In this episode, I interview Nicole Baldinu, an entrepreneur and Co-Founder of WebinarNinja & The $100 MBA. She’s based in Sydney, Australia. Nicole was an ESL teacher for 12 years and taught in film school, then pursued a career in entrepreneurship. After 12 years of experience working as an ESL teacher, Nicole decided to co-develop an idea, which is The $100 MBA which was launched in 2013, later on, WebinarNinja which was established in 2014, earned 1 million ARR in USD in 2021. Not to mention, each of them is FTE.  According to Nicole, the approach that small-medium business owners should develop and maintain is having an optimal state of mind, because that’s where your productivity depends. She said, “So the ability to call yourself out, when you recognize you're actually not in an optimal state of mind … realizing that hang on and making an emotional decision.” This Cast Covers: How Troy found Nicole Baldinu. Webinars and Podcasts. Nicole’s journey before heading out as an entrepreneur. Alpha and Beta stages of The $100 MBA and WebinarNinja. What is The $100 MBA? What is WebinarNinja? How both companies are funded. Having a healthy peer system, mentors, and coaches. Keeping an optimal state of mind. The importance of resiliency. Links: Nicole’s LinkedIn Nicole’s Twitter Nicole’s Website Additional Resources: The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill  How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie Free Time by Jenny Blake Deploy Empathy by Michele Hansen     Quotes: “Never to promise an exact date. Those early second estimates, then you double it.” —Nicole Baldinu “Just realized along the journey that entrepreneurship … you're part of this creation of something that doesn't, didn't exist until you decide to make it happen. And then you see other people using that thing. That's an incredible feeling.” —Nicole Baldinu “When you're leading a team, like not asking for exactly what you want. And that came down to recognizing, I had certain standards, I had certain beliefs in the way that I wanted things to be in the way I thought they should be.” —Nicole Baldinu “It's the creative process, nothing in business is fixed or permanent. You're constantly in flux, you're constantly in change. And that's exciting.” —Nicole Baldinu “Focus on the work.” —Nicole Baldinu     Music from https://filmmusic.io “Cold Funk” by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0