ALI BROWN - CEO & Founder, Ali International

09/27/10 | Ali Brown | 3 Comments

Ali Brown, CEO & Founder, Ali International

At one point when I started my first business 10 years ago, I was so broke I could not take out $20 from an ATM. I considered giving up. But I just took it one day at a time and figured things out. Today, I’m a self-made millionaire, and I coach hundreds of women in starting and growing businesses of their own. My top 5 bits of advice:

1. Trust your intuition. This is the best gift women have, but we have been trained throughout our lives to not honor it. When I look back at mistakes made – working with certain clients, hiring a person who was the wrong fit for the job, even accepting a marriage proposal – I always had a certain feeling about it that I ignored. Today, I work mostly by intuition. Once I mastered this, my company started doubling every year. Once you become aware of this skill and harness it, you’ll move forward faster than you imagined.
2. Leap, don’t ladder climb. Growing up, we learn to take things one step at a time. We are educated in school one grade at a time. In the corporate world, we advance one position at a time (and usually start off making coffee!). But when you work for yourself, you make your own rules. You decide how far you go and when. Have courage, make your decisions from faith – not fear, and step up. Be grateful we have the opportunities we do in this country -- more than many other women in the world.
3. The numbers are a game. Any sound accountant who reviewed what I spent on coaching, branding, marketing, etc. over the years as I built my business would flip out. It looks like I was crazy. You are supposed to grow slowly, right? But I knew the money I was investing would pay off in the long term. There is a sacrifice in the beginning. The game is making sure you are receiving short-term cash flow while investing in yourself to gain long-term equity and a higher income.
4. Ditch the bitches. When I launched my first business, I was heartbroken to realize that not all my friends and family understood my leap of faith. Some even got nasty about it. I guess deep down they were upset I was stepping up and wanting more from life than they did. Remember none of this is ever about you – it’s about them. Seek out and surround yourself with people who you aspire to be like, who you respect, and who support your dreams. Trust me, it will change your life.
5. Don’t go it alone. You can be in business for yourself, but don’t be by yourself. Seek out communities or coaching programs where you can get the advice you need from experts who know, and also where you can meet other success-minded women. (This is exactly why I founded my Millionaire Protégé Club.) Also hire help when you need it – not only are you helping your business grow, but you’re helping another woman who needs a job. Pass it on.

Ali Brown is a self-made millionaire entrepreneur and business coach to women around the world. Her company ranked on 2009’s Inc. 500 list of fastest growing private companies in the nation, and she was honored as one of 2010’s Enterprising Women of the Year and one of Ernst & Young’s Winning Women for 2010. To learn more about Ali’s coaching, courses, and events, go to www.AliBrown.com.