125. How to Monetize Your Expertise & Create Your Own Economy w/Fo Alexander

Phylicia Pough: 00:00:00

Hey, friend.

Phylicia Pough: 00:00:00

You're listening to Harmonious Mompreneur, where faith, family and business come together. I'm your host, Phylicia Pough, a Christian wife, mom of two, and life and business system strategist for moms.

If you've ever felt like there just aren't enough hours in the day or find yourself craving more time for yourself but feel guilty about it, you're in the right place. While many strive for balance, I believe it's harmony, an integrated flow that works for you, that truly sustains.

Each week, I'll share insights from my personal journey and practical strategies to help you design systems that bring peace to your business and home life. So give your kids another snack, take a deep breath and let's dive into today's episode where we'll start creating your harmonious mompreneur life.

Phylicia Pough: 00:00:48

Hey, friend. Welcome to another episode of Harmonious Mompreneur. So glad that you are tuned in. I'm excited to be here. Today we have a guest with us, Fo Alexander.

And she is a three time author, speaker, podcaster and certified financial education instructor. She's the creator of a personal finance education platform called Mama and Money and the founder of the Monetized Mom.

Phylicia Pough: 00:01:11

And so we are going to get.

Phylicia Pough: 00:01:13

Into all things motherhood, entrepreneurship, building wealth. We're going to hear her story. And so without further ado, Fo, welcome. How are you?

Fo Alexander: 00:01:23

Thank you for having me. I am doing amazing. I'm super excited to be here. How are you doing?

Phylicia Pough: 00:01:29

I'm well. I am doing well. It's about to be summertime, it's warm outside. That's, that's all I need. So I'm good.

Fo Alexander: 00:01:36

Listen, I feel you on that.

Phylicia Pough: 00:01:39

So let's get right into this conversation because you know, everybody who's listening, they are either entrepreneurs, they are moms for sure, or they're, they're looking to step into entrepreneurship and figuring out how to manage that while also mothering. Right.

And so for you, you were on a well paying, stable path in engineering for 10 years, but you chose to walk away from that career and pursue full time motherhood and entrepreneurship. So talk to us about that journey. How did you make that decision?

What made you leave and then also touch on, like if you would have stayed, what would have been at risk for you?

Fo Alexander: 00:02:19

d actually gotten laid off in: 2017

So that's when I learned that corporate careers are not as stable as people like to think. You know, I literally went from getting a global Award for the company for the work that I had done.

And then a few months later, I was being told that our team was being eliminated.

So I don't use the word stable when it comes to a corporate career, but it was definitely a career that I had opportunities in, I could advance in, and I could literally write my own ticket at that point. But I knew well before I even, like left college that a traditional job was not for me, right? And I remember actually telling my family this.

And sadly enough, like, my dad passed away and we had all these people at the house and there was a pastor here and he's like, you know, your mom told me that you said, you want to be a stay at home mom? And so he was doing some kind of intervention and telling me, hey, you need to have another, another plan.

So I knew going in that this was not going to be career path for me. Like, traditional route wasn't going to be path. And I tried very hard to make it work. Like, I tried to find something that I was interested in.

Like, even before I graduated, I'm like, I know this isn't going to be the path that I take, so let me get a master's degree so I can prolong the time that is going to take me to go into the workforce and find something that I could just, you know, hopefully find something that I enjoy. And I never could find it in the workplace.

So I always have known that whatever I wanted to do, I was going to have to create for myself because there was nothing that I could identify in a traditional career that intrigued me or interest me. And so I knew that going in that, you know, my time in corporate would not be long. And so I knew that going in.

And the thing that really pushed it over the edge was having a conversation with my manager during the pandemic. So I had my daughter, which is my first child, in the smack dab of the pandemic.

It was April: 2020

Because I really honestly don't want to put my daughter in daycare. We don't know what's going on. I would rather keep her at home. She's a new child, I'm a new parent. Like, we trying to figure things out.

And that manager said to me, you can't be effective at your job with a child at home. And I had so many emotions.

I had so many, you know, I was already rolling my neck and, like, you know, stuffing my fingers and all kinds of stuff, like, how dare you? And he didn't have kids.

And that was really the defining moment for me because I was like, okay, obviously I see how you guys feel about just anyone in general. Like, this is just a place where you got to work and we don't care what your. Your home life looked like.

And ironically, everybody was working from home.

But that was the critical moment for me to be like, okay, we're going to take this thing seriously and we're going to make the plan and execute the plan to actually get out of the workforce. And so two years later, after my second son on maternity leave, I kind of stuck it to the man by leaving on maternity leave with my second son.

So that was kind of my journey to leaving that career.

And I would say that there wasn't really anything at risk for me leaving because I felt like I was in a career where I was unfulfilled and underutilized.

So, yeah, there was a paycheck there, but one of the big things that we'll probably get into was like, to me, that didn't make a difference because we had done things financially where that really wasn't, you know, the main reason that would keep me in the workforce. But I felt like I was underutilized in that career. I felt like I was undervalued, obviously. And so for me, like, it was a matter of time.

Like, I didn't feel like I was losing anything by leaving. And the risk of me staying there was just being unhappy.

Like, I literally would sit hours, eight hours of a day where I'm just like, I could be doing something that's more fulfilling. And I didn't have a situation where most people are in a corporate career and they feel like they. They're not paid enough.

I was paid well, but I felt like I was underutilized.

And for anybody who's a high achiever, that's the worst situation that you could be in where, you know, you have potential, you know, you have skills, you know, you have, like, the know how to get things done. You can be producing, and you're stuck in a situation where you're not producing as much as you could be. So for me, I would have been unfulfilled.

I would have been unhappy. I would have been mad because I'm like, I could be doing other things with my time. I could be building my business.

So at some point it was Like, I got to make this separation. I got to make this transition that's so, so good.

Phylicia Pough: 00:06:39

So I also, at one point when I was working, I had that feeling of being unfulfilled and just feeling miserable. I remember one time I went.

I went away and I came back and I had, like, all this work on my desk, and I literally just went to the bathroom and cried because I was like, what am I doing? Like, why am I doing this? But unlike you, I didn't have a plan. And I was just like, okay, I'm out of here. So you had a plan, which is very wise.

So can you talk a little bit about. You said two years later, you. You knew you were going to leave, but then two years later, took that leap.

What did the planning process look like for you?

Fo Alexander: 00:07:14

Yeah, so planning was a huge part of actually making it happen. So. But prior to actually making that decision, my husband and I had already been paying off debt.

And so the whole goal for us was like, okay, well, you can come home when we finish paying off our debt. Our main goal at that point was pay off our house.

So, like, we pay off the house, put money away in savings, save up from some stuff we want to buy, you know, save up for medical expenses, that type of stuff, put some money in investment. And that, that was the plan. Like, hey, we're just going to use your income to pay off this, the rest of this debt, pay off our house, save money.

And so that's what we did over the next few years. Like, by the time my daughter was one, I want to say, we had paid off our house. And so I was like, that made that major financial expense is gone.

And so that made it feasible to actually make that transition.

Now, I preferred to have left earlier, but we ended up deciding that, hey, we want to save for a car to be able to pay that cash and just do other things that was possible when you have my additional income. So that was the plan, pay off the debt. And we figured out how to do that, how to expedite that process.

And then once that was done, it was just like, okay, like, you have no reason to stay now. Like, you could actually leave. And so, yeah, that's when I did it. So that was the whole plan. And that had always been the plan going in. Like when.

When I. My husband and I got married. That's one of the things I told him, like, I don't like a traditional job, so at some point, I'm going to be leaving.

So you either marry me knowing this or not. So, so he knew that coming in. So a huge part of early on in our marriage was, let's make this financially possible when that time does come.

And so that was just paying off debt. So that was the ultimate plan. And along that time, I was also still building a business.

So I started my brand 13 years ago, and it evolved over the years, but I always had something that I was working on. So even if it was just me transitioning to full time motherhood, like, I always had something that I was building on the side anyway.

So that was the overall plan. Like we knew going in that eventually this would happen.

ortly after I got laid off in: 2017

Phylicia Pough: 00:09:30

I think people listening to that, it sounds like, oh, you were able to pay off all of these debts. And they're like, where do I start? How do I do that? And so I know you're a brand mama and money, you focus more on that financial piece.

So can you talk a little bit about first steps with, you know, coming up with a plan for somebody who might want to leave their job?

Fo Alexander: 00:09:52

Yeah. So I think the big thing is actually knowing where you are financially right now.

Like, where are you financially and what is it going to take to be able to either replace that income or reduce those expenses. So the first step is really evaluating where we at financially and then more importantly, what is our goal and our vision.

And I'm not sure if your audience is largely married, but that's a conversation that you have with your spouse. Like, what is our plan, what is our goal? What are we trying to accomplish here? Because it's certainly not for us to just keep working, to work. Right.

So there has to be an actual vision that you're working towards.

So identifying that vision and then identifying where you're at and then what's the gap between that and then that's when you can talk about what are the practical day to day stuff that I actually do in order to reach that goal. So a small step that they can take is, okay, how much debt do we have?

Because regardless of whether you want to leave your, your job or not, like, paying off debt is a wise thing to do. Like if, even if you just want to have that extra income to be able to travel and do other things, debt can hinder you from doing that.

So identifying what are our debt, what do we have as far as debt goes the car, Is it student loan? Is it the house? And what can we start paying off now? What can we put extra money towards to pay that off?

And so that could be a matter of right now focusing on, hey, I'm working right now. Let me use this income to pay off that debt, and then I can focus on my business.

Or it could be, hey, why don't I just focus on building a business so I can use that income to then pay off debt. So there are several approaches to it, but the fundamental thing is figuring out where do we want to go and then where are we at now?

And then you can take those practical steps of paying off debt, saving money, putting money in investments, and doing all those other small things that will help get you to that goal.

Phylicia Pough: 00:11:32

Yeah, that's really good.

So, like, looking at the larger picture and then breaking it down into smaller pieces, I think for anything that you are planning to do, that's always like a wise way to tackle it.

Now, I read somewhere, I don't know where I read it, but you said that your mission was to empower other moms to create their own economies through entrepreneurship and financial stewardship. And so when you hear that, that sounds like a very bold statement. So can you unpack what does that really mean to create your own economy?

And like, what are some practical steps that people can take to make that a reality?

Fo Alexander: 00:12:05

Yeah, so I think it starts fundamentally understanding what an economy is. I think we think economy, oh, like macroeconomics and microeconomics, like all these complex terms that we use in the government. But at.

At the basis of it, economy is literally buying and selling, building wealth and leveraging and having resources.

And we all have the ability to build wealth, especially if we are women of God, if we're children of God, like the Bible says that we have the ability, God has given us the ability to gain wealth. Like we have innate abilities to be able to create our own economies.

So what I'm really am tapping into is this whole idea that we see in Second Kings where the, the widow woman went to the prophet Elisha, and she was like, hey, my husband, who was in your prophet school, your company of prophets has died and his. His creditors are coming to get my sons. And, and I don't have any money to pay him.

And what he told her and what he taught her in that scripture was, hey, you need to be able to use what you have in order to produce income. Right? You need to take what you have in the house. Well, she said, I only have but a jar, jar of oil. And he said, take that and go sell it.

So we all have this ability to take what we have and to be able to produce wealth from it. We have the ability to then trade. We often talk about, we want to be Proverbs 31:Woman. The Proverbs 31:Woman was an entrepreneur.

She was a woman who, who engaged in trade. Right. She took her goods, she took the works of her hand and she traded. And she was able to build wealth and make money and take care of her family.

And. And so what I'm saying is we all have the ability to create wealth.

We all have the ability to engage in commerce and create the wealth and the resources and use the wealth and resources that we need for our families and for our own lives. And so what I'm saying, I'm trying to empower women to build their own economies.

One, I want to teach you that, hey, you have what's in you to be able to produce something and knowing how to use what you produce to make money. But then on the back end of that, how do we manage that money so that we can multiply it and build wealth?

And so that's the whole idea of being able to create your own economy with what you already have. You have it in your house, you have the oil in your house. Just take it and use it and be fruitful and multiply.

Phylicia Pough: 00:14:12

I love that. So you we started talking about building wealth.

So in your journey to building wealth, what was something like a belief or a habit that you had to unlearn in order to truly get to this place where you were building wealth?

Fo Alexander: 00:14:25

Yeah, so a couple of things that I had to unlearn. The first one was that debt is normal. And that debt is something that you're supposed to have forever.

So one of the things that actually kind of pushed me to pay off debt was a conversation or interview. I heard it was then first lady Michelle Obama. She was talking about the fact that she and President Obama had student loan debt.

I'm like, y' all are like, first of all, y' all should have some money first. Kennevall, like, how old are you? Like, what are we doing here? And so that was like my first realization. Like, I'm not trying to live like that.

Like how y' all got all this money? And then y', all, you're still talking about student loan debt.

And so that was kind of my first wake up call to realizing that this should not be normal. Like, this is not the life that I want to live.

So that was one of the thoughts that I had to reframe and unlearn is like, debt is supposed to have debt your whole life. Like, no, you don't have to. That's actually not what the Bible says. So that was one of the first beliefs that I had to kind of change.

And the other one was the idea that you did the whole lot of investing, right?

Like, using money to be able to make money, whether that's in the form of actually investing in the stock market or if it's investing in your education and knowledge so that you have the skills and knowledge to be able to produce wealth in other ways. So, yeah, getting rid of the idea that debt is normal and then also getting over the hurdle of investing, you know, I.

You know, probably if you had talked to me maybe 10 years ago, the thought of investing, like, in coaching would seem ridiculous to me. Like, what are we. What do we mean? We're paying people thousands of dollars to learn a skill.

But today I understand that that's a crucial part of wealth building, because at some point, you're going to have to know what you need to do, and that requires you tapping into resources and people who actually have that knowledge. So those would be the two things that I had to reframe and kind of unlearn when it came to the journey of building wealth.

Getting rid of the idea that debt is normal and then also understanding that investment is required if you want to go to that next level.

Phylicia Pough: 00:16:32

That's so good investment is required. And I think in our community, the black community, and then especially for black women, a lot of, well, I guess depending on how you grew up.

But there is a lack of resources when it comes to things like building wealth and investing. And so that's part of the reason why I love what you do.

I love your brands, because it's like it's giving that information and that resources, changing mindsets so that we can, like you said, start to create our own economies. So let's talk a little bit now. We talked about the financial piece. We talked about mama and money a little bit.

Let's talk about the monetized mom, because.

Phylicia Pough: 00:17:06

I know you just released the book.

Phylicia Pough: 00:17:08

I just finished reading the book. It was good. Y' all go get the book. The link is in the show description and show notes. So first, let's talk about why you wrote a book.

What made you want to write a book? What was that journey like?

Fo Alexander: 00:17:21

Wow. So this is my third book, and I'll give you kind of my process from first book to third book. And and why I wrote it.

So the first book I wrote, not because it was an idea that I had. Like, I never necessarily thought of myself as an author. Like, that wasn't in. In my frame of mind or thought.

But I was blogging at the time, and I remember people were saying, like, you should put all this in a book. You know, I was blogging about personal development and. And faith, my faith journey, my testimony, all these things.

And they were like, you should put this in a book. So that's how I wrote my first book. The second book, I was at a speaking engagement. I was talking about personal finances and paying off debt.

And then when I left the stage and I had this vendor table, I had nothing. I had no book to sell that was related to personal finances.

And at the time, there was a friend of her friend who was a copy editor, and she came up to me and she was like, you don't have a book about personal finances. And you just had this whole talk and all these people come to your table trying to find out what you did. I'm like, no.

She was like, you need to write a book. And I want to say within, like, 90 days, we had that book written and edited. And so that was the second reason that I wrote the book.

This reason is because I understood that there is a need and I understood that I needed to create a resource for moms who want to make that transition. So all the other two were kind of by mistake. This one was truly on purpose because I felt that there was a need, especially in this.

I don't want to frame it as economic time, but especially in this time where job stability is questionable, like, doesn't matter if you're in government or if you're in private sector. Like, you got to figure out, how can I take what I got so that I can build my own economy and my family is good.

And so realizing what was going on in the world at this time, I'm like, okay, this is the time where I need to put this out.

And I'll be honest, like, it had been on the back of my mind for several years, but it wasn't until I did a fast at the beginning of this year and my husband and I fasted. We did a seven day complete fast. And this is what came out of it. Like, go ahead and write the book. Write the book. Do it in 30 days.

I want you to write this book and get it out. And so that's what I committed to doing. And I think it's been a blessing to everyone. Who's read it.

So I definitely want it to get in the hands of more moms so that you can realize that, hey, I have something. I have the oil in my house.

I can produce, something that I can use to generate wealth, pay off debt, whatever it is that you need to do with those resources. But I have the ability to do it, and I just want to show other moms how to do it.

Phylicia Pough: 00:19:47

Yes. And I think that's so powerful, having an example and just seeing that somebody else has done it.

And then the way you kind of break everything down in the book, it's so. It's a framework, right? You talk about that in the book. It's a framework. It is so easy to follow.

And so definitely, if you haven't gotten the book, go ahead and get your copy of the Monetized Mom. In the book, you really outline how to package, promote, and profit from your expertise. And so when you are working with women who.

This is their goal, where do you see that? A lot of them get stuck.

Phylicia Pough: 00:20:15

Stuck.

Phylicia Pough: 00:20:15

And then what's one thing they can do, like, literally today, just to start to get unstuck?

Fo Alexander: 00:20:21

Oh, wow. So a couple of ways that they get stuck. So I typically am working with people who are experts, like people who are higher achievers.

They have their established careers and are established experience, and they think they need more. Like, I literally have. I have a situation where I'm working with someone who is an M.D.

i mean, decorated letters in front, behind, you know, all the things, all the acronyms and stuff. And it's like, I'm gonna go get another certification and credential schedule. What do you mean?

And I think that's an issue predominantly with black women, is like, we are taught that you gotta be twice as good to get half as much. Right? And then you bring that into the corporate space where you have to. I gotta show that I have the expertise. I gotta have the credentials.

I gotta have the letters. I gotta have all these things just to prove my worth and to prove that I deserve to be in the room.

And so that same mindset and mentality follows over to entrepreneurship, where you feel like, oh, I need this credential. And then we talk, we hear all this conversation around imposter syndrome. Am I not good enough?

And so that's the biggest hurdle, the first hurdle that a lot of people experience is that I'm. I just need more certifications. I need more validation to prove what I already know, I'm good at what I do.

And what people have already been telling me for years. And so that's the biggest hurdle that people have. And then the second hurdle is overthinking and is in the form of.

Okay, you know, you've probably seen it, the shiny object syndrome, bells and whistles. Do I need this? Do I, Do I. Here it is for you. Do I need Del or do I need Honeybook? Do I need this CRM? Do I need this email?

Do I need to do webmars challenges or do I need a masterclass? Do I need to have. And it's all this overthinking and so much so that no one executes. And I literally was having this conversation recently.

I'm like, the thing that frustrates me the most is that so many people are so skilled and, and can help so many people, but they are standing in their own way.

And what's even more frustrating that I'm sure you've seen in the online space is that you have people who lack integrity, who have the confidence to come out here and sell something that they can't stand behind, that they don't have nearly as much expertise around, but they have the courage and confidence to get out here and put themselves out there.

Yet we're sitting the people who have integrity, the children of God who shouldn't be getting the inheritance or letting someone else come in and take what's there. And so a lot of overthinking and second guessing and shiny object syndrome and it's just like, just go live. That's all.

Just go, go live and sell something. And it's as simple as that.

And so I think if we can get out of this overthinking and thinking, I gotta have more certifications, I gotta have all these things, more people will be doing more things, helping more people. We will have real experts out here with integrity and people will be making progress.

And you on the other end of that will be benefiting financially from it because you're showing up. So I'm passionate about that as you do.

Phylicia Pough: 00:23:17

Yes, but it's so true. It's so true. And full transparency. I was that person for a very long time. Like I overthinker shiny object syndrome.

And I will get every new tool because, I mean, partly because I just like playing in tools, but also it's like, what's going to be the best? Like always trying to be the best and get it right before you execute. And that helped me back so much because it's like, girl, just go and do it.

Like, just go and do it. Having so many ideas and trying to have everything planned out before you actually do something. And it's just a mess.

And so being having been that person, just go do it. Just go do it. Pray about it, and go do it.

Fo Alexander: 00:23:57

Because I want to say that I think a lot of times we call it perfectionism. Oh, I got to. I got to be. It has to be perfect. I remember a situation where I had a client where we were launching something.

I can't remember exactly what it was, but she was getting ready to launch something. I know what it was. It was a funnel. It was a simple funnel. It's like a VSL funnel. And I was like, hey, you need to make this video. And this video.

And her response was, okay, well, let me go book a studio so I can record this. Are you kidding me? And she was like, you know, I just got him. It just has to be a level of excellence. Excellence is not me. Perfection.

I think a lot of times we call it perfection, but it's literally just fear dressed up in. In fancy letters. It's really all it is. I'm afraid that people want to think I don't know what I'm talking about.

I'm afraid people don't think that I. I messed up or what would people say? And it's really not procrastination. Is really literally fear that we're covering up as perfectionist. I got to have it all perfect. I got have.

Have all the right systems that. And all these things and y' all just do it. Just do it. Just do it. So, so true.

Phylicia Pough: 00:25:00

And even with the fear piece, like, a lot of times, like, I felt fear about certain things that I had to do or whatever.

But the thing that really helped me with fear was thinking about the scripture that talks about, you know, God did not give us the spirit of fear, but of power, of love. And it's in our mind.

So when I really started thinking about the scripture, because, you know, sometimes we hear scriptures our whole lives and it's like, okay, okay. But when I started thinking about it, well, if God didn't give me this spirit, who gave it to me?

And so if I'm allowing fear to stop me from doing the things that I need to do, then I'm literally co signing the agenda of the enemy.

Fo Alexander: 00:25:33

Listen. Yes, hold up.

Phylicia Pough: 00:25:36

No, can't do that. Can't do that. And so I think part of it is just really tapping into your faith as well.

Like, okay, whose child are you and who are you going to serve? Who are you going to be obedient to? So we can Take that a whole, whole nother way in the conversation. But I want to.

So you talk about packaging, promoting, and profiting. So when people come to you, like, where are they in their business? And then, you know, what's the transformation that you take them through?

Fo Alexander: 00:26:01

Yeah, so a couple of phases. So you have the people who are experts in their careers who've been doing this 20 years, 10 plus years, right? And they're like, okay, I'm tired.

I'm tired of working these long hours.

I'm tired of feel, feeling undervalued or is getting to the point, especially for the moms, which most of my clients are, mom is like, okay, I can't balance it all. Like, I've climbed this career ladder. And then I realized that, oh, okay, this ain't gonna work. My. My children need me, my spouse, my home needs me.

And so they're usually at that point where, okay, what can I do? I've probably been helping people on the side, or I've already tried to kind of start a coaching business.

So there's that one group of people, and they have. The people who literally have not started at all. Like, they are completely new.

They know they have something that they can monetize, but they're not sure. And so the journey that I take them through is figuring out, okay, one, usually they are an expert, right? So we know what their expertise is.

So it's taking them through the journey of how do we package that or create a framework for what? You know, that can create a transformation from. For someone else. How can we package that into premium offers?

Now, the three offers that I always tell my clients that they need to have, you need to have a book. First and foremost.

Remember, I learned that for my speaking engagement, you should always have a book, have some kind of premium coaching or consulting offer, and then also having some kind of like, speaking offer, or even.

Even if you package your coaching and consulting into like a digital product, but having three offers that you can provide to help create a transformation for people. So that's what we work on. We work on getting that framework, figuring out how to package that into an offer.

And therefore, the beginners, we're walking through the process of building your online brand. How do you establish yourself as an expert?

How do you begin to build that brand, get that credibility and authority online that you've already built offline? So how do we translate that online and start getting clients? And then from there, how do we start building those assets?

Okay, how can we write and publish a book?

How can we begin Getting media opportunities and visibility and beginning to get the systems in place to now have a full fledged online education business. So that's really the journey. How can I take that knowledge and pack it, package it into premium offers?

How do I actually promote that on social media and build that brand and how can I profit from this expertise online? So going into packaging it and then pricing it appropriately, selling it and all those things necessary to have a actual business.

So that's the journey that they walk through.

Phylicia Pough: 00:28:23

That's so good. And I love how structured it all is. So guys, if you. So if you guys want to connect with FO to, you know, package your.

Phylicia Pough: 00:28:33

Expertise, promote it and profit from it.

Phylicia Pough: 00:28:35

Go ahead, click those links in the show notes so you can get connected and definitely make sure you guys get the book. It is a great starting place for you.

Now when you were talking, you mentioned that some of the women that you work with, they're starting to feel like they can't balance it all. And then you also talked about how you help them create some systems. Right.

So for you, what were some systems that worked well managing this intersection of motherhood and entrepreneurship, whether it was systems at home or systems in your business, like, what worked for you?

Fo Alexander: 00:29:04

Yeah, so that has transitioned a lot as my kids have gotten older and then also like that looked different from when I was working a full time job and you know, had kids or my first, my first child. So the systems that I really try to be mindful of is one, having a system of actually planning. So what is the plan before I even start the week.

So I actually learned this from a friend who's a time management coach. But I sit down, I write down all the things that I have to do and then I actually use a calendar. And I never thought I would be that person, but.

But I have a task management app that I use to help help manage all the things that I have to get done. So I know where I need to be and I know, I know what needs to happen.

And then as far as home systems having some things in place, like, hey, this is the day we do xyz. This is the day we do this. This is the time y' all get. My kids are on a.

They know they're scheduled to a T to the point where they go to grandma's house, they like, okay, it's time to brush our teeth. It's time to do this.

So getting my family in line with a schedule that we can follow so that there is balance and that we can, you know, get everything that we need to get done. So having systems in the business as far as software is helpful as well. So automation, I know that's. I know you're big on that.

But having those automations and systems there, having home systems in place, as far as how we do things, meal planning, meal prepping, you know, buying in bulk, those things are a part of the home system. And then as far as time management, knowing how I'm going to plan my week and then adjust everything accordingly.

So time management is a huge part of it. But just making sure everyone's on the same page and then also having the systems and software and schedule to align with those.

Those tasks and things, that's so, so good.

Phylicia Pough: 00:30:43

And I like to ask people this because sometimes when you hear the word systems, it's like, what does that really mean? What does that look like? And so just understanding what that looks like for different people is super helpful.

Y' all know I'm all about systems in home and in business because they literally, they just create you to be able to focus on what it is you really need to be doing or what you desire to do if you want to spend more time with your kids or if you want to have time in your business to focus on the vision, planning, and not being in the weeds. Like, systems allow you to do all those things, they give you space. So we're going to start to wrap up here. I want to.

As we close up, of course, you want to leave your contact information and everything for people to reach you. But for that woman who is where you were, you know, she. She has stable income in her job, and she's thinking about stepping into entrepreneurship.

She might be feeling a little bit of fear about it. What would you say to her right now in her situation?

Fo Alexander: 00:31:38

One, we've already kind of talked about fear. Let's not let fear drive our decision. Um, but I think it all goes back to what is it that you want out of life?

I think a lot of times we live life based on someone else's idea or design or construct or structure for us or what we've been taught or what we've seen. And I think it is a moment of reflection to decide, what do you want out of life?

And the question is, can I get what I want out of life with a job, or can I get out what I want out of life through entrepreneurship and letting that guide your decision? But more importantly, like, let's. Let's take this to prayer.

Like, and I'm not just saying that to be overly spiritual, but Truly, let's take this to prayer so that you're making the right decision in the right moves for your family. But again, it all boils down to me. What's the vision and what's the vehicle that's going to get you through that vision?

Because there are some people who are hardcore. I want to be corporate forever. Right. Until you're not.

So determine what is that vision that you want for your life and don't let fear be the thing that makes that decision. If the.

If your vision is to spend more time with your family, if your vision is to have this freedom, if your vision is to be home with your kids, then go after that vision and just make a plan to create it. Like, it's only fear when you don't know how to get there. You don't know what's on the other side.

But we've told you today what's on the other side of this. Like, so write the plan, made the plan, write the vision, make it plain, and then pursue it.

Phylicia Pough: 00:33:09

Point blank. Period. Love that. So I'm not even going to add anything to that. Thank you so much for coming on and sharing with our audience. Sharing your journey.

Let people know how they can connect with you and what's. What's next for you.

Fo Alexander: 00:33:23

Yeah. So I appreciate you having me. I'm super excited for the listeners to hear this episode so you can connect with me.

Actually, I learned this and I'm going to be good about it. People who listen to podcasts are more likely to listen to other podcasts. They'll find me at the Monetized mom podcast. That's where you can find me.

So if you're listening to this podcast, and I know you will enjoy that podcast, so it's the Monetized mom podcast. So you can connect there. And then you'll find all of my social link as well. And then of course, you'll have links in the show.

Note if you want to grab the book or if you want to join the package Promote and Profit Challenge, where you can learn how to do that in just three days. So that's a great experience that you want to connect with. What is next for me?

I have an upcoming live event, so I know we do a lot of things in person. Everybody's accustomed to the webinars and the master classes. And I'm getting y' all out the house. And this is a lot for someone who likes to be.

I had today, I had on my fancy homebody outfit. So for someone who likes to be in the house, we getting outside this year. So this is.

I had the last event in: 2023

I am planning this event and getting moms in the room because I think there's a lot to be said about being in the room, getting the information, getting in the environment, especially for those moms who are, like, trying to transition from corporate to entrepreneurship. A lot of times you don't have people who have done taking that journey. You don't have friends who are entrepreneurs.

So you need to be in an environment where there are going to be other people who are doing the same thing as you. So that's what the big thing is next. Win that live event, though. I would love to see y' all there.

You can get all the details when you listen to the podcast.

Phylicia Pough: 00:35:02

That is so exciting. Get in the room. All the information will be in the show notes. And yes, y', all, the podcast is good.

So make sure you listen to Fo's podcast, the Monetized Mom. Thank you again so much for coming on, guys. Thank you for listening and we'll see you in the next episode. Hey, friend.

Phylicia Pough: 00:35:18

I'm so glad you tuned in today. Before you go, will you take a moment to leave a review?

Leaving a review ensures other mompreneurs like you, you can find this show and get the insights and strategies they need to create harmony between their business and home life. I appreciate you so much with grace and gratitude. See you in the next episode.