Five Things You Need to Know Before Starting Your Own Business

I get a lot of questions about running your own business, starting a side-hustle, or being an entrepreneur. I absolutely LOVE having my own business and I truly can’t imagine ever not being self-employed. I think that there are a lot of misconceived notions about starting a business though, and so I wanted to address them in this post! Running your own business is not for the faint of heart and I think that many people start a business with the wrong expectations and that is why statistically most start-up businesses fail within their first year!

If you are thinking of starting ANY type of business, this post is for you! From running my own business, helping hundreds of other launch their own businesses, and studying top business leaders all over the world, I have found that these are some of the key expectations you must know and set yourself up for before starting a business!

1. You won’t feel ready to start:

I have never talked to someone who was 100% confident and ready before they started their business. Thats because starting a business is a risk no matter what type of business it is! It is very normal to feel hesitant and nervous before launching a business because you never truly know how it’s going to do until you launch it!

My biggest advice on launching your own business is to go with your gut. If you have a gut instinct that’s saying to go for it, then do it! Most people will never launch their own business (even if they want to) because of fear. DON’T let that be you! With great risk comes great reward and so don’t sit around waiting until you feel “ready” to start. Just go for it!

2. You will fail:

You will fail. ALOT. You’ll probably fail everyday in the beginning! I can’t even tell you how many times I have failed in certain areas of my business. We are humans, and especially if you are a first-time business owner, there is a huge learning curve involved! Don’t expect yourself to be a perfect right from the start and don’t let your failure hinder your efforts. As soon as fear creeps in, the game is over. Fear is a business owner’s worst nightmare, but thankfully, you get to choose that you think. If you are feeling doubt or fear creep in, it’s YOUR job to extinguish it!

When you fail, instead of doubting and letting fear steal your dreams, give yourself some grace and problem solve for the next time a conflict arises! I like the term “Fail Forward”. This means that every time you make a mistake or fail in some area of your business, let it propel you forward rather than backwards! If you look at failure as just a normal part of the process, you will have a much healthier perspective on running your own business and you will be able to learn quicker when you make mistakes!

3. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will:

This one is so so important. I have seen numerous businesses fail because the business owner doesn’t have adequate belief in themselves. Believing in yourself, your vision, and your goals is crucial to the success you will attain. I have seen people with amazing talent fail because they did not believe that they could truly be successful.

If you are not a naturally confident person, that doesn’t meant that you can’t succeed in your business! It just means that you need to focus on belief-building activities so that your belief in yourself will continue to grow over time. Because I know that belief is so important in the success of my business, I have developed habits that constantly build my belief in myself and my vision. when my belief is lacking, I dive into personal development. I love to read personal development books, listen to business podcasts, and journal out all my dreams and goals. These habits I have created help me to believe in myself even amidst trials and seasons of doubt.

It is YOUR job to believe in yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, how can you expect anyone else to believe in you and your vision behind your business? It is your unwavering belief and confidence in what your business offers that will continue to grow and sustain it.

4. If quitting is an option, you will quit:

When starting anything, you need to have full confidence in yourself that you are going to succeed, no matter what it takes. Some of the most successful companies took over 10 years to see any positive profit. Any company or business takes a lot of time to grow and build if you want to have a sustainable business for years and years to come. I’m going to be straight up and say that if you give yourself the option to quit, you will quit. Many times when we start something we will think “well if it’s not working out I can always quit.” Let me tell you, if that is your mindset, there will come a time when the going gets tough and you will quit.

In business there are seasons of highs and lows, profits and losses, plenty and scarcity. Thats just part of having a business! If you give yourself permission to quit when it gets tough, I promise there will come a time when it gets tough and you will quit.

If you truly want to succeed in your business, quitting cannot be an option!

5. You must be a self-starter and self-motivator:

Being your own boss means that you have to continually motivate yourself to continue to work towards your goals in order to grow your business. Any entrepreneur will tell you that there are seasons when you don’t “feel” as motivated to work hard in growing your business. If you can’t push past those emotions and put in consistent effort despite your feelings, you will find yourself in a downward spiral.

As a business owner, it is your job to keep yourself motivated and keep trying new ways to grow your business! If you are a natural entrepreneur, this will come really easy for you. If you are not, this will be tough but it is not impossible to learn! If you are a business owner or want to be a business owner, know that it is up to you to propel your business forward. No one is going to work as hard as you in your business and so you must lead the charge!

I hope that these insights help to give you a healthy perspective on what it takes to start your own business! Starting your own business may be one of the most challenging things you ever do but it also may be the most rewarding! There is nothing like seeing your business grow after consistent effort, facing challenges head on, and overcoming doubt and fear. It is truly incredible to see people who have enough focus and determination to see their dreams come into fruition. I want that to be YOU!

Please reach out or let me know if you have any other questions about starting your own business! I love talking about these types of topics and so I hope you learned something valuable and I would to chat further about your personal dreams in launching your own business!

xo,
Lauren

The Story Behind Live Well With Lo: Change the World by Loving Yourself

This is the very short-version of my journey into wellness and self-care. These ideas, stories, experiences, and so much more will be in my upcoming book coming soon…

Growing up, I was raised with the idea that I must put myself last in everything I do. Whether it was a goal, a dream, or an idea for dinner, I needed to put myself last in order to elevate other people. I grew up to be selfless in every aspect that I oftentimes would do things and not even realize that I was simply doing what I thought others would want me to do, not what I felt in my heart that I needed to do.

Self-Love has been such a foreign concept to me, it’s honestly hard for me to write about. I still believe that being selfless is such an amazing quality and I believe that selflessness is an important character trait to posses. That being said, I have learned that when you love yourself and make your well-being a priority, you can serve other’s in such a better capacity! I’ve learned that in order to serve others in a truly selfless way, you need to love yourself first.

When I lived my life based on other people’s opinions or desires, I never felt truly fulfilled. I felt like I was just going through the motions of life and I never felt inspired or motivated. I felt that having personal dreams and goals was selfish and so I opted to live small. I did what I felt I should do instead of what I felt called to do for the sake of selflessness. When you live your life like that, you aren’t truly benefitting anyone.

I believe that when you live into the calling and passion you feel on your life, you can serve others in a way you wouldn’t be able to otherwise. I also believe that this is true when it comes to self-care as well. I spent many years of my life going from obligation to obligation and keeping myself busy for the sake of being busy because I thought that if I spent all of my time serving others, I would be enough. I gave everyone else 100% of me and I gave myself 0%. That led me to a place where I was so run down that my body couldn’t take it anymore. I got really sick. I spent so many years of my life so stressed out and in service to others, my body just turned off. (I talk much more about this in my upcoming book.)

When I got sick, I was forced to take care of myself in a way I never had. There was no other option. I could either live how I was living and continue to get more sick, or I could change my lifestyle. I realized that I needed to put the oxygen mask on myself before I could continue helping others.

I learned a lot of lessons during that time but even though that season was dark and scary and full of bad days, I found myself in a new way. Since I was forced to slow down and say “no” to pretty much everything that was non-essential in my life, I realized past passions that had been tucked away. I dove headfirst into wellness and I haven’t looked back since.

When I started to feel better about a year later, I realized that I needed to shift my mindset and the priorities that I had carried with me for so long. I slowly began to re-shape my thinking until I truly believed that It is NOT selfish to take care of yourself. It is NOT selfish to make your well-being of utmost priority. I learned that nobody else is going to take care of you if you don’t take care of yourself.

As I started on this new journey to wellness and self-care, I began to see a passion stir up inside me. I knew that other people struggled with the same ideas on self-care that I used to have. I knew that other people were struggling and living on empty and I suddenly became extremely passionate about sharing my ideas on self-care and wellness with the world. That is how Live Well With Lo was created.

Since wellness and self-care is such a huge priority to me now, I have re-framed my thinking on the word “selfish”. Because of how I live my life now, I have been able to serve and love others in a way I never thought possible. I truly believe I am a better wife, friend, daughter, and business women because I make myself a priority and treat myself with the same love and respect I would give anyone else.

When you treat yourself like you would treat others, you begin to blossom in a way you never thought possible. When you take care of your mind, body, & soul, you are able to serve and love others in a way that comes from true love and joy. I truly believe that if we want to change the world, it starts with US. It starts with YOU. Put on your oxygen mask, girl, and don’t you ever ever be sorry for it!!!!

xo,

Lo

Hair tips, Routine, & Current Favorite Products!

Today we're talking all about HAIR! I'm no hair expert by any means but I feel like I've finally come to a place where I am content with my hair routine & I finally found some products that I love! I also get questions all the time about what I use on my hair and how I do it and so I thought I would answer all of those questions here as well! 

My hair has always been a problem for me. Its curly and can be frizzy but it's actually really fine in texture! Hair stylists are always so confused by my hair because it is so fine, I just have ALOT of it. My hair gets super tangly and it either looks good in one of two ways. Either I need to blow dry it straight and then curl it, or I scrunch it after I shower and let it air dry! Since the Hawaiian humidity is no joke and I'm pretty low maintenance, I usually scrunch it and let it air dry. 

It's interesting because when I was younger, I hated my hair! Super straight hair was the in style when I was in middle school and highschool and so I always wished for straight hair. Growing up I pretty much always blowdried and curled or straightened my hair and I would only ever wear it curly if I didn't have enough time. Nowadays, I love my curly hair! Thankfully, "beach waves" became a thing and so now I always get people asking me about how I get my tousled waves! 

I also think I've finally found my "color" that looks good for my hair. I have dyed my hair pretty much every color under the sun. I'll never forget for my thirteenth birthday I had a sleepover with my friends and we snuck out to the grocery store so I could get box dye and dye my hair red! I always have loved doing new and different things with my hair and mixing it up.

In recent years, though, I have been pretty much staying consistent with my hair color. As I've said before, I'm a low maintenance kinda gal when it comes to beauty and so I love balayage because it mixes so well with your natural color and it grows out so nicely! I usually get two balayage's a year, one during the Fall and one in the Spring time! Since I only get my balayage touched up twice a year, I go about twice in between each time to get a toner put on my hair. Toner for your hair is something I've recently started doing and it is a game changer! It keeps the brassy color away and keeps your balayage looking brand new! There's nothing I hate more then my hair starting to turn and orange hue where it's been bleached and so that is why toner is a lifesaver for me! 

I also only cut my hair about twice a year.  I've never been a believer in regular "trims". Maybe that's just me, but I don't really get trims. I honestly think that is the secret to growing your hair out long! Ask anyone with long hair how often they cut it and they will probably tell you that they hardly do! That's pretty much my only secret to hair growth. haha. 

As far as products go, there are a few products I will splurge for but most of my haircare products are super inexpensive! I LOVE the Kristen Ess line from Target and most of my haircare products are from her! I think everything in her line is under $15 and so it is budget-friendly but also super high-quality, which I love. Here are my favorite products from her line...

The One Signature Shampoo : I use her Signature shampoo on most days! I love that it is sulfate free but still lathers and it really does clean the hair! Before I started using this shampoo, I would often deal with product build-up that would cause dandruff. I haven't had that issue though with this shampoo and it's only $10! Can't get getter than that. 

Purple Shampoo : I alternate the signature shampoo with this purple shampoo which I love because it is an at-home toner that you can use to keep the orange/brass color away! I use this about twice a week and Its the only purple shampoo that I can actually tell makes a difference! 

The One Signature Conditioner : Yep, you guessed it, I use the Signature Conditioner too! This is totally not a sponsored post, I just love this line! I love this conditioner because it does its job without leaving build-up in your hair! 

& Last but not least, probably my favorite product from Kristin Ess is this Curl Defining Cream! : Before this product, letting my hair air dry was always risky because I never knew how it would turn out. I use this curl defining cream on my towel-dried hair after I scrunch it and I just put a dime-sized amount and comb it into my hair! It helps my curls stay defined but not crunchy and it also helps calm down the frizz! I honestly LOVE this stuff and cannot go without it! 

My two other MUST-HAVES: There are two other products that I use on a daily basis & love! I get them from Sephora...

Verb Leave-in Mist: I love love LOVE this detangler!! It's the only one I've found that isn't heavy and doesn't leave a residue! Leave-in conditioner is a must for me because my hair can get tangled FAST. This leave-in mist helps to calm the frizz, tangles, yet doesn't leave my hair oily!

Drybar Detox Dry Shampoo: Oh, how I love this dry shampoo! This is my only "splurge" haircare product. Its $23 but in my opinion it is 100% worth it! My hair can get on the oily side and even dry shampoos often add to it but not this one. I love how lightweight this one is and how it really does transform oily hair into voluminous and clean looking har! I don't use dry shampoo a ton when my hair is curly (that's what top knot's are for) but this stuff is a lifesaver when I get blowouts. I actually have a membership with Drybar and so I get two blowouts a month! I also can't travel without this. I just picked up a travel size version to take on my trip to California! 

I hope you found this helpful and that I answered all of your questions about hair! If you have any other questions, comment them down below and I will make sure to answer them! Hope you are having a great week!!

xo,

Lo

Personal Update: What's Really Going On

Hey friends! I feel like it's been a minute since I've done a personal update post. If you like honest thoughts and long-winded rambles, this one is for you. If you'd rather just read about health, food, and beauty, you can skip this one. ;) 

 It has been a busy month, so much is going on! I leave this week to travel for a month and I've been trying to do as many things as I can before I leave. Whenever I go home I'm also so busy catching up with friends, spending lots of time with family, and working with my local R+F team! I'm really hoping to pre-write a lot of blog posts over this next week so there's still consistent posts going up but to be honest, I'm feeling really overwhelmed with everything I'm juggling. This blogpost is basically just going to be me giving a little personal update and sharing the things that have been on my heart recently!

A year ago I thought I was busy. HAHA. A year ago all I was focusing on was my R+F skincare business and I thought that kept me super busy. Once I started Live Well With Lo, though, everything seemed to go from 50 MPH to 100! I am now juggling my skincare business, blog posts, instagram posts, collaborations, oh and writing a book. It's ALOT. I love every second of it, I really do. It's just a lot! This year I have been so much more scatter-brained since I always have about 10 projects going on. To be honest, somedays I feel like I am failing at everything since I'm not giving one thing 100%. 

I've never been so inspired in my life, but I've also never felt more afraid, stressed, and unaware of what's coming next. Somedays I just want to shut it all off. Go off the grid for awhile. Do you ever feel like that? Do you ever wish you could just hibernate for a little while? Thats kinda how I feel right now since I am really trying to give my full-attention on my book but I still have a ton of other tasks I need to get done each week! 

On another completely different side-note, I think hurricane's are plotting to ruin my life. Okay, that might be a little dramatic, but seriously. I never ever worried or cared about hurricanes until a month ago. Then, we had a big hurricane scare here, more tropical storms heading to the islands this week, and now a huge hurricane is heading to the Carolina's which I am supposed to be visiting next week! Not sure if my trip will be cancelled or not but I am praying fervently for safety for everyone in the storm's path! 

Growing up in California, we never really had any natural disasters to worry about except earthquakes which are unpredictable. I never even had to change plans because of the weather, it barely rains in SoCal! I guess I was spoiled. This hurricane season has been no joke so far and apparently it is just getting started. Yikes. 

Today I have to pack, write two blog posts, write a chapter for my book, & clean! Lots to do and finish before I head out Thursday morning. This week is going to be pretty insane because it's also Rodan + Fields annual convention! This is the first year I am missing it since I've become a consultant. I chose to not go this year so I could spend time with my SoCal team but it is still super sad for me to miss it! I have so many amazing memories at our convention's and I am going to miss all my friends that are going! Nevertheless, I'll be watching it LIVE online and I can't even wait for the new products to be released!! I have a feeling that this will be such a huge year in my team & business and I know that these new products will be a huge part of that! 

Okay, I think thats pretty much everything that has been going on in my brain recently. I'm really hoping I can simultaneously take some sort of social media break while I'm home while also keep a consistent posting schedule. HAHA. Not sure how that is going to be possible but we will see!

Thanks for being here. Seriously. I feel like you are my friend and we are sitting over some iced matcha lattes right now! Thanks for being apart of this tribe. I hope LWWL inspires & encourages you in some way today. 

PS- do you like these scatter-brained rambly posts or should I stick to the professional stuff? Let me know! <3 

xo,

Lo

Easy Snack: Fiber Ball Recipe

A couple weeks ago, Danny and I were in snacking moods and I was crazy peanut butter, chocolate, and oatmeal. I’ve seen energy bites before that contain those ingredients and so I decided to experiment and make a recipe of my own! I decided to call these Fiber Balls because they are super nutrient-dense and no shocker here, full of fiber! Since I started making these I have been making about two batches a week because my husband is obsessed with them and so we go through them FAST! 

I love these because they are a filling snack that tastes like dessert but are still super healthy! Also they are ridiculously easy to make and to store! I hope you love them!

Ingredients:

¾ cup peanut butter

¼ cup honey

1 tablespoon coconut oil

2 cups oatmeal

½ cup coconut shreds

¼ cups raisins

½ cup chocolate chips

1 tablespoon ground flaxseed

1 teaspoon chia seeds

 

Directions:

-Mix together peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil.

-Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix.

-wet hands and mold mixture into 1’ balls

-Place balls in storage container of choice and store in the fridge or freezer! I usually put half in the freezer and half in the fridge. Let cool for 30 minutes & enjoy! 

Let me know if you make these & what you think!! 

Xo, 

Lo