Nicole Laino 

Hello, and welcome to the Limitless Entrepreneur Podcast. I’m your host, Nicole Laino. And I’m here with a special guest today, I have a guest with me, Miss Fabiana Claure. She is a pianist and business strategist for musicians. Now why this episode is going to be so much fun for you to listen to, and why it’s going to be so beneficial for you to listen to no matter what you’re doing is, this is really what Fabiana does, and why I wanted to have her on the show is, that she she helps creatives see a path to profit. So, the people who don’t necessarily have profit in mind when they have this idea, when they have this passion born in them. And you don’t have to be an actual artist for this episode to apply to you. Because what we’re going to be talking about is basically, packaging your zone of genius, which is something that is a passion of mine. And Fabiana just deals with and works with people who I think typically take themselves out of the running of making money kind of just by nature of what they do. They think I can’t make money doing the thing that I love. And we’re here to debunk all of that. And she’s here to tell us all about her process for this and her experience working with musicians specifically, and other creatives on how they can build a business that not only makes money but charges high ticket. And you do not need to be a starving artist, you do not need to sacrifice your passion for money. It doesn’t have to work that way. It’s not either/or it’s yes, and. So I am so excited to have you here Fabiana. Fabiana, tell the audience a little bit about you, what did I miss in the intro and just say hello and let them know a little something about you.

Fabiana Claure 

Hi, Nicole, thank you so much for having me. I’m excited to be here and to share with your wonderful audience, some, you know, nuggets of wisdom around how creatives can step into our world today and be empowered financially, artistically, from a lifestyle perspective. You’ve got everything really well, you described, in a nutshell, a significant part of my life. And just to give a bit more background, I really grew up all my life as a musician since I was seven years old, I started you know, showing an interest in music. And really, until I finished my final, you know, terminal degree culminating in a doctorate degree in music, I always thought that music was just this passion activity. And I knew I wanted it to be a career and a profession. And I spent all my life and my career working on it in different parts of the world, growing up in the US and in Bolivia, my family’s from Bolivia, originally. I also studied in Cuba, and I came here in 2011–in 2001. And so it wasn’t until I finished my, you know, studies that I realized, this is more than just a passion, this needs to become a livelihood, I need to be able to make money with this. It’s not just about living through, you know, a joyous activity because until then I just did it because I loved it. And so it was at the end of my degree studies that I decided that I needed to learn about the business side of music. And I started to take some business courses and music business courses. And I really realized how much of a connection there is between business and art, and how many skills we’ve developed as creatives that can be easily transferable to the world of business. And I just discovered that it was actually not a foreign field, but it was very much integrally intricately related. And so this was something that helped me not only figure out what to do at that stage, graduating from, you know, a doctoral degree program, in terms of understanding my next steps, but it actually became like my life’s calling. I now have been helping musicians and creatives for the past five years, do exactly what I had to do when I finished my degree and realized, now what, right? So my husband and I are both pianists, and we launched a Music Academy called Superior Academy of Music in 2011, as soon as we finished our doctorate degrees. And for the first five years, we just became entrepreneurs by force, by fire, you know, the odds of us being able to obtain two full time University positions, which is what most doctoral candidates are kind of trained to want when they finish their studies. The odds of the two of us getting those, like, two faculty positions in the same university, right, so that we can be together. We’re really stacked up against us because the statistics for normal graduates are really really slim. In fact, my dissertation was researching what were the actual employability numbers. What did those look like for you know, graduating musicians and pianists specifically? And so the numbers were really grim. And so we decided, you know, we’re not going to wait to be chosen, we’re not going to wait to just be applying, applying, applying, let’s build our own thing. So we created our music school, we ended up hiring many of our colleagues from our program to teach at our school, and five years into running our school keeping it afloat, you know how the first few years of any business is always very critical. Learning those lessons, becoming someone you know, who could create something was super eye opening. And at the same time, I had reached a sort of a plateau where I felt that I, I wanted to do more, I had become a mother and I was in this place in my life where I knew that I had achieved what I set out to achieve with my school, and that I wanted to see what else was out there. So not shortly after, not long after I received an email in my inbox, where this position to create a music business program here in Texas, they were looking for someone who could build a program, and help musicians learn how to create their businesses and build their careers while still in school. So that seemed just like the perfect next step. And of course, my husband and I had to really think hard, what we were going to do with our business, with our school. And it was a journey of figuring out how to transition and delegate our program so that other people could teach on our behalf, and yet still maintain the reins of running a business. But it taught me how important it is to create a business that can run without you, right, that can eventually not depend on you. So that was one of the biggest lessons in terms of like, what I now use to teach my, you know, mentees and my clients is how do we start off thinking about building something that can grow, and that doesn’t depend on us for every single aspect of it. And so as I moved, as we moved to Texas, we delegated our music school, I really loved this opportunity to just build a program. In a way I felt like I was starting another business, and really getting to understand how to break down the steps that I had taken, that I had, you know, used to build my business and teach others how to do that. And in the process of doing that I learned so much, Nicole, I’m sure you can relate to that. When we teach others we teach ourselves too, we discover things that we didn’t know, or that perhaps we took for granted. And so a big part of what was missing at that stage in my life was keeping my creative side as active as I wanted to. I’m not performing, I had been a pianist all my life, it had taken a backseat because of becoming a mother, because of running a business, starting to be an entrepreneur full time. And so in the process of helping musicians find that synergy between what they were doing in school, and again, they were exactly as I was, not thinking about what they would do to make a living. They were just focusing on developing their skills as musicians and being the best that they can be. I really realized, okay, this is the magic formula. It’s about building a business that is dependent on your creativity. But that doesn’t depend on the specific activities that you do as a creative, only. It’s not exclusively limited to that. But that uses those skill sets to create a larger offering. And that’s the magic formula.

Nicole Laino 

Well, and I think that you touched on something earlier, when you were telling your story about how business and the creative side, they’re actually not–they’re not opposites. There’s a lot of similarities. There are a lot of things, I say all the time that entrepreneurs are artists. And it is a creative field that you are tapping into the same magic that you are when you are creating anything. And so can we talk a little bit about, can you touch on where do you start with people, you kind of you started to, you’ve touched on it. But let’s get into the nitty gritty of what is it that you when someone comes to you and they say okay, I just finished because I actually, I had friends that were in art school, where there was an entire class that you had to take before you graduated telling you about how we’re preparing you for not doing the thing that you love to do for the rest of your life. And what a big letdown like, oh and by the way, everything you just learned you can start to forget it now. Start letting go of that dream because you’re not going to be a star, you’re probably going to starve so you better learn how to do something. So yeah, I was like you what, they made you learn that? Soul crushing. Way to nurture those people. But where do you start? So someone comes to you and they say, okay, I don’t want to let go of my creativity. But I want to channel it into something where I want to let go of the paradigm of a starving artist. I don’t want to be that. But I also, I don’t want to be a waitress. I don’t want to go work in an office. I don’t want to do those things. So where do you start with that conversation? What do you start looking at for that person, or if they say like, I also don’t want to have to play 10 hours every day in order to make money as well. What is the starting point for you in that conversation with somebody like that? 

Fabiana Claure 

Yeah, so, you know, most of the musicians that I coach have been doing lots of different creative activities independently that if you look at the, you know, the accumulation of everything, it doesn’t make money for them. So they have a little bit of gigging opportunities, a little bit of teaching. Or they do a lot of teaching and they’re still not making money, because of the models that they use. They’re giving away all their time in exchange for money. And they’re not building businesses that are based more on delivering results, that are based more on a larger promise, on a specific transformation. Instead they’re just kind of doing things by the hour and just doing, you know, small, different activities. And even if you add them all together, they don’t add up. And so they’re just burned out, and they’re frustrated, and they don’t see a relationship between the things they love to do, that are their passion, their craft, what they’ve developed through their lifetime, and things that they, you know, can actually be profit producing for them. So what I do is I help them first of all take an internal evaluation of what is the life that they want to create for themselves, whether or not they think it’s possible. Right, helping them gain that clarity around the vision, around what is this, you know, not just activities they’re going to be doing? But how does it fit into their larger life goals, right? How much time do they want to have for their family? How much time do they want to have for exercise, meditation, taking care of themselves? How much do they want to, you know, spend working on the business making it grow? And how much do they actually want to be delivering their services? And so after making that kind of first analysis, and of course, knowing what are some examples, right, because it’s, it’s much easier when you look at other models, and you see what other people are doing. So it’s also about helping them realize that these things already are out there, and they exist. And there are, you know, many, many creatives who are incredibly fulfilled, who are living lives that are really based out of using their zone of genius, and letting everything else either be outsourced to delegated, restructured, systematized in a way that doesn’t take all of their energy. And then it’s about seeing what is this activity that nurtures your soul? Are they musicians? Are they artists? Are they dancers, are they, you know, whatever it is that they have done, and never really thought that it would make money, but that they just do it because they love it? Chances are that they have lots of skills around those activities that they can add to those activities in order to sell what they’re doing. So for example, I have clients who come to me who are, let’s say, you know, singers and voice teachers at universities, and they have had to overcome a lot of let’s say, health issues, understanding how to manage their vocal cords, and recover from things that were perhaps part of their, you know, health problems that they’ve had to deal with, and you know, biohacking and things like that. So they can actually build a program where they combine their teaching experience in voice, where they capitalize on their active career as a singer, but they also infuse perhaps this understanding of mindfulness and meditation and an understanding of the anatomy of the vocal cords and all these things, biohacking, right? And so they build a program that can capitalize on everything they have to offer, not just their singing skills. But, that their singing skills are an integral part of the offer, meaning that if they stopped singing, and they stopped teaching voice, their brand is going to fall apart, it needs those components to kind of be a whole business idea, right? So that’s where I see is the winning formula. It’s when we start looking at what are the things that we have been doing that perhaps have not been making a lot of money, but that gives us a unique edge, helps us set ourselves apart, which as we know, it’s indispensable. Like every musician, every artist, every entrepreneur needs to have this thing that sets them apart. Usually, it’s those things that help them become unique. And that helps get people to feel that connection. Right? So it’s about looking at the skill set and say, how can I turn this into an advantage for my business, into a differentiator, into a way to attract people to who I am not just based on the single skill that I can provide, but based on my perspective, from all of these other areas, especially from this creative side? So that’s an essence it’s so my program is called the Musician’s Profit Umbrella because it’s all about connecting everything that we’ve created, both within the realm of our like, specialty inside music, as well as with everything else, and building an offer that people can use everything we have to offer, not just one thing.

Nicole Laino 

I’m so glad that you brought that up because I think especially with creatives, they feel like if they’ve put all all of, athletes, it’s the same thing. They’ve put everything that they are into this one thing to become as good as they could possibly be. To be the best of the best at this one thing, and it’s their joy, it’s their passion. And then there can be a little bit of almost codependence on that passion, on that one thing. And something that I try to remind myself too is that your zone of genius is not something you do, it’s something you are. And allowing that and not being dogmatic with it. And just being like, does this fit with, and that’s your brand, your brand is your zone of genius, when you can wrap your arms around what you’re truly here to do, and to share and to be, then the opportunities of how to monetize that and how to put it out in the world. One, you’re embracing it, and you’re not fighting it and resisting it anymore. So it’s not difficult for you to put it out there. It’s not difficult for you to ask for money, because you’re like, I see the value in this, I know that this is how I shine and I’m meant to do that. But it’s also, it’s easy to package, it’s easy to see those opportunities. So I love that you brought that up that you don’t just tell them how to charge more for playing. Although maybe that’s part of their offerings. Do you have people come up with multiple offers? Or is it, does it have a suite of things that they do? Because the artists I have worked with, they’re often multi passionate, as well, they have these other things. And we’ve kind of made it where there’s some core offerings, but I’m curious, what is your approach to that? 

Fabiana Claure 

Yeah, so, I actually encourage my clients to condense all of the things that they do into a single, really clear, cohesive offer that uses the different skill sets, but that there’s like this overarching clear promise of what their program will do for people. And then when people come in, if they have special interests, and they want to take more of this side or that other side, then they can. But in order to really be effective and strategic in getting people to want to work with them, I actually encourage them to combine it all into a single umbrella, basically, right? And so to really find a way to say, like, what is my why, right? What’s that greater thing that makes me who I am? And that motivates me to create this business? And then how do all of my skill sets, all of these different things that I’ve developed throughout my life, what’s the unifying thread that puts it all together? And so to hold on to that, and to show up with that really clear, distinctive message and promise of what people can expect in working with them. And then within that, if they have different areas of specialty, yes, people can later kind of once they’re in the door, right? Once they’re in, then they can kind of go, but it’s this, usually what I’ve seen to be really effective is having like a, like an overarching clear differentiator, clear thing that is like, this is the thing, that is my specialty that I really thrive that I’ve helped others. I mean, it’s actually a very organic process, because most of the times people have been already helping others in a way. People have been receiving requests from others, people have been receiving calls and how can you help me with this, they just never thought of it as a business. I mean, that’s how I started my business. As a music university educator, I was working with music students for four years, helping them to build businesses, and people kept coming to me from outside of the university and asking for, you know, career advice and business advice. And I just realized, wow people already see me as an expert on this, I’ve just haven’t, like, really stepped into it yet. I’m more of just I was just at that point, really focused on just what I was doing in the current academic environment. But it was then when I realized, actually I could help others. And I could step out of academia, and even help people all over the world with this, because this is a very needed thing. And eventually, after a year, I ended up quitting my full time job. This year, I left academia and I just went 100% into my business, precisely because I realized that there was a real opportunity to serve at a greater level and to really help musicians and creatives all over the world find this formula of packaging their skills, putting into a high end offer. And the key is, I’m glad you touched on this is not just to raise your rates, as you said, the key is to create an offer that creates this urgency for others and that allows them to really see the the end result rather than to focus on the process and to think of like, how often are we going to meet, right? Are we’re meeting once a week, twice a week, an hour, three hours, instead it’s to help them shift into this place of like, this is what my program is actually going to do for you. And here are some examples just some like, outcomes that you can look forward to. And the way I deliver it, you know, of course, it helps to have like, a signature framework and a process. And I encourage them to create that, to build that as part of their differentiators. But it’s really not so much about that it’s really about the result, right? That’s what people are buying at the end of the day. And so to help musicians and creatives just shift that focus on what is this ultimate result that you know you can get people to achieve? And how can you speak to that in everything that you do? So it’s really specific and very clear, right?

Nicole Laino 

Right, because people don’t buy your process, they don’t buy your program, they don’t buy your product, they buy the result that the product offers. And, you know, as entrepreneurs, as creatives, as whoever is selling something, usually we fall in love with our product and our process, and we forget to tell people why. We forget to tell people, what’s the transformation, what’s the promise, what are they going to get when they sign up for it. And that just becomes more and more important as the price goes up. The transformation needs to be communicated really, really clearly, and like you said urgently. Why now? Not just why. But why now? Why me? Why this particular way? And how are we going to get you there? In what time? What are we saving you? So I’m curious, how do you go about, so for a creative? What is the, when you say like that? You kind of talk about like a through line? What’s that through line? Like you would in a story? What’s the unifying factor? What is the thing, that X factor that is yours and uniquely yours? Now, ae you seeing that as the offer? Or do you see that as their brand? Is it something that they are creating and putting out into the world? Can you give us an example of a unifying factor?

Fabiana Claure 

Yeah, so, you know, I think it’s very much not just about what we do, but who we are, right? It’s really about the type of person that we want to become, and the type of life that we model for those around us. So that’s what I think is ultimately what draws people to us. And whatever we sell after that, it doesn’t matter. Because first we’re getting people to fall in love with who we are in this world, what our values are, what we represent, right. So what I help my clients do, and I’m glad you touched on that earlier is recognize that first. Find that value. What is it about you that you just have these like convictions about that you really stand for? And perhaps what are some things you stand against? Right? So I have, for example, some clients who build programs, and they’re like piano teachers. And they’re like, well, I teach piano. So I push them a little I say, okay, that’s a starting point. But you know, how many piano teachers there are? Like, there’s so many piano teachers who teach piano, what else is it about the way you teach? What else is it about the perspective you have around not just teaching but becoming a musician, and becoming an educator? Right? So I’ve got clients, for example, that have specialty working with children who have, let’s say, learning disabilities and special needs and who had to help them overcome situations in an academic setting where they were perhaps discarded as like lost cases, right? So yes, they taught them piano, but they really focused on getting them to experience a life changing perspective that they never thought was possible, not even their parents. Like I’ve had conversations with clients who told me well, their parents drop them off in lessons. And they’re like, good luck, right? And they’re just like, good luck. I don’t know what’s going to happen. But this is kind of like a lost case. And I’m able to turn these kids around. So yes, you’re teaching piano but you’re really, your specialty is to kind of turn around the people who have been kind of discarded in a way who’ve been told you just can’t do this, you’re incapable, you have this label, and to help them actually discover that they have more potential than they think. So that becomes this person’s call to action and mission is like, turning people who’ve been discarded, who’ve been told they can’t, into people who are empowered, and who can believe in themselves and go out to the world and get amazing results. And so ultimately, then it doesn’t become just about teaching piano, it becomes about finding people who have been discarded in this way and turning that around, right? So eventually, they can even change the specific skill set, the specific activity, but as long as they keep that overarching thread of like, who they really are, what really motivates them to do what they do, then they can even shift the actual activity because it’s about this larger mission, this larger versions, kind of like the backend why? So it’s finding that first of all, because if they don’t know it, if we don’t know it, as creatives, as entrepreneurs, then we can’t expect other people to get it. So there’s a huge component of like, who do you want to be in this world? What do you stand for? And how can we then unite the different activities that you have been doin,g whether you’ve been performing on stage, whether you’ve been teaching, a combination, and really make it about this larger vision, this larger mission, and it doesn’t really matter how you deliver it, what matters is what you stand for. I have another client who’s creating a program geared towards teenagers. And her goal is to help teenage piano students stick to the music, stick to piano lessons in a moment where most people frankly, quit lessons. That’s the typical age where everyone that comes to us, you know, adults are like, oh, I wish I wouldn’t have quit piano when I was a kid. Or when I became a teenager, I just quit and my parents didn’t, you know, and I just thought, and it’s always this thing of like, oh, I wish I wouldn’t have quit. So her specialty is not just teach piano, but to focus on getting teenagers in this critical moment of their life to discover music as a way to connect with other life skills like leadership, accountability, confidence, empowerment, things like that. So it’s weaving in more to our offers, based on our individual values and the things that we really stand for and want to bring to the forefront. And then the way we deliver it is secondary.

Nicole Laino 

Yeah. And I would say, I would think that, you know, either side of those things could inform the overall offer. So it could be that, you know, teaching piano is the thing that informs her about this calling, or it might be something that maybe she had an experience with before that, that informs that calling, and being open to all the ways that these little downloads can come in these little messages can come in, about what your true zone of genius is, and never feeling like anything is a road that that ends, it’s just where is it leading you? What is this taking me to? And if something really brings you joy, if something is something that is like a core part of you, there’s a purpose to it, and then ask better questions. So, not how can I make money doing this? It’s, how can I use this to serve? What is the greater purpose in this calling that I have? And being open to that. Do you have any issues? Or do you ever run into, do you have to do a lot of mindset work typically, with the people that you work with, on them believing that they can make real money doing what they do? Do they have kind of that? Because I teach mindset,  and I mean, I had to overcome working class mindset. And you know, we all have the things that we’re born with, and people telling you that you’re never going to make money doing something like this, you’re never going to amount to anything, you’re either going to be famous and wildly rich, or completely and totally poor. Or somewhere in between, or you’re going to end up teaching in like, an elementary school or something like that, you know, there’s these things that they think are possible. Do you have to decondition any of that? Do you have to work with people throughout that? Is that something that comes up with your clients?

Fabiana Claure 

Absolutely. And it is the most important thing that I think should be addressed. And it is very underrated, I believe. I think it’s seen as just like, okay, yeah, the mindset component, actually, I think mindset is like 90% of everything. Because once they discover that they are more capable than they thought and that they are more worthy than they thought, and that there’s no better time than now to step into that. And they don’t need to keep waiting, or get another degree or take another course, but that what they have is already amazing. Then all the business strategies, all the tools, all the tactics, just come on, like opening a faucet, it just like flows out. But it’s that initial mindset piece that needs to be unlocked first. And once that happens, it doesn’t mean you’re over, like you’re done with the mindset component, the mindset component continues to happen at every stage of this process. Because once you overcome one barrier, you let go of a limiting belief, then your business evolves, you get yourself into a next stage of your life. And guess what, there will be a next limiting belief that you’re going to have to deal with when you’re in this next stage. So it’s keeping this mindset component present at every stage. And letting people feel like, helping people realize that this is a game, it’s part of it, and to be welcoming those challenges as they show up in our lives. And to not think that it’s a sign that we need to stop or that we’re on the wrong track. But instead, to recognize that when we are in a growth stage, we are stepping out of our comfort zone and it will feel challenging, and that that’s just a sign that we’re growing. It’s like when you’re, you know, when you’re wearing shoes, and your feet start to feel tight, and you’re just like, oh my gosh, this shoe is very tight. Guess what? That’s because your feet are growing. That means you need a bigger show. Right? So it’s the same thing when we start going through this process of first of all, going inward and getting that clarity around like who am I what do I really stand for? Why do I want to live my life this way? What matters to me? And how can I go about finding people who are going to care about what I have to offer who are going to benefit from what I have to offer? It’s a vulnerable process. Nicole, I’m sure you’ve felt that and you’ve seen it in the people you help as well. It’s a vulnerable and uncomfortable and sometimes messy process. Because we have to put ourselves out there, we have to be willing to face rejection, to face resistance. And it’s much more easy to just stay in your comfort zone and just stay with what you have. And in many ways, most of the times, you’re not happy with what you have. But you’re just more comfortable staying there, right? So this mindset component is huge. And it’s a really, really important one. And it takes boldness and courage, and an just unwavering belief that there’s something better for ourselves, as long as we’re willing to go through that.

Nicole Laino 

I couldn’t agree more, I mean, when you said it’s 90% it, yeah, or more. Or more, right, it is so much, because it’s your ability to see the opportunities, it’s your ability to get up in the morning. And whether you think it’s possible or not, is going to determine whether it’s possible or not. And if you wake up in the morning, leaning more toward it’s not possible, it’s going to be harder to do everything that you want to do. People are going to come in and be dropping these subtle little clues about opportunities that could be there for you, and you will miss them or you will dismiss them and not take action. And another day will go by and you’re not going to take the inspired action that’s been given to you. And that’s when you become a self fulfilling prophecy of it not being possible, not working out, because that’s kind of what you’re creating. So I had to ask that because there is such a, I mean, I can think of all the beliefs around the possibility of creatives really making it. And I had my own experience with that when I was acting, that when I went out to LA with zero expectations, just with a heart full of passion and joy and completely open, opportunities came like nobody’s business. I was out there I was–and then when I tried to get it right, and when I tried to, when I was trying to uplevel. And when I tried to get out of what I saw as possible for me, it all became so difficult, it became so difficult to do everything, it became so difficult to put myself out there, to go on auditions, to do everything. And I know now after all the work I’ve done that that was a frame of mind that I was in, I can remember the point where I fell off from feeling like anything was possible to now it has to be hard, I’m not qualified for this, I need to be more trained for this, I need to understand this more. And that got completely in the way.

Fabiana Claure 

Oh my gosh, I love that. It’s so powerful. Because I think as entrepreneurs, we’re always in that place. I mean, reality, you know, you can go through all the business coaching in the world. But this is a wild ride. I mean, there’s no way around to go around it. Being an entrepreneur means being constantly learning, shifting, pivoting, adapting, right, you have to be very responsive to your environment. And you have to be able to say, You know what, what I was doing three months ago no longer applies and I’ve got to do something completely different. And build upon that and just develop that muscle of just being a quick learner and adapt and being able to respond in real time. Right? And so I think what you’re saying is just the example of if you’re able to become comfortable with that. And if you learn that that’s just part of the way you do things. I remember when I was teaching at the university, my students would ask me, Dr. Claure, at what point did you feel that your business was set, that everything was ready, and that you were done? Like, everything was there, you were set to go and everything was safe?

Nicole Laino 

I’ll let you know when I get there. 

Fabiana Claure 

That’s exactly what I would tell them. I would be like, Well, I’ll let you know. I don’t, I’ve never felt that and I don’t feel it still. And I don’t know if I’ll ever feel that way. But that’s okay. Right. So it’s kind of letting go of those ideal notions of like, I need to feel. Because honestly, and in today’s world more than ever, we are seeing that there’s no such thing as stability, not even in the most stable job that you could have thought of. Right, I’m going to go in and get a nice steady job with benefits in a nine to five. So many people now are losing their jobs, or quitting their jobs, like the world is in a really, really historic time right now. So there’s never been a better time to be an entrepreneur, to be a self initiated person in this world where you don’t wait where you instead take action and say I’m going to do this and there may be mistakes. It may be a little messy, it may be uncomfortable, but I believe in what I have to offer so much, I know it can help, that I’m willing to go through this. And then at the end of the day, to be okay with those successes little by little, you know to look back and say, what did I accomplish today? How did I make a difference? What went well? What didn’t go well? How can I adapt tomorrow, make it better? Just go one day at a time, you know?

Nicole Laino 

And that all comes with, I couldn’t agree more, but that all comes with. And for me, and what I try to instill in my people and everybody who listens to this show, is if, if you believe that the end goal, whatever it is, it’s not a specific, there’s, there’s no done like you were saying, but if you just believe that success is inevitable. That I know, I know I’m supported. I know if I keep moving, if I keep going, if I keep being open to whatever is presented to me, if I if I work through my resistance, if I let go of fear, and I lean more into hope, and faith, and I move in that,  I don’t need to know how it will work out, I just need to believe in that. And that’s going to carry you a lot of the way. It’s going to allow you to, it’s going to make you lighter and allow you to jump higher over those hurdles when they come up. If you are held down by, I don’t know if it’ll work. Am I here yet? And truthfully, the people in our lives can make us feel that way. I have certainly been asked like, aren’t you done yet? Haven’t we done enough of that yet? Aren’t you there yet? Isn’t it time to not invest more? Do more, change more? Build more? And for me? No. No, I don’t see my evolution as ending. And I enjoy it. And I enjoy seeing what else I can create.

Fabiana Claure 

Absolutely, oh my gosh, I love that so much. I love that so much. And I think one of the biggest benefits of being a creative entrepreneur and being in this kind of rodeo, we’re talking about some of the downsides of it and the challenges, but I have to say, when you become this like thought leader in your field, and when people are like when you’re building an audience, when you’re building visibility, which is, you know, it’s what you do, when you try to build a business, it’s it goes hand in hand. It also allows you to show up as the best version of yourself for yourself, not just for others. Like I see that. And I feel that and I, I see it in the work with my clients, and I see them doing that as well. It’s like, being an entrepreneur, a limitless entrepreneur, as your podcast has. It’s not just about doing, it’s about becoming the best version of yourself every single day, for yourself and for others, right? You have this responsibility that people as we said earlier, you build a brand, you can sell whatever you want. Like. that’s it, you know, you just build this brand, build a presence, build a mission, build a way for people to set you apart, for people to know what you stand for. What’s this bigger thing about what you do that matters? Then whatever you end up selling, whether you focus on products, whether you focus on programs, a service, this or that, it’s not going to matter, because people are going to be bought into who you who you are, right, and what you represent, and how you make them feel and what that means to them. So that’s why when we are entrepreneurs, it’s a challenge. And it’s a responsibility, but it’s also a gift. Because we cannot afford to do things halfway. Because when we do, it shows up in every other area of our lives. It shows up in our health, it shows up in our business, it shows up in our relationships. So we get to really have this job. And that’s what I feel and what I see in the work with my clients, that makes us always become the best version of ourselves. It’s all interconnected. And I really love that about it. I think it’s so powerful.

Nicole Laino 

Yeah, it is all of those things. It’s something that I try to, like I remind myself of and I remind my people of and it is that–think about what you’re looking for. It’s usually it’s not the thing, it’s not learning the thing, it’s what learning the thing does to you. We’re all looking for a piece of ourselves that we feel is, it’s there, I can smell it, I can feel it, but I can’t quite grab it. I can’t quite own it. I can’t quite have it with me all the time. I haven’t fully integrated it. And that’s what people are seeking in all different ways. And we are all activating and opening these people in certain ways, that your brand is more than you just teaching people stuff. It’s what are you unlocking in them? What are you opening them up to, what do you allow them to access within themselves. So it’s not learning piano, it’s, you’re teaching these kids who feel like they have been passed off. And you’re showing them that just because they can’t do some of those things, they can excel at something else, and they’re going to access a whole other area of themselves. And it’s going to give them a new way of looking at their lives and looking at themselves. And that nobody can take away if there’s no piano in the room, that effect is still there, it doesn’t matter. They don’t have to be playing to experience what playing piano did for them. And so that to me, like I feel like it’s really the message of this episode is, like, the being creative, and looking to funnel your genius, whatever it is into a program into something is possible if you’re open to looking at it as possible.

Fabiana Claure 

Absolutely, it is. And also, again, not holding on to the preconceived definition of success, right? As you said before, either you become famous and a millionaire, or you’re a starving artist, but instead to see how can my skills and my experiences come together as a whole, to create a message and a brand. And to communicate a sense of being, not just what I do, how can all of these different experiences help me set myself apart and to say, you know, I do all of these things, I have this experience. And they come together in this unified version of myself, because this is ultimately what I stand for. This is what I want to achieve. This is what I want to cause in the world. This is the disruption that I want to help people experience in a positive way. And so when you see that you’re like, okay, it doesn’t really matter. You know, for example, in my case, I, you know, I, as I mentioned earlier, my performing side, took a backseat for many years because I was so immersed in building a business and becoming a mother and all these things. And it wasn’t until I discovered, wait, I could actually package all of this into a high end offer. And I could help other musicians come to me because of my performing experience. Because they see that common thread, that sense of connection, they can see that I’m modeling this lifestyle, right? They can see that I take bold steps that I decide, you know, at any point, to be able to just define my own financial future, if I want to quit my job, I can. I don’t have to. But if I want to, I’m able to do that. Because I build my own financial engine, through a high ticket offer that uses my skills as a pianist, that uses my skills as an educator, my skills as an entrepreneur, and puts it all together. And then people come to me because they want all of it, not just part of it. They want all of it, right. So I have clients who come to me for business mentorship, but they also ask me questions about performing on the piano, I had a client who sent me a voxer yesterday as they can ask you a few things about how to play this passage in the piano. And I said, of course you can ask me anything you want. I can offer you everything that I have. And you decide how to use it to your advantage. Right? So that’s the type of beautiful exchange that we can have with our clients, where we’re not limiting ourselves to one role. Instead, we’re seeing everything we’ve built, and building an offer that helps people use all of it.

Nicole Laino 

Right? Yeah. And that’s your unique genius, that is your unique brand is the fact that you have this background. So when people come to you looking for help in that area, you can offer them more than just like, this is how you build a business. You’re you’re like, no, I’ve been down that way. I mean, with the energy work and mindset work that I do. I focus on entrepreneurs, and I focus on business, because that’s what I do, that is my area of expertise. So I’m not just going to tell you how to think about things, I can tell you how to launch. So that’s an important distinction that we don’t want to throw away. We don’t want to throw away pieces of who we are, we want to let everybody know, and give them that opportunity to connect with us in that way. So I love that, that’s beautiful. And I love everything that we’ve talked about, like this has been such an amazing conversation. And I think that it’s really been beneficial to so many people that are listening right now. Because we’re all kind of creative. And so many people are trying to find their unique thread, and how do I stand out? And I think that this is just a really beautiful conversation on exactly how to do that and how to think about that and embracing all pieces of yourself. So Fabiana, thank you so much for being here. Is there anything that you want to say to the audience before we close out?

Fabiana Claure 

Thank you so much, Nicole. First of all, I want to encourage all of us to continue nurturing our environment and our community. Finding like minded people. connecting. I mean, this conversation would not happen if we wouldn’t be actively trying to connect and meet new people. I think that’s super, super important. And again, kind of like the mindset things that are undervalued oftentimes, the power of connection, like when we get to meet other people and build relationships that is very, very important. Because again, this can be an adventure. And so the more people we have around us to support us, whether these are colleagues, whether these are, you know, friends, people around us mentors, like, get yourself people around you who are going to be your cheerleaders. You know, that’s my number one recommendation to everyone who’s listening, make sure you have a community around you that supports you in this journey, you don’t need to do it alone. I certainly have not done any of my career milestones alone, I’ve always found people around me who can support me, I’ve worked with coaches for like the last 10 years, in multiple instances in multiple areas of my career, I still do. So I think that the value of finding support is super, super important. And I want to encourage everyone to not think that they need to go through this alone. And the other thing is, I want to invite anyone who’s watching, who’s listening to this, I have a very special gift for your audience. If they want to have an opportunity to just build a snapshot of a business on a single sheet of paper, I’ve got a training called Find Your Big Idea that will give them just an experience in one hour of putting together a business with this idea of a brand umbrella and putting it all in a single sheet of paper. So your audience can visit the page, it’s FabianaClaure.com/gift, to have that opportunity to just experience, you know, what it looks like to build a business and put it in a single sheet of paper. And to have that as a starting point of combining all their skill sets, especially their creative side.

Nicole Laino 

That is beautiful. And that is wonderful. We will link all of that up in the show notes for you. Because I know how it is when you’re listening to something you don’t have a pen and paper around, don’t worry, we have you covered, go over to the show notes, click the link and it’ll take you over to that page that Fabiana is so generously sharing with us. That really sounds like an amazing offer to be able to, like you said, put it down on one piece of paper, look at your big idea, really flesh it out and see it in one place and go oh my goodness, this is here, we’re gonna walk you through the steps. And at the end of it, you’re going to be able to have like a handle on what that really looks like for you. So that’s amazing. And thank you so much for being here. And to the listener who’s still with us here at the end of this episode. We thank you. We’re grateful for you. Thank you so much for listening to this conversation and being a part of that with us. Remember, you are only limited by the limitations that you accept. And when you stop accepting those limitations. That is when you become limitless, and that is what we want for you. So I will see you on the next episode. Go out there and be limitless everyone.