Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and a Million-Dollar Mindset with Rachel Rodgers of Hello Seven
Episode 491: Show Notes
On today’s show, we talk to Rachel Rodgers, the CEO of Hello Seven. Previously, she was an intellectual property lawyer but today she is a business coach who helps women hit seven figures without sacrificing their home lives and sanity. Rachel works with entrepreneurs and helps them create and protect their own intellectual property to scale their business to $1million and beyond. She has worked with The New York Times bestselling authors, tech startups, coaches, consultants, doctors, accountants, nutritionists, and more.
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In this episode, we talk not only about a healthy growth mentality and seven-figure mindset, but also about diversity, inclusion, and equity, and how deciding to have those as a priority in your business is smart and strategic. Rachel gives heaps of takeaways for listeners to implement in their businesses today, and suggests some resources for finding people to begin to expand your circle.
Why Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Are A Growth Strategy in Their Own Right
The topic of diversity, equity, and inclusion have been at the forefront of discussions in the online business world this year. What Rachel wants people to know is that these are not things you do and tick off your list to appease other people, but something that genuinely makes the world a better place. Having diversity, equity, and inclusion as part of your company values is not only the right thing to do but it can also positively impact your profit. Research shows that diverse teams come up with better, more creative solutions than those whose members all went to the same school and come from similar backgrounds. When everything is homogenous, you cannot come up with the best solutions and strategies, and we all know that this is the cornerstone of entrepreneurship. So, recruiting people of color and those with diverse backgrounds is a huge advantage. Even hiring people from different age groups can give you important insights across multiple generations. When it comes to coaching, hire someone very different from you because you will learn so much more, and gain a fresh perspective.
Start Growing a Seven-Figure Mindset and Expand Your Circle
The first thing to consider is the community you spend time with because they will determine what you believe is possible. Find seven-figure entrepreneurs with big ambitious goals to be around and be inspired by daily, and you will see how they impact your goals and aspirations. When you spend time with the right people, you will also have access to resources and a network of other like-minded entrepreneurs. Never allow yourself to get too comfortable in the circle you find yourself in: keep challenging yourself and going for bigger goals. You need self-awareness to realize when it is time to expand your frame of reference. But where to even start looking for these uplifting communities? Rachel wasn’t afraid to spend money to get into the right groups. She paid to be part of a mastermind, she went on retreats, attended conferences, and went into the spaces where they were having the kinds of conversations that she wanted to have. You can then naturally connect with people you have things in common with, and they become the people you go to for business advice. Be willing to put yourself out there, join groups, and do the scary thing – connecting with strangers! You can also join Facebook, Slack, and other communities. But don’t go in there with a consumer mindset – make meaningful contributions. Emylee had a neat strategy for finding the best people to connect with in Facebook groups. She would look for the people who contributed most often and always had something meaningful to say and would get chatting with them one-to-one.
The Miracles That Happen When You Hire the Help You Need
Besides building a community, you can also think about hiring a personal assistant, even if you don’t think you can afford it. The main reason for this is that it turns you into a leader. When you are a CEO who is out to build an empire, delegating personal tasks to someone else helps you build that empire. Whether you find someone to cook or clean your house, that is helping you grow your business! In the early days, you especially need a lot of help and support because you are giving so much to your growing business. Rachel is a big fan of personal assistants because they can run errands, plan birthday parties, respond to emails, and more. And it teaches you to manage, delegate, lead, train, and give feedback. At the minimum, try to hire a personal assistant for five hours a week. The other thing you can do is to outsource your laundry because it is inexpensive yet gives you eight hours of your week back! Sometimes we feel guilty about hiring people to clean and do our household chores, but you didn’t force anyone to do it and we are providing a job for someone. As long as you are a kind employer, everyone wins. People sometimes avoid hiring a housekeeper for fear of what it might look like, but it is all about doing it in the right way and not treating people like we see on TV. You determine what kind of environment you are creating for the people who work for you.
Make Million-Dollar Decisions Instead of Broke-Ass Decisions!
A million-dollar decision is one that is rooted in abundance and not in scarcity or broke-ness. For example, when contemplating whether you should hire a personal assistant, the broke mindset will argue that you should save that money and rather do it yourself, while the million-dollar mindset would argue that it will free you up to go do bigger and better things. You are choosing to increase your resources. What causes us to make broke-ass decisions is our society and the messages we get as women: that we are bad with money, shop too much, and spend all our money on lattes and avocado toast. You can spend so much time trying to cut costs and using coupons but how much will it really save you? You can better spend that time researching side hustles and finding a way to bring in some extra cash and make $700 instead of saving $7. Don’t keep yourself small and restricted and in a box – think bigger, wider, further! This will pave the way to your seven-figure business. Instead of worrying about saving money, focus your attention on making more of it. We often think that we can’t afford to hire someone, but why not change the conversation by brainstorming and coming up with creative solutions to pay this person? This is what it takes to be an entrepreneur, and no one is exempt from having to do the hard stuff.
Quote This
I think diversity, inclusion, and equality are goals we should all be working towards because we care enough and we recognize that we massively benefit when we do so.
—Rachel Rodgers
Highlights
Why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Are A Growth Strategy in Their Own Right. [0:06:28.1]
Start Growing a Seven-Figure Mindset and Expand Your Circle. [0:11:20.1]
The Miracles That Happen When You Hire the Help You Need. [0:20:05.1]
Make Million-Dollar Decisions Instead of Broke-Ass Decisions! [0:36:51.1]
#talkstrategytome
Acknowledge the existence of white supremacy.
Talk about how it operates in your company and community.
Normalize making mistakes and fixing them.
Engage and invest in antiracism education.
Commit to open discussion and open conflict.
Invest a portion of your budget in Black team members and partners.
Put together a statement about your commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
ON TODAY’S SHOW
Rachel Rodgers
Hello Seven
Website | Instagram | Facebook
Rachel Rodgers is the CEO of Hello Seven and an intellectual property lawyer and business coach. Rachel’s mission is to help women hit seven figures without sacrificing their families and sanity. Rachel works with entrepreneurs to help them create and protect their own intellectual property to scale their businesses to a million. Over the past seven years, she’s worked with NY Times bestselling authors, tech startups, coaches, consultants, doctors, accountants, nutritionists, and so many more to take their business to the next level. Hello Seven just hit a massive milestone – a million-dollar month – meaning the company made 1 million in revenue in June. Along with her work with Hello Seven, Rachel is also leading the conversation around social injustice and black wealth. Her “Anti-Racist Small Business” pledge has been signed by 2200 businesses and counting. Her expertise has been featured in CNBC Make It, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Fast Company, and Women’s Health.
