TRACY YATES, WHO IS within themselves. breakthrough growth A SECRET WEAPON FOR ENTREPRENEURS & CEOS WHO ATTAIN & UNPRECEDENTED NEW HEIGHTS IN THEIR BUSINESS AND

As a serial builder of businesses for over two decades and award-winning strategist that started, scaled and sold my marketing agency supporting the world’s leading brands, like Google, Disney and Amazon, I am part Business Advisor. I help my clients discover new revenue streams, audiences, and products as well as unexpected paths forward that amplify income

As founders and CEOs we underestimate the deep emotional and energetic connection we have with our business and the profound impact it has on our results and growth.

@iamtracyyates tracy-yates.com

Having the right mindset is important, but it’s really difficult to sustain a winning outlook when your hidden beliefs and stagnant energy are unknowingly sabotaging your success and progress forward.

The other half of my work is a Transformational Guide. I use a rare trifecta of human potential, energy mastery and multi disciplined personal growth. It’s a non-surface, holistic approach to personal mastery in business for long-lasting shifts that compound for a lifetime. Through this my clients think and act bigger than ever before with more ease, amplify their leadership and increase their wealth while 100x their power in all spheres of life.

You built an eight figure agency and decided to walk away from it. Why did you make that decision and how did you find the courage to make such a courageous pivot?

It was not an easy decision, it took massive conviction in my vision along with unwavering self trust. I bootstrapped my agency to a multi million dollar business and ran it for over two decades. I scaled my business using my own medicine. I had proven it worked, but I found myself constantly questioning if I had another decade of marketing in me

I led some of the biggest product launches in the world, experiential campaigns for the Olympics and Super Bowl, and won industry awards, but I was strongly pulled into more impactful, meaningful work

It took courage, working through my fears, diving further into energy mastery but ultimately this wasn’t a decision that hinged on business models or viability in the marketplace. It was a conscious choice to make an impact in the world, do the work I’m here to do and create a business that aligned with my values.

So, I started my 4th business with a giant helping of self trust without following what expert marketers preach And, in the first year it grew to six figures and has grown 50% year over year to date that’s largely based on referrals. Without fancy funnels, lists and a giant social media following. I focused on strategies that aligned with my values, how I want to serve my clients and how I want to do business I do what I do with skill, depth with a highly curated experience that’s done differently to everyone else I’m committed to continually mastering my craft to get my clients the biggest breakthroughs and results. And, truthfully, what really matters in the first place.

This leads us into one of your greatest teaching, the Ambition Paradox. Can you explain what this is to our audience?

The Ambition Paradox is the insidious pattern that ambitious entrepreneurs find themselves in On one hand they have an incredible drive to achieve, yet the behavior and energy to get there is a not-so obvious barrier to reaching their goals.

There’s several phases of the paradox such as; jumping directly into execution, ruminating in perfectionism, comparing ourselves to others, operating in unnecessary urgency, undercurrent of self doubt, and constant optimization mode. I was in this cycle for years, and so are my clients

We don't notice how this energy and what’s behind these patterns impacts everything. It slows our momentum, causes uncertainty, clouds decision making, dilutes innovation, decreases our confidence, limits our leadership, and fuels over-efforting From our communication with our teams and clients, internal confidence and self worth, our ability to hold bigger levels of financial success and the degree to which we sabotage our progress and receive larger opportunities.

While it can feel confronting to discover that we are in our own way, the best investment in your business is you. Because business at its highest level, is an internal and energetic game.

What are some of the most prominent ways Ambition Paradox shows up in an entrepreneur’s life and leadership?

It shows up in all areas in unassuming ways. And it not only impacts business, but our relationships and well being.

Founders work and work and work some more. They are so focused on growth, it takes over all aspects of their life. Self care becomes less of a priority, we feel worse in our bodies. We’ve normalized to be drained and exhausted and have less energy for what we love outside of work.Our personal relationships suffer, we aren’t fully present with our partners or kids and unknowingly create distance with those that matter most to us

Entrepreneurship is a roller coaster, with many ups and downs Honestly, owning a business is a high dive into personal growth It requires not only confidence, but conviction, extreme resilience and performance with unwavering belief in yourself and your vision

When you’re stressed and exhausted it has a direct impact on your nervous system, your brain and energy. It diminishes our performance, capacity to lead and get results

Leadership is the ability to inspire others by your actions, values and vision. It’s an energy that’s felt, a presence that when held speaks louder than any words. When we’re in the Ambition Paradox, we’re leading from an energy that dilutes how we show up, our expression of what we stand for, and our ability to build trust. It’s the difference between sounding like everyone else and standing out. Consumers are bombarded with information, it’s more important than ever to be bold and brave. It’s the “it factor” and is an energy which people respond to

Can you walk us through these examples and explain how we can recognize ourselves participating in it?

A very common pattern in entrepreneurs is doubt. It’s not easy to weather the oftentimes grueling and lonely journey while being the face of a company. Many times it can feel like driving a bus, changing the oil, building the map and while navigating uncharted territory - all at the same time. There’s a huge amount

And then there’s unnecessary urgency. Where every task feels urgent and must be done now! The overwhelm is like your hair’s on fire while juggling a multitude of tasks at the same time. Working extreme hours to get it all done, pushing harder and harder to get results If that was the answer, every business would be thriving!

What are important practices or tools we can use to reset if we catch ourselves within any of these examples above?

Become more self aware of how you feel, not what you think. Your body is a huge bank of wisdom that is often overridden by your monkey brain. Deepen your intuitive intelligence and learn how to listen, discern and trust it It’s one of the most widely underutilized skills we all have - and it is the secret to sales and building relationships.It’s one of the organic results that my clients experience from the work we do together. It’s a game changer not only in business, but will save you money, time and unnecessary chase in life.

Another is a pattern interrupt. I studied with a neuroscientist and learned how our brain processes information.Most entrepreneurs will grind all day, but this is the opposite energy of receiving and being in creative flow. Scheduling intentional breaks in our day to do something creative, listen to music or movement will change the energy and interrupt unproductive patterns.You’ll be amazed how it improves thinking, decision making and creativity.

What would be your greatest piece of wisdom to an entrepreneur who is desiring big breakthroughs this year?

Do the inner work! There’s a saying that clients are the lifeblood of a business, but the lifeblood as an entrepreneur is YOU. Go beneath the symptoms of your patterns, get curious and what might be driving them.We all have blindspots, our subconscious and unprocessed trauma drive 95% of how we see ourselves, what we believe to be possible and what actions we take - or don’t.

Don’t underestimate the power of energy Business is 80% energy and 20% strategy. You’re more than just your mind - you’re a mental, emotional, energetic and spiritual being. Energy is a powerful strategy, and a tool that’s magnetic and available to everyone when you know how to activate and leverage it in business

Entrepreneurship can be a lonely path. Get support from a mentor who has years of proven experience in business building, rather than following another person’s framework they’ve learned.

There’s seasons and stages of business that are nuanced. It’s a massive difference between making money in a few years and the skill of running a sustainable, thriving business.

I must ask you this because you are such a gift. How are you becoming iconic?

I’m committed to changing the way we think about business and redefining what it means to lead Through my private clients, my book and the work I’m doing within organizations - and the ripple effect it has in the world.

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