Nicole Walters: I sure am, John, let’s do it.

Interviewer: Nicole is an income strategist and teaches people how to turn their passions into profits with her online training programs. Just over a year ago, she quit her six-figure corporate job while streaming live on Periscope in front of 10,000 people. Six months later, she built a million dollar business that helps everyday people, brands and leaders realize their full potential. Nicole, take a minute, fill in some gaps from that intro and give us a little glimpse of your personal life.

Nicole Walters: Sure, of course. Well, I live in Baltimore, Maryland and I live with my husband and my three foster tinies. And before I jumped into the entrepreneurial world, I worked in business development for a multi-billion dollar corporation.

Interviewer: Whoa, whoa, whoa. So, streaming live on Periscope in front of 10,000 people, we’re going to talk about some stories today, but I mean, where did that one come from?

Nicole Walters: Right. So, my favorite app is Periscope. It’s iTunes’ number one app. That’s what they voted it last year and I got on there, kind of an early adopter, and built a huge following. I’m close to 30,000 followers and over 11 million hearts. Hearts are kind of equivalent to likes, if you will. And I just love it. It’s just so much fun, and I just kind of keep it real all day and share the journey.

Interviewer: So, it says while streaming live on Periscope in front of 10,000 people, does that mean you actually quit your job while you were streaming live?

Nicole Walters: Yeah, I did.

Interviewer: Sounds like, “Did I read this right?”

Nicole Walters: You definitely did. Yeah, it actually started out with me sharing my journey while I was still working. So, I was kind of showing people the side hustle, if you will, and then doing the nine-to-five thing. But, then I was like, “You know what? This isn’t true to the game. How can I give people advice on what I’m doing while I’m still working my nine-to-five? If I’m going to show them the whole journey, I’m also going to show them my quit day, too.”

Interviewer: So, did you walk into your boss’s office with Periscope right on your shoulder and just like say, “Come with me!”

Nicole Walters: So, actually, everyone had been building up to this quit day, right? I’m just telling everyone I was going to do it, and what I ended up doing was, my boss works in Chicago; I’m in Maryland. It was virtual. So, I told people, “I’m making the phone call now. I’ll come back on Periscope and let you know how it went.” Well, everyone’s like, “No, no, no. Leave us on the line. Leave us on the line!”

Interviewer: In fact, put it on speakerphone!

Nicole Walters: Yeah. So, sure enough, that’s what I did. I just left them on the line and I made the call and they heard me do the entire thing. And, it went really well. It was classy. It wasn’t like, “Take your job and stuff it!” It wasn’t one of those. But, yeah. The whole thing live and in front of everyone.

Interviewer: So, six-figure corporate job, poof! Gone. I mean, you were streaming live on Periscope; there is no going back at this point. And now, you’ve built a business and you’re generating revenue. Let’s speak to that right now. How are you generating revenue today?

Nicole Walters: Sure, absolutely. So, before I even quit my job, I was already hitting the affiliate game really hard. I was an Amazon affiliate and I was generating income through that, with my blog Naptural Nicole, and it was kind of like – and I’m sure you know this, JLD, when you taste those affiliate dollars and you realize how easy it is to make –

Interviewer: Yummy!

Nicole Walters: Right! You’re like, “I can’t keep doing this. What am I doing? It’s so easy!” So, once I kind of tapped into that, I was like, “Oh, man, if I just took some knowledge and created some info products, that would be amazing and I would have another passive income source.” So, I’d already replaced my income by my quit day, and that’s part of what I do now. Info products, speaking engagements and I have my wildly popular course that launches twice a year, $1K in 1 Day.

Interviewer: $1K in 1 Day. Fire Nation, by the way, when you taste $1K in 1 day, that’s a yummy taste, too.

Nicole Walters: It’s a very, very good taste. Yes.

Interviewer: Let’s talk about your worst entrepreneurial moment to date, Nicole. Now, you’ve had some tough moments in corporate. I don’t care about any of those. I want to know your worst entrepreneurial moments. Take us there.

Nicole Walters: Sure, absolutely. So, my personal mentor is actually Chalene Johnson.

Interviewer: Love her!

Nicole Walters: Yeah, she’s so great, right? So, she found me on Periscope. That’s just the power of live streaming, right? I was live streaming, she showed up, she was like, “Girl, you are everything!” And then flew me out to California and said, if you’re ready to do this, I’m ready to support you. So, I went out there to film with her team, and all this happened within three weeks of quitting my job. It was like a whirlwind entrepreneurial Cinderella moment. So, I get there, and I’m like, “I can’t believe this is happening,” and you would think I’d be ready to go, I’d know what to do. I froze. I completely froze. I had a crew, burned through two days of filming, couldn’t get my words right, choked, it was a disaster. Whether it was imposter syndrome or just flat out nerves, I couldn’t build the content to actually release my course $1K 1 Day. I ended up filming the entire thing live on Periscope. I live-streamed the entire experience from me finally crushing it at the end on that last day, to crying in the tub about how badly I was failing in front of my mentor, who is the Chalene Johnson.

Interviewer: Yeah, if you were streaming crying in the tub, it was probably a bubble bath, right?

Nicole Walters: Yeah. No, definitely. In front of everyone. No, I had my clothes on. We have a thing called tub time in my community where if they see me in the tub, they know it’s serious. They know. They’re like, “Look –”

Interviewer: They’re like, “Things just got real.”

Nicole Walters: Right. She’s in her quiet space right now.

Interviewer: I can tell you what, Fire Nation, if you’ve ever stepped that far out of your comfort zone, as it takes, by the way, to be a successful entrepreneur, you know that resistance is pushing back. That fear, the imposter syndrome, those words saying, “Who are you to do this? $1K in a day? Who are you to teach people to do this? Yeah, Chalene Johnson said this and this about you, but is that true or is she just misinterpreting you? What’s the real deal here?” Fire Nation, this is the imposter syndrome. It’s that monkey in our head, that chimp paradox that we just can’t get out of. You’ve got to get out of it. You’ve got to get out of that, and that’s why you’ve got to do tub time with Nicole every now and then because she’ll help you get out of there. Let me tell you. It’s serious business when it comes to tub time. But, what I want you to share with us, Nicole, is your biggest take away from that, this entire experience, you know that Fire Nation could really be helped by.

Nicole Walters: So, the biggest takeaway I had from that moment was that there are no right answers, and there’s no single systems. When it comes to building a business, it’s a dynamic thing. It’s evolving and whatever it is that you bring to the table is essential and it’s necessary. So, if you’re showing up, planning on doing things, the certain way, the right way according to someone else’s formula, it’s going to get messed up. You just have to be yourself and be authentic and that’s going to land you in that sweet spot of innovation that everyone’s going to buy into.

Interviewer: The sweet spot of innovation, Fire Nation. And by the way, you’ll know it when you’re there. You’ll be like, “Oh, this is that sweet spot that Nicole and John were talking about way back in the day on EOFire.” Yes, that is in your future, Fire Nation. Make it happen! Now, Nicole, let’s talk about an aha moment, an epiphany, a lightbulb. You’ve had a ton. What’s one of your greatest? Bring us there. Tell us that story.

Nicole Walters: So, not too long ago, I actually suffered from my first – and it’s a proud moment – occasion of entrepreneurial burnout. I’d mistaken the whole feeling that when people tell you, you know, “When it gets hard, you’ve got to push through and drive further,” that’s what I thought I was in. I was like, I’ve just got to push a little further, right? Overwhelm is normal. The fact that I haven’t slept is normal. This is what they talk about, right? No, not quite. Business isn’t one size fits all. It is dynamic, you have to discuss things with your community and see how it goes, but you also have to rest and take time for yourself. You have to engage in self-care. And after taking three days off, I was able to connect with my community even more. And ultimately, the changes in the conversation and the feedback I received doubled my following, I engaged with people even better and I built a better product because of it.

Interviewer: It’s so true, Fire Nation. Sometimes I think to myself, “Man, if I let 24 hours go by without posting a little JLD rant on Snapchat, I’m going to lose all of my followers because they’re going to go look for me, I’m not going to be there. And then they’re going to be like, ‘Oh, I guess JLD’s dead,’ and they’re never going to come back to me.” Well, that’s not the reality, Fire Nation. Believe me, because I’ve done it multiple times. I’m actually doing it today because Nicole is my 15th of 15 interviews today. True story. She was supposed to be number four, by my internet was wacky over here, so I fixed it during our interview time. She graciously came back and now she’s number 15 of 15. And Nicole, you might have been like, “Oh, man. Am I going to get, like, the little burnt out JD?” No, because why? Every interview I do with people like Nicole just gets me stronger and stronger and stronger. And I have a hard time sleeping at the end of the night. That’s just reality on these interview days. But, I’m not going to do a Snapchat today, and that’s fine. And Fire Nation, if you feel like you’re forcing things, stop. Take a breath. Go do your own personal tub time without even a Snapchat phone. You can just do it on your own, enjoy yourself. That’s the key takeaway. Now, Nicole, that’s what I wanted to pass along from your aha moment. What do you want to make sure Fire Nation gets?

Nicole Walters: The number one thing that I want people to know that has really helped my business thrive is that it’s really important to realize you can’t automate relationships. So, in this world of teaching, and coaching and courses and this industry I’m in, there’s a lot of talk about automating everything, but the one thing you shouldn’t automate is listening to your community. I think that JLD, you’ve shown us what’s possible with your freedom journal. That if you listen to what people want, and not just listening to see if they want you to create it , but how they want it created, you’re going to get a product that’s not just going to sell but actually change lives. And in doing that, I’ve seen my business grow and thrive.

Interviewer: I love that. To me, it’s such a clear recipe to success. You create great content around something that you’re passionate about. Because you’re creating great content consistently, you’re going to grow an audience. Then, you ask that audience, “What are you struggling with? I love you. What are you struggling with?” And then, they’re going to tell you their pain points, or obstacles or challenges and then you create the solution in the form of a product to service a community. That, Fire Nation, is the recipe to success. Now, Nicole, let’s talk about what you consider your biggest weakness as an entrepreneur.

Nicole Walters: So, my biggest weakness is that I really a hold no punches tough girl. I have no problem telling it exactly how it is. And, people don’t always expect that, you know? They’re expecting to maybe get a little bit of fluff, or you’re thinking just because you paid for it, I’m going to sugarcoat it. But, you know, that’s not the case with me. If this isn’t the industry, if this isn’t line of work for you, I’m going to head you pointed in the right direction towards your purpose to make sure you actually see success, because playing somebody else’s game is not where you’re going to win. You’re only going to win if you’re being yourself.

Interviewer: What’s your biggest strength?

Nicole Walters: My biggest strength. I’d like to think it’s probably the fact that I hold no punches. I think that I’ve found that being passionate about telling the truth and being authentic with my audience, showing them both my good moments and my bad moments and not being scared to do it on Periscope, especially as an entrepreneur. Not being afraid to cry and say, “Hey, I screwed up my launch,” you know? Being able to do that has really served me well and endeared me to my community. They recognize that they’re on this journey with me and the also are getting a side of entrepreneurship that isn’t the fancy cars, amazing trips and perfect makeup. You know, some days I’m in my pajamas and it’s [inaudible] [00:11:26].

Interviewer: Well, since you’re using the same thing for your weakness and your strength, I’m going to put you on the spot here, Nicole.

Nicole Walters: No! I said an answer; it’s supposed to be flawless. What are you doing, JLD?

Interviewer: What is an example of how your biggest weakness shone through? How that exact same thing came to haunt you? Let me hear it.

Nicole Walters: Sure. So, one of the things that’s pretty common is some people don’t like it, you know what I mean? When you’re on live streaming, you’re getting feedback live from people on Periscope and people will say, like, “What are you talking about? Why are you so loudmouth?” I’ll have trolls on there who are like, “I don’t understand. You’re too harsh.” They just don’t get my style, and that’s cool. I totally get it. Some people don’t like Gary V either, but that doesn’t keep him from impacting and changing lives. So, I think that that’s probably, you know, where it can get tough, especially if you have imposter syndrome going on, where you’re like, “Am I doing this right? Is this helpful?” But, then when you find out that your program is thriving, that people are actually seeing results from my academy $1K 1 Day, and that I’m empowering people to start their businesses and realize sustainable financial results, that’s what fuels me to keep doing things the way I’m doing them.

Interviewer: Have you had a success story from $1K 1 Day?

Nicole Walters: Yes! I’ve had several, and it’s like – Do you know my favorite one is this –

Interviewer: That was just actually what I was going to ask you.

Nicole Walters: Oh, okay.

Interviewer: Perfect.

Nicole Walters: Yeah, my favorite one is this girl. Her name is Cheer, which is just a coincidence, but she’s actually a designer out of Atlanta. She’s a stylist and when she first came to $1K 1 Day, she had no idea how to monetize her business. She was just kind of doing a little bit of free, picking up gigs where she could and she didn’t have structure. So, when I finally showed her the tools and the strategies, things that are used in corporate America through $1K 1 Day, she made six figures in her very first month. And we’re not talking about a course launch, just actually booking within her brick and mortar business. And she traveled to France, she was styling for Chanel. Just that shift in her monetized mindset turned into real dollars for her.

Interviewer: I mean, that is the definition of a success story.

Nicole Walters: Oh, yes. I’m so proud of her.
Interviewer: Nicole, let’s talk about the one thing that you are most fired up about today.

Nicole Walters: The one thing I’m most fired up about would easily be community building. I love the fact that entrepreneurship used to be a thing that was kind of lonely, you know, if you didn’t have a partner. You were just doing the grind in a basement by yourself, hoping for the best. And it’s just not like that anymore, and in $1K 1 Day, I’m so excited because we have this community where long after the course is over, we’re in there supporting each other. We’re helping people with their logo design; we’re giving feedback on how you’re growing your business and shaping your consulting packages. I mean, it is a dynamic group that I get to be a part of, and I love that that’s the new generation of entrepreneurship.

Interviewer: Fire Nation, we’re going to have a dynamic lightning round, so don’t you go anywhere. Nicole, you stick around, too. We’re going to take a quick minute to thank our sponsors.

Nicole are you prepared for the lightning rounds?

Nicole Walters: I sure am! Here we go.

Interviewer: Ooh, what was holding you back from becoming an entrepreneur?

Nicole Walters: My job and not having enough time.

Interviewer: What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

Nicole Walters: That your provision resides where your purpose lies.

Interviewer: Share a personal habit that contributes to your success.

Nicole Walters: I call it my 3-point checklist. I wake up every morning and I think to myself, “What can I do for my husband? What can I do for my kids? And what can I do for my community?”

Interviewer: Share an internet resource, like Evernotes, with Fire Nation.

Nicole Walters: Obsessed with Wunderlist! Oh, my gosh. Yes. I use it for the family, I use it for the kids, I use it for my business. It’s everything.

Interviewer: If you could recommend one book, what would it be and why?

Nicole Walters: Think and Grow Rich. That is the business foundation for setting up your mindset and you’ve got to have it. Napoleon Hill had it right a long time ago.

Interviewer: Drop the mic. Nicole, this is the last question of the lightning round, but it’s a doozy. Imagine you woke up tomorrow morning in a brand new world identical to earth, but you knew no one. You still have all the experience and knowledge you currently have, your food and shelter taken care of, but all you have is this laptop and five Benjamins. What would you do in the next seven days?

Nicole Walters: JLD, that’s a crazy question.

Interviewer: Crazy!

Nicole Walters: I knew it was coming, but it’s just like every time you hear it, you’re like, “What?” So, first thing I would do is I’d get on live streaming. What I found is it’s one of the quickest, easiest ways to build a community and generate leads. You get out there and you’re authentic, and you find out what people need. When you find out what people need and you’re listening and you’re getting that feedback, you can build a business system that’s going to get you paid. So, I’d talk to the community, find out what they need, use the $500, invest in building those systems and then before you know it, you’d blink, another seven days I’m a millionaire.

Interviewer: I love it. Nicole, I want to end it today On Fire with a parting piece of guidance – the best way that we can connect with you, then we’ll say goodbye.

Nicole Walters: JLD, my last piece of advice for everyone is when you’re stuck in your business and you’re facing overwhelm and you don’t know what to do, stop worrying about doing what’s right. Worry about doing what’s real. What does your community need? Listen. Do surveys. Do feedback, and start there. Because honestly, people are paying for your unique gift, and that gift is going to be your innovative thought and your audience is going to help you get there.

Interviewer: Boom! Now, how can we connect with you?

Nicole Walters: Well, you can find me and anything I do at NicoleWalters.tv and if you’re looking for a special bonus, of course, for the Fire Nation audience, you can find that at NicoleWalters.tv/Fire.

Interviewer: Fire Nation, you’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with. You’ve been hanging out with NW and JLD today. So, keep up the heat and head over to EOFire.com. Just type Nicole, N-I-C-O-L-E in the search bar. Her show notes page will pop up with everything that we’ve been talking about today, and I mean everything. Best show notes in the biz – time stamped, links galore. And of course, just go directly to NicoleWalters.tv/fire for your gift. Head on over there. Check it out. And Nicole, I want to thank you for sharing your journey with Fire Nation today, and for that, we salute you, and we’ll catch you on the flip side.

Nicole Walters: Thanks, JLD. I felt the heat.

Interviewer: Whoop whoop!