Anita Cavrag

I reject the pro-life label. Anti-abortion lobby is not pro-life. It is pro-control of women. Let's call it what it is.

If they were pro-life, they would be demonstrating against the horrific rate of femicide in the past year.

They would lobby for laws that protect women's lives and health, rather than endanger them so callously.

In the US?

If they were pro-life, they wouldn't be defending the death penalty.

If they were pro-life, they wouldn't be defending the gun laws.

What they are really pro- is patriarchy and submission of women.

Women are a threat to them so they want to control us.

Conservatives will always view female power and independence as a threat, and want to bring us down.

But they can't stop what's coming.

Women are taking over the world.

We are already more educated than men.

More and more women are starting their businesses. Without funding. While raising kids. Often with a man-child who thinks taking care of his own offspring is "daddy-daycare" instead of just parenting.

Women are strong as f**k.

More of us are choosing to step into our power rather than be a good little girl and S**U.

No more collecting the breadcrumbs from underneath the table we're not even welcome to join, to quote the brilliant Leela Cosgrove.

Stepping into your power as a woman: it does come with consequences.

But if you have to choose what to violate- social norms or your own potential?Your own standards? Which one do you think costs you more?

Image: Another conservative parade in my hometown Zagreb: The walk for "life".
Showing it from behind on purpose as I don't want to advertise their message.

These past few months I've had conversations with dozens of founders, most of them running companies with up to 50 employees, who are completely overwhelmed with work.

And they are overwhelmed because no one in their company is empowered to do the job they were hired to do!

Because no one can do anything as well as the founder.

Worst of all: no one can close deals as well as the founder. Which is why they don't.

Yeah, the sales team may get their task list, their KPIs, and they have their little job description.

But that's faaaaar from what they need to perform well - a.k.a. bring revenue, consistently, with zest, without the founder having to hold their hand.

I could talk for ages about the psychological reasons why this happens, the subconscious need for control, the Rescuer syndrome and so on.
I wrote about this before.

But I wanna point out an even bigger problem: The COMMAND-AND-CONTROL model of leadership.

The only model we've all ever been taught.
Which may have worked in the 1800s for the workers on the assembly line.

But it clearly doesn't anymore.

Hence: the CYCLE OF DOOM:

The more you control, the more you disempower your team.
The more you disempower your team, the worse they perform.
The worse they perform, the less you trust them.
The less you trust them, the more you fear they're gonna ruin your business.
The more you fear they're gonna ruin your business, the more you control.

Unfortunately, no one teaches you how to escape this cycle of doom.

But if you're willing to unlearn bad leadership habits you learned from your own bosses that you didn't like?

And replace them with leadership habits that allow you to finally LEVERAGE yourself from daily operations, and finally enjoy the business you're building, and the life it enables you to create?

So you don't have to constantly be available to your team - or risk ruin?

So your business can grow without you having to work even MORE hours?

So you can stop feeling guilty about how little time you spend with your kids?

You can.
There IS a better way.

If you recognize yourself in this, I prepared something that will be useful.

A guide called "5 Reasons Your Sales Team Can't Close Without You."

It'll show you exactly where most founders are going wrong in how they set up their sales team,

and what leveraged leaders do instead to create self-reliant high performers who close deals without the founder in the room.

DM me "CYCLE OF DOOM" and I'll send it over.

Picture of my favorite neighbor for attention.
She doesn't need anyone to hold her paw while she goes for the kill!

The other day at a conference, a guy I know gave me 3 unsolicited pieces of advice in a span of ten minutes, one of which was: “Keep your hands out of your pockets.”

Obviously, looking professional at conferences is very important to me, so I felt embarrassed.

Just kidding.

Here's what's NOT on my “how to look professional” list:

- Putting on a blazer and spending 2 hours getting my hair done, so that people would take me seriously
- Using corporate-speak like “stakeholder alignment” and “cross-functional collaboration” so that everyone would understand how smart I am
- Keeping my hands out of my pockets, so that… um… I got lost you guys, what’s the reason for this one? 🤔😄

Here’s what IS on my “how to look professional” list:
Nothing.

I don’t care if I “look” professional.
Because I AM professional:

* I bend over backwards to deliver what I promised. If I can’t deliver, I don’t promise

* Client sends me a text that I changed her career and her marriage because I taught her how to stand up for herself. Then refers her husband 😄

* 2-hour mastermind at midnight every Wednesday: I’m there because being mediocre at what I do isn’t an option

* A prospect wants to work with me: I say no because he’s in an industry that exists to exploit, and I don’t help those who exploit

In my world, being “professional” is doing what I said I’d do and doing it exceptionally well.

Everything else is just posture.

And lord knows I don't know how to pose, as demonstrated by this picture.

CONFESSION:

Here's one thing I used to neglect until I completely ruined my own experience as a business founder... before I came back to my senses and fixed it.

The most important asset,
the sharpest, deadliest WEAPON for building your successful business is -

YOU!

You, and your energy, and your emotional stability and your mental strength.

Entrepreneurs like to think that "self-care" and "doing things for fun" are the opposite of working on their business.

Whereas the truth is that self-care and fun ARE working on your business,
because that’s how you make sure you stay in top shape.

That's how you fill your tank, and build resilience for all the crap that's gonna come raining down on you next week.

That's how you sharpen the axe.

Because if you don’t sharpen the axe, it gets blunter and blunter,

and there are only so many trees you can cut with a blunt axe.

Just my 2 cents 😉

Someone asked me if I work with neurodivergent business people.

Here’s the thing.

We are ALL neurodivergent and ADHD to an extent - because how could we NOT be with constant overstimulation and dopamine and cortisol overload??!

So I guess I do 😉

But also, if we’re all neurodivergent, then what’s the point of the label?

Look, if you need 5 espressos before noon just to stay upright,
and cure the hangover from last night (because you had one too many to take the edge off),

and your first meal is dinner at 8 p.m. after you’ve been starving all day,

only eating cake that Rita from HR served because it was her birthday,

and the first and last thing you stroke in bed is your PHONE,

as you stay up until 1 a.m. watching political debates on Youtube and typing angry emails…

..then NO WONDER you’re neurodivergent and ADHD!! I’d be surprised if you weren’t!

Maybe these are the best coping mechanisms you were able to find against overwhelm...

But what if there’s a better way?

What if there’s a way to stay productive without living the lifestyle of a squirrel on steroids?

There is. It includes getting rid of these absolutely destructive habits.

Because your biggest asset, your sharpest weapon for building a successful business is YOU. You, and your mental stability and your energy.

So imagine how much easier your life would be if -

rather than clinging onto a diagnosis that you refuse to treat -

you admitted that it was YOUR DECISION to sacrifice your mental, emotional and physical health in the name of entrepreneurship...

and then – made a different decision.

I don’t just help people with their business and their careers.

I help them become the person they're proud of.

And when that happens, they don’t just work differently.

They LIVE differently.

As approved by dozens of husbands and counting 😄