Hi everyone. This is Jane Gardner and welcome to finding your purpose today. It’s all about spotlight. We’re going to be talking about a spotlight of purpose driven entrepreneurs. And today we have Angela Capinera of Your Mind in Bloom, and she is going to be talking about her business and how finding her purpose helped her be successful in her business. So, Angela, please, introduce yourself.
Angela
Thank you, Jane. Nice meeting you. My name is Angela I’m the owner of Your mind in bloom LLC. As far as finding my purpose, it began basically in college. they needed peer tutors for other students and a professor of mine recommended me and I continued doing it through college and afterwards, basically as a contractor, independent contractor. and then about 11, 12 years ago, I finally said I need an LLC. Because again, I was going through other people and getting frustrated again ’cause you have to constantly remind them, hello, I’m here. So is it’s time for me to get an LLC and especially what I do working with people, it was time. So your mind in bloom was born.
Jane
Wow. Yeah. I never even thought of, of that as, as, as you know, continuing on as a business. So that’s great. So what, what do you do now then for, for people in your business, you were mentioning that you, you mentor quite a few people in different varieties of people who are struggling, what are they struggling with.
Angela
So I’ve kind of narrowed it down and I see people who are in transformation and transition, and people who are struggling.
So again, my pitch is I help people with resumes, cover letters. I do academic tutoring for all ages, all subjects, children, teens, adults, learning doesn’t stop. When you turn 18 or graduate high school, people still struggle as adults. I work with English language learners. I’ve had students from all over the world. I work with special needs learners. I’ve worked with people who are both English language learners and special needs learners. I do that. I do writing. So again, college essay writing is a big, inquiry I have. And another niche I have is helping people with state licensing exams. So people who want to be EMTS, fire, police, plumbers, you know, computer technicians. I have somebody right now for cosmetology. I’ve had several of those clients. They need help with the anatomy and physiology and science part of it. Real estate. I’m helping somebody with real estate right now as well.
Jane
Wow. Yeah. That’s, that’s amazing. You know, and I never even thought of that, that you could help with, with exams because, that is true. I mean they know certain things for the exam, but then they, the base, the basic knowledge you have to help them with then. And how do you help people with language, that’s that must be pretty hard to be for a non English speaking people, you know, do you have any languages other than English.
Angela
Whereas in Spanish, I learned a word here or there if I need to but again, basically, it’s very a bottom up to, starting at the bottom, working your way up, bottom up to top process. And, again, working with background knowledge, what background knowledge do they have everybody’s different. It depends on their first language, school system. it’s a variety of things. Some people are very confident in speaking. Some people are not, it just depends on the person. So I work with them one on one to kind of figure out where they need help and we go from there.
Jane
Wow. Hmm. So, well, how are you focusing these days. What, with the challenge of the pandemic, are you still finding that people are coming to you and needing, and they must be needing a lot of information these days I would think, you know, for exams and that kind of knowledge.
Angela
Yep. People are still coming to me. it was a challenge in the beginning shifting to zoom. The good part is now again, I can help anybody anywhere.
I don’t have to get my car and drive, which I miss but, it’s been nice. ‘Cause usually again, if somebody says, well, I can only meet you on X day. And if I have two other clients, I can squeeze them in or put them in afterwards. I don’t have to worry about driving around, all day. So now I can take clients anywhere out of state international doesn’t matter.
Jane
Hmm. So you’re getting very international. Now that you’re on zoom, Angela, you’d like to talk about, you’re finding a lot of people need to own their value and you help them with it.
Angela
Correct. so one thing I do do, is I help other small business owners. But it’s kind of the same thing as helping my clients, when it comes to owning value. One thing I’ve heard a lot over the years from my clients, Oh, I don’t know this. Oh, I’m not smart. Oh, I can’t do this. And I always tell people, you know, a lot more and you have a lot more experience than you give yourself credit for. You know, a lot of people come to me like again, I’m going to use a test and use as an example. They’re brilliant and whatever their chosen profession is. So for example, my cosmetologists, they’re great. You know, they do wonderful work on somebody’s hair. you know, they can mix everything. They know how to style somebody’s hair. They’re awesome. But then when it comes to the written part, they’re like, I don’t know anything. I never learned this in school, blah blah. And I’m like, okay, stop. again, a lot of it is negative self talk, so I try to stop them from negative self-talking and say, okay, tell me what you know. And then once we get talking, they’re usually like, Oh, I didn’t realize that. Or, Oh yeah, I do know that or, Oh, I have that. I have heard that, but I just don’t know how to apply it.
Jane
Wow.
Angela
And then, again, when I talk with other small business owners, it’s the same thing. And I was even having this discussion a couple of times this week, again, dealing with people who don’t want to pay you what you’re asking or I had, one person and she has been very gracious to me. She has given me several referrals. she told me she couldn’t afford me. so she hired a college student for free. And I said, again, I’m willing to work with you as far as payment, but I’m not willing to work for nothing.
Angela
So you have to stand up for yourself and say, look, this is my, this has been my experience. This is how many years I have cumulative. Again, if you’re paying me for my background knowledge, you’re paying me for my services. You’re paying me for my expertise. so again, basically you’re paying for, what I’m bringing to the table,
Jane
Right Yeah. Yeah. I was finding, Angela , did a lot of small businesses because of the pandemic, A lot of them haven’t gone on to the internet, a lot of the small businesses and there’s a need out there. Have anyone reached out to you to help them with content for the internet and that kind of thing, or they’re basically looking at proposals and other kinds of work from you.
Angela
I haven’t really had that. I’ve had a lot of people reach out. Like, how do you handle zoom I’m a kid I’m dealing with clients. A big thing is again, I work with a lot of tough customers and a lot of people who again, are on the lower socioeconomic, rung, so to speak. Right. And so again, they may not have, I mean, they have zoom and they have internet capabilities, but they don’t have, you know, again, secure internet connection. They don’t have this, they can’t get on the internet, blah, blah, blah, blah, or, so again, it’s just being willing to work and adjust to again, what they do have. I’ve taken a lot of Dramamine the last few months because they’re on Facetime with me, the phone’s jiggling. And I’m like, Ooh, you know, but again, they’re, they, they can’t, they don’t need it. They can’t figure it out. They don’t have the capabilities to take a picture and I say, okay, send it to me. so again, I just have to work with where they’re coming from. Some people don’t want that flexibility. They, you know, they want, they want the best of everything and I’m like, you just have to work with people where they’re at.
Jane
Yeah. That’s for sure. Yeah. Sounds like you have a lot of experience in training on how, how, how to do yeah. Yeah, yeah. So, so that’s great. ‘Cause I mean, you’ve already mentioned about how, you should own your value and, and basically you you’re telling them, you know, not to sell themselves short. you know, I had another, subtopic here of making a list of everything you do today. Would you recommend that for everyone or for your clients what.
Angela
I just having it written down somewhere, so you don’t forget it there’s the Chinese proverb of the faintest ink is stronger than the strongest man.
Jane
Wow. I like that one
Angela
Again. I’ve. and again, everybody has to be willing and open to accept and receive it. I’ve told people, you know, I literally had to walk people through how to put me in their schedule on the phone, you know, reminders, you know, put it on your phone. If again, you’re using your phone for everything. you know, as far as study time, you know, set it on the phone every day at a particular time, that works for you. again, little, little things like that. some people don’t like paper and pen. again, those like a lot of people I work with have had really bad educational experiences and that’s not knocking anybody or any indicator. It’s just, I got one client right now. She was pushed through. She never had chemistry, in high school. And now she’s again trying to get her cosmetology license and she’s like, I never did that in school. I never did that in school. And I’m like, I can’t say to her, please pick up a pen and write it down somewhere. I just have to work with where she is at. it’s the phone It’s the phone.
Jane
Hmm. Wow. No, I didn’t realize. Yeah, you’re really quite experienced in working with people that way you should put it on your resume. Angela, Angela. no, I, I know a lot of people who have trouble with Zoom, so that’s a great that you help them out cause it to be patient. It is very hard now it’s a really hard skill to be patient, so that’s great. Thank you. So, so I’m patient with your people. So you mentioned that you’re working on a calendar, Angela, and you even have a sample copy for us. So maybe we can put that up and, and have a look. I’ll bring the camera back to you when you’re ready. Are you ready Yup. Yeah, that’s great.
Angela
Again, one thing with marketing and advertising, everybody always talks about ROI, return on investment, what works best and every business is different. some businesses are good with the the little average, you know, little stuff. me, I’m kinda like, well, I could give that out, but I noticed that too with the business cards that gives them a business card, they stick it in their purse or pocket or wherever, and six months later I’d see them, they pull it out. Like I have some of your business card. I’m like, okay, that’s not quite where I want to just discards end up. But all right. so one thing I started doing a couple of years ago, I got this idea again from a website. Do a calendar because it’s something that’s in front of everybody the entire year. And, there’s a website I found like word of the day or something, one word. so the word I picked that, and last year was the first time I did this. I did a sample calendar the year before than handed it out to a couple of people. It was like, Hey, just take a look curious. So the year, the word for 2020 was persistence. and I actually got that from,
Jane
It was a good word for 2020, definitely.
Angela
Calvin Coolidge. The president of the United States. He wrote nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not, nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not. Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not. The world is full of educated derelicts, persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan press on has solved and will always solve the problems of the human race.
Jane
Hmm. For sure.
Angela
So I put this quote in the calendar for 2020, and I chose for 2021, the word fortitude. and again, this is my sample right here. Oh, I have to get it printed. Right. And again, one thing I’ve learned over the years, working with people, again, everybody going back to paper and pen, everybody has their different styles. Some people write, some people draw, some people doodle, whatever. so I said, instead of doing lines, cause people are usually intimidated by lines. It hems them in. They don’t like it. so I chose word of the year. I have some quotes here, goals and habits for the month. So again, you can fill in just however you want, wishes for the month and then you’re accomplished.
Jane
Oh, great. That sounds great. Yeah.
Angela
And people are like, Oh, do color, do pictures. And again, a lot of people are distracted by pictures and colors. I said, yeah. And go black and white, nothing fancy. so again, it’s easier for a lot of people to read. And then again, just it’ll look like this when it’s done.
Jane
Oh, okay. Yeah. Oh, okay. All you put it at the top part. That’s the top part of the calendar. Gotcha. Now. Yeah. Wonderful. Oh, and of course you’ve got your name on there, I assume. And at the top. That’s good. Yeah. I get, I get boring, boring ones from realtors. So I think yours would be a lot more useful. That’s great.
Angela
That’s what I did. And I picked a quote from Theodore Roosevelt, Helen Keller and William Faulkner who spoke about fortitude.
Jane
Wow. Yeah, that’s great. Huh. Okay. Well that’s great. Angela, let me, just flash that offer up so that people can actually write down the name of your website. there we go. So there is your website, your mind in bloom. Tell me a little bit about your name for your website, Angela. While we look at those. Cause that’s very interesting website name.
Angela
Okay. so again, 10 years ago, and I said, I need an LLC. again, it’s not about me, it’s about you and helping people. So I said, I wanted something to reflect that. and again, since I do work with people who are struggling and, again, academic focused and language focused, I said, I need something that has to do with mind. And, so again, it’s about you. So again, I was, I was batting ideas off my husband at the time, you know, cause again, a lot of people when I was still, independent contractor was Angela Capinera, this Angela, Capinera or that. And like, it’s not about me. I wanted to make that clear. so we’re batting some ideas around and he said, Oh, what about your mind in bloom.
Jane
Yeah. So wonderful one. Yeah. Thank you. Yeah. Yeah. It’s all about mindset. Isn’t it. And evolving it. Yeah. And you’ve been doing this for quite a long time. You said 10 years.
Angela
Yeah. I’ll have my LLC 10 years.
Jane
Wow. Wow. That’s a learning process in its own. Yeah. Well, no. I mean, yeah, just the way the internet has changed. and, and fallen this year. well, I, I, the, the good thing this year is that everybody now knows how to use Zoom. That’s my, my good thing for this year. We can get through this. So that was great. So Angela, this is great. Have you got any final thoughts Otherwise we’ll wrap up and put your offer up there.
Angela
I just always tell people, Carpe diem seize the day. Oh, wow. don’t give up, it’s all about persistence, determination, grit, knowing your worth. not being afraid to get out there and say, yes, I find a lot of people, you know, they’re like, Oh, I wish I’d done that. I wish I’d done this. And I was like, well, all you gotta do is say yes or ask a question. I know there’ve been times people are like, Oh God, it’s you again, you know, kind of thing. but again, it’s a, I’m, I’m interested if you’re interested in something say I’m interested. I mean, the worst somebodies going to say is, no, at least you tried. And again, when it comes to again, whether it’s academics or whatever I’m working with with somebody, and again, even with the job search right now, I’m dealing with a lot of people who were very frustrated while I sent out 30 resumes and I haven’t heard back and I’m like, you have to get out there and network because companies right now, they are hiring, but they’re probably getting a bazillion resumes for one position.
And it’s just, again, not being afraid to pick up the phone and say, okay, I need to talk to somebody or I need to make that connection or go on LinkedIn and say, okay, do I know anybody Or do I have any connections not being afraid to reach out. again, it all comes down to just finding that power within, I think sometimes as a society, we’re, we’re kind of told to, just to sit there and be quiet, especially women. And I’ve, I’ve had to say to several of my clients, you have to stand up for yourself, but I have to get out there and sell yourself. And I don’t mean it in a negative way. Cause some people take it that way. but I said, nobody’s gonna know, nobody’s going to know about you. Nobody’s gonna know you’re around. Nobody’s gonna know your talents. If you don’t let people know, about yourself. And even when I’m interviewing people with resumes, they’ll be like, I’ve had people, well, this is all you need to know. But then when I sit down and talk with them, you just find some very fascinating people out there have done some very fascinating things. And I think if you don’t put that out there, nobody’s going to know.
Jane
That’s awesome. Awesome.
As usual you’ve blown me away, Angela. Cause you know, finding a job is the hardest thing I know. Yeah. I’m, I’m on LinkedIn and it’s, it is a good place to connect and network. So, I’m gonna well connect with you for one, I think I out yet. So thanks a lot, Angela. yeah, I, I, I really appreciate it. This has been very, very useful and for everyone I think, and let me just come back to you and say thank you very much, Angela.
Angela Thank you. You’re welcome. This has been great.
Jane
Great. Thank you Angela. Contact angela@yourmindinbloom@yahoo.com for your 2021 calendar theme fortitude.
