Danielle Prahl is an online business and mindset mentor for driven women who want to create a business they love and build a life they are obsessed with. We talk to the author of ‘Divorce, Drinking, and Dating’ and host of the ‘Rule Breaker, Dream Maker’ Podcast channel about her no-nonsense approach towards encouraging women remember that they can have, be and do whatever they want.
Hey Danielle, can you introduce yourself to us?
Absolutely! My name is Danielle Prahl and I’m a launch anD online business expert. I’m a huge mindset advocate and mindset mentoring is one of the largest aspects of what I do. I’m also a mom to an incredible toddler girl and wrote an Amazon bestseller about my journey thus far called ‘Divorce, Drinking & Dating’.
Can you take us through your journey to where you are now?
That would be an incredibly long story (I legit wrote an entire book about it) but the cliff notes version is that I unintentionally married a con man who lied about everything (yes even his name) and he left me one day with nothing. Zilch, zero- nada. I lost everything that I owned and literally had nowhere to live suddenly and I was forced to move a few states home to live with my parents.
I really dug deep and gave myself the time to figure out what it was that I actually desired to create, who I wanted to help and what I actually wanted my life to look like. It took me about a month of “omg what now” to move forward in the direction that ultimately lead me to where I’m at now.
How did you launch your career as an online business expert and mindset mentor?
I had built other businesses and had a diverse skill set, I was always a good student and excelled at anything I put my mind to. I could have gotten a great job and most people encouraged me to go that route, but I had a feeling if I could just learn a bit about the online space I could grow an empire for myself that nobody could ever take from me. I also knew that it would give me a chance to help other women create businesses they loved that nobody could take from them either, giving them the freedom to live life on their own terms. I wanted no woman to ever be in the position I found myself in. So, I started assisting in another online entrepreneurs business for $15 an hour. I started to learn about mindset and investing in myself. Within a year and a half, I was able to start my own business and scale it to the 6 figure mark in gross income.
What is a day in the life of you like?
As I mentioned, I’m a mom now so that’s really shifted my priorities. Because I work from home I’m able to design my day to meet my needs. I get up with my daughter whenever she wakes up which is usually in between 6am and 7ish. I play with her and have some cuddle time before making her breakfast. I then do my journaling and mindset work to start my day with my head in the game. After she eats I generally check in with my to do’s for the day, create course content for my courses and check in with my 1 on 1 clients.
I live by the beach now so I try to take time out each day to take a walk and take in the ocean. I also fit in exercise where I can, generally when my daughter is napping if I don’t have a sitter that day. She goes to bed pretty early so I usually put her to bed after dinner and wind down by watching terrible reality tv, reading a book or having a glass of wine. Sometimes all three.
Can you talk us through the concept of your Podcast ‘Rule Breaker, Dream Maker Podcast?’
Basically, I wanted to create a space where entrepreneurs (especially women) could come as they are. I wanted to lift the veil on how the rules are complete bull when it comes to what you should be doing in business and in life. I am a living testimony to the fact that you don’t have to do all the things they say you should to create a business. As I mentioned before, I built my own business initially to that “shiny” 6 figure mark everyone boasts about without a website, a facebook group or even a big Instagram following.
I think I had about 350 Instagram followers at the time and most of them were relatives and people I knew. There is nothing that can stop you from reaching your dreams and I wanted people to know that there is no “right way” to build your business. I see people talking themselves out of going for what they want because they think they need the perfect website, logo, branding paInstagramstagram following, experience, whatever. Online business is built in the trenches. You learn by doing. You wouldn’t say “let me study ice skating for 6 months and buy the perfect pair of ice skates and then draw out my plan for getting on the ice” right? You’d just go to the rink, rent some skates and get out there. That’s how you learn to ice skate. It’s the same with the online business space. Try something. Learn what worked, learn what didn’t. Keep moving forward. Be consistent. Get your mind in the game. That’s the secret.
How are you helping us women to build businesses they actually love, as opposed to the ones they possibly dream about?
I’ve been fortunate to have worked very early on with female entrepreneurs that because incredibly successful very quickly and what Ive learned through working with them on their businesses is that they all needed some way to scale. By helping them to monetise with some passive income and automation, we are able to create freedom for them to not just trade time for money. It allows them to have a bigger impact and help more people while also being able to enjoy life. Like go to a long lunch with friends, spend time with their families and/or travel the world. That is what life should be about.
Could you give s 3 business building tips?
Yes!!! They may seem simple but don’t underestimate them.
- Follow your passions. People can tell when you are passionate about what you do. When you follow passion first, the money always follows. Not the other way around.
- Show up as the person that has what you want in the now. What do I mean by that? We often say in our minds that we will do the “things” when we: loose the weight, find the love, make the money. But if you actually started living as if you were the person that already had what you desired, you’d create the results that much more quickly. Stop WAITING to be that version of you. You are that version of you now already. You don’t have to earn success. You just have to show up as the incredible being that you are fully in the moment now.
- Be Consistent. We live in an instant gratification society so people often expect immediate results. I’m not saying that they can’t happen (they certainly can) but people will write one blog post or Instagram post and sit around waiting for people to beat their door down and make them a success. It just doesn’t happen that way. So whatever it is you are doing, be committed to showing up day after day because you can’t not. Even when it seems no one is reading, watching or paying attention. Keep showing up. You never know who you are inspiring. That’s the type of person that will succeed.
Who does the team involve behind you?
Right now I have an assistant that helps me with my business as well as my 1 on 1 work and to be honest I couldn’t survive without her. I have the sitter that helps me be a mom and still have a business and I work with various coaches. I think continuing to push yourself, check in and learn is a huge part of creating what you desire. My coaches don’t usually even know things that I don’t but they help me in discovering parts of myself and getting past my own limiting thoughts. We all need that.
Where can you see yourself within the next 3-5 years?
I see myself inspiring thousands of women to create their dreams and making all the money they desire to give themselves freedom. The byproduct of that will be my own multimillion dollar empire because if I need to inspire others to go for it and live their dreams- first I’ll have to.
What strategies do you have in place when looking at the expansion of your business?
For me, I believe in having solid systems and foundations first. I always hated the word systems and I’m actually not a super structured person. I loathe monotony. But when you realise that having some systems in place and creating automation allows you to outsource as well as take on a larger capacity of people to help inspire and change more lives- well then systems become kind of sexy. I also think just showing up more across the board in when it comes to social media is really important. People can’t learn from you, be inspired by you or work with you if they don’t know that you exist.
Can you tell us what areas you have struggled in professionally?
Oddly enough the same things that we struggle with professionally I think we also struggle with romantically and personally. They are often all intertwined oddly enough. For me, a balance has been a huge one. Balancing being a workaholic, a good partner and an excellent parent are tough. Finding that balance of doing it all while also allowing support is difficult.
Have you ever had any other mentor? If so how has this benefitted you to grow?
I have always had mentors in different forms. Friends have been mentors, people who have hurt me have been mentors in an odd way (showing me what I do and don’t want to allow in my life or to be like) as well as paid coaches and programs. Working on my mindset and realising I can create anything I want has been a game changer for me. Often times we are our own worst enemies and limit ourselves more than our circumstances do. We are truly more powerful than we can even comprehend sometimes. I find that liberating.
What outlets do use to market your podcast?
Currently, I use social media as well as my email list. I also enjoy bringing other guests on to highlight them and hopefully, they will share it with their tribes as well. It’s all about lifting each other up.
Which methods are you using to build your own support network?
I honestly try to support and lift others up as much as possible and through doing so I find that others also want me to succeed as well. I try to be a good friend to have good friends, I try to be a good person to work with for my own support team in my business. I also believe in having excellent boundaries even when it’s hard and deciding what you do and don’t want in your life. This can be very difficult but it’s very necessary. Drama is a useless time suck that I just don’t engage in anymore.
What do you believe are the common misconceptions about being an entrepreneur?
I think the term self-made is one a lot of entrepreneurs use. I understand what they mean- because as an entrepreneur often times it’s up to you to come up with ideas, to show up and to keep going day after day. Nobody hands it to you. However, none of us get anywhere without the help of someone else. That could be a mentor, a friend, a chance, an example, whatever. I also think a lot of people show how “easy” it is and I certainly think it can be but being an entrepreneur is a HUGE mental game and we think that the successful people don’t have self-doubt or fear. The truth is we all do but we just learn how to move through it faster.
What would you like to see changed for millennials in business?
This is difficult for me to answer because I think that we all have to adapt to change when it comes to business. We create change and we also have to adapt to the changes that happen in the marketplace. I’d love to see everyone be more present in their life and the people around them vs being so focused on competing on social media or staring at their phones in general. We need technology and it’s our friend but we don’t want to ever loose that human connection.
What is the best piece of business advice you have received to date?
Make it easy for people to give you money. I know it sounds simple but it’s SO true. People want to complain that internet is putting brick and mortar stores out of business and I get that but look at Amazon.
Amazon makes it so simple for you to give them money and buy something. I go into a store these days and most the time they have one person at a cash register and I’m waiting in line forever and there is like 15 people standing around on the floor. It’s like hey- I just want to pay you. So it’s the same thing for me I try to make it easy for people to work with me and to pay me for my services. If people don’t know what it is you do or how they can work with you pretty early on you are doing yourself a disservice.
What is the number 1 critical lesson you have learned in your career so far?
Cheap people are the most difficult to work with. I’m not joking. There is nothing wrong with minding your finances but people that want things for free or at a huge discount somehow always take the most time, energy and effort to work with.
How do you create an evenly balanced work and personal life?
By realising that’s pretty much impossible to do. I have just come to terms with the fact that sometimes my business will take more time away from my personal life and sometimes my personal life takes more time away from the business. I try not to separate my life and my business a ton except for the focus they take. Letting them bleed over a bit is the only way to get everything done.
For instance, I’ve done live streams before with my daughter climbing on my lab and making noises. It’s more important to me to show up and get things done than it is to appear perfect. That’s just the way it goes. Also, outsource. Get groceries delivered if you can, have a housecleaner come. I stopped doing laundry some time ago much to my partner’s dismay but guess what? I can’t do it all. So I’ll either outsource it or other people can pick up the slack.
I am not superwoman and I can’t do everything. I also never really liked to do chores much so I’m not going to struggle to do things I don’t even enjoy when my time is so limited already. I’d rather bless someone else’s business and allow them to tidy up my house or deliver some groceries and spend that time enjoying my daughter. It’s just the way it is. Sure, it costs money but it’s my belief that I get paid for solving problems. There will never be a lack of problems so therefore I can always make more money. I can’t make more time.
The highlight of your career so far?
I certainly have a lot of them but I’d say when I released my book I was hoping just to make Amazon best seller in one category. That would have been like “wow.” I woke up 24 hours into my book release and had hit bestseller in 4 different categories at once. It was truly a magical moment that didn’t even seem real.
What gives you ultimate career satisfaction?
Seeing my work change people lives or them telling me that something I did, said, or a course I taught changed their lives for the better. It’s unbelievable the impact that we are able to create just by showing up even when it’s scary. It’s sometimes tough to put yourself out there and when you realise the rewards far outweigh the alternative, it’s a pretty awesome feeling.
What challenges have you seen to have been presented during the growth of your business venture?
I think just doubting. Doubting if I’m good enough, doubting if people care. I am an insane person meaning time to me seems super slow at times so I create a lot of success in a short amount of time but it feels like its been 100 years to me. I’m very hard on myself at times so when things seem slow, fear can certainly creep in. I have days where I’m exhausted and want to just screw it. But I just can’t, I was made for more and this is the life that I chose so I have to pull myself together in those moments. It’s always been worth it when I get to the other side.
Which other leading entrepreneurs and pioneering game changers do you also admire and why?
The people that are always putting themselves out there and changing the way people think or act always blow my mind. It’s scary as hell to publicly disagree with a thought process that is the general consensus and I think that’s incredible. Moises Kaufman is a theatre director that I met at a young age and I’ve seen a play that he wrote about my hometown literally change the way people think about hate, homosexuality and it’s helped changed national legislation and impacted many lives in a positive way. That is some amazingness.
A coach of mine Katrina Ruth does business very differently and lives her life on her own terms and I find that to be incredibly powerful as well. I’m sure there are many others that I just can’t really think about right now haha.
What is a good article or book you have read recently?
I actually read a lot- to be honest, I used to read a lot more before I became a mom. My daughter is about 16 months old right now so to sit and read a book is kind of hard with such an active kid but I still make the time to read and of course Audible is a life changer (though I still prefer to actually read a book if I can). I recently read an awesome book called “Clear your Shit” by Dane Thomas and am reading ‘Love Is Letting Go Of Fear’ by Gerald G Jampolsky.
I’ve been really into learning more about fear lately and because I feel that it’s so much of what holds us back as individuals and a culture so understanding it is the best way to overcome it. Also didn’t read it recently but ‘The Life Changing Magic Of Not Giving A F*ck’ was a real game-changer.
What does your own Podcast playlist look like?
This is going to make me the worst entrepreneur ever but I actually don’t listen to a ton of Podcasts. Sure, I have one, but I find the world to be very noisy already so I try to limit the things I put in my head LOL. I try to find inspiration and create from looking within. That said I did listen to Joe Rogan’s the other day because he’s come out with some really thought-provoking stuff lately and I find his guests to be excellent.
My friend Brittany Krystle has an amazing podcast as well called ‘Beyond Influential.’ So if I do listen to a podcast it’s generally one of those. I’m a very driven person and I have found a lot of things that work for me already so I don’t really need a podcast about a better productivity system or a better to do list or the perfect way to run a business. I like things that are thought-provoking and challenge limitations and those are the ones I like to listen to and learn from.
How do you measure your own terms of success?
I am constantly redefining what success looks like to me. Some days success may mean that I got all my stuff done, I was a present and happy mom and I exercised, showered and wore the fancy bra. Other days success is big picture and can be the impact I’ve had or the income I want to reach.
We have to really ask ourselves what kind of life we want to create and what we want to have, be and do. Success to me now looks very different than it did 2, 4 or even 10 years ago. I’m sure it will look very different a few years from now. Overall I know I want to help people change their own lives. I want to allow them to have all the success and the freedom and the money that they want. I want them to know that they are ALLOWED to want to have money and things and that’s ok. I think that’s such a stigma in our society. I want to have a whole lotta money because that will allow me the freedom to bless other peoples business. To invest in causes I believe in. To create security for my daughter. To allow options. I believe that money will come from impact, so I guess overall I define it as impact.
What does #BEYOUROWN mean to you?
#BEYOUROWN to me means being your own version of success. It’s giving yourself permission to create the life you want to have on your terms. There are no rules on how we have to live, the opportunities are truly endless in the world we live in today. It’s about asking yourself the tough questions and digging deep for the answers that resonate with you. From there, it’s tuning out anything and anyone that doesn’t serve that vision and freaking going for it.
Lastly, what is next for you throughout 2018?
It’s crazy to think that 2018 will be up before we know it but I plan to relaunch a few of my awesome courses, to create a new one that’s really been on my heart to make and to keep creating content that I hope inspires people via my podcast as well as social media. I want to get better about taking more downtime vs constantly pushing to reach the next goal but I’ve never been quite good at that. We are all constant works in progress.
Instagram: @danielleprahl
Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/prahly/
Website: http://danielleprahl.com
