Episode 88
Accidental Entrepreneur | LAYC 88
Isabel shares her journey of becoming an entrepreneur, a path she didn't plan but embraced out of necessity. After her employer went bankrupt, she found herself in the role of the primary breadwinner for her family. Motivated by her circumstances, she took the plunge into entrepreneurship, learning the ropes on the job. Starting from her dining room table, she became the "chief cook and bottle washer," handling every aspect of her business.
Through her experiences, Isabel learned valuable lessons about entrepreneurship, including the importance of seeking help, building a trusted network, and not being too hard on oneself. She emphasizes the significance of reaching out to advisors, coaches, and mentors and creating a circle of trusted individuals who can provide diverse perspectives.
Isabel's podcast aims to share her experiences, lessons learned, and wisdom gained from her entrepreneurial journey, offering valuable insights and advice to women entrepreneurs and business owners.
To register for a coaching with Isabel
About the Host:
Isabel Alexander
Your Next Business Strategist and Transformation Catalyst
Dynamic, a self-made entrepreneur who overcame obstacles with an unrelenting positive nature, a farm girl work ethic, and a conscious choice to thrive rather than survive, Isabel Alexander cultivated an award-winning, $10+ million global chemical business and grew it from dining room table to international boardrooms.
Isabel’s strengths include the ability to initiate and nurture strategic relationships, a love of lifelong learning and talents for helping others maximize their potential. An inspiring speaker within both industry and community, she is a driving force behind those with the courage to follow her example of thriving against the odds.
With 50+ years of business experience across diverse industries, Isabel is respected as an advisor, a coach, a mentor, and a role model. She believes in sharing collective wisdom and empowering others to economic independence.
Founder:
Lift As You Climb Movement (www.facebook.com/groups/liftasyouclimbmovement)
and
Chief Encore Officer, The Encore Catalyst (www.theencorecatalyst.com) – an accelerator for feminine wisdom, influence, and impact.
also
Author & Speaker ‘Who Am I Now? – Feminine Wisdom Unmasked Uncensored’ (www.IsabelBanerjee.com)
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/isabelalexanderbanerjee/
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Transcript
I didn't set out to build an empire.
Isabel:In fact, it was quite accidental.
Isabel:I was working for a company that went bankrupt.
Isabel:I was highly motivated because I was the primary breadwinner in my family,
Isabel:and I had some clients who gave me a nudge along with the universe that
Isabel:said, Hey, can you do this for us?
Isabel:And As I said, being highly motivated to feed my kids, I learned
Isabel:on the job how to be a CEO, a business owner, an entrepreneur,
Isabel:whatever you want to call it.
Isabel:In fact, I learned how to be the chief cook and bottle washer
Isabel:because in the beginning it was just me at my dining room table.
Isabel:Asking for help where I could, figuring it out as I went along,
Isabel:and just doing this, leaning in and having conversations with people.
Isabel:Who knew that would give me the experience to become a podcaster later in my life?
Isabel:But what it also did was give me the experience.
Isabel:The real hands on, not from a textbook experience to help
Isabel:other women entrepreneurs.
Isabel:Because over the course of that journey, I learned so much.
Isabel:I also learned a lot.
Isabel:about what not to do, what not to do in business, what not to do in my
Isabel:personal life, in relationships, and about not being so hard on myself.
Isabel:Every time I did learn not to do it all on my own, to reach out and find
Isabel:trusted people that I could go to, advisors, coaches, consultants, and to
Isabel:build a very tight knit inner circle of advisors, other business owners, and
Isabel:individuals who are a little farther ahead of me on the curve of life.
Isabel:And had a different perspective and that's one of the things that I really
Isabel:love to do as a give back now is to be able to share with others another
Isabel:perspective and I really encourage you as a woman business owner, as an
Isabel:entrepreneur in all aspects, or an entrepreneur within your organization.
Isabel:Don't just sit there with your nose pressed up against your own windshield
Isabel:because it gives you a very limited vision of what is possible, what is going on
Isabel:around you 360 and that's why I encourage people to reach out and create and
Isabel:cultivate a network of what I refer to as my certified, trusted, and smart circle.
Isabel:So if I can do that for you, by sharing on these episodes, my experiences and
Isabel:my lessons learned, my pearls of wisdom, and my Oh Jesus, don't do that again,
Isabel:or don't do that because I did it and
Isabel:OUCH!
Isabel:, Isabel: I'm really glad that I can be here for you to do that.
Isabel:And if you want to have a more personal, confidential, one on
Isabel:one conversation, yes, yes, I am here for you to do that too.
Isabel:Because.
Isabel:I do believe that the better we become ourselves, the more confident we are,
Isabel:the more we know about ourselves, the more that we up level and get closer
Isabel:to our next best self, future self, the more we have, the more value we
Isabel:create, the more we're able to help others and give others a hand up.
Isabel:And that's really, what Lift As You Climb is about.
Isabel:It's about that ability, that knowledge, that Not only can we, but we should be.
Isabel:We are responsible to continue to up level ourselves and then that
Isabel:empowers us to empower others in their success and their confidence.
Isabel:Let's talk, let me know what you'd like to hear about, what honest to gosh,
Isabel:candid, real raw stuff, the questions that you have as an entrepreneur, as an
Isabel:entrepreneur in your 40s, 50s, 60, 70s and beyond about what is possible Because so
Isabel:much is, once we stop limiting ourselves and believing some of our own bullshit.
Isabel:Hope to hear from you soon.
