Creating a Business You Love - With Casandra “Coach Cass” Henriquez - #11

Show Notes

Don’t be afraid to walk away from what is no longer serving you. That’s just one of many inspiring messages Lori and Nola learn from their interview guest, Casandra “Coach Cass” Henriquez. And she should know. Coach Cass walked away from two profitable coaching practices before falling in love with love, and turning it into her third and most successful business as a dating coach. 

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Let’s get into this week’s episode!

In This Episode You’ll Learn

• Why some endings are necessary in order to find the thing you love doing. 
• How using your own experience can lead you to creating a business you love. 
• When a dream is delayed, it doesn’t mean it’s denied. It doesn’t mean it is not going to happen.

Having the courage to stand up and ‘end’ anything you’ve started is difficult, even when the evidence is staring you in the face. As we learned from our guest, mompreneur Coach Cass of Inspire Many, when you have the faith to leave something that is not serving you, you create the opportunity for something wonderful to emerge. Setback is a setup for a comeback. 

(3:01.33)  The catalyst for more and more people leaving corporate America and starting their own business.

(5:11.22) Asking yourself this one question can lead you to discover the side hustle that’s right for you. 

(8:02.25) How to turn your own successful experience into a profitable side hustle.

(16:30.38) Hear how this mom boss turned a negative experience into an opportunity to model empowerment for her daughter and other little girls. 

(22:54.46) This one emotion, more than any other emotion, can give you the most helpful insight into creating your business.
 
Resources
This episode was supported by: Be-You-Nique
Consultation offer regularly $597 see our launch specials for details
 
Podcast Transcript – https://www.stickybrandlab.com/podcast

Transcript

Episode 8 - Creating a Business You Love - with Coach Cass
 
Coach Cass: [00:00:00] For me, think about it. I had a wellness coaching and then to go from wellness to business because wellness just wasn't it. And then when I came over to business and said, okay, I'm making money, but my heart's not in it. Right. So that, that was also something. If I'm going to create something, I might as well create something that I love.
 
Announcer: [00:00:21] You're listening to the Sticky Brand Lab podcast, where time strep professionals, like you learn how to create a business you love in as little as three hours a week.
 
Lori: [00:00:34] Hello and welcome podcast listeners, Lori and Nola here with another amazing show for you. We are so excited to be launching the first episode of our mom boss series with the incredible and amazing mompreneur Coach Cass founder and CEO of Inspire Many and the Real Love Network. But before we do, click the Sticky Brand Lab podcast, subscribe button and give us a two thumbs up review. So more movers and emerging entrepreneurial shakers, like you can easily find are helpful podcast.
Okay. Let's get today's episode of mom boss started.
 
Nola: [00:01:11] Let us introduce you to Dr. Cassandra. Henriquez also known as Coach Cass, founder of the Real Love Network and author of the bestseller Princess Zara's Birthday Tradition. Coach Cass is an intuitive love coach and matchmaker. She teaches, mentors and coaches, professional women who are super busy and driven how to have a happy and fulfilling love life.
 
An in demand speaker and Tedx presenter, coach Cass has been on the number one radio show in South Florida and hosted the television show Fiscally Fit. She has been featured in Women's Day, Essence, Fast Company, Washington Post, Forbes and Black Enterprise. We first featured Coach Cass on our podcast is one of the guest panelists on our mompreneur segment.
 
We were so blown away and inspired. We knew we wanted to hear more about you, your entrepreneurial journey and what you're up to welcome Coach Cass.
 
Coach Cass: [00:02:10] Uh, thank you ladies.
 
Nola: [00:02:13] So to get us started off for our listeners. Can you just paint a picture about, well, at least the beginning of your journey for now, when did you get the idea for your business, Inspire Many?
 
Coach Cass: [00:02:25] So it was around 2009. I remember going into my bosses office at the time and I told her, hey, can I get this time off because I want to visit my grandmother in Jamaica. And I remember her saying, let me know two weeks before and I let you know, if you can go,
 
Lori: [00:02:48] wow. Oh,
 
Nola: [00:02:50] Oh,
 
Coach Cass: [00:02:51] Oh, Hey,
 
Lori: [00:02:53] How do you plan a trip that way?
 
Coach Cass: [00:02:55] I don't know. And the thing is that I made the schedule for the center. Right? So to me, I'm a responsible adults. I have the PTO, I know the schedule. So this is just a formality, but judo tell me when I do my grandma, you know, grandma. So really that, that hadn't me starting to look around at, you know, what can I do in addition to, because I never want to be in a place where someone holds my wants and desires in their puppet strings, right? Yes. So that's really where it started.
 
Nola: [00:03:37] So there.
 
Lori: [00:03:40] So, how does that transfer over to your desire for coaching women and matchmaking, even.
 
Coach Cass: [00:03:50] So I'll tell you that. When I first started out, I started out as a wellness coach. Okay. So I got my certification and wellness coaching because I was in that field anyway. And I was helping people along what they eat and dah, dah, dah, dah. But I started to realize that people thought I was a personal trainer or a nutritionist. Oh, this, this is in it. You know,
 
Nola: [00:04:12] That's not what you were planning.
 
Coach Cass: [00:04:14] No, this isn't cool at all. So maybe different type of coaching. Right. So that's how Inspire Many got started. Right. So. Wellness coaching. I want to inspire not one but many. Right? And then I ended up transitioning to business coaching and all at all during the while I only dealt with women because unfortunately every time I picked up a guy as a client, he was really just trying to pick me up. Right. Okay. Well maybe I'll just focus on women because I don't have time for this. Creepy. I'll just stick to one gender. We'll just stick over here.
 
Um, and so for me, I started to do business coaching because I saw a lot of women just struggling with just the overall business concept, avatar, blah, blah, blah. I wasn't enjoying it. It wasn't fun to me. And so there came a point where I shut down the whole thing. I canceled all my coaching clients and I sat still .And I said, okay, well, what is it that I love? And now in this transitioning, you know, that I was dating a guy that I thought was the one. Y'all ever thought somebody was the one.
 
Lori: [00:05:26] Oh, yes.
 
Coach Cass: [00:05:28] And so I thought this was my husband. I thought this was the person I was going to spend the rest of my life with until I got that phone call.
Right. The person was a mutual friend and he said, Hey, are you sitting? This is on Christmas Eve. I'm like, Oh, Merry Christmas. He's like, that's not why I'm calling you.
 
Lori: [00:05:45] On Christmas Eve?
 
Coach Cass: [00:05:47] Christmas Eve. This is a friend of mine called me. He said, you know that guy? I'm like, yeah, what about him? He's married.
Yeah.
 
Lori: [00:05:56] Oh my gosh.
 
Nola: [00:05:58] A year and a half.
 
Coach Cass: [00:06:00] Yes.
 
Nola: [00:06:01] Oh.
 
Coach Cass: [00:06:04] My heart was shattered. Boom. And I was in a really dark place for a really long time. And I started to think, um, this isn't good. I kept dating. But it still was like toxic relationship after relationship. And my defining moment came when I felt like I got my 29th wedding invitation. I feel like everybody was getting married. Like everybody didn't matter the age, the weight, the race, the stage, everybody.
 
And so I said, okay, I'm cute. I have to get this right. So I decided to become a student of love. Just like I had invested in my business, just like I invested in my fitness pre COVID, just like I invested in everything else. I noticed I never invested in myself when it came to love. And I felt that there was some magic pill or potion or fairy dust somewhere that I was trying to get and it wasn't happening. And that decision changed my life.
 
Nola: [00:06:58] So that's where you were able to really find your niche and focus on that one topic. And as, as really disturbing as that one event is for you, I know that a lot of women have had either identical experiences or just as heart shattering of experience.
 
Lori: [00:07:20] Well, and you know, we talk about starting a side hustle. Uh, starting your side gig, using your own experience, your own knowledge as a kind of that jumping off point, and you turned your pain into positive. You channeled it in a new, in a new direction. I kind of think about, you know, when you're dating that the person you're dating, isn't going to tell you what you're doing wrong. Right. Which is why you need a dating coach. For you, you studied it first to help yourself and then to inspire other women.
 
Coach Cass: [00:08:00] Yes, exactly. Once I went through my journey, right? All the studies, all the one-on-ones, all the coaching, all the therapy, all the books, all the things. I came to a place where I attracted my amazing husband. He's so awesome. And now we have a beautiful baby girl. I realized. As I looked around me, there were so many professional women that fell into one of two buckets.
 
One, I'm so focused on work, career education. My next thing, that love will come at some point. It's gonna come one day, but it's not coming. Right. And then on the other side, it's like, I'm going to pray for him to like show up in my living room, but you know, random guy in your living room. Right. So I create a new lane.
 
So that's how the Real Love Network really started is I realized I love as in a one-time course. Because I do have one-on-one clients, but I love this group experience because it's, it's literally holding your hand through your love journey. So whether you're scared to date, which so many women are right. Scared to open up your heart again. Uh, what does dating look like now? Oh my goodness. Right? With masks. And everything else. And then now, okay. When you actually choose someone, how do you choose them? And when you're in a relationship so many of us haven't witnessed a healthy relationship. We learn about relationships where romantic comedies, dysfunctional families and porn. So when you look at it, we don't have the healthiest dynamic. So it's being able to just have a community support you along this journey and putting love where it deserves to be as a priority on task.
 
Lori: [00:09:39] You know, when you left the, the message for our panel when you answered the question and that was, uh, totally powerful episode.
Uh, but the thing that first caught our attention in your story was having that professor put doubt in your, in your mind.
 
Coach Cass: [00:10:00] Right? So I took a business class. So when I was first starting out, I decided, what was I going to do? I was going for like the Pepsi grant to help empower little girls. And do makeovers and something, something, something else, you know, Oh, under Inspire Many. And I, I did this whole class through one of the local cities and the professor said, listen, honey, this is not going to work. And there's already an Oprah. So I suggest you just shut this whole thing down. Mind you, these are all men too. 
 
Lori: [00:10:33] As you're saying this. I remember when I was in, in college having, uh, a professor who told me that I should not get my degree in business. It made me doubt myself. I ended up realizing that no, what I really loved was a business aspect and I actually had an acumen for doing it. And it was same kind of situation feeling like something isn't right with  the path that you've chosen. It's not that it's wrong. It's just not what you want it to be. And having that courage to take your control of your destiny.
 
Nola: [00:11:13] You need to make it fit you.
 
Lori: [00:11:15] Which I think brings us to a really important part for a lot of people, having that mentor or somebody that you hold in esteem like a professor or even a family member you're setting out to pursue your dream. And they challenge that.  It plants this doubt in your mind.  And that voice pops up in your head that just, you know, gave you that negative impression and you have to smack it down.
 
Coach Cass: [00:11:45] All the time. Girl, come on. So, so for me, think about it. I had a business, I had a wellness coaching. And then to go from wellness to business because wellness just wasn't as me. And then when I came over to business said, okay, I'm making money, but my heart's not in it. Right. So then that, that was also something. If I'm going to create something, I might as well create something that I love.
 
Lori: [00:12:09] Yes. Well, when we come back, Coach Cass, would you share with us how you overcame the challenges and setbacks and how you moved past them as a way to inspire our audience and listeners.
 
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Lori: [00:13:16] Welcome back to Sticky Brand Lab, the podcast that reduces excuses so you can gain traction and take action on starting your side hustle. So Coach Cass logically, we know that challenges are going to happen and things aren't going to go as planned. And clearly you started off, in a field that you're good at. You  set out to do something. It doesn't resonate with your heart. It takes courage to do what you've done to say this isn't working for me. Let me move into a new path. Where do you find that kind of courage and, and tenacity to recognize that and to stop and to start again and to stop and to start again?
 
Coach Cass: [00:14:04] Um, um, so a huge part is my faith. So I'm a Christian and I pray every day. And I really believe that I was put on this earth for a purpose and a large purpose, and God doesn't make any mistakes when it comes to who he creates. To be a rapper. It really was a walk of faith.
 
Nola: [00:14:27] That's true. That's powerful truth.
 
Coach Cass: [00:14:29] So for me, I, I never feel like I'm going to fall to the wayside homeless. Right. So that's like a underlying fear of all people. Like I just don't want to be homeless. You know, I know somebody will take me in. So, so for me, Um, it really is being in line with, I feel is my purpose here on earth. And if I'm doing what I should with the talents and the gifts that he's given me, or am I sticking them underneath the mattress? Right. So am I doubling the talents and the gifts that he's given me, or am I just sitting on them and doing nothing with them, which is just a, a disgraced and a disrespect to him? Yes. So for me, it's just the fabric of who I am.
 
I was raised by a Jamaican mother. That doesn't really understand the word, no. So she just has that kind of attitude. When I set a goal, it's going to happen and might happen in 10 years. My mom bought a house. No, no. She bought land when she was 25 and she didn't build on it  till she was 57. So she bought it with the vision that there would be a house on there at some point she built the house when she was 57. So for many people they would have given up. But my mom's not that kind of woman. Right. If I set a goal, it might not be here right now. A dream delayed is not a dream denied. Right.
 
Lori: [00:15:58] That's beautiful.
 
Coach Cass: [00:15:59] So just because the dream doesn't happen exactly how you would have it or in the timeframe you would have, it doesn't mean that it's not going to happen. So I have that same mindset. Setback is a setup for a comeback.
 
Nola: [00:16:13] So you really learned empowerment very much so from your mom, it sounds like.
 
Coach Cass: [00:16:19] Yeah.
 
Nola: [00:16:20] And so how would you say you are now teaching and modeling empowerment to your child?
 
Coach Cass: Um, so long story short, my daughter's third birthday was coming up and she wanted a princess party and I said, okay, cool. So I was like, okay, let me find a princess that looks like you, right for your princess party. First time mom having a party at school. Right? So this is a big deal. Okay. So when I went searching online, I couldn't find anything. So this is kind of crazy, right?
 
Like at the time it was 2019. What's going on. So I just started to pay attention. And when I turn on the television, I only saw one princess that looks like her, right? My daughter's a bit darker hue. And I said, this is so crazy. There's about 17 other princesses. Why, why is there such a lack of representation? And so when we went to the doctor, she'd be giving a sticker and the doctor always said, this is my favorite princess. So well today princess, but that princess never looked like her. When I went into department stores for a night gown, with someone that looked like her, I'd see a pig. I'd see a vampire. I'd see many of other princesses, but nothing that looked nothing that looked like her.
 
So, Okay. Well maybe I'll just create a character. A character just for her. Right. And this character's name was Princess Zara. Right. Which means light. And I remember showing it to my daughter first time and she said, mommy, I don't want this one. I want the other one. I want the white one. And I was actually at lunch with a white girlfriend. At that time we both started crying.
 
Lori: [00:18:03] I was going to say, cause even now.
 
Coach Cass: [00:18:04] Like I was like, I didn't know, it was that deep, like family, is that a melting pot and so is my circles. I said, well, where did this idea come from? And I started to think of the test that was done back in the 1960s versus the white doll and how kids. So the white doll is prettier better smarter. I don't think it's because their parents said that. I really think it was because of the lack of representation in our mass media or major media in our mainstream. And even today looking at the television. Where is it?
 
So I ended up writing a children's book. Oh my goodness. Princess Zara's Birthday Tradition. And it was inspired by my daughter. It hit number one on Amazon within three days, which is pretty amazing. And since the whole. Um, scenario with George Floyd and it just changed the fabric of how people see my mission, because I've been on this mission, but people looked at me like, ah, what are you talking about now? They're like, Oh, like,
so, um, It's just been beautiful to see people have tagged me on Instagram and Facebook with stories like, Hey, my daughter was the only Brown girl in her class and she felt less than until she met Princess Zara. Now she goes around saying, I'm a princess, you know.
 
Lori: [00:19:27] what's so amazing about your book is, and something that you even touched on that your daughter is of a darker hue in your book. There's a rainbow of of color of the hues. And I think that's the part that's also really empowering here because it's not just somebody that looks like me, meaning your daughter in that we have a little brown girl. It's the shade of brown that's empowering. That she's beautiful in her skin and, and can see that out there.
 
Coach Cass: [00:20:07] Too many times in school, you learn about black people as what slaves, that's the first thing you learn about who was assassinated? That is not the story that we should start at for zero to six, for zero to six, we are all royalty. We were all put here for a purpose. We all bleed red blood. We are all equal in God's eyes. And I believe that in my whole heart and this book is really just about family tradition and giving back. And it's not just about you because you know, all zero to six year olds is only about them, right? The story itself has nothing to do with color. It's just the imagery, but the actual stories around giving back, which is the core of who I am to inspire many.
 
So my. My big moment came at Halloween this year because my daughter said to me, mommy, I want to be princess Zara. Oh, yay. My social media for the cuteness of what I could put together. I saw that and I saw the picture of the book, the page with the family. I was like, She done. Good, good. It was endearing and touching and it just let me know that I'm on the right path, that of all the characters and all the things my three-year-old decided. Cause we're still at three, still only been a year that Hey. I want to be princess Zara.
 
Lori: [00:21:41] I was just going to say, I think being in awe of what you accomplished, but the beauty of saying this hasn't been done, or it hasn't been done in the way I envision it. So let me lead the way rather than wait until somebody else does it for some people, going out there putting themselves out there, creating something that's not been done and saying, I am going to lead that.
 
Coach Cass: [00:22:09] It's up to me.
 
Nola: [00:22:10] And, and following your inspiration, your heart inspiration, because that is, I believe that's a divine gift and, and it's your responsibility to follow it through. And when you do. Something happens. Good things happen, whether it's what you expected to happen or not, it's out there. It's out in the world and it's doing, it's doing its job.
 
Lori: [00:22:35] So if you were to offer our listeners, many of them, women, some advice on not letting obstacles get in your way or being mom dimensional, being that mom, boss, what words of, of encouragement would you hand down?
 
Coach Cass: [00:22:54] Okay. So just for anyone listening, just pay attention to the pain. Oh, go
 
Lori: [00:23:02] to the pain.
 
Coach Cass: [00:23:04] What is it that frustrates you the most and see if there's a solution that you can create? Yeah,
 
Lori: [00:23:15] that is, that is good.
 
Nola: [00:23:17] You could also say that a person's inner frustration could also be a positive gift of knowing that it's time to just do a course correction. Which is what you did
 
Lori: [00:23:35] tell her, our listeners, where they can find the book where they can find you.
 
Coach Cass: [00:23:42] Okay. It's your pens. Ready ladies. Here we go. Zara and ziggy.com, Z a R a a N D. Z I G G y.com. So ZaraAndZiggy.com. You can find everything Zara and Ziggy, and the place I'd like this to be is that moms of every color get everything Zara and Ziggy, because it's not just about having what looks like you, but celebrating everyone, no matter the color in this world. Right? And then my site is Inspire Many, very simple, inspire Many, and I'm at inspire Many on everything. Ziggy does have their own social media as well, but you could find me, DM me, follow me, do all the things. Connect with me. Let me know that you heard me here. Cause this was a lot of fun.

Nola: [00:24:30] Well, this was fun. Do you have a song that's playing in your mind or some kind of a theme song?[

Coach Cass: [00:24:36] Um, what's that guy's name? Anthony Evans has a song called Meaningless or Meaningless. And, um, I heard him one time, New year's Eve at my church. And one of the things that he mentioned is that even though he lives in LA and you know, it's all the glitz and glamor and they roll out the red carpet for you. And, you know, they're taking pictures like, Hey, take a picture with me. Hey, Paparazzi, he said, take a moment and look behind you. Because as soon as they roll out the red carpet, it's rolling back up and those lights are shutting off and that darkness is coming. And if you feed into the lights and the glitz and the glamour, you will be left alone. Right? So the song is all around meaningless. I'm meaningless without you, which is I'm meaningless without God, because if I give my purpose into number one, bestseller or number one cartoon in the nation, that that's just for a fleeting moment, but a vapor and I'll still be left hollow. Hmm.
 
Nola: [00:25:35] It's an important reminder to have a higher purpose. It's great to have business goals, but the business is not the what the be all to end all there. Everyone has a higher purpose.
 
Coach Cass: [00:25:47] especially with this pandemic girl.
 
Lori: [00:25:52] We thought it'd be interesting to see what your personal favorite recipe was and how that kind of reflects your experience and journey as a successful entrepreneur.  
 
Nola: [00:26:04] Recipe for business success and how it relates to your favorite recipe makes sense.
 
Coach Cass: [00:26:12] So my husband is Haitian and I am Jamaican. And, um, when I first made rice for him, I made it in a rice cooker, you know, just white rice with water. I thought I was doing something ‘cause you know, the rice cooker makes it fluffy. And she told me my rice. Tasted like cardboard until he introduced me to Haitian rice. I have then turned my back on all Jamaican rice. Yeah. Okay. The rice is so good. Um, and his mom has. Show me how to do this at least five times. And I have tried myself at least 17 times, and I still haven't gotten it. Right.
 
Um, so my analogy is, um, just having the tenacity and perseverance to keep going. Even though it may not taste perfect. You can still eat it, you know, with your business, everything may not go as perfect, but you still did it. Right. I'll tell you that. I had a typo in my first edition. Not one person mentioned it. I was like, wait a second. I had 97 people proofread and look at this thing and look at this missing period. Right. But it's still hit number one. So at the end of the day, Was it Sheryl Sandberg done is better than perfect.
 
Lori: [00:27:38] Definitely. Yes, that is, that is perfect.
 
Nola: [00:27:42] So listeners, if you would like to learn more about Coach Cass and her coaching and matchmaking services, Princess Zara’s Birthday Tradition or her recipe for Haitian rice that she's going to be trying for the 18th time, visit our website stickybrandlab.com at the Resources page.
 
Lori: [00:28:01] That brings us to the end of today's episode. We'd like to thank Coach Cass for being our guest and sharing her entrepreneurial journey with us and with you, our listeners. Be sure to come back next Tuesday for another great episode and remember, action creates results. So tap into your desire for taking 1% action every day. Small steps lead to big effects. And with that until next time. Bye.
 
(Outtake) NOLA. I'm so happy. I like the chair dance that we're all doing.