Have you ever gone “all in” on your work? I mean . . . you gave something you really wanted to do 100% of your effort? If you haven’t, our guest in this episode shares what it’s like to go all in to build your own business. Co-working space owner Nicole Vasquez is the founder of The Shift in Chicago. She’s been working for herself for the past two and a half years.

She told me she didn’t pay herself anything the first year she was in business. She still takes consulting gigs to make ends meet. That’s how relentlessly focused this woman is about her dreams!

I left this interview feeling like I could take on the world and you will too!

This episode is jam packed with inspiration and some key lessons to:

Why Nicole began saving money to start her business for a year before leaving her job.
How and why she kept pivoting in her career, helping her to acquire a larger and larger range of skills from organizing medical conferences to working in hospital administration to now creating neighborhood co-working spaces.
We also discuss the value of working at a co-working space versus working from home.

Life Skills That Matter In This Episode

Building community.
Purge your life.
Managing your energy.
Plan your actions.

How Nicole Works and Thinks

Wake up time: 6:00 – 6:30am
Core work activities + habits: 1) Connecting with members. 2) Creating a comfortable, friendly environment and 3) Local outreach and community impact.
Superpower: Bringing diverse people together in a comfortable working environment.
Book recommendation: The Four-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss, Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeir Hansson.
Regains focus by: Fear of failure, of letting down members or not fulfilling her potential.
90-day goal: Figuring out the next step; which path to take.