Focus On Marketing: From Employee to Entreprenuer by Leveraging Online Presence with Diana Cabrices

⭐ In this inspiring episode of Pathways with Amber Stitt, we welcome special guest Diana Cabrices to discuss her entrepreneurial journey, the power of community, and the importance of personal branding.

👩‍❤️‍👩 Diana shares her upbringing and the influence of her mother, who instilled confidence and a strong work ethic, shaping her path to success in the financial services industry. She highlights the support and mentorship she received throughout her career, emphasizing the significance of networking and building relationships.

🧏‍♀️ Amber and Diana delve into the challenges women face in business, such as downplaying their abilities, and the importance of embracing praise and supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs. They discuss the role of risk management, financial planning, and the motivational impact of financial responsibility when starting a business.

💻 The conversation also covers the value of personal branding and leveraging online presence for professional growth and potential side hustles. Diana stresses the importance of being vocal and active in one's industry, using social media and in-person events to build authentic connections and create future opportunities.

👥 Throughout the episode, Amber and Diana share personal anecdotes and insights on the power of a supportive community, the significance of investing in personal development, and the role of experience and friendships in business.

🙌 Don't miss this thought-provoking discussion on entrepreneurship, personal growth, and the impact of mentorship. Subscribe to Pathways with Amber Stitt for more inspiring conversations with successful entrepreneurs and leaders.

📽️ To watch this episode: https://youtu.be/FwEl7KFJFQM

🔗 Resources & Links:

To learn more about Diana Cabrices please visit:

🌱 Website: https://dianacabrices.com

🌱 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dianacabrices

🌱 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianacabrices

🌱 X: https://x.com/dianacabrices

To learn more about Amber Stitt please visit:

🌱 Website: www.AmberStitt.com

🌱 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-stitt-acp-chfc%C2%AE-cltc%C2%AE-clu%C2%AE-gallup%C2%AE-1b186821/

🌱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amberstitt_

#AmberStitt #DianaCabrices #PathwaysPodcast #Entrepreneurship #DianaCabricesConsulting #FractionalChiefEvangelist #PathwaysWithAmberStitt 

Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below, and join the conversation on social media using #PathwaysPodcast.

Transcript

Amber Stitt [00:00:00]:
Hello and welcome to Pathways. I am your host, Amber Stitt, and today we welcome my friend and business colleague Diana Cabrices to the show today. Welcome, Diana.

Diana Cabrices [00:00:10]:
Hello. Thank you so much for having me, Amber. I've been looking forward to this for so long.

Amber Stitt [00:00:15]:
We've been hanging out a little bit over the 2023-2024 year. Always fun to hang out with you and get some inspiration, watching you out and about and innovating. And so I really appreciate you being here and talking with the audience about ideas, lessons learned, maybe some takeaways. And through the Pathways, we're gonna actually go through the 5 steps. We don't always get to do that, but I think you can help the audience all the way through all 5. So hopefully you are okay with that, heading down that road, heading through the framework. So let's have you start with talking about, well, I assume you're doing what you love. I feel that vibe from you, but we start with focusing on talents.

Amber Stitt [00:00:53]:
And do you think you are truly working within where you're talented and doing what you love at this point in your life?

Diana Cabrices [00:00:59]:
I'm so glad that we're starting here because I feel like what holds a lot of people back from taking that leap of faith, from making that jump is, "But is this the right thing for me?" And maybe there's a layer of it that I really love, but maybe there's another layer of it that I'm not really sure about, and that ends up just holding you back. And to be totally honest, I do feel exactly where I'm supposed to be. I love public speaking. I launched a business to be a professional public speaker for my clients, to advocate for them and represent their brands, and I love what I'm doing. And at the same time, I could have said, "I really love health," and I was a health coach for a while, and I became a birth doula. And I could have said, "No, that's really my thing. I need to stick to what I know there," and that would have just held me back. So I think there has to always be an element of something in what you're doing in your day to day, whether that's your own business or working as an employee, there has to be something there that you love, but it doesn't have to be everything.

Diana Cabrices [00:01:58]:
In fact, it's more of, I kind of think of all the different endeavors that I've been on as stepping stones.

Amber Stitt [00:02:06]:
Right.

Diana Cabrices [00:02:06]:
I know that I, for a long time, I've wanted to be a public speaker. I've wanted to land big keynote gigs, and I'm finally doing that. But it took those stepping stones along the way of getting into sales and getting into marketing and going to speak for free and making videos. I didn't even know what I was talking about half the time. It took all of that to get to where I am. So I do love what I'm doing, but sometimes you don't have to love the entire thing. You need to love a big portion of it, but don't let that stop you from launching something.

Amber Stitt [00:02:36]:
And I know I met you when you were doing something else, and you were amazing there, and it was a software program, and that's where we connected. But beyond that, there were some changes, some things you noticed, some things you were called to around that point. So it's not like our journey means there's something bad happening. It's just sometimes it opens up where we shine, and then people start asking things of you, and you go, "Oh, my gosh, I could probably create this into a job." I feel like there's almost...I don't want to call it like a revolution out there, but I feel like there's so many people doing some transitions, and I think that the more we understand we can do it and go through fellowship and have community, which we'll talk about. You can really do it but it does take a little bit of focusing on potential. We'll talk about maybe some risk management, focusing on money. How do you go, "All right, it's time to make the jump."?

Amber Stitt [00:03:24]:
Was there a certain element, or a conversation, a person that you spoke with, or just an "a-ha" moment where you go, "I'm gonna do this. I'm really gonna go out there and start my own company."?

Diana Cabrices [00:03:34]:
There was, I would say one "a-ha" moment that I clearly remember, and it was after, I don't know, maybe 5 or so different conferences, and I would have a CEO come up to me, I would get off the stage, and they'd say, "Hey, how much do I have to pay you to do that for my business?" And I think after so many of those, I'm like, "Dang it, there's really something here." The money piece. I also love that you bring up, because I feel like, especially for women, we don't necessarily talk about it enough, or it's more guarded versus how our male counterparts talk about money all the time. They talk about numbers that we're like, "Oh, my God, those are such big numbers." They don't even flinch at them. Yeah, the scary part for me, in launching my own business is obviously I like to say I jumped off of a W-2 paycheck cliff. Like, that was a pretty deep dive, and it was very scary. But if I hadn't been in that world and I hadn't worked for other people and other businesses and saved my money, they always say, "Save for a rainy day."

Diana Cabrices [00:04:33]:
It's not really a rainy day. It's more of like a, "Hell yeah, I'm gonna do this, kind of thing day." I don't think I would have been as financially confident in launching my business. I remember I took $20,000 out of my savings, and I was like, "All right, I'm gonna live off of $10K for the next three months, and then I'm gonna take the other $10K I'm gonna invest it in marketing and getting my website going, like a really good video production, just hiring some help to support me with it all. And I thought that was a pretty good number. And then I launched my business, and it even then took another 3 months to get my first paying client, my client, committed. But they're like, "Yeah, we have to start in March," and here it is in January.

Diana Cabrices [00:05:11]:
So always tell yourself that there's not the rainy day, but there are times and periods of retreat where you're gonna need to rely on your money. But don't let that hold you back and save, save, save. Because while you have this idea today continue developing it over time, when the time comes, that "a-ha" moment hits you, and you know it's time to do this, you're gonna thank your future self, right? You're gonna thank your past self for having put the money aside, and you gotta spend money to make money. I know you know this, Amber, but again, timing is everything in business. I couldn't have done that 5 years ago when I had barely anything to my name, compared to this last year, where my situation financially looked a lot different because I busted my butt for many years working for other people.

Amber Stitt [00:05:56]:
And you mentioned sometimes doing things pro bono, sometimes you got to get out there, get known, and a lot of times, counterparts. We've talked about men, just briefly, but a lot of men in my industry, my business partners, "Give me an analytic. I need a metric to sale. Does this convert? You bought this marketing. Why are you podcasting? How much money you make doing that?" All these things, sometimes they matter. Sometimes they give you experience. Sometimes they bring you a friendship.

Amber Stitt [00:06:21]:
But got to get out there. I did a lot more investing in personal development in 2023, scaling business, adding and it changed a lot of things.

Diana Cabrices [00:06:29]:
I love that.

Amber Stitt [00:06:29]:
But I like how you say you're not saving for a rainy day. You're saving for the freedom of choice to make those choices and not be scared about these little ideas that are popping around. Because you talked about doula, talked about the W-2, and sometimes if you like to do multiple things, I think if you can figure out what the main thing is and kind of set that up, then you still can have these odds and ends, hobbies that could still monetize. You don't have to just stay in your lane all the time. I think you can still expand as long as you kind of give yourself that time to get that up and running. So I appreciate you being honest about it's not always going to be right away that you're going to see the fruit.

Diana Cabrices [00:07:02]:
And it's like a tide that comes and goes, right? Like even right now, where I am in my business, I'm constantly saving for what I know in the future is going to be that next big jump and the next one and the next one. And so, I spent all that $20K, but now I'm restoring it again and I know I'm going to spend it again and then I'll restore it again. Money comes and goes. So I completely agree. The side hustle thing, too. We don't have to be so narrow minded in life. And I'm loving what you said about just looking online and seeing all these people transforming and transitioning.

Diana Cabrices [00:07:37]:
I'm loving that. And I'm loving even...I just get on social media and I see people doing all these side gigs and side hustles. And in the beginning of it all, it might be challenging. You're going to spend a lot more time, you're working hard, but in the end, and then again, that's going to become the beginning of something else. You're so grateful that you did and you have that freedom. Freedom being the keyword there.

Amber Stitt [00:07:59]:
Yeah. And risk management, it can be a kind of a scarier sounding step, but really, forecasting, dreaming could be risk management. I think organizing, if you're going to do something like the steps, how would that be aligned? Having conversations with people, family, the structure behind it all could be a way to mitigate risk so that you can have resilience as you try new things. So when it comes to business ownership, you work with a lot of business owners and have you seen any, I guess, for the audience, is there anything you could share between your own business or what your other clients, as business owners do to help themselves stay on top of the game, maybe manage their own risk by being out and about. Have you seen any fruit within just your clients of them doing things to help them protect because they're out there growing and innovating?

Diana Cabrices [00:08:45]:
Risk is really important, and there's different types of risk management. Right? Like, you have to think of legal risks. You have to think of financial risks, family risks. I will say, for me personally, I feel...I don't know if "blessed" is the right word...because there are times where I yearn for this type of life, but I'm not married, I don't have any kids. And I think that, in and of itself, for a lot of people, poses a huge weight on your shoulders of risk. Like, "I can't make this crazy jump because I have to support this huge family that I've built," and that is a beautiful thing to have in and of itself. I didn't necessarily have that. What I did have, though, for me, is more of the family risk with just my mom and my sisters.

Diana Cabrices [00:09:25]:
So one of my very first hires in my business was my sister. She quit teaching, and she relies on me. And she had a baby at like, three months into the business launch. I was also her doula. And so we kind of help each other out. But I knew if I don't make this, if this doesn't work out, my family is at risk in that sense, that I can't pay her anymore, and then she's completely out of a job, and it's different for her. So that was something that I consider, too. Again, if I did have kids, I feel like it would have been, again, another barrier for me to kind of stop and maybe choke a little and pause and say, "Do I really want to do this right now?" But of course, thinking about the future and thinking about my mom as well, who's an immigrant in this country, it felt a little strange, maybe even a little uncomfortable, Amber, to quit my job.

Diana Cabrices [00:10:15]:
I was making six figures, jump off that paycheck cliff and start my own thing when my mom came from nothing, had to flee her country because of communism. Worked so hard every single day to make sure we went to school. And then I got to go to college and get an education, and here I am like, "Bye. I don't want to work for this company anymore. I don't want this steady paycheck."

Amber Stitt [00:10:36]:
I don't like it anymore.

Diana Cabrices [00:10:38]:
But she supported me no matter what. But there was always that looming thought of risk. And so even just insurance-wise, right? Like right now, I'm focusing hardcore on getting my policies together. I need disability insurance. When you start your own business, you have to really care for your own stuff, your own retirement account.

Amber Stitt [00:10:55]:
Do you know who you're talking to? I know somebody. It's not a plug for me, is it, no?

Diana Cabrices [00:11:02]:
(Laughter)

Amber Stitt [00:11:04]:
Well, yeah, so thanks, no, thanks for...I'm sure like, your mom's probably the biggest cheerleader, but at the same time she may like, "Wait," you know?

Diana Cabrices [00:11:13]:
Yeah, she was the first to say, "Are you sure about this?"

Amber Stitt [00:11:17]:
"And I'm bringing a sis with me."

Diana Cabrices [00:11:19]:
Yeah, yeah.

Amber Stitt [00:11:21]:
You know, there is a couple people that I have followed that they're not acting out out of fear, but almost that as if there's no dollars in the account. You're like, "I'm replenishing the $20K, going to do that over and over." So it's almost like I feel that if there are the people that you're responsible for, the dependents, the other factors that might play out for anybody no matter where they are in life, operating from that savings mindset of we got to save for the, you know, we talked about that, but almost as if not desperate, not fear based, but getting after it and taking massive action to act as if there's no dollars in the account, there could be something there. So maybe having other responsibilities is also the high motivator to keep going and never stop. So maybe could be a little incentive to have a little bit of worry like your sister.

Diana Cabrices [00:12:06]:
That's so true.

Amber Stitt [00:12:06]:
To just kind of push you.

Diana Cabrices [00:12:07]:
That's so true. You're so right about that. Even people aside, if you have a lot of bills, or a big mortgage over your head, or a car payment, that in and of itself can be a huge incentive. You can't afford to not make this big. You have to give it your all and go all in. I totally agree with you.

Amber Stitt [00:12:24]:
And we'll transition from there into marketing and branding because I know that you believe that anybody could work on their personal brand no matter where they work, even if they're an owner, or not. There's always a potential side hustle. We could call it that. Some of my physician clients say, "I'll never want to be a practice owner, or a business owner," but it doesn't mean you can't think like an entrepreneur and have something that can maybe just be fun. Maybe it doesn't generate a ton of income, but it sure can give you some tax write-offs, too. So there's also thinking like an entrepreneur. In today's episode, I want you to speak to just what do you think people should be considering about their online brand? Even if they're an employee of their favorite job, even then, what should people be considering out there in social media world?

Diana Cabrices [00:13:07]:
People need to start talking. That is my opinion. If you're only...let's say you are working for someone else, you're a W-2 and even if you're behind the scenes, you're not in sales or marketing, so not necessarily on the front lines. Maybe you're in operations. It doesn't mean that you should be quiet. It doesn't mean that you should just show up, do your job, call it a day, and go home. Because if something happens to that company, or that job that you have, what ground do you have to fall on? And if you haven't been vocal in your more general industry, it doesn't have to be to the whole world. It can literally just be connecting with people in your industry.

Diana Cabrices [00:13:42]:
Posting a couple times a month, getting your voice out there, your name, right? Just having people connect their brains to your name on the Internet a few times a month like that is going to be so much more helpful in the future when you do need that next opportunity. A lot of people say that, "Oh, you're launching a business, and this is really hard to create a brand." But for me, it actually wasn't that hard. It was hard, but it wasn't that hard because I had already been doing the work of creating my own personal brand, even working for another company. I was already posting online. I was already very active. I would throw myself in the ring for like, "Put me on this conference, or put me on stage," which is part of the speaking thing, right? The developing the talent.

Diana Cabrices [00:14:24]:
But no matter what, I was always making sure people knew Diana before just Diana as this employee of this company, that's important, especially if you're going out to represent them at a conference, but making sure people knew me as a human. So if you are thinking of ever being an entrepreneur, even if today, you have no idea what you'd want to do, but you have that feeling in your mind. I know I was meant for something bigger. I've always had that feeling, personally myself. I've always listened to that voice. Start talking, start putting out content, even if it's just about who you are, your hobbies, things you're passionate about, because you're going to need that one day, and one day, again, you're going to thank your past self and be like, "Wow, I'm so glad I wasn't quiet all those years because now when I really need this platform, this brand platform to stand on, I've developed a little bit of that."

Diana Cabrices [00:15:12]:
So I am such an advocate for that, Amber. And we could dive into so many other things, marketing and tech. But the branding piece, I love that you started with that.

Amber Stitt [00:15:19]:
And it's not hard to use your name. Hey, there you go. You have to be too creative. It's almost more simple just to go...I know I have AmberStitt.com, you have yours.

Diana Cabrices [00:15:28]:
Yes.

Amber Stitt [00:15:29]:
Most people have that. And it's like, it can be so simple. And I know that I've gone clever before. I used the word "Crisp" back in the day with some entities, and no one can spell crisp, "And it's crisp?" "And you got a crispy bacon, no?" "Crisp apple?" and no one could...So don't be cute and clever sometimes. Just keep it simple.

Diana Cabrices [00:15:46]:
Yeah.

Amber Stitt [00:15:46]:
On that note, do you have anything to share about what not to do, what you're seeing people maybe could do better at?

Diana Cabrices [00:15:52]:
Well, honestly, what not to do is not be quiet. As I mentioned before, is not let imposter syndrome get in the way of you putting yourself out there. Not letting what they call, like, comparison is a thief of joy. Right? Like, not letting comparison get in the way. Because maybe you want to be at a certain level, level 10, but today you're only at level 1. And it doesn't mean that you can't get to 10. I think a lot of people think you have to find your voice. So I'm not going to be posting right now because I just...Ican't find my voice.

Diana Cabrices [00:16:25]:
You don't find your freaking voice, you develop your voice. And that takes practice just like anything else out there. So not letting those mentalities get in the way, I think is really important. We could get way more specific with marketing. Just, I think what you said was so spot on. Don't waste time trying to be extremely clever.

Diana Cabrices [00:16:44]:
Your name has a lot of power. And think about the way people find things online today. If someone is searching your name, you want them to see as much information about you as possible. You should have a website, even if it's a basic landing page that has your photo on it and a bio of what you do today and literally nothing more. Maybe a contact, or email me button. That is so much better than having nothing. And you're building that SEO already online. And so definitely think about being simple, using your name, getting that SEO presence going.

Diana Cabrices [00:17:13]:
Maybe it's just a landing page. Also, when we think about some of the best marketing channels to connect with people, social media is really important. And personally it's been a great channel for me to build my brand. So has traditional in-person going out to conferences and now I know help advisors do this with their own business brands. That's all really important. But another extremely important channel is email. And so if you are wanting to eventually launch another product or another brand in the future, maybe it's your first business ever. Having an email list of 100 people is actually really more viable than having no email list.

Diana Cabrices [00:17:48]:
So maybe today it starts as something so simple of, "Hey, I send out a monthly email about my ten growth tips," or whatever it is that you do, compliance, risk, insurance, whatever it might be. Start building that email list. Even if you're not ready to do something big. Again, in the future, you're meant to be bigger. Start working on that now. Collect those emails. Get that social presence going. Get out, get in-person, be original, be yourself, use your name. There's nothing more powerful than your name.

Amber Stitt [00:18:18]:
I feel like you're touching on consistency. And the email list is that sleeper because we've seen platforms change, platforms or accounts get hacked and then what do you do? But if you can go back to something that's more like your own property, essentially, you know, opt-in, of course, but that's where you can have some more control there. But then being consistent with the message, and I feel like other marketing experts are saying, almost have more fun than be so serious. I know on one of your breakouts at WIFS, you talked about the terminology, "What are we doing?" Make it user friendly. It doesn't make you seem smarter, it just makes you almost unreachable if you're being too difficult and fancy with your expertise.

Diana Cabrices [00:18:57]:
At times when it comes to copy and text, people love just reading something that they can really relate to. It's almost like you're texting your friend and you're just being super genuine, "Hey, here's what's been going on today. Here's what's on my mind." People are actually more apt to reading something like that than, "In today's newsletter I share the top five things that, this, that and the other..." There's nothing wrong with that style, especially if you're really working for more of a corporate brand, right. But people resonate with that.

Diana Cabrices [00:19:25]:
I've seen people build million dollar businesses off of just being extremely authentic. And you look, look at their emails, and there's no grammar. There is no punctuation. It's all just kind of real simple sentences here, there and there. And they're blowing up! So I'm not saying don't use good grammar because I love great grammar. I used to be an english teacher, but I am saying don't let that get in the way. I completely agree.

Amber Stitt [00:19:52]:
Yeah. So let's go to the fifth step. We talked about talents, money, risk, marketing, community, who has lifted you up, who has supported you through your journey in the last couple years?

Diana Cabrices [00:20:03]:
So many wonderful people. I don't know where to start, and I feel bad if I leave anyone out but let's just say...

Amber Stitt [00:20:10]:
It's an Emmy awards speech. Don't forget. Where's your paper? No, I threw the off guard there.

Diana Cabrices [00:20:17]:
No, I like being thrown off guard. Looking back, right? First off, obviously, where I come from, my mom has always been my biggest supporter. She's a wild woman. As I mentioned, she came from Cuba. Cuba obviously turned communist, and we won't go down that rabbit hole of a conversation, but she was a warrior. She had to fight for everything that she has, and she had to speak up. And there were times where she worked multiple jobs, and I was there along her at nighttime at the restaurant in the back of the booth, or 3:00 a.m.

Diana Cabrices [00:20:49]:
throwing newspapers, or, she'd shove me to the front of the line and tell me to ask for a discount. And that actually helped me develop this sense of confidence. So everything stems from her as wild as she is. And then I start to think about the last, let's say, 7 years of my career in financial services. And I think about all of the jobs I had and the leaders that I had and what they recognized in me. And they recognized, "Dang, Diana needs to be on the front lines. She's a good salesperson. She can talk really well."

Diana Cabrices [00:21:16]:
And they would tell me these things, and I didn't even know it. I remember one of my bosses being like, "You need to be in sales. Why the heck do we have you on the customer success side?" And I was like, "I like what I do. I love talking to customers." They're like, "No, You have a talent." And then fast forward to my last job at Snappy Kraken. And my leaders there, like Robert Sofia and Angel Gonzalez, just some of the best marketers in the space that I know.

Diana Cabrices [00:21:40]:
Mike Yebio, he was my direct boss. And they were always just telling me how amazing I was and always lifting me up, but also critiquing me and helping me along the way. This past year, or so, of running my business, women...Holy moly, women have been of such support around me as we've been to the WIFS conference. W I F S, I should say, Toni, who is just such an amazing person and president and, God, you and Lindsey and Alana, I feel like everyone has just inspired me, or supported me along the way. I should say also my sister, because she's my big sis. And even though I hired her and she's on my payroll, she's still my big sister and she's still there to lift me up when I need it and remind me, "Hey, look how far you've come. Keep going. Don't give up."

Diana Cabrices [00:22:29]:
There's more people I'm not remembering, or mentioning, but there's just mentors all around me, always willing to help me. That's huge for me.

Amber Stitt [00:22:37]:
We talked about the maybe the marketing piece, the maybe getting out there, having a voice...posting. There's really no excuses. Now, you can go online, you can go out, have coffee, you can build it however you like to. And if you don't love being out and about for long durations, go to the coffee, go to the quick happy hour. There's so many ways. But the more you resonate with people, I mean, how many times you get off stage and people are like, "Oh, can I hire you?" But how many times have people said, "Oh, my gosh, I saw that post. I see you everywhere." I bet people say that to you all the time.

Amber Stitt [00:23:06]:
And there's some fun behind that because that can generate opportunities. So it might feel kind of weird to get out there, to be posting, but find a post buddy. Like a pod, they call them. Now get out there. Like you said, I know that we'll take pictures and we'll post as we go and do different things. I think that's a safe way to do it. But the community is so important because initially, when I was building out the step, I was thinking more of a business owner and making sure you can leverage, or send a client somewhere to a trusted advisor. And then I was like, "No, it's more than that.

Amber Stitt [00:23:34]:
It's your church, at your neighborhood, or wherever." But it's gotta be a positive community that's bringing that vibe to the next level, because you named all these people that were saying you're amazing and was there ever a point you were like, "Oh, I'm good over here." Did you ever downplay it?

Diana Cabrices [00:23:48]:
Probably, yeah, I have a bad habit of doing that. I think a lot of women maybe do. Maybe I'm just...but I think you don't hear it until you really hear it. People can tell you over and over again, but something has to happen and it's different. That looks different for everybody. And then you finally hear it and you're like, "Oh, okay." And after launching my business and running it for as long as I have, I'm like, "Man, I wish I would have listened to them sooner."

Amber Stitt [00:24:16]:
And that's why your tribe is so important, because you have a Toni. You're talking Toni Denver. I'm talking Toni AZ. She was one for me, riding in a taxi. We're just chatting about something, and then about a year later, I was like, "Oh, my gosh, that was resonating in a different way." And you talked about layers at the very beginning. Sometimes it just...you just never know.

Amber Stitt [00:24:35]:
But keeping that open mind. And we gotta stop downplaying what we're good at, especially when people are giving us compliments, because that might be your next business line.

Diana Cabrices [00:24:42]:
Yep. And it's just kind of like, similarly to how we look at ourselves in the mirror. We're often our biggest critics, right? Like we see a picture of ourselves, "Oh, I hate that picture of me." But your friend right next to you is like, "You look great. What are you even talking about?" And it's literally the same thing mentally. And with our own talents, we think the same. Like, "Oh, no one's gonna listen to me, or, this isn't really that good." And it's probably 2 to 3 times better than what you're actually thinking it is, is how everyone else is looking at it.

Amber Stitt [00:25:09]:
I think also sometimes people don't realize when they're out and putting their energy out there like you have. I've watched what you've done, and I'm like, "All right, I need to talk to her about this or that." And it's helped me improve my business. There was something that you were speaking about that I'm using for an advisor review platform. But there's just...you never know what your voice can do for others. And I know that you've inspired me, and we're trying to also get more connected to the younger generations as well. And we talk about financial services, but I just mean the younger generation of entrepreneurs, too.

Diana Cabrices [00:25:42]:
Yeah.

Amber Stitt [00:25:42]:
There's a lot of work to be done, and I think sometimes there's not a lot of support, but I'm seeing a lot of potential there. A lot of doers.

Diana Cabrices [00:25:49]:
Me, too. This next generation is, I mean, I, there's so much to say about this next generation. I think they've all kind of like, grown up more on social media than we ever did, and they're learning a lot faster and they're trying a lot sooner. And we have to be there for them to help them, not to necessarily formalize things, but to just show them what we've learned and where we've gone wrong and things we've done really well and just help polish them in a way. And this really ties in with community, too, because when I launched, and since then, I've had a lot of women reach out from different countries even, that have said, "Hey, I follow you on LinkedIn. I've seen your post. I'd love to chat with you." And I always make time for them, even when I don't have the time, I will always make the time, even if it's just 1 hour a week or sometimes it's every other week where I'm meeting with somebody new because they want to do something like I did.

Diana Cabrices [00:26:42]:
They want to launch this. I think that's so important. Another thing that someone else said recently at a conference I was at was go to your local colleges as well, and go to your universities and just tell them, "Hey, here's what I do, and I want to come in and I want to be a guest speaker for your class and talk to them about what I've learned." I would even argue to go beyond that. Back when I was really more in the health world, I would go to my sister's school and I would teach her second graders how to make smoothies and how to be healthy. And we learned about fruits and vegetables and pesticides and all the things, you know?

Amber Stitt [00:27:14]:
In my generation, they're like, "Here, General Mills supports your food pyramid. The grains are healthy."

Diana Cabrices [00:27:22]:
But so starting as young as you can, and look, none of us are perfect. We don't have time every single week to go to a high school and talk to people. But if you start thinking that way and getting creative that way, ultimately you can create a path where you're reaching these people. And again, social media is a great place to start because so many young people are on social media.

Amber Stitt [00:27:44]:
You mentioned LinkedIn, and I noticed you were back more on LinkedIn than ever. And I was like, "Okay, hold on. We're about a decade apart and I thought people weren't doing LinkedIn." I mean, I was already kind of doing that, but I'm seeing more and more people, and the more we do podcasting, and I meet people from all over the globe, they are using LinkedIn. Do you think it's because it's supposed to not be a creepy platform? Like, it's supposed to be professional? Like, maybe that's why it's...

Diana Cabrices [00:28:06]:
I think that's part of it. I think you're onto something with that, Amber. And I think that when you compare it, or stack it up to some of the other social profiles, this one has a little bit more structure. Again, it's got that professional image. I think we all like to maybe hide a little bit behind something when we're being so vulnerable on the Internet and with LinkedIn, that's a little bit easier to do. It's your professional side.

Amber Stitt [00:28:29]:
Yeah.

Diana Cabrices [00:28:30]:
And you compare that to an Instagram? My Instagram is so much different than my LinkedIn. In fact, I hardly ever post about my work stuff on Instagram. I'll post stuff here and there, like my launch video, or any awards that I've won or articles I've been featured in. I like to share those things with my community because there are people that know me a lot more deeply than people on LinkedIn. And for me, though, that's personal trips, and things that I advocate for, and my food that I'm cooking that day. So it's just very different. But I believe in the power of LinkedIn.

Diana Cabrices [00:29:00]:
Of course, don't be a slave to the algorithms. Again, try to build connections beyond any singular social profile, because if something happens to it, like you said, if it gets taken over, or hacked, whatever might happen, you have other avenues where you're well connected, but I'm a big advocate for LinkedIn.

Amber Stitt [00:29:18]:
Awesome. Well, I will be connecting with you continuously, but I hope others will. So, how can people find you? I think I already know the answer. We've already kind of told them, but where can they find you?

Diana Cabrices [00:29:29]:
All right, there's a few different places, so I'm gonna list them all. Bear with me. But I'm always posting content that's helpful to business owners, financial professionals, women, if you're looking to be in leadership, all the things I like to talk about. YouTube. Find me on YouTube. I'm really trying to grow that channel more and more. So it's @DianaCabrices. I'm sure we'll link the show notes, but if you're just listening, Diana, like the Princess. Cabrices, I like to spell it out.

Diana Cabrices [00:29:53]:
It's a very interesting way. But it's "Cab" like a taxi cab. "Rice" like what I love to eat, and then an "s" at the end. So that's how you spell my crazy last name. My website is my first and last name, DianaCabrices.com. if you scroll to the bottom, you can subscribe to my newsletter. To be completely honest, it's a little bit of sporadic newsletter these days, but when I can get to it, I do and I share really cool insights. Or, I'll invite you to some live learning sessions that I host quite frequently.

Diana Cabrices [00:30:17]:
And yeah, Twitter, I guess, X, I should say, @DianaCabrices. I won't share Instagram, it's just a little personal. But you can follow me on all those platforms and get so much great content. If you're looking to start your own thing, or build your brand, or just grow your business, I'd love to connect with you.

Amber Stitt [00:30:35]:
Well, you are so inspirational, motivational. You've been that for me. I know you'll be that for the audience. So thanks so much for being here today.

Diana Cabrices [00:30:43]:
Thank you, Amber. Thank you for having me. You're amazing as well. I'm so excited for you, your show, all the great guests that you've had on, you've had an amazing year. So looking forward to all the things that we'll do together ahead.

Amber Stitt [00:31:21]:
Yes, I love that. Thank you. Thank you for joining us on this episode of Pathways. For more information about the podcast, books, articles, the blog, and so much more, please visit my website at: www.AmberStitt.com And remember, let's take action today! Thank you for listening!