The Profit Builder Unscripted

From Excuses to Action: Finding Your Path Forward

• Vicki Suiter • Episode 19

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In this heartfelt podcast episode, Helena opens up about the struggle of self-doubt that kept her from pursuing her entrepreneurial dreams for over a decade.

Many of us can relate to that nagging feeling of inadequacy—whether it’s the fear of failure or the belief that we need to have everything perfectly lined up before taking action.

Helena candidly shares how she often found herself making excuses, waiting for the “right time” or the “perfect partner” to start her business, which only fueled her hesitation.

However, there’s a brighter side to her story! Helena joined a supportive community that encouraged her to take the important first step in her entrepreneurial journey.

By connecting with others who faced similar challenges, she realized that progress doesn’t require perfection; it requires courage and a willingness to learn.

If you’ve ever felt held back by self-doubt or the fear of not being ready, Helena’s journey is a reminder that you’re not alone.

Tune in to this episode to hear how she transformed her mindset and embraced the path of entrepreneurship, proving that it’s possible to move forward despite uncertainty!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Helena's favorite podcast: Wiser than Me (this link will take you to the podcast's YouTube channel) with Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Helena's favorite book: Principles (this link will take you to Amazon) by Ray Dalio

Send Helena an email

Resources:

Connect with Vicki on social media:


If you love listening to this podcast, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts.


welcome back to another episode of The Profit Builder unscripted today we're going to be talking with my guest Helena who's sharing her story about how do you get beyond the limiting beliefs that we have that hold us back from moving forward in life and taking the risks that we uh need and want to take in order to be able to accomplish our goals all right let's jump in Helena thank you so much for being a guest on the prophit Builder unscripted today and I'm looking forward to having you share your story um about some event or Journey that's happened in your life that has ultimately positively influenced you and before you jump in and before we kind of dig into the content of that story would you just tell people a little bit about you and and uh who you are and what you do in the world yeah so thank you so much for having me today really excited to be here um so I'm originally from Sweden although I have lived for quite some time in Spain in Madrid and I've actually been an expert for the majority part of my life um I've lived and and worked in in many different places and um yeah so I came across your videos um Vicki um and I just thought they were so inspiring and and insightful and and and actually really relevant to what I'm do what I do so um yeah I just I just love them and and I also bought your book and and then we connected also on um via email and so yeah really a big fan of yours I'm very happy to be here well thanks I'm so glad to have you here so tell us what you do in the world um because you said very relevant so I know that there's a connection between sort of my background and what I what I do in the world and what you do so maybe tell people a little bit about that yes so we are from very different well very different sector I would say but um I've spent the last 25 years in finance in in different capacities I started out on Wall Street and then I transitioned to the buy side and been working for a foundation for the last 15 years um basically where I focus on private equity and Venture Capital uh Investments but um but I'm also build building a side business and that's where um what we have a little bit in common and that's what I'm here about um so I'm really passionate and really excited about my side business it is financial literacy for women entrepreneurs and um I've seen firsts hand how how complex and how overwhelming Finance can be um so I I just I want to change that I want to I want to simplify finance and and you actually I love it when you say you often say that numbers just tell a story they provide Clarity and they tell a story and that totally resonates with me so I I want women entrepreneurs um to understand the stories that the the numbers are are tell them so um so yeah so that's nice a little bit about me yeah thank you thank you I love that you're doing that business and I think that I think that there are so many people who end up um being intimidated by numbers and uh and and I maybe you have found this to be true too but I think a lot of times it's the head trash that gets in our way uh that we like go I am not good at math or I didn't do good in school or you know um I struggled with being able to do this or that with numbers and that then people sort of um I don't know uh position themselves or tag themselves as being financially illiterate and and the truth is there's so much what PE what people do day in and day out that actually has a lot to do with with finance and numbers and they don't really make that correlation so I love that you're doing this body of work and um and I think it's an important body of work and that is definitely a place where you and I have a crossover in the work that we do because um I'd like to think that I help simplify that process for people right and and demystify their numbers and as you say you know tell the story that their numbers help them see the story that their numbers tell yeah yeah absolutely I you very very good at you're brilliant so I I really like your videos I can highly recommend them and the book I your book well you're so sweet I didn't know we were doing a commercial but how awesome right yeah listen to the videos uh yeah so thank you thank you it's very kind of you um so uh you know I I appreciate that you reached out when I put the invitation out about what is a story that you have or some event that happened in your life that has influenced you in a positive way and maybe it started with a struggle or a challenge or uh or an event that sort of was a pivotal moment that made a shift or a change in how you think or how you function in life that has ultimately led to uh something positive happening in your business and in your life and so thank you for again responding and saying yes you'd share your story and would you just tell us what that story is for you what was that moment for you what was that event for you in your life that that happened yeah so uh I I've been for the last 10 years I wanted to start my own company but I I always seem to find the perfect excuse I was working when I still am working full-time I had young kids at the time and and you know life just felt so full already um and it just seemed impossible to to add something else to my plate so um but even afterwards like when my excuses start to run out I just found even more and the latest one which is a brilliant one was that I absolutely needed a business partner you know to even um start thinking about starting a company so I I felt like I couldn't handle every aspect of of um of a start start up so um so yeah that's I was waiting for the right time to come and I was ready waiting for the right person to come along and and that really that mindset that kept me from from taking the first steps so um it's amazing how our mind does that right like how we hold ourselves back because again it comes back to that like sort of that head trash that we so many we all have it right we all have it to one degree or another that thing that holds us back so so clearly start that business what was the what was the thing that happened that got you past that belief that you needed a partner maybe did you did take a partner so tell us the rest of that story yes so still there a little bit I have to say but uh but someone told me a friend of mine actually told me about uh this fantastic business Network um that is designed for specifically for women living abroad um who either have a business or is thinking about setting uh a setting up a business so it's an incredibly um supportive group um full of advice and help and and it's actually run by a brilliant business Mentor so I would say that the turning point for me was was probably when I joined that business Network and I remember one of the first meetups um you know walking into this room and just seeing other entrepreneurs um and they were all facing basically with the same kind of challenges that I was um but the difference was that it didn't stop them um and they were all at different stages in their Journey some were starting other were more others were more seasoned but they were all like kind of thriving you know without having all the answers and and that made me realize that you know it wasn't it wasn't about having all the resources yourself but it was more about being resourceful and and utilizing the community and the network and and you know the support that that we all have around us so so yeah that's um it also yeah I think it also reminded me to focus on on on what I do have like and I do have a strong Foundation to build upon it's like it's it's okay to start out small you know everybody I think started out small I don't know if you did you start out as a solo entrepreneur or oh for sure yeah absolutely you did yeah yeah yeah yeah even the the biggest companies started out tiny so one point starts with somebody having an idea a right yeah exactly yeah so I love that so you know you you're what part of what I'm hearing if I'm hearing you correctly and and correct me if I'm if I'm not saying this right but part of what I hear you say is there's two different two things that occurred for you in that moment one was when you looked around the room and you saw these other people you saw them moving forward in their business even though they didn't have all the answers about everything that they needed to do and and that they were willing to start um and that you were willing to start without having it all figured out beforehand right so there's the there's those two elements and they're kind of the flip side of the same coin almost but it's like that what I hear is that like willingness to move forward in the face of I don't I don't have I don't have all the answers I don't know but I'm willing to learn I'm willing to grow I'm willing to invest in move for moving forward yes is that that's absolutely and I also I felt like kind of alone before I joined that Network and all of a sudden I feel like you know we this business Network we we get like um upto-date training sessions in various areas and yeah it's just so supportive it's so nice it's it's a really um important um s resource yeah it sounds like an amazing resource so how wonderful that you you know that your friend introduced you to that and that you found that and uh good for you for having the courage to be willing to um like jump in and do it uh what was the what was the thing for you that um like in terms of like that getting started so I hear the part about like you realized you weren't alone which I'm a really like I think entrepreneurship is one of the loneliest Journeys that we can have um it's tough because all of a sudden you know you go from I'm part of a team like right if I go from having a job to then becoming an entrepreneur especially a solopreneur that you end up having uh this community that you're a part of and then you start this business and all of a sudden we find ourselves alone Andor even if we're hiring people we're still the person who's responsible for making sure that it all turns out and that it happens and that you know we're like now wearing all these hats that before we didn't have to wear and that it is a lonely Journey so I think it's really cool that you found a community where uh people can share ideas and you're now part of a um um a network of it sounds like amazing coaching and resources right tools and resources and training but also where you get to share that you know you get to share that Journey with other entrepreneurs um when you think about that in that situation what for you has been like if there was one maybe two things that have been the really the biggest difference in terms of giving you the courage to uh you know I love how you like you talk about like you had all these excuses like what was the what what are a few things that have given you the confidence in particular is there are there a couple of things in particular that stick out that really helped you get beyond that um I can't do it or I don't have enough you know time resources whatever right well I'm still struggling with that a little bit so but um I I think on top of that Community Support I think a close friend of mine was also starting her business and joined the same network so although she's in a completely different sector the fact that we were both starting our Journeys together it made me feel like almost like I had somebody by my side like a partner and so so her presence and also the groups mentorship it gave me basically confidence that I could do this without relying on someone else to fill the gaps I thought I could have manag on my own and then it was also another thing because um through this network I I started getting sessions with my business with a business Mentor as well and and that that really helped me clarify my vision and and provided some steps as well to move forward so so yeah that's together with my endless brainstorming sessions with my friend that really changed my my mindset I was say yeah cool so I hear a little bit of accountability so like there's also a commitment to your friend that you hold each other accountable is that true yeah yeah cool I love that I I think it's super important and getting coaching and mentoring that ultimately like as I'm listening to you it gave you that Clarity so that you had more confidence to take the next action and yeah absolutely and and yeah I think it's um yeah I'm I'm as I said I'm still struggling and there's still challenges and everything and as you said like this you know being a solo entrepreneur means wearing so many hats as you said like you you have to deal with strategy Marketing sales social media operations U Back office legal in compliance there's so many areas and and I think as you said like when you work at large corporations you have all these resources at your fingertips but as a as a solar entrepreneur is is just you basically so again less about having all the resources and more about being resourceful that um but yeah it's it's a challenge that's that's for sure yeah um there's two things I want to say so one is like as I listen to you that whole thing and I think this is like this is a takeaway for all of us is like when we have Clarity we always have more confidence and when we have more confidence we can take more powerful actions and um the you you continually use this word anytime you and I've had this conversation I love this is that you've been resourceful like to be resourceful it's not about having it all perfect it's not about having all the answers but about looking out and being resourceful with what you have so can you just speak to that a little bit because I I really appreciate that distinction and I also it has me very curious like what does that mean to you when you say resourceful um well I think you just have to you don't have to know everything um from the beginning you just have to be willing to learn along the way um and just to look for resources and along the way you don't have to have them all from the beginning um and as I said like through this network we we get this upto-date training sessions and my with my mentor she can also help me along the way so so yeah that's to me that's being resourceful yeah okay all right so looking out and going all right where is there a need that I have for something that can help me on the journey and going out and seeking out those resources to help you yeah yeah yeah yeah I love that I love love that well congratulations for being willing to take the leap um and nice job in finding a a support system and a Support Network that has given you the confidence to take the next step forward and start this business and start getting it on the you know getting it going um and beginning um because I think a lot of times we like I you know we were talking about before it's like that that I don't you know it's not perfect it's not you know it's not good enough I don't have all the answers like so on and so forth so many times I think those things stop us in life and uh and sometimes what it just takes is looking out and going okay how can I be resourceful and find the next one piece that will help me move forward and uh and it and yeah it sounds like you've done a really nice job in finding an environment and and a community that can support you in that way and um has given you you know that you had the courage to be willing to say yes I'm moving forward done this and I'm publicly saying I have this business and I'm making this offer to people so I love that well thank you I think another thing that has also been kind of a challenge for me is that um my job has always been such a big part of my identity my full-time job and and I was kind of afraid of losing that um but I so it's kind that was also kind of a mind shift mindset shift like I see it differently now I see it as I'm not losing anything you know I'm just expanding Who I Am with starting my my own business so I still work full-time on my other my other job so that's huge isn't it like we do we get very attached to our identity and it's part of what you're also like if I'm here you correctly which is would be my interpretation of this because I know I had to go through this when I started my business too is your um you're like you've worked in this industry you know in an industry and you've developed sort of this certain expertise and I'm really good at what I do and I know all the answers and like you're you're welldeveloped in your career and well respected at what you do and then you go start this new thing and all of a sudden you're like okay I'm again that's hard when our identity which is true I think for a lot of us like our identity gets very attached to what do I know and what do I do and how am I an expert and um and so again it takes a lot of courage to be willing to begin again but I I appreciate what you just said right which is it's just another it doesn't take away from right it's adding to uh your um arsenal of expertise um as you're going through this journey of starting this business yeah absolutely I love that that's awesome well um any so if you had if you had a piece of advice and then we're gonna do some rapid fire questions here but if you had a piece of advice for somebody who was starting out and you know they've been like maybe there's a project they want to do maybe there's a business they want to start maybe there's a um you know some Endeavor that they want to begin that they don't have the courage or belief that they could do or they've been putting it off or whatever like what what piece of advice would you have for somebody well first of all I think it's such a great feeling when you free yourself from your limitations um I think you realize that you are your own worst critic and well at least I definitely was and um and also realizing that it doesn't have to be perfect at all times it's more important to start than to wait for the perfect time um so for me for example my my business is no longer Just a Dream It's actually happening and I'm I'm making steady progress It's it's um yeah I I no longer feel like I have to do everything perfectly um or have all the the answers right away it's um it's kind of freeing so um that's especially being a perfectionist or recovering perfection that's actually big for me so yeah so I would Rec you know I would say just go for it you you will find likeminded along the way and and surround yourself with with positive um interesting people and um that will be a huge asset nice that's beautiful advice I love that I love that all right are what is your advice pardon me what is your advice um gosh I don't know that I would um have more to add I think that what you said was just perfect I think what you said about um be willing to begin be willing to um begin and not have to know everything and um to have the courage to believe in yourself and to know that you know um I there's going to be stumbling blocks along the way right there's going to be mistakes that we make and it's okay like our you know I think if if I think if you ask any person like some of our greatest learnings and our greatest gifts in life have come from our greatest mistakes or some of the biggest breakdowns we've had to face right like it gives us it gives us um it's like uh building muscle right like we stretch it and we and we tug at it and it hurts for a while but then it gets stronger the same thing is true when we're willing to just begin and even if we stumble along the way that um it's it makes us better it makes us stronger it makes us wiser and uh and it's really like it's kind of at the core of why I'm why I'm doing wanting to do these interviews with People Helena right is that um it's our it's our journey nobody's nobody's got a perfect Journey that's all like you know we don't wake up one day and it's all all good and it's all perfect like first of all life would be super boring if it was um but I think that like us being able to share our Journeys and that you know like not knowing and that stumbling and that you know where where were we getting in our own way or where did we fail and then have a breakthrough and where did we grow and learn and I think that us being able to accept ourselves more and be less critical and L L judgmental um getting out of this mindset of having to be perfect and it's just it's really everything that you were just saying that it gives us the courage to begin and to start and to move forward and it's okay if we stumble and fall along the way and the the whole thing about sharing these stories is we we all have those stories right we all have those moments in our lives and uh and the the question is are we going to let it stop us or we going to keep moving forward towards what it is that we want to accomplish and give ourselves a little more grace along the way you know oh yeah um it's like you said you know like I and I appreciate you know you said a little while ago I you know I'm I'm still I still have those struggles I still have to get past that head trash sometimes I still like I don't have it all figured out but it's okay right and it is um I you know I I think that's just part of the Journey of being a human being and uh particularly in being an entrepreneur right um yeah yeah yeah yeah a friend of mine just said very wisely the other day like it just like it takes a village to raise a child it takes a village to start a company and I I think that is so true if we let ourselves for sure yeah yeah yeah absolutely absolutely all right well thank you for that are you ready for the rapid fire questions sure all right um what is your favorite personal book or podcast um okay so my my personal I would say um H my favorite podcast is definitely wiser than me with um Julia Le draus it's it's all about learning from women who are older and wiser and it's really fun it's um insightful and fun at the same time so that's probably my favorite personal uh podcast and and um a book well it's one or the other yeah okay how about how about business favorite Business book or podcast so the B favorite uh book would be principles by Ray doio um it's actually has two parts one on on business and one on life um so it's a fantastic guide on how to approach decision making so both in life and in business and um yeah he says like it's like a having a cookbook with recipes you know his book is with his principle it's it's really good good book I can highly recommended that is right on my alley all right we're going to put links to both of those down below in the show note notes and then um perfect segue to this next question what's your favorite food or meal oh well being Swedish I have to say salmon salmon okay nice yeah yeah um and what is something that you're grateful for right now oh um life in general my family um being on this podcast with you I think is is great um yeah just getting to know you I think you're you're brilliant um you've been a I'm a big fan as I said you've been kind of a mentor to me as well so I really looking forward to keeping in in in contact with you oh that's so sweet well thank you um and last question um how can the profit Builder unscripted Community get a hold of you if they if if people have heard you and they're like I am inspired I want to know more about our business um will you share your email address with people so that they can get a hold of you and I'll also put it down there in the show notes well great thank you so much would you go ahead and just say it for people so that if they're just listening and they want to jot it down sorry that's okay yes so it's um Helena lran yahoo.com I'm currently working on my my website uh but it is a finance foundation for women all right awesome Helena I am so grateful that um you came and that you've been a guest here today and shared your story thank you I appreciate it I appreciate your courage I admire your courage and I cannot wait to um hear the your journey as you're going along I know that you're going to keep me posted and and maybe after it's up and and completely launched and uh we can have you as a guest again on the profit Builder unscripted so thanks again that would be lovely thank you so much P all right I hope that today's interview with Helena provided some insights and maybe inspiration to you to possibly get started on something that maybe you've been holding off doing because it wasn't perfect or wasn't you didn't have all the answers cuz I really think that she shared something powerful about us being willing to begin even when we don't have all the answers or to you know the other thing that I I think is so important is that we remember that we don't have to be perfect and that even though that we're the owners or we're the leaders that asking for help and reaching out and maybe sometimes finding a community that can help us can be super powerful and really make a difference in our ability to get the support that we want and need to help us move forward in life um you know one of the things for me I know is I have had I've been in business for over 30 years I've had somebody coaching me in one form or another for almost that entire time because I find that other people can see where I have blind spots you know they can give me feedback or help me along the journey to be able to go to that next level of where it is that I want to grow to and um it's so much easier when we have guides along the way if you are somebody who is ready to get some more support in your life I would encourage you to check out the contractors Collective it's a group that I run exclusively for people in the construction industry who are looking to grow their businesses grow their team um have uh more profitability have a better experience of Life have more you know work life balance and also a place where you can get coaching where you can get tools and resources and and um things that will help you implement better processes systems in your business and somebody who's can help you along the journey um which is me so if you're at all interested in that um check out the contractors collective.com uh the link is also Below in the show notes and if you have enjoyed this episode make sure to follow me and subscribe so that you don't miss any other episodes of The Profit builder unscripted thanks for being here I look forward to seeing you next time

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Vicki Suiter

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