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How Beate Chelette Turned Obstacles into Opportunities
How Beate Chelette Turned Obstacles into Opportunities
In this compelling episode of "Conversations with Rich Bennett," sponsored by American Auto Repair, Rich engages with the charismatic Beate…
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How Beate Chelette Turned Obstacles into Opportunities

In this compelling episode of "Conversations with Rich Bennett," sponsored by American Auto Repair, Rich engages with the charismatic Beate Chelette, a growth architect renowned for her entrepreneurial acumen and strategic expertise. Beate candidly shares her riveting journey from a first-generation immigrant confronting financial woes to establishing herself as a top-tier business strategist and thought leader. Throughout the episode, she delves into her experiences of resilience during economic downturns, reveals the ingenuity behind her million-dollar business success, and discusses her philosophies on overcoming adversity and the mindset required for growth. Rich and Beate's dynamic exchange provides listeners with profound insights into the power of persistence, strategic innovation, and the significance of embracing one's unique path to success.
Remember, if you find yourself in need of reliable auto services that ensure you're never stuck in life's metaphorical breakdown lane, American Auto Repair has you covered. Just like Beate Chelette turns obstacles into opportunities, American Auto Repair turns car troubles into triumphs, getting you back on the road swiftly and safely.

In this compelling episode of "Conversations with Rich Bennett," sponsored by American Auto Repair, Rich engages with the charismatic Beate Chelette, a growth architect renowned for her entrepreneurial acumen and strategic expertise. Beate candidly shares her riveting journey from a first-generation immigrant confronting financial woes to establishing herself as a top-tier business strategist and thought leader. Throughout the episode, she delves into her experiences of resilience during economic downturns, reveals the ingenuity behind her million-dollar business success, and discusses her philosophies on overcoming adversity and the mindset required for growth. Rich and Beate's dynamic exchange provides listeners with profound insights into the power of persistence, strategic innovation, and the significance of embracing one's unique path to success.

Remember, if you find yourself in need of reliable auto services
that ensure you're never stuck in life's metaphorical breakdown lane, American
Auto Repair has you covered. Just like Beate Chelette turns obstacles into
opportunities, American Auto Repair turns car troubles into triumphs, getting
you back on the road swiftly and safely.

 

Here are links for you to bookmark, save, follow, memorize, write down, and share with others:

Growth Architect Beate Chelette Architects Growth for Visionaries & Leaders

What's Your Talent Worth? (whatsyourtalentworth.com)

This episode is sponsored by American Auto Repair

Major Points of the Episode:

  • Introduction to Beate Chelette:
    • Beate is introduced as a growth architect and founder of the Women's Code, with a notable journey from an immigrant in debt to a successful entrepreneur who sold her company for millions.
  • Beate’s Background:
    • Discussion about Beate's initial financial struggles after immigration and losing her job.
    • Explained why she was deemed unemployable due to her strong opinions.
  • Entrepreneurial Journey:
    • Beate describes starting her own business in photographer representation and production.
    • Shared the financial fluctuations of her business, emphasizing resilience through ups and downs.
  • Resilience and Overcoming Adversity:
    • Beate speaks on the resilience required to overcome personal and professional obstacles.
    • Explains her belief in being tested by a "rate of force" for those destined to do significant work.
    • Describes how she handled crisis and drama differently than others, choosing growth over surrender.
  • Struggles and Breakthroughs:
    • Shares a critical point where she was in debt, facing numerous challenges including a lawsuit and the impact of September 11th on her business.
    • Discusses her father’s illness and the simultaneous threat of losing her house, which led to a moment of surrender to a higher power.
  • Turning Point - The White House Letter:
    • Describes writing a letter to the president out of desperation, which led to help from the Small Business Administration and restructuring of her debt.
    • That restructuring was pivotal in allowing her business to recover and thrive, eventually leading to its acquisition.
  • Current Ventures:
    • Beate talks about her current role as a growth architect, helping visionaries and leaders implement strategies and systems for business growth.
    • Introduction of her podcast that discusses strategy, helping listeners understand and implement business growth strategies.
  • The Business Growth Architect Show:
    • The podcast's focus on providing actionable strategies for business growth.
    • Discussion on the types of guests featured on her show, the importance of high-quality content, and the podcast's evolution.
  • Listener Engagement:
    • Mentioned challenges in growing podcast listenership and the reliance on AI for algorithms.
    • Plans for the podcast's future growth, including focusing on advertising and securing sponsorships.
  • Beate’s Invitation to Potential Guests:
    • Explained the process for potential guests to apply for a spot on her podcast, emphasizing the need for subject matter expertise.
  • Closing Thoughts:
    • A call to action for listeners to review and share the podcast episode.
    • Rich and Beate discuss the importance of recognizing and rewriting the personal stories that hold people back from success.

Description of the Guest:

In this episode of "Conversations with Rich Bennett," we have the pleasure of diving into the world of Beate Chelette, a growth architect and the ingenious founder of the Women's Code. Beate, with her contagious energy and strategic mind, unveils her remarkable journey from arriving in the United States as a first-generation immigrant facing financial uncertainty to becoming a trailblazing entrepreneur. Her narrative is one of resilience; it speaks volumes about her indomitable spirit as she climbed the entrepreneurial ladder to eventually sell her company in a multimillion-dollar deal.

Beate's wisdom is rooted in her real-world experiences of overcoming adversity, embracing the lessons from her challenges, and employing them to architect growth for herself and others. As a host of the Business Growth Architecture Show and an influential figure listed among the top 100 global thought leaders, she brings to the table a wealth of knowledge on strategic business development, leadership skills, and the psychology of success.

Throughout the episode, Beate candidly discusses her trials and triumphs, the fluctuations of her business ventures, and her firm belief in the resilience required to navigate life's trials. With humor, honesty, and a forward-thinking approach, Beate Chelette stands as a testament to what it means to transform obstacles into stepping stones toward unprecedented success.

 

The “Transformation” Listeners Can Expect After Listening:

  • Enhanced Resilience:
    • Gain inspiration to persevere through personal and professional challenges by embracing resilience as a key to success.
  • Strategic Thinking:
    • Learn strategic thinking and planning techniques that can be applied to one’s own business or personal growth journey.
  • Mindset Shift:
    • Shift mindset from seeing obstacles as dead-ends to viewing them as opportunities for growth and learning.
  • Empowerment:
    • Feel empowered to take control of one's narrative and rewrite the stories that limit potential and self-worth.
  • Inspiration for Action:
    • Get motivated to take action and make tangible changes in life or business practices based on Beate’s advice and experiences.
  • Understanding of Success Principles:
    • Understand the underlying principles of success, such as persistence, strategic innovation, and the power of a positive mindset.
  • Awareness of Potential:
    • Recognize one’s own potential to achieve success regardless of starting points or setbacks encountered along the way.
  • Clarity on Business Growth:
    • Gain clarity on what constitutes a solid business growth strategy and how to implement it effectively.
  • Knowledge of Systems and Processes:
    • Appreciate the importance of creating and maintaining systems and processes for business efficiency and scalability.
  • Realization of Inner Strength:
    • Discover inner strength and the capacity to overcome adversity, much like Beate did in her entrepreneurial journey.

List of Resources Discussed:

  • Names:
    • Beate Chelette - Guest, Growth Architect, and Founder of the Women's Code
    • Rich Bennett - Host
    • Blaine Bartlett - Author and Executive Leadership Coach
    • David Meltzer - Business Coach associated with Blaine Bartlett
    • Adam Sandler, Goldie Hawn, Ben Affleck - Mentioned in context to the neighborhood
  • Books:
    • "Working with the Law" by Raymond Holliwell (Mentioned as "Gary or Jerry Hollywell" which could be a misrecall)
  • Social Media:
    • Mention of AI algorithms possibly related to Facebook or other social media platforms, but no specific handles provided
  • Websites:
  • Other Resources:
    • Mention of a Small Business Administration (SBA) contact that Beate engaged with, but no specific details provided
    • Entrepreneur TV show where David Meltzer appears, but no specific link provided

 

Engage Further with "Conversations with Rich Bennett"

If today's conversation with Beate Chelette sparked a flame of inspiration in you, if you're ready to turn your own obstacles into opportunities, don't let the momentum stop here. Harness the wisdom and strategies shared in today's episode and begin crafting your success story.

  • Start by subscribing to "Conversations with Rich Bennett" so you never miss an episode that could change your life or your business for the better.
  • If Beate's story resonated with you, reach out to her, dive into her content, and discover how her strategies can elevate your growth.
  • Visit the websites mentioned in today's talk, grab a copy of "Working with the Law" to deepen your understanding of universal principles that govern success.
  • Join our community on social media where the conversation continues. Share your journey, your struggles, and triumphs. Let's support each other in transforming challenges into victories.
  • And most importantly, if you found value in today's episode, please leave a five-star review wherever you listen to podcasts. Share this episode with one person you believe could benefit from Beate's powerful insights. Your endorsement could be the beacon that guides someone else through their darkest hour.

Together, we can build a community of resilient achievers and visionary thinkers. So, take that next step. Engage, interact, and expand your horizons. Because here, on "Conversations with Rich Bennett," we're not just sharing stories—we're shaping futures.

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Transcript

Rich Bennett 0:00
Thanks for joining the conversation, where we explore the stories and experiences that shape our world. I'm your host, Rich Bennett. I am thrilled to welcome Beatrice Charlotte, the esteemed growth architect and founder of the Women's Code. Beatz is celebrated for her dynamic approach to empowering visionaries and leaders, providing them with strategic blueprints and growth maps to enhance their business systems and leadership skills. Her journey from a first generation immigrant in debt to a successful entrepreneur saw who exited her company in a multimillion dollar deal is nothing short of inspirational. As the host of the business growth architecture show and recognized among the top 100 global thought leaders, her insights promise to be invaluable. So join us as we delve into her podcast and innovative strategies behind her business success. I got to ask you right away, 

said first generation immigrant. And you were in debt when you moved over here? 

Beate Chelette 1:04
No, I was not in debt when I moved over. Had $5,000. But over the period of time after I lost my job and had to set up my own business because I was unemployable. That's when I started to go into debt. 

Rich Bennett 1:18
All right. Explain. Unemployed. Why unemployable? 

Beate Chelette 1:23
I think I'm a little opinionated at times, so. 

Rich Bennett 1:27
Okay. And there's nothing wrong with that. 

Beate Chelette 1:30
No, there's nothing wrong with that. Just not when you want to work for an American corporation where they like you. If you're different, and then that's the first thing to beat out of you. So, you know, I had worked for a small company as an artist representative when I came to the United States, and that worked well because it was kind of a more entrepreneurial type type of business. And I was responsible on my own and didn't really have much to report to and had built up a stock photography build up. I'm a photographer, a presentation business and a production company where we were doing still photography shoots. And then when we had a massive recession, I was laid off and then I had to go out on my own right after this massive, massive earthquake and after this, you know, ongoing recession and depression. And there really weren't any jobs out there to hire me. So I had to figure out how to make money on my own. 

Rich Bennett 2:27
Wow. And what did you do end up doing? 

Beate Chelette 2:31
I, I started my own business for a photographer, representation and production. And over the course of about ten years, I build it up, you know, like I went to 300,000, 400 down to two, 50 to 500, down to three, 50 to 7, 50 down to 500. And eventually I ran $1,000,000 business. So I was in the top 4% of of entrepreneurs that ever even make $1,000,000 in revenue. Wow. And and then and then everything started to go haywire. 

Rich Bennett 3:04
Something you mentioned there, though, because a lot of people would have given up. You said basically the money coming in was up and down, up and down. A lot of people, once they hit that one level and they go back down, they would have given up right away. But you didn't. It's as you kept going. 

Beate Chelette 3:21
Yeah. You know, this is an interesting topic because you can look at this at a couple different ways. You can look at it as a resilience exercise and say there is a rate of force at work where you're being tested. I believe that those of us who have been activated by God spurred a universe, whatever you want to call it, generally tend to have pretty gnarly stories for the most part, because if you're here to do a big job, your story does not read. You woke up a princess. Everything was handed to you. And then one day somebody crowned your queen and you left happily ever after. I mean, I'm pretty sure those are not the stories that you hear. I think the stories that we hear of people that became something had to overcome. So there is a part of that where I believe that the resilience is a is a figuring out ground until you get to the point where you are, where you need to be. And often stuff just doesn't work because you are on that path and you try different things and then you think you're a failure because what you did doesn't work. Whereas in reality somebody is trying to show you which roads don't work. I compare this very much to when you drive your car and you have an GPS and the GPS needs to be updated, but you ignore it because you're so busy and then you get in the car and the GPS says, Hey, Rich, update me. And you go like, I got to go to the barbecue, I got to go to church, I got to go to my buddies, I got to listen to podcasts, I got to help people, whatever it is. And then one day, inevitably they are building that on ramp on the freeway. And that shortcut that I usually take is now closed. For now, you're going to get out of the car. Are you going to throw yourself on the ground like a two year old? Are you going to throw a temper tantrum? You're going to go like this. You say driving sucks. I'm the worst driver in the world. I can't believe I'm such a loser. You know, I'll never drive another car in my life again. That's it for me. I give up and it's too expensive anyway. Does nobody ever. 

Rich Bennett 5:24
Write? 

Beate Chelette 5:26
All you do is you go, like, smack to your own. Had note to self, you know, don't wait six months, update the GPS sooner and then you and then gentleman in the hard hat and the the cute outfit with the neon stripes and as you drive away you you wave and say All right, got it. This is not the way. That's it. So if you look at your dead ends just like that in life, you're going to fare a lot better. Instead of saying, I'm such an idiot, I can't believe it's happening to me. You go, Oh, the building an on ramp here, that that road is closed. I can't go here and be glad that you're excluded that way. So that's one part. The second part really ties in a lot with what you share on your show, and that is the addiction to drama. And I believe, you know, I have I know people that unless there's a crisis, they have to overcome, they can't function. And you look at it and you go, why does it always happen to this person? Why is the flooding of the backyard only happening to this person? Why is the sewer that breaks and floods the basement happening to this person? Why is this? The person has the third accident in in two years? Why is it this person? That's because it is an addiction to drama and an attraction to always having been in some sort of a crisis. So we have to decide 

which one of the two is it? 

Rich Bennett 7:07
Yeah, it's well, it's the negativity thing. Negativity breeds negativity, fashion and positivity breeds positivity. You're thinking all those negative thoughts. You're going to put that negativity towards you. 

Beate Chelette 7:21
And that, I think, is the most difficult thing because we want to go to that place where we where we do what we've been taught or told in a school. And what we've been told in school is it's not enough to have an A in writing and reading. You also have to have an A in math and science and art and sports and this and that. And if you don't go into an AP class at seven in the morning, you're a loser anyway. And so we perpetually are trained in our lives to look for the areas of our lives that we're not good at so we can beat ourselves up for being inadequate. And that's, I think, where the imposter syndrome comes. 

Rich Bennett 8:14
Oh, yeah. 

Beate Chelette 8:15
But if we really look if if we look at the Law of Attraction or the universal laws, it's the opposite. You know, you want to stand in front of the mirror and go, Wow, wow. Oh my God, I'm so beautiful. I barely can stand it. Instead of saying, Is it a pimple. 

Rich Bennett 8:34
They go, 

Wow, 

Yeah. You know, you are 110% correct there, too, because a lot of people do that. They see one flaw and that's a it's like they're they're looking in the mirror for them. They're looking in the mirror for the flaws. 

Beate Chelette 8:53
What's wrong today? 

Rich Bennett 8:53
Yeah. 

Beate Chelette 8:54
What's wrong, too? I did that with my sister. I was just in Germany and I used to have a roommate who did that. My name was Dagmar, and she passed away of cancer many years ago. But every time she saw a mirror, she would stop. She'd look in the mirror and she goes like, 

Wow, I am so beautiful today. I mean, it is unfathomable. Wow, I'm gorgeous. And back at the time I thought, you know, she's a little loony, which she was. But so I did that with my sister. So every time we walked by that hallway, I took my sister and I stood in front of the mirror with her and I said, Wow. Oh, my God. Oh, just wow, Look at us. How fabulous, gorgeous and intelligent we are. And people can't do that. 

Rich Bennett 9:44
I love that. I do. I've never tried that. Now what I do do a lot and I think everybody needs to do is to look in the mirror and just look at myself or say, I love you. Just tell myself that I love myself. Because I think that's something that's missing in the world today, too, is a lot of people don't love themselves and they don't respect themselves. 

Beate Chelette 10:07
Yeah, just let me know how your wife reacts when you are. Not every time you walk by a merry go. Wow. God, I'm a good looking guy. I want to know how that goes. I feel. 

Rich Bennett 10:16
While talking to myself as I see. 

Beate Chelette 10:20
You just got to take her in front of the mirror with you and say, Wow, what a good looking couple we. 

Rich Bennett 10:25
Are now. Because if I do that, she's going to look at me and say, What do you want 

now? 

Beate Chelette 10:31
Then she's going to look at you. And it's like, Oh, I like that. I like that guy. 

Rich Bennett 10:36
You know what? I'm going to try that tonight. I'll go If I get slapped, I'm calling you right away. 

Beate Chelette 10:44
I don't think so. She goes, she's going to say, what has gotten into you? And you say, That's my resolution for this year is that I want to be more attentive. 

Rich Bennett 10:56
I love that I'm going to do that. I'm going to do that. Jeez, thanks. 

I wouldn't even go back to it because during the recession, you actually sold that business, didn't you? 

Beate Chelette 11:12
Yes, that was another one. That was yeah, that was about a 13 years later in, you know. Right. When there was another recession. And we we had figured out how to find a market that was that was growing at the time. And I had lost my photography representation business because of a bad employee who had to come up with a plan. How to run a business, which was my business without me. And I did that with a key vendor of mine and next thing I know, yeah, and invoices that I wrote were paid to them because they had called the clients and told the clients that I was no longer in business and that I had cheated and taken money, which was all not true. And so they got invoices paid while. 

So that was gnarly. And then I thought that I needed to sue them because I wanted to be right. And I did. And that's how I got into debt in the first place. And I'm spending all this money on an attorney and not knowing that they were represented by one of the largest insurance companies in the country. And they had been covered under Aras, an emission under a group insurance from, you know, very large insurance company for photographers that did a group insurance for thousands of photographers. And so we fight, we fight, we fight. And now I'm really, really deep into debt and I am. But production season is coming around. I have clients like Wrangler, Mercedes-Benz, BMW on the books. Things are great. I'm thinking, okay, they're coming in. It's September and things are good. And then September 11th comes and everything is over in 24 hours. I mean, it was over. It was just over. Every single person canceled. 

Rich Bennett 13:05
Oh, my God. 

Beate Chelette 13:06
We're not coming. We're not coming. We're not coming. We're not coming. So now both of my business division's completely in shambles. I'm. I'm thinking I'm may not make this lawsuit. I may go bankrupt over it, but we just. We just just made it. And then when it settled, I paid my dad, I paid my attorney, and I ended up with nothing. And so I started this other business that coincidentally, this particular photographer had given me the idea for. He, you know, because we had sold a lot of stock photography images and interior and architecture and 

don't say God does not have so few. He certainly does. And so this particular business, I knew that the living well or the attention to what your living room looked like, what your house looked like, decorating your kitchen, that people really were trending toward a nicer living environment At the time. We built up this business, but I had no money, so I got really accounts which before that nobody really cared, you know, before that people. But she said, Hey, Mark and Wal-Mart and then suddenly, you know, yeah, really deep into debt. I was $135,000 in debt at one time. And now I'm borrowing money to pay interest on borrowed money. And that is when, my God, the death spiral in finance, the absolute death spiral. And I realized that I'd got to do something. I'd go to Germany, I visit my dad and went to an international conference. My dad has a stroke. 

Rich Bennett 14:52
Jesus. 

Beate Chelette 14:53
My father did not have a stroke, Rich. My father had pancreatic cancer, and now my dad dies six weeks later. Now I'm in Germany at the funeral that I pay with money I don't have. My best friend has died. My biggest supporter, my number one guy. Right? My phone rings. It's my office in Los Angeles. We've just been served a notice I'm losing the house. And at that moment, like, What are you doing? You're in dead. 

There's death. My worst case scenario already happened. Yeah. There's no way out here. I mean, there's no way I can find at this moment in time. There just isn't. And I fell to my knees. I raised my fist and I yelled at God and I said, You know what? You have a plan. This would be an excellent time to fill me in, because there was is an amount of disbelief of a WTF, what did I ever do to deserve all of this? Yeah, I'm a good person. I don't lie, I don't cheat. I don't take advantage of people. I'm an immigrant. I'm doing this by myself. I'm doing the right thing. I put my daughter through by myself. I need a break here. It's just too much. And then I surrendered because that really had no other option at this point. I come back to the United States. I'm going to have to figure out how to find a bankruptcy attorney because it's over. I mean, it's just over. I get a letter from the White House, Rich from. 

Rich Bennett 16:19
From the White House. 

Beate Chelette 16:22
From the White House. 

Rich Bennett 16:23
Okay. 

Beate Chelette 16:25
Because in my desperation and because my former mother in law was such a nag and she kept saying, why you wasting your time with anybody? You need to go to the number one guy in the country, write the president a letter. Did you write a letter yet to the president of United States? Anybody can help you as a president of the United States. Did you write the letter yet? Have you written your letter yet to the president of the United States? If anybody can help you, you and she just would not stop. Wow. And I'm like, at one point, Rich, I'm going like, I'm going to write the damn letter. So we just don't have this conversation anymore. 

I get a letter from the White House. Imagine my surprise. And it says, the president sends his best wishes. Of course, the president never saw the letter, but what it did, it put me in touch with a small business administration with a number two in command, because he also got a letter from the White House and he goes, Let me see who this nutcase is. And I wrote a letter to the president. Instead of calling me and picking up the phone. And I'm like, Oh, I didn't know I could do that. Oh, wow. What do you don't know? Yeah. And so he put me then in touch with a couple of things. We found a bank that took my hundred $35,000 in debt and restructured it into a ten year fixed loan. That freed up my line of credit. 

$45,000 exact. That got me to break even three months later. This is how close it was between bankruptcy, break even three months, and I become the world leader in my category 18 months later. And that's when a Bill Gates company comes and says, Hey, can you tell us how you did it? And I'm like, Absolutely not. You want to do buy, say how much as at millions? And they said, Fine, really? So I sold my business to Bill Gates for millions of dollars, 18 months of that, the worst moment of my life. 

Rich Bennett 18:18
Wow. Good thing you wrote that letter, huh? 

Beate Chelette 18:24
Well, let's just say my attitude toward her changed significantly. 

Rich Bennett 18:29
I Oh, I would hope so. 

Beate Chelette 18:33
Now, I mean, the story really here is that when you are, you know, going back to the cul de sacs and the roads that are blocked, that we have such a judgment of what we believe is the path that we ignore or judge or ridicule the signs along the way. What I have not written that letter. That would have been a completely different story. And I really only wrote the letter to shut her up. If I'm really honest. 

Rich Bennett 19:04
Oh, God. It's it's funny, but it's not funny because of everything you went through. But the outcome is amazing. 

Beate Chelette 19:16
Isn't it? I mean, if you tell somebody, is it ten Were ten, ten, 13 hard years worth for that kind of outcome? Everybody will go like, Yeah, yeah, well, you don't know that when you're in it. 

Rich Bennett 19:28
Oh yeah, your stress. Oh my God. Had to be off the charts. 

Beate Chelette 19:36
I'm going to put food on there. I'm going to feed my child. I'm going to put I'm going to put a roof over our head. How I'm going to pay my bills. I'm going to pay rent. I'm going to I'm going to make anything happen. 

Rich Bennett 19:45
And now you have a business. It's called the growth architect, right? 

Beate Chelette 19:49
Yes. So today I work as a growth architect and I help people to land planes, you know, people that I help people landing planes. So a lot of visionaries and thought leaders like to have an idea and they fly that idea 30,000 feet. 

Rich Bennett 20:07
Okay. I thought you meant real airplanes, 400. 

Beate Chelette 20:12
And then they run out of steam and they crash and burn. And so that's why I say I help blend planes. Idea planes, and I build structures and systems and growth plans around it to help people to land the plane so that they can make money. 

Rich Bennett 20:30
And that's. You started out, what, 229. 

Beate Chelette 20:34
Yeah, that's that's about right. 

Rich Bennett 20:36
Yes. Okay. And now you also added something to that, right? A podcast. 

Beate Chelette 20:44
Yes. So we edit the podcast about two years ago. 

Rich Bennett 20:47
Okay. 

Beate Chelette 20:48
And so we've we've we have over 100 episodes now. 

Rich Bennett 20:52
Nice. 

Beate Chelette 20:54
And it was really designed to attack and tackle a topic that a lot of people don't like. And that's strategy. Mhm. Like how do you approach strategy. So when I say strategy, all the creative people really run for the hills and when I say systems and processes people say, Yeah, I need that. But before I do that I need to buy other unimportant things and my message is very clear. You got to have a business model and you need to reverse the business model into processes and systems, which I happen to know you do too, because you do nothing without a plan, right? And nothing without a process or system attached to it. And when you do, then your creativity cancer, because you have a framework or blueprint within which you can operate. And that's what I help people with, is to design that and to help them in simplified words and simple steps to understand what it actually is, to have a strategy and how to implement that without that exactly that so many people are experiencing. 

Rich Bennett 22:00
So you're actually talking to other business leaders and helping them. 

Beate Chelette 22:04
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. You know, as we talked about in the green room, I really like intelligent people and an intelligent people. What I mean by that is not necessarily, you know, how you measure your IQ that would be really judgmental. But from the perspective of if somebody has an idea and I've done this thousands of times and I know about colorful people, I come from photography, right? I've been in the creative industry. I've seen the most colorful, crazy and non-conforming people you can possibly imagine that are now, you know, doing hair and makeup for celebrities that are, you know, that are designing clothes for, you know, the Kardashians. I've seen people that you would look at and you go like, that's never going to work and it does work. So I want to help people that have these ideas to give them a shot at it by by helping them flush out if that idea is a good idea, if there's a market for it, and then how do we bring it to market? What's the model. 

Rich Bennett 23:07
Out of all these guests you've been talking to? And first of all, I want to commend you on starting a podcast, you know, for your business, because I think this is something a lot of businesses are missing out on. I think not. Maybe not. It may not be for every business, but I want to say probably 95% of the businesses out there should have a podcast. So a lot of these guests that you come that you get on, do they, after talking to you, do they think about starting their own if they haven't already, to help grow their business? Because I'm sure the podcast alone has helped your business grow. 

Beate Chelette 23:46
Yeah. So there's 2 to 2 paths to this. The number one, I do a lot of podcast guesting. 

Rich Bennett 23:51
Right now, like. 

Beate Chelette 23:52
This being me being on your Sure show and I kind of like that because I, I find that there are, I meet a lot of people that have a podcast that's not aligned with their business, which makes no sense to me. So the podcast has to be relevant to the business. Otherwise why, why do it right? And so I've gotten some business out of that by, by being on other people's shows and then doing the follow up and talking about strategy and business models and then and then taking it from there. And on my own show, I find that we have two types of guest, those that elevate us and those who could be potentially our clients. 

Rich Bennett 24:41
Good. 

Beate Chelette 24:42
And those who elevate us are just amazing conversations about about stuff that I'm really interested in. And those typically end up partnerships or collaborations or referrals or other things that that go there. So, you know, again, you have to be very clear as you go in the the appeal of the podcast has something to do with the quality of the guest. I mean, it just does the quality of the conversation is is important. 

Rich Bennett 25:11
Absolutely. 

Beate Chelette 25:12
It's only the most single important thing. So I've found that some of the guests that could be potentially clients just don't have the subject matter expertise that somebody does that has written numerous books and is a is that really an authority in the field? So 

it does the clarity on what it is that you're trying to achieve is, as always, the most important thing actually. 

Rich Bennett 25:36
Can you walk us through a memorable episode of your podcast and what made what made it stand out for you? 

Beate Chelette 25:45
Yes. So I interviewed Blaine Bartlett and Blaine Bartlett is a he's in a partnership with David Meltzer. Okay. Sure. You've. Yeah, you've heard about he has a TV show 

on the an entrepreneur TV show. And so Blaine is a big mindset guy, executive of leadership coach. And when we were talking on the show, we, we ended up talking about a very interesting book. It's called Working with the Law. I think the guy's called Gary or Jerry Holly. Well, and it's like written in very old language. It's been around for a really long time, but it's in essence, one of the most powerful books on on on the laws, not just the law of attraction, but the universal laws that rule everything. And when you encounter somebody who has read an obscure book like you, and then you get really into it, that's just a memorable moment because you you set a connection on a level that you just didn't know existed. 

Rich Bennett 26:53
So so with the podcast 

and I'm you're 100 episodes in, so kudos to you. It's already successful because a lot of people I think the success rate for podcasts is only like 6%. 

Beate Chelette 27:12
Yeah, and I think most people don't make it past the third episode. 

Rich Bennett 27:15
Yeah, which is crazy. But what's been one of the biggest challenges for you so far with the podcast? 

Beate Chelette 27:22
I think listener growth, because the I have found that A I is now responsible for all the algorithms and the, 

the AI is in its infancy is like a two year old. Yeah. So you have to tell a two year old how to behave. But I think that the reliance on AI, even though it's a toddler, is a little bit too, too advanced for some of the companies. So so there are no no guardrails in place because I cannot predict what's coming. But I you know, AI is what is and what's available on the Internet. And we all know what's available on the Internet. A lot of junk. So yeah, so so that that part I found a little bit challenging. And to get the podcast in front of more of the right people. So that's been really one of the goals that we have for this next year for, for my business is because I love the guests. Yes. And now it's time to say, Well, we are 100 and something episodes in, what are we going to now do? And the people that are I'm now approaching to come on the show are just on such a much higher caliber than the ones I had first, that, you know, now I really want to return the favor and focus a lot of growth. 

Rich Bennett 28:55
And where do you find most your guest I have a funny we. 

Beate Chelette 28:58
Have you know, we we we use a service called Pop Match, which we love. And we also have found that, you know, like, for example, Blaine Bartlett has a great podcast. And so we go and look at other podcasts and we say, Who are the guests that are on other podcasts, right? And then we reach out and we say, Well, hey, we were on Blaine's podcast and we were very impressed with your episode. Would you like to be on our show? And now you have a very warm introduction because you have a mutual connection. 

Rich Bennett 29:30
Podcast, networking. 

Beate Chelette 29:32
It's just like working one on one. 

Rich Bennett 29:34
Yeah, actually. What about I want to I'm sure you're probably are, but what about your local chamber of commerce? Do you get any guests from there? 

Beate Chelette 29:45
No. I mean, I have to actually look at that because, you know, I used to live in Culver City here in Los Angeles, and I moved to the Pacific Palisades to be with my love. Okay. And we are here in the Pacific Palisades is not a ginormous place, but we have a lot of celebrities that live here. You know, Adam Sandler is down the street and Goldie Hawn and and Ben Affleck. I mean, all these people, like, literally live like, not within a stone's throw because there's mountains, but they live in very close proximity. So not to say that that would be at the charm of commerce, but it's certainly something to look into. And that's that's, I think, important to look at all the different opportunities of what can you do to get in front of. 

Rich Bennett 30:32
Yeah. Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. And you never know who you become sponsors of your show as well. 

Beate Chelette 30:42
You know, you are such a force to be reckoned with. 

Rich Bennett 30:47
I that's where a lot of mine come from. So it's definitely worth looking into. You mentioned listeners earlier. Have you been contacted by any of your listeners and they told you it was a certain episode that they listened to and it helped with their business growth or anything? 

Beate Chelette 31:07
Well, I was I just spoke to somebody yesterday, actually a potential podcast guest, and he said to me that he was listening to my 100th episode episode where I talk about a system, you know, the five star success blueprint that I've developed. And he said he listened to this particular episode because he wanted to know what I was all about and if I was legit. 

Rich Bennett 31:30
Really? 

Beate Chelette 31:32
Mm hmm. And I thought to 

because if I can listen to someone's solo episode, I'll know if they're full of it. Yeah, if they are. If they know what they're talking about. So I thought that was a I've never heard that one. And somebody specifically and very poignantly picked out one particular episode to say, I'm listening to that to figure out if you're for real. And then after the pre call, he says you are for real. You confirmed what I already knew. Okay. Wow. And this is a this is a this is a this is a big person. This is a very well known person. 

Rich Bennett 32:07
Good, good, actually, especially for those that want to get into podcasting. 

Are there certain guests that have contact you that you wanted that wanted to come on your show? A You just said, no, it's not like. 

Beate Chelette 32:27
Oh my God, oh my God, I have the best example for you. I have the best example for you. So this woman contacts me and you know, and I go on a pre call with her, and then I look at a website and on the website she's a CPA. And then I said to her, Well, what would you like to pitch? What's the hook you want to be on the show for? Which is something that I would expect from somebody who wants to be in my show that at the very least they have some sort of an idea when they talk about. And she says personal branding. 

And I said, your CPA. And she says, No. Yes, but I believe that there's going to be the greatest depression of all depressions that's going to happen. So I don't want to be a CPA because it's going to be an Armageddon, which I, by the way, don't believe that that is true. And therefore, I am now a branding expert. I want to be on your show to talk about branding. And I said to her, You do know that we have established branding experts on our show that have actual businesses around branding. So may I ask, what makes you the authority on branding without a business, on branding, without a website, on branding, with a CPA website? And then she says, Well, let's just be honest here. When I'm on the really big shows, I don't need small shows like yours anymore. 

Rich Bennett 33:54
For good bye. 

Beate Chelette 33:57
I said, This is the part of this interview where it's over. 

Rich Bennett 34:01
The 

I don't get some of these people that reach out and it comes here. 

Beate Chelette 34:10
Oh my God, it's nerve racking. What's wrong with. 

Rich Bennett 34:12
Them? It's like, what corners are they drink? 

Beate Chelette 34:14
You know what? 

No, I mean, you obviously do spend a lot of time in front of the mirror saying, Wow, wow, wow. Yeah. But there has to be some sort of reality because when we do podcast, we do podcast to get authorities on a subject matter on our podcast, to help our listeners to figure out one strategy, one idea, one thing that they can take away. That's our job. Our job is not to give exposure to people that that suffer from wishful thinking and not to say that you cannot be a branding expert, but it's just way too early in the game for someone like me to want somebody like that. 

Rich Bennett 34:57
Yeah, So. So actually, how do you see the business Growth Architect show evolving in the future? 

Beate Chelette 35:04
I think that what we're going to do next is we are going to get very focused on what the growth plan is. And you know, generously, you had given me already some ideas in in the green room before we went live and figure out how do we get this in front of the right people more consistently, more often. I had shared that I had a hiccup with Facebook where my account was hacked and fully deleted. So here and Facebook ads are not part of the 

but that I'm looking at other alternatives in advertising on how to how I think that you have to advertise the podcast and you have to get sponsors as you as you as you have said and said in order to get the exposure. It's got to be a plan like anything else, just because it's out there. Yeah, sure, you can build the field and maybe they'll come, but they'll come if you advertise where the field actually is. Yeah, I think that that's required now that's one of our next goals. 

Rich Bennett 36:10
So if somebody wants to come on to your show, what's the best way for them to get in touch with you? 

Beate Chelette 36:17
The best thing is to reach out to my assistant ad partner at Gillette dot com and say, Hey, I want to be on your show. And then we have a process that we use, you know, where we schedule a call. There's a little bit of vetting involved, obviously. I mean you have to be a subject matter expert because we do business strategy and we talk about things like mindset sales and marketing and branding and all these kinds of things. And the premise of the show is that you'll take away one strategy that you can implement, because I want you to have as many strategies as possible laid out. You can say, this really sounds like something that I can do and then, you know, really go down that road and implement that and then we do a pre call and make sure you have a pitch for the pre call. Yeah. 

You know, don't, don't tell me how I can talk about 16 different things. I'm not interested in 16 different things. 

Rich Bennett 37:11
I want that one particular niche. 

Beate Chelette 37:14
I want you to tell me what the hook is for this show and it can be about your story because we're not about the story. We are about the strategy. 

Rich Bennett 37:23
Right, Exactly. And if somebody wants to hire you for your services, not the podcast, but because they want to, they need a professional architect, how do they get in touch with you? 

Beate Chelette 37:36
Go to on coverage Satcom and fill out a an on coverage session call and then we'll get on a phone call and we see what you want to achieve. I use a system called the Five Star Success Blueprint, which allows me literally in very short amount of time to figure out what needs to be done in your business. And then I'll tell you if I can help you and I'll tell you, if I can't help you and I'll tell you if I know somebody who can help you, because my job is to get you through the door and then you need to be making the decision. So that's that's that's what we do. So reach out, say hello, and I'll be more than happy to evaluate what can be done and how we can help you. 

Rich Bennett 38:21
So before I get to my last question, is there anything you would like to add? 

Beate Chelette 38:26
Yes, I do. I want to tell all of your listeners for anybody listening, wherever you pick up this podcast, go there. Now and give Reg a five star review. Subscribe to. Can you share this episode with one other person that needs to hear what we were talking about today? The comment is critical and here's why. Because I rules everything. And even if you put a green heart in it that shows that you listen to the entire episode, it will help Reg to get this message in front of more people. 

Rich Bennett 38:54
God, I love you. God do to say do the same with her podcast as well. And remember I told you about good pods, Good. This is why I love it. You can actually review each episode of the podcast. 

Beate Chelette 39:09
All right. 

Rich Bennett 39:10
Instead of just the podcast in general. 

Beate Chelette 39:13
Oh, that's good. 

Rich Bennett 39:14
Yeah, it's like I call it it's a podcast app meets billboard meets social media. 

It's like, it's great, I'm. 

Beate Chelette 39:25
Hot. 

Rich Bennett 39:26
And no good Page does not pay me to say that pod match does not pay us to mention their name either. 

Beate Chelette 39:33
This is just something we that we we like and resources that we share because we certainly spend a lot of money and a lot of really bad resources. 

Rich Bennett 39:40
Yeah. So my last question for you, because I know you got to run. You've been interviewed, God knows how many times over. 

Beate Chelette 39:48
Two in a 50 time. 

Rich Bennett 39:49
Good Lord. Wow. You bet. That's a lot. 

Beate Chelette 39:55
Oh, that's a lot of talking. 

Rich Bennett 39:56
So out of all the hosts that have that you have spoken with, is there anything a host has never asked you that you wish they would have asked you? And if so, what was what would be that question? What would be your answer? It doesn't have to do it doesn't have to do with business or the package. 

Beate Chelette 40:13
You know, I think I think the one thing that people don't talk about is 

the story. Hmm. What's the story that you believed in before you became successful? And what is the story that you had to solve to become successful? And what is the story now? Because in mindset work and in spiritual work and in universal laws, you either grow or die. So if you believe in a story that's an old story that kept running in your head for all this time, you're virtually dying because you're living in a place that does no longer exist. So the more I work in what I do, the more I realize that I. I am now understanding what people are believing in, which is what holds them back on the poverty mindset. Or, you know, I was just in Germany and I was shocked at how so many of my family members don't have money. 

And I'm thinking this is really interesting. On what they believe in, that making money is hard, that's dangerous, that, you know, stuff could be over at any given time, that life is a hard battle. I watched my mother and her story of a World War two child of surviving One more day. Surviving one more day. Surviving one more day, Surviving one more day. And I think that if we would bring this in our interviews more often and say, what can you share with our audience, that is a story that you used to believe. How did you resolve it and how did you how did it change for you to achieve something different? Because these stories keep coming up. They'll never stop. It's another part of me. It's another story that comes up, yeah, on the next run. And then you resolve that. The next story comes up. You know, your love, your relationship, your your value, your imposter syndrome, your marketing, your your whatever. Right. Wow. 

That's a book. 

Rich Bennett 42:25
I think you need to write another book. And we even talk about that. But. Well, I'll tell you, after we're done this because you got to come back on again. And I want to I want to throw in I want to throw an idea. 

Beate Chelette 42:39
My pleasure. 

Rich Bennett 42:40
I want to throw an idea to you once we're finished. But I want to thank you so much. It's been an honor and a true pleasure to have you on to. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And stay dry. The rains have stopped, right? 

Beate Chelette 42:54
I will. Thank you so much. Well, it's been an absolute pleasure to be on your show. Thank you for all the work that you do. You're just an amazing person. 

Rich Bennett 43:01
And thank you. 


 

Beate Chelette Profile Photo

Beate Chelette

The Growth Architect

Beate Chelette is the Growth Architect and Founder of The Women’s Code and provides visionaries and leaders with strategies that grow your authority so that they can scale their impact.
Beate bootstrapped her passion for photography into a global business and eventually sold it to Bill Gates in a multimillion-dollar deal.