Episode 201: Stop Preparing, Start Doing with Olenka Cullinan

Stop Preparing, Start Doing with Olenka Cullinan Olenka Cullinan is a CEO and Founder of iStartFirst. She empowers women to up-Level their business and mindset via on-line Bootcamp, iStartFirst Women's Summit, and delivering keynotes and workshops for companies nationwide & globally. Olenka has developed a“Backbone of Success”™ method that helps female leaders to take action, get paid their worth and show up like a BOSS-Babe. Olenka’s work globally, combined with humor and personal experiences led to her recent appearances at TEDx and made her into one of the premier consultants. She has worked with startups, corporate leaders and some of the top organizations in the country: e.g. GAMA International, Lincoln Financial, Chambers of Commerce, etc. Biggest Takeaway You Don't Want to Miss You cannot out-read, out-listen, or outwatch your way to success. You stop preparing, take action, and actually apply what you learn. But what if you're afraid? Then start small. Set your alarm for 90 seconds and DO whatever you're scared of doing. After that 90 seconds, you'll never be at the same level of fear. The best way to deal with a perfectionist mindset is with massive action. It's messy, but you have to embrace it and do it anyways. Just remember that no matter what you are doing, it's not going to be great the very first time you do it - so just get it over with! Perfection is NOT a human quality and it's always going to hold you back. Show Highlights [1:45] - Where is Olenka's story? [3:00] - What holds business owners back from taking action? [6:15] - Why do business owners get stuck in the preparation phase? [9:30] - What are 3 things business owners can do to boost their cash flow right now? [15:30] - What are some action steps that stressed business owners can take right now? [18:00] - Where can you follow Olenka online? Links Olenka's eBook: https://www.olenkacullinan.com/ Jump Mastermind: /mastermind/ Let's Connect! Did you enjoy the show? We would love it if you subscribed today and left us a 5-star review! Click this link – Bella In Your Business Click on the ‘Subscribe’ button below the artwork Go to the ‘Ratings and Reviews’ section Click on ‘Write a Review’' Are You New Here? Welcome, I am so glad you are here. If you are a dog walker, dog sitter, cat sitter, doggy daycare or kennel owner, then you found the right place. Jump Consulting is the one place on the internet to get all the resources you need for your pet care business. Can I give you some freebies to generate sales and increase revenues for your business? Grab your freebies below. Are you starting out? Been in business for less than two years? Get your startup resources here. Do you own an established pet care business and you want to take it to the next level.? Get Your builder resources here. Transcript: This is episode 201 of Bella in Your Business. Hi there, I'm Bella Vasta from Jump Consulting. You might know me from CBS, NBC, Fox, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, or maybe you've seen me speak on stage or read my book, The Four Dogs That Every Business Owner Needs. In any case, get ready because you're about to get your hashtag Bella Butt Kickin' in this next episode of Bella in Your Business. So what do you say? Let's get ready and jump. Welcome to Bella in Your Business. My name is Bella Vasta and today I've got Olenka Cullinan with us. You guys are going to love this one. Olenka is actually the CEO and founder of I Start First. She empowers women to level up their businesses via online boot camps, the I Start Women's First Summit, and by delivering keynotes and workshops for companies nationwide and globally. She also developed this Backbone of Success Method that I'm sure we're going to talk about today. She's worked globally, combining humor and personal experience. She is such a kick-in-the-butt kind of girl. She's actually who I call when I need a kick in the butt. And she's been a TEDx speaker not once, but twice. So get ready—we’re in for a treat today. Olenka, thanks for joining us. If you see the video of this, you’ll see that Olenka has this hot pink in her branding and even her microphone muff is this hot pink color. But don’t let the pink fool you—because she’s fierce. Don’t let the pink, the blonde, or the accent fool you. Tell us about that accent. Why don’t you give us a little bit of an origin? Because as our listeners get to know you over the next 25 minutes or so, I’m sure they’re going to try to pinpoint where that accent’s from. So where are you from? It’s not from Texas. I actually was born and raised in Russia and moved to the U.S. right before I turned 21. My mom was a diehard entrepreneur, and I took it for granted for the longest time. But in reality, she gave me all the skills. I sort of picked them up involuntarily because she built her company from scratch and ran it for 37 years. When I was 14 or 15 years old, I would travel with her all over Europe, negotiating million-dollar contracts, walking into rooms full of men—and I was never intimidated. It definitely gave me a huge head start in my own business. When I moved here, I literally borrowed $450 from my uncle and decided to take a chance on the American dream—and it all worked out. I love that. I mean, right there we could end the podcast because if you could build what you’ve built, which we’re going to talk about today, all from starting with $450—girl, that’s amazing. One of the things I love about you is that you’re a woman who takes action. And I always tell my audience that birds of a feather flock together. You have to keep people around you that you want to be like, and that’s one of the reasons why you and I get along so well. But I want you to tell our listeners more about action and what holds business owners back from taking it. You coach so many people—what do you see most often? It’s everything. It’s kind of like what you just attributed to me—starting with $450. A lot of times we hold back from starting our businesses because the circumstances aren’t perfect. We think we need the perfect setup, the perfect plan, or the perfect layout. But that’s actually how the Backbone of Success Method was born. I always say you just have to start. The people who are out there and uber successful—you and I know plenty of them—they didn’t have it all figured out when they started. When Apple started, nobody knew Apple would become Apple—it started in a garage like everyone else. If you just start putting one foot in front of the other, if you take that action, that’s where success happens. Because starting is just as important as succeeding. If you don’t act, if you just keep consuming information, you’ll never get there. You can’t out-watch or out-read yourself into success. I don’t care how many YouTube videos you watch or how many Bella in Your Business podcast episodes you listen to—if you don’t apply anything, it’s pointless. Coaches like us can give clients the best strategies and plans, but if they don’t execute—even messily and imperfectly—they’ll never see results. That’s beautiful. And I imagine that’s how you came up with the name of your company, “I Start First.” Absolutely. It actually started out just as a hashtag. I didn’t plan to build a business out of it. I was inspired because I would go into rooms full of businessmen or investment meetings where it was always 80% men and 20% women. I thought, if I’m not going to teach women how to play bigger and show up in their full power, who will? One of my friends said, “Well, don’t you start first?” And I was like—huh, I start first. It began as a hashtag, women caught onto it, and it turned into a movement. They kept saying, “What else do you have?” So I just kept going. The boot camps, the events—they all started from that one action. I love that so much. We talk a lot on this podcast about how you should only be in competition with yourself—you can only outdo yourself. And you can’t out-learn or out-plan forever. There comes a point where you plateau, and if you’re at that plateau right now, think about this concept. It may seem simple, but it’s pivotal. It’s the thing that separates the successful from the stagnant. So, okay, we know we have to start—but a lot of people say, “I need to prepare, I’m a perfectionist, I need everything to work out exactly right.” Why do people get stuck in that preparation phase? It’s usually a combination of limited beliefs and fear. You can’t jump higher than your own beliefs. Fear and insecurity lead to comparison—you think, “Someone else is already doing it; they’ll probably do it better.” That’s when you start feeding the fear. But stepping into action is like a muscle. I use what I call the “90 Seconds of Courage” technique. Whatever you’re scared of doing, do it for 90 seconds. You’ll never be at the same level of fear again. Set a timer if you have to. If you’re a business owner listening right now, think about what’s holding you back—that’s the very thing you need to start doing. The best way to deal with perfection and fear is massive, messy action. Do it anyway. Cry, cuss, get frustrated, break things—but do it anyway. Nothing you do will be perfect the first time. Perfection isn’t a human quality—it’ll only hold you back. I really love when you said, “Someone else is already doing it.” The truth is, there aren’t that many new ideas in the world—it’s all about putting your unique spin on it. That requires knowing yourself and your business deeply. I saw a TikTok recently about how to trick your brain out of negative beliefs. You say, “I can’t blink,” and then blink. “I can’t jump,” and then jump. When your body does it, your brain starts to override those limiting thoughts. Now, people might say, “That’s great for you, Olenka, but I don’t understand how to turn $450 into six figures.