEAKER_03: And they probably go hand in hand.
[09:40] SPEAKER_03: So when I did start my business as well, 10 years ago, I actually did so with a business partner.
[09:47] SPEAKER_03: And right before the pandemic.
[09:50] SPEAKER_03: So I always say that maybe she had a crystal ball that I didn't know about.
[09:55] SPEAKER_03: She decided to leave the business.
[09:58] SPEAKER_03: And I went from having a partnership to being a solo premier.
[10:03] SPEAKER_03: And that scared me, but it also excited me.
[10:08] SPEAKER_03: And it was a full other learning curve on how to do.
[10:13] SPEAKER_03: Or just the responsibility completely being on me.
[10:16] SPEAKER_03: And then the other piece that goes with that is the stories that I used to tell myself about what I couldn't do.
[10:23] SPEAKER_03: And what I wasn't good at.
[10:26] SPEAKER_03: And learning how to change that narrative so that I'm a bit more self compassionate and a bit more encouraging to myself.
[10:36] SPEAKER_03: Taking risks and looking for possibility as opposed to being too scared to do something.
[10:44] SPEAKER_00: So, you know, just give us a little sense so that the audience understands what, you know, what you do.
[10:50] SPEAKER_00: You'll tell me about the vision you have for your business.
[10:55] SPEAKER_00: Over the next two or three years.
[10:58] SPEAKER_03: The vision for my business is to really work one-on-one with people who are ready to take action towards the life they want.
[11:11] SPEAKER_03: And help them be their, you know, be their coach, be their cheerleader, help nudge them along what they are stuck.
[11:18] SPEAKER_03: And I see that as a bit of a ripple effect when leaders can develop self leadership.
[11:26] SPEAKER_03: They're going to be way better leaders to their teams and their communities and their families.
[11:34] SPEAKER_03: So I see that ripple effect that could happen.
[11:39] SPEAKER_03: And knowing that I could play a small part in that is what's really exciting to me.
[11:45] SPEAKER_03: The work that I'm doing is really targeted on helping people get what they want now.
[11:53] SPEAKER_03: And like I've had to do, releasing the stories that are holding them back.
[11:58] SPEAKER_03: So ditching all of those limiting beliefs and looking towards what you can do and what is possible instead of why you can't do something.
[12:08] SPEAKER_00: So you mentioned that, you know, there's a big challenge because your business partner moved out, if you like it, at the beginning of the pandemic.
[12:20] SPEAKER_00: But what do you see as, let's assume you all became that because you're sitting in front of me.
[12:27] SPEAKER_00: What do you see as the biggest challenge in your future as an entrepreneur in your business?
[12:35] SPEAKER_03: Yeah. So for me, it's likely the getting excited about lots of different things and knowing where to really focus.
[12:47] SPEAKER_03: So I don't know about you, but as an entrepreneur myself, I get very excited about all these new ideas that come to me.
[12:56] SPEAKER_03: And I want to dive in on all of them, which then creates me spreading myself way too thin sometimes.
[13:03] SPEAKER_03: So picking and focusing on one and then growing that and then moving on to the next piece instead of having like shiny object syndrome.
[13:14] SPEAKER_03: And with that is still like, I think a lot of entrepreneurs growing your team, taking the time to properly train them so that they can understand why you do things the way you do things.
[13:30] SPEAKER_03: And you know, still give them the ability to put their own creative spins on it so that I can keep serving more people.
[13:39] SPEAKER_03: So knowing, you know, kind of when I need to get help and making sure that I'm proactive instead of being so reactive on it.
[13:47] SPEAKER_00: So, you know, we all meet challenges.
[13:53] SPEAKER_00: And considering the business that you're in, I'm interested to know.
[13:56] SPEAKER_01: So, you know, do you have a process that you that you kind of meet challenges with and overcome them?
[14:10] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it's a great question.
[14:13] SPEAKER_03: So again, this is something that I've had to really learn.
[14:18] SPEAKER_03: It's not something that came naturally to me.
[14:22] SPEAKER_03: My first reaction, you know, used to be a big loud first reaction when challenges presented themselves.
[14:29] SPEAKER_03: Now I make sure that I slow myself down.
[14:35] SPEAKER_03: I create space. So in my morning routine, I spend a lot of time journaling and doing breathwork.
[14:44] SPEAKER_03: And that morning time for me is kind of my sacred space.
[14:48] SPEAKER_03: I get up before anyone else in my house.
[14:52] SPEAKER_03: And when I am faced with certain challenges, and I mean challenges that are nagging at me, you know, working with me up at night, not just, you know, I have a lot of emails.
[15:04] SPEAKER_03: But, you know, those those deep down challenges, I really focus in and I do breathwork on it and then journal.
[15:15] SPEAKER_03: I find that combination for me is I usually get a lot of a haz and a lot of clarity from it.
[15:22] SPEAKER_03: So, you know, being intentional on slowing down and then capturing my thoughts in the quiet of the morning.
[15:34] SPEAKER_03: And then I'm able to my brain goes into logistics after that of, okay, so here's what I've identified as the problem.
[15:41] SPEAKER_03: And here's where I want to get what action steps do I need to put in place so that I am consistent on moving the dial, right of not falling into the same trap or the same challenge.
[15:56] SPEAKER_03: But, you know, for instance, if I keep attracting the wrong client, what am I doing that is bringing those clients to me and what do I need to shift?
[16:07] SPEAKER_03: Where do I need to be looking differently? How do I need to start those conversations? You know, we're doing discovery calls. What do I need to say so that I can pick up on those red flags earlier?
[16:20] SPEAKER_03: I do a lot to identify the problem and what actions I need to take.
[16:26] SPEAKER_03: And the other piece that I do when I overcoming challenges is I really rely on accountability partners.
[16:34] SPEAKER_03: And so that's kind of that asking for help. It's not typically anyone that works with me, but I am part of a couple of different groups where I can call on someone and say, hey, here's something I'm trying to overcome or and you have it.
[16:52] SPEAKER_03: I'm trying to put in place going to check in with you once a day or once a week. Will you just hold me accountable so that I don't fall into my same old traps?
[17:02] SPEAKER_03: And having somebody who's checking in on you, I have found to be really helpful as well.
[17:11] SPEAKER_01: What's the best piece of advice you've ever received versus given that you kind of keep coming back to?
[17:22] SPEAKER_03: But you already know the answer.
[17:27] SPEAKER_03: So the advice was essentially stop asking everyone else for their opinion on something. Stop everyone asking everyone else for what they would do.
[17:39] SPEAKER_03: And really start to trust yourself that you know yourself what you want to do and what you need to do.
[17:50] SPEAKER_03: We we spend a lot of time, you know, canvassing and asking other people.
[17:57] SPEAKER_03: And we get conflicting, right? Some of that information overload.
[18:03] SPEAKER_03: And then we're torn. We have this internal like, oh, so and so said this and this and this doesn't sit right.
[18:09] SPEAKER_03: But really if we just got quiet with ourselves and asked ourselves what feels right for me or what do I want?
[18:19] SPEAKER_03: And listening to ourselves, we are going to come up with the answers and they're going to be more a point than they are if you ask, you know, 10 different people for their opinion.
[18:31] SPEAKER_01: So let's go back in time.
[18:34] SPEAKER_01: What advice would you give your 20 year olds?
[18:40] SPEAKER_03: The path is not straight.
[18:43] SPEAKER_03: The advice would be let go of the control of having to predict the outcome of the future.
[18:54] SPEAKER_03: And I was very much raised that there was an order to life.
[19:01] SPEAKER_03: You know elementary school, high school, then you go off to university and maybe do a post-grad in college and then you get married and then you get a house and then you have kids and it's all this order and then you work your way up the corporate ladder.
[19:16] SPEAKER_03: And then you retire.
[19:19] SPEAKER_03: So my journey started off that way and I think if I could go back, you know, I wouldn't necessarily change things, but I would just tell my old self to calm down and release the white knuckled grip that I had on things happening in a certain order and a certain way.
[19:41] SPEAKER_03: And just trust that every step you make and every decision is the right one for you at that point.
[19:50] SPEAKER_03: Things will just take you on your own journey. It does not need to be a straight shot.
[19:58] SPEAKER_01: Interesting.
[20:01] SPEAKER_01: So if you weren't doing what you love, what you do now, what would you be doing instead?
[20:13] SPEAKER_03: That's a really good question.
[20:15] SPEAKER_03: My initial reaction is I couldn't picture that.
[20:21] SPEAKER_03: I guess if I hadn't been brave enough to step out of my comfort zone of being in a corporate job that was predictable and consistent and, you know, quote unquote safe.
[20:34] SPEAKER_03: I'd probably still be there or working in some facet of, you know, that organization.
[20:41] SPEAKER_03: I'd probably still just be doing the nine to five.
[20:46] SPEAKER_03: I'd be getting my prescribed days off every year, you know, the approved vacation time.
[20:53] SPEAKER_03: I would probably just be punching the clock like that.
[20:57] SPEAKER_03: And I would also probably be half the person I am right now.
[21:03] SPEAKER_03: I would be a shell of that.
[21:07] SPEAKER_00: It's always me away from the serious stuff.
[21:11] SPEAKER_00: What book are you currently reading?
[21:14] SPEAKER_03: Oh, I'm reading between two kingdoms. It's a memoir.
[21:20] SPEAKER_03: And I'm not going to attempt the author's name because I know I will ruin it.
[21:24] SPEAKER_03: But it's about a woman who diagnosed the cancer at the age of 22 with all these dreams.
[21:34] SPEAKER_03: And she has the battle of her life and then goes off on this epic road trip to really discover how to truly live her life.
[21:44] SPEAKER_03: And yeah, it's pretty powerful.
[21:47] SPEAKER_01: So perhaps on that, is there one or two books that you would recommend to for our audience to read?
[21:56] SPEAKER_03: So it's not necessarily an entrepreneur based book, but I love Cheryl's trades.
[22:01] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I love Cheryl's trades book Wild.
[22:05] SPEAKER_03: Again, it's really just about finding yourself.
[22:09] SPEAKER_03: It is amazing. There's also a movie.
[22:12] SPEAKER_03: I always recommend Read the Book First before you watch the movie.
[22:16] SPEAKER_03: Wild is probably one of my most favorite books.
[22:21] SPEAKER_03: I also love Mitch Album and his series of two stays with Mori, five feet from the heaven.
[22:30] SPEAKER_03: Those ones, I seem to burn through them pretty quickly.
[22:35] SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
[22:36] SPEAKER_00: And if you had to pick a word to describe yourself, what would it be and why would you choose it?
[22:47] SPEAKER_03: Word to describe myself.
[22:51] SPEAKER_03: Maybe firecracker.
[22:55] SPEAKER_03: Mostly I've heard that word be used with me and I understand it because I kind of have a low simmer before I.
[23:07] SPEAKER_03: Ignite into something beautiful, but I, yeah, I can be a bit fiery.
[23:14] SPEAKER_03: I also find fireworks bring joy and it's usually a time of celebration and people gather together.
[23:21] SPEAKER_03: So yeah, I'll go with that word.
[23:24] SPEAKER_00: So you said earlier that you were a morning person.
[23:27] SPEAKER_00: You like to beat everyone up and that's your reflection time and et cetera, et cetera.
[23:35] SPEAKER_00: So let's move to another question, which is what's keeping you up at night these days?
[23:41] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I think for me, it's always been funny.
[23:46] SPEAKER_03: And one of my focuses for 2023 is just being more comfortable with my financial health.
[23:54] SPEAKER_03: And again, loosening my grip on the control of what it needs to look like.
[24:00] SPEAKER_03: But yeah, money, I have a young son who's 10 and his, you know, he's competitive athlete and he wants a lot of different things and we are traveling all over and yeah, traveling.
[24:13] SPEAKER_03: And there's a lot of things I desire and money isn't always the answer, but it does make things easier.
[24:23] SPEAKER_01: Interesting.
[24:25] SPEAKER_01: Interesting.
[24:30] SPEAKER_00: I think the other thing I was interested, you know, you talked to a bit, you talked about it a little bit, but if there are three steps going back to the entrepreneur side, but it was interested, if there are three steps that entrepreneur should take.
[24:53] SPEAKER_00: What would they be to take to be successful obviously?
[24:57] SPEAKER_00: For it to work, if you like, what do you think those three steps are?
[25:02] SPEAKER_00: Because they're not the same, everyone doesn't have the same answer.
[25:05] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so for me, I really think you need to be super clear on what your goals are.
[25:11] SPEAKER_03: Really, really clear on what your goals are, but then have action steps that are going to support your goals.
[25:21] SPEAKER_03: It's not enough to just, you know, I use physical health as an example, but it's not enough to say you want to run a marathon, you have to set up your training program.
[25:33] SPEAKER_03: So it's not enough to say that you want to have a, you know, small business or have this many employees, you have to figure out what steps you need to take.
[25:47] SPEAKER_03: Truly, and with what consistency do you need to do them in order to get there?
[25:52] SPEAKER_03: So that planning and goal setting piece is really important and I find it's still something that come back to over and over.
[26:00] SPEAKER_03: I think you need to understand the difference when it comes to finances between budgets and cash flow.
[26:10] SPEAKER_03: And we really get familiar with how that money is flowing in and how it's flowing out so that you can predict where you need to up your game or where you can have some comfort.
[26:26] SPEAKER_03: But cash flow versus budgets and the other pieces, who are you going to surround yourself with for support?
[26:35] SPEAKER_03: Like who, if you are going to be a solopreneur, who else are you going to put kind of at your, you know, put them for boardroom table?
[26:43] SPEAKER_03: What do you need? Is it, you know, a lawyer, a bookkeeper, a coach, another entrepreneur who's been through it that you can lean on.
[26:53] SPEAKER_03: But build your, build your small business support group, if you will, so that you don't feel like you're on an island all by yourself because oftentimes it can feel that way.
[27:06] SPEAKER_03: And being able to ask for help and, and also share help when needed is has been really an important learning for me.
[27:18] SPEAKER_01: Great answer.
[27:20] SPEAKER_01: And a great interview. Thank you.
[27:23] SPEAKER_00: How can our listeners and viewers find you online actually?
[27:29] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so I am, my website is our forte. So it's OURFORTE.ca.
[27:37] SPEAKER_03: I am also on Instagram under the same name and on LinkedIn. I spend a lot of time there as well.
[27:46] SPEAKER_03: And I'm always open to chat with people really looking to talk to people who are interested in getting unstuck and taking action on the life that they truly want and the like they want now.
[28:04] SPEAKER_01: Thanks, Ashley.
[28:05] SPEAKER_01: Been great kicking off 2023 with you. Super nice meeting you.
[28:12] SPEAKER_03: Thank you so much for having me.