Building a Lasting Legacy: Elona Lopari's Vision for Entrepreneurs

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Entertainment Insights Don't Take Life Too Seriously

[00:00:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to Brainsky Unleashed.

[00:00:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Hello and welcome everyone to Brainsky Unleashed, yet another amazing episode.

[00:00:14] [SPEAKER_00]: Why would you expect anything less?

[00:00:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Today we have Elona Loparis joining us.

[00:00:19] [SPEAKER_00]: She is a best-selling author.

[00:00:20] [SPEAKER_00]: She is a global speaker.

[00:00:22] [SPEAKER_00]: She's a visionary.

[00:00:23] [SPEAKER_00]: She helps businesses.

[00:00:25] [SPEAKER_00]: She helps people.

[00:00:26] [SPEAKER_00]: She helps people understand the difference between just simple profitability and prosperity

[00:00:30] [SPEAKER_00]: and understanding how to make the best out of your life.

[00:00:33] [SPEAKER_00]: So I'm really happy to have her joining us today.

[00:00:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Before we jump in, of course there is something you need to do and that would be hitting the

[00:00:39] [SPEAKER_00]: subscribe button because you should hit the subscribe button before I start.

[00:00:42] [SPEAKER_00]: Why?

[00:00:43] [SPEAKER_00]: See if you hear more of this and not miss a moment of it.

[00:00:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Remember five stars leave review five stars hit subscribe.

[00:00:49] [SPEAKER_00]: All right let's begin.

[00:00:50] [SPEAKER_00]: Elona welcome to the program.

[00:00:52] [SPEAKER_01]: Thanks so much thanks for having me here.

[00:00:55] [SPEAKER_00]: I want to start off with just getting to what it is that you're primarily doing right now.

[00:01:01] [SPEAKER_00]: You have something called the life school.

[00:01:03] [SPEAKER_00]: What is that?

[00:01:05] [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I mean that's the name of my company and really stand from a moment of insight

[00:01:10] [SPEAKER_01]: and inspiration where through my personal professional life experience I realized that

[00:01:14] [SPEAKER_01]: life is just a school and entrepreneurship is like that where we are personally growing

[00:01:19] [SPEAKER_01]: but also growing our companies and the two are actually very much correlated and when

[00:01:24] [SPEAKER_01]: you have a big purpose or reason why you're doing what you're doing you believe in the

[00:01:27] [SPEAKER_01]: work you do and you're actually believing that it's contributing towards other people.

[00:01:32] [SPEAKER_01]: You're more inclined to want to build something go through the trials and errors, the challenges

[00:01:37] [SPEAKER_01]: all the things that will happen so that we grow as individuals and as a result our

[00:01:41] [SPEAKER_01]: company grows.

[00:01:42] [SPEAKER_01]: So inside our life school I help purpose driven entrepreneurs and the CELs align

[00:01:47] [SPEAKER_01]: their purpose and their profit so they could do more good in the world and again

[00:01:51] [SPEAKER_01]: create a contribution that is meaningful but it's also leaving a lasting legacy.

[00:01:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Okay, so you came over here at 15 years old your family was escaping the civil war.

[00:02:07] [SPEAKER_00]: Motivated you to go this direction because I mean when you come to America

[00:02:12] [SPEAKER_00]: America is an amazing place.

[00:02:14] [SPEAKER_00]: I love my country.

[00:02:15] [SPEAKER_00]: I've always loved my country.

[00:02:16] [SPEAKER_00]: I've been around the world.

[00:02:16] [SPEAKER_00]: I love coming back to my country.

[00:02:18] [SPEAKER_00]: You could do anything in this country.

[00:02:19] [SPEAKER_00]: What drives you to do what you do?

[00:02:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Because even in your past you had a Fortune 500 executive job and yet you left that.

[00:02:29] [SPEAKER_00]: So what is the driving factor that just pushes you every day?

[00:02:32] [SPEAKER_01]: That was just it, right?

[00:02:34] [SPEAKER_01]: So I was instilled and kind of inherited or nurtured the American dream from my parents

[00:02:42] [SPEAKER_01]: because we did escape from a civil war lack of opportunity so America always had a

[00:02:47] [SPEAKER_01]: big brand name as the country that obviously opportunities are there and you could be anything

[00:02:53] [SPEAKER_01]: they want to be.

[00:02:54] [SPEAKER_01]: That's actually the first beginning words of my dad while driving from the airport to

[00:02:59] [SPEAKER_01]: our first location which was going to be a basement because obviously

[00:03:03] [SPEAKER_01]: there are a lot of challenges within that time where my parents didn't speak the language.

[00:03:08] [SPEAKER_01]: They pretty much have to start over from experience because I never really think we start from zero anyway

[00:03:13] [SPEAKER_01]: with new jobs and all of that.

[00:03:15] [SPEAKER_01]: So I had to grow up very fast and very early on I was dictated sort of my path for my dad.

[00:03:20] [SPEAKER_01]: It's like okay, you've got to get a college degree, sure that you're studying,

[00:03:24] [SPEAKER_01]: get your degree and then you've got to get a professional job, something secure.

[00:03:28] [SPEAKER_01]: That's going to ensure that you also can build a family alongside

[00:03:32] [SPEAKER_01]: and that would be the American dream make by home and all of that.

[00:03:36] [SPEAKER_01]: So that's kind of what I did without even questioning it.

[00:03:39] [SPEAKER_01]: I guess because I was so little and those were actually the models around me.

[00:03:42] [SPEAKER_01]: So I got my bachelor's degree.

[00:03:45] [SPEAKER_01]: I climbed the corporate ladder, worked for a Fortune 500 company for 13 years

[00:03:49] [SPEAKER_01]: and I happened to be in a good spot because they were in growth mode

[00:03:52] [SPEAKER_01]: and I was always contributing adding value so I kept getting promoted every couple of years

[00:03:57] [SPEAKER_01]: until I reached all the way to the C-suite level

[00:04:00] [SPEAKER_01]: and the company was acquired by another company.

[00:04:03] [SPEAKER_01]: I really felt unfulfilled.

[00:04:04] [SPEAKER_01]: I really felt like well is this it?

[00:04:07] [SPEAKER_01]: I started questioning a lot of the things that I thought were the American dream

[00:04:11] [SPEAKER_01]: and the success that I had achieved from the outside.

[00:04:14] [SPEAKER_01]: Within kind of where I was going on the inside, I started hearing a little voice

[00:04:19] [SPEAKER_01]: this is no longer a good fit for you, there's something else on your path.

[00:04:22] [SPEAKER_01]: So that's kind of where I started on this journey of personal development

[00:04:26] [SPEAKER_01]: and also entrepreneurship showed up for me

[00:04:28] [SPEAKER_01]: because I never really had any entrepreneurs around me

[00:04:31] [SPEAKER_01]: so I didn't know this was possible.

[00:04:33] [SPEAKER_01]: However just listening to podcasts, I love podcasts

[00:04:37] [SPEAKER_01]: because this is what I use to open up my mind

[00:04:39] [SPEAKER_01]: and expose myself to a whole new world out there of entrepreneurship

[00:04:44] [SPEAKER_01]: and then I could take a lot of my experience

[00:04:46] [SPEAKER_01]: and now help other people in service

[00:04:48] [SPEAKER_01]: and I realized two things when I worked for the corporation I worked for

[00:04:53] [SPEAKER_01]: is that I was looking for meaning

[00:04:56] [SPEAKER_01]: and I was looking for fulfillment

[00:04:57] [SPEAKER_01]: and the only way to get those is if I'm always growing

[00:05:00] [SPEAKER_01]: and if I'm always contributing beyond myself.

[00:05:03] [SPEAKER_01]: So that's kind of what I said.

[00:05:05] [SPEAKER_01]: I said, okay, entrepreneurship should be the next pass

[00:05:08] [SPEAKER_01]: so I dived into the journey and fast forward

[00:05:11] [SPEAKER_01]: I've been an entrepreneur for five years.

[00:05:13] [SPEAKER_00]: And kind of reviewing your background

[00:05:15] [SPEAKER_00]: as far as all of the different things that you do

[00:05:18] [SPEAKER_00]: one of the things that I sort of keyed on to

[00:05:21] [SPEAKER_00]: is something that most businesses really struggle with.

[00:05:26] [SPEAKER_00]: You know anyone that's trying to scale they need sales

[00:05:28] [SPEAKER_00]: and so many businesses really just don't grasp how to

[00:05:32] [SPEAKER_00]: how to grow sales, how to bring on sales.

[00:05:35] [SPEAKER_00]: You have a lot of situations where business owners will try and do the sales themselves

[00:05:38] [SPEAKER_00]: which I think is a big mistake because now they're not focusing

[00:05:41] [SPEAKER_00]: you know necessarily on the function of the business

[00:05:44] [SPEAKER_00]: but now just on the selling part

[00:05:45] [SPEAKER_00]: so they could lose sight of everything else.

[00:05:47] [SPEAKER_00]: But you know one thing that you do is you sort of have this

[00:05:50] [SPEAKER_00]: you'll do it for them service

[00:05:53] [SPEAKER_00]: and so what is it that you look for

[00:05:56] [SPEAKER_00]: if you are trying to help a business

[00:05:58] [SPEAKER_00]: bring on a sales guy or a sales team

[00:06:00] [SPEAKER_00]: like what do you look for to help other businesses?

[00:06:05] [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah absolutely it's the nail lead be it right

[00:06:08] [SPEAKER_01]: because cash flow is the lifeblood of every business

[00:06:10] [SPEAKER_01]: and in order for the business to scale and grow

[00:06:13] [SPEAKER_01]: and keep you know investing in itself

[00:06:16] [SPEAKER_01]: and growing with team and all of that

[00:06:18] [SPEAKER_01]: obviously you need the cash flow piece which is so important.

[00:06:21] [SPEAKER_01]: Of course I assess wherever they are in the journey

[00:06:23] [SPEAKER_01]: because I do both offer done with you or done for you.

[00:06:26] [SPEAKER_01]: If they're looking for help with connecting

[00:06:30] [SPEAKER_01]: all the different processes in that company

[00:06:32] [SPEAKER_01]: from their marketing, their sales

[00:06:34] [SPEAKER_01]: their different systems that need to implement

[00:06:36] [SPEAKER_01]: and then growing the brand that's kind of what I do

[00:06:39] [SPEAKER_01]: because everything to me I'm a moralistic approach

[00:06:41] [SPEAKER_01]: kind of person everything connects together

[00:06:44] [SPEAKER_01]: you can have the sales aspect that processes in place

[00:06:47] [SPEAKER_01]: but you might not have the marketing so obviously

[00:06:49] [SPEAKER_01]: you don't have enough traffic of people

[00:06:51] [SPEAKER_01]: that you could be potentially talking to.

[00:06:53] [SPEAKER_01]: So wherever they are in the phase and stage of journey

[00:06:56] [SPEAKER_01]: I either will consult them to implement

[00:06:59] [SPEAKER_01]: sales processes within their company marketing

[00:07:01] [SPEAKER_01]: and sales processes based on channels that they're

[00:07:04] [SPEAKER_01]: clearly utilizing whether it's organic or paid

[00:07:06] [SPEAKER_01]: or you know be able to implement the

[00:07:09] [SPEAKER_01]: the process of their sales and then look at

[00:07:12] [SPEAKER_01]: ways to start you know hiring the right people

[00:07:16] [SPEAKER_01]: as far as the sales piece is concerned

[00:07:18] [SPEAKER_01]: wherever they are in the journey whether it's

[00:07:21] [SPEAKER_01]: you know what does that compensation look like

[00:07:23] [SPEAKER_01]: for the sales force of their hiring

[00:07:25] [SPEAKER_01]: what is the playbook for sales

[00:07:28] [SPEAKER_01]: how are they going to go out and do a lot of the things

[00:07:31] [SPEAKER_01]: that the owner probably was used to doing

[00:07:34] [SPEAKER_01]: how do we train the sales force

[00:07:36] [SPEAKER_01]: so they are you know really united around the common

[00:07:39] [SPEAKER_01]: you know vision mission they're motivated every day

[00:07:42] [SPEAKER_01]: and they're taking the activities and taking the actions

[00:07:46] [SPEAKER_01]: that are needed to be able to increase

[00:07:49] [SPEAKER_01]: their closing rates and also the

[00:07:52] [SPEAKER_01]: the sales overall so all these different gaps

[00:07:55] [SPEAKER_01]: that I see in the processes is how I help

[00:07:58] [SPEAKER_01]: offer some insight around what are some of those

[00:08:00] [SPEAKER_01]: gaps and then keeping them focused on the right priorities

[00:08:03] [SPEAKER_01]: because something as I've noticed is that

[00:08:05] [SPEAKER_01]: it's business is such a great channel

[00:08:08] [SPEAKER_01]: to be able to be very scattered and distracted

[00:08:11] [SPEAKER_01]: because there's many ways obviously for you to implement

[00:08:14] [SPEAKER_01]: different things in your journey however there is

[00:08:16] [SPEAKER_01]: fundamentals so when you have focus on the right priorities

[00:08:20] [SPEAKER_01]: that you're working for your quarter or for your

[00:08:23] [SPEAKER_01]: sponsor for your year you are definitely

[00:08:26] [SPEAKER_01]: more focused more strategic more intentional

[00:08:28] [SPEAKER_01]: and of course you're going to get a higher ROI

[00:08:31] [SPEAKER_01]: from those activities you know compared to

[00:08:35] [SPEAKER_01]: obviously doing a million things and nothing really

[00:08:38] [SPEAKER_01]: sticking or giving you the right results that you're looking for

[00:08:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Excellent so you're currently

[00:08:44] [SPEAKER_00]: you just have a new book out can you tell us about

[00:08:47] [SPEAKER_00]: the book that you just produced?

[00:08:50] [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah this has been an evolution to my journey

[00:08:52] [SPEAKER_01]: and also something that I was very strong at when I was

[00:08:55] [SPEAKER_01]: a 4 to 500 executive where I had a team of over 3500 people

[00:08:59] [SPEAKER_01]: and leadership was something that I did naturally

[00:09:03] [SPEAKER_01]: bile some battle out of training around that it's

[00:09:05] [SPEAKER_01]: one of those things that is so needed when you are looking to

[00:09:09] [SPEAKER_01]: buy back your time as a CEO and when you are now

[00:09:12] [SPEAKER_01]: looking to elevate and drive results through other people

[00:09:15] [SPEAKER_01]: you know the art and the science of leadership

[00:09:18] [SPEAKER_01]: how to continue to be that visionary for your company

[00:09:22] [SPEAKER_01]: where you are always business developing

[00:09:23] [SPEAKER_01]: but also you are leading people to be able to

[00:09:27] [SPEAKER_01]: drive the different metrics and to drive the purpose behind

[00:09:30] [SPEAKER_01]: the service that you have because I specialize in the

[00:09:33] [SPEAKER_01]: service industry so you know I wrote about

[00:09:36] [SPEAKER_01]: 7 pillars actually in the book to

[00:09:39] [SPEAKER_01]: how to now kind of shift the way that we've

[00:09:42] [SPEAKER_01]: been doing leadership from more ego driven traditional leadership

[00:09:44] [SPEAKER_01]: where it was very profit driven to more purposeful visionary

[00:09:49] [SPEAKER_01]: conscious leadership where we are you know aligning

[00:09:52] [SPEAKER_01]: though the CEO is always learning and growing the CO

[00:09:56] [SPEAKER_01]: is focusing a lot of their attention on their inner work

[00:09:59] [SPEAKER_01]: the CO is driving a healthy culture implementing

[00:10:03] [SPEAKER_01]: very healthy behaviors from their values

[00:10:06] [SPEAKER_01]: perspective vision and mission within the company

[00:10:08] [SPEAKER_01]: and this is obviously also escalating into

[00:10:11] [SPEAKER_01]: the cause beyond the service or the bigger mission behind

[00:10:16] [SPEAKER_01]: the brand and the work that people are doing so that

[00:10:18] [SPEAKER_01]: everybody is really united towards a common vision

[00:10:21] [SPEAKER_01]: and mission and purpose and to the company's always

[00:10:24] [SPEAKER_01]: in growth mode so I wrote about 7 pillars inside

[00:10:28] [SPEAKER_01]: the book that can really give leaders

[00:10:31] [SPEAKER_01]: a more pragmatist approach

[00:10:35] [SPEAKER_01]: to leadership and how they can actually apply that

[00:10:38] [SPEAKER_01]: because when you speak about purpose it sounds like a

[00:10:41] [SPEAKER_01]: woo woo sort of concept but all of this can be connected to

[00:10:44] [SPEAKER_01]: PNL numbers and profits and all the things that

[00:10:49] [SPEAKER_01]: companies mostly are looking for as they scale out

[00:10:52] [SPEAKER_00]: Would you agree with at least my belief that

[00:10:57] [SPEAKER_00]: at some point probably in the nearer future

[00:11:01] [SPEAKER_00]: than the more distant future that we're going to probably see

[00:11:04] [SPEAKER_00]: an economic or market correction

[00:11:08] [SPEAKER_00]: that will probably be fairly difficult for businesses?

[00:11:14] [SPEAKER_01]: I think a lot of old traditional structures will fall

[00:11:17] [SPEAKER_01]: and we're seeing that all over all around us

[00:11:19] [SPEAKER_01]: because obviously where we're heading you know technologies

[00:11:23] [SPEAKER_01]: here education is here awareness levels are higher

[00:11:26] [SPEAKER_01]: you know people are understanding that there is not just

[00:11:29] [SPEAKER_01]: the things they see it's also the things that

[00:11:32] [SPEAKER_01]: we feel right the energy and the other things that we can align

[00:11:36] [SPEAKER_01]: so I definitely think that we are heading into

[00:11:39] [SPEAKER_01]: more of destruction of old things even politically

[00:11:43] [SPEAKER_01]: and economically of all the structures that have

[00:11:47] [SPEAKER_01]: obviously been placed because they served people

[00:11:50] [SPEAKER_01]: for that many years or maybe they didn't right

[00:11:53] [SPEAKER_01]: I mean a lot of us are questioning a lot of old methods

[00:11:56] [SPEAKER_01]: of why you know where we kind of fed certain things

[00:12:00] [SPEAKER_01]: that program to certain ways society

[00:12:03] [SPEAKER_01]: but I'm in a positive optimist I think

[00:12:05] [SPEAKER_01]: the more information we have if people really

[00:12:08] [SPEAKER_01]: work on some of those inner stuff that we're talking about

[00:12:12] [SPEAKER_01]: we can we have fresh new eyes to look at opportunities

[00:12:15] [SPEAKER_01]: and we have fresh new eyes to innovate

[00:12:18] [SPEAKER_01]: and also look for you know things that we can do to

[00:12:21] [SPEAKER_01]: continuously improve because I do feel like society

[00:12:24] [SPEAKER_01]: is always going to evolve and I do feel like we're going to evolve

[00:12:27] [SPEAKER_01]: you know in the positive side of things

[00:12:30] [SPEAKER_01]: because looking back at history I mean everything new

[00:12:33] [SPEAKER_01]: is always scary and uncertain but that has to fall

[00:12:36] [SPEAKER_01]: before we can build new structures of things that

[00:12:38] [SPEAKER_01]: are going to support us with where we're going

[00:12:41] [SPEAKER_01]: obviously this risks with that I believe in the law of

[00:12:44] [SPEAKER_01]: polarity there's always positive and negative

[00:12:47] [SPEAKER_01]: however I think we have shown as humans that we are

[00:12:51] [SPEAKER_01]: agile and you know we always embrace opportunity

[00:12:54] [SPEAKER_01]: and everybody is going to start to look for

[00:12:57] [SPEAKER_01]: ways that they can leverage the changes and the things that are

[00:13:00] [SPEAKER_01]: in front of us for all of us so

[00:13:04] [SPEAKER_01]: being cautious about the side effects

[00:13:06] [SPEAKER_01]: I am an optimist for what's happening in the future

[00:13:10] [SPEAKER_00]: yeah the way I kind of view things

[00:13:12] [SPEAKER_00]: is that I do think that we are probably

[00:13:15] [SPEAKER_00]: facing you know something that's probably not wonderful as far as economics goes

[00:13:19] [SPEAKER_00]: but you know when you have people like yourself

[00:13:22] [SPEAKER_00]: who have

[00:13:25] [SPEAKER_00]: skillsets have talents have a background

[00:13:28] [SPEAKER_00]: to make a difference for business owners

[00:13:30] [SPEAKER_00]: for entrepreneurs for people who may not necessarily

[00:13:34] [SPEAKER_00]: even know that they are in the weeds because at the end of the day

[00:13:37] [SPEAKER_00]: we are all in the weeds in one way or another and we can't

[00:13:40] [SPEAKER_00]: see above it unless somebody else goes you know can look at it from

[00:13:43] [SPEAKER_00]: above and go hey here's where you are go this way

[00:13:45] [SPEAKER_00]: or go that way and help out and I encourage

[00:13:48] [SPEAKER_00]: my listeners to connect with you

[00:13:53] [SPEAKER_00]: and possibly reach out to you especially

[00:13:55] [SPEAKER_00]: because times will become a little bit more difficult

[00:13:57] [SPEAKER_00]: and if you've structured yourself for growth and for

[00:14:01] [SPEAKER_00]: success you can survive more difficult time

[00:14:03] [SPEAKER_00]: so it's better to do it now than wait until it's too late

[00:14:07] [SPEAKER_00]: how can people find out about you

[00:14:10] [SPEAKER_01]: thank you I agree I think as humans

[00:14:12] [SPEAKER_01]: we always when I want to wait for things that happen to us

[00:14:15] [SPEAKER_01]: and then we'll react but being more proactive would definitely be the smart way

[00:14:19] [SPEAKER_01]: to surround yourself with a good community, good people around you

[00:14:22] [SPEAKER_01]: that can support your growth I think I found out to be the most

[00:14:25] [SPEAKER_01]: important piece and not just on the profession side

[00:14:28] [SPEAKER_01]: but also on the personal side. People can find out more information

[00:14:31] [SPEAKER_01]: about me at my website at LolaTheParryCoachName.com

[00:14:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you so much for joining the program and

[00:14:38] [SPEAKER_00]: I look forward to hearing a little bit more about you

[00:14:41] [SPEAKER_00]: and how you continue to help people over time. Thank you so much.

[00:14:45] [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for having me.