How I Managed to Book 9 Trips This Year While Running 3 Businesses!

If you follow me at all (@josiefromct), then you know that my 2024 "word of the year" is EXPLORATION. I've joked a few times about it these last few months because of how much traveling I have planned which is not normal for me... getting on a plane 9 out of 12 months in 2024. I had to let it sink in and celebrate the win that this represents in my life! Come to think of it, I actually have 10 trips booked this year (2 in august!) and yet THIS level of freedom is why I work as hard as I do. 🙌🏾 

LEANING INTO LEVERAGE

It may sound cliché but there really is no secret sauce on how to achieve this. It's taken years of consistently building up my systems and work flows to get to a level where things will run just fine without me for a few days. My primary daytime focus is running the operations and marketing for the Valerie King Team in Connecticut. There is never a dull moment on our team lol, but we have two additional operations team members (my Success Team!) who I have trained extensively and who I leverage and empower much responsibility. People want to feel valued and by not utilizing their strengths or trusting them to help you more, you're actually taking away some of their motivation and possibly discouraging them from letting you know they can handle more.

Now I'm not saying to just dump all of your work on your admin/ operations team.... but train them, guide them, work with them to improve the day-to-day flow of your business. My main repeat statement to my clients lately is that "if it can be done digitally, then it can be done by someone else". Make sure you're inspecting what you're expecting from them until they can deliver at a level of service that doesn't need your continual immediate oversight. And if you're thinking that your team members are just "not those people" who will take on more, then maybe you have the wrong team members in place. 🤷🏾‍♀️

SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY

One of the other business I run (co-run) is this one... The Real Estate  Operations Institute. I'm fortunate to have Carissa Mason as my BPBF  (Business Partner Best Friend! 😂 ...It's a running joke for us lol). We  hold each other accountable and help keep each other motivated. We  meet almost every week, and sometimes multiple times in a week if  we're working on a new class or other big project. There are days when neither of us want to show up, and yet we always do because we don't want to let the other person down. But we're also honest with each other when we're in that headspace. So if it means pausing for a beat to vent or get advice before we jump into the work we need to do, then so be it. We look forward to our weekly meetings together... even though we have work to get done, we always make each other laugh and lift each other up in some way. It unintentionally serves as like a mental break from all the other chaos and busyness we're dealing with.

You're probably thinking sure it's easy to travel with two support team members. Yes- AND, ask me how many Team Owners I know that have just as much if not more support and still don't feel confident to let their team run things in their absence? 👀 You may be thinking something similar about working with Carissa- because we run the business together. Yes- AND at the end of the day, we're essentially each other's Accountability Partner. I have my set of work to do, and she has hers... and we help push each other to get all our sh*t done! Why can't you have an Accountability Partner? Who said that wasn't an option to help push and motivate you? 🤔

BEING FLEXIBLE & INTENTIONAL

And then there's business #3- that's all me!... A Leveraged Life. This is where I run my coaching and consulting platform. I don't personally have an admin or a VA... just me. When I get hired to create a website or do a full Rebrand, or booked for a Strategy Session, it's all me. What I have earned and what I embrace is the power of NO. I get to choose my schedule and what work I am comfortable to take on. I get to choose when I put a freeze on accepting new clients or not. There are definitely weeks when I over-commit myself... and I'm not someone who will under-deliver. If I know I have another trip coming soon or a lot of projects happening at the same time, then maybe it means several extra late nights for a couple of weeks and working on my weekends. Oh yes that- I am very protective of my weekends and keeping time to decompress, and I will only work if I absolutely have to or if I have a random surge of creative energy and choose to get ahead on a project.

One of my favorite pieces of advice from an old mentor is that "you can do anything temporarily". I use that mantra often in the times I have stretched myself thin and have a lot of deadlines to meet. "It's ok... it will be ok, you can do anything temporarily." Take some deep breaths, then dive back in to what needs to be done. Being intentional with my time, with my schedule, and having clarity on my priorities is what has allowed me to take the trips and enjoy the time away. I'm never 100% unplugged from all the businesses... I always tell them I'm a call or text away if needed... but because I surround myself with the right people and right types of support, they very rarely will reach out to me unless it's urgent or sometimes to say hi and tell me to NOT be checking messages. 🙈

DO THE 'WORK' THAT BRINGS YOU JOY

On the one hand, I've been transparent that this year has started off rough for me (if you read our March Blog then you got a good glimpse into why). And yet on the other hand, I feel blessed and thankful everyday to work in an industry where I can make my own schedule and take the time I need to heal,  recoup, and focus a lot more on me than I normally would. Not every trip this year is to go on "vacation"; several are work-related, but because I love what I do, those don't feel like "work" half the time either! I get to mastermind and network and just hangout with some of my favorite agent colleagues across the country. Whenever I travel, I always leave more fulfilled than when I first arrived. As I journey through 2024, it's not just a year of travel explorations but personal explorations too. I'm working on rediscovering myself, regaining my peace, and adjusting to my new norm.

Yea, I know... I am a bit of a work-a-holic (I definitely never said it was "easy" running all this lol)... but remember the point is that I get to choose... YOU get to choose. And lastly, my most important message and takeaway for you today, is to choose you... choose what makes you happy and brings you joy. Bust your butt when you're "on" at work, so that you can reap the rewards of your efforts later- in whatever way you choose.

P.S. For those itching to know, here you go, my 2024 travel line up:

1. Jan- Mexico to celebrate my 40th!
2. Feb- Las Vegas for KW's Family Reunion Conference
3. Mar- Nashville,TN when I got to meet John C Maxwell 🥰
4. Apr- Indianapolis, IN for the annual Elevate Conference run by James Shaw
5. May- off to Sonoma in Cali! 🍷🍇
6. July- overdue vacation to visit my mom in GA
7. early Aug- Virginia Beach for an actual family reunion lol
8. end of Aug- back to GA for a wedding
9. Nov- FL for annual Advance Conference (Business Planning Clinic) run by James Shaw
10. Dec holiday break- ARUBA to celebrate my bestie's 40th!! 🎉

Even more exciting to me, guess how many of these places are FIRSTS for me this year?! 🤗

Author: Josie Ambroise