Business Leader Role Models

Twenty minutes on the timer left to go. That’s all the time I’ve given for writing my draft on this topic today. With some much-needed change of room lighting, I have one curtain open for sunlight to come through.

It’s still pretty breezy here in central Texas. It could be leftover wind from the gulf tropical storms, or new storms forming out at sea. I haven’t paid much attention to the forecast since the last hurricane hit the states. I mostly check to see if there’s any rain in the local forecast, in hopes to finally have our new pond full of water for the ducks to enjoy. Today, the sky is full of clouds of different shapes, and by the looks of it, I’m sure that it’s hot and muggy at this early afternoon hour.

I used to think about leadership a lot during school and college. Lately, thoughts of being a leader still come and go with work, but today I have to think back and start on a clean slate at the same time. I haven’t thought about what it means to be a leader as an affiliate marketer. But having an affiliate business should be no different when defining one’s self as a leader. Affiliate is a new market for me, and its time to make a new definition of a leader in this field.

Leaders can be defined by their area of study or professional career. But as an entrepreneur, I cannot be classified as a leader of a single definition, least I prefer not to be singled out. I have knowledge and experience in different topics and skills, and when defining a leader, most think of a single job. To clarify a leader-entrepreneur approach, it’s time to go back to basics.

BASICS: These are my leader role models

• Parents
• Donald Trump(Currently President of The United States and Commander In Chief)
• Martha Stewart
• Most of the hosts of the TV series, Shark Tank(these came later)
• Emeril 
• Anthony Bourdain
• Montel Williams 

Dating my age, but times change and so do our interests in celebrity/business interests! These were my beginning leader role models.

Why They Were My Leaders

People often forgetting that we are always being watched and listened to. And being listened too is a big key factor in becoming a leader. People will listen when they see that your interests and skills are reflective of your work. They will determine whether or not if progress is being made in the field by your business methods. I used to watch shows, documentaries and even bought books published, just to learn about their lifestyle and business ventures.

I’ve read, watched, and witness my leader role models and saw their passion and drive for their careers, and how their actions moved them up to success. They never once shied away from hard work or making difficult business decisions.

I admired how each worked to see their plans through to the end. Throughout my own life, I had always worked at things no matter my struggles. And I had many struggles growing up. Not in the sense of coming from low financial status but finding my way through friendships and discovering what my purpose was on Earth.

Seeing that people can make a BIG name for themselves outside having to become an athlete of some sort, a doctor, or already being born into wealth, I knew there was never a reason to settle in life.

Most of my role models created their wealth, and this was appealing to me. I understood the process of creating something from an idea to materializing it to its final product.

Take, for example, Anthony Bourdain. He worked his way through the kitchen to learn and master the skills of the culinary world. Even Martha Stewart was cut-throat about learning her skills of baking and crafting and pushed her way to the top. 

Bumpy roads for these leaders: NO ONE IS PERFECT

I had to make a huge statement there. And one that should be reread many times. 

Why We’re All The Same

We all take risks both in life and business, and this group certainly took on both. Though creating happy family lives and successful careers didn’t always come easy. Many of my leaders have gone through multiple marriages, had children, and still found a way to build an empire. 

As we live life, we all experience love relationships. It’s one main reason why we are here, to love and experience and expand. Finding a balance in each area IS the learning process.

For me, I am now in the same boat as my leader role models. I saw my dream career, started to plan for the future, detoured and had an unsuccessful marriage (more about not seeing the red flags that it was doomed for commitment in future posts), had a beautiful child.

Because I chose motherhood, now my life’s work is to build more than a legacy only for myself. And one of the greatest awareness I’ve also realized is, what my story can offer to the community. How this life experience will shape my businesses moving forward.

All these experiences help boost a person as a leader. It allows you to connect even greater with team members and your customers. And the best place to work is from experience. 

But Do I Have To Work As Hard As My Role Model?

Yes. In more or less the sense you MUST work as hard as your role model(s). Due to all the advances with technology, everything has to be learned by you to be a leader. Leaders are not praised(credited) from work that assistants or ‘robots’ do, or the lack of not knowing and doing the work. (People will notice if you don’t put in 100% effort.)

Learning to be a leader means knowing how things work from start to finish. Some leaders attend college-like I did- and others choose to learn through other forms, like hands-on training.

Without knowing your field, you can not speak on the topic, let alone provide value for improvement. And value is important!

Gaining A New Learning Platform For Business

Attending college was my route to learning about my industry in a step-by-step method. Little did I know, I was to be pulled away from building my dreams for culinary expansion to experience marriage and motherhood. 

Despite having to be on my toes to keep my marriage together, I never quit exploring and researching behind closed doors of opening a business and drafting business plans. 

A few years were taken away from starting a business when the divorce and custody consumed most of my time and energy. 

This lead to redefining myself as a business person. The leaders above never let a divorce or custody case come between them and manifesting their dreams. The difference was that I was a stay-at-home-mom during the entire time I was going through this. I bonded with my son beyond what words can explain, and more so from the moment I knew I was expecting a child.

My views on how I wanted to run my businesses changed slightly. Going through custody visitation is an experience I’d never wish my readers to go through, even when dealing with an abusive ex-spouse. Every moment that I had between unjustified visitations, were moments I made sure counted towards the love I had within my soul for my son.

This set me on the course of deciding what was to be most important about becoming a businesswoman as a single mom. The answer: Time freedom.

To me, other parts of the business were easily manageable, but getting time to be with my son and family was key. I only needed a way to make this reality.

About the time after the divorce became final, I allowed myself to explore the option of working from home. I wasn’t feeling any spark at the offers that I came across. Mostly, it was just that: work from home. But on someone else’s idea. No thanks! I had my business plans to enforce.

Were my leader role models shuffling around for some other company, building someone else’s empire? HECK NO!

No one can ever be completely happy by selling and working for someone else’s business ideas while dreaming of being your own boss. It’s never going to work.

Trust me. I worked several small jobs and was never satisfied knowing I was not making progress in my own business. Don’t get me wrong, I was happily DOING my job, as my nature is to be service-oriented. But being an employee was not going to launch my career.

After Asking For Guidance From Above:

I found affiliate marketing to be the solution. Many programs out there today offer affiliate programs, but none other than the one I stumbled upon comes close to modeling the training I have been accustomed to.

It’s like taking a condensed version of college and sitting in class, all at the comfort of home. And then some!

Each leader found the inner strength to get out in the world to learn new skills about business and their products, and found mentors along the way. 

With my affiliate program, I have all these in one place. My affiliate leaders, my new leader role models (my up-to-date list), are online too. As a single mom who decided that time is the top priority, this checks off the box.

Like most of the people in my list, they branched out to other interests of business. Having multiple businesses is possible with the affiliate program I’m offering. Guided training is all-inclusive, with a vast area of fields of study for everyone, and the best part, I was able to have access to all the training upfront and ready when I had time.

As a leader, I couldn’t ask for more. Isn’t it time that you stepped into your role as a leader? Understanding who your business leader role models are can help define you as a leader in your career.

Join the list of thousands of leaders learning, growing and expanding their OWN business ventures today in the link above.