We had the good fortune of connecting with Erica Duran and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Erica, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The thought process behind starting my own business was to create total freedom of time, location, and income in my life. When I was a Fortune 50 executive I couldn’t understand why I had to drive for an hour in traffic every day just to sit at a computer that was just like the one I had back at home. I couldn’t understand why I had to stay at the office all day even though I completed my work within the first hour or two of the day. I knew life was short and I saw myself and everyone around me wasting their lives away. Then there was the money piece. I make more now in a month than I ever did in an entire year of my job! Now, I help other’s “wake up” and see that life is short and they can indeed make money (more than in their job) doing what they love!
Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I teach new and struggling entrepreneurs timeless business principles and strategies so that they can max out their income while greatly reducing the number of hours they work. What I’m most excited about right now is my Paid For Your Presence Method that I’m teaching. This method helps my clients position themselves to be thought leaders, not internet marketers. It abolishes busywork. It removes tech overwhelm and excuses. It works in any crisis – world health or economic events. And the Paid For Your Presence Method creates both 1:1 and large waves of ideal clients reaching out to work with you so that you don’t feel like you are chasing (stalking) clients. I created this method when I was recovering from Covid-19 the first time. Then, I came down with Covid-19 again – a mutation and this caused me to create the 6-day work month that I teach now. After having Covid a second time, I vowed that there was no way I was going to be a slave to my business and sit at a computer all day working. I got where I am today in business I believe because I was able to manage fear and mindset challenges while taking risks and investing in myself. I also believe that a big part of my success today is from avoiding one-off marketing gimmicks and following other experts too closely. I believe that competition, comparison, overwhelm, and the imposter syndrome is keeping so many entrepreneurs stuck. There is just too much information. You don’t need more information, you need curated advice from someone who has done what you would like to do and you need to trust your gut. Growing my business was not easy whatsoever… but it could have been if I had just followed my own advice above and hired the right mentor earlier and shut out all the “noise” in favor of my own intuition. I would have literally saved years of busy work and being in research/learning mode for too long. There were also so many life challenges in the way while I was launching my business. There were many deaths around me, cancer and other diseases in my family, many pet losses, 2-year long legal estate battles, divorce, and moving every 6 months or so, and more. All of these life challenges only made me more passionate about not wasting my life and fueling my desire to help others wake up and do the same. These life experiences helped me to really be present with whatever or whoever I was in front of which creates a lifestyle that is calm, grounded, and absent of that “rush, rush, rush” feeling. One of the biggest lessons that I’ve learned is that if a business strategy or tactic works for someone else, success isn’t guaranteed if you closely model them. This is why I work with each client to bring out their unique brand essence, message, and go to market strategy. What I would want the world to know about my brand and story is the fact that I have a true gift to simplify absolutely anything, cut straight through to the real challenge or issue that you are facing in your business and/or life, and give a straightforward customized solution.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The “what are your favorite spots in the city” question is challenging for me because I am a full-time digital nomad. Six months is usually the longest I will stay in a place on one trip. At the time of writing this article, I happen to be in Walt Disney World for I also own a small travel boutique agency that specializes in Disney and the Hawaiian Islands. If I were to give a guided tour for a week I would show the relaxing luxury side of Disney World and not rush my guests around from attraction to attraction. But I would also take into account what their interests are because there are so many options here – golf, spas, safaris, shows, seasonal decor and activities, and all levels of shopping and dining to experience. At the time of writing this article, many venues and experiences here are not fully back to pre Covid-19 level. But I’ll share a few ideas and suggestions as if everything is back up and running. The best advice I can give you when visiting Disney World is to not overplan and rush from attraction to attraction – take your time and you’ll have a better time. Here are a few off-the-beaten-path suggestions – watching fireworks from the Polynesian Resort beach or the top of the Contemporary Resort, having a meal at Sannaa where African animals come right up to the restaurant’s windows and there are less crowds than at the Animal Kingdom park, relaxing at the Nomad Cafe, doing a food crawl around the three resorts that are on the monorail, paying just a little extra for VIP seating at shows/parades/nighttime shows/etc. or after-hours experiences, a day at the Grand Floridian Spa, or visiting the unique shops and restaurants around the lake in the former Disney town of Celebration.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to give a shoutout to Vicki Robin – author of Your Money Or Your Life. I started having ideas of leaving my executive job and starting my own freedom-based business, and magically this book appeared in my life that solidified some of the thoughts and ideas I was having.
Website: https://www.ericaduran.co
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericaduran/
Other: Just starting to relocate my social media to new sites – winding down or deleted IG, YouTube, FB, and Twitter… Parler: https://parler.com/profile/EricaDuranIntl/posts Gab: https://gab.com/ericaduranintl Rumble: https://rumble.com/register/ericaduranintl/ MeWe: Personal – https://mewe.com/i/ericaduranco Business Page – https://mewe.com/p/ericaduraninternational