Episode 8: "More than Motherhood"-Sunit and Lilah Higgins Talk About How to Find and Do What you Love

Lilah is a branding designer and business mentor. Her and her husband have a business where they coach creative people to turn hobbies into businesses. Lilah married her hubby early in life and had kids early on as well. Motherhood was not what she expected. She always wanted to have something on the side and to be able to make money with her art skills.

She was a talented artist and her dad ran his own business so she had all the tools to go in the direction of graphic design. She started as a graphic designer but has now moved into the business of teaching others how to monetize their hobbies and passions-in the area of crafts.

Sunit asks Lilah to talk more about "wake to make" and how her and her husband coach people to make what they love and make money. Lilah says that with a little coaching, most people just take it and run with it. Sunit asks if Etsy is the way to monetize your craft but Lilah says there are other ways too. Online courses, you tube channels and tutorials, teaching people to do what you do is a huge market. You are not providing a product, you are teaching them how to make what you make. Moms are monetizing all sorts of things that they are good at that would provide value to someone else ie meal plans etc.

Lilah says you have to think about how you can monetize what you are innately good at and how you can sell it or teach it.

Lilah says that when something comes naturally to you, you don't realize how valuable it is because you think everyone can do it. Sunit agrees that everyone has a special gift that others would pay to have or learn or to be walked through.

Sunit asks Lilah how she managed to level up even with kids. Lilah says she actually didn't uplevel as quickly as she would have liked early on but she committed to just doing one thing every day to move her business forward. It cannot move as quickly as you want it to, but it will move if you are patient. And persistent. They talk about the communities and mentors that have inspired them, including Dana Malstaff and the Boss Mom group. Sunit talks about Marie Forleo and B School, and getting clear on and honing in on your ideal client and your brand. Figure out your target market and then take it one day at a time.

Sunit asks Lilah why it's important to have a business and babies and has she thought about throwing in the towel and letting her husband take over. Lilah jokes that she has considered sending her children to boarding school, the business is the easy part. She loves her business and she loves helping people and their testimonials keep her going on tough days. She saves them and looks at them when she's having a bad day. They talk about the beauty of having your own business and that if you really don't feel like "businessing" you can take a day off.

Lilah gives tips for women who want to do something but are scared to. She mentions the book- "Loving the Little Years:Motherhood in the Trenches" by Rachel Jankovic. She talks about life on a Scale of 1 to 10. New things are always at a 10. 10 being unachievable. 1 is very achievable. So when you are a new mom, it feels like a 10. Once you start to get comfortable you move to a 1. But it's always changing. It's the same in business. You can do whatever you think you can't do. It will go from a 10 to a 1 eventually.

Sunit asks Lilah, what is the first thing you should do if you have an idea for something. Or if you want to spur an idea for a side hustle or a business. If you want to do something but don't know where to start –ask yourself what comes naturally to you that others say you are good at. Something you would love to do day in and day out. THAT is your ideal business. Then figure out how to monetize it and what your why is. Ask yourself why you want to help them, and why you want to do this. Your why will keep you going and continue to move you forward.

Sunit says her why is to create a new generation of moms who feel like they are better prepared and so solid in themselves that they don't lose that. Happy moms raise happy kids and that's the goal. Lilah says she has a passion for design and pretty things and an eye for making things better or more beautiful and she is passionate about doing that. She feels purposeless when she is not hustling. She feels called to pursue something outside of her children.

Sunit says if you are listening and motivated by this, EVERYBODY has a special gift in this world. Sunit says even the moms who live for their kids and love being with them 24/7 get lit up by having another purpose. She hopes the listeners walk away feeling inspired to find that. Lilah says you don't have to be limited to motherhood. Let yourself dream, and it's ok to want something else that is just yours and brings you joy. Think about your selfish why and your why that pulls at your heart and makes you want to make change. It doesn't always have to be about making income if that's not important to you.

They talk about how it's great that their kids see them reaching for the stars and chasing their dreams.

Sunit asks Lilah for one piece of advice for a woman who wants to do more-Lilah says give yourself grace. You are in an emotional and hard time in your life-you are going to grow and change. Give yourself grace in this next season of your life. Sunit says it doesn't have to be horrible, it's going to be different-no matter how prepared you are, life will be different, but it can be, and is, an amazing thing. You will do things you never thought you could be capable of.

Lilah said whenever she feels like she can't move forward she reminds herself of what she went through when she gave birth. It's the hardest thing you can do. Sunit says women are strong creatures, and don't let anyone tell you what you can and can't do as a mom. You can do anything as a mom.

Sunit asks Lilah what she held onto from her pre-baby life that's all about her and how she did it. Lilah said she has always been an artist and she was able to continually weave that into her life. Lilah says she kept motherhood very simple in the beginning. She didn't have a ton of toys and baby equipment and clothes and excess so she didn't have as much to clean or do as maybe others would. Her son was a good sleeper so she took that time to nurture the artist side of herself. She also had a big support system. It's ok to put the baby down to do something for yourself. You can find Lilah and her hubby at

www.thehigginscreative.com

They also have a podcast! (checkout the website for more info!)

Search the "Wake to Make Tribe" on Facebook. It is for makers, artists, online business owners-anyone with a creative calling in their life.