Every other week, Lead. Empower. Grow Podcast features entrepreneurs who share their strategies for leading productive teams, empowering their communities and growing successful businesses of their own.
On this week’s episode, our hosts were joined by sister entrepreneurs Polly Outhay and Ali Bouasavatdy, two Senior Marketing Directors who run their business out of Charlotte, North Carolina. Our discussion touched on the importance of diversity in the workplace, the flexibility that comes with running your own business and how 2022 will be the Year of the Tigress.
See below for an excerpt of our conversation — you can listen to the full episode here.
What were you two doing before you got the opportunity to build your own business?
Polly: I was in mortgage and finance. I was in a corporate environment for the 18 years before I came to First Financial Security and started pursuing it full time. If you asked me right now if I could ever go back to my eight-to-five? The answer would be that I do not think I could. Because this opportunity gives me so much flexibility. This business gives me the opportunity to be with my family, and that is really important.
Ali: I totally agree. I came from an accounting background. I had been working for a corporation for almost 20 years when FFS knocked on my door in 2015; I left my corporate job in 2017. And here we are today, together — Polly and me.
This opportunity gives me so much flexibility. This business gives me the opportunity to be with my family.
How was working a corporate job different from owning your own business?
Ali: Working for a corporation was once my passion — I went to college and got a degree to become an accountant. But… you have to be on someone else’s schedule, right? I work so many hours and I still get the same amount, right? As far as compensation.
With owning a business, I love the fact that the sky is my limit. The more I do and the more I help people, the more I earn, basically. That flexibility is my main thing. That, and earning what I am worth. Actually, I love everything about it.
Polly: When we talk about the flexibility of owning your own business versus being on somebody’s payroll, we are talking about the flexibility to call our own shots — the flexibility to run my family’s schedule, my personal schedule and my business schedule according to my own time.
For example, if my son has activities for school, like a parent-teacher meeting, I can schedule accordingly. It is very important to have a business that gives me the flexibility to focus on doing my work and satisfy my family’s needs as well.
What is the full story of how you were introduced to the FFS opportunity?
Ali: Polly and I are sisters, and our mom’s friend she came to our house to introduce us to the opportunity. She does not speak English that well. All she said was that there is this great company with an amazing product and great pay.
Then, I was invited to JumpStart here in Atlanta. It was January; it was cold. I came and I thought, “Whoa, this is different.” I was in a room with a whole bunch of people and I kept thinking, “Oh wow, there are a lot of Asian people here. I have never seen so many Asians in a room before.”
I was excited just to see all the people together. They made it so fun. The two-minute speakers, especially. Some did not speak even speak English, and they were making $120,000. That is when I thought, “I should check this out.” That is when I basically joined.
Polly: It is such a great opportunity. We never thought that owning our own business was possible. When Ali and I started looking at FFS together, we saw how we can generate good income and be able to impact our own community at the same time.
That is a core value of ours. Our family has lived in the Charlotte area for the last 30-plus years. We want to build legacies, we want to make an impact in the community where we raise our children.
Ali: You never know whose life you are going to change. You never know. Most likely, you are going to make a difference.
Polly: Right, right. Because we saw how it impacted us. Our mom’s friend believed in the FFS business model. She barely spoke English, but she saw the value in FFS, and she wanted us to know about it. It changed our life all the way up until now.
Have you faced any challenges with starting this business? How have you overcome them?
Ali: When I first started, my big challenge was talking to people. Like I said, I came from a corporate culture where people came to me. Suddenly, I had to start approaching people. What do I say, and how do I say it?
I was not confident — until I learned that following the Business Building System makes it simple. It is so easy to follow. The best way to learn this business is to put yourself in the system and follow it.
The best way to learn this business is to put yourself in the system and follow it.
What goals do you have for your next year of business?
Polly: This year, 2022, is the Year of the Tiger. We are the women tigers. Tigresses. We are fearless, and we are determined. What we see for ourselves for the next year — and the next five years — is to be able to expand our business to all 50 states. Right now, we have very solid team in a few states. We want to see how many more people we can introduce to this business in the next few months.
Since the pandemic, everybody has had to reevaluate and reassess their current careers, right? And many people are leaving their corporate jobs and looking for something else. So we are excited to expand our business.
Ali: Of course, the other thing that we want to be able to do more of is the community outreach: to be able to bring people financial education, to reach out and help more people. It feels so good to be able to give others the same opportunity to be successful and help their communities.
It feels so good to be able to give others the same opportunity to be successful and help their communities.
Listen to our full conversation with Polly and Ali for more valuable insight on the power of life insurance and running your own business.
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