April 16, 2024
Episode 191 – Dr. Traci Lynn – The Blueprint to Becoming the CEO of Your Life
“I grew up in a household, raised by mother and grandmother, no silver spoon, but they had belief. They had always told me that I could do it, that I could do anything, that I was special. They made me believe it. So, I was willing to take a chance.” – Dr. Traci Lynn
- Dr. Traci Lynn, known as “The 100,000,000 Woman,” is a legendary entrepreneur who transformed a mere $200 into a $100million direct sales dynasty with her brand, Traci Lynn Fashion Jewelry. Renowned for empowering thousands of women around the world, she’s grown her company to one of the largest in the direct sales industry, with nearly 100,000 consultants. Her achievements have earned her a spot among the top 50 direct sales companies in the U.S. and features in Essence, Black Enterprise, and The Huffington Post. As a celebrated speaker, and role model, Traci inspires with her journey of resilience, excellence, and dedication to helping others achieve success. She is now on a mission to help female Entrepreneurs take their life and business to the next level so they can live the life they always knew they were created to live.
- In this episode, Dr. Traci Lynn shares her entrepreneurial journey from a very young age, and from whom she derived her influence and tenacity. Traci built her business steadily and organically and her focus and vision have always been to empower women and build the relationships first – then the money naturally followed. Traci discusses how she scaled her business and built the successful and sustainable model that exists today. It certainly did not happen overnight, nor was it easy. As a lifelong lover of learning, Traci shares how she prioritizes herself and fills her own cup so that she can be the powerful force she is who is now pouring out all the knowledge, experience and lessons learned to anyone willing to listen and to learn. Listen in and be inspired!
- Show Notes
- [00:42] Patrick introduces his next TEDM guest, Dr. Traci Lynn.
- [01:46] Traci and Patrick get rolling with Traci’s short and sweet answer to what she’s up to these days: helping women bullet-proof their business!
- [02:30] Traci walks us through her entrepreneurial start by making her first $1M at the age of 25 and losing it all at age 27. Entrepreneurship was taught to her by her grandmother and runs deep in Traci’s DNA. While the direct sales business model was in all three iterations of her business, Traci shares that she also took some time off in between. Once to be a professional speaker and in another she bought three franchises and real estate. The latter provided the missing links for her early business venture – systems, processes, and strategies.
- [06:07] If at first you don’t succeed… Traci explains what drove her to pick herself up and keep going after she lost her first business. Sitting at a desk job for 30 years was not the life for her. With a solid foundation being raised by her mother and grandmother, to believe in herself no matter what, Traci decided to take a chance on herself.
- [09:05] In Traci’s experience of working with thousands of women, is having that foundation of support and belief from a young age the difference in the degree to which female entrepreneurs succeed?
- [12:08] Traci’s design work was learned through experience both her own and by watching and emulating her grandmother whose sense of style was off the charts! Traci offers advice by way of her own journey with patents and trademarks – don’t wait. It’s important to have proof of concept that the product will be viable. It’s important to keep moving forward and figure it out as you go.
- [15:43] A vision for 100x. Traci started in her own backyard working with women to build their direct sales business with her jewelry. Back then, if she couldn’t drive to you to build the relationship and do the training you couldn’t be in the business. Once Traci had 2,000 women on board, she knew she had something. From there she broadened her reach, and over time has built it up to 100,000 women. Her focus and vision have always been to empower women and build the relationships first – then the money naturally followed.
- [17:52] Building a sustainable model. Technology and her proprietary software had a huge impact on Traci’s business which allowed it to grow exponentially. Alongside that, outsourcing the parts of her business that were not her core competencies (e.g. warehousing) set her free to soar.
- [20:39] Mentors were not part of Traci’s early path, but she always understood how to collapse a learning curve by studying, researching and learning from other people’s experiences. While certainly the slower and more expensive route, it did pay off. After time, she became connected to her direct sales peers who had billion-dollar brands and that’s where peer mentoring had a remarkable influence.
- [22:58] With a natural inclination to learn, and proclivity for absorbing information, Traci has always been an eager student who is very coachable and very teachable. In her business that is the first thing she tells the women in her program. If they are not coachable, trainable, or teachable, there is no point in even starting.
- [25:47] Traci views one of her superpowers as her ability to see people and inspire them at a very deep level. Nothing surface. Another superpower is her ability to enter a room quietly, sit back, and learn without needing to be the big fish or the loud one. She is often underestimated because of it.
- [26:34] Traci’s kryptonite? Competition.
- [27:32] A born leader, Traci has always had the gift to sell her vision, to inspire others with her ability to vision-cast.
- [29:06] Traci is in, what she calls, her pouring season. She is not fulfilled by sitting back on her laurels of success. Now is the time that she wants to pour out all her knowledge, experiences, and lessons to reach any and all who will listen and who are coachable. Teaching not just revenue building, but how to do it from their heart and with a sense of purpose.
- [30:42] Traci shares what she teaches the women who work with her about how to not only build a business but how scale a business and who they need to partner with to achieve that.
- [33:58] Perpetual self-development. Traci continues with a schedule that allows her time to be constantly learning, reading, reflecting, and development whether physically or mentally. It’s what she teaches and coaches, so she walks her talk. Always evolving.
- [38:16] Married for 30 years, and business partners for just as long, Traci and her husband figured out a way to work together, live together and raise a family together that worked for them. With ground rules in place Traci learned something more valuable to her than balance. That is to be fully present in each moment with whatever she is doing in that moment.
- [43:06] Traci lives and teaches the analogy of getting that oxygen mask on herself first. She shares some of the ways she refuels and fills her own cup. It is a lifelong process for women to prioritize themselves.
- [48:01] How does Traci filter through “asks” now, so that she’s now flipping the table to say “no” more often than “yes?” Traci advises this to women: be ok with your no. An explanation is not required.
- [50:54] Let’s get into it! Time for the rapid fire. Apple or Android; most impactful book; favourite music to match her pace; favourite movie; room-desk-car; favourite swear word? nope; message at the pearly gates.
- [52:56] Traci’s gratitude.
- [53:16] Bonus question: would Traci be as happy without the money she has made?
- Selected links and people mentioned from this episode:
- Traci Lynn Jewelry
- The E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber
- Amway
- Mary Kay
- Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
- Connect with REIN Canada
- REIN Canada
- [email protected]
- REIN Channel
- X
