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The Estherpreneur is a weekly chat about doing business and life God’s way. Join your host, Edna Harding as she offers biblical strategies and practical applications to improve your mind, business, spirit, relationships, and finances. Listen along as she talks with guests on how to thrive in all areas of life. Edna is a Wife, Mother, Growth Strategist, Author, Minister, Certified Maxwell Business Consultant and Executive Coach, an accredited Master Mindset Coach, and Speaker whose message of hope, truth, and wisdom reaches people all around the world. FavorandWealth.com Estherpreneur.com
Edna Harding [00:00:00]:
Welcome to Estrepreneur, a podcast for entrepreneurs and leaders doing business and life, God's way. Each week, we discuss biblical and practical tips to improve your mind, business, spirit, relationships, and finances. Listen along as I speak with special guests on how to thrive in all aspects of life. Hi, I'm Edna. Like many of you, I wear many hats. I'm a military wife, mother, author, certified John Maxwell business and executive coach, trainer, and founder of Favor and wealth, where we help the good guys win. So tune in as we bring on the light.
Edna Harding [00:00:40]:
Well, hello, everyone. Thank you for tuning in for another episode of the Estrepreneur podcast. My name is Edna Harding, and I'm nothing but a messenger of life. In today's episode, I'm going to talk about my experience, experience at working at Disney World back when I was in College, I was 19 years old, and the lessons I've learned from there and how to build an international business. So if you're new here, welcome. In this podcast, we talk about business and life, God's way, and we talk about anything from mindset to finances to leadership, to your body to your soul, to relationships and so forth. So anything, business and life, God's way. So if you're looking for biblical wisdom that you could apply to your business or life, you're in the right place.
Edna Harding [00:01:27]:
But before we begin, let's go ahead and pray. Father God, I thank you for my brothers and sisters who are listening to this podcast. I thank you that you, oh, Lord God, have drew them here, Lord, to this place, so that I can learn and how to expand the vision that God has put you, Lord God, have put in their hearts, Lord God. So, Father, we thank you that this is not an accident. This is not a coincidence that you're going to do incredibly mighty things, Lord, according to your word, Lord, in Jesus name, amen. All right, so, yes, funny story. So when I was 19 years old, a friend told me about this audition going on in Disney. A long story short, she said, hey, you should audition with me.
Edna Harding [00:02:09]:
You know, mind you, I'm not really a dancer. I was like, okay, so it's for a character reader. And long story short, we both audition. And this is when I was at Hawaii Pacific University. And she didn't get it, but I got it. And so when I told my parents that I was going to Disney to work, they were like, what? Like, they. I didn't even tell them or anything. And.
Edna Harding [00:02:31]:
And I went. And that's a whole nother story. So the lessons I'm sharing with you is from what I've learned from working there. And it's also backed by biblical truth. So let's start off by saying that, you know, before God entrusted me with clients from, from all over the world, he trained me inside one of the most globally recognized organizations in the world. And mind you, I've worked in a lot of international businesses before, especially selling logistics or supply chain solutions for many, many years and working in the operation side and the sales side. And so, yes, I've had a lot of experience with global clients. But out of all the jobs or experiences I've had, I've learned so much from Disney.
Edna Harding [00:03:17]:
And today I'm going to show you three takeaways that I got from there and how it matches with biblical wisdom. So Walt Disney Co. Even though now there's a lot of things that I don't agree with that they're doing, especially with homosexuality and things that are, that are being put on people's gender. What is it called? Identification, whatever. And mind you, it's not against the people, it's the spirit. Because I truly believe that God didn't make a mistake when he made you. He made you boy or girl, and there was a purpose to it. Now, whatever happened, you know, whatever you think you are, whatever that's between you and God has nothing to do with me.
Edna Harding [00:03:52]:
But I truly believe that God doesn't make mistakes when he formed you. So anyway, during that time, it wasn't as bad as it is now. At least I didn't know about it. Okay, so, you know, Disney is known for, you know, their entertainment and their magic and all that stuff. But what I learned from that experience was mastery, order and excellence. Those were the three things that I've learned in that workplace. And I'm going to share with you what those, what, what those lessons were. So I want to start off with the scripture where it says in Luke 16:10, it says, Whoever is faithful with little will also be faithful in much.
Edna Harding [00:04:25]:
You know, Disney was my little. God used it. So I worked, I worked there, obviously dealt with all types of clientele from all over the world. And then I worked, I took international business there while I was working at the Disney University. I mean, working. I was studying at Disney University for some credits. And I just, I love my experience there. I, I mean, talk about first class customer service.
Edna Harding [00:04:51]:
Okay, so let me start with lesson one, which is excellence is a system. It's not a mood. You know, at Disney, excellence wasn't optional, okay? And it wasn't emotional. In fact, there were standards, there were Systems, there were expectations and whether someone was watching or not. So even from the way you pick up trash, there was a certain way of picking up trash. And this went from the janitor all the, to like the people on top. You, you don't bend over, you scoop over and you grab the trash. When you point, you, you never point with one finger, you point with two fingers.
Edna Harding [00:05:26]:
Like these are the stuff that we learned. And it was so interesting, like how strict they were. I mean we took I don't know how long, but the first few weeks just learning what you can do and what you can do. So they let the standards very high, they set the standards very high and they made sure that it was crystal clear. Okay, so I want to say this, that excellence is not perfectionism, okay? But it's consistency aligned with values. Okay? Consistency aligns with values. So Disney valued those things. There are certain things that the Bible values and what I have done for my business and the things that I tell my clients to build their business on are certain values that God has for his people.
Edna Harding [00:06:11]:
What, what I love, what, what I love about Disney is they made sure that their standards were repeatable. It wasn't a one size fits all one size. It wasn't a one size one off thing. It was all repeatable. So same thing with me, with my businesses, like my, my business programs. Whether you're a startup or a multi billion dollar business, it's the same program, the same framework, just bigger scope. So that to make sure that I always provide the excellent quality outcome, I have a program, I have a protocol, I have a process, I have a blueprint. And I don't, I don't sell different things, I don't have a different program for each thing.
Edna Harding [00:06:50]:
It's the same program, just delivered differently. Does that make sense? So that's how I can measure excellence even as I grow and as I hire new people, right? So right now I have two people and a third one part time. So these are the people, they know my standards and it's repeatable. I don't change my standards for one person, the other. It's all the same, okay? Because global clients trust what is repeatable and regardless of what culture I hire from. So if I have, if I have a, if I have a team member, I remember I've had team members from India obviously, because as a startup, you know, it's more affordable for you to hire people overseas. I had people from India, I have from the Philippines, I had a Spanish person, I had a Pakistani. At different, different levels.
Edna Harding [00:07:36]:
At A middle. I forgot what she was. But so different types of individuals and it's the same process. I don't change it, I don't change my standards. It's always the same, okay? Because what excellence does, when you create those standards and you know what to measure by it creates safety across cultures. So when you're, when you're doing an international business, make sure you have one standard, one program, one framework, which I truly. This is why I always say you need to have a signature framework. Make it easier on yourself so that when you're speaking, you're talking about your framework.
Edna Harding [00:08:07]:
When you're selling, you're talking yourself. When you're like, for example, creating books, workbooks, stick to your framework. When you're doing, delivering one on one coaching or training, stick to your framework. You'll make your life so much easier because you're doing one thing, okay? Because even my husband, he would say stuff like, well, you know, I don't know what your program says is you always create a new program. So I know I'm not creating new programs. It's the same program. It's just the method of delivering the program is what's different. But it's the same exact program.
Edna Harding [00:08:35]:
My program hasn't changed. My program has always been battle two booming business programs. When I first started, you know, I take your battle and turn it to a booming business back in 2014, it's the same thing. Now I just have like mini courses. I have more like consulting. I have some training. So it's all the same. It's the same thing.
Edna Harding [00:08:56]:
I'm just picking bits and pieces because actually, you know, it's so funny. So when I first started this, I had like 12 phases, believe it or not. 12 phases. 12 phases. And each phase had like a bunch of tasks. And it was just overwhelming for my clients. And I had one client, actually two of them, that they didn't finish because it was just too much. I'm like, okay, I want people to finish.
Edna Harding [00:09:16]:
So then what I did was I took the bits and pieces from the most important bits and pieces for certain phases and I created that as a shorter coaching program, which by the way, is my business unlimited program. If you guys are looking for a boot camp or something that is, that's going to get you the results that you want with as minimal effort and minimal time. When I say minimal effort meaning. Because a lot of times. Thank you. Holy spirit. A lot of coaches and consultants, they sell you the airplane or the rocket, but you don't even have a paper airplane yet, right? And so I help you create your paper airplane place first, get your first $10,000, get your first $50,000, get even and even, get your first six figures right with your paper airplane. Or you can start building a commercial plane and then go from there.
Edna Harding [00:10:00]:
Okay? So I focus on little by little, you know the scripture from day to day and glory to glory. That's exactly what it is. I take you from this level to this level, to this level, right. A lot of times people promise you to take you from this level to this level, but that's not realistic. I'm sorry, I don't care how good I think you are, unless you have a lot of capital to spend on advertisement and all these things, then yeah, maybe it's possible. But if you're a startup, a true startup who doesn't have any money and you're working corporate job, you have bills to pay and you don't have a lot of income, I'm telling you, business unlimited is the best, best thing to go. But don't take my word for it. If you have any questions, just let me know and be happy to give the contact information of any of my past clients and past members and they'll tell you for themselves.
Edna Harding [00:10:45]:
So systems allow your impact to scale beyond your presence. Okay? So if your business only works when you're in the mood or with certain clients, it's not built, it's fragile, okay? So if it only works in the United States and it doesn't work for, you know, people in Africa, then guess what, it's not repeatable. And you need to get back on the drawing board and figure that out. So I want to ask you this question. Where has God been calling you to systemize that you keep spiritualizing? Because we could get all religious and spiritual about everything, but in reality, if you just systemize a lot of things, you would get a lot more done. Which is why my clients right now, you know, they, they're, they're so several of them are building different businesses now from their first one because they know exactly what to do, the same process, nothing has changed, it's repeatable, right? Regardless of what business that they're doing, right? Whether it's a pet sitting business to a group coaching to workshops, like it's all the same framework, okay? If you sell a product, it doesn't matter. I have one right now who is a musician, okay? Like he, he things. And so like this is, it applies to every type of product or service as long as you're charging, okay? So yes, so that's number one, Systemize, okay? So you could create excellence.
Edna Harding [00:12:06]:
The second lesson that I want to talk about is experience is more powerful than information. You know, what Disney taught me was that Disney doesn't sell rides, they sell experiences, okay? They didn't sell rice, they sold. Sold experiences. So for me, this is why my. It's a program. It's not just a product, okay? It's not a course, it's a program. So my program includes not just a software, not just a coaching, not just a spiritual. We have prayer calls, we provide workshops, we provide workbooks, and we have like actual practice.
Edna Harding [00:12:43]:
We have games. Like, it's an experience so that they could learn with all senses. They touch, they feel. We play games. Like I said, I challenge your thinking. We do writing, reflections. Like we do all kinds of stuff, okay? And they get rewards, they get massages. I mean, what else did I.
Edna Harding [00:13:01]:
We got like a show, a date night with a. The couple, like, like the husband and wife. What else? Gosh, I'm trying to think. A laptop, all kinds of stuff. We have fun, okay? We have fun. It's the experience that I'm selling, okay? So if you want to grow an international business, you cannot just sell a product. You have to sell an experience. Because every detail supports how the guest feels, okay? Or how the client feels.
Edna Harding [00:13:28]:
So the scripture that I got this from was in Psalms 34, 8, which says, and see that the Lord is good. So when they taste, they experience it inside and see and experience it outside. That the Lord is good. That's the same thing that I want for my clients. Not only I want them to feel it on the inside, like how, like the, the. The God's ways are working in themselves and our soul, in eternal soul, but also externally, like rewarding them for their hard efforts. Remember that people don't remember what you said. They remember how they encountered you.
Edna Harding [00:14:01]:
So when, when I built my business, I made sure that I wasn't only focusing on content or the product, but I focused on the client journey. From the time they first found out that God called them to business up to. They already have a multimillion dollar business and now they have a team and they're scaling and building other things, okay? And they want to exit and retire, right? So I focus on every aspect of the customer, lifetime value of my client, and I ensure that I have programs. It's like a whole roadmap that I do in my, my business unlimited group. They. They do this. They do a whole roadmap, okay? So where they know where their end game is and where they know where they need to start and what they need to build in the first part of their phase. And then as they move up towards the different milestones and they know what else to build.
Edna Harding [00:14:50]:
Keeping it simple, right? So focus on the client journey, and that will help you build an international business. Okay? So the brand that I built became an experience, not a service. So if you want to go international, you need to sell an experience. Okay. Because one of the things that I have to say is so obviously different ethnicities and different cultures receive things differently. So that's actually one thing that I've learned is like, I remember I had a client in Germany and I had a client in Switzerland, and my method of communicating did. It came offensive towards them, and I had to learn how to tweak it. And so.
Edna Harding [00:15:27]:
And that was good learning for me as I work with clients from different parts of the world, is that I have to adapt to them. And the way you adapt is through emotional intelligence. So I had to really be able to not get offended when they say certain things or when they and are not misinterpret what they're saying, but really ask the Holy Spirit, help me understand what this person is saying so that I can be a better coach or consultant to this person. Okay? So the question I want to ask you is, what does someone expect a moment, they catch a ground. So when they. When they meet with you in person and networking or online or on LinkedIn or. It doesn't matter, right? Or, I don't know, over the phone, like, what did they experience with you? Okay, you want them to experience the. The you that you want to experience.
Edna Harding [00:16:14]:
Okay? And number three, the third lesson I've learned from Disney is vision must be clear enough to be carried by others. Vision must be clear enough to be carried by others. At Disney, everyone from leadership, the higher ups, up to the front line, which was the janitors and the counter clerks and so forth, understood the vision, right? Not because it was complicated, but because it was very clear. Scripture says, write the vision, make it plain. You hear this all the time. But the thing about it is, if people can't repeat your vision, they can't represent it, right? And if you ask people what your vision, if you ask any of your employees right now, what is the vision of the company, what is the mission of the company, they probably won't be able to say it, right? So I want to transform the marketplace one mind at a time. Think right. And profit right? That's another thing I say if you think right, you could profit.
Edna Harding [00:17:06]:
Right? Right. But what do you think on timeless wisdom, biblical wisdom, and timely methods? Strategies that are the latest and greatest strategies that the world is sharing. That doesn't go against the word of God. Got it. Because teams across nations, they need clarity. Okay. They need to know, what does it look like? So if you plan on building an international business, whether if you have team members overseas or whether they have clients overseas, they need to have clarity. So I have a roadmap.
Edna Harding [00:17:34]:
I tell people where I'm taking them. Now, mind you, there are people who don't like the roadmap. They want to go from point A to point Z without doing point B, C, D, and F. Then they get upset because I tell them, no, I don't go from point A to point Z. I go A, B, C, D, E, and F. They don't like it. And I guess what, you know, I'm not the right fit. And I shake my hands and I walk away because I know what God showed me.
Edna Harding [00:17:56]:
And I'm not. I'm not gonna move. I'm not gonna tweak my blueprint or tweak the method that God showed me. Okay. For someone else especially, that's what God showed me. Now, obviously, that's between them and God, but I have. As a coach and a consultant, I have to tell you, no, that's not going to work based on what I've learned, not just in the Bible, but the things out in the marketplace. Okay? So.
Edna Harding [00:18:19]:
But clarity, I make it very clear why I tell them. Let's start with getting your first $10,000 first. Before you say, let's get your first million. Because clear vision creates unity. Okay? You want to be unified with your client because it takes both of you. Right. Or you want to be unified with your team. Okay? Because once you're online and you're on the same page, you know where you're going, it'll be easier for you to get to the destination.
Edna Harding [00:18:45]:
Okay, so here's the question that I want to. I mean, here's the correction. I want to tell you. If your business can't grow without you explaining everything, God may be calling you to refine, not expand. So the reason why, you know, I remember before, when I first started my business a long time ago, I remember people would interview me, and they were like, you know, so they would. They would ask me a question about, you know, sales and marketing, and then I would say something like, was hard to. For me to explain in. In two to three minutes or so.
Edna Harding [00:19:18]:
I Would say something like that in a. In a short, like, commercial, because it's more complicated. It's not complicated. Okay. And if I were to go back to the interview back when I had. In 20. Is that 2016? I think it was 2016. If I would go back to interview, I would have said, very easy, simple.
Edna Harding [00:19:36]:
Here's the framework. Think right? Then you could profit, right? Think right, and you could profit. Right. The problem is we get so, so much noise and we focus on so many things. Okay. That we're not able to get anything accomplished. What I like to do is simplify that complication and focus on the right things so that we could think on the right things. The most important things that are relevant to your particular season of business in life, because there's.
Edna Harding [00:20:00]:
Think of Holy Spirit. There are seasons, right? You could be in a season of startup, right? But then you could be in. In a horrible season, as in life. Like, for example, you could be going through a divorce. You could have experienced a death in the family. You could have. These are all real stuff that happened recently. Okay.
Edna Harding [00:20:17]:
A lot of people, a lot of my clients have gone through stuff. Someone got sick, someone got ill. So even though, like, yeah, you could start up your business for sure. But then if you have life situation that will affect. Will affect the outcome of your business, which is why I said think right, Then you could profit, right? Right. So in order for us to do that, we have to look at a holistic view of the business and the person. Right? And then once you fix that, we could fix your thoughts and then you could build the business you want or something like that. Right.
Edna Harding [00:20:49]:
I know that was a lot longer, but I'm just thinking out loud what I would have said, which is better than saying it's a little bit too complicated for me to explain that. Okay? So the question I want to ask you is, can someone carry your vision without representing it? Okay? So again, Disney taught me what excellence, experience and clarity. But what God taught me is stewardship. Because when I. When I. When I asked the Holy Spirit, lord, why is it that people have multiplication? Other people have addition? What's the difference? And he said it was trust. He could trust them with much because he can trust them with little. So everything that you're going through, your.
Edna Harding [00:21:28]:
Even your jobs, your experiences, the losses, the failures, all of that is not an accident. It's your training ground. And God is going to use it for you, especially if you're going to call to business. Everything that I've learned, good, the bad and ugly, and mind you, I've gone through a lot of ugly stuff in business and incorporate all of that prepared me for what I have now. Okay. I have. I have a global team and I have a global client. And it's because of the experiences I had.
Edna Harding [00:21:54]:
And I'm hoping that these three lessons that I've shared with you from Disney also encourage you and help you and so that you don't have to learn from tough lessons, you can learn from me. Right? I remember someone said you could either learn from two things. You could learn from your messes, or you can learn from your mentors. Okay? So if you're listening to this podcast, consider me your mentor, your unofficial mentor, and just know that everything I'm sharing with you came from the hard knocks of life. This isn't just like, oh, let me just say whatever I want to say. Like, this is stuff. I'm trying to save you some hard times, okay? Because I've learned so many horrible lessons and like the worst dire situation, I'm hoping that you don't make the same mistake. So let's go ahead and pray.
Edna Harding [00:22:37]:
Father God, I thank you, Lord. I thank you for every environment that has trained us even before we knew it. You are preparing us, Lord Jesus, help us to steward, excellence and humility and in unity with your spirit, Lord God, we pray, oh God, that we will build a business that will honor you from the inside out. We love you, we honor you and bless you in all these things. In Jesus name name, Amen. Well, my friends, I hope this episode bless you. If this episode has resonated with you, please share it. I keep forgetting to say share it like it, rate it, comment it, whatever you want to say and share with people who wants to make a global impact.
Edna Harding [00:23:15]:
I. I truly believe these lessons are simple. But yeah, it's going to make. If you think with these things, it's really going to help you build that. That global vision that God put in your heart. All right, Blessings, my friend. I'll talk to y' all soon. Take care.
Edna Harding [00:23:33]:
Thanks for joining us this week on Estrepreneur. Make sure to Visit our website favorandwealth.com for more information on our services. While you're at it, if you found value in this show, we'd appreciate a rating on itunes. Or if you simply tell a friend about the show, that would help me out, too. Also, check out my book, the Ugly side of Sales, available on Amazon, where I share seven of my secrets on how to win and grow business the right way. Until next time, keep shining.