Resources in this Episode

Christine Schlonski [0:02]
Hi Gorgeous. This is episode number 100. Today, we have the amazing, amazing Kate Erickson back, sharing her wisdom with us. We will be talking about how to take the time to connect to the people you serve.

Kate Erickson [0:22]
Hi, this is Kate Erickson, and you’re listening to the Heart Sells! Podcast with Christine Schlonski. Enjoy.

Christine Schlonski [0:29]
As you know, today is episode number 100. I’m so so excited to have Kate Erickson back on the show. But I also have a very special gift for you that you can pick up at https://christineschlonski.com/. Find the podcast tab, and you have a Special Edition, the anniversary issue for the first 100 episodes. And what you get with it is not only a beautifully designed cover that we have as our podcast art anyway. But this time, you can really download a PDF, a little booklet where we have integrated all the key points of each and every episode. So you can take the wisdom and go through 100 episodes and really see where would you love to tune in where something you would like to review. What were the episodes called? What can you learn from them? What can you learn from all these amazing guests? So hop on over to https://christineschlonski.com/ and check out that special special gift that we just created for you. So you have all the knowledge at your fingertips. It’s at https://christineschlonski.com/ find the podcast tab and there it is right there for you. So let’s tune in with the wonderful Kate Erickson. She is the integrator at Entrepreneurs on Fire. If you have not heard yet have that amazing podcast that has over 1.3 million listeners a month. It is an award-winning podcast with John Lee Dumas interviews inspiring entrepreneurs who are truly on fire. Kate has also a podcast called Kate’s Take, which delivers amazing, amazing value. I love her podcast very, very much. If you have the time, make definitely sure you check that out because the advice she is giving and her podcast is amazing. Kate is also the co-author of the podcast journal, Idea to Launch in 50 Days, which I by the way used to launch Heart Sells! Podcast, so I highly recommend that. Let’s dive right in into the wisdom with Kate Erickson. I am so excited to have you back on the show, Kate. Welcome.

Kate Erickson [3:00]
Thank you so much, Christine. Happy to be back.

Christine Schlonski [3:02]
Yes, I loved our first interview, seeing your entrepreneurial journey and the challenges and I know that so many people are in the same place. Getting that inspiration of someone who has dealt with so many challenges. It’s running a successful business now, traveling the world and what’s even more important, like serving so many people all over the globe. That’s such a beautiful story. Do you remember the very first thing you’ve ever sold?

Kate Erickson [3:39]
So the very first thing I ever sold was either lemonade on a lemonade stand on the street that my sister and I probably finagle together. Or it would have been like selling candy bars for the sports teams that I played for. I don’t remember which one came first. Maybe the lemonade.

Christine Schlonski [3:59]
So did you know how it felt? Was it just an adventure or was it just something all the kids in the neighborhood did? How did you feel?

Kate Erickson [4:11]
Yeah, I felt like the lemonade stand was definitely just one of those things that my parents probably were like, “Hey, you guys should do this”, or maybe we had asked like, “How do we get more allowance?” They probably said, “Your allowance is this and that’s it”, and so we were just looking for other ways to collect some extra change. But I mean, from what I remember, I remember having fun. I definitely also remember, kind of having like, an awkward feeling about. Like, if people would come by and they didn’t buy, then, you know, “Why didn’t they want to buy a lemonade”, or you know, like selling candy. Oh my gosh, wwith selling the candy bars, I was probably my best client.

Christine Schlonski [5:00]
I would have been my best too, for sure.

Kate Erickson [5:04]
But yeah, I definitely do remember kind of like that uncomfortable feeling of, if somebody comes, and they ask about it, but then they don’t buy, like, that just made me feel very awkward. That’s I guess what I remember in terms of like how I felt about it, but I mean, it felt so cool when people bought it and they like would take us up or take a bite of the candy bar, and they’d enjoy it and they’d say, “Thank you so much”, and they were so appreciative like, “Oh, this is so cool that I help this person have this experience.” So yeah, that’s what I remember.

Christine Schlonski [5:39]
Oh, that’s wonderful. Do you also remember how it felt like for you to take the money, to have that exchange?

Kate Erickson [5:48]
Yeah, well, it made me feel like I was doing a good job. You know, like, in terms of, especially with the candy bars like that, being more of like a fundraiser type of situation, where, you know, at the lemonade stand, I was taking the money and putting it into my own pocket and that was cool. Because to me, I was, that was just money in my pocket. I think I probably felt like a little more comfortable with the fundraiser situation, because I felt like I was taking money for a greater cause other than just putting it in my own pocket. Yeah, it’s so interesting to think of, like the psychology behind it, when you like, dive into what those feelings were, or, like how you viewed it back then as such, like a young child, you know, I’m talking like, I probably was five or six when I did the lemonade stand, maybe more like, you know, 10 or 11, 12 when I did the candy bars. I mean, I definitely felt good about like contributing to our team and being able to use that money for like tournaments that we were in or uniforms or something like that. I could see like the direct result of what that work was doing.

Christine Schlonski [7:07]
Yeah, that so interesting, because I see in people, when they sell for somebody else, or when it’s for a good cause, usually it’s, it’s easier for them. Then when they asked for, when they feel like they are just asking for money for their own pocket, which is, most of the time never the case because they are heart centered, they’re supportive, they want to do with the money. But seeing that in a different light, always helps to shift that mindset. Now, I’m having a company, I’m serving people. So definitely, I need to ask for money, to have that energy exchange for my products and services. I can not only just put food on the table, but I can pay for my dreams and I can find good causes that I want to support.

Kate Erickson [7:58]
Absolutely.

Christine Schlonski [7:59]
What do you do to to make sure that you, yourself, you are grounded, and you are like in harmony with the business and the lifestyle so that you can keep that pace, because you’re pretty fast pace, that you can keep that up and always be ahead of the curve?

Kate Erickson [8:20]
You know, one of the biggest things for me is, and I know for John too, we’re really big about continuing to do things that don’t scale, regardless of how big our business grows, or how big our revenues grow, or how many trips we go on, or how many experiences we invest in. We always take time to connect with the people that we serve, whether it be at events, in person. Just yesterday, we hosted two couples at our home here in Puerto Rico for dinner, who reached out to us and said that they were visiting the island and wondering if we were free jumping on one on one calls, answering every single email that comes into our inbox. I really feel like that helps remind me what it is that we’re doing and why we’re doing it. Because, getting to sit across the table from somebody and share a meal or getting to jump on the phone like this, or Christine even the day that we spent together in Berlin, those connections, those relationships, seeing other people build their dreams, because they’re stepping out and creating businesses as a result of, inspiration from the Entrepreneurs on Fire Podcast, or the content that we create. It just helps keep us grounded on what we’re doing, and it’s great motivation to continue doing what we’re doing.

Christine Schlonski [9:43]
Yeah, and you guys are doing such a fantastic job. But still, you travel a lot, and there’s a lot to organize. Is there anything that you do like maybe on a daily, on a weekly basis to, to make sure you do also like good self care, and it’s not serving like 24/7?

Kate Erickson [10:06]
Definitely, my morning routine is all about me yet. So it’s very selfish. Everything that I do, probably for the first two hours of my day is very centered on my health and wellness. Whether it’s going for a run, a walk, doing yoga, working out, a lot of the times, like I’ll have a weekly coffee catch up with friends, here in the community, or even if it’s online. Those things, just taking care of the house, doing things around here that help us feel comfortable in our environment. Those are really like, that’s really how I start my day, with that space and the ability to know that I’m filling myself up in the morning so that I have like that energy and not, the desire really to have those great energy spurts to go full on in the business and really show up for our community.

Christine Schlonski [11:13]
Yeah, wonderful. Do you have such things that we call like, bad days? This was all the sunshine.

Kate Erickson [11:26]
Yeah, gosh, we’re very lucky for our weather, that’s for sure. I’ve definitely, over the past couple of years, read a lot of amazing books and been surrounded with a lot of really incredible people that have really helped me shift my mindset and my outlook around, quote, unquote, bad days. It might sound kind of fluffy, but honestly, so grateful for everything that we have, where we are, our family, our friends, relationships that we have, the business that we’re running, the lives that we’re impacting, of course, I run into situations or have things happen where I’m, maybe down and out, or like feeling bummed out, but I’m usually pretty good about recognizing that quite quickly and being able to flip that script. Because I really do believe so much of that is it’s, you know, it’s mindset, like we get to choose how we move on from any situation or circumstance.

Christine Schlonski [12:33]
Yeah, I totally agree. What I found really wonderful how you just laid it out. I’m so grateful because when we’re grateful, there’s no space for other emotions. Tuning into gratefulness and being in that place, where there’s actually no way that you can feel bad. I love that you do it like, on autopilot. You didn’t even think about it, like, “Huh, bad day, bad day, bad day, what’s that?”

Kate Erickson [13:03]
Yeah, and that is actually part of my morning routine, as well as just taking time out for gratitude. You know, we have the smallest things that we can be grateful for and so often, we either take for granted, or we just don’t give ourselves the time and the space to recognize like how amazing it is that, I get to watch the sunrise over the Caribbean or I get to have a walking path that is a really amazing walking path that I get to go on every day. Some people don’t have those things.

Christine Schlonski [13:38]
Yeah, being grateful just for, little things, I think helps always to shift into a better mindset, and whatever, just taking it step by step, we can deal with the challenges that are coming up. Just one last question because again, time just flies. Do you have like an inspirational quote or your favorite mantra you can share?

Kate Erickson [14:07]
Yes. So one of my favorites, is Albert Einstein, when he said, “Try not to become a man of success”, but rather I say, person, “Try not to become a person of success, but rather a person of value.” That has been a great reminder for me, that I turn to daily, weekly, every other day, I turned to a very often. I think it’s an amazing reminder for those of us who are creating content, who are serving other people to remember that it’s about the value that we have to provide. If we lead with that, then other amazing things can happen.

Christine Schlonski [14:49]
Yeah, wonderful, wonderful. So I really want that people connect with you and all the amazing things you are offering. Where do people go?

Kate Erickson [14:57]
https://www.eofire.com

Christine Schlonski [15:00]
Wonderful. Obviously, I will have like all the connections in the show notes as well and all the links so people can tune in Instagram, Facebook, we have website like everywhere, and obviously if they do not listen to EO Fire, to send them that way as well.

Kate Erickson [15:19]
Thank you so much, Christine. I really appreciate it.

Christine Schlonski [15:22]
Thank you so much. Have a wonderful day.

Kate Erickson [15:24]
You too.

Christine Schlonski [15:25]
Well, time passes fast. I love the interview with Kate. Just the wisdom she shared from looking back at such a career, such as failure, really going up to amazing success with the podcast, Entrepreneurs on Fire, joining John Lee Dumas in the team and look what the guys created. So I’m really, really inspired by them. I’m really happy that Kate had given Heart Sells! Podcast, the opportunity to be at episode number 100. For you, we have created a wonderful, wonderful gift, the anniversary issue, you can hop on over to https://christineschlonski.com. Find the podcast tab and you can just download it, it does not just look amazing with all the guests on the cover. But it also contains all the podcast episodes with the three key points. So when you are looking for a topic that you need some inspiration on, or that you want to re-listen and you forgot the name of the guests who shared that amazing wisdom. It’s all right there at your fingertips. Basically, it’s like a tool, where you get the three key points, the name and number of the episode. So you can tune in really, really quickly. I’m just so excited to share this wonderful tool with you as a gift of Heart Sells! Podcast for episode number 100. Make sure you hop on over to https://christineschlonski.com. Find the podcast tab and connect with Kate, I have available for you all the keynotes, the show notes, the transcript, as well as all the links to connect with Kate, and to tune into EO Fire with all the amazing wisdom these guys are sharing. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you for listening, for being a listener. If you love what you hear, make sure you share it with your friends, and make sure you subscribe. But another thing I would love to invite you to again, is to just reach out via email, send me an email to info@christineschlonski.com and just share what have you learned from the podcast. What inspires you? What do you love? What topics are you looking for, that I could be teaching on or inviting a guest on so that you can learn and be supported on your journey to sell from your heart, to be authentic in the sales process, and to really, really create a business and lives that you just love? So thank you so much for tuning in. This was Episode Number 100 and I’m looking forward to present to you Episode Number 101 with also a very amazing guest and I’m looking forward to that. For now, I’m just saying bye to wherever you are in this beautiful world. Bye for now.