🟢 Design your work around your ideal life (not the other way around)
Being trapped abroad during the pandemic didn't stop her! Now she runs an inspiring business writing books, hosting workshops, and delivering keynote speeches.
(5.5 min read)
There’s someone who shows up to Substack every day looking to make the world a little sunnier.
How can there be so much positivity, energy, and entrepreneurial wisdom packaged in one person.
I’m SO EXCITED to introduce to you… [drumroll 🥁] … Veronica Llorca-Smith!
(P.S. The bold in her answers is mine.)
Interview with of The Lemon Tree Mindset 🌳🍋
What’s your “origin story” as an entrepreneur?
Veronica:
I was stuck abroad during the pandemic and had to start over in a new country, Australia, where I was unemployed and didn’t have a network.
I wasn’t able to find a job after 6 months and so, I decided to create my own.
What inspired you to take some risks and carve your own path?
Veronica:
My daughters. I wanted to be proud of the story I would tell them when they grow up and I decided to be in charge and own the narrative of my life.
I realized I had everything in me to be successful; I just had to take a risk and make things happen.
Can you share some of the challenges you’ve faced and how you overcame them?
(What pivots did you make along the way to discover founder-business fit and product-market fit?)
Veronica:
At the beginning, the hardest thing about creating a business was to find clarity:
I wanted to do many different things and didn’t have a clear positioning.
I started building my personal brand on LinkedIn but had many iterations because I didn’t have a clear vision.
After a lot of reflection and self-discovery, I realized that what I really wanted was to help people unlock their potential to build something amazing, whether it’s creating a business, writing or becoming a better leader.
That vision translates in everything I have built since: my books, my newsletter, The Lemon Tree Mindset and my work as a public speaker.
Always start with a vision.
What are your favorite ways of earning money right now?
Veronica:
I love combining earnings by creating an ecosystem.
What I mean by this is creating a synergy between writing and public speaking.
I deliver corporate workshops and keynotes where I sell my books as a supporting tool.
Combining different streams is more effective, scalable, and rewarding.
Who is your ideal customer for each of those offers?
Veronica:
For my corporate workshops, my ideal clients are medium to large-size businesses with multicultural teams that want to invest in the development of their people, both personally and professionally.
For my books and my newsletter, I target individuals with a hunger to create something meaningful and turn their passions into a lifestyle.
What are the main ways they find you?
(I’m particularly interested in both paid and organic customer attraction efforts because I find that getting people’s attention is often far more challenging than offering a high quality product or service.)
Veronica:
My business clients find me through LinkedIn, where I have a network for 7K.
I also receive leads through referrals and word of mouth.
Another effective way to find new clients is through partnerships and referral programs with other solopreneurs who focus on a similar business.
I do some outbound reach but it’s an opportunity for me to do it more consistently.
I have to get better at knocking on people’s doors.
I only do paid reach for my books through Amazon Ads as it’s very challenging to promote books if you rely on organic traffic exclusively.
In this journey, what have you been most proud of?
Veronica:
I’m proud of the key milestones along the way: my first book signing, my first award, my first international keynote but I also try to find small wins every day and be proud for pursuing my dream and not giving up when things get tough.
The secret of a winner’s mindset is to find the wins in everyday life.
Some people feel alive—they feel that their lives are fulfilling and interesting.
Others don’t. They could be feeling overwhelmed, uninspired, or disconnected.
Maybe they’re 35 years old and have thrived in the corporate world but feel burned out and don't like the rat race.
What should they do?
Veronica:
I have been both: today, I feel alive and fulfilled and I love what I do but 4 years ago I suffered a burnout and lost my sense of purpose.
The best advice I would give based on my experience is to look in the mirror and have an honest moment of truth:
What would make you happy? What is the life you want to be living?
If you have the courage to ask yourself the tough questions, you will eventually find your answers.
Many of us find it difficult to make friends after college.
With technology and society the way they are, what advice do you have for making friends these days?
Veronica:
I love meeting people in person through common interests outside of work.
I joined a triathlon club, a charity organization that empowers girls and other communities.
Technology can be a great enabler but it’s important to connect in real life without a screen.
If you could wave a magic wand and reprogram your mindset in a certain way, what might you change?
Veronica:
I would remove resistance.
We often delay or avoid doing things because of self-imposed resistance: insecurities, fear, imposter syndrome, etc.
I would remove the resistance button and let things flow.
If longevity escape velocity doesn’t happen in our lifetime, and eventually you’re on your deathbed reminiscing about your life, what would you like to feel about it?
Veronica:
I want to feel that I lived a life with no regrets, following my values and my passions and I want my daughters to be proud of the legacy their mom will leave behind.
Consider your dream life.
What would an amazing [day/week/month/year] look like for you?
If your current life differs in any way: How so? How do you think you’ll move towards the life you want?
Veronica:
It took me years and a burn out to be living my dream life, which is now, right now, and for that I’m grateful.
Of course I want to consolidate my business and my name as an author and public speaker but I am thankful for what I have been able to achieve and for having a work-life balance that allows me to do what I love, spend time with my family and travel the world.
Last year alone I traveled to 7 countries with my family without having to ask anyone for holidays.
I will keep doing what I’m doing, one day at time and hopefully I will keep growing my wings.
Where have you found the most effective coaching, insights, inspiration, and encouragement?
Veronica:
I have a diverse digital ecosystem that allows me to tap into different communities:
LinkedIn is brilliant for learning effective copywriting and content creation.
Medium is a great platform to build confidence and competence as a writer.
Substack is full of brilliant minds that give you unique perspectives on an array of topics.
I definitely recommend these 3 for any writer/ content creator.
As a non-native English speaker, I enjoy and recommend LinkedIn creator Philip Charter’s “Multilingual Writers’ Community”.
If you were starting over from scratch, what would you do differently when designing your life and business?
Veronica:
I would take the Japanese concept of Ikigai and apply it to design my ideal work and life:
What you love doing
What you are great at
What can be monetized
What is good for the world around you
It’s a simple but brilliant concept that helps you connect the dots and design your work around your ideal life and not the other way around.
Name 5 people whose answers to these questions you’d be eager to read.
(Who else should I interview?)
Veronica:
Neela Singh
What are you up to next?
What habits do you plan to have going forward that will help you improve your business and life?
Veronica:
I’m starting a new book which I haven’t announced yet, so this will be a teaser.
It’s called “The Antiprocrastinator.”
That’s all I will say for now!
In January 2024, I deleted social media from my phone; all of it.
I wanted to have more quality of life and less distractions.
As a result, I have added 15 hours of productivity and quality time to my week.
That’s my new habit and I plan on keeping it.
Where can we follow you, cheer you on, and support you?
Veronica:
You can follow me on LinkedIn, Medium, or subscribe to my newsletter The Lemon Tree Mindset:
You can support me by buying my books on Amazon.
You can cheer on me while I’m running any of my races!
Thanks for answering these questions,
!If you haven’t subscribed to her yet, do it now using the form right here 👆. I always look forward to her posts.
👀 Caught my eye this week
Lex Fridman interviewed Yuval Noah Harari (author of Sapiens), who said:
As mere humans, we can never give each other 100% attention.
(Do you ever catch yourself thinking about how you’ll reply to someone before they even finish communicating?)
Machines (via the latest AI) now have the phenomenal ability to create an intimacy with you that you’ve never experienced before.
This means we each need to learn more about ourselves in an effort to protect against manipulation from machines.
Start at 11m45s:
🕙 What we learned in recent posts:
🔜 Coming up (Saturday’s post):
What I learned managing $210 billion
Feel free to share this post with friends and/or click the ❤️ button on this post so more people can discover it on Substack 🙏
Would love it!