“Turn on the news (55 minutes a day) and you see many negative stories — of tragedy. And then, perhaps the last five minutes of the news may be a good humor story. We need to change that idea. I think that;s what invades our society so much today. We need to help people see a positive perspective on a daily basis. Everything that goes on in our life has a reason, be it good or bad. We must be able to look at them with the perspective that helps us to move on.”

— Bob Brumm

“A lot of people say this, “Follow your passion.” And I actually don’t believe it quite that way. What you have to do is follow the part of your passion that makes sense in helping other people. So if you’re not helping other people; if you’re just following your passion, you might not get where you want to go. But it’s when you help people with your passion that you get where you want to go. The more people you help, the more success you find.”

— Dr. Pelè Raymond

“And so now I’m paying for this office out of my marketing budget. And I feel like, “Okay, I’m really giving to the community. I’m doing something useful with my marketing dollars.” And it just started to bleed over into everything that I’m doing. And in making myself ask myself, “Hey, does this marketing spend benefit someone in my community?” And if the answer is yes, I do it. And I’ve cut way back on the shameless self-promotion dollars like postcards …”

— Kristina McCann

“I really care. Sometimes, that’s my downfall because it gives me anxiety when things aren’t working well. But I truly care about my clients. I care about their success, especially working with small brands. These people are bootstrapping. So if I screw up, that’s their money. I’ve just always cared about maintaining relationships. Loyalty is very important to me. I think it has served me well because maintaining editorial relationships & keeping your clients happy is essential.”

— Elyse Koenig

“Designing your life instead of just accepting this thing that this cookie-cutter life plan we’ve been given is one of the challenges most of us have to face. We often ask how we can afford our lives when the real question we should be asking is how we can, I, design my life and build an income that matches it? Start unlocking things that are right and of value to you. When you ask the right questions, you will definitely be given better answers.”

— Daniel Ameduri

“And it’s like what Viktor Frankl says in ‘Man’s Search for Meaning,’ between stimulus and response. There is a choice. And that was something I was never taught as a child. I grew up thinking I was a product of my emotions… But for the first time, having permission that you can feel your feelings because you’re human, was extraordinary and it’s provided me with a really fantastic process for letting go of negative emotions for allowing me to just – …I can choose my reaction.”

— Kimberly Spencer

“I call it the Genius Zone. I was good at a lot of things. I had a career as a screenwriter. I had a career as a Pilates instructor. I owned an e-commerce company. I have my business now, Crown Yourself and coaching. What made me really good at all of them? I saw a commonalities between them. These were creativity, connecting, and coaching. Now, the one that supersedes through that trifecta is the challenge, in every area. I challenge people and myself to rise into our highest and best versions.”

— Kimberly Spencer

“Owning a small business comes with a lot of responsibility. It starts by being able to relinquish control for the greater good of your employees. Once you’ve hired and built an organization that meets your core values, keep in mind that you have to maintain their growth and nurture your employees to be the best of their capabilities. Your team members are your priority. Together this creates a stable and progressive business that is beneficial to all.”

— Kyle Gorman

“We all at one point are going to face circumstances that will break us. It can be the death of someone dear to us, financial disability, heartache, or even health problems. But these circumstances don’t determine who you are, but how you respond to them. It’s what you do next that matters. Plan, Do, Adjust.”

— Alison Pena

“Tattooing marks people for life. If done in a positive & mindful manner, then the person who’s getting tattooed will remember this experience in a positive manner for the rest of their life. Business-wise, it has compounding effects. For the rest of their life, all of the tattoo shop, artists, conventions, in some ways, tattoo-supply companies, & all of their clients will remember that story when people are deliberate about making a positive experience. It’s a tremendous, positive effect.”

— Gabriel Ripley

“It’s all about finding somebody who needs help and becoming the best solution to whatever their pain points are or their business needs. As a V.A., you are simply offering your services and time to somebody who do not have those services or the time.”

— Gina Horkey

“We quickly realized that the more CROSSNETS we sell into the world, the more free marketing that people are doing on our behalf. We have customers from all over the world right now–playing the game at the beach this moment. They’re doing free marketing for us while having a blast.”

— Chris Meade