Over the course of the last six years the number 1 question I get over and over is: HOW? How did you build a six-figure business while juggling being a mom of 2, wife and lawyer? Truth is, the first 3 years of my business are a blur. And it would be difficult for me to give you step by step instructions. Impossible, actually. Because every single person’s life is completely different. What worked for me, may not work for you. What I do know is that everyone has the same 24 hours in the day. It is up to you to determine your priorities. My priorities were my family, my fitness, my business and not getting fired from the firm. And I just DID IT. There was no rhyme or reason to my madness. I was unorganized as all hell, had no list, no system. I just fucking worked, non-stop. I say it often that I felt I was “on” 24 hours a day. Danny felt it too. I was so intent on being successful as a Coach that I worked every second that I could on my business. Whether it was posting on social media, creating challenge groups, calling my customers, training my Coaches, participating in training, I just knew that every ounce of energy I gave to my business would pay off. And it did. What I did learn during this whirlwind is that you have to erase the expectation that you will have “balance.” Balance does not exist. It’s a term we use to make us ok with being mediocre at everything. There are seasons of family and there are seasons of business. And during those seasons you will live in a perpetual state of imbalance. Accept that as truth and move on.

So if I had to summarize my efforts while I was still practicing law and raising a young family, I would say it was SACRIFICE. Sacrifice is defined as “to suffer loss of, give up, renounce, injure, or destroy especially for an ideal, belief, or end.” It is also defined as slaughtering animals for a God but that’s not quite what I did. What I did do was make the decision to succeed and then fill my day with activities that were a means to that end. I would wake up really early (think 4:30 am) and go to bed later than usual (sometimes past 10:00 pm). Whenever I had gaps in my day, including my 1 hour commute each way to and from the office, it was all business. I was listening to my personal development audio, calling customers, training Coaches. I remained consistent and persistent (a key ingredient) NO MATTER WHAT. That is what is usually lacking in most new entrepreneurs who have never hustled for themselves. Something happens out of the norm in their life and they stop. If you can’t understand that an entrepreneur never stops working regardless of life’s circumstances, you can’t be an entrepreneur. It is that simple. Saddle up baby, if you want to succeed and make real money, you gotta work. What a concept!

I don’t mean to be brash. But it is the truth. I hustled everyday, I still do. Despite the WILD ups and downs of parenting and marriage, losing the baby weight so that I could actually inspire others, and a busy, demanding legal career – I kept my vision open and my actions forward-moving. But I won’t just slap you in the face with my story. I know, I can be a bit tough when it comes to having a CEO mindset but I truly believe that if you want to succeed there are no handouts. And if I had to give you some tips to grow a business (any business actually) while juggling life this is what I would say:

1. Decide to succeed. You can’t be wishy washy about that. You have got to want it, and want it bad. Like punches you in the gut everyday bad.

2. You have to know WHY you want to succeed. Commonly known as the “why.” Shocker, right? But seriously, you’ve gotta have a reason. Most people are trained to wake up, go to work, rinse and repeat each day. To do something that requires so much effort outside of that is hard to train. If you don’t have a “why” or a purpose for all this work, you are dead in the water before you even start.

3. Vision is critical. Understanding that for the first couple of years you will feel that you are working harder than getting compensated for, and have the vision to understand that it will all pay off long-term, is KEY. Many will quit before they experience the pay-off and that’s unfortunate. But if you have a clearly defined vision for what you want, then you are thinking like an entrepreneur.

4. Set monthly, quarterly, and yearly goals. This was so important early on in my business and is still how I’ve accomplished everything that I have in my business. This is your action roadmap to keep you stay on track every day. And when you accomplish a goal ask yourself “what’s next?”

5. Believe, baby! You have to believe in YOU, in your products, in your company and your mission. I bleed Beachbody blue if you haven’t caught on already. I love what I do, I love how this company has changed my life, I am a believer! Some people say “drink the Kool-Aid” ~ well I drank it, spiked it, and took a shot!

And please, don’t compare yourself to others. This is a such a killer of success. I remember attending my first Summit and being awe-struck by a Coach that was a lawyer who retired because of this opportunity. Instead of thinking he was special or lucky, I studied him, learned from him and was inspired by him. I am still inspired by people that succeed at this business at all levels. When I see an up-and-coming rockstar Coach, I want to learn from them and share their strategies with my team. This is not a competition!

You may or may not have learned something from this. I don’t know. The awful truth is that there are no secrets to success in any business. And much less, the business that I am in. We all share EVERYTHING. To me, so freaking cool. What separates those that win and lose is really basic. It’s SACRIFICE. Are you willing to place your business in realm of your priorities that will get your attention each day? Are you willing to learn every day? Are you willing to hustle every day? Are you willing to invest time and energy into your personal growth every day? Are you willing to embrace failure and resistance every day? Are you willing to go all in with your fitness every day?

I was willing to do it all. So I guess that is the answer. I was willing to do it all. EVERY SINGLE DAY.