How Burning Your Bridges Pays Off (Big Time) with Jessica Rodriguez of The Daydream Achiever
Episode 157: Show Notes
On today’s show, we have a very special guest to share with our listeners, none other than Jessica Rodriguez! Jessica runs The Daydream Achiever and is a business and visibility strategist and podcast host. Through her business, she helps purpose-driven women scale their online business to six-figure years. We love Jessica’s attitude towards achieving the dreams you have always wanted! One of the key aspects of Jessica’s approach is her idea that burning bridges means growth. This may sound a little crazy but bear with us, you’re going to want to hear just how this idea can help you transition from a small, stressful operation to a profitable and flourishing one!
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Within the first year of her business, she went from working 4 jobs and carrying $120k worth of debt to replacing her income to become a full-time lifestyle entrepreneur along with becoming completely consumer-debt free just a few years later. When she’s not helping people create massive growth in their online business, you can find her curled up on the couch with her husband and fur-babies, Netflix binging or traveling to the next adventure life brings. Tune in to hear all about it!
Why Should We Burn Bridges
Sometimes as entrepreneurs, we are not always happy with the path our business is headed down and we may need to adjust. For most of us, the idea of getting out the box and being our own boss was one of the reasons we first decided to try to make it as entrepreneurs. What do you do when you have those same feelings of stress and anxiety in regards to your creation? For Jessica, these feelings mean you should start burning. This means burning bridges with any ideas that do not suit exactly what you want for your business and perfect vision for the service you are supplying your clients.
Following Your Real Passion
Time has shown both of us that your ideal work situation can match (or exceed) the income of your old day job and bad versions of your business. The more in-tune you are with your vision, the more energy and success you will experience. For Jessica, this meant working less and taking care of herself. When you see peers and friends living out their dream lives, it can be frustrating and triggering. Just remember you can also get there. All it takes is clear vision and decisions. It was with this in mind that Jessica started her company The Daydream Achiever.
Starting The Daydream Achiever
Even once she had started her own businesses, Jessica felt constrained by unnecessary tasks and workload, which led her to further streamlining her plans. At the beginning of 2017, she scrapped almost her whole year plan because it was not servicing her vision. Although this seems drastic, we think this sort of attitude can really help a lot of entrepreneurs exit cycles of outdated and painful administration. Go, Jessica! Most of her work, up until that point, had been one-on-one consulting which was great in some ways but was leading to actual physical signs of stress and anxiety. Jessica had to get real with herself. It was at this point she switched her business to a passive income model. Soon, she shut down her Facebook group because it had started to weigh her down. These kinds of shifts can be difficult but are necessary if you are to build new paths to your idea!
When Should You Burn A Bridge
Jessica asks herself three questions to evaluate the status of a part of her work: (1) Does this feel heavy or light? (2) Is this part contributing revenue or income? (3) Does it service my ideal client? If the answers to the questions are predominantly negative, it is a good sign you may need to burn that bridge. It is all about making the right choice for yourself. It is okay if you want to do things your way with your business!
Burning Bridges Versus Downsizing
However, this does not mean setting fire to everything is always the best route. Sometimes just tweaking and changing it can do the trick. All it takes is breaking things down to what the real problem is and then, making an informed decision based on your strengths and skill set. These choices can come naturally with the right attitude; this is the message Jessica is aiming to get across.
Making It Work for a Business with Physical Products
Jessica took an idea to the drawing board from antique dealers. If a certain item in the store is giving the dealer a headache, they should be asking themselves why. Is it because of pricing? If so, can the problem be solved by raising the price? Maybe you do not like the item. If that is the case, no longer stocking the item may be a good option. Much like the antique dealer, you can stop “stocking” parts of your business that feel like an extra weight, especially when things have had their run or trial. You have other products or services and if those make you feel better, why not focus on those?
Making The Switch To a Passive Income Business
Like most big changes, Jessica’s transition to a passive income business was a bit messy and included a lot of rebuilding. There is always a period where income dips but this is just part of the process. For Jessica, making this process successful meant laying out all the offers. She picked her top-selling course and made it into her first webinar. As this slowly started to become a passive income, Jessica was able to open her first membership community, something she had always wanted to do. From there, it was just a matter of scaling up this simplified way of running things.
Quote This
We can get wrapped up in the busy work if we don’t catch ourselves.
—Jessica Rodriguez
Highlights
Why should we burn bridges and what sort of process should it be. [0:03:18.3]
Following your real passion and designing the job that you want [0:08:20.1]
Starting The Daydream Achiever brand as a way to follow your own success. [0:09:52.1]
When should you burn a bridge and what questions to ask yourself. [0:15:14.1]
Burning bridges versus downsizing these structures [0:27:03.2]
Can this work for physical based product business [0:29:53.1]
Making the switch to a passive business and the change over [0:32:17.1]
#TalkStrategyToMe [0:45:10.6]
Does this feel heavy or light?
Does it contribute revenue to your business?
Does this truly serve my ideal clients?
Focus on your own business!
ON TODAY’S SHOW
Jessica Rodriguez
The Daydream Achiever
Website | Instagram | Facebook
Jessica Rodriguez is a business and visibility strategist and podcast host, helping purpose-driven women scale their online business to six-figure years without compromising the life they truly want. Within the first year of her business, she went from working 4 jobs and carrying $120k in debt to replacing it to become a full-time lifestyle entrepreneur, along with becoming completely consumer-debt free just a few years later. Through her 1:1 work and her Achievers Circle membership community, she has committed herself to helping women create their own freedoms in life personally and financially. When she’s not helping people create massive growth in their online business, you can find her curled up on the couch with her husband and fur-babies Netflix binging or traveling to the next adventure life brings.
KEY TOPICS
Simplification, Priorities, Membership Program, Personal Skill Set, Ideal Clients, Passive Income
