[quote style=”boxed”]I never make lists. I never use lists. Everything is in my head. I know many people use lists but I have never used a list to start my day. So no lists.[/quote]
Christina Rasmussen is on a crusade to change the way we live after loss. As the founder of Second Firsts, an organization to help people create a pathway back to life after loss, Christina spends her time speaking, coaching, and helping thousands of people rebuild, reclaim, and relaunch their lives using the most powerful tool for personal reinvention: the human mind. Her personal story and fresh approach to life after loss has garnered international attention. She writes for the Huffington Post, she’s been featured as a Woman Working to Do Good in the White House Blog, and she was named the Leading Mom in Business by StartupNation. Her first book, Second Firsts: Live, Laugh and Love Again, has achieved bestseller status on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble. You can also sign up to receive h er weekly newsletter, the “Message in a Bottle,” by visiting www.secondfirsts.com.
Where did the idea for SecondFirsts.com come from?
When I was alone and very sad one night at around 2:00am I knew there were millions of people who felt exactly the same as me. Alone. Misunderstood. And completely helpless. I wanted to create a place where they could go and feel less alone. Second Firsts was created in my mind that night, and a few years later www.thelifestarters.org was incepted. A place where people could interact in a social network setting but with the intention to make their lives better, happier and more fulfilled.
What does your typical day look like?
I have to be honest and say that at this moment in time I spend a lot of hours every day engaging online. Engaging with people. Sending love and support to 100,000 people every day. I also spend a lot of my time running programs and coaching groups of people towards their life reentry. I love what I do so much that 18 hours can go by and it would feel much less.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I don’t over think things. I think of the idea and when I love the concept I start to take action. I take action every day until it is complete, and my idea has leapt into reality. Over thinking does not help the idea at all.
What’s one trend that really excites you?
I love communicating on social media. I feel that sometimes folks talk about it in such a negative way but I feel the complete opposite. Social media allows me to expand my world so much. It allows me to meet so many people from around the world. But most of all it allows me to help many more people from far, far away. I would not have been able to do that otherwise. Technology and online communication is here to stay!!!
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
I never make lists. I never use lists. Everything is in my head. I know many people use lists but I have never used a list to start my day. So no lists.
What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?
I got a job as a Human Resource Business Partner and I hated every day in that job. I worked in a cubicle and had to fire people for a living. I remember one day I was walking someone out of the building and all they took with them was the family picture they had on their desk. It was one of the most horrible days of my life.
If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
Hmmm I don’t know that I could do it differently. I would never get to where I am today if I changed anything about my course. But if I could get to this place still the one thing I would do differently is worry and be afraid less. Fear is not something we need when we are building a company. It does not help anyone and gets no results.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Engage with your audience. Every day.
Period.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business? Please explain how.
Do not be afraid to promote your product. If you believe in its value it is vital that you promote over and over again.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
My first product was not doing well, as a matter of fact it was doing quite badly. But I did not give up. I literally got on the phone many times every day and sent out hundreds of personal emails until it sold out. Do not stop at the first obstacle. It is not meant to be there so you can turn around. It is meant to be there for you to overcome it.
Tell us something about you that very few people know?
I love photography and I love to paint. If my mission was not driving me so hard I would have been an artist.
What software and web services do you use? What do you love about them?
I use Aweber. WordPress.
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What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
“Start with Why” Simon Sinek
Because if you are not passionate about what you do…you will want to give up very quickly. This is not an easy road.
Connect:
www.secondfirsts.com
www.thelifestarters.org
Secondfirsts on Facebook:
Christina Rasmussen on Twitter: @SecondFirsts
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.