Consider life has always been uncertain, in constant transition, and constantly changing.

However, with the global pandemic, stock market crash, closed schools, banned travel, and cities or countries going into lock down mode with physical distancing, life's uncertainty is now in your face. It's difficult to go anywhere, do anything, or talk with someone without  touching on this topic of how you're faring in these uncertain times.

Institutions and systems from which humans have operated are no longer relevant as old models are breaking down and new models are already in motion to set the new norm for the next decade. 

Yet, now more than ever, is the perfect time to rise up and start to examine within yourself of what matters. 

Here are 3 steps to transform crisis into opportunity. 

1. Assess How You are Dealing with Fear 
There are four ways human beings typically face fear. None of them are better or worse, just different variations of response. Typically we can relate to more than one response.

In the last two weeks, which of the following responses did you experience? 

Fight: People who fight might be fighting reality by denying there's any problem, talking about how people are freaking out unnecessarily, and maybe even making it known that this is all temporary. You might fight the facts by turning off the news, or not bothering to research the numbers and data, and just call all of it fear mongering without preparing for the long term future. 

The other way to fight is literally on the ground, providing relief and aid to hospitals, school lunches, doing food drop offs and more. You are exhausted by the end of the day but keep fighting through it,  living in the short term telling yourself, I'll make it. I can survive this.

Flight: You take all the news to heart, paying heed, and reacting to the situation by running away, overstocking on supplies or masks just in case, with your attention mostly on you and your family needs, feeling panic, and maybe even getting sick from the stress. You prepare and are upset with anyone who doesn't prepare the way you have.

When you talk with others, you might even spread the fear emotionally. But you can't help it, you're in panic mode.

Freeze: You are stunned by what's happening and continue to watch and observe taking no new action. You simply wait it out trying to survive the situation. You suffer silently and are not in communication.  You don't seek answers, new actions, and simply  watch everything around you. This too shall pass, expecting things to go their normal way hopefully in a few weeks. 

Flow: You feel afraid and face it by realizing the magnitude of impact of what's happening and immediately start preparing life for the short and long term. Yes, you're human and still have emotions to manage from others around you and within, and you keep allowing fear to be without trying to deny, fix, or indulge in it. Your are clear this is the opportunity of a lifetime to leverage as a leader who will stay calm in the eye of the storm and take actions now for both the short and long term. 

Now, honestly assess yourself in the last two weeks.

Did you fight, flight, freeze, or flow? Perhaps a mixture of all of them or some of them. 

Ask yourself is that the response you want?  Be sure to acknowledge and have compassion for yourself and your response.  This will help bring your consciousness or self-awareness up a notch.

If not, what kind of response do you want and what are new actions you can take to align with that response?

2. Take new action. 

While no one has a crystal ball, the data from World Health Organization is pointing to that this new normal will last for another 4 months optimistically if not 18 months to 2 years realistically. Don't bury your head in the sand.

Some possible actions as a business owner or entrepreneur might include:

• Be in much more communication than normal. Consider we are in a time warp, where one day feels like one week which means you are either going to be leveraging that or letting it pass by. Call, not mass email, all your existing clients and be there for them. Listen for what they need, ask questions, and take notes. 
• Based on what you hear, reframe or repackage what you were selling IF it no longer applies to the concerns of today. You may not need to create something new at this time--instead, you might just pivot your messaging, grounded in what you offer, to what people need today.
• Stop operating alone as you were. Yes, you may have to cut costs, employees, contractors, or new projects. However, now is the time to collaborate with trusted partners to rise together. 

3. Embody certainty through magnifying your presence offline first, then online.
People follow confidence and flow towards certainty. Now is your time to shine. 

Yes, you'll need to quickly determine what you are now offering, package, price, and market those offerings.

More importantly, you'll need to create your daily practices to stay grounded and embody the confidence of your new direction.  By focusing first on your day to day energy management and double downing on your own well-being, this will be the natural fuel for you to shine from the inside out to develop strength and courage for reframing your business to then sell online. 

Here are a few ways to ground yourself day to day while physical distancing: 

• Create a morning ritual. What is the one thing that nourishes your soul?  That is like an energy shower, clearing out toxic energy, emotions, and thoughts? It might be walking in nature, or taking 1 minute of deep breathing. Make it something small and inspiring that you can stay consistent with for at least 7 days in a row. 
• After 7 days, pick a new action or extend doing the same one thing that nourishes your soul to 21 days. 
• Mindful eating. Every meal, do nothing else. Just breathe and eat, allowing yourself to be. Before eating, think about how your meal started from seeds in the earth, becoming produce, which then got harvested, sent to sold, shipped to a grocery store, for you to then prepare. Be grateful how many hands your food touched to be on your table. Then Focus on chewing 30x before swallowing. 
• Focus your mind's awareness on your core while you talk and engage in normal activity. This is very difficult and requires super grounded energy. You can practice just be placing an object in front of you. Focus your attention on that object. Now, shift your attention on your body--notice and feel the difference. Now focus your attention on both your body and the object. This is called embodiment and an ideal state that allows you to stay grounded in your values, versus wrapped up in the agenda of what's around you whether that be the news, another person's mood, or work deadlines. 

Now is Your Time
If you picture fear and uncertainty like a huge tsunami wave, instead of fighting, running away, or freezing--what if you could surf the wave? What would that look like? What would be required of you to become to ride the wave?

This requires FACING the fear and utilizing that energy to flow above the noise and ultimately turn this time into the biggest opportunity where you look back and think, "Wow, that was worth my time." Inquiring into and meditating on that question is a healthy way to channel all the energy arising from uncertainty, that can unlock your brain's creative potential. 

You have a choice. Crisis is merely accelerating the next 6 weeks as a hyper window of opportunity. What might normally take years to dismantle as far as old institutional models are suddenly broken overnight as new models for business, schools, home life are now emerging creating the next billion dollar industries of our time. 

While you cannot control your environment or what's outside of you, you can focus on creating certainty in yourself through facing your fear, choosing to flow, taking new actions, and embodiment by being present and grounded.

This will create resiliency and trust in yourself to adapt to a life that was always uncertain and unknown. Every time you make that choice, you become the leader this world  needs now more than ever. What makes this crisis an opportunity is how many chances you get to keep choosing to face the fear collectively and within--and instead, embody your values in co-creating a new future and a new decade on our planet earth. 

Immunity is a hot topic now! 

Whether it's because of the flu season, allergies, or global epidemics, the strength of your immune system has become the focus for many. 

Here are 4 ways to boost your immunity and enhance its power:
 
1. Smile. Did you know in one study, one smile can generate the same level of brain stimulation as receiving $25,000 in cash or eating 16,000 bars of chocolate? See the Hidden Power of Smiling TED talk here. 

2. Supercharge: Do Sleeping Tiger or Intestinals exercise (start at 9:40 min). In preparation for allergies and during this global epidemic, I'm doing Sleeping Tiger 20 minutes every day to supercharge and accumulate core energy, which raises my body temperature by 1 degree boosting white blood cell counts, circulating blood and oxygen more effectively to clear toxins out as well as 1000 intestinals. I recommend you just start doing 100. 

3. Embrace Stress. Stop trying to get to a state of low stress. Instead, find your rhythm when it comes to stress. Short-term stress can actually strengthen your immune system if you give yourself time to rest and relax! Then you can recharge your energy and get ready for tomorrow's challenges.
 
4. Be Selfish. Own your needs and desires, but don't let them rule you. By being a little selfish with what you need, you can develop ownership over your desires. Then, at critical moments, you won't be overwhelmed by them. Watch the video below to learn how to be selfish, and help boost your immunity by feeding your brain healthy news. 

​I'd love to hear how focusing your energy and cultivating your energy management will help you stay happier, healthier, and stronger. Please feel free to comment below! 

My overachieving clients often tell me that at the end of the day, they feel unaccomplished and behind. Often this means they work later, or harder, and longer often at the cost of their long term well-being and quality of life.

Generally, conscious entrepreneurs are surrounded by a hustle and grind culture that is unsustainable, toxic, and bankrupt. When you treat your brain like a machine that can process non-stop 24/7, mistaking adrenaline as focus using arbitrary deadlines to accomplish more--you may now feel more efficient producing more in less time; however, consider your brain and body are getting fried.

You cannot treat your brain like a 24/7 machine, it actually needs to rest. This is where rest becomes your most productive action to take. And where effectiveness trumps efficiency. In fact, efficiency could now be added to the list of your greatest detractor.

Why Energy Management Matters More
What if you could instead, have the willpower to stop, breathe, and go offline for long stretches to tackle bigger projects? What if you lived your life as a series of intentional moments that fulfilled the essence of why you are alive, no matter what action you were taking? What if every action was sacred? As you ground yourself, your actions will become more effective, constantly cutting out what’s wasted energy and leaving room for planning intentional moments.

Here are 3 key energy hacks that I share with my clients and students on how to redirect their energy 

1.   Make a Space Where You are Pulled to Focus Naturally

Choose an empty boring environment that naturally allows you to focus with no interruptions from family, kids, clients, apps, laundry, etc. By creating this non distracting space, you can really tackle important, non-urgent projects that require deeper thought.

For example, once a month, some of my clients attend a Shut up and Write session at a co-working space. They go into a room, say what they are going to work on, then shut up and write—whether it’s a newsletter, blog, paper, or any project you might put off.

They are amazed how simple and powerfully effective this is in a short period of time. No distractions plus the added peer accountability knowing you have to report out by the end if you did what you said you would at the start.  

2.     Create a template calendar week that nourishes your soul.  

I often train my students to block in all your recharge periods each day, week, quarter and year first in their calendar system. It is super critical for my clients to know when they get to rest. Rest is productivity, so for overachievers, this is equally if not more critical than doing the work itself.  

For example, I have spiritual time and exercises everyday for 1.5 hours first thing in the morning and in the evening. I do a longer personal retreat Sunday mornings, and quarterly take a trip, and annually take a week long trip alone to recharge.

Schedule into your calendar EVERYTHING (including all well-being like sleeping and eating). Set these actions to run on repeat weekly. One pitfall of time blocking is not putting everything on it. Like commuting, transition or buffer time, eating, etc. It’s all or nothing. If you only put half the things you are actually doing, you won’t trust your calendar because there will be daily breakdowns. In fact, you’ll write off time blocking like it won’t work. You have to find what will work for you.

NEVER pack your day to the hilt. Leave at least 2 hours of buffer time to manage breakdowns and the unexpected which inevitably will come. If they magically don’t, great! You just earned 2 hours of fun time.

3. Do What You Resist And Moves Your Business Forward First
Get it over with. Then you can go outside and play or spend time with your family as a reward. You must plan cycles of focus and recharge, rest, and relaxation like charging up your battery rather than force your brain to “run on the treadmill” 24/7—constantly making it work.

My clients have learned some of the following techniques to support them in accomplishing that one big thing each day.

a.    Remove any stimulus or distraction. Turn off your phone or put in on silent altogether
b.    Play the right kind of baroque music that helps your brain waves relax into a more focused yet relaxed state.
c.   Each day when you plan your day, limit yourself to the top 5 most important things to accomplish. Don’t work on #2 until #1 is done. Then you’ll know when you’re done for the day rather than continue to keep tackling the never ending to-do list.

The Bottom Line
Remember, it takes time to build the habits above. Once you start seeing the results and fulfillment, you’ll trust yourself and your calendar more and more.  Creating your calendar by prioritizing what recharges your first, followed by all the meetings you have with others will not only be more effective, it will be fulfilling, allowing you to stay in flow.

While most humans live and relate to time like it controls them, consider life is a string of moments. You only have so many moments left--how do you want to create each moment?

You have the opportunity to transform your level of consciousness in planning out your time, by focusing first on your energy management. Create your calendar from the inside out, and experience accomplishing what matters most with grace and ease. Discover the freedom in discipline and self-imposed limits of distraction.

Not only will your mind, body, and heart be happier, you’ll create the impact you were meant to make on the world with your business.  

***
​Anna S. Choi, Conscious Business Coach, empowers the next generation of conscious entrepreneurs to unleash their brilliance, attract more clients, and scale their impact. As a broke art major with zero experience, connections, or knowledge she started her first conscious wealth management business, InsideOut Investing. By age 25, Anna was able to triple her net income and gross six figures. Now she helps her clients do the same by clarifying their vision, leveraging their genius, and executing strategic marketing plans. If you're interested in gaining focus, energy, and inspired action in a like-minded conscious entrepreneur community, learn more at www.annasunchoi.com.

As a conscious entrepreneur, you often need to get something important, but not urgent, done. You might be familiar with using a reward or punishment system--sometimes called the “carrot or the stick” in the analogy of riding a donkey to get it to do what you want. This might look like creating an artificial thread where there will be a consequence if you don’t do something with a deadline or accountability partner you don’t want to look bad by saying you didn’t do something.  Or you might entice the brain with a reward system for getting something done.

Unfortunately, your brain is wired for what Psychologist Rick Hanson terms a “negativity bias” where early ancestors evolved brain structures that allowed them to make three key mistakes to overestimate threats, underestimate opportunities, and underestimate resources.

Ever notice how you self-sabotage an opportunity right at the last minute because it’s uncomfortable, and your ego does not want to lose and flares up even more of why it’s a bad idea to take that action that deep down we know is important.

Here are 5 secret powers to master your mindset so you can become a ninja with whatever distractions come your way, helping your brain stay present amid any chaos.

Secret 1: The Power of One

Did you know you might be multitasking without even being aware of it?

Multi-tasking can be defined in three ways.  It can mean

1. Performing two or more tasks simultaneously,
2. Switching back and forth from one thing to another, or
3. Performing a number of tasks in rapid succession.

Given the broader definition of multi-tasking, it begs the question--who isn’t multitasking all the time?
You could simply be getting interrupted (either by your thoughts or your environment) and that is technically by this definition, multi-tasking.

A recent study of tech workers show that it took an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds for their brain to get back on task when interrupted. Most workers were getting interrupted every three minutes--by themselves! They would suddenly buy something online or look something up. Even if you grouped interruptions by theme (a phone call or word doc or looking something up that is all related to the same task at hand) workers were still interrupted on average every 10 minutes.

Interestingly enough, if you anticipated the interruptions, workers worked faster to get something done but it was at the cost of higher levels of stress, frustration, mental effort and feeling of time pressure and mental overload.

What happens in your brain when you multitask? According to researchers Meyer, Evans, and Rubinstein, your brain’s executive control process works harder by having the brain “goal shift” (when you decide to do one thing instead of another) and “role activation” (when the brain changes rules of the previous task to rules for the new task).

These days, it would be easy to multi-task JUST SITTING THERE NOT WORKING ON ANYTHING.

Imagine sitting in front of your laptop. Boom. Your browser’s bookmarks, phone notifications, apps, or alarms start pinging at you. Your kid says “Mama!” You haven’t even tried to start something and already, you are multitasking.

That is why more than ever before, focusing on ONE thing at a time is a secret power worth cultivating. That is the Power of One.

The Power of One can be applied in your business on a broader scale as well. One niche, one offering, or one marketing strategy.

Easier said than done. The best way to discover this power (or anything!) is through action. Now it’s your turn.

Challenge:

1. Grab a paper. Brain dump a list of everything you can think of to get done.
2. Cross off anything too big or too small. Something that takes about 5 days.
3. Now choose. Circle the one thing that would have the highest impact that you have been procrastinating. This is where you get to practice the Power of One right now--by choosing just ONE THING to get done over 5 days.

Here are further resources on how multitasking affects productivity and brain health and Workers Interrupted: The Cost of Task Switching.

Now that you’ve picked your one thing you want to accomplish, it’s time to plan for it by breaking it down into smaller chunks.

Secret 2: The Power of Planning
Planning is to design or map out something to be made or build. Planning helps your brain break down big tasks into smaller bits that look easier to accomplish, lowering stress levels and increasing motivation.

Breaking down a task into smaller steps or “chunking” allows you to carve a path in a dark tunnel and see the light at the end, rather than let yourself get overwhelmed. For example, if you want to run a 26.2 mile marathon, the key is to take it one step at a time.

However, all too often in business, we don’t take the time to learn what are the steps to win the race. In fact, we likely just maybe think about the race, then get overwhelmed at the thought of the race, think “I can’t do that!” and push the race off.

The Power of Planning is a critical skill for entrepreneurs at any stage given they often find themselves having no idea what they are doing--but going after it anyway.

Let’s practice building this long term habit now.

Challenge:

1. Break down that one thing you are focusing on into four chunks over the next four days using the suggested tips below.
2. Then take action on the first step.
3. Notice how you feel after you complete that first step. Ask yourself “How do I feel?” and answer yourself with one emotion.

Here are a few tips on how to chunk something big into four smaller steps.

Depending on the size of your one thing to get done, you might need to break it down into categories, phases, stages, or steps first.

• Draw a square with a cross in the middle. Or draw four rectangles in a row. Then put the 4 biggest categories that one thing breaks down into. This method particularly appeals and works well with visual or kinesthetic learners.
• If that doesn’t work, bust out your sticky notes (or if need be a blank piece of paper and mind map with circles) all the steps and actions required to accomplish that one thing.
• Take off any item that’s unnecessary to accomplish the goal. Then group the remaining items on your list into four categories.

Being self-aware or observing yourself as you take these actions is critical to cultivating this Power of Planning as a long term habit. Don’t judge your thoughts or emotions. Simply notice them.

Secret 3: The Power of Resistance

Now that you have focused on one thing, planned the steps to accomplish your one thing, you’ll might face some resistance at this point.

What you resist persists.

Resistance never goes away, and it’s best to let it in then reject it at your door. You must make friends with resistance to have any shot of taking action in the face of resistance. You must prepare for the unexpected.

This is what makes resistance so powerful.  

Rather than look at resistance as negative or your enemy, resistance can be a powerful ally, teacher, or guide.
Consider resistance is your access to action. Resistance is what points you to a bigger pattern.  Because we are designed in fight, flight, or freeze mode, resistance can reveal to you what you really want if you learn how to read your own resistance.

The moment you notice resisting, ask your heart “What am I resisting? What is the threat?” Sense if there is any body sensation or pain in your body, and if so, breathe into that area of pain or discomfort. Don’t ask your brain which will come up with a delightful number of reasons. Ask your heart within, and be surprised or delighted by what you hear from your inner wisdom. It’s usually a quiet wisdom that’s short and sweet. If you can only a long, rambly, defensive thoughts--that’s just your brain in fear.

The more you can learn to treat resistance as a powerful guide for discovering what you really want, the greater chance you give yourself to break through a pattern that normally stops you.

Whenever you tackle something important that you’ve been resisting (avoiding and procrastinating) you can face our resistance head on. The trick is to expect resistance. Then be pleasantly surprised resistance doesn’t show up!
While you expect it’ll never go to plan, you still plan then prepare for resistance. That is the mindset necessary to develop the power of resistance.

Challenge:

1. Make a list of all the ways you resist.
2. Take action two of four to accomplish your one thing.
3. As you take action two, notice what forms of resistance show up. Whether positive or negative, just notice all your thoughts as you take your next action.
   
   

The key part in this challenge is how you respond. Simply notice what comes up. Don’t judge. Or judge yourself for judging. Just choose to bring yourself back to taking the action you said you would do.

The more you can tap into the power of resistance by expecting it, noticing it, accepting it the way it shows up or not, and choose to keep taking action--the more power you will have. You will discover resistance is your access to accomplishment.

Secret 4: The Power of 100%

When you no longer have resistance, what’s left is flow. Flow allows you to tap into the next power of 100%. This means bringing 100% of your full attention, focus, and energy to whatever task is at hand.

Think of a baby. They are mesmerizing and bring out the light in humans because they are 100% present--experiencing life to its fullest with no filters, past memories, or future worries. Babies are simply present in the here and now.

You have that same attractive, bright quality when you bring 100% presence. It sharpens your ability to generate and focus your mindset at any time. It’s distinct from forcing something to happen. Rather you observe your thoughts and emotions as you act--without good or bad judgements. You generate your beingness and create each moment.

Acceptance of the current moment will often naturally have you develop your ability to be 100% present. How many times during the day do you have racing thoughts and distractions?

A lot. Than that’s a lot of opportunities for you to practice being 100% present.

Challenge

1. Time yourself taking the next action towards your “one thing” you want to get accomplished bringing the power of 100%. Notice what thoughts, feelings, or emotions arise and continue bringing 100% presence.
2. Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10. Be authentic about your rating. 1=checked out, lost in thoughts, identifying with thoughts and feelings, or don’t remember the experience, numb to any feelings. 10 = super present like experiencing something for the first time, fully present,  allowing judgments, thoughts and emotions to flow through, while continuing to stay focused on the task at hand
3. Write down what you learned from observing myself bringing the power of 100%. It’s critical you write it down or say it out loud for your brain to process it.

Secret 5: The Power of Acknowledgment

Acknowledgement has two definitions. The first definition is acceptance and recognition. The second is the action of expressing or displaying gratitude or appreciation for something.

History provides many powerful examples of the first definition of acknowledgment. Many local Native American tribes where I live are still fighting for being acknowledged, or recognized, as a tribe of the First Nations with the US Government to receive reparations. Likewise, Korea is still fighting for Japan’s acknowledgment of how history is taught to Japanese students regarding the forced Japanese colonization of Korea in 1910-1945.

The second definition of acknowledgment is expressing or displaying gratitude. For example, each night my family does a bedtime ritual called “Acknowledgements.” We go around and acknowledge one another and then acknowledge ourselves. This powerful practice not only ensures a deep sleep, it builds a mindset to notice or acknowledge what’s been accomplished and lets your brain know what’s important.   

In business, both definitions are critical to build as a mindset habit. I had a client who after 6 years, landed her first diversity inclusion client. She was so focused on what was next and what wasn’t working I literally had to point out the victory of it before she was even aware it had happened!! First she had to accept and recognize what happened. Next, she could then display gratitude and appreciation through celebration.

It’s too easy as entrepreneurs to rush to the next accomplishment without taking any stock of the victory of accomplishments along the way (no matter how small or big). The power of acknowledgement is as critical as profiting in your business when in comes to sustainable ROI of money, mind, heart, and spirit.  

Challenge

Make a list of all the ways you can acknowledge yourself. Here are some ideas to you get you started: Simply declare out loud “I did it!” Pat yourself on the back. Go out for dinner. Give a toast. Reward yourself by taking a walk. Go share what you accomplished with somebody.

Summary

By utilizing the Powers of One, Planning, Resistance, 100%, and Acknowledgement--you’ll be able to navigate more smoothly through challenging waters, rolling with the waves than fighting against them. The little time you take to take on these challenges will pay deep dividends not just for your pocketbook but for your mind, body, heart, and spirit in the long term.
Share with us what you learn in doing these challenges or comment on what you learned below.

******************
​Anna S. Choi, Conscious Business Coach, empowers the next generation of conscious entrepreneurs to unleash their brilliance, attract more clients, and scale their impact. As a broke art major with zero experience, connections, or knowledge she started her first conscious wealth management business, InsideOut Investing. By age 25, Anna was able to triple her net income and gross six figures. Now she helps her clients do the same by clarifying their vision, leveraging their genius, and executing strategic marketing plans. If you're interested in gaining focus, energy, and inspired action in a like-minded conscious entrepreneur community, learn more at www.annasunchoi.com.
​

Right now, many investors and social impact incubators assume social enterprises, conscious companies, and mission-driven startups need outside funding. The question of when and how to fund each enterprise drives the existing paradigm that assumes all conscious businesses need or want outside funding.
​
Within this assumption, the main question is often whether or not a social enterprise is ready for funding. But are we asking the right question -- do all social enterprises actually need outside funding to begin with?
To answer this question, let’s turn to the largest, most-overlooked sector in business -- the microbusiness.

The Forgotten Microbusiness: A Game Changer for Wealth Creation
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a staggering 92 percent of U.S. businesses are microbusinesses -- defined as a business with one to five employees, counting the owner.
Despite this vast majority, many investors assume that all startups want to be the next household brand. Therefore, funding is required to build and hire the right team to eventually exit the business with a sale, acquisition, or initial public offering, and 10x the investor’s return. This is where the current funding paradigm falls short.

Microbusinesses (which studies show are mostly comprised of young people, women, and/or minorities) often don’t want to exit. They may not even want a team. They want the income and freedom that allows them to spend time with their family or travel. They are far away from the typical startup founder spending hours and hours hustling to make the next do-or-die round of funding.

What’s Possible Inside this Missed Opportunity
As a business coach who works with conscious, mission-driven microbusinesses and solopreneurs, my market research shows that the vast majority of microbusinesses aren’t built with an exit strategy in mind. Instead, these microbusiness owners are building what’s sometimes referred to as a “lifestyle business.” Their end goal is more freedom to be with their family and friends, enjoy their favorite hobby, travel, and give back.

The current funding paradigm isn’t designed for this. You would never see an investor put their money on a microbusiness that plans to stay a microbusiness. They would assume there was no potential for growth. But this is untrue.

Many microbusinesses are, in fact, making anywhere from $10,000 to $200,000 per month with zero employees and just a handful of contractors. Most of them were self-funded. No, they aren’t trust fund babies, or former Microsoft employees who had their stocks go public. They were people with no money, perhaps even living off credit cards, who were able to build successful businesses without outside funding.

Why the Current Funding-Focused Model of Business Growth Is Broken

Having been an Office Hours Mentor for Social Enterprise Alliance and the current Chair for Social Enterprise Alliance, Washington state, I have been surprised to find how many entrepreneurs lack basic business fundamentals. Even when they secure funding from winning a contest or an incubator, they often lose that money because of poor decisions, due to a lack of business skills or inadequate market research. For example, one social enterprise secured $50,000 in government funding, then found there was no market and their model wouldn’t work, after spending all the money. Another social enterprise secured $60,000 and was featured on several major news outlets. The owner confided to me that even before their launch, they ran out of money by hiring expensive professionals for branding and are almost through their savings.

Funding alone is not the answer. Investing money in a business concept that has yet to be tested, or in hiring a team to 10x scale growth quickly doesn’t address the underlying issue. When the owners of the business lack business fundamentals that cause them to make basic mistakes in market research, sales, hiring, or negotiating deals, you must address the source of the failure.

A New Model for Entrepreneurial Success
The solution to these issues is to invest in the growth of the entrepreneur, not the growth of the business. This can be accomplished by building proven, scaleable business accelerators -- created by experienced, successful entrepreneurs with demonstrated, repeatable results from their students.

Accelerator programs range from six weeks up to a year, averaging around eight- to ten-weeks. Quality, trusted accelerator beginner programs cost anywhere from $997-$1970 per entrepreneur. Advanced accelerators can cost anywhere from $2500-$15,000.  Instead of being funded by investors, these programs are typically paid for by the entrepreneurs themselves, using credit cards, short-term personal loans, or bootstrap funding generated by early paying customers. Accelerator formats include online training, local, in-person training, group coaching by phone or video conference, or a hybrid of all three. Each accelerator typically focuses on a particular area of business expertise such as marketing, money management, or building an online course.

For example, my Client Accelerator for Conscious Entrepreneurs is an eight-week hybrid program, consisting of online training, group coaching, and a Facebook community. It’s focused on helping entrepreneurs attract more clients through creating and executing a strategic marketing plan, customized to an entrepreneur’s unique strengths, passions, budget, and target market.

Tailored to the conscious microbusiness and lifestyle solopreneur, this accelerator follows six modules covering business fundamentals focused on vision and values, offering and niche clarification, leveraging networks, determining marketing strategies, creating key performance indicators, messaging, and creating structures for success.

Learning these business fundamentals helps to scale a conscious company’s quadruple bottom line of people, planet, profit, and presence. Here are some of my student’s results:

Chris Anibarro, Founder of Impact Consultancy, helps nonprofit and government leaders and teams elevate their performance by teaching them how to apply systems and mindsets to continuously improve. Three times he tried, on his own, to start a consulting business. In his best year, he generated $10,000 in gross revenue. Within twelve weeks of starting to implement the fundamentals from the Client Accelerator program, he secured $100K in contract work, enough to quit his nearly six figure nine-to-five job. Two years later, he’s consistently averaging a gross of $30K per month.

Mac J Web is a digital marketing agency serving ecommerce businesses. Before starting the Client Accelerator, the owner was barely making it month to month, with no retainers, one year into the business. In less than twelve weeks as part of the Client Accelerator, she gained the confidence to secure a $50K private contract plus a $2K per month retainer, along with picking up four other monthly retainers.

Karen King, a former organizational leadership trainer, had a brilliant 20-page business plan, six years of procrastination, and spent $4,000 per month on hiring professionals. She never went after her passion of diversity and inclusion training, thinking she had to stick with what paid the bills but was not her passion. After starting The Client Accelerator for Conscious Entrepreneurs, she got on the phone and started selling. During her Client Accelerator, she gained the confidence and faith to go after her real passion of diversity and inclusion training, narrowed down her niche to media producers, busted through her procrastination, got on the phone, made sales, and secured her first diversity inclusion client with a major Canadian network.

The Future and Now What
The accelerator solution is simple -- maybe even common sense. But what can make it innovative is integrating this working model with existing institutions, organizations, and government agencies.
The sectors of nonprofits, government, academic, and private investors need to collaborate. Government and private funders could invest in providing scholarships to already proven accelerator models versus trying to fund social entrepreneurs directly. Other sectors should ask questions of those already serving this market with accelerators and ask them what innovative solutions across sectors would allow better collaboration.
But, first things first. Acknowledge the limits of the current funding-driven paradigm and focus on a learning-driven model of conscious entrepreneurs mastering business fundamentals. Then, help all sectors better collaborate by funding proven business accelerator models.

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Anna S. Choi, Conscious Business Coach, empowers the next generation of conscious entrepreneurs to unleash their brilliance, attract more clients, and scale their impact. As a broke art major with zero experience, connections, or knowledge she started her first conscious wealth management business, InsideOut Investing. By age 25, Anna was able to triple her net income and gross six figures. Now she helps her clients do the same by clarifying their vision, leveraging their genius, and executing strategic marketing plans. If you're interested in gaining focus, energy, and inspired action in a like-minded conscious entrepreneur community, learn more at www.annasunchoi.com.

Why this Matters
The global economy is facing two major global trends. One is the impact of technology and a globalized market creating a constantly adapting world. Studies show how 65% of preschoolers today will be in jobs that don’t yet exist. What you learn today may become obsolete tomorrow.
On top of that, we are dealing with the other trend of information overload in this digital age requiring professionals and entrepreneurs from all sectors to master sifting through hundreds of choices often causing decision overwhelm. Domo states how 90% of the world’s current data was generated in the last 2 years alone!

As productivity apps and software accelerate and streamline operations, this has only increased expectations for productivity output in the workplace. Instead of saving time, technology allows us to cram in more.

It becomes more difficult to simply do nothing, uninterrupted without being tempted to check in on your text, social media, email, slack channel, or whatsapp conversation thread. and feel happy about that.

Despite the challenge of these global trends, more people are realizing that less is more. That there is virtue in doing nothing and just being. As one colleague who put this idea into action says, “I just cancelled all my meetings next week. I need time to just think!!!” Doing nothing, free of thoughts is the new productivity hack. And new asset.

The Missing Piece
Let’s take a closer look at presence. What is presence? What constitutes presence? Former Stanford University neuroscience researcher and Mind-Body Coach, Uma Sanghvi, shares how attention is what constitutes presence. Where our attention goes, energy flows.

Presence has also defined as consciousness, inner self-awareness, or being present. In some circles, the 4th P is called purpose instead of presence. While there isn’t agreement among subject matter experts on what to call that 4th P--the essence remains the same in that the 4th P addresses the why of business. Think of presence as the backbone that sustains the other 3 P’s.

Presence is putting your values and well-being first before every business decision. As they say on the airplane, you must put your oxygen mask on first before putting it on children.  

We have an abundance of burned out, do-gooders in the world--that often turns into resentment, anger, and other emotions that inhibit one being able to cultivate the 4th P. I often coach entrepreneurs who get burned out serving others while ignoring their own well-being and fulfillment. This has a direct impact on their ability to scale, attract clients, and generate revenue. Both from an energetic perspective as well as the energetic impression you give others.

I still remember one business coach I hired who always had red eyes from what I assumed to be a lack of sleep. Regardless of whether that was true, the impression I was left with was that my coach was exhausted, not getting enough sleep. It had me concerned whether the advice I was getting meant I might have to sacrifice my own well-being.  

Culturally, we must stop the accepted norm that a startup must work twelve plus hour days, six to seven days a week or that “hustle mode” is inevitable as an entrepreneur. While being an entrepreneur requires hard work--that’s distinct from “hustle mode.” Hard work means facing your fears, constantly adapting to the unknown, or moving on from rejection and failure--but all of that does not require sacrificing your well-being from being in “hustle mode” in order to “make it.”

A Possible Future

As a conscious entrepreneur the last 15 years, I have go from six figures during my mid twenties, to food stamps and tons of debt during early family times, back to debt-free and six figures. I’ve experienced what it takes to scale through hard work, while working less than 40 hours a week so I can have time with my family and myself. I have found the energy of hustle mode rarely helps with client sales or well-being but instead, trains the brain to constantly active our nervous system into fight or flight mode. What if we can train the next generation of conscious entrepreneurs the distinction of hustle mode and hard work, and have more entrepreneurs practice what it looks like to integrate Presence into their business from the start?  

Integrating our whole self as part of good business practice will take something given we live in a society that emphasizes a culture obsessed with thinking--often living more as human “doings” valuing our worth based on results, accomplishments, productivity, or net worth. By focusing on becoming a human “being” you can tap into a wellspring of inner wisdom communicated by your intuition, body, emotions, versus just your brain and thoughts while also being able to generate and manifest your business vision.

Each night before bed, our family acknowledges one other. I acknowledge my 7-year-old son, Eli “Good job practicing your soccer kicks,” ”Thank you for helping take out the recycling and not whining about it.” But I notice I often acknowledge him for what he does, not who he’s being.
When I notice that, I instead acknowledge him simply for being alive. “Thanks for being joyful,” “You are just so great being you!” “What a delight you are just being around you.”

Acknowledging, modeling, and training kids at a young age on who they are being will pave a path for integrating Presence into business, and creating a future of more fulfilled global citizens.

Impact Metrics

How do you measure presence? Another way of looking at presence is sometimes called enlightenment. NY Times Bestselling Author and Founder of Body and Brain Yoga Brain Education, Ilchi Lee explains how “in traditional eastern philosophy, enlightenment is the experience of no-self, in which the ego disappears...in the moment you do one one minute of exercise, though, you can experience a state of no-self--that is free of thoughts. Your mind focuses on your body and all other thoughts disappear.”

Here, he lays out a simple way to track and measure whether you have more presence in your life. Tracking 1 minute of exercise on the hour at least 10x/day. There are several studies on the impact that one minute of mindful exercise can have--physiologically, emotionally, and spiritually--more than chunking 30 minutes/day if you are sitting at a desk or car the rest of the day.

Where We are Headed

Since the 1970’s our economy has shifted away from focusing solely on bottom line of profits to a triple bottom line model focused on people, planet, and profit. As millenials and women are ever increasing decision makers when it comes to purchases and income earners--becoming a conscious (whether socially or spiritually) entrepreneur isn’t just a passing trend. It’s becoming the way business must be done.

We have an opportunity as conscious entrepreneurs, to thrive amid the noise, distraction, and information overload. To learn to be present by listening to our inner wisdom. That is the challenge we face today, that reaps large rewards and often unpredictable results.

Where your attention flows is where energy grows. May you give more attention to cultivating Presence and watch the magic unfold. Remember, for your conscious business to thrive, you must thrive, too.

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Conscious Business Coach Anna S. Choi’s mission is to empower the next generation of conscious entrepreneurs to unleash their brilliance. As a broke art student with no money, connections, or experience, she started and eventually sold her socially responsible financial planning practice InsideOut Investing--tripling her net income and grossing six figures by age 25. A decade later, she trains conscious entrepreneurs to attract more clients and scale their impact through an 8 week program The Client Accelerator for Conscious Entrepreneurs. Anna's proudest accomplishment is water birthing her son, Eli who is now 7 years old. She married her best friend Leo celebrating 15 years together and lives in Poulsbo, WA. Learn more at www.annasunchoi.com.

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As our global community shifts from the Digital Information Age to the Transformation Age, conscious entrepreneurs today are operating more and more from love not fear, from expansion not contraction.

Historically, sales trainings focused on manipulation tactics of fear, scarcity, or taking control in a conversation. Nowadays, I see lots of trainings on how NOT to be pushy or using "sales-y" techniques. 

Unfortunately, actively avoiding selling can give off the same repelling energy as being pushy. 
Have you ever been scared to make the ask, even though it feels funny NOT to ask? But because you’re too concerned with being pushy or scared to sell, you do everything to avoid making the ask? The prospect then has to do the work of pulling out answers from you. That’s a turnoff. Especially if your prospect wants to buy.

In that situation of avoiding selling something, what is the attention on?

That’s right, it’s still on you. Whether you are avoiding selling or trying too hard to sell, either way can be a turnoff. 

With that said, having attention on yourself isn't bad. It just depends on what's driving the attention to yourself. Is it your head or your heart? 

If it's your head or ego worried about looking bad, or trying to force an outcome--then your energy is a turnoff. But if it's your heart that is driving attention to yourself--LISTEN. 

How?

If you stop trying to get somewhere and start listening to your heart, you'll discover a source of wisdom from which you can easily attract clients for the right reasons. 
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However, most of us aren't listening to our heart at the same time as we listen to a prospect. THAT is the secret. If you learn to listen to your heart, while listening to others in service of their highest self, what to say next or not, will come naturally.

By practicing listening to your heart from within, what starts off as a quiet voice of wisdom will overflow with messages to serve others while fulfilling your vision for life and your business.

Take some time today to give your heart some love and attention. If you do, you will reap huge rewards for yourself, your clients, and your business.
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Have you ever been scared to make the ask or been too direct in making the ask that it felt awkward? If you're interested in gaining mastery in conversations that lead to prospects being delighted you are making the ask, join us in the Conscious Business Accelerator here. 

Anna S. Choi helps conscious businesses and social entrepreneurs attract more clients through her signature program The Client Accelerator for Conscious Entrepreneurs. She takes clients from scattered marketing approaches to an intentional strategic marketing plan. If you're interested in gaining focus, clarity, accountability in a community of conscious entrepreneurs, please watch this free training video on attracting clients. 

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​"To be identified with your mind is to be trapped in time . . . Time isn't precious at all, because it is an illusion. What you perceive as precious is not time but the one point that is out of time: the Now. That is precious indeed."        --Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now

When success strikes in your business, it can be easy to find yourself cutting corners on your well-being. Rather than relaxing and celebrating your victories, you might find yourself struggling to keep up with all the momentum. 

When launching the Client Accelerator for Conscious Entrepreneurs, the business generated record breaking sales in just 3 weeks. Yet in leading up to the launch, I noticed how quickly I started cutting back on my morning ritual routine, bedtime routine, or mindful exercises throughout the day to make more time to work.

I'm sitting in my energy session with my energy coach, and keep falling asleep. As I grew aware of my body's sensations, I noticed all the pain arising, the headache that just minutes before I was blissfully unaware of in my own numbness. For a moment, I freaked out. IS it possible to make lots of money AND live a balanced life?!

Thanks to my energy coach, she reminded me what great news it was I could actually feel my body's pain--the first step to being present. In the past I would have unconsciously ignored my body's pain, felt numb, and pressed forward to the point where my body would "force" me to stop from sheer exhaustion.

Instead, I am catching it sooner, noticing I need more water, the shoulder pain. I can hear the gentle murmur of my soul's inner wisdom: I love you. Connect within. Please take care of yourself.

As I continue to discover what work-life balance looks like at different phases of success in the business, it's critical that we treat work life balance as exactly that. A balancing act. Imagine balancing on a board that's on a ball. You never expect yourself to ever be at a standstill, perfectly balanced in the middle. Instead, balancing on a ball is a constant moment to moment push, then pull, tensely shaking, then catching yourself from falling. To the observer from afar, it might even look easy.  But you know balancing is constant work. 

This is no different than in business, balancing work-life balance. So how do you manage work-life balance when success strikes? 

Here are a few tips: 
1. Close your eyes and sense your inner body. What pain, tingling, soreness, stiffness, tension, or hard spots do you feel? There is great wisdom in your body. You must first be willing to listen to it and not use alcohol, work, entertainment, caffeine or any other thing that distracts you or makes you numb to what your body actually feels for at least 24 hours. 

2. Say outloud to your brain exactly where it hurts and in what way. Ie. There is tension in my upper back by my shoulder blade. There is some pain and hardness in my gut.  If you can actually feel your tiredness, pain, stiffness or be aware you are numb--this is a HUGE first step to reawakening your body's natural healing.  

3. Do gentle body and brain yoga exercises that will help clear any blockages or lessen the pain. Here are free you tube videos you can use to start to build a relationship connecting your body and brain. As you do the exercises, stay mindful by bringing your awareness into the feelings of your body.  Body and Brain yoga Exercises

4. Connect with your body like this 3x day, by repeating steps 1-3 above. You can also you a free app called One Minute Change and do 1 minute exercises through your day to stay connected with yourself. 

Bonus: Think of one bold action you can take for yourself to bring more relaxation and focus into your business. 

My action was planning a deliberate staycation during 4th of July week with my 7 year old and husband. I got to really unwind, reflect, and connect with myself planning out my next 2 quarters. 

How about you?! Please comment below what bold actions you can take for yourself and/or sharing from doing the exercises above!

Anna S. Choi helps conscious businesses and social entrepreneurs attract more clients through her signature program The Client Accelerator for Conscious Entrepreneurs. She takes clients from scattered marketing approaches to an intentional strategic marketing plan. If you're interested in gaining focus, clarity, accountability in a community of conscious entrepreneurs, please watch this free training video on attracting clients or join her email list. ​

When you’re operating off a shoestring budget, it’s essential to leverage your impact through your network. Better yet, how do you transform your network into a tribe of strategic alliances?
 
If you take the case that people generally love contributing—the question becomes understanding in what way? You will then find an abundant resource of generosity that is a win-win solution with no money required.
 
To clarify, I’m defining network as a loosely affiliated group of one on one associations, while a tribe member is someone you could call up at 3am in the morning and they will ask “how can I help you?”
 
At the height of my networking, I would attend two networking events a week averaging five one-on-one “coffee meetings” per week. These conversations gave me insight into what motivates people to contribute. Over many years of networking, I noticed a pattern of how different relationships like to express giving back or contributing. And I created the 6 Faces of Contribution based on those patterns. And just like a love language, I learned how to speak in terms of my network’s “Contribution Language” activating them into lifelong tribe members who were eagerly ready to contribute to the success of my business.
 
Here are the six faces of contribution unveiled: Investor, Connector, Masterminder, Builder, Supporter, and Champion.
 
The 6 Faces of Contribution:
Investor: Investors use money as their medium to support you. Either as direct clients, or funding you—money is how they engage with you. Not all investors want to do more than just pay you. When I was the Director of Development for an impact investing wealth management firm, I quickly discovered how clients did not necessarily want to make introductions to other people—no matter how happy they were with their service. It’s counterintuitive to the noise you hear out there that if people are happy, they’ll naturally share with others. Not necessarily. On the other hand, there were several instances of people wanting to refer you without having ever been a customer or client! What a paradox. Or is it? Haven’t you noticed some people simply enjoy connecting people for the sheer joy of it? Which brings me to the next Face of Contribution
 
Connector: They are sometimes referred to as an influencer, center of influence, or someone “well-connected.” These people are rarer to come by and are the hub of influence in their community. If you authentically build relationships with these people, they become an invaluable resource for years to come, once you can “activate” them and give them an opportunity to engage—more on activation later. Connectors don’t need referral fees. Unlike Investors who use cash as their medium of contribution, Connectors use reputation as their medium. When a good match is made, boom—up goes their reputation for having made that connection and the more valuable they become in being known for making a quality referral. Connectors are your best sources for referrals—NOT Investors. They may never even buy from you, and they love to matchmake. Caution: There are a lot of posers out there who claim to be a connectors, but don’t take the time to really understand your business to be able to give a good referral or match make in other ways. They either say they’ll keep a look out and don’t deliver or if they do, it’s just not the right person to talk to or unclear on why you were connected in the first place.
 
Masterminder: These people LOVE sharing ideas and are strategizers. They make the best sounding boards and likely love research. One of my colleagues was the quintessential Masterminder. She loved to vet my ideas, build on them, play with them and when it was time to check out our new project idea, she’d happily research, compile, synthesize and report back her findings, often bound with a plastic cover . . . free. That’s right, people’s contribution language is a boundless, limitless resource free of obligation, indebtedness, or duty. Might I even go as far as to say—their joy. You can’t put a price on that, especially when doing mission driven work—and your company’s purpose is what drives them to offer very professional services for free.
 
Builder: Builders are your worker bees. They don’t want to strategize, they don’t want to make introductions, or pay you, their medium of contribution is time. They will do stuff for you . . . happily. That’s how they best feel fulfilled. They are folks who simply help you get-it-done. Nuf said.
 
Supporter: Supporters are typically your network of personal relationships that have nothing to do with business. They simply are your friend and love you. Their contribution medium is caring. Think spouse, mom, or best friend. However, they are in your network.  They often know nothing about business but give you a reality check and tell you straight how it is, out of concern or worry for your overall well-being. Supporters do not make the best people to consult with or get advice from business-wise. But they are great at getting a totally outside perspective and alignment check in forwarding your purpose.
 
Champion: Champions are your professional fans and followers. No matter where you go in your journey, how many pivots you make in business, how many life changes impact your expected path and take a turn, they stick with you and love your work. They may not directly engage with you but are like the professional version of your supporters who are in business and whom you can go to for support. Think cross-sector colleagues who are your kindred spirits you meet at a business conference or event. Again, may never buy from you, or be in a position to offer strategy or advice—they simply cheer you on. They lift you up when you’re down and believe in you.
 
To activate your network into a tribe, you must understand what face of contribution they most like to play. Meaning, what is their primary expression of contribution or contribution language? Then have conversations creating opportunities for them to express their contribution to participate in what you are up to creating. 
 
Like any categorization, most of your network is going to have multiple faces of contribution with one or two as a primary language. Your job is to discover their primary language and create win-win propositions from there. 
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Analyzing your Social Capital
Brainstorm a list of all your top 30 relationships into a spreadsheet. Don’t worry about screening people in or out. Just jot down people who support you, believe in you, cheer you on, buy from you, or listen to you. Try to come up with at least 15. Then label 6 columns across with each face of contribution, and rate each person 1-3 (1=not a fit 3=yes, this is how they love to contribute!)

Then add up the total points for each person listed. Find out who has the highest point value.  Notice what you discover to determine next actions to take for each relationship. What value can you offer each relationship? What requests can you make of each relationship? 

Pitfalls to Watch Out For When Making Requests of Your Tribe
1.  Pride. What I’m talking about is when someone genuinely offers you (no strings attached) in an area you KNOW and WANT help with, and you refuse for some reasons (fear of looking needy, or a mooch, or not wanting to be in debt and owe them).  Receiving true generosity is a gift  takes a tremendous level of courage that honors others.

Solution: Get good at graciously saying thank-you. And accepting offers of help. Think of a time when you genuinely wanted to help someone move, or make a meal, or offer service—and they refused. What did you feel? Did you feel compelled to make an offer again? Now think of a time when you were the one who refused the offer. Were you aware of how it made the other person feel when you refused?

2. EXPECTING others to give to you and having resentment or disappointment if they don’t. When you make a request, you get what you get. If it's a no, honor the no, and find out how they would like to engage or contribute to the business. 

Case Study
When I started up TEDxBellevue, I knew a team was critical to success. In order to be profitable while fulfilling the mission of the event theme Sustainable Happiness, first things first—I had to activate my network into a tribe.

How? I analyzed my top relationships by their primary contribution language that reached out to each relationship.  I created win-win propositions by understanding how they best like to contribute. 

The end result? I recruited an entire team of professionals from cross sectors in tech industry, non profit, and entrepreneurs to lead 8 different aspects of the event. This resulted in selling out 2 weeks before the event, at $100/person tickets. Through the help of my tribe, a $10K event to put on, cost us $2K, and the event profited $2500. 

Post event, I wondered if it was only successful because the TEDx brand. To test this assumption, I launched another event the Creativity Symposium from scratch with the same ticket pricing and audience size, again, with no money, and this time--no brand awareness. Different cause. Created a tribe to rally around the cause of women’s leadership.

This time we doubled in net profitability over TEDx. How? Two factors:
1) Rallying around a purpose (in this case women’s leadership) 
2) Activating my network into a tribe by understanding their contribution language

By analyzing your network of relationships or “social capital”, you can learn to leverage your connections more wisely into a tribe that will eagerly help you grow your business.

Being contributed to takes tremendous courage, vulnerability, strength, and is a huge source of power. Master both sides of contribution and the world will be your oyster to create greater impact!

Anna S. Choi helps conscious companies grow their client flow through business and marketing coaching. She loves synthesizing, adapting, and distilling strategic marketing plans into executable daily actions to take that get results to grow your business. If you're interested in taking focused action on an intentional strategic marketing plan to energize more client flow, please watch this introductory video to see whether we are a fit. I look forward to connecting and supporting you! You can contact her at anna@annasunchoi.com or 206-330-6426.