Bri Seeley | Empowering Female Entrepreneurs: Vision for Success - Mick Unplugged [EP 32]

Episode Transcription

• Bri Seeley | Empowering Female Entrepreneurs: Vision for Success - Mick Unplugged [EP 32]

  Intro: Are you ready to change your habits, sculpt your destiny, and light up your path to greatness? Welcome to the epicenter of transformation. This is Mick Unplugged. We'll help you identify your because so you can create a routine that's not just productive, but powerful. You'll embrace the art of evolution, adapt strategies to stay ahead of the game, and take a step toward the extraordinary.

  So let's unleash your potential. Now here's Mick.

  Mick Hunt: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another extraordinary episode of Mick Unplugged. And today, we have a guest whose journey is nothing short of inspirational. She's made waves as an entrepreneur, coach, and speaker, empowering countless women to live their most authentic lives. With the mission to help women amplify their voices and achieve their dreams, her work has touched lives globally.

  Please join me in welcoming the remarkable, the incomparable, Bree Seeley. Bree, how are you doing today, dear?

  Bree Seeley: So good. Thank you for having me and for that very generous introduction.

  Mick Hunt: It's all about you, Bree. It is literally all about you.

  Bree Seeley: Thank you. So happy to be here.

  Mick Hunt: I am glad that you are here, and I wanna go right into it. You do a ton of amazing work. Your TEDx talk is one of my top five of all times, and I love the n because you get very authentic, I'll say. I was gonna say vulnerable, but I think authentic is the right word. And I wanna know, like, what inspired your journey into entrepreneurship?

  Bree Seeley: I mean, a lot of it, of course, obviously, is like the environments in which we grow up in. Right. So I was raised by a super, super powerful, bad lady, like, just like she was a single mom. She dealt with a lot of things like navigating court systems, keeping me safe, like, all sorts of things, not getting the child support she needed to support us, like, all the things. She worked three jobs when I was growing up.

  She worked so hard to provide, like, a really beautiful life. And I witnessed, though, her struggling in her job in corporate America, you know, in the eighties, like, misogyny, just so many things. She had to work really, really, really hard for us to just kind of, like, make ends meet, and it was really when she started diving into entrepreneurship. When my sister was born, she opened a daycare so that she could stay home with my sister, right, and make money while not having to, like, pay daycare costs. They went into owning a candy store in our hometown.

  She went through all these things. She's been an Airbnb owner. They've had rental properties, all these things. And so I started to see, like, the freedom that entrepreneurship provides you while also seeing the limitations that she had faced, the limitations my grandmother had faced, the limitations my great-grandmother had faced, and kind of got to a point where, you know, I was working a corporatesque job and was like, this is not it. I don't wanna struggle the same way that they have.

  I don't wanna be boxed in to this existence. You know, my job was providing more and more restrictions. And at one point, they were like, hey. You're only working 10 hours a week, but you're, like, getting a full-time salary. Either you have to put in more hours even though you're getting all your work done, or we're cutting your pay in half.

  And I was like, no. Neither of those options. So I'm gonna pick the third option that you didn't even put on the table. And I collected unemployment for six months, and I figured it out. And have been a full-time entrepreneur for literally 10 years.

  I mean, that happened at the end of May 2014. So I didn't even realize. I just hit 10 years of being a full-time entrepreneur.

  Mick Hunt: Congratulations.

  Bree Seeley: Thanks.

  Mick Hunt: Congratulations. And I know being a fellow entrepreneur, it's never easy. I also know being a minority, the chips are already stacked against you before you even start playing the game.

  What were some of the most significant challenges that you faced when you were starting your businesses? And then more importantly, especially for the listeners, what did you do to overcome them?

  Bree Seeley: You know, I think it's interesting because I face them and then I also see them in almost every single one of my clients is that as women, we have never lived in a time in which we get paid for our value in the same, like, the energy out matches the energy coming in. Right? Like, that has never existed in our lifetimes. And then you add on, like, minority women, like women of color, and then it stair steps down. It gets even worse.

  One of the things that I struggled with and then I see my clients struggle with is we don't charge what we need to be charging in our businesses when we first start up. And, of course, it's it's like a super nebulous conversation too because it's like, we'll charge your value. What does that mean? What's my value? And there's a lot of work that has to go into it, but what I see consistently and, again, what I saw in myself, especially in my first year of business, I luckily, like, had someone that kinda kicked me in the butt who, you know, was like, you're undercharging.

  This is what you need to charge. And I was like, can I do that? And I tripled my prices, and within two weeks, I have signed three clients, which was more than I'd signed in, like, the six months previous. Right? I think part of it is we can mix up our feelings so much in the pricing conversation, and I like to take more of an objective look at it to say, like, okay.

  What is the actual impact of what you're providing to people? So, for example, I had a client that came to work with me in 2018. She just called me two weeks ago and told me she had her first seven-figure fiscal year. Because of the work we did together in 2018, I'm not cheap in my pricing because I know where I'm taking you. We might not get there in a year, but if you get there in six years based on what we do together, like, that's a value.

  I like to look at it a little more objectively and say if I'm working with someone, I just had a client who did her average annual revenue in 90 days. If you're looking at those kinds of things I have another client that just tripled her monthly recurring revenue. If you're looking at those things, like, that's the value, and you can, like, put tangible numbers behind those things and then say, like, okay. Based on that, if I'm helping someone two, three, four, five times their revenue, what needs to be the value coming in so that exchange is equal? Definitely, I would guess that pretty much anyone listening to this, probably undercharging, and the solution to it is to start looking at it a little more objectively rather than tying up your feelings in it.

  I hate the conversation of charge your worth. Do not charge your worth. Worth is a feeling. Feelings change. Charge based on value.

  Value is based on facts. Facts don't change.

  Mick Hunt: Couldn't agree with that more, and I actually had a similar conversation. I'm gonna name drop Daymond John really quick, but I had a conversation with Daymond John and was like, you know, Mick, here's the deal. The reason that most coaches, consultants, and service providers don't make what they should is because they don't charge enough. So exactly what Bree said. And Damon said, Mick, if the value of what you do is $50,000, then charge $50,000.

  You shouldn't feel like you need to lowball yourself or compare yourself to what others are charging. And that literally changed my life a long time ago was if the value of what you do is $50,000, then that's what you charge, and be okay with it because you will actually find more customers that respect what you do when you charge what you should. Totally echo what you're saying, Bree.

  Bree Seeley: Yeah. And then what's cool is the people that aren't aligned with paying that, they're gonna self-select out. What I find, honestly, like, I just had someone who was like, yes. I'm in. I wanna work with you, and then all of a sudden, she was like, oh, the payment feels a little steep and, like, I don't know.

  And, like, could we renegotiate payment terms. And I was like, come back to me when you're ready. I know the value of where I can get you to. You're currently charging half of what you need to be charging. So in our first week, if you're immediately doubling your prices, like, I don't diminish my value because someone's afraid of the results.

  Like, I hold my value because what it does is then it invites that person to join me there so that they can hold their value. Like, I don't diminish my value because that's not serving the other person. Then they're given permission to continue diminishing their value, and then both of us are losing.

  Mick Hunt: One of the things, Bree, you know, knowing you like I do just from researching you and following you and by the way, make sure you're following Bree. We'll end the segment with how you can follow her, but make sure you're doing that. You truly believe in impact. Right? Like, I would say impact is probably one of the things that you're most proud of in what you do.

  And you've gone through some success stories just briefly here in the last couple of minutes, but what's one success story that stands out in your world as an impact as a coach?

  Bree Seeley: So I think that one that I mentioned about that client having her first seven-figure fiscal year because so what I didn't mention earlier, I was trying to keep it a little short, was when she met me in 2018, she was going through a divorce. She was on the brink of bankruptcy. She has many kids. I think she has, like, six or seven kids. She had moved all of them into this tiny little house.

  I think her car was getting repossessed. Like, she was not in a very great place. And despite all of those things, she had this inkling inside of her that something more was available to her. Objectively, did it look like it made sense for her to make an investment in her future in that moment? No.

  It didn't. Like, she didn't know what was gonna happen. But then you move forward in time, six years. She now has a team of almost 70 women working under her. She's doing six-figure months consistently.

  Oftentimes, it's that first step that's the hardest to take, and I love her story. And she happens to live in the same city as me now. We did not neither of us lived there when we met six years ago, but we've both since moved there. She's on the board of my nonprofit. I get to see her all the time.

  We just went to a movie Inside Out 2 on Saturday together. Like, she truly to me is the testimonial of what is possible for everyone. You have that little whisper inside of you. You have that little inkling inside of you that there's something more available. There is.

  Do you have the courage to take that first step even when the circumstances outside of you are showing you that it doesn't make sense?

  Mick Hunt: I love to go deeper right there, Bree, because I have several friends that are either currently entrepreneurs or they know that that's the step that they need to go into, but they can't take that first step. And for me, it's a mindset thing. Right? Like, I totally believe that you've gotta be willing to take risks, but you also have to be willing to do the work to put yourself in certain situations. So I'd love to go deeper into that.

  So for the female that's listening or watching, they're at that stage where, you know, they're a new entrepreneur or they know that they want to do it. What's some advice that Bree has to that?

  Bree Seeley: A lot of people when they're standing, like, where that client of mine was standing, and they look and they say, okay. Well, I know where I'm at right now, and while it's not where I wanna be, like, the risk of making a change, like, that's a risk. What we fail to look at in that moment is there is also a risk in staying where you are, there's a risk in not taking that step. So we look at the risk of movement, but we don't look at the risk of stagnancy. And so I would encourage you to look at, like, if your life was the same five years from now, would you feel satisfied?

  Would you say, oh, thank God I never took that step? If things were to continue going as they are and nothing were to change, would you feel satisfied in five years? You know, I would say that probably for, like, 95% of people, the answer to that is, like, no. I wouldn't be satisfied. So then the question becomes, what are you willing to do about it?

  And from my perspective, okay, I've been a full-time entrepreneur for 10 years. There have been multiple times where I'm like, how am I gonna pay my rent this month? I was applying for food stamps in 2015. The journey I've been on, like, no one knows all of the intricacies of it, but, like, yeah, it was hard. And I wouldn't be where I am today if I hadn't taken those steps 10 years ago.

  If I hadn't invested in a coach when I first started this business, we didn't even get into this. I started this business because I was guided to close the business that I've had for eight years. I had to close the door to something massive that I thought was my destiny and say goodbye to it forever to step into this. And I wouldn't be making the impact I'm making if I hadn't done that and if I hadn't hired the coach to help me because I had a product-based business, very different from running an online-based consultancy. Right?

  I had to learn new skills. I had to learn way more about business than I'd ever known. For me, though, I wear a bracelet that says enjoy the journey. I wear it every day. And that for me has been part of the importance of all of this.

  Has it looked perfect? No. Have there been days where I'm like, I don't know how I'm gonna eat next week? Yeah. Have there been days where I'm like, thankfully, there are a lot of compassionate people in my life when I go to I had to go to my landlord in Los Angeles in 2016 and say, I can't pay my rent this month.

  I was like, charge me whatever late fees you need to charge me. And he's like, you've been an exceptional tenant for many, many, many years. We're not charging you late fees. Get it to me when you can. You know?

  Like and for me, I think the hard parts of the journey are not a detriment to tell me I shouldn't have taken the risk. They're the moments that have kind of forced me to show myself what I'm capable of. I think entrepreneurship is, like, you're the one out there forging the path. You're in a big, thick forest, and you've got a machete in your hands, and the only thing getting you through that forest is yourself. And you have to show yourself every day what you're capable of.

  You have to keep going and keep taking the steps when you're tired, when it doesn't make sense, when the odds are stacked against you. You just have to keep going, and you just continually have to prove to yourself what you're capable of.

  Mick Hunt: Amazing. And I'm gonna unpack a couple of things here because your last segment was exactly what my mentor, Les Brown, when he coined the phrase the Mick Factor. So this was Les Brown. So he took the letters of my name, MICK, and the K is keep going. And so the back half of everything that you just talked about embodies that.

  And I think that's a it's not a skill, it's not a trait, it's something that's in you. I love the fact that no matter what, you kept going and no matter what, you found a way. And I think for most people, that's where they stop. When it's time for them to dig deep, when it's time for them to find that thing inside of them, that's when they give up. And in my two least favorite things happen in the world, excuses and then explain and justify.

  Right? I'm gonna make an excuse, and then I'm gonna explain and justify where I'm at. So I'd love to have to hear your take on that.

  Bree Seeley: Yeah. I mean, that is why I personally believe in having coaches on our journey because when we're in it I said this analogy the other day. Like, a fish doesn't know they're swimming in water. Like, we can't see the oxygen that's all around us all the time. So when we're in it, we can't see it, which is where the excuses come from because they're based on our current perspective and not the bigger picture perspective.

  Sometimes we can't get to that 50,000-foot view when we're in it. And so, like, that's where I love to bring in someone else and just say, like, this is what I'm seeing. Like, I'm seeing that the only option right now is to give up. I cannot see myself out of this hole. When you have someone else who's like that eagle flying at that 50,000-foot view and they're looking and they're like, ah, I actually see, like, a little pathway right over here that's gonna, like, really help you and, like, bring you to whatever that next step is for you.

  I personally like to surround myself with people. I, about a month ago, five weeks ago, had, like, a pretty hard, like, mental health challenge pop up and, like, kind of was, like, not doing well. I got super triggered by something and just started spiraling, and I could have stayed spiraling. Like, I very well could have stayed spiraling. Once you get down there, like, you know, got my blanket. I got some, like, comfy down there.

  I'm, like, good. But instead, I picked up the phone, and I called two very specific people in my life and was like, I need some perspective because I'm in the hole, and I cannot see my way out of it right now. Like, what do you see? Both of them were like, I've been in a very similar spot in the last few weeks, so, also, it's not you. Something that is just, like, maybe collectively happening or as leaders, we're all being asked to step up even more right now or something, and here's what we see.

  And talking to both of them and then going into meditation. I was in meditation on May 13th. It was my birthday. And I was like, man, I just feel like I'm dying. Like, what is going on?

  This is not okay. What is going on? And I got this very clear. I get a lot of very clear messages in meditation. It said, well, you are just not like that.

  And I was like, oh, I'm having an identity. Like, there is a piece of me right now that is ready to be released that I'm, like, holding on to. And literally after that moment, I was like, alright. I've done this before. I've let go of pieces of my identity before.

  I can do it again. And it came from being willing to have the courage to reach out, ask for help, and get that outside perspective that I just couldn't see in the moment.

  Mick Hunt: And that is so amazing, and it's one of the things that I always speak on as well. It's two things. One, the power of mentorship, and then number two, it's always evaluating your circle. Right? And I wanna go to mentorship first because essentially as a coach, that's who you are, and I always believe that coaches have coaches.

  Who's been an inspiration for you in your life? And then tell the listeners and the viewers why mentorship is vastly important as an entrepreneur.

  Bree Seeley: I mean, I've worked with a bunch of different people throughout, like, the different stages of my life. So, like, when I had my fashion label, I hired my first coach, and she was kind of the one that got me into realizing, like, oh, this is a business. Like, it had just kind of been a side hustle for me, and she introduced me to the E Myth and, like, got into that perspective. And then I moved to Los Angeles, and I was with the Small Business Development Center, and they assigned me to two different mentors who I'm still in contact with today, whatever, 11 years later. And, like, they still one of them will she's like, remember that first time I met you, and I told you there was something special about you?

  And, like, she's always breathing possibility into me for 11 years. You know, when I started this business, like I said, I brought on a mentor who knew way more about building an online business than I knew, and I was just not willing to trial and error it, And so I needed that. I just got done working with a woman. Oddly enough, the coach from 2015 and this coach, both named Amanda. I don't know what it is about Amanda's, but, like, they really work for me.

  And so, like, this coach helped me really get back into I've fallen into this trap and habit of, like, maybe not making offers as frequently as I should or having the, like, infrastructure I need to have levers to pull to, like, generate more revenue in my business. And she really got me back into that of, like, how to do sincere sales and, like, how to have offers that feel really good to me that are providing value and how to talk about them. And so, like, even though I've been in this for nine years now, like, I still needed that help to get over that. And so, you know, I think mentorship, not only can it help you see a bigger picture, but will help you, like I said, with that first coach in this business, avoid a lot of the pitfalls and, like, shortcut you from having to learn whatever you're gonna learn through trial and error because they've already done it, and they can be like, hey. There's a pothole coming up that you're gonna hit.

  This is how you get around it.

  Mick Hunt: In the words and world of Bree Seeley, how important is evaluating your circle?

  Bree Seeley: This is something that I talk about all the time and possibly one of the hardest conversations because there are gonna be people that just don't, speaking of the journey, that just don't journey with you to the next step. And it doesn't mean they're bad people, and it doesn't mean that we don't still love them, and it doesn't mean that there's anything right or wrong or good or bad about either of you. It just maybe means that you just are on different paths, and that's okay. I have had to let go of a lot of people on my journey and my path. From all the way back to, like, 2009, I can, like, think of one, all the way back to, like, three months ago, I had to let go of a really close friendship.

  And one of my detriments that I fully embrace and own is that I see the possibility in people. And I can look at someone, and they can tell me, like, who they are or what they want, like their vision, and I'm like, oh my gosh. I can see the bigness of this thing. And then what happens is, like, I'm ascending on my path, and I'm like, come on. Come with me.

  You can do it. Like, come on. Keep up. Like, we're doing this thing. Like, come with me.

  Let's go. And what I've realized is my path isn't other people's path. If I'm, like, ascending on my path and a really close friend is just, like, not again, it's like nothing against either one of us. It just maybe isn't the right fit for friendship. And we can have all sorts of different friends.

  We can have friends that we have fun with, but that core group of people that's maybe, like, supporting you in your business. If they're not entrepreneurs and they're around you all the time and they're saying, like, you can't make a living as an entrepreneur, what do you think that's gonna do to you and your future? Probably hold you back. So maybe having a circle of entrepreneurs who breathe into you, you can do this. I believe in you.

  Keep going. Maybe that's more of the energy you need around you to help you get to where you wanna go.

  Mick Hunt: Totally agree. And I say this. There are people and you'd be surprised at who these people are in your life. Right? Like, some of them can be coworkers.

  Some of them can be best friends. Some of them can even be spouses that only want to see you go so far because they can't see the other side. And those are the people that I call entrepreneur killers. Because as an entrepreneur, it's hard. Right?

  There's nothing easy. There's almost no such thing as work-life balance at certain stages of being an entrepreneur. And there are certain people that just wanna see you try and not necessarily make it, but then not support you the whole way. So I totally agree with what you're saying, Bree. I evaluate my circle twice a year.

  And this is what I want people to know, and I know Bree is saying the same thing. It doesn't mean that you're necessarily getting them out of your life. It just means they're not in your circle. Right? It means that they can still be on the outside looking in, so don't be afraid to move someone from inside the circle to outside the circle.

  And like I said, Bree, I do that twice a year.

  Bree Seeley: And I think it's important too, like because I always want I always say to people, I love my parents so much, and they've been so supportive of me. In 2021, I finally had to have this, like, come to Jesus moment with my stepdad because he would always be like, you know, you could go out and get, like, a really good job and make, like, $70,000 a year. I'm like, you know, I have the power to do $70,000 a month in my business. Right? And a friend of mine explained it to me this way.

  She said, a turtle does not have the perspective of a giraffe, nor do they try to. Right? Like, a giraffe's not getting down on the ground trying to, like, see from a turtle's perspective, and a turtle's not climbing a tree to see from a giraffe's perspective. And it's not that he doesn't want me to succeed. It's that, literally, he doesn't have the perspective to believe that $70,000 a month is a reality that could be available to someone.

  And so for me, I'm like, oh, I speak Latin, and he speaks Spanish. We just speak different languages, and there's nothing wrong with that. I did have to put a boundary in place and say you're never again allowed to say that to me, and he hasn't since, which is great. But just because we speak different languages doesn't mean we can't still love each other. It doesn't mean that we'll be family.

  It doesn't still mean that we can't spend time together. It just means, like, I don't necessarily go to them to talk about if I'm facing a challenge in my business because I don't wanna go to someone that's gonna say, like, oh, you should quit. But, really, I need to go to someone that's gonna say, like, hey. You're missing opportunities. You're leaving money on the table here, here, here, and here.

  Go get that, and then come back to me, and let's talk again.

  Mick Hunt: Completely agree. Bree, we've already been on for, like, almost 30 minutes. I swear it feels like two. It feels like two. So really quick, what are some upcoming projects that you have, and then also where can people find you, follow you, what's going on with Bree Seeley?

  Bree Seeley: I'm launching a new podcast, which I'm very excited about. It is launching in August. It is called the Big Goal Energy podcast. I am super excited because we're actually gonna be doing roundtables. So I filmed the first two episodes yesterday, and it's me and three other women discussing different topics around business and things like that.

  And I was a little nervous because everyone was like, a roundtable, how's that gonna work? And I was like, I have no idea. But the two episodes yesterday are awesome, so I'm really excited to be launching that podcast. You'll be able to find us on any major platform and or come follow me on Instagram at @BreeSeeley or @biggoalenergy now. It'll be all over both of those platforms as well when we launch.

  And, thinking about also launching a women's magazine, playing with the idea a little bit. And then I also run the only women's wealth conference in the Midwest. So if anyone is in or around or wants to be in Tulsa, Oklahoma in November, come join us at success becomes me. It is an awesome experience, and this year is gonna be even better than last year.

  Mick Hunt: Amazing. And I'll put all of that information in the show notes and all the links so everything on social will be there as well. Bree, thank you so much for blessing us with your time today. I know you're an incredibly busy human being. There's so much more that we could do.

  I'm probably just gonna have you come back if you're okay with that.

  Bree Seeley: We may have to do a second episode.

  Mick Hunt: I think so. So, Bree, again, thank you so much, and totally supportive of everything that you're doing.

  Bree Seeley: Thank you. Same.

  Mick Hunt: Alright. And so for all the listeners, remember, your because is your superpower. Go unleash it.

  Intro: Thanks for listening to Mick Unplugged. We hope this episode helps you take the next step toward the extraordinary and launches a revolution in your life. Don't forget to rate and review the podcast, and be sure to check us out on YouTube at Mick Unplugged. Remember, stay empowered, stay inspired, and stay unplugged.