Show notes
130 | Monika Kochhar Teaches Us How to Train Our Mind for Optimistic Thinking
Have you ever thought that something as simple as optimistic thinking could change the course of your business?
Monika Kochhar is the CEO and Co-founder of SmartGift. She has launched, grew and led startups that transformed music, payments and commerce, and redefined customer experiences. Monika previously worked in finance in derivatives trading, selling and emerging markets for JP Morgan, BNP Paribas and Goldman Sachs. Monika attended Mount Holyoke College and the London School of Economics. In addition, she is an avid writer and speaker on payments, commerce, tech philosophy and women in entrepreneurship. She grew up in India and lives in NYC.
When you hear NO, does it ever make you question your abilities? Or do you believe in yourself enough that hearing a NO slides right off your back?
I've heard a lot of NO's in my life!
From my job right out of college, FITzee Foods, or even with what I'm doing today!
What keeps me going is that I believe in myself, and I live in a state of never-ending optimism.
I know, based on my past experiences, that it's ok to hear a NO. It's ok to face rejection. Every time I hear a NO, I look to learn what I can from the experience, and then move forward.
When I closed FITzee Foods, it would have been easy to hang up my entrepreneur hat, close up shop, and start applying for corporate jobs.
You've felt that way after hearing a NO, right? But, like you, I knew that there was something else bigger out there for me, and I believed in myself and said YES!
The best part is, the more I believe in myself and keep pushing forward, the happier I become. I am so happy with how far I've come, and I absolutely love what I do.
This week's guest on Success Unfiltered, Monika Kochhar, is the founder of Smart Gift. When she first created Smart Gift, she reached out to several large brands and they said NO to being part of her network. Her belief in herself carried her through, and you wouldn't believe that the companies that initially told her NO later reached out to her to be included in the Smart Gift lineup!
If you're feeling discouraged from the NO's you're hearing, make sure that you tune into this episode of Success Unfiltered!
Enjoy, and thank you for listening and tuning into Success Unfiltered!
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Special thanks goes out to Monika Kochhar for taking the time to chat with Michelle. Be sure to join us next week for our next new episode!
Why Do Most Business Strategies Fail? It's not because they don't work. It's because you're not READY for them to work. Before you can succeed, you've got to believe in yourself. And most of us don't know how. But that's all about to change! Let me show you my 3 best mindset hacks to help you raise your vibe, shift your thinking, and ultimately ROCK your business. Grab your copy right HERE and start believing in yourself, for REAL this time!
Here are a few key secrets we talked about in this episode:
- Michelle introduces Monika Kochhar.
- Monika explains Smart Gift, and how the business works: it's all about creating an experience during the gifting process!
- When you're starting out and have no name recognition, it's key that you remain in an ego-less state, so you can pitch, and learn from rejection.
- Monika shares about a crushing rejection from a big retailer.
- Instead of just taking the NO, Monika reached out and asked for feedback; and asked what it would have taken to get a YES from them.
- Because she asked, and asked in an authentic way, they gave the feedback she requested!
- For Monika, taking, implementing and learning from that feedback was key.
- When you hear NO, it's tempting to just ask for more time, five more minutes to show them why you are the best choice. Monika found that keeping it together and calmly asking for feedback was far more valuable.
- You have to know that this will work: have "blind faith" in yourself. You'll also need a supportive team surrounding you!
- The feedback from that NO led to Monika and the team completely redoing their system, and making it better than ever.
- The more rejection you get, the more feedback that you get and are able to make yourself and your systems even better.
- Monika raised a little over $2 million dollars in the beginning stages of Smart Gift. Many investors said NO to funding Smart Gift, but Monika kept moving forward and still pulled it off.
- Moving forward was hard: Monika had to believe in herself with unbridled optimism, always pressing forward.
- When you hear NO, it can be tempting to start applying for corporate jobs.
- You want to create a frictionless experience for gaining new clients.
- Genuine conversations are a great part of the sales experience: they help create the chemistry for that perfect match.
- Ask directly for the deal: many people struggle with closing business because they don't even actually ask for it.
- You can't help your ideal client unless you close the deal by asking!
- Monika shares what she would tell her younger self.
Connect with Monika Kochhar:
Why Do Most Business Strategies Fail? It's not because they don't work. It's because you're not READY for them to work. Before you can succeed, you've got to believe in yourself. And most of us don't know how. But that's all about to change! Let me show you my 3 best mindset hacks to help you raise your vibe, shift your thinking, and ultimately ROCK your business. Grab your copy right HERE and start believing in yourself, for REAL this time!
Music produced by Deejay-O www.iamdeejayo.com
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