How Long Does It Take to Become Famous? Featuring Maria Rosati

Maria Rosati: 00:00:00

A lot of people say, how long till I'm famous

Maria Rosati: 00:00:04

And I'm like, you can't quantify it.

Maria Rosati: 00:00:07

It's just like me saying my business, putting a timeline that, five years

Maria Rosati: 00:00:13

It doesn't work that way is something that.

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It's a constant on dedication.

Maria Rosati: 00:00:18

So I always say, ask Serena Williams.

Maria Rosati: 00:00:21

when she thought she was gonna win her first grand slam as Harry styles,

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:00:39

welcome to smashing the plateau.

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We help you get on stuck so you can do what you love and get paid.

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What you're worth consistently.

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I'm your host, David Schreiner con.

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Today on smashing the plateau.

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I'm speaking with the CEO and founder of eminence communications, Maria Rosati.

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When you're selling your own services, you're trying to become

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:01:03

In today's episode of smashing the plateau, Maria shares how to promote your

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:01:13

Stay with us to hear all of the details.

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Maria discusses the importance of testing your ideas.

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An easy place to test.

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New ideas is in a community of supportive like-minded colleagues.

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As a member of the smashing, the plateau community you'll have access

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You'll also find a range of tools and resources to support your

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If you're committed to getting your consulting business, to grow on your

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I invite you to apply to become a member of the smashing the plateau community.

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Learn more@smashingtheplateau.com.

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Now let's welcome, Maria Rosa.

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Maria is the founder and CEO of eminence communications, a boutique advisory,

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:02:20

Maria, welcome to the show.

Maria Rosati: 00:02:22

Thank you, David.

Maria Rosati: 00:02:23

Nice to be

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:02:24

here, Maria, how did you learn to embrace your individualism

Maria Rosati: 00:02:33

Yeah, it's a very good question, David.

Maria Rosati: 00:02:36

I think embracing individualism is a lot about resilience and I consider

Maria Rosati: 00:02:50

But, I think it is really hard when you are inside of it, now we're

Maria Rosati: 00:02:59

Being authentic.

Maria Rosati: 00:03:00

So I feel like post COVID, being authentic and being individual is more embraced than

Maria Rosati: 00:03:12

And so that was one of my choices of wanting to start my own consultancy

Maria Rosati: 00:03:24

That was my path was, striking out on my own.

Maria Rosati: 00:03:27

Really let me sit back and understand my value and how I could help others.

Maria Rosati: 00:03:32

And, I'd have to think a little more and a little more detail, how you

Maria Rosati: 00:03:38

But I would say in a corporate world, It's always about reinvention.

Maria Rosati: 00:03:42

some of us who've had the same job for 5, 6, 7 years, same titles,

Maria Rosati: 00:03:49

So it's always trying to reinvent that role on a daily basis, can I add

Maria Rosati: 00:03:58

I want to value that because at some point you're going to leave the company.

Maria Rosati: 00:04:01

So it's about being true to yourself and always reinventing.

Maria Rosati: 00:04:05

So they, your skillset and how you feel about yourself is a lot stronger

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:04:15

How long have you been in your own business?

Maria Rosati: 00:04:17

I have been in my own business for about three years.

Maria Rosati: 00:04:21

I took a little time, from the corporate world to decompress

Maria Rosati: 00:04:27

And then I started my business formerly in 2019.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:04:32

And were you an employee for your

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:04:36

Yes.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:04:36

Yeah.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:04:37

It's interesting this whole concept of embracing your personal brand in

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:04:44

like you many people feel constrained to be able to be proactive about

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:04:51

And, you mentioned also that at some point you're going to,

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:04:57

How did you feel all those years as an employee about embracing

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:05:08

The employer, employee relationship generally doesn't last forever.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:05:13

Yes.

Maria Rosati: 00:05:14

So yes.

Maria Rosati: 00:05:17

And we both can testify to that.

Maria Rosati: 00:05:20

But what I would say is, for years, I started my career in PR at a PR agency.

Maria Rosati: 00:05:27

I was taught one of the things, I guess that helped me early on was in my writing.

Maria Rosati: 00:05:32

there's different writing skills for different clients.

Maria Rosati: 00:05:35

So some of our clients want more creative, flowery writing.

Maria Rosati: 00:05:39

Others wanted more.

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business gets straight to it.

Maria Rosati: 00:05:42

And so you learn to adapt to each client.

Maria Rosati: 00:05:45

And that's also very, part of my personality, I'm always questioning

Maria Rosati: 00:05:52

And I think that's a topic that's a whole nother topic that's

Maria Rosati: 00:05:59

so I'm the type of person that has always said, why are we doing it this way?

Maria Rosati: 00:06:03

for many years it was like, Shut up, go along with everyone else.

Maria Rosati: 00:06:07

Just do, as you're told, my last job, I was older, I wanted

Maria Rosati: 00:06:13

And I felt like the role I had, I was just a cog in a wheel.

Maria Rosati: 00:06:17

And so I knew that I wanted something greater and I didn't feel fulfilled.

Maria Rosati: 00:06:21

And I knew that my company had a short shelf life.

Maria Rosati: 00:06:25

And so I knew it was a matter of years before a decision would be

Maria Rosati: 00:06:31

So with that, Started doing is, reaching out to vendors

Maria Rosati: 00:06:38

But I also started adopting certain skills that I wanted, that I saw are

Maria Rosati: 00:06:45

And so I wanted to learn more about, so I just built a network to help me do

Maria Rosati: 00:06:55

But again, it all goes into individualism.

Maria Rosati: 00:06:58

Resiliency, but that's me is so I'm pushing the boundaries.

Maria Rosati: 00:07:02

your show is for entrepreneurs, solo foreigners, not everyone is a preneur

Maria Rosati: 00:07:17

but I would say probably most solopreneurs entrepreneurs have some sort of.

Maria Rosati: 00:07:22

Pushing the brown is resiliency.

Maria Rosati: 00:07:24

Individual is, already as part of their personality.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:07:28

I agree with you wholeheartedly that not everyone

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:07:33

There's some big differences between being an employee and being an entrepreneur.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:07:38

even if you're staying in the same discipline, the way

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:07:43

And I wonder what your thoughts are about particularly.

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If you've been an employee for a long time, how do you know whether being

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whether you'll be better off as an entrepreneur or not there,

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:08:03

But how do you know whether being an entrepreneur is right

Maria Rosati: 00:08:08

So here's the, medical equation that I went through.

Maria Rosati: 00:08:12

And hopefully this helps other people that are considering being

Maria Rosati: 00:08:18

I am in my mid fifties and I looked around and I didn't see a lot of.

Maria Rosati: 00:08:23

Senior women and corporate communications.

Maria Rosati: 00:08:27

And so I said, I could go to a lateral role or, a little bit of a, get a

Maria Rosati: 00:08:39

And so the risks reward for me.

Maria Rosati: 00:08:42

Was I rather start off slow and build a business that I can run effectively

Maria Rosati: 00:08:51

So I maybe have another 20 years left, maybe even 25 where I see most of my

Maria Rosati: 00:09:04

so that was my risk reward.

Maria Rosati: 00:09:07

I think it, you have to consider that I also came from my

Maria Rosati: 00:09:13

He was a optometrist.

Maria Rosati: 00:09:15

So I saw what it was to run your own business.

Maria Rosati: 00:09:18

And I think it was always something that was programmed in me.

Maria Rosati: 00:09:22

I just didn't know when I was going to launch it.

Maria Rosati: 00:09:24

And the stars aligned, I had the opportunity and I ran.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:09:28

going back to what you just said about look, looking

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:09:36

What did you see happening to those women when their past age, the age of 60?

Maria Rosati: 00:09:42

I didn't see any of them.

Maria Rosati: 00:09:47

Yes.

Maria Rosati: 00:09:49

They get moved down.

Maria Rosati: 00:09:51

the few women that were around, I saw them, the careers where

Maria Rosati: 00:09:57

it was, everything they lived in brief work.

Maria Rosati: 00:10:00

I don't think that's a good answer.

Maria Rosati: 00:10:03

I tend to see also a lot of women that are the few that are

Maria Rosati: 00:10:09

And so they dedicate more time to their work.

Maria Rosati: 00:10:12

But honestly, I just didn't see a lot of women and I.

Maria Rosati: 00:10:17

The pandemic has definitely made more of a change because

Maria Rosati: 00:10:23

We need more of a work-life balance.

Maria Rosati: 00:10:25

And that's what I don't see with senior women that are still around past age

Maria Rosati: 00:10:33

and I just, in general, corporate America, there's a lot of old

Maria Rosati: 00:10:39

So that's not.

Maria Rosati: 00:10:43

Read the chilies and said, you know what, let's just go now and start

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:10:49

It also sounds like you have a lot of patients

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:10:53

you just mentioned your plan to be doing this for 20, 25 years or maybe more.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:10:59

And what I'm hearing for you also is that you're realizing that it takes

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:11:05

And it sounds like you have the patience to do it as.

Maria Rosati: 00:11:08

Yep.

Maria Rosati: 00:11:08

And, I had a roadmap coming out, I've talked to some other solo preneurs that

Maria Rosati: 00:11:15

And I'm like, I don't know, business books you've read.

Maria Rosati: 00:11:18

But when I came out, I got a line of credit from a bank and I had to

Maria Rosati: 00:11:26

But I knew that, I was going to take a step back salary wise and year one to.

Maria Rosati: 00:11:32

Three and probably a year three would be breakeven and go and beyond.

Maria Rosati: 00:11:36

So I was fine with that again, because I see a longevity of twenty-five plus

Maria Rosati: 00:11:51

And.

Maria Rosati: 00:11:53

But solitary, you can play at age 91.

Maria Rosati: 00:11:56

And so I don't want to retirement that looks like that either.

Maria Rosati: 00:12:00

I'd rather work, but other people might not feel that way.

Maria Rosati: 00:12:03

And they'd rather take the money and maybe retire at 75.

Maria Rosati: 00:12:06

So it's, all in what makes you happy?

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:12:10

Let's talk a little bit about what actually it looks like.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:12:14

Control over your destiny, like you've done.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:12:17

How does that feel?

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:12:18

especially right at the beginning, when you first opened

Maria Rosati: 00:12:23

it feels amazing.

Maria Rosati: 00:12:25

And it's funny because earlier today I shared a post on LinkedIn about

Maria Rosati: 00:12:35

Rejiggered and that it's old and stale and broken.

Maria Rosati: 00:12:39

And, just thinking of that, every year, the performance review and

Maria Rosati: 00:12:45

What's my promotion, what's my bonus.

Maria Rosati: 00:12:48

And it's also, I find highly biased.

Maria Rosati: 00:12:50

And so it's just refreshing to know that.

Maria Rosati: 00:12:54

I made control.

Maria Rosati: 00:12:55

I can run this as long as I want it also, it really changes your

Maria Rosati: 00:13:04

Clients are hiring me for me.

Maria Rosati: 00:13:06

So I'm sure all of your listeners, that's what people are buying

Maria Rosati: 00:13:11

So it's just so much more fulfilling.

Maria Rosati: 00:13:15

Then, just being part of a function and, just because you're part of our 5 cents

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:13:28

Yeah.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:13:28

I'd love to hear a little bit about your process for.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:13:32

Being able to sell yourself, creating your personal brand and selling yourself.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:13:36

Because one of the challenges that I hear from so many people when they go

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:13:48

They're always people who need you.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:13:50

You don't have to go out and.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:13:52

And look for, not going out and look looking for work.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:13:55

The work is always coming to you and you have this built in social

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:14:00

So you always have people to talk to, especially if you're working on

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:14:07

Then you go out on your own.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:14:08

Initially for many people, they don't have any business at first,

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:14:14

And so their inbox is empty.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:14:16

The calendar's empty.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:14:18

They have no social structure because that's gone.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:14:21

Your quote, unquote, friends from work are ghosting you because you've left.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:14:25

they're all sorts of reasons why that happened.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:14:28

But you spend a lot of time alone and you have to get up and market

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:14:35

And it can feel really daunting.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:14:37

And then all these hours that you spend alone make the lack of

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:14:45

And it sounds like you embraced being able to create your personal brand and sell it.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:14:50

So I'd love to hear a little bit about how you.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:14:53

Sure.

Maria Rosati: 00:14:53

like I had mentioned, I had been stagnated in my career

Maria Rosati: 00:15:01

I was there for 12 years.

Maria Rosati: 00:15:02

So I would say the last three, I really, wasn't personally growing

Maria Rosati: 00:15:10

So when I came out, I just continued those conversations.

Maria Rosati: 00:15:14

But the path that originally, I thought it was going down or who I thought

Maria Rosati: 00:15:26

But yeah.

Maria Rosati: 00:15:27

I also realized that I'm a natural sales person.

Maria Rosati: 00:15:30

Then I could just talk to people and they're like, okay,

Maria Rosati: 00:15:34

tell me more.

Maria Rosati: 00:15:35

So it came very easy to me, but I would say anyone that's considering

Maria Rosati: 00:15:45

And you're let go.

Maria Rosati: 00:15:46

And then, you got to start your business, but you say it's something that's already

Maria Rosati: 00:15:52

You already have a network of people that buy in.

Maria Rosati: 00:15:56

And buy into you as a talent to represent that idea.

Maria Rosati: 00:15:59

So it's just tapping into that and it just keeps growing.

Maria Rosati: 00:16:03

David, do you have an organization to help entrepreneurs grow

Maria Rosati: 00:16:10

And I also did a lot of networking.

Maria Rosati: 00:16:13

I'm a part of an organization for C-suite females to build their network

Maria Rosati: 00:16:21

So that's been, really grateful for me to build my business, but I'm constantly out

Maria Rosati: 00:16:32

If you're an entrepreneur and you're waiting for people to come to you,

Maria Rosati: 00:16:41

So it's seizing those opportunities.

Maria Rosati: 00:16:44

you have to be out there.

Maria Rosati: 00:16:45

and that's what I did.

Maria Rosati: 00:16:47

I was

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:16:47

out there.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:16:48

Yeah.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:16:48

T tell me a little bit about how you can tap into the power of a community.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:16:52

Cause you mentioned that you're part of chief, how do you tap into the

Maria Rosati: 00:16:58

Like I said, as a professional network to connect C-suite

Maria Rosati: 00:17:10

So that's what it was originally designed for.

Maria Rosati: 00:17:12

But, we used to have a slack channel.

Maria Rosati: 00:17:14

We have an intranet.

Maria Rosati: 00:17:16

Their premises, you have a core meeting, they designed a forum for you and you

Maria Rosati: 00:17:22

That's facilitated by an executive coach.

Maria Rosati: 00:17:25

So it's just the national network.

Maria Rosati: 00:17:27

early on someone introduced me to lunch club, which is also an online network

Maria Rosati: 00:17:43

Of course.

Maria Rosati: 00:17:44

I also, when I work with a lot of my clients are startups or

Maria Rosati: 00:17:52

If you don't tell people, they don't know what you're selling.

Maria Rosati: 00:17:55

So one of the things you have to do is tell people what you offer.

Maria Rosati: 00:17:59

So a lot of my clients wanted to be on board service and I'm like,

Maria Rosati: 00:18:12

So it all goes back to the more you tell people, I've done very little

Maria Rosati: 00:18:30

And the last thing I will say is that is part of their job.

Maria Rosati: 00:18:34

As an entrepreneur.

Maria Rosati: 00:18:35

I see three buckets servicing.

Maria Rosati: 00:18:38

Building my reputation, which is, a good example of being on the

Maria Rosati: 00:18:48

So those are the three buckets that every entrepreneur should

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:18:55

So what's the difference between having

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:18:59

Like you just described through referrals versus selling versus talking about.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:19:05

I can, what are the different, these sounds like there are

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:19:10

Yeah.

Maria Rosati: 00:19:10

And they are distinct steps.

Maria Rosati: 00:19:12

They sound a little like you're asking, how did they differentiate?

Maria Rosati: 00:19:15

But it's being at a cocktail party.

Maria Rosati: 00:19:17

It's being out with friends at a dinner and there might be

Maria Rosati: 00:19:23

People say, what do you do?

Maria Rosati: 00:19:24

And then I tell them, and then I tell a little bit about the importance of it.

Maria Rosati: 00:19:28

And they're like, oh, what, can you help me with this?

Maria Rosati: 00:19:31

Or I know someone or, and so that's how it starts.

Maria Rosati: 00:19:34

So it's not bragging to some people, feel, and that's another

Maria Rosati: 00:19:40

There is no bragging.

Maria Rosati: 00:19:42

It's just talking about what your value proposition is.

Maria Rosati: 00:19:45

So what, again, the more people you tell, what you offer and the need you

Maria Rosati: 00:19:54

So

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:19:54

when you meet somebody new and they say, Maria, what do you do?

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:19:57

What's your.

Maria Rosati: 00:19:58

I tell them that I build personal brands and I build

Maria Rosati: 00:20:06

And then they usually ask me, what's the personal brands.

Maria Rosati: 00:20:09

And I go on about how it's about asserting your individuality and.

Maria Rosati: 00:20:14

Setting you apart, but the whole basis behind any find a brand and

Maria Rosati: 00:20:23

So the more you're known commodity, the more people seek you out, either for

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:20:35

What are some ways that people build

Maria Rosati: 00:20:40

I mean doing it in the wrong way.

Maria Rosati: 00:20:43

some people don't go into it with a philanthropic mindset.

Maria Rosati: 00:20:48

there are some people that do it for wealth or fame or, for an inauthentic.

Maria Rosati: 00:20:56

Good.

Maria Rosati: 00:20:57

And I think when it's authentic and natural, People know that and

Maria Rosati: 00:21:04

And the people that are doing it more for vanity, eventually

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:21:10

Yeah.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:21:11

What's an example of somebody who is building a personal

Maria Rosati: 00:21:16

is someone that's building a personal brand in the right way.

Maria Rosati: 00:21:20

You stumped me on that one.

Maria Rosati: 00:21:23

Yeah.

Maria Rosati: 00:21:23

I think, like I said, it's what I'm doing.

Maria Rosati: 00:21:26

It's, it's marketing for yourself.

Maria Rosati: 00:21:28

It's networking for yourself and it's servicing clients.

Maria Rosati: 00:21:32

one of the things I will say about building a personal brand is a lot

Maria Rosati: 00:21:41

You can't quantify it.

Maria Rosati: 00:21:42

It's just like me saying my business, putting a timeline that, five years

Maria Rosati: 00:21:48

It doesn't work that way.

Maria Rosati: 00:21:49

It is something that.

Maria Rosati: 00:21:51

It's a constant on dedication.

Maria Rosati: 00:21:54

So I always say, ask Serena Williams, when she thought she was gonna win

Maria Rosati: 00:22:06

And they were doing it for 12, 15 years before anyone even knew who they are.

Maria Rosati: 00:22:11

And that's the same dedication of being a solopreneur, building a

Maria Rosati: 00:22:18

It's a multi-year commitment.

Maria Rosati: 00:22:19

This is not something that's five years, one and

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:22:22

done.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:22:22

This is I always say a breakthrough is when somebody else notices

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:22:32

Yes.

Maria Rosati: 00:22:33

Yes, exactly.

Maria Rosati: 00:22:34

That's what, I'm fun.

Maria Rosati: 00:22:35

Someone finally notices.

Maria Rosati: 00:22:36

And to that point, one of the things you ask who's done it well, and I don't

Maria Rosati: 00:22:49

So how do things go viral or how does someone notice, if

Maria Rosati: 00:22:55

you're just a book just came out, they read something you put

Maria Rosati: 00:23:03

And then people finally start to notice.

Maria Rosati: 00:23:06

And that's the aha.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:23:07

Well said, Maria, is there anything else

Maria Rosati: 00:23:13

I think you've asked some really great questions.

Maria Rosati: 00:23:16

And the only thing I would say to the listeners is, I think now is a better

Maria Rosati: 00:23:27

the, where we're trying to remove all the stigma.

Maria Rosati: 00:23:30

this is mental health awareness month, stigmas against a lot of biases

Maria Rosati: 00:23:37

And so I just say, embrace yourself and get out there.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:23:41

Sounds great, Maria, I want to thank you so

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:23:47

Somebody wants to go deeper with anything we've discussed

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:23:51

Access any resources you have.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:23:52

Where's the best.

Maria Rosati: 00:23:54

Sure.

Maria Rosati: 00:23:54

So I would say the best place to find me is on LinkedIn, under Maria

Maria Rosati: 00:24:08

Or you can email me@mrosatiateminencenyc.com.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:24:13

My guest today has been the founder and CEO of

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:24:18

Thank you so much for Maria for joining.

Maria Rosati: 00:24:20

Thank you again, David,

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:24:24

when you visit the smashing the plateau

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:24:31

Along with the links we mentioned on the show on today's episode, Maria

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:24:40

New ideas is in a community of supportive like-minded colleagues.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:24:45

As a member of the smashing the plateau community you'll have

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:24:52

We're inclusive, direct, active, and empowering conversations are welcome

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:25:00

You'll also find a range of tools and resources to support your

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:25:09

If you are committed to getting your consulting business, to grow on your

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:25:17

supporting the lifestyle you want and you don't want to do it alone.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:25:21

I invite you to apply to become a member of the smashing the plateau community.

David Shriner-Cahn: 00:25:26

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David Shriner-Cahn: 00:25:29

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