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Kathi Burns 0:04
Hi there, I'm board-certified professional organizer Kathy burns. I'm really glad you're here. This podcast is designed for busy entrepreneurs just like you who want to take better control of your business and move forward with less stress and more success. If this is your first time listening then thanks for coming. The organize energize podcast is produced for your enjoyment, and show notes are found at the podcast at organized and energized.com. Come back often and feel free to add this podcast to your favorite RSS feed or iTunes. You can also follow me on Twitter at organized energy and Facebook. All links are in the show notes. Now let's get into the show. Hi, everyone, I'm back. And today I'm with Ana Patricia Bourgeois, we're going to talk about how to own your own superpower and vulnerability online. And as an intuitive business coach podcaster and published author, her mission is to help ambitious women entrepreneurs, double their sales and increase their revenue. Without spending extra dollars on marketing and advertising. I want to know how she's going to do this. She leads every woman has the power to be financially free, and their own boss without burnout, stress or overwhelm. I'm excited to be here. I would love to find out what she does and how she does it. Because you know what? We all need to double our revenue without doing more money and spending more money on marketing and advertising. Yes. With me. All right, stay tuned. Hi, everyone, I am back and I am with Anna Patricia Bourgeois. And we are going to talk about empowering female women, women and female entrepreneurs, and to take our power back and thrive. So welcome to the show Ana, I'm so happy to have you here.

Ana Patricia Bourgeois 1:54
Thank you for having me. I'm really excited.

Kathi Burns 1:57
Yeah, absolutely. Talk to me about we what you do a little bit. What do you do with these women entrepreneurs?

Ana Patricia Bourgeois 2:03
What I do, I love it. So I help ambitious women entrepreneurs double their sales and increase their revenue without spending more money on ads, and marketing. Pretty much everything is organic on social media, I really help them step into their power, reclaim their truth, share their stories be vulnerable online, to truly impact the people, they're here to impact. And that's one thing that I hear a lot is a lot of women want to make a difference in the world, they just don't know how to market themselves, how to sell their services. And like it's a very big thing that holds a lot of people back. So that's what I help them do.

Kathi Burns 2:42
Yeah, I think having them increase their confidence and feel like they can be their authentic self. And I know that you're intuitive as well. And I'm sure that you probably tap into that for people or help them tap into their own intuitive greatness.

Ana Patricia Bourgeois 2:57
Exactly. Yeah, I do get some downloads, I do get some. It's like annoying when I talk to someone and I'm coaching them like I know when something's not right, I know if we should shift or pivot or go this direction instead or try this instead. It's just like an inner knowing. And I show my clients how to also tap into that inner knowing.

Kathi Burns 3:19
Yeah, and that inner knowing is the big beacon of guidance that we all need to have so that we can go down the path of the path I always call it the path of least resistance over the water over the rock path, as opposed to being the one that we're fighting our way upstream the whole time.

Ana Patricia Bourgeois 3:37
Ah, yeah, exactly.

Kathi Burns 3:40
Tell me a little bit about your background. How did you get into this career? And how long have you been doing it? And why are you here helping women?

Ana Patricia Bourgeois 3:48
I love that question. And I love to go back to my childhood. When I was 15, my parents actually got divorced, my father left and I was really forced to grow up really quickly, and take on a lot of responsibilities very quickly. I had to get two part-time jobs, go to school full time, and support my mom with the bills with anything she needed. I had to help my little brother at the time with his homework and cooking and doing all the things right. And then I saw that and I was like, There's for sure a better way. Right? Because my mom wasn't that nine to five rat race. And we never had enough like, it's like, how do I make ends meet? Like how do I pay for all of this stuff? And you could tell she wasn't passionate about what she was doing either. So it's like, I made my promise to myself. I was like, I'm gonna find something that I love to do. And I'm gonna get paid very well to do it. And obviously, I had no idea what that was gonna look like back then. But then I went to university, I got my degree in communications, and I did an internship in a digital marketing agency. That's where I learned everything about social media content, video, photo editing, client work, and all that jazz. And I love that environment. It was very, like something that spoke to me. So that's when I decided to start my first business, which was my own agency, and help my clients with their Social Media. But then I noticed as I went along, that the client work itself is what truly made me like, passionate, like, talking to my clients and, and hearing their questions and helping them move through some issues, and really seeing the fruits of my labor and like, seeing the happiness on their face was what truly brought me that happiness. And I was like, How can I help more women, you know, get their get to their goals to get to their vision. And one day I was on Google, and I Googled, how can I help people, and this coaching school popped up I had never heard of coaching before. I read their website, I'm like, Oh, my gosh, like this is, for me, it was like a health life coaching certification. It was a big investment at the time. I gotta do this I had this inner knowing that I followed it. I invested in that, and I got certified. Then from there, I switched niches a few times trying to find my foot. But then I landed on the business niche. And since then, that was in 2019. I went full-time in my coaching in 2020. In the middle of the pandemic, I had no idea what I was doing no clue if it was gonna work out. I just really gave it my all. And then three months later, in September, I had my first 10k launch. And then from there, it just all went on. And I was just like, wow, this is what happens when you bet on yourself when you go all in when you take the risks when you invest in yourself over and over and over again. I think the most successful people in life are the ones who had those lessons, those failures as they say it, I don't like to call it that, because everything is a lesson, you always learn and you improve it better. But those are the people who are afraid to get there.

Kathi Burns 7:38
You keep trying and trying. What was one of the pitfalls that you experienced during the journey? Well, first off, hold on after backup. I was also a communication major, love that. radio, television, not digital marketing, as it was, I was in there before that. But I love the fact that you got into a college into a program that fit you, that was good for what you do. That's really a blessing. Because I think a lot of times we go to college, and it's not a great fit, so you have intuition ready to lead you to the right place, as did mine. Although I did audio, I should have been in television. I love communications myself. So okay, just had to say that backup, because we're kindred spirits here. So you followed your intuition. My question was, did you start your coaching during the pandemic? Or was that like during the pandemic, you decided to jump into the coaching class? Or had you done that right before it hit?

Ana Patricia Bourgeois 8:41
Right before it hits, I got certified in November 2019. And I hired my first coach, in December 2019. And then January, February, March, April, like I had to hire more coaches and get more help. I was doing all the right things. And this is something I want to share too. Like it took me six months to get my first client. It wasn't like overnight.

Kathi Burns 9:11
It never is.

Ana Patricia Bourgeois 9:13
But as soon as I did get that client, I was like, if I did this once, I could do it again and again. And again. Like I knew exactly what to do now let it at that I saw that it worked. And it actually gave me that extra push to actually keep going and go all in.

Kathi Burns 9:31
Sounds like the timing was perfect. I shouldn't have said it never is we do get an instant client. So I backup and I take that back, edit that out of there, right? We can get our first client instantly. But I know that through when we really really work on it and that first person comes through and it has been a while. It does allow us to duplicate the process with this sounds like what you did you you're like okay, By this, I can duplicate this and it can happen again and again and again. So you truly are intuitive. I have to back up and say, did you have something in your childhood beside the split of your parents that really helped you heighten your intuitive nature?

Ana Patricia Bourgeois 10:21
Funny you asked that because when I was younger, I used to see and hear the spirits. Obviously, I lost it as I got older. But I remember very vividly seeing them. One time, I was at a friend's house, and I saw one. So clearly, it spooked me. I was like, whoa, whoa, holy moly, like what's going on? But yeah, I did have those abilities when I was younger to see them and hear them. I kind of forgot about it as I got older, but like, I knew that intuition was still there.

Kathi Burns 10:59
I think that most kids, three and four years old, I think they see spirits all the time. I know that my husband's brother totally described his great grandfather to the letter, and explained who he was, and, what he looked like, and he had never seen a picture of him. So, but then we forget, and it falls away. But those, those of us like yourself, who are blessed to then rekindle and grow it back again, I think we're all intuitive. We're all connected, we're all interconnected. So, it is possible that we can all have intuition out there. Okay. So we got way sidetracked on that, but I had to bring that up and talk about that just a little bit. So with your people, what, how do they do it? If they're on social media? They don't have a big advertising or marketing budget? What do you recommend for them to do as their first step?

Ana Patricia Bourgeois 11:59
Oh, my gosh, okay, so the first step is the foundations, we got to make sure we understand who we're talking to how we're helping them, and what are the problems we're solving, right? Truly get to know and understand that our gifts are powerful because I think that's the biggest mindset thing that we all go through. Can I really help this person, I'm like, qualified, we all go through these stages of impostor syndrome, like perfectionism, but at the beginning stages, it's really about owning your gifts, understanding that you're amazing that your background is huge. And maybe you've never had a client in this area before. But I guarantee you, you help people along the way. No matter how small you made a difference in someone's life, you got to trust that you can do that same difference over and over and over again. It's really that mindset piece, that foundational piece, and creating your offers, right? What is it going to look like? Is it one on one coaching? Is it a group program? Is it a mastermind? What do you want to sell? Where is the price going to put in creating your branding? How you're going to show up both strategies? So it’s a lot of different pieces. But the first thing is the foundations for sure.

Kathi Burns 13:26
Do you think that oftentimes, I've been toying with this for the past year or so avatars? I've studied creating your avatar forever for a couple of decades now. I seriously think that my avatar is me. I don't know if you've found a similar thing that, your ideal avatar is who you are really, you agree with that?

Ana Patricia Bourgeois 13:50
To a certain degree, I do agree with it. Because I feel like, we are probably what 5-10 steps ahead of our ideal clients, like we've been, where they're going now. We understand where they've been, what are their challenges, and all of that. So, yes, it could definitely be you, two years ago or five years ago. Right. But also, I don't want you to limit yourself to only that because I've worked with clients, who were way ahead of me as well. You can still make a difference, even if that person is way ahead in one area, but they need help in a certain area as well. Right? So it's like don't limit yourself to only that. Also, think about the other person or people who are going through a similar journey but need maybe help in one specific thing.

Kathi Burns 14:49
Right, yeah, on the same path that we're all like this, we're all like, okay, like that. Oh, and that's the beauty of actually that's the beauty way of life. And that's a bit of coaching to be able to see what others can't see more clearly. And quite honestly we can't see our own mug half the time anyhow. But if we have someone who can just bring it right back to us in a real way. Oh, I never thought about it that way. Right?

Ana Patricia Bourgeois 15:21
Exactly.

Kathi Burns 15:24
I truly am with you on that. So, as far as advice goes, Have you received any piece of advice that was really helpful to you? That kind of sticks in your brain all the time? If you're up against something?

Ana Patricia Bourgeois 15:35
That there's so many, but I think the biggest one, know your numbers. It's simple. But honestly, so many women entrepreneurs are focusing on the big the quick wins, the instant gratification, the big cash injections, like, how can I make the most money the most quickly, ever? And like they're desperate to get like those big launches? Do you actually know what your gross profit margins are? Do you know your average conversion rates? Do you know if you're profitable right now? Do you know your numbers so you can easily work on improving specific areas? If you can afford to hire help hire a team member, and that's your next coach, without burning yourself out to the ground and creating extra stress in your life that oh, my gosh, maybe I shouldn't have done this. I don't have enough capital. So. So important.

Kathi Burns 16:39
Yeah. Know your numbers. So give me the four numbers. And we're going to explain this to the people. What are the four numbers that they really need to look at? What are the bottom lines? You said conversion? What does that mean to the listeners here?

Ana Patricia Bourgeois 16:53
Yeah, so we have leads, right? So we got to look at how many are we converting into clients. So when you know that number, you're gonna know exactly how many people you have to talk to? Or how many calls do you have to set or how many conversations in the DMS do you need to have? Because if you know that, then you can replicate it easily. Like I was saying earlier.

Kathi Burns 17:14
Yeah. Perfect. Okay, what's the next step that they need to have in their brain?

Ana Patricia Bourgeois 17:19
I feel like the next step is, you know, yes, you're getting that revenue in. But after taxes, after expenses, what's the revenue that you still have in your pocket?

Kathi Burns 17:32
Good to know and most people don't even know that I'm with.

Ana Patricia Bourgeois 17:36
Yeah, exactly. You got to know you got to know. Honestly, when I started implementing this and understanding this, it was so much easier to make business decisions that serve you.

Kathi Burns 17:51
Whether you have the money or not, or whether it's been the money or not. What's another stab that they need to know? Have their finger on the pulse so to speak.

Ana Patricia Bourgeois 18:04
Conversions. Do we have a bottom line? Yeah, we have revenue and gross profit. And we have also known your cogs right? If you have overhead, like where can you cut costs?

Kathi Burns 18:17
And for those listening COGS is cost of goods sold? Just being clear. I love cogs, but you have to kind of know what that means. So does it how much does it cost you to do a specific product or whatever?

Ana Patricia Bourgeois 18:37
Exactly, exactly. Usually, when your service provider, you don't have as many as someone who's selling a product, but it's still good to know, oh, I can save money on this, I can do that.

Kathi Burns 18:49
It grows too. I mean, you've got your domains, you've got your website, you've got all this stuff that you don't really consider that that is part of your cost of goods sold. Because if you don't have a website, or you don't have a host or you don't have a domain, you don't have it. What I love, the monthly expenditures, the annual expenditures, those little monthly $19.99 can really add up if you don't pay attention to the little $19.99 that you're adding on every month.

Ana Patricia Bourgeois 19:14
Exactly. Yeah, it adds up really, really quickly. For sure.

Kathi Burns 19:29
What's your biggest takeaway, you say that you help people without spending money on marketing or advertising. How would they go about doing that? What would be a good way to apply what you teach?

Ana Patricia Bourgeois 19:39
That's a loaded question right there. There are a few strategies I can actually help them with. So I think it truly depends on their vision, their goals, their mission, like what's their yearly income goal, and really looking at what kind of lifestyle they want to lead. It's really all about them and what their needs are and how I can help them the best way possible. So yes, social media and digital marketing is one piece of the puzzle, right? But there are joint ventures there's, alliances, who can you talk to, that you can send them referrals to when they can send you referrals back and creating that network of people. That's a huge strategy that you could implement and get more revenue from. There are so many of those strategies out there that I can talk about, it really depends on what your goals are.

Kathi Burns 20:35
Yeah. And I think for women we have so so many avenues now, for us to play together. And since 60% of the women are leaving and starting their own businesses. It's growing our piece of the pie here is growing huge. And as women we want to give back, we want to help each other, so I think the alliance in the jayvees is a great strategy as well, for you women out there, think about what associations you can join, or that you want to be part of think about who you like to be around and find those groups because they're everywhere. I think as women, we love to help each other. So we have it much easier than men as far as JVing, I help you, you help me, that's what it's all about.

Ana Patricia Bourgeois 21:24
Absolutely. Yeah, I love those are the best.

Kathi Burns 21:28
Yeah, we're easier. I think we're so much easier because we tend to give better, bigger, easier with less strings, and from our heart.

Ana Patricia Bourgeois 21:41
That's so true. And, and I think also part of it is looking at other women, as are sisters, like how can I help her win? Because I know if she wins, I win, you know, instead of like, looking at people as competitors all the time, and like, No, I gotta be better. I gotta do better. It's so much better if we're in a community and collaborate with each other.

Kathi Burns 22:03
Yeah, I think it's much easier to be a woman in business right now than I watch what happens in the men's world. And it's always like a competition. For us, it's really not, it's like, if she wins, then I win. If we blow out this podcast that we're on the game together, it's like a win win win for everybody. That's, that's we're helping the readers or we're helping the eyes column readers because I do transcripts. We're helping out. I'm an author, you know, we're helping the viewers we're watching, they're helping the listeners and the readers. And then the more knowledge that y'all have out there, the more we grow as an industry for women entrepreneurs, so yay. Okay, so I know that speaking of that, speaking of win-win you have something that you're going to offer the audience, what is it that you're going to offer them that's going to help into a better career?

Ana Patricia Bourgeois 23:03
Awesome. So the thing I have is my free podcast, I do have a show as well. It's called A Powerful Female Leaders Podcast, I published two new episodes every week. One with me sharing my insights, my feedback on the industry, and then another episode with a guest that I bring on and I share their stories. And I just love, love, love, love it. So if you are a female entrepreneur you're looking to generate more consistent wealth, increase your confidence, attract clients, create a bigger impact, master your mindset, then check out the podcasts. It's a really great way to learn and get that information. And if you want to take it a step further, you can always DM me, and we can schedule a free business audit session, where I look at your specific business and we chat and I tell you, Okay, this needs improving. Let's switch this. Let's do this all for free. It's a great, great session to have for sure.

Kathi Burns 24:06
Love it. Love it. So I'll put the links below the podcast. So you can all just click the link and you'll be right there listening to the podcast and also checking out your free. That's, you know, that's a huge offer. I really appreciate that you give a free assessment. Yeah, it's big for everybody. Everybody needs a brush-up and a tune-up from time to time in their business to see where they fell off.

Ana Patricia Bourgeois 24:28
Yeah, exactly. Exactly. We all have those seasons.

Kathi Burns 24:33
Oh my gosh, there are so many moving pieces. You know, it's like, oh, yeah, I did kind of forget I was supposed to be doing that line. Yeah, that's a good thing. So yeah, grab Anna's preassessment for sure. You'd be silly if you know. So check that out. Okay, is there anything that we should have talked about anything that I didn't ask you, that I forgot or that you would like to pitch in and say?

Ana Patricia Bourgeois 24:56
That's such a great question.

Kathi Burns 24:58
I know it's an open one. I've been getting all the hard questions to you today.

Ana Patricia Bourgeois 25:02
If I had to say one thing, it's like, do not quit, like, keep going. Like I said, it's not an overnight thing. Just find what works for you find what lights your soul on fire, how can you have more fun? How can you be more you and speak from your heart and speak your truth? Like, we're so afraid of what people will think or what people will say, Oh, who cares what they are what they say. Just do you believe that there are people out there that need your help? And that's why we're doing this. So if you're uninspired, if you're on the verge of quitting, don't do it. I believe in you. Keep going, get into communities, listen to podcasts, hire a coach, and do whatever you got to do, to stay in the game. Because if you started this journey, it's meant for you. It's It is meant for you. So don't quit, don't settle for mediocre, you are amazing. You are extraordinary. And I believe in you.

Kathi Burns 26:04
I love that. I totally agree. If you're doing it, you're doing it because your soul told you to do it. So don't quit, don't give up and you are your own unique expression. And someone out there is craving to hear what you have to ask them have to tell them and have to help them with. There's always someone craving you. That's the beauty of the world. Right? That's happened seriously. So great tips. I really appreciate your energy, and your passion, everybody makes sure to download what you can do down and you know, sign up for the free consult. And definitely check out the podcast. And I will see you on the other side. Thanks Ana so much.

Ana Patricia Bourgeois 26:48
I appreciate you.

Kathi Burns 26:50
It's been a pleasure.

Hey, thanks for listening to this podcast. I hope you enjoyed this episode. And if you want to hear more, feel free to subscribe to the platform of your choice. Also, if you feel so inclined, I would truly appreciate a good rating from you to me have a stellar day.