EP 02 T3: The Art of Persistence: Cultivating Success in Side Hustles, with Joan Posivy | A Cada Paso | Gaby Alcala

Gaby:
This podcast has been edited and produced by Vidmark, a marketing agency specialized in digital content. You can find them on social media as at Vidmark. Hello, I'm Gabrielena Alcala, the creator of A Cada Paso. This podcast explores the life of individuals who may not be famous, but that are making a significant difference in their community. We are here to show that there is wisdom and inspiration all around us in the stories of those who quietly impact the world. Those that are called the unsolved heroes. Hello everybody. Today we have a podcast in English with Jean Posivy.

Gaby:
She has a podcast, it's called the side Hustle Podcast. And it got my attention in part, I guess, selfish reasons, because I have this side hustle and what she does is basically interviews people who have created a side hustle and they have become successful with that. And I wanted to see what she have learned from that she herself had as well as side hustle, so I thought it would be good for me. But also, I think she's impacting her surroundings by sharing these stories so that we can learn that we can all do these if we want to. It's not like some people have a superpower to do this. It's something we all could do if we put the effort and energy into it. So I hope you enjoy it. And again, if you enjoy these, please leave me a review.

Gaby:
It actually helps me a lot. Go to Apple podcasts, Spotify or acadapaso.com and leave me a review there. Thank you so much and enjoy the show. Hello, how are you? Thank you for joining the podcast. And I want to make sure I'm pronouncing your name correctly. So can you say for me?

Joan Posivy:
Certainly. It's Joan Posivy.

Gaby:
Joan Posivy. Okay. Yes, there are certain sounds that are hard for me to make, but I hope I'm pronouncing them correctly, so don't take it personally if I don't. So thank you for joining.

Joan Posivy:
Thank you for having me.

Gaby:
It's a pleasure. Why don't we start with you telling the audience a little bit about yourself in two minutes. Short, what you are.

Joan Posivy:
I was very fortunate that at a very early age, I guess I was at about 18 years old, I really had my, well, my mind was blown because it opened me up to a world of possibilities. And since that time, I ended up basically traveling two career tracks. I started out as a banker, and because of what I was learning and studying and applying, and we can get into that more a little bit later, if you like. That caused me to understand that you really true, really can have, do or be whatever you seriously desire in life. And one of those things, I wanted to be a bank manager of a financial institution of a bank. And I was able to achieve that at the age of 22. And I thought that that would be it, that my life would be made if I could achieve that. And I found out that that was not the case at all, that there was a lot more that I wanted to achieve and different things.

Joan Posivy:
And so that led me on those two different kind of career tracks. So one was in the area of personal development as a speaker, trainer, author. And then the other is through my entrepreneurial and business adventures. Because I never wanted to be a speaker who just talked about these ideas, but actually executed and had like, a sandbox to play in with them as part of my research.

Gaby:
Okay, tell me a little bit more about that sandbox. Is that how you call it? Or tell me more about what you do there.

Joan Posivy:
Yeah. So I eventually left banking and was really at a crossroads what to do next. And so my first entrepreneurial adventure was a purchase of a delicatescent, a deli, as we call them. And it was going out of business. So I essentially bought the equipment. The person who started it, it was actually, he was starting it on behalf of his father, who was supposed to retire from a telephone utility. And then when the father retired, was going to take it over. Well, the father did indeed retire, but very shortly after there, passed away.

Joan Posivy:
So now the son was left with this delicatescent, which he clearly didn't want because business was not doing well. And so I bought that as a turnaround project.

Gaby:
How do you get into that? So you left your banking. I guess you learned something in banking that made you want to do these things. So what took you there?

Joan Posivy:
Yes, so there was a time when I had achieved that goal of being bank manager, but then decided that wasn't it, and was searching for something else, and actually ended up moving across the country. Not quite sure what I was going to do. And that's how I ended up noticing that this deli was for sale. And at the time, there was actually a lot of people moving out of that town where the deli was located. The economy was bad, and there were six delicatessens at the time, two in the major stores, like a safeway size. And then us four independents. And over the space of about a year and a half, two years, the other three independents closed while ours flourished. And I mentioned that to emphasize that it had nothing to do with any sort of market savvy we had or business skills.

Joan Posivy:
But the difference was, we understood, and this was part of what I was learning and studying and teaching, is that the results that we see in our lives, our happiness, our health, certainly our wealth, is a reflection of the way we think, because it's our thoughts and feelings that drive our behavior, causing us to act or react or not act. It causes us to see opportunities or miss them completely, act on others, pass others by. Those actions day to day create our results. So if we want to improve some aspect in our life, we need to go back to the source, and that's the way we think. What trips up a lot of people is they'll take a look at present circumstances and say, okay, based on what's happening around me, here are the goals I can set. But that's just a recipe for creating more of the same in the future. Because if we're continually looking at what is, then that's what we're thinking about. That's what we're getting emotionally involved in, and we continue the same action.

Joan Posivy:
So even though it was doom and gloom in town, I said, okay, I get that. And I acknowledge the results that the deli was getting at the time. But then it's like, then we need to set that aside and build an image of what it is that we want to truly create in our lives. And so I needed to build an image in my mind of how I wanted the deli to be. And I swear, Gabriel, I can think of it to this day. That image, it was people being in the store. It was packed. The cash register was ringing.

Joan Posivy:
It was really vibrant. And, of course, you open your eyes, and that's not what's happening in the moment. But the more that we hold on to that vision, the more we begin to see opportunities to make it happen. And so one of the things that I discovered was a trade show, which I don't know if you've ever been to a food trade show. They're the best because you spend a day just sampling, and then you get into the buying. For example, I saw a frozen yogurt machine. Now, nobody had them in town. It was a new thing at the time, so I ended up buying that and bringing it back, and it was a big hit.

Joan Posivy:
So it's little things like that. We were the first with pizza by the slice, and we make you bake pizzas. Again, like I mentioned earlier, not rocket science, but we were focused on how we can do this. And I know for a fact that a lot of the other people in town were focused on what was wrong and how businesses were closing and all that was true. However, that focus would not have led me in the direction I wanted to go.

Gaby:
So on that. So in a way, it's positive thinking. They're bringing the energy. I guess when you have a positive outlook, you're also more open and more you attract things. But I guess it's more related with how open you are to identify those opportunities. Like the trade show. If you being in a negative state and it's not a work, you probably don't even look at the announcement of the trade show.

Joan Posivy:
Exactly.

Gaby:
Okay. It sounds that you have done this other times, not only with this, you have been doing this over and over again.

Joan Posivy:
Yes.

Gaby:
And it's how do you manage the fear of things not going well and losing your money when you are in the process of doing that?

Joan Posivy:
It's funny, just before we jumped on this call, I'm editing a current episode of my podcast, side Hustle Hero, and it's a bit of a compilation from the last year. And one of the guests I had on, she's a top producer in Amazon sales, and the principle that she goes on, I just loved it. She said, risk a little, learn a lot, and I really like so. But that risk tolerance is really different person to person, and depending on what the situation is like, to me, it's not the price tag of something that is the determining factor. It is, does this deal make sense? So I remember being once in an office of my local board of trade chamber of commerce, and I heard someone talk about this b and b property that just was listed for sale. And I remember it was $800,000. And the person commented, oh, gosh, that's really expensive. And I knew she didn't know anything about the property, nor she had seen the books.

Joan Posivy:
So it could have been way overpriced. However, it could have been the deal of the year as well when I bought. So, for example, a self storage facility, those were some pretty big numbers, but when you get down into the number crunching, and I think you also take a look at what you bring to the table, and I was really certain that we could improve the facility quite a bit to justify what we're doing. So it's not a gamble. It's, I guess, a calculated risk, and that sets aside the fear a little bit. But then once you make the decision, you go for it. Don't be thinking about in the past, oh, should we have done this? Shouldn't we? It's like you've done your due diligence. You know, what you've got going into it, and now give it your all.

Joan Posivy:
And the big piece of that, of course, is building that image of what you want to see that business, that venture, grow into.

Gaby:
Okay, so that thing you just said, don't think about what happened in the past. Don't think I could have done this. Easier said than done. I think, at least in my case, I try not to think about those things, like, what if? What if? But they actually come to my mind, and I actually have to make an effort to get them out of my mind. Okay. But there is a connection. My anxiety, the thought, how do you deal with that? How do you manage that? That what if doesn't stay in your head?

Joan Posivy:
Through understanding. And what I mean by that is understanding the power of your mind. Because if we're focused on the positive or the negative, it works both ways. Could I give you an analogy to work with going forward? Okay. Imagine that we had an orange seed and we planted it in a ground that was conducive to its unfoldment in a healthy environment. And we cared for and nurtured that seed eventually. Is it Gabriel or Gabriel?

Gaby:
Gabby. Easier.

Joan Posivy:
Gabby. Okay, great. Okay, so eventually, Gabby, we would see a beautiful orange tree emerge. Would you agree with that? Yes, sure. But what we would not expect to see from this orange seed, we wouldn't expect to see grow a cherry tree or a palm tree or a fig tree, only an orange tree. The interesting thing is, if we were to take that seed and dissect it and look at it using the latest and greatest technology or the most powerful microscope, we would never, ever find a little orange tree in there. Because you could say the orange tree is in the universe. Just like my successful deli.

Joan Posivy:
It wasn't in the little seed, but we had to connect with it. That orange seed is part of nature. You and I operate, and you and I are part of nature as well, and operate under the exact same laws, universal laws. What makes us different, and the real exciting part is that while that orange seed can only grow into an orange tree, like, the orange tree isn't in there, but what it does contain is a pattern, plan, or nucleus of what it will grow into. You and I have the ability to grow into anything we choose once we decide, and this is going beyond the dream state. I'd really like to do this. I'd like to do that. This is when we're making a firm commitment.

Joan Posivy:
I'm going to go for this. I'm going to shoot for this star. Once we make that decision, that's like choosing the orange seed. And then what we need to do is plant that seed and care for it. And how we do that is see ourself in our mind's eye, already in possession of that goal, of that dream. As I described to you about my image for the deli, what's the image of your business or the health of your body and really see yourself in your mind's eye, already in possession of that. And you do that in a relaxed state where you can really feel it and see yourself doing it. That's like planting the seed.

Joan Posivy:
That's the nurturing. Now, getting back to the negative thinking, what the problem is is you're nurturing and caring for this beautiful vision. And then once you shift into that worry mode, oh, we're going to lose it all. We're going to do that. What you're doing is uprooting that seed and planting a new one that contains essentially visions of what you don't want. You see, the universe doesn't quite care what we grow into. If we plant basil over here and maybe poison ivy over here, and we're given energy to them both, they're going to grow. So we need to take conscious control over our thinking.

Joan Posivy:
And we do that through study a little bit every day.

Gaby:
Yes. I mean, you make the decision and then you find the people around you that will support that. You train yourself with courses and readings and all that that will support that vision.

Joan Posivy:
Exactly. And that's why I avoided a lot of the business people in that town when I got the deli, because they were focused on what was wrong and why things weren't going to work. And that's not helpful. I want to run from that as much as possible. And so as you change, too, some of your friends may drop off, too, because you're growing this beautiful orange tree, and it's maybe not in sync with how they see you, but that's okay because you'll attract other people that are in harmony with the new you.

Gaby:
So you have this podcast where you interview people that have side hustles, and I believe, successful side hustles. I don't know what the definition of successful is for you. What are you seeing on those people? I mean, you have many people that you have interviewed, but are you finding common things on people that have side hustles? How do they move from their main hustle to their side hustle? How do they make them successful? How do they balance doing the thing that they were doing before on the side hustle? Tell me more about that.

Joan Posivy:
Sure. Yeah. I feel so fortunate to be able to connect with these people because it's interesting if you sort of take a look at, say, the podcast topics or the person's area of expertise, it's so varied from like a beekeeper to a trademark attorney to somebody that makes cookies. But I am seeing patterns and commonalities. So many of them have talked about shiny object syndrome, where we try something and work at it a little while and then maybe it's getting hard or we're not getting the traction that we wanted, and then we see something else and go, oh, what's that over there? And then switch gears and try something else. Like maybe we tried affiliate marketing and that didn't work after a couple of months. So we went to flipping things at farmers markets or whatever, but keep changing. And so many of them have talked about this idea of sticking with something long enough to give it a try.

Joan Posivy:
And that can be a challenge for some people because I'm sure you've seen the ads on social media. They make it look so easy. Like buy my program in affiliate marketing, and then you just start selling stuff and you'll be on your sailboat next month. It doesn't work like that. So then we start comparing the results we're getting to what we're seeing on the screen, and we're thinking, okay, well, maybe this isn't the side hustle for me. Maybe I need to switch to something else. And I remember one guest recently, he said, because he listed off a whole laundry list of different side hustles, he tried. And he said, you know, in retrospect, if I had given any one of them a full year of focus and concentration, he said, I think any one of them would have worked.

Joan Posivy:
So that's a huge piece just to stick with it.

Gaby:
Don't go anywhere. We're coming back. For now, listen to our sponsor. This episode is sponsored by Arco Homes, experts in the design and construction of premium homes tailored to your dreams. Follow them on Instagram and LinkedIn at Arcomes or their website at wW, arcohomes.com. Yeah, I've heard many times, consistency, persistence. And I think a key thing is that you actually love what you're doing and doing it for the sake of helping others and not necessarily for something like, I don't know, making a lot of money or being liked or being famous. So the goal has to be beyond that.

Gaby:
Obviously those are nice things to get, but not necessarily what will make you stick to the side hustle that you have? I don't know in the cases of the successful ones who have seen that they're very goal oriented.

Joan Posivy:
Very goal oriented, yes. And I've certainly seen a number of them who have really stuck to their principles and what they believe in, and that's part of their growth story. I had one woman on recently, Melissa mills. She started selling cashew dips. It tastes like cream cheese, but it's actually, there's no dairy in. It's just made out of cashews. And she started selling them at a farmer's market and would do deliveries with her bicycle. She couldn't afford a car.

Joan Posivy:
And today she is now working at a. They've created a 20,000 square foot facility, and their revenues are $3 million a year. And she said there's this progression, right? You start making things in your kitchen, your home kitchen, and then you move to what's called a commissary kitchen, which is like a rental kitchen, till eventually you could potentially move out from there. So she said, we stayed in that commissary kitchen until we were doing like, a million in revenue. And she said I'd look around because I asked her, like, the people that didn't make it, the ones that dropped off, what did you see that they were doing wrong? And she said they were spending money just on crazy stuff or, like a new car or she's like, I don't think that's a good idea. She would be trying to get free boxes or using them, and she said she would try to get a deal on everything, but she never, ever scrimped. And this goes back to your values and what's important to you and community. I never scrimped on the ingredients, but the other stuff, that doesn't matter for sure.

Gaby:
Yeah. I think it's a difficult dance, because on one side, the most important is what is the ingredients people buy when they see something nice.

Joan Posivy:
Yes.

Gaby:
And you don't know what's inside, but you get attracted for what is outside. So it's hard to have a nice packaging, for example, and a nice Instagram account or Facebook account, whatever.

Joan Posivy:
Yes. So you got to balance that. And with the. Just to use the podcast itself as an example of the persistence, I learned that most podcasts, and congratulations on the longevity of yours, Gabby, because most of them, I don't know if you're aware of this, don't last beyond eight or nine episodes.

Gaby:
That's what I. Yeah.

Joan Posivy:
And so knowing that when I got into it, I made a commitment to myself that I would do it for a year, and then a year from the first episode, I would give myself the ability to take a look and say, okay, do you want to keep doing this, Joan, or not? Kind of weigh the pros and cons. And if I had not done that, I might have bailed. Because there's times where you think, and I don't care what it is that you're starting, it's like, can I get this to work? What am I doing here? And you're going to have those moments. And so those commitments I think you make to yourself, too, are vital.

Gaby:
I actually have on my second season, after I started my second season, I have a different metric to determine how long I'm going to continue my podcast. The day I stopped smiling after I listened to the podcast, before I released them, because the day before I released them, I listened to them. That's probably the day I'm going to start thinking about, I did this. But for now, every time I'm going to release it, I smile from listening to what my guests said, like what I'm learning from them. It might sound cheesy, but it's not. It really makes me smile.

Joan Posivy:
I love that. I feel the same.

Gaby:
So tell me two or three things that you have learned from the people you have interviewed.

Joan Posivy:
I think the number one is that consistency piece that we just spoke about and giving it the Runway that it needs to be successful at it. Secondly, there needs to be some understanding of your ability to do it. You're not going to know. You really even shouldn't know how you're going to achieve your big goal, because if it's a big enough goal, you're not going to know how. If it's something you already know how to do, then that's not much of a goal. It's more you're writing down, like a to do list. The real purpose of a goal is to the win, of course, is the thing, whatever that is. But the real win is what you become as a result of it, how you've grown.

Joan Posivy:
So the thing that is the focus of the goal, that's great and definitely should be celebrated. But the real win is how you've grown and developed inside.

Gaby:
Very nice. Is there anything you wish you have done differently?

Joan Posivy:
Let go of fear. Earlier fear stops us so often. Well, I was born with introverted tendencies and grew up with a very loving, but stay in the background, not speak up. Sort of mom. And so, like, being in front of crowds and groups was just so uncomfortable that I avoided it. And of course, avoiding that I was missing a lot of opportunities. That, by the way, is an excellent example of what I talked about before, of our thinking and feeling driving our behavior, creating a result. Right? So I was missing those opportunities, and that was a direct result of my thinking and feeling.

Joan Posivy:
We're basically programmed. We operate out of habit. That programming, that learning comes to us in two ways. One is through impact. When something really impactful happens and we change just like that, it's often negative, but it doesn't have to be. The second is through repetition, when we are hearing and seeing things over and over again. And so I was learning from my mum even more so how to be introverted and stay in the background. Now, I should point out, this is not the blame game.

Joan Posivy:
A person can't give you something they don't have. She could not give me the feeling of being comfortable in strangers, around strangers if she didn't possess that herself. So that's not what this is. This is a matter of just seeing that and going, okay, I can see where I learned that again and again. But now in my adulthood, it's up to me to change it if I want to. And that's certainly something that I wanted to get over. So there's the environmental conditioning piece, and then there's the genetics. What's built into your genes at birth.

Joan Posivy:
And so on the genetic side, I would say that my tendency, my preference is still, for example, the group dinner with like four people or six people, I love that. Versus like the big party. Yeah, that's more the extrovert. But if I'd gone back and changed something is let go of the fear and let go of earlier than I did what other people think.

Gaby:
So I was right before this, I was speaking with someone about this. And actually, I think fear exists. And I think we learn to deal with fear or to deal with that feeling through experience. So now, as you experience things that give you fear and you face them, you realize, first, the fear disappears when you face it. And second, sometimes what we tell ourselves in our mind, it's worse than what it actually is going to be. But the only way to really learn is through those little experiences and say, okay, I mean, this happened to me before. It wasn't that bad. And now we can manage those feelings in a more productive way because we know what.

Joan Posivy:
Yes, exactly. And the way we get there is to take those little chances, those little risks, and have those micro failures that we learn from. Because in life, I think we have our successes and we have our learning experiences. After anything that I was doing, particularly in my early days as a speaker and trainer, I would say, okay, what were the successes? What did I like about that day? And then what would I do differently in the future?

Gaby:
Very nice. So what have you learned in recent years that have contributed to have more moments of happiness?

Joan Posivy:
To not take myself so seriously.

Gaby:
What do you mean by that? I've heard that before.

Joan Posivy:
That if something happens, there's this feeling that it's defining that. I don't know, like say an interaction with someone, and there's something else that I should have said or didn't say, and then you're beating yourself up about it later. It's like it's not that big of a deal. They've probably forgotten all about it. Right? Something along those lines, yeah, that makes total sense.

Gaby:
So if you think these. I don't know if you have heard Rachel Drucken Miller. She's a speaker, she's a positive psychologist. I interviewed her in the podcast and I learned a lot. And she asked her in conference, she asked this question, sometimes in a year from now, if you were going to tackle something that will make you get closer to who you are, to the things you love in life, what would that be.

Joan Posivy:
A year from now?

Gaby:
I mean, imagine a year from now you're doing something that gets you closer to the things that bring you energy and make you thrive.

Joan Posivy:
Being more efficient at being on the road, traveling and continuing the podcast.

Gaby:
Oh, nice.

Joan Posivy:
I wish everybody had the opportunity to travel, because I think what not think, I know what happens is that we discover that the way we do things is just one way, maybe not even the best way. And as we see other peoples and other cultures, there's just so much to learn, and it really opens up our eyes. So to continue to do more of that and do this podcast technology wise, that would be awesome.

Gaby:
I'm from Venezuela, but I hadn't been in Venezuela for a long time. I hadn't been in Venezuela for like 14 years. And I recently went. And even though I'm Venezuela, I found myself not understanding certain situations in terms of time management, like the concept of time. And I'm like getting a little bit annoyed at some moments, and then I'm realizing it doesn't have to be like it is in Boston that we are expecting. You go to Starbucks and you expect to get their coffee in less than a minute.

Joan Posivy:
Yes, exactly what's happening.

Gaby:
I'm from this country, so, yes. Okay. Have you read or watched something lately that you would recommend to the audience?

Joan Posivy:
I was watching some old footage from Bob Proctor. He is a master at helping people alter their old conditioning, basically what I was. So, for example, in order for me to do what I eventually did in speaking with audiences and being on stage, I had to alter some of those ideas in my mind that I picked up along the way from a very early age that were driving my behavior. If I wanted a different result, I needed to change what was driving that behavior. And there's a lot of great free resources on YouTube concerning that. It's Bob Proctor.

Gaby:
Oh, super nice. Do you mind putting it in the chat so that I'm sure that I get the right?

Joan Posivy:
I certainly will, yes.

Gaby:
Or send it to me later in email so that I make sure I put in my notes. If you were going for a drink tonight with someone, doesn't matter who. Anyone famous? No famous. Whoever you want to choose, alive or not, who would that person be and what question would you ask?

Joan Posivy:
Well, the first person that came to mind again was Bob Proctor. He passed away, actually, a couple of years ago. And he was the one who introduced me to the understanding that we really can. If you can see yourself with something in your mind's eye already in possession of it, that's your proof you can do it. You may not know how, as I mentioned before, but if you're willing to take that first step and act on it, the way will be shown. It's like, go as far as you can see. When you get there, you'll see how to go further. I would love to be able to sit down and have dinner with him once again.

Gaby:
More and more in my life, I believe in everything that you were saying right now. I was a little bit more. What I see is what I believed on when I was younger. But now I do really believe in this idea that you bring the energy, you bring things with the energy you put into it. So I normally end my podcast with something my father used to tell me. And I think with you, from talking with you, I think one comes to my mind. I'm going to say in Spanish and then in English, and he used to say El Quequiere Louca. And basically, if you want it, you search for it.

Gaby:
And I think that's what I'm hearing here. When you want something, you really put your energy there. Imagine. And is there a phrase you identify with?

Joan Posivy:
I think my main Joanism is our external results are a reflection of our internal reality.

Gaby:
Very nice, very nice. So where can people find you and your podcast? I think you have amazing stories about people with side hustles. So I love people to hear your podcast more.

Joan Posivy:
I appreciate that. And that's actually why I chose the format that I did, because I found from all the presentations I've done and also myself as an attendee at a seminar, people learn through stories. I love hearing people's stories because as you go through and learning about their stories, you're thinking, you know what? If they can do it, so can I.

Gaby:
Yes.

Joan Posivy:
Because I honestly can't think of any of our side hustle heroes that have any special gift. They just saw what they wanted to go after and they went for it. I mean, it doesn't get too complicated beyond that. But the hub of all that and where people can reach me is side hustlehero.com.

Gaby:
I love it. Thank you for doing that. It's really inspiring to hear those. So thank you so much, Gabby, I wish you luck. Please stay with your podcast, continue doing your podcast. Find ways with that, because you will be helping a lot of people do other things, as are you.

Joan Posivy:
Thank you.

Gaby:
Bye bye.