Women Will Change the World When They Stop Thinking Small with Sigrun: An EOFire Classic from 2021

0:01Light that spark fire nation JLD here and welcome to entrepreneurs on fire brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals with great shows like I Digress. Today, we're pulling a classic episode from the archives, and we'll be breaking down how women will change the world when they stop thinking small. To drop these vibe bombs, I have brought Sigrun into EO Fire Studios. Sigrun's mission is to accelerate gender equality through female entrepreneurship. She's an international business coach running multiple seven-figure online businesses. She's a TEDx speaker and host of the Sigrun Show podcast.

0:36In today's foundation, we'll talk about how you cannot achieve gender equality if you continue to think small. We'll talk about having a dream, believing that it's worth pursuing, and starting to do the work, and oh, so much more. And a big thank you for sponsoring today's episode goes to Seagrin and our sponsors. Nudge, hosted by Phil Agnew, is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. Ever notice how the smallest changes can have the biggest impact? On Nudge, you learn simple evidence-backed tips to help you kick bad habits, get a raise, and grow a business.

1:06Oh, and it's the UK's fast-growing business podcast. A recent episode on how to win any argument shares decade-long research into persuasion from a world-leading neuroscientist. Listen to Nudge wherever you get your podcasts. Ever thought about giving a TEDx talk? It's one of the most powerful ways to share your message with the world. And four-time TEDx speaker, Taylor Conroy from Thought Leader can help you get there. Visit thought-leader.com slash fire to join Taylor's free training where he teaches you how to land a TEDx talk and spread your message to millions. Sigrun, say what's up to Fire Nation and share something that you believe about becoming successful that most people disagree with.

1:48A lot of people believe that bigger is more difficult, but bigger is better. Listen, bigger is better. And in a lot of ways, it's easier, Fire Nation. I mean, working with higher tickets, products and services that you're offering people, individuals, you're coaching and mentoring. Let me just tell you, a lot of times and a lot of scenarios, it's better and it's easier. So, Sugen, you're a very interesting person. I've gotten to know you over the last few months, I'd say, more specifically. We share a virtual trainer, and Jeff McMahon has been training me for six years and you for quite some time as well.

2:24So we have that in connection. And I'm always just fascinated and in love with talking to people who are so passionate about changing the world and specifically a set problem that they see. And you're doing that. That is your mission. So break it down to Fire Nation right now. What specifically is your mission in this world? I'm on a mission to accelerate gender equality through female entrepreneurship. And I'm using the vehicle online business because I think that's the easiest way for women to create wealth. Fire Nation, see how clear and concise Seagrin's mission is. And I just want to ask you, if you look in the mirror and say your mission, is it that clear?

3:11Is it that concise? Do you have that much understanding about the direction you're going in? Because I'll tell you, there's a lot of times when I'm talking to people in my mastermind, coaching, whatever it might be, and I ask them a question like that, and it's like deer in headlights. It's like they're panicked and they're freaked out because they can't clearly and concisely share what their mission is. And Fire Nation, that's your North Star. Without that, what direction are you really doing? You're like a rudderless ship at sea. So why specifically is this mission so important to you? I discovered my why 16 years old.

3:47I was brought up in the belief that I could do anything. And so I truly believed that I could become an architect or a computer scientist or even a president if I wanted to. Actually, we had a female president from the age that I was nine years old. So yeah, I believed I could do anything. and 16 years old, I was doing a course, a sewing course. I was making my own clothes already at that age and I was learning how to do my own pattern. And I was the youngest woman in the course and the women were in their forties and fifties and they all had not made their dreams come true. I mean, one thing I love, Fire Nation, this is just a quote that I'm really resonating with at a big level is that if somebody at some point who's similar to you, whether that be gender or background or fill in any other blank has done it, you can too.

4:44And that's why I just love how powerful it was for Seeker to grow up in a world where there was a female president. I mean, at that point, it's just like, what can't women do? Women can obviously do everything. And it's like, she had that mindset from a very young age going forward. And that is just so spectacular. Like that's, you know, why I love to see when we have leaders, keywords, when we have leaders that are great role models, that it just inspires so many people in so many different ways. And maybe not even immediately, but it plants seeds in our youth and our children. And then they're able to see those bloom as they get older and as they experience more about life.

5:21And at some point, boom, they go forward with that. So let's talk specifically about the problems that you see in this world? Well, I discovered that women had excuses. That was at the age of 16. And this really empowered me to do something about gender equality. I decided, I made actually a couple of important decisions that have guided me since then, that I would have some sort of an influence onto gender equality. I did not want to become a politician, but I was wanting to find a way how I could still influence this important topic, that I would not have children. I do have two wonderful step-sons today, but no biological children, that I would never have a man stop me because obviously these women were telling me stories that how they couldn't do some things because they were married and had children.

6:11And then I decided I would always make my dreams come true. And so with these beliefs or this determination, I have gone through life and taken some important decisions. I have traveled the world. I have studies in multiple countries. I have four master's degrees because I always, if I have a new idea and it's important to me, I do follow it. And I see a lot of women not doing it. And what is bothering me now, because this was many years ago, and I don't feel we have made that progress. Like I come from Iceland. We are over a decade, the number one country in the world in gender equality. It's not because Iceland is so good.

6:55It's because everyone else is so bad. And the problem I'm seeing when it comes to entrepreneurship and specifically and creating wealth is that out of all the businesses that are started, one third is started by women, but still today, female-led businesses or women-owned businesses are only contributing 4 % of the total revenue. 4%. We are not going to achieve gender equality if we continue thinking small. And Fire Nation, why do you want to think small? Like who listening to this wants to think small? And I can answer that question for my listeners, Seagram, because the answer is none of them want to think small.

7:36You don't listen to a podcast like Entrepreneurs on Fire and think small. You're taking your time, Fire Nation, your energy, your mental bandwidth, listening to the words that Sigrun and all my other past guests are sharing because you want to think big. You do think big. You want to accomplish big things. You want to have a major mission. You want to change the world. And if you think Sigrun is even close to Dundrop and Value Bonds, Fire Nation, we're going to be talking about some pretty important and deep things as soon as we get back from thanking our sponsors. Welcome to the world of entrepreneurship.

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9:56visit fundera.com to see your loan options today. That's fundera.com, F-U-N-D-E-R-A.com. Do you have a message inside that you know is meant to be shared with the world? Giving a TEDxTalk is one of the most powerful ways to share your message with the world and Thought Leader can help you get there. Thought Leader is a speaker coaching company that has helped over 550 and counting coaches, speakers, entrepreneurs, authors, and experts land TEDxTalks. Thought Leader is not affiliated with TED or TEDx, but they're able to get these results because their founder, Taylor Conroy, is a four-time TEDx speaker himself and past EO Fire guest.

10:34You might be thinking a TEDx talk sounds great, but where do you start? Taylor has put together a free training that's going to teach you how to land a TEDx talk in as little as 90 days. Join Taylor to learn exactly what TEDx organizers are looking for in their speakers, how to write a talk that goes viral once it goes online, and more. visit thought-leader.com slash fire. Join Taylor for this free training and get your message out of your head, out of your heart, and out into the world where it belongs. That's thought-leader.com slash fire. Before the break, Siglin, we were talking about the problem as you see it in this world.

11:11Why specifically is this a problem? Can you break down the specifics and how it's affecting the world, this problem that is currently not being solved as quickly as it needs to be? According to the World Economic Forum, it will take another 250 years to achieve gender equality. And they actually don't even measure wealth in that matrix. They're looking at health, education, opportunity to get a job. But for me, having equal wealth is really what is going to make an impact. You need money to have an impact. There is no impact without financial means. and unfortunately women are not thinking enough about it.

11:56You know, if you just look at the stats, one third of businesses being started by women, only 4 % total revenue contribution and then 90 % of women-owned businesses make less than six figures and they have no employees, which means they are not really contributing to the economy. and then only 2 % actually make seven figures. And if we continue on this path, well, it's going to be 1 ,000 years until we achieve gender equality. 1 ,000 years, completely unacceptable. And I mean, if you just look at it practically, Fire Nation is like, do we really want half of the brains in this world like not accomplishing the type of things that they could be accomplishing if there was equality in this world?

12:45Do we really not want half of these amazing brains in this world working on the projects that they should be working on because they have genius? Is there a zone of fire? Of course not. So let's get into Sigrun, the specifics, the how. How can women think bigger? It starts with role models, just like you mentioned. For me, growing up in Iceland and seeing a female president was extremely helpful for me personally. So the more women do the things that they want to do, they're going to inspire other women to do the same. So we are all role models. We cannot just say, oh, it's Oprah and it's a female president.

13:24You know, every woman on the planet is a role model for future generations. So if you're not following your dreams, you're actually telling others it's not worth following your dreams. So we first have to look at what we can do ourselves. You know, for gender equality, there is a lot governments can do and corporations. But honestly, at the end of the day, it's about what every single woman can do herself. So first of all, just acknowledge that you have dreams and that you are worthy of following your dreams. And everyone should be following their dreams, even if they sound completely outrageous.

14:02I was at a Tony Robbins seminar 2008. 2008, I was in between jobs and I wrote down that I wanted to have a business and make a million dollars. And I have no idea where this dream or vision came from. And then 10 years later, I had it. I had a business, I was making a million dollars and I couldn't believe that I had actually written this down 10 years earlier. And I didn't even want to be an entrepreneur at that time. So it's having that dream, believing that it's worth pursuing and then starting to do the work. Fire Nation, it can really be that simple. Don't try to overcomplicate these things.

14:42And I love what Sigrun was saying. We are all role models. We are all role models, Fire Nation. That's why it's so BS, by the way, when these pro athletes say, I am not a role model. I didn't sign up for this. I don't want to be viewed as such. You're a role model. like you are on national television multiple days per week or every single Sunday depending on what sport you're in there are millions of kids around the world looking up to you whether you like it or not like you can say whatever you want to say but what you're just saying is a lie if you're not accepting the fact that you are a role model so we are all role models fire nation it's time to own up with that and let's get specific real quick how can you siguren specifically help women think bigger.

15:26And let's potentially maybe give a story or two, some examples of some clients that you've worked with where you've been able to help crack them open and bring them there. Oh, absolutely. I love sharing those stories. So I, you know, I've been running an online business now for seven and a half years and I find online business one of the best ways to create wealth for women. It's easy to start. You can work from home. You know, of course, men can do it too, but I think this is particularly an easy way to be an entrepreneur and still maybe attend to what is important to you in your life. And so many women come to me exactly in the moment where they have young children or they have, you know, not been able to do a job because of sickness or some other things, but often the children is a topic.

16:15And just one and a half years ago, one client signed up with me from the Czech Republic. And she had been a freelancer, copywriter. She had to leave her job as a scientist. She had a PhD, so highly educated, and was making only$20 ,000 a year doing freelance copywriting. She had three children. The youngest one was six months old. And she started to ask herself, is it worth it? Like I'm working so hard. not spending enough time with my family and making so little money. And so she decided to join one of my programs where I take people through a process of actually creating a scalable online business because that's what women want and need in order to grow and have a bigger business.

17:05Within 10 weeks, she had made triple the money back that she invested. Within a year, she was making$120 ,000 instead of$20 ,000. And this year, just in this year, she has already doubled what she made the year before. So she has now a multiple six-figure business in one and a half years. And I know that she will have a million-dollar business next year. Fire Nation. I mean, believe me, when Sieglin says it and I say it, if somebody who has a similar background to you can do it, has done it, so can you. And by the way, if you can't find anybody who has done it before, this comes from a similar background or whatever it might be as you, then be the trailblazer.

17:54Pick up that torch and be the person that's going to inspire others. I love that. So Seagram, take the mic now. You shared a lot of value bombs today. How do you want to end our conversation here? Give us for sure one key takeaway that you really want to make sure everybody listening here walks away with. If you want to share another story, if one comes up for you, this could be a good time to do it as well. Give us any call to action that you have for our listeners so they can learn more and connect with you. And then we'll say goodbye. I believe everyone has a dream. And there's actually a quote from Oprah about that finding your passion and living with passion is the most important job you have in your life.

18:42And I truly believe that online business, as you know, is the way for many of us to make that dream come true, to create that lifestyle that, you know, basically you design your lifestyle and you build your business around it. And I found when I was starting to teach my clients, actually, I wasn't doing such a good job, to be honest, because 10 % of people will always be successful. 10 % will never be successful. Well, maybe not true, but maybe they are in the wrong spot. They should be doing something else. I was looking at 80 % in the middle of my clients, and I realized that even though I had created amazing programs, in my opinion, they weren't really doing the work.

19:27So I came up with a process to get rid of all this overwhelm that seems to happen. And I see this with a lot of women, that when they want to start something, they're trying to think of all the steps they need to do. But if your list has 100 items on it, it is so much that you never get started. So I started to change all my programs and the way I teach. So I only give people five things to do that week. And then next week, they get another five things. And the week after that, they get another five things. And suddenly, there's never overwhelm. And after 10 weeks, they have achieved more than they would have ever dreamed possible in the years before.

20:12I have this thing about tough love there. I just believe that if you have a loving kick in the butt, that you can actually do anything. And so if you have disbelief, you just need to find that right mentor or the one that has walked that path before you and find someone that has a process to actually get you the results you want. So the first step people need to do is to create a scalable program. I am on a mission to get women to seven figures. And if they want to get there, they need a scalable online program. And that's my gift to you. I have given access. It's on sigrun.com forward slash fire, obviously, there's a gift for you, a workshop, how to create a scalable offer in any economy.

21:06And that's how you can get started on the path of not trading time for money. And finally, thinking bigger and having this path to six and ultimately seven figures. Fire Nation, you know this, you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with, and you've been hanging out with Sigrun and JLD today, so please keep up that heat. If you head over to eofire.com, type S-I-G-R-U-N, Sigrun, in the search bar, and her show notes page will pop up with everything we talked about here today. One more time, Sigrun, give us the direct call to action URL and what they'll get when they get there.

21:43You go to sigrun.com forward slash fire, and there you will get access to a workshop that I have been delivering live multiple times, create your scalable offer. This is the offer that you can bring out right away. We even have success stories from clients who have created this offer after the workshop, sold it, and made$10 ,000 within a week. I mean, Fire Nation, get your booties over there. And I just want to say thank you, Sigrun, for sharing your truth, your knowledge, your value with Fire Nation today. For that, honestly, we salute you and we will catch you on the flip side. Thank you for having me.

22:21Hey, Fire Nation. Today's value-bound content was brought to you by Seagren and Fire Nation. Successful entrepreneurs, they accomplish big goals, which is why I created the Freedom Journal to guide you in accomplishing your number one goal in 100 days. And we're talking step-by-step. So visit thefreedomjournal.com. Use promo code podcast for a$15 discount as a thank you for listening to my podcast. And I will catch you there or I'll catch you on the flippity-flip side. Nudge, hosted by Phil Agnew, is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

22:55Ever notice how the smallest changes can have the biggest impact? On Nudge, you learn simple evidence-backed tips to help you kick bad habits, get a raise, and grow a business. Oh, and it's the UK's fast-growing business podcast. A recent episode on how to win any argument shares decade-long research into persuasion from a world-leading neuroscientist. Listen to Nudge wherever you get your podcasts. Ever thought about giving a TEDx talk? It's one of the most powerful ways to share your message with the world. And four-time TEDx speaker Taylor Conroy from Thought Leader can help you get there. Visit thought-leader.com slash fire to join Taylor's free training where he teaches you how to land a TEDx talk and spread your message to millions.