Girl Code: Unlocking the Secrets to Success, Sanity, and Happiness for the Female Entrepreneur

Create Things You Wish Existed
“Follow your instincts and do not let other people’s opinion of you become
your opinion of yourself.”
– Sarah Jessica Parker
One of the most frustrating things I see among women entrepreneurs is
all the time and energy spent trying to replicate what appears to be
successful. I see so many businesses that scream “inauthenticity” to me, that
follow cookie-cutter molds because they believe they are following a
roadmap to what works. They believe if that roadmap is followed, they will
make money and be successful. Oh, how wrong they are! There is no
roadmap, there is no guarantee, and by imitating someone else’s work you
are simply wasting everyone’s time – especially your own.
Think about the women in business you are drawn to. I bet they are all
doing something uniquely different than the next. I doubt you admire

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twenty women whose businesses all look, sound, and act identical. I can bet
you truly admire that one woman who is leading the pack, who is blazing
her own trail, and who is authentically representing herself to the world.
The woman who has that “thing” about her that pops. Being real is sexy.
Honesty is magnetic. We are attracted to things that feel natural, not forced.
When I launched my life coaching practice, I did not follow a roadmap.
I had a blog called The Champagne Diet, and by every rule in the book, I
should have changed that name to “Cara’s Life Coaching for Women” or
something equally as boring. In fact, I even bought the domain
“CoachingByCara.com” when I first started out because I considered using
it for a split second. (I must have been in desperate need for a glass of
bubbly because Lord knows that was not my style.)
Early on in my career, I invested in business coaches because I wanted
to soak up every drop of information and learn from the “power players” –
or so I thought. I spend thousands of dollars – even taking a loan out against
my 401k – to pay for programs to ensure I would be set up for success and
give myself every chance to grow my business the “right” way. I will never
forget the day I sat down with my first business coach and she handed me a
sales script. It was a two-page document filled with dry dialogue that made
every inch of my insides shrivel up. I was mortified when she asked me to
read it aloud and reenact a client conversation and pretend I was trying to
close a sale. I walked out of her office that day and vowed to never, ever
follow advice like that again.
Since that experience, I built my business around my gut instincts. I
decided to create things from my heart; things that I wish existed. I listened
to my audience and I saw what they needed. I paid attention to cues from
my clients, and I looked around to find the holes that I could fill using my
authentic skill set and personality. I wrote and spoke using my voice – not
the voice I felt I should have as an author or a life coach.
One of the major things I noticed in my industry was that there were a
lot of life coaches, and a lot of business coaches, but nobody to bridge the
gap between the two. In fact, many of the women who approached me for
coaching thought they had a business problem, when in fact the issues they
faced went far deeper than what was going on with their work. If you think
those unresolved issues with your ex aren’t affecting your work, think
again! If you think your struggles with your body image aren’t impacting
your bottom line, you’re wrong. There is so much work to be done as a

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woman first and foremost – well before the work as a businesswoman can
be done.
I identified a unique market; passionate, creative, talented, professional
women who were in desperate need of someone to help them make major
mindset shifts around issues like fear, insecurity, and confidence, and learn
how to celebrate themselves exactly as they are. I used my own personal
experience and the skills I had acquired through my career to guide them
through that journey, and the results have been magical.
To date, I have helped thousands of women create their “Champagne
Lives” in both their personal and professional lives. Through my blog,
books, television appearances, and coaching programs, I have been able to
take my own unique approach to personal development and help these
women celebrate themselves, live effervescently, and become happier and
more successful. My glamorous approach to personal development is now
sought-after by both clients and the media, causing my books to hit
bestseller lists, my workshops to sell out, and my television segments to get
booked across the country.
Why has this formula worked? Because it is my own. It wouldn’t work
if I were replicating another person’s idea. It works because it’s mine. Just
like your formula will only work for you.
Stop spending so much time watching others. There is a fine line
between getting inspired and shifting your entire business model to look
like someone else’s. Learn to trust your own brilliance, go with your gut,
and believe that you have something uniquely amazing to deliver to this
world – because you do.
At the end of this chapter, I’m going to share some stellar tips with you
on how you can put these concepts into action. Feel free to use these
strategies at any time you need to reboot your mind, tap into your own
brilliance, and celebrate your own beautiful self!
GIRL CODE: Unlocked
Alexandra Wolf, Creator of #BossBabe Inc.
If you’re using social media to promote your business, then I can bet you’ve
heard of the #BossBabe movement. A quick hashtag search on Instagram
will pull up hundreds of thousands of posts tagged with the popular term

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created by Alexandra Wolf. Meant to empower, educate, and inspire
millennial businesswomen, Boss Babe is all about girl power and dreaming
big.
When Alex launched the Boss Babe network, she reached out to me to do a
video interview, and the rest is history. Since then, we’ve supported each
other and looked for creative ways to collaborate. When I decided to write
Girl Code, I knew she had to be a part of it.
Check out Alex’s interview below, and get ready to highlight some of the
gems she serves up – they’re good.