Ep. 44 The Stern Truth: Golden Nuggets to Ellevate Your Business with Elle Jimeno

In this powerful episode, I sit down with Elle Jimeno of Ellevate Creative. I have to say, this conversation absolutely blew me away. 

Elle shares her journey of building a business after being laid off. Her former employer actually ended up becoming her first client. Talk about life handing you lemons! 

The real, unfiltered challenges of being a small business owner while raising children don't seem to be obstacles for Elle. It’s more like a guiding force and an opportunity to be a role model not only for her children but for herself as well. 

One of the biggest golden nuggets from this episode is Elle's perspective on discomfort. As a natural introvert, she pushed herself to network and connect with her community. It’s her desire to get out of discomfort, she says, that fuels her every single day. 

Every entrepreneur faces the “struggle of the juggle.” Whether that’s personal challenges or showing up as a business leader, Elle’s honest approach and passion are undeniable in this episode.

Connect with Elle here:
Website: https://ellevatemybiz.com/
Instagram: @ellevatemybiz
Email: info@ellevatemybiz.com

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I encourage you to reach out with feedback, topic suggestions, and share your own entrepreneurial challenges.

Get in touch in the comments or head to...
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Email: marshall@marshallstern.net

Transcript

[00:00:00] Marshall Stern: So I know every time I tell you guys to grab a paper and pen and be ready for an amazing podcast episode today. I'm really encouraging you because we have a tremendous guest. I was blown away by this episode. We had a sit down with one of my clients, Elle, and she's not only the most amazing entrepreneur and mother and person.

[00:00:24] She's just, she gets it and the insights that we get from her. The takeaways, the golden nuggets are one after another and after another. I know I'm hyping this one up to be a big one. This is all about the struggle of the juggle, which, whether you have kids, young kids, grown kids, no kids, it's the struggle of the juggle, juggling, or business life with our personal life.

[00:00:48] I don't want to give away the rest. So be ready for this powerful, powerful episode with one of my clients. And also speaking of that, you can come meet her in an upcoming Momentum group. So I invite you to reach out to me. Information is in show notes below. You can come and meet Elle and the rest of our amazing Momentum members.

[00:01:06] We meet twice a month but just come as our guest. Check it out. See if it's for you. Anyways, on with the show. Grab that pad of paper and pen and enjoy.

[00:01:19] Hi, I'm Marshall Stern and I've spent over 35 years leading and growing multiple small businesses. I know firsthand the struggles of entrepreneurship, feeling isolated, lonely, overwhelmed, and feeling like you have to do it all by yourself. I've been through multiple recessions, and I have felt the highs and the lows.

[00:01:40] his podcast is here to change that. Every week I will bring you straight talking advice, real world strategies, and honest conversations about what it takes to succeed in business without the fluff, the gimmicks, or the sugar coat it. If you're ready to stop spinning your wheels and start making real progress, then you are in the right place.

[00:02:01] This is the Stern Truth.

[00:02:06] Alright, welcome back everyone to another episode of the Stern Truth Business Unfiltered. Wow. This is a special episode. It's a birthday episode. 

[00:02:14] Elle Jimeno: Yay. 

[00:02:16] Marshall Stern: My guest, Elle from Ellevate Creative, it's her birthday. Happy birthday Elle. 

[00:02:21] Elle Jimeno: Thank you. Thank you. Another year turning 30. 

[00:02:25] Marshall Stern: Well, you look, you look great for turning 30.

[00:02:28] Okay. So, before we get into, well maybe first tell me a little bit about yourself and your business before we get into the, the Stern Truths about entrepreneurship. 

[00:02:40] Elle Jimeno: Okay, sounds good. So I'm Elle of Ellevate Creative. I am a mom of two. And a fur baby and I run Ellevate Creative, specializing in website development, DOS accessibility and funnel marketing, and I'm passionate about working with local businesses. That is, that is where my heart and soul lies. 

[00:03:03] Marshall Stern: Yeah. Just when you said that, like I could, the passions oozing from you, right. Tell, so tell us a little bit about, your journey. When did you start Ellevate creative? And why, what got you into starting your own gig? 

[00:03:19] Elle Jimeno: Funny story. I created my business out of necessity, and that's really weird to start with, but my first client was from a layoff.

[00:03:33] I was in a nine to five corporate job thinking I was in my absolute dream job. Three months in, sorry, we got to let you go. And I said, what? I thought everything was going good, and I was so, so confused, and I didn't know what to do. It's a weird time. After the pandemic, I needed the job, but I was caught in this spot where I had no control over it.

[00:04:02] So I mean, I do what I normally do and I got the lemons and I made lemonade, and the person that terminated me ended up being my first client. Ever first client and I didn't start Ellevate Creative right away because I didn't know where that journey was heading. So this client, who was my former employer, was my client for a whole year, a whole year when I thought it was just going to be contract work for a few months, they, they became my client.

[00:04:34] And I started a new job and next thing you know, I fell pregnant. Fell pregnant, and I was just like, oh my goodness, now I'm going to be off work. Life is not cheap. EI is not a lot. And I was like, what do I do? So I did what I always did. I took the lemons and I made some lemonade. And that's when I said, you know what?

[00:04:59] I've been working my own thing for a whole year. Why not step it up a notch and really give it a go? And that's when Ellevate Creative was really born. I started it officially when I was four months postpartum in between raising my four month old baby. And during nap times, I built my business and it's been the best decision I've made since.

[00:05:30] Marshall Stern: Wow. Four months after the birth of your first child. 

[00:05:35] Elle Jimeno: Yes. 

[00:05:36] Marshall Stern: That's, that is, that's crazy. Really for, I mean, for anyone who's had a, whether like, obviously for the woman, the mom, because all the, just everything, the hormones, like all the everything's, right. But even honestly, like for all the dads out there.

[00:05:53] It's like, it's just still – I mean, it's not still lack of sleep, just the priorities change what whatnot. So the fact that you had the, the focus and the ability to do that is tremendous. 

[00:06:03] Elle Jimeno: Yeah, it was, it was not easy. I'm not going to glamorize it. 

[00:06:07] Marshall Stern: Yeah. 

[00:06:08] Elle Jimeno: I think that's one thing that I want to be very, very clear on end.

[00:06:14] Be absolutely authentic on raising a business, raising a business. Building a business while you're raising children is not easy. I mean, it's not even easy without children. So I'm not going to glamorize it. It was not easy. It took a lot of hard work, good habits and discipline to get to the point of stability and growth for my business.

[00:06:38] And I think having children, it was just a bonus. Because now I'm out to my second kid, she's one now. My oldest is almost three. And I think of it as every day I'm doing my thing and I'm showing my girls that this, this is what hard work is and they're learning from me as I go. 

[00:07:01] Marshall Stern: Yeah. I love that.

[00:07:01] And we've been, and we've been working together for a while and we talked about that like you are, what we do is modeling for our kids and, and modeling for others who don't have, obviously our kids are our kids, but, I mean my kids are now adult kids. but even just our, our, our friends, our community, it's all about, I know you're the same thing being of service and just showing the way. 

[00:07:29] And I think there needs to be more people, like yourself, out there doing this amazing work and your girls are all going to grow up. They're growing up now watching their amazing mom do this amazing work. Right? And being present and building a business so that she can be present with them. 

[00:07:50] Elle Jimeno: Absolutely. Absolutely. And you know what? I got caught off with a really random question from my toddler yesterday.

[00:07:56] It was kind of very out of nowhere. I dropped her off at daycare. We were walking in and she said, mommy, okay, no, she's almost three. She said, mommy, are you happy when we get to daycare? And I said, that's an interesting question. But I mean, I said, well, I miss you. I miss you in the day when I'm working, but I know that you're happy here.

[00:08:22] And she was fine with that. She was absolutely fine with that. And then she said, of course, in a toddler way, she walked in and she said soon I'm going to be able to work. And all I could say was, honey, you got a long way to go. But in my head I kind of trailed off with, and when you're ready, I hope you love the work that you do.

[00:08:41] Marshall Stern: Nice. That and that's, and kudos to you. because that's an awesome answer, right, because, because as parents, our initial instinct is to just, just to say it. Yeah. Just brush it off. 

[00:08:51] Elle Jimeno: But they're marshmallow - hey're like sponges. Yeah. 

[00:08:54] Marshall Stern: Yeah. 

[00:08:54] Elle Jimeno: They ttake in everything that you say to them. 

[00:08:56] Marshall Stern: Yeah. Yeah. My son actually, so.

[00:08:58] Some different but similar. So when he was like, probably six, right? I just, let me go back. Maybe he was eight, seven, maybe he was seven. Because I had just started coaching, right? I had just actually had taken this leadership coaching certification program and they watched me again. They, you know, I'm – I was modeling, learning and doing something that I was passionate about and they saw me do this even though he was seven.

[00:09:23] And I took him to school one day and he said to me, daddy, not every leader is a good leader. He's a 7-year-old. I went, oh, interesting. Okay. Wow. Why do you say that? He goes, well, I'm going to make up the names in case these guys are watching because he's friends with them now. But he said, you know, because Joey, you know, during recess or on the playground, is the leader, but he is telling us what to do.

[00:09:52] We don't necessarily want to do it like playing around like he's the leader, right? Telling us to go here and play this game, do that. And we don't necessarily want to, but he's the leader so we, we do it. That's not a good leader, is it? 

[00:10:02] Elle Jimeno: Wow. Wow. 

[00:10:03] Marshall Stern: I went, wow. I went, wow. That, that's, that's an insight from a, I think he probably was around seven at the time.

[00:10:10] Right. On what real good leadership is. So that just reminded me of that. Because it's not, leadership's not about telling. It's same thing. Parenting. Although we do get in the habit as parents to tell our kids to do certain things. 

[00:10:23] Elle Jimeno: Yeah.  

[00:10:24] Marshall Stern: But they have to buy in. Right. And, yeah. Yeah. So tell me, if you could go, when did you start?  So how many, how long has it been since you started the business officially? 

[00:10:38] Elle Jimeno: I – officially three years, unofficially four years. 

[00:10:41] Marshall Stern: Okay. 

[00:10:42] Elle Jimeno: Since my layoff. 

[00:10:43] Marshall Stern: Right, right. So, which is the best thing that's happened to you next to, well, the kids? Obvious. Well, kids. Yeah. 

[00:10:52] Elle Jimeno: Well, before the kids happened. 

[00:10:53] Marshall Stern: That was before the kids. Yeah. 

[00:10:55] What would you say would be – you kind of alluded to some of them, but what would be the, some of the biggest challenges? Because you know, here on the Stern Truth, we talk about the real, this is like – 

[00:11:04] Elle Jimeno: Yeah.

[00:11:04] Marshall Stern: The old part, unfiltered, the good, the bad, the ugly. Tell me some of the bad, not the bad, but the challenging.

[00:11:10] You know? Some of this stuff is like, holy crap, this is… 

[00:11:13] Elle Jimeno: Where do I start? The kids on their own, they pose a plethora of challenges, first of all. It's not as easy breezy as having a schedule on your calendar, sitting down, starting your morning. It's like, this is how it's going to go. Remember I started my business when my kid was four months old.

[00:11:36] She did not get into daycare until like months, a year after, right? So I was faced with a day-to-day that had so much uncertainty. So much uncertainty. Things get thrown at you. The kid could be in a bad mood that day and you can barely get anything done. Like you basically had to go with the flow. You had to go with the flow.

[00:11:58] And I'm really speaking to a lot of mothers out there and ones that are feeling like, oh gosh, where's that fire that I had? And it's a challenge. It's not easy, but it's not impossible either. And that takes me back to, you know, good habits and a lot of discipline. It's commitment. It's saying that I'm going to do this and following through.

[00:12:30] And if it doesn't go through for whatever uncontrollable circumstance around you, a – kids, giving yourself grace to sit down and be like, you know what? I gave my best. Kid got sick today, things like that, and just giving yourself grace and be like, you know what? That was the intention. I did work towards it, but this happens, and it's not just kids.

[00:12:55] Things happen in business all the time. Different challenges arise all the time. The other week, my clients lost email access. The next day I lost email access. There are things that happen all the time, and you have to be ready to pivot. You have to be ready to pivot. And if you're going to start off on your entrepreneurial journey, you have to love the journey, love the journey, not just one day I'm going to get there, and now you're, you're waiting years, years, years to get there.

[00:13:25] Whatever there is, whatever your version of success is. But if you don't love the journey, that is going to be a very, very long journey. You – I treat my business like I'm dating. Where I'm, I'm dating myself. I'm dating my business every single day. I choose how I'm going to keep the spark alive, not far off from being in a relationship and maintaining the fire doesn't just keep burning, if not a passive thing.

[00:13:58] Marshall Stern: I know. Okay. But, okay, so what you're saying is beautiful and I agree a hundred percent. Right. And it's discipline, it's determination, it's desire. Right? I'm talking a lot about that these days, right? 

[00:14:07] Elle Jimeno: Yeah. 

[00:14:08] Marshall Stern: I had an episode on that, the three Ds and desire is critical, which you have. Okay. Because discipline is like not sexy, discipline's like, ugh. 

[00:14:17] Elle Jimeno: Oh yeah, yeah. 

[00:14:19] Marshall Stern: But if you have the desire, it's a whole lot easier. 

[00:14:22] Elle Jimeno: Yes. 

[00:14:23] Marshall Stern: It's like, it's like raising a kid. If you didn't, you have desire to be the best parent. The best mom. The best parent possible. 

[00:14:30] Elle Jimeno: Yeah. 

[00:14:31] Marshall Stern: So there's certain things that you have to be dedicated, disciplined about, determined to do for your kids, but it's a lot easier because you have that inner burning fire, that desire for them to have the best possible life and to raise these two amazing, brilliant, you know, women. Right. So, but come on. It's great. Everything you're saying, it's like, oh, so beautiful. And it's like getting up and you create your day and all this stuff. Not always easy though. 

[00:15:01] Elle Jimeno: Mm. 

[00:15:01] Marshall Stern: So what do you do? How do you navigate the constant shift of emotions?

[00:15:08] All the noise out there? Self-doubt if that comes up right. I know you said it's not easy. It's not impossible, but how do you navigate that? You talk about pivoting and navigating. How do you get through it all? 

[00:15:21] Elle Jimeno: So first off, I want to say that yes, my kids are benefiting from watching their mother do what she does as I have in my youth.

[00:15:33] You know, my mom was a, she was a manager for an airline company. She took me to work a lot. In the Philippines, it was a lot of formality. It was about going into the office and people would be like, good morning, ma'am. That's how formal it was in the Philippines. And I saw my mom go in and out of work with a smile on her face.

[00:15:53] She loved what she did. She loved the people that worked for her. She was an excellent leader. Oh, and that's where I stand for today. I get through my day to day, not just for my kids, but for me. My desire stems from something maybe you've heard of before. Maybe you haven't, but I'm okay being uncomfortable.

[00:16:18] I'm okay with discomfort, but my desire stems from how do I get out of this discomfort, how do I get to the point that this thing that I go to every single time causes me discomfort? How do I get from that discomfort to no longer being uncomfortable. And I'll give you a bit of, an example. I am a natural introvert.

[00:16:45] Natural introvert. I know it's hard to believe, but my first networking group ever, I walked in there and I walked out completely just unraveled because I just went in like, oh, I'm going to go network. Here I am, the introvert, self walking in just like, oh my gosh, what have I gotten myself into? And I was so uncomfortable.

[00:17:07] And I walked away feeling like, gosh, should I even ever do that again? But then I was like, no, I want these connections. I want to connect with other people. That's my goal. I want to have strong connections with my community. And so I kept going. I kept going. I was uncomfortable from my first session, but I kept going, going, going, going.

[00:17:32] Eventually that feeling of discomfort just went away, and I'm not saying it all of a sudden, I went one day. I'm like, you know, I'm comfortable being here anymore. No, it took a lot of practice, a lot of patience and a lot of getting to know myself as well, understanding my own boundaries and barriers into being open.

[00:17:55] With who I work with, who I interact with. But really my, what keeps me going every day is wanting so bad to get out of discomfort. I don't like discomfort so much that I work my ass off to be able to get out of that discomfort, you know? And I think that has what, that's what got me to where I am today, is the fact that when I see something that I know I'm going to be uncomfortable with.

[00:18:24] I don't back out from a challenge. Like, let me go into that. Let me get into that and make a, my cup of tea. And I'm, at the end of the day, I am going to sit here, sip on my tea, and you'll see I'm not going to be uncomfortable anymore. 

[00:18:40] Marshall Stern: Well, I love that. I love that because I always talk about, you've heard me say this before, probably we need to, well, there's a whole saying that the growth is in the, you know, there's the uncomfortable zone, there's the comfort zone. But when we step into the uncomfortable zone, that's where the growth is outside of our comfort zone. Right? So I always say we need to become comfortable being uncomfortable. 

[00:19:03] Elle Jimeno: Yes. 

[00:19:04] Marshall Stern: Which, as you were saying that, I was thinking, I was thinking maybe it's not right what I'm saying, but no, it's the same thing.

[00:19:10] It's about stepping into that and knowing, okay, I'm going to be uncomfortable, but I'm okay with that. The more you do it, the more, look, not everything you put me, I, I'm not going on a five meter diving board or platform, like at a pool. I'm scared of heights. I'm not going Right. What do you call it?

[00:19:30] You know, rock climbing or anything like that? Zip line? No, that's not for me. That's uncomfortable. Yes. Do I need to be comfortable doing that? No. Because is – am I going to grow as a person? Maybe a little bit. But is it really, the question is, is it in line with where you want to go? 

[00:19:44] Elle Jimeno: Yes. Your goals, absolutely.

[00:19:46] Your goals. If you are standing on the other side of the bridge looking at what your, where your goals are, and you're scared of heights and you're looking a hundred feet down below you, and you got across that bridge to get to your goal, is that bridge, is that height going to stop you from getting there?

[00:20:03] It's not, you're going to cross that bridge one way or another. Is it going to be with your eyes closed? Who knows it? You're going to cross it in a way that works for you. 

[00:20:13] Marshall Stern: Well, it's all about, it's all about desire. It really is. Because they said, I remember hearing in a seminar once, you know, they said, imagine you're on – you have kids.

[00:20:24] Okay. Or one kid, let's just say. And you're on one building, top of one building, the rooftop of one building. And there's the rooftop of another building, which is pretty close to each other, but it's still like four feet apart, whatever. And the building where your child is on is on fire.

[00:20:41] The only way to get them is to jump across, which is doable. It's not like, it's like impossible, whatever. But it's doable. But it's scary because it's like a 30 story building or 50 story building, right? 

[00:20:52] Elle Jimeno: Yeah. 

[00:20:52] Marshall Stern: For $5, would you do it? Actually, I screwed that up. For $5, would you jump across the building for $5?

[00:21:00] Elle Jimeno: For $5? No. That – 

[00:21:02] Marshall Stern: No. But if the building was on fire and your kid was on the top. 

[00:21:06] Elle Jimeno: You don't have to pay me. Take your, keep your $5. I'm going to make that leap. 

[00:21:10] Marshall Stern: Yeah. So it's all exactly, it's all about desire. It's all about desire. And, and the other thing you said was, which I love, and I totally agree with the talk about is everyone falls in love with the goal.

[00:21:24] Right, the destination. And there's that quote, success is a journey, not a destination, blah, blah, blah. Okay. What does that mean? Yeah. Success is a journey, not a destination. Yeah, it's true. But everyone's falling in love with the goal. Oh, I want to hit a six-figure business or seven figure business. I want to expand, I want this, I want that. I want a new house, whatever. 

[00:21:41] Elle Jimeno: Yep. 

[00:21:42] Marshall Stern: But most people don't get there. Or I want to go, I want to lose weight, I want to get fit, I want to bulk up. That's what I'm going to, I'm going to look like this in like six months or a year. 

[00:21:52] Elle Jimeno: Mm-hmm. 

[00:21:53] Marshall Stern: Problem is the journey is hard and they're not in love with the journey.

[00:21:59] Elle Jimeno: Yeah. Yeah. 

[00:22:00] Marshall Stern: So as you said, we have to fall in love with the process, fall in love with the journey, embrace it. You use the word discipline, not a sexy word, but if you really, truly want something, if the desire’s there, that's the only way for our listeners. That's the only way you're going to get there.

[00:22:16] Elle Jimeno: Absolutely. Absolutely. 

[00:22:17] Marshall Stern: It’s hard. It’s hard, hard, smart work. 

[00:22:22] Elle Jimeno: Yeah. And it's not just within your business as well. I feel like that stems life from your day-to-day life. You know, absolutely. If it is losing weight, you have to love the journey of losing weight. Okay? Are you willing to do the meal planning, you know, the di discipline to go whenever the days that you plan to schedule it in the week and just be disciplined.

[00:22:41] I feel like good habits aren't just you. Don't just take it from one part of your life and that's it, and then screw the rest. You take your good habits in every aspect of your life. And you're going to have a good life because you love the journey. You set it up into milestones. You're not just looking at like, okay, that's my goal, to make it or break it.

[00:23:02] No, I celebrate every small win or big win and that's great for me. That keeps me going. Does that mean I don't have great days? No. If I don't have great days, I own it and I say, yeah, I don't have a great day, but I don't stay there. That's the difference. That's true. A lot of people get into bad days and they just stay there or they get into a situation in life and they just stay in the hole that they dug from themselves. I can't do that. 

[00:23:33] Marshall Stern: And that's great because, you know, same thing with imposter syndrome. Okay. I always say, I always, you know, people say, oh, imposter syndrome is horrible. It's horrible. I don't think it's so bad unless you stay there. When we kind of, when imposter syndrome.

[00:23:47] Not always, but when one thing – when imposter syndrome starts to rear its ugly head, sometimes that means you are actually stepping outside of your comfort zone into you really, your growth zone, the uncomfortable, the unknown, and you're growing. But it's scary. You're, it's the – you talked about it earlier, it's the uncertainty.

[00:24:03] Elle Jimeno: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. 

[00:24:04] Marshall Stern: Right. So sometimes you might push back and say, oh, I don't know. Is this for me? Am I too young, too old, too this, too that, not experience, but if we do it. Being – having that imposter syndrome come up sometimes means that you're actually on the right path. 

[00:24:19] Elle Jimeno: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. 

[00:24:20] Marshall Stern: Right. 

[00:24:20] Elle Jimeno: I have this, this theory about imposter syndrome.

[00:24:25] And I feel like it is a perspective of who you are now as a growing individual. Leading your old self that wants to stay. Safe and comfortable. And it's this clash between the two individuals. because you're in a, when you're growing, you're in a transition in life. And there you are as a growing individual.

[00:24:50] And here you are as your old self that wants to keep safe, stay in the same space, not, you know, just not ripple any waters. And to me, I think of it as like, I close my eyes, I take out my hand. I lead myself and be like, you're going to be okay. You're going to be okay. Take my hand my friend. Let's go on this journey together.

[00:25:12] That's how I approach it because of imposter syndrome. Don't get me wrong, I felt it before, you know, when I started really feeling like, oh my gosh, wow, this is actually working out, you know? And all of a sudden there's so much going on around you. And yes, you get that moment of like freezing, of like, oh my gosh, like.

[00:25:30] What am I doing? But then in that moment of freezing and feeling like, is this really what I'm supposed to do? Am I doing the right thing? You have to take that moment to yourself. This is a moment for yourself to sit, take your hand, take your old self, and be like, let's go on this journey together.

[00:25:51] You are not alone. You are. There's your old self, your growing self. You are leading yourself out of this. And I think about it, it's like, oh my gosh, you think you're in a burning room? But guess what, here I am to help you. Let's go. Let's get out of here. 

[00:26:05] Marshall Stern: And that resonates a lot. And so, you know, you and I have been working together for a bit of time and I've been watching your growth, which has been absolutely amazing, and the stuff that you've been doing and the community you build and the connections you make. And it's interesting, you know, we're in, I don't know, 30 minutes into this chat, this episode or so, and we haven't talked about your business really that much. 

[00:26:33] And I love this conversation. I want to know a little bit more about the business too, but. It's all about, you've shared so many, I have not had to really ask you any questions because you've been sharing so many golden nuggets and so much, and I hope people are going to listen to this episode.

[00:26:46] And I'm going to push this episode out there because everything you're sharing, whether you're, a female business owner who has kids, I hate the term mom, so I'm saying it that way, right? Or a dad who has kids or just a female business owner or a male. It doesn't matter everything you're sharing.

[00:27:06] There's so much truth to it, and I, if people just listen to the insights and the golden nuggets that you are sharing, it's so powerful. It is so powerful because, and, and I shared a, ironically, so a quote I shared today, it's from someone unknown, so, but it says you can never expect to succeed if you only put work in the days you feel like it.

[00:27:32] Elle Jimeno: Yes. I 100% agree. 

[00:27:36] Marshall Stern: And I'm telling you, and I've shared this before, I I reshare this quote often. I wish I knew who said it, but it really doesn't matter. It's so true. People just think they could just flip a switch on. 

[00:27:48] Elle Jimeno: Like waiting for the right moment. 

[00:27:51] Marshall Stern: Right. 

[00:27:52] Elle Jimeno: Constantly waiting. 

[00:27:53] Marshall Stern: Constant waiting. They're on the sidelines, or they might put a little bit in here and it's like, okay, I don't feel like it, whatever. 

[00:27:58] Elle Jimeno: Or I'm going to wait until I feel better. I'm going to wait until it's the right time. I'm going to wait until things calm down. Like, I feel like there's a lot of making pillows out of excuses. I obviously, you know, I love analogies, but you know, that's a good one.

[00:28:10] I'm not a person who – a lot of people's, like, excuses upon excuses and comparison on like, this person is succeeding because they have this, you know, they were born with a simple silver spoon. They were this. But it, entrepreneurship, it's not easy, you know, and a lot of people take their excuses of why someone is doing well.

[00:28:30] They put it on their bed and they lay on it. That's where their comfort lies is that, hey, other people are doing well because they had an advantage. 

[00:28:40] Marshall Stern: Well, I really, yeah. I don't know if it's your, if it's because it's your birthday or what it is, but, but you are just on fire today. Like, seriously, I'm going to have to have you back because, what you're sharing is a personal thing.

[00:28:53] What you're sharing is about us as individuals, not businesses, right? People always say, well, what do you do? You are a business coach. You coach businesses. No, I don't. I coach and mentor people, primarily business owners. 

[00:29:06] Elle Jimeno: Mm-hmm. 

[00:29:07] Marshall Stern: It's the person, it's the – we're, we're people first. Business is second. 

[00:29:11] Elle Jimeno: Yes. 

[00:29:12] Marshall Stern: We're moms first. Dad's first. Sons, daughters, people. because that is what – business doesn't have discipline. 

[00:29:22] Elle Jimeno: No. No.

[00:29:24] Marshall Stern: Right. And you can't expect if you have employees or even subcontracts that you work with. You know, it all starts with leadership and last word, leadership is all about the vision. Right. That goal. 

[00:29:37] Elle Jimeno: Mm-hmm.

[00:29:37] Marshall Stern: But having the desire, and as you said earlier, waking up every morning internally yourself, say, okay, I've got, I've got you. Grab my hand, let's go. It's helpful to have a coach or a mentor or accountability group. Definitely surround yourself with other business owners. A hundred percent. It starts with yourself.

[00:29:59] Elle Jimeno: Totally. And then, and I just want to kind of branch off of what you said, especially as my coach, you don't just go and get a coach just because you have to be open to hearing the good, the bad, the ugly. That means if you are not holding up your part of what you say you're going to do, keeping it accountable to yourself and being comfortable with someone else holding you accountable.

[00:30:27] That's the hard part. People think you just get a coach and like, I'm going to be successful after this. No, you have to be coachable. You have to be someone that's willing to hear the good, the bad, and ugly of what you do in your day to day. And you have to take that in with the goal of being better. 

[00:30:46] Marshall Stern: Yeah.

[00:30:47] Elle Jimeno: That's, that's to me is the biggest thing. I have a big mouth. I get in trouble for it all the time, and I see things that people are uncomfortable hearing, and I don't take it personally. I don't – for me, I'm like, well, you're just not, you're still in your journey. You're not in this part of the journey yet.

[00:31:05] And I don't take that personally, but I will always be authentic and genuine in what I say, the feedback I give. And if I'm hearing the same problem over and over and over again from the same person, first off I go like this. Are we problem solving? Or are we ranting? And then we go from there. 

[00:31:23] Marshall Stern: Okay. Okay.

[00:31:23] So, so here's the thing. So I started to – okay. I started this podcast, I think our first episode was March 1st or something, right? Okay. So half a year ago. More, a little more than half a year ago. And, I think we're in month eight or something. Well, when this episode comes out, might be a little bit longer, but here's the thing.

[00:31:43] This episode is exactly why I started the podcast. This is what I wanted every single episode to be about. A conversation about the good, the bad, the ugly.

[00:31:54] Of running businesses, what holds us back, what stops us, what scares us, and how to, how to navigate around it because it's very noisy out there. So we're going to wrap it up in just a couple minutes. I'm going to have to have you back with your permission. 

[00:32:09] Elle Jimeno: Absolutely. Okay. 

[00:32:10] Marshall Stern: What would be, okay, I'm going to ask you two questions. What is – what do you think separates, I always like to ask this question so I can ask it. What do you think separates those business owners who struggle to build a business that they want from those who are building it the way they want, those who struggle from those who are succeeding or thriving?

[00:32:34] What do you think is - separates them to, one thing or one of the things that separates them? 

[00:32:39] Elle Jimeno: For me personally, you have to love problem solving because every challenge you face in your business, and that looks business, different from everybody, you have to love puzzles and problem solving and knowing.

[00:32:55] All right, okay, now we've got problem a. How, why is this happening and how can I make it better? Some people get too overwhelmed with like, oh my God, but I have so many problems going on. Take it one problem at a time. The problem's still going to be there at the end of the day. You're just going to have to figure out how you're going to navigate that. 

[00:33:15] And not one business owner's journey is the same. So you're going to have to love problem solving. For me at least. I love it. I love puzzles. That's me. 

[00:33:25] Marshall Stern: So that's sort of let's, that's going to move into our next question. What is one challenge that you have faced, part of the puzzle, right? One challenge that you have faced that you think other business owners probably faced, and, and how did you overcome that challenge?

[00:33:41] What's, or even a better yet, what's the biggest challenge you've faced, let's just say that biggest challenge you faced as a business owner? 

[00:33:47] Elle Jimeno: Oh goodness. That is a really, really hard question for me. Oh goodness. Biggest challenge as a business owner, I think it's mainly, it's mainly. How to balance your challenges as an individual in your personal life, and then stepping into your shoes as an entrepreneur and understanding, oh my gosh, this is the life I live day to day.

[00:34:17] How do I get out of that? And now be like, all right, I am an entrepreneur again. And just the transition between your day-to-day challenges as an individual, not. An entrepreneur and then stepping now into it because, all right, it's nine o'clock. If that's your start time for your business and you're ready to go, but you had, let's say the kids were crazy in the morning and you had a really rough morning or with your partner, how do you balance the emotions that go on a day to day as a normal individual to now, all right, I need to be, I need to be productive.

[00:34:52] I need to be my own leader. Like how that balance. That is still something that I'm trying to crack. It's like how to balance that, you know? And I always say this to myself, how am I today not perfect, but better? 

[00:35:09] Marshall Stern: Gosh, you're just, you're just blowing me away here, man. I mean, you're just, the stuff you're sharing is just, just incredible.

[00:35:15] That's the positive mindset and not just the positive mindset. You know, the half glass full versus half glass empty. 

[00:35:22] It's not just the positive mindset. I call it the possibility mindset. Because when you, when you speak to yourself like that, it's opening up possibilities rather than limiting ourselves.

[00:35:31] It's not just saying, I'm, I'm powerful. I'm powerful. The mantras, right? I'm good. Today's going to be a great day. It's going to be better than yesterday, but it's like, it's just opening up the possibility for what can come. 

[00:35:42] Elle Jimeno: Absolutely. And just being conscious of who you are. 

[00:35:45] Marshall Stern: Yeah. 

[00:35:45] Elle Jimeno: And your reality. Yes, everybody has bad days. But acknowledge it. Acknowledge it. It makes a difference. 

[00:35:54] Marshall Stern: It does. So really, I mean, it's all about balancing what I'm hearing from you. It's all about balancing, I call it the struggle of the juggle. So it's balancing the struggle of the juggle, whether you have kids or you don't have kids.

[00:36:05] Still everyone has a personal life. 

[00:36:08] Elle Jimeno: Totally. Totally. 

[00:36:09] Marshall Stern: Right. And it's balancing that some people have aging parents. They don't have kids, but they have aging parents. You lose people you love, friends, family, whatnot. Just stuff in the world that happens, which there's so much going on and, it's just bouncing at all and, and all the information coming at us, which is at a rapid speed that just blows our minds.

[00:36:32] Not in a good way. 

[00:36:34] Elle Jimeno: Absolutely. And I, and I will say this, if you are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur or starting that journey there, I would start here. Every structure you've come to know in your life, take a hammer and just destroy it. Because there is no structure in day-to-day entrepreneurship.

[00:36:56] There is no structure until you get to the point of stability. I would say even then, you still get, you still get challenges to get thrown at you. 

[00:37:06] Marshall Stern: Okay, so here's the thing. I'm going to have you back because we running out of time. Okay. I want to, I want people to get to know you, Ellevate Creative. 

[00:37:14] Elle Jimeno: Mm-hmm. Ah, okay. So Elevate Creative. You already know. Websites. SEO, accessibility and Funnel Marketing. But more than that. I'm launching my own podcast next month. Oh, and it's going to be called Shut the Fluff Up. 

[00:37:33] Marshall Stern: Oh gosh. Oh my God. I love that. Okay. 

[00:37:35] Elle Jimeno: Shut the Fluff Up because obviously I'm in marketing.

[00:37:38] Everything is made to look pretty. But the backend of it, the technology part is so intimidating to people. And for me, I truly do believe that knowledge is power, and I'm not afraid to share that. And I don't take marketing in a coercive or fear-mongering way. 

[00:37:58] I take it as, you know what, let's take the intimidation out of technology and let me speak to you in plain terms so you understand all this jargon, all this technological, you know, terms that are just so scary to you, and let's make it something that you will understand.

[00:38:18] And that's it. Plain and simple. That's 

[00:38:19] Marshall Stern: That’s it. Shut the Fluff Up. 

[00:38:21] Elle Jimeno: Shut the Fluff Up.

[00:38:22] Marshall Stern: I'll put the link in there and, I can't wait to listen. I can't wait to listen. So you're going to come back, that's for sure. You're going to come back and talk about that and talk about everything else. But again, I'll put all the information in the show notes.

[00:38:36] So if you guys want to just reach out to Elle, just to have a conversation with her. Like, this person is amazing as you can, as you can tell, and, just build your – she's – first of all, she's extremely skilled at what she does, but she's, but more than that, she's just a better person.

[00:38:56] She's an amazing person. So. 

[00:39:00] Elle Jimeno: Thanks for that. 

[00:39:00] Marshall Stern: Thank you all. Thank you. That's good. That's my job. So thank you. And also happy birthday. 

[00:39:07] Elle Jimeno: Thank you. Thank you for having me. Glad to be here. 

[00:39:09] Marshall Stern: So stay on for a second. I want to say goodbye to everyone else. We'll see you – Before that, share this, share this episode with any business owner, entrepreneur, or even a one Piner who you think could see this.

[00:39:24] Or maybe it's, it's a, it's someone that is – it's a mom and they're thinking maybe about doing something and they're not sure. Just share it with your community because there's so much here. That I think will help not just you, but your friends, and they will thank you for it. So. 

[00:39:40] Elle Jimeno: Also, I want to mention please, if you, if anyone here is listening and you want to chat with me about your goals, whether you have a business or not, I'm open.

[00:39:51] I'm an open book. You can reach me at Ellevate My Biz. Double Ls for Elle. DM me. That's how informal I am. Just message me and we'll chat. 

[00:40:02] Marshall Stern: Awesome. Perfect. Do it. My friends do it, but I'll get your – I'll put your information in the, in the comment section below. Alright, we'll see you again next week everyone, in another episode of the Stern Truth Business Unfiltered.

[00:40:12] Have an amazing week everyone. Bye for now.

[00:40:17] Thank you so much for tuning in to the Stern Truth. If you found today's episode helpful, we would love to hear from you. Please like, share and leave us a review. Also, if you'd like to be a guest in the upcoming episode or join us in one of our Moment Accountability Group sessions, simply email me to marshall@marshallstern.net.

[00:40:37] That's marshall@marshallstern.net. And don't forget to hit the subscribe button, so never miss an episode. Until next time, keep pushing forward and leading with confidence.