Finding Clarity Along the Way

As we close out Season 3 of Begin, Build, Blossom: Your Business Journey, I’m reflecting on some of the more recent conversations that stayed with me this season and what they helped me recognize about my own journey as a business owner.

In this episode, I revisit conversations with Brandon Gaydorus, Bobbie Vyas, Serene B. Hollingsworth, and Patricia J. Pauyo and explore how their perspectives intersected with decisions and experiences happening in my own life and business.

We talk about:

•  Understanding the process behind success and thinking about the life we want our businesses to support 
•  Recognizing where fear, including fear of success, can show up 
•  Setting and maintaining boundaries while still genuinely wanting to serve others 
•  Building in a way that reflects who we are 
•  Meeting people where they are 
•  Recognizing how different experiences throughout our journeys can ultimately connect 
•  Taking action even when we don't have everything figured out 

I also share some of the changes I've been making within CME Accounting LLC and Begin, Build, Blossom, and how the conversations from this season have continued beyond the podcast through relationships, collaborations, community events, and ideas that have turned into action.

One of my biggest takeaways from this season is that clarity doesn't usually happen all at once. It comes through conversations, experiences, trying things, paying attention, taking a step and then taking another one.

Season 4 won't begin immediately after the summer as it has in previous years, but we're not taking a break from building.

Thank you to every guest who trusted us with their story, to my co-host Angela, and to everyone who listened, shared, connected, collaborated, or became part of the Begin, Build, Blossom community this season.

Until next time, keep beginning, keep building, keep blossoming.

Transcript

[00:00:00] Speaker: Welcome to Begin, Build, Blossom: Your Business Journey, the podcast where we share valuable insights, resources, and motivation to fuel your entrepreneurial spirit. Let's build a supportive community together. Don't forget to subscribe or follow wherever you listen to podcasts and be 

[00:00:19] Speaker 2: part of this journey 

[00:00:23] Speaker: Let's pause for a moment to hear from our sponsors.

[00:00:27] Speaker: You've built a name for yourself through hard work and dedication, but does managing the business side feel like a distraction from your true passion? Are you dealing with unmanaged finances? CME Accounting LLC is here to help. We specialize in organizing your financial records, allowing you to focus on what you do best.

[00:00:45] Speaker: With organized books, you'll have more time for what inspires you, whether that's expanding your influence, building relationships, or simply enjoying life. Don't let unmanaged finances hold you back. Reach out to CME Accounting [00:01:00] LLC today and let us help you thrive. Visit our website, www.cmeaccountingllc.com, or email us at admin@cmeaccountingllc.com.

[00:01:13] Speaker: All right, let's jump back into our conversation. I've been working on this episode for quite a while now. I have a lot on my mind, but I didn't quite know how to put it into words. Hi everyone, and welcome back to Begin, Build, Blossom, your business journey. If this is your first time joining us, I'm Clarita, founder of CME Accounting LLC and co-host of this podcast.

[00:01:36] Speaker: Thanks so much for being here, whether you're new or you've been listening from the beginning. As we've done every summer since we started this podcast, we're wrapping up yet another season. Throughout this season, Angela and I spent a lot of our time asking questions and learning from our guests.

[00:01:55] Speaker: Mid-season, you also got to hear Angela and myself reflect on some of [00:02:00] our own experiences. If you haven't had a chance to listen to that episode, I'd encourage you to go back, give it a listen after this one. Today, I'm going to reflect not just on this season of the podcast, but on the season of life I've been in as a business owner as well I wanted to share where I am at the end of Season 3.

[00:02:27] Speaker: Before I started Begin, Build, Blossom, I had a lot of questions. Questions about starting a business, about the people behind the businesses, how they made decisions, what they learned, what kept them going. And I figured if I had those questions, other people probably did as well. So I started asking the questions, and I've genuinely enjoyed every conversation, both on and off the podcast.

[00:02:55] Speaker: Every guest brought a different perspective. Even when I asked the [00:03:00] same question, the answers were always different. Sometimes what we talked about was aligned with my own perspective, sometimes it challenged the way I think, and sometimes I heard something I had heard before, but I just heard it differently because of where I was or am at that point in my life.

[00:03:22] Speaker: While I was having those conversations, life was changing for me too, meaning outside of business as well, and maybe that's true for you as well while you listen to this podcast or any podcast for that matter. For me, I was making decisions about my business, the podcast, where and how I wanted to spend my time, how I wanted to charge for my services, and all the other big questions that come with building something, and the answers evolved over time.

[00:03:55] Speaker: What felt acceptable a few months ago isn't necessarily what is [00:04:00] ac- I would feel is acceptable today. And to me, that's actually a good sign. It means I've been learning. A huge part of that learning came from the conversations on this very podcast. Those conversations became part of my own journey.

[00:04:16] Speaker: Sometimes they helped me think differently, sometimes they just confirmed something that I was already feeling, or sometimes I was just hearing it at the time that I needed to hear it. There are about four conversations toward the end of this season that I'd especially like to highlight, and I hope you'll take a listen to those episodes if you haven't already.

[00:04:35] Speaker: The first one I'd like to go back to is my conversation with Brandon. 

[00:04:40] Speaker 3: Once you understand the process of success, if you can understand how you did that, it's much easier to apply it to other things. And then if you can apply it to other things, then it's like, okay, well, why not other, why not help other people apply that to other areas of their life so that we can grow together and make an impact together?

[00:04:58] Speaker: You just heard [00:05:00] Brandon, um, talk about the process of success. When I think about this podcast, one of the things I appreciate most is that I haven't just learned what people have accomplished. I have learned and continue to learn about how they think, how they make decisions, how they work through challenges, and what they're still trying to figure out.

[00:05:22] Speaker: And I think that part especially is very important. All these, you know, it's very different reading someone's bio or seeing what they've built from a distance. You're actually getting a chance to listen and to hear them while they're going through it. You get to understand the process, and that's what Brandon reminded me.

[00:05:45] Speaker: Success isn't just something you hope happens. It's something you work at, you learn from, you continue building over time. Something else Brandon said challenged me a little bit. 

[00:05:58] Speaker 3: Think about how you want to live [00:06:00] and then worrying about how you want to pay for it. 

[00:06:03] Speaker: Had I heard that before? Yes, but this time I heard it differently.

[00:06:09] Speaker: Maybe it just had to do with where I am right now. I've spent so much time focused on building the business that I kind of lost sight of the life I wanted the business to support. Not the life itself. I never stopped envisioning something better for my Sierra and I. But I became so immersed in the work, the responsibilities, and all the hats I continued to wear that there just wasn't much time left for other things.

[00:06:39] Speaker: Taking a step back reminded me that it's not just about doing meaningful work, it's also about getting paid for that work. For example, I was working with a client who wasn't able to pay for my full services, so we agreed to an engagement that focused on the initial work with the understanding that it would eventually [00:07:00] lead to a larger engagement once they were financially ready.

[00:07:04] Speaker: That decision made sense to me because at my core, I really want to serve people. The work I do really matters to me. But over time, that engagement evolved into something different to what we had agreed to More and more of me was being required. It was me learning about what I hear a lot about, scope creep.

[00:07:29] Speaker: I was learning that in real time, and it's something professionals are constantly warned about. Eventually, I had to recognize what was happening and have some difficult conversations. One of the turning points for me was realizing I was spending all this unpaid time with someone who continued to want more while missing opportunities to spend that same time getting paid, spending time with my daughter just being silly, or simply taking care of myself.

[00:07:57] Speaker: That client taught me something I [00:08:00] will always remember for sure, boundaries are to be set and maintained. No matter how much you want to help someone, it shouldn't come at the expense of your business or your own life. At the end of the day, you still have a life that needs to be supported, and good clients understand that 

[00:08:18] Speaker 4: Very simply put, we understand that oftentimes it is not your ability that get in the way.

[00:08:24] Speaker 4: It is fear. It is the pattern of fear, and if- when we understand what is feeding it, we can understand how to diminish it and/or rewire it to use it for our purposes to get to our next. 

[00:08:39] Speaker: You just heard Bobbie, right? That word we don't always like to talk about, fear. When I hear the word fear, my mind immediately goes to fear of failure, and the thing is I never really thought that described me.

[00:08:55] Speaker: I've always believed that if something doesn't work, I'll learn [00:09:00] from it and try again. So I couldn't really see fear, as I understood it, was holding me back. If anything, I've always been the type of person who challenges myself to do the thing that I or someone else thought I couldn't do. But the fear I wasn't paying attention to was the fear of success.

[00:09:22] Speaker: Hearing Bobbie talk about that really brought me back to a conversation that I had had with my coach when I worked with her. Success isn't what's scary. It's everything that comes with it that can feel overwhelming. What happens if this actually works? What changes? Will people expect more from me? Will life look different?

[00:09:47] Speaker: Ironically, though, that's exactly what I've been working toward. I want life to look different, in a good way of course. But am I really ready for everything that comes with it? Once I really considered [00:10:00] those questions, I just, I, I kept moving. But I won't pretend it's just been easy or it's been a straight line.

[00:10:07] Speaker: The journey has felt a lot like a rollercoaster. One day I'm excited and confident. I take action. Oh my gosh, then doubt creeps in. So the problem isn't experiencing doubt. We all experience doubt. The problem is staying there. Why do we hesitate in those moments? For me, it isn't because I'm not capable, but really it's about uncertainty, coupled of course with that underlying fear of what if 

[00:10:39] Speaker 5: this actually works?

[00:10:41] Speaker: Just recognizing that's what was happening made a huge difference. Bobbie's conversation really moved the needle for me. You know, at some point you just have to move, and I have been moving, especially those last few months. Some of the ideas I've been thinking about for a long time are finally made [00:11:00] become a reality.

[00:11:01] Speaker: There were events such as Build Over Dinner, where we r- had about 15 entrepreneurs, um, sitting around a long table at Emiliano's, a local, um, business here in Riverdale, and wasn't that a lot of fun? Yes, it was.

[00:11:21] Speaker: Sierra did not get to stay with us, so that's Sierra. Then there was the Portrait Social. We've been creating different events around the community in a way to bring people together in person so that people can connect. And I will just add, we have one coming up, it's called Build Over Conversations, and that's happening at a local restaurant with a speakeasy experience here in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, and that's happening on September 17.

[00:11:56] Speaker: So look out for information about that, and do join us for [00:12:00] those who are local in, uh, New York City. Those ideas I just mentioned certainly didn't come from just one conversation. Like I said, they've been on my mind for a long time. But the conversation with Bobby, along with conversations with others in my network, those really helped me recognize what had been slowing me down.

[00:12:19] Speaker: And there was another conversation that really did its thing for me 

[00:12:25] Speaker 5: Sometimes I take a back, step back from the site and I go, "Oh, this is too Black. These people are gonna just be like, 'She has lost her mind, and why does she have the cosmos out there and the galaxies and stars on all of the images?'" And then I relax a little bit and I say, "This is me, and, and my people will find me here, um, loving the art, loving the fragrance, loving the writing."

[00:12:59] Speaker: My [00:13:00] conversation with Sirine was really about identity. We also talked about visibility though, what it means and what it doesn't mean. Sirine also talked about building something that reflects who she is instead of trying to fit someone else's expectations. During this last season, I've become much clearer about who I want to serve through my accounting practice.

[00:13:22] Speaker: I've decided, and I say this, I've decided, because that in itself is terrifying, making that decision to niche down. But I say, I've decided to focus my practice on serving law firms because that's where so much of my experience is and where I know I can make a big difference. At the same time, I've also become clearer about Begin, Build, Blossom.

[00:13:48] Speaker: When we started, it was and still is a podcast. However, it's slowly evolving into more than just a podcast. The conversations, of course, are still at [00:14:00] the heart of what we do, but those conversations are no longer the only way we bring people together. Like we talked about, we've started hosting events.

[00:14:10] Speaker: We'll be continuing our spotlight segments, also exploring other ways to share stories and connect with people. 

[00:14:19] Speaker 2: Let's pause for a moment to hear from our sponsors. You've built a name for yourself through hard work and dedication, 

[00:14:26] Speaker: but does managing the business side feel like a distraction from your true passion?

[00:14:30] Speaker: Are you dealing with unmanaged finances? CME Accounting LLC is here to help. We specialize in organizing your financial records, allowing you to focus on what you do best. With organized books, you'll have more time for what inspires you, whether that's expanding your influence, building relationships, or simply enjoying life.

[00:14:51] Speaker: Don't let unmanaged finances hold you back. Reach out to CME Accounting LLC today and let us help you thrive. Visit our [00:15:00] website, www.cmeaccountingllc.com, or email us at admin@cmeaccountingllc.com. All right. Let's jump back into our conversation. And there are new opportunities coming up that I'm genuinely excited about.

[00:15:18] Speaker: Being able to collaborate, you know, being so community-focused, all this really has just been really good icing on the cake for me And I still haven't figured it all out. And another thing I've become clear on this season is that I never will figure it all out. I'll continue working with the information I have today.

[00:15:42] Speaker: I'll continue learning. I'll continue growing. Instead of seeing that as a limitation, I've really come to see it as a gift. The clarity that comes with that is priceless. Let's listen to a little more of what Serene shared with us. 

[00:15:59] Speaker 5: But if you're [00:16:00] not on the edge of something, like, are you really building?

[00:16:02] Speaker 5: I don't, I don't know. 

[00:16:05] Speaker: Oh, Serene, that was such a beautiful and honest moment. Being on the edge, now that sounds very uncomfortable, and I've learned that's okay. In fact, maybe it should be uncomfortable. That's where growth happens, taking one step after another even when the path isn't completely clear, building as we go, trusting that each step brings a little bit more clarity than the one before it.

[00:16:34] Speaker: I don't think clarity comes before action. Actually, a lot of the times clarity comes because we took action. Now let's take a listen to Patricia. 

[00:16:46] Speaker 2: I really wanted to be somebody who people can come to so that way they can know that they can share their cultural experiences, talk about their food, and feel welcome, and learn how to eat and still be healthy using their cultural foods [00:17:00] versus hearing that, "Oh, you have to give up your plantain, you have to give up your rice."

[00:17:05] Speaker: Patricia meets people where they are. She isn't asking people to become someone else before she can help them. She starts with where they are today. In the clip you just heard, Patricia is talking about nutrition, but I think that same idea applies to so many other parts of life. Whether someone is starting a business, trying to get their finances organized, or attending one of our events for the very first time, everyone starts from a different place.

[00:17:33] Speaker: I acknowledge that my role isn't to expect everyone to be in the same place. My role rather, whether it be through CME Accounting or through the podcast, is to understand where people are and to help them move forward from there. Meeting people where they are doesn't mean, though, saying yes to everything.

[00:17:54] Speaker: It means understanding what they need today and responding in a [00:18:00] way that's sustainable for them and for me That's shaped how I think about serving my clients. It's also shaped how I think about this podcast, and it's shaped how I think about building community 

[00:18:13] Speaker 2: Before I did nutrition, I studied social work.

[00:18:15] Speaker 2: And even when I was studying social work, I always said I wanted to have a private practice. So it's been in my mind for a long time. And when I got in the world of nutrition, I realized, oh, this is very similar work, like doing nutrition therapy for people, which is what I do. And so it made sense to me. I was like, oh yeah, I can still have my private practice.

[00:18:35] Speaker: In this other clip from Patricia, there was something else that she rem- reminded me of. We all bring our experiences into the work we do. Sometimes I looked at different parts of my career or my journey, knowing that it was all connected somehow, but not always being able to articulate how exactly they were connected.

[00:18:59] Speaker: [00:19:00] So I've worked in non-profits, I've worked with law firms, I have corporate accounting experience. I've started my own firm. I've started this podcast. I currently host community events But I can see now that indeed they're all connected. Every experience has shaped how I listen, how I ask questions, how I work with people.

[00:19:22] Speaker: It's all part of who I am. It's all part of how I serve. I think that's one of the things I've appreciated most about this season. The conversations didn't end when the microphones were turned off. If anything, they've continued afterward more than ever before, through collaborations, through seeing guests again at community events, both in person and virtually, through re- relationships that have continued to grow long after the episodes were released.

[00:19:52] Speaker: One example I could think of is, um, Olajuwon. After recording and releasing his episode, we [00:20:00] continued following each other's work. One of our episodes really resonated with Olajuwon, the episode where I talked about wanting to create more opportunities for people to connect. He reached out to share his thoughts and some of the ideas he was working on as well.

[00:20:14] Speaker: A little later, after I'd hosted a few webinars and started creating even more opportunities within my own community, I reached back out to him to let him know that the ideas that we spoke about, now they're actually... You know, they've happened. He wrote back and he said, "It's not the step that makes the journey, but the accumulation of all the steps that make the journey possible."

[00:20:38] Speaker: Think that's actually a pretty good description of this season. When I look back, it's clear that one conversation didn't change everything. All of them together were quite impactful, though. Some challenged me, some encouraged me, some confirmed what I was already thinking. And this season, I would say, wasn't just a [00:21:00] collection of, of podcast episodes.

[00:21:02] Speaker: It was part of a season in my own life where I was making some really big decisions. Some of those decisions had nothing to do with the podcast. Some were influenced by conversations from the podcast, and others came from experiences completely outside of all of this. They are not separate, though.

[00:21:20] Speaker: Clarity there is they were all part of the same season. But those conversations, they were not happening in isolation At the same time, I was making decisions about my accounting firm, CME Accounting, about Begin, Build, Blossom, the- not just the podcast, but the brand as a whole, about where I wanted to spend my time, about the kind of work I wanted to keep doing, and I will say things are definitely, definitely clearer now.

[00:21:52] Speaker: And by saying that, I don't mean that I have all the answers. No, that's not what that means at all. It [00:22:00] means I kept asking questions, and more importantly, I kept listening to the answers. At this point, I say I can say I'm comfortable not having everything figured out. I think there was a time I thought, "Okay, the goal is to let's figure it out," but this has been a season of continuing to move even when I didn't know exactly how things would turn out.

[00:22:23] Speaker: And because I kept moving, things have become so much clearer. They're still challenging, but they're clearer. Okay, before we actually wrap up, I want to take a moment to thank my co-host, Angela, for being such an important part of this season. And to every guest who joined us this season, thank you. Thank you for trusting us with your stories.

[00:22:48] Speaker: Thank you for sharing not only what you've accomplished, but what you're still learning. To everyone who's listened, thank you. Whether you've been here since episode [00:23:00] one or today was your very first episode, thank you for spending your time with us. For those who shared our episodes, thank you. Thank you for sending messages, for coming to our events, for continuing conversations after the episodes ended, for supporting our guests, for collaborations, for the new opportunities, and for becoming part of this Begin, Build, Blossom community.

[00:23:27] Speaker: I love that with Begin, Build, Blossom, the conversations don't stop when we stop recording, and I am just really, really, really very grateful for that. Now let's actually wrap up the season. Just to let you know, season four won't begin right after the summer like it has in previous years. But please be assured that conversations will continue to take place.

[00:23:51] Speaker: My biggest takeaway overall is that clarity doesn't usually happen all at once. It comes through [00:24:00] conversations, through experiences, through trying things, through paying attention, through taking that next step, and then the next one. And that's what this season has been for me, a season of becoming clearer about everything.

[00:24:17] Speaker: Not saying I figured it all out, but things became clearer. I'm really excited about what's next, and I'm convinced more than ever that I'm building in the right direction. And a huge bonus is that I'm slowly building a community of collaborators and people who genuinely want to build alongside one another.

[00:24:40] Speaker: So while we're taking a break from our long-form conversations, we're definitely not taking a break from building. I hope you'll continue to be part of what's next, and I hope that you, as you continue on your own journey, will continue building and getting clarity as well. Thank you for [00:25:00] listening. Thank you for supporting our guests.

[00:25:02] Speaker: Thank you for supporting Angela and myself, and thank you for being part of Begin, Build, Blossom. Until next time, keep beginning, keep building, keep blossoming. 

[00:25:13] Speaker 6: A quick note before we wrap up. The insights and experiences shared by our guests are their own. We love creating space for real conversations about business and growth, and everyone's journey is unique.

[00:25:29] Speaker 6: Therefore, this podcast is for informational and inspirational purposes only. It is not meant to replace legal, financial, or other professional advice. So we encourage you to take what's useful, do your own due diligence, and build what works best for you. 

[00:25:52] Speaker: Thanks for listening to Begin, Build, Blossom Your Business Journey.

[00:25:56] Speaker: We hope today's conversation gave you the insights and [00:26:00] inspiration you need to move forward on your own path. Don't forget to subscribe or follow wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode. Do you have feedback? We'd love to hear from you at podcast@cmeaccountingllc.com