As you can imagine, amassing wealth is a daunting task. Add raising a family into the mix, and this becomes even more so. With three children under the age of ten and a husband battling cancer, one can only imagine the immense effort behind maintaining this balancing act. Maria Fox Giambrone, whose husband has fully recovered, did precisely that, having built a beverage company amidst adversity. Maria capitalized on a booming Coffee market and sold coffee together with other drinks to create multi-seven-figures in annual earnings.
Maria, a New York born American Entrepreneur, mom, and wife climbed the corporate ladder for 26 years before it became clear that her personal freedom would become a privilege of the past unless ties were cut. In a recent article with The Village Voice, she recounted that she loved what she did, and the salary that she made, but her life was not her own. She was on call 24/7 and spent very little time with her young family. Fortunately for Maria, her vast education in science and experience accrued over the years, including obtaining certifications in holistic nutrition and life coaching, lay the groundwork that allowed her to make her exit from the corporate world. This prepared Maria for an opportunity that presented itself four years ago, an opportunity she was initially not keen on due to the immense workload on her plate – taking care of three kids under 10, helming a full-time job and building a coaching business, holding the appointment as president of PTA and juggling this with the emotional turmoil that came with discovering that her husband had been diagnosed with cancer. Although she had initially wanted to dismiss the opportunity, Maria had an urge to explore a little more, which she did and well…
That’s coffee.
For today’s piece, I asked Maria for three to five business lessons on the art of entrepreneurship.
Lesson 1.
The first lesson is to be consistent. Maria has had many “side businesses” over the years, and while she thought she was “doing all the things” she realized now that she wasn’t. She would make excuses like “I don’t have time”, “I don’t have enough resources”, etc. It was when she realized that she needed to be RESOURCEFUL and stay consistent, and not make any excuses, that was when her business started to thrive. Before that, she was the only thing holding herself back. In Maria’s own words, “You can achieve anything you want, you just have to believe in yourself and not give up. You have to be organized and make sure to utilize the pockets of time you have during the day to be productive.”
Lesson 2.
Surround yourself with those who are successful. Those who have the same mindset as you and those who will encourage and guide you. It is very true that you become who you surround yourself with so make sure you are levelling up.
Lesson 3.
Do not let work consume you. There has to be a balance. Spend time with your family. Do fun stuff together. Enjoy special moments. Carve time out of your day to be present. But also do things for yourself. Reward yourself with things you love to do on your own. Spa time. Read. Relax. You can’t be on top of your game if you are only focused on one thing – to get your life in balance. And most importantly be grateful.
These tidbits helped Maria scale two businesses and reap the spoils of her hard work to this day. And one of Maria’s most valued treasures she has found is the freedom to spend time with her family. If you’re looking to connect with Maria, you can do so via any of her social media accounts, which you can find below:
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