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Genecia Alluora: A strong and independent woman is something to behold. She pays her own bills, buys her own things, and she doesn't let a man affect her stability or self-confidence. She is a Soul Rich Woman. Are you ready to be rich, doing what you love? Be on purpose and in control of your life again. And For Women Who Love the F-word Podcast, we will be openly talking about getting more clients online, getting recognition as the leader and female entrepreneur, and also the F word. Being fabulous, having freedom and financial independence. It's time to own and love the F word. Welcome to the show.

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Genecia Alluora: Hello gorgeous welcome to today's episode. I'm your host Genecia Alluora. Now if you have not connected with me on social media you could do that in facebook, linkedin, and instagram at geneciaalluora. Now today's episode is really special because i've been nominated to be a part of this I will say the world greatest women. And it is conducted by this lady called Annette Comer and I'm really humbled to receive this nomination and recognition as one of the world greatest women. So enjoy this interview and I look forward to speaking with you in the next episode.

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Annette Comer: The stories of some of the world's greatest women unfold here. I am Annette Comer your host each week the untold secrets of success strength and boldness of today's powerful women are revealed. Today's woman grew up with little money and was supporting herself by the age of 14. During her teenage years she was bullied and her self-esteem struggled. However along the way she was introduced to modeling and the world of beauty she entered pageants and began winning. Her self-confidence grew as she won Miss Singapore and was one of the top three finalists in the Miss Universe pageant. She dug deep into entrepreneur endeavors with image consulting and a cafe retail chain. There were partnerships along the way that worked and some that didn't but through it all she never gave up on women and her ability to be a part of the world.

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Annette Comer: Today through her Soul Rich woman brand she mentors thousands of women to bring their business and leadership brands online. It is my pleasure to introduce you to Genecia Alluora. Hi! Genecia. Thank you for joining me today.

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Genecia Alluora: Hey! Annette, thanks for having me on your show.

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Annette Comer: Yes and we have such a little time together and so and I got a lot I want to talk to you about. So let's jump right on in. So during your formative years you were bullied and you felt like your life was a mess then one day your mother told you, turn your mess into your message. How did this advice change everything for you?

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Genecia Alluora: When my mom told me to turn my mess into my message my first intuition and instinct was to resist because what my mother said sounds like naggy and a neck to me but when that got into my heart that was when I started to see light at the end of the tunnel. When I handled criticisms when I was teaching aerobics yoga and line dancing being the youngest instructor in Singapore many people laughed at me said, you're so young what can you contribute what can you teach to me? I had to work doubly hard as a young person and keeping in mind that even though we have gone past gone through that journey of not having enough and how can I turn this courage around to become something that I can share along to my class students and also the people that surround me.

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Genecia Alluora: So turning a mess into a message did not start at the right footing it was only through self-reflection and knowing what uphold my mother's values that helped me to see that light at the end of the tunnel. Because I truly believe that when we have a diamond that is within us we all deserve to shine.

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Annette Comer: Yeah. I agree with you. And during those times, and certainly along that journey, there were times when your self-esteem was very low and you didn't believe in yourself. But you told me you borrowed courage from your friends. So what advice would you give to others regarding who they choose as their friends?

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Genecia Alluora: I think there are three things you want to be looking at. Number one is not to look into the quantity of friends, but looking at the quality of friends. But like Rome is never built in a day, friendships are bound to a test of time. You definitely need to know what and who to talk to and what to talk to. The easiest way for you to move into a group where friends can support you is to look for a ready community. Where there are like-minded people who are going to be ready for you to share regarding your business knowledge, either leadership skills or even parenting knowledge or stuff that you are looking for. So get ready into a ready community that is already there in that space.

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Genecia Alluora: Number three, really look for people who are in a small group. That means you are doing beta testing. You are kind of like testing the waters out, dipping your toes, you know, never put all the eggs in the basket and get out there. Because you don't know who to trust. And that's always a question. Of course, we want to give the benefit of the doubt to people around us. We want to say, yes, I fully trust you. But like I said, everything is built through the test of time. So what you can do is always start with a beta group where, for example, in the discussion of mummies or parenting of three-year-olds or five-year-olds, let's say you are a mother or in business when you're moving online as a newbie and you're ready to build your personal brand, look for a small group of three to five people whom you can mastermind with.

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Genecia Alluora: A beta group, a mastermind group where you can feel it. Okay. Are these people kind of like the clique whom can support my journey together? And finally, in conclusion, be a giver and not just a taker. A lot of people when they say, oh, I want friends, but they are bloodsuckers and they are vampires. So you really need to look into how you can contribute as well to the group so that everyone grows together to the next level. Right? Because alone you are strong together. We are unstoppable.

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Annette Comer: And when you get around these bloodsuckers, it doesn't take them long to suck you dry, does it?

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Genecia Alluora: You probably need to put a cross in front of you then.

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Annette Comer: For sure. So you have had business partnerships over the years, some that worked out and some that failed miserably. What have you learned that you'd want to tell other women about going into a partnership with someone?

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Genecia Alluora: Well, I think I won't be able to finish it in a day, but definitely you will need some legalities in place. Sounds as harsh as it is, but nothing that when you do a business with friends, you must first have rules. That means who do what, what is the roles and responsibilities? I think that will be one thing that will be very clear. Secondly, you want to have the ability to have, you know, when you make money, what happens to the money? Discuss about monetary issues. Discuss about money stuff, money ideas, money values. How are you going to cope with money? What? If there are no customers? Who's responsible for what and how are you going to manage the cash flow of the entire business, which is the lifeline of a business? It's not just about the profits that you are making, but the cash flow. Are you able to sustain the business for the next six months to 12 months, right?

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Genecia Alluora: So that would be something we want to be looking at as well. Last but not least, put in the effort and contribute. Be a giver and not just a taker. Do your part, play a hundred percent all out. If it doesn't work, you won't be able to do it. You will know by the end of the day. But at least you know that you've given your 110% to that business, through that game, to that friendship, to that vision that you have in front of you.

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Annette Comer: And I'm going to go a little bit deeper on this because I think that women often think that the friendship alone is enough to sustain the business. But that's very dangerous, isn't it? Friendships can fall apart very quickly when things get under pressure from a business standpoint.

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Genecia Alluora: Definitely. You are not staying in the same household. You're not sleeping on the same bed. You don't hang out with each other for the last lifetime. So definitely you must start somewhere where, like I said, legalities, get a lawyer in place, get your bookkeeping accounts in place. Things like that really need to look into these, I would say, logical stuff. But as a woman tendency, we will tend to trust women. And we tend to trust more easily and we want to do more in the way that we want to contribute. But in the end, sometimes we are taken advantage of because we don't know how to set personal boundaries. And that is something that you really need to learn to set personal boundaries because it's difficult to say no to friends. It's hard to turn your back on somebody's disagreement. So I think one of the other key I would say is learn to agree to disagree.

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Annette Comer: Be okay with that.

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Genecia Alluora: Yeah, and be okay with that.

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Annette Comer: Right, right. For sure. So there have been times that you have enjoyed high levels of success yet found that you didn't feel happy. So do you feel happy today? And what have you done differently to achieve this?

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Genecia Alluora: I definitely feel so much happier today. I think being myself is one of the greatest gifts that I have given myself since I have moved out from the entertainment industry, where I was a musician. I was living in Singapore. I was doing media, TV, radio, in magazines. These are first major to me. But during that phase where you need to present yourself, you must be looking your best. You're criticized for your body shape, how you look, the way you dress, everything that is possible to be scrutinized. And I'm under tremendous pressure to keep up, to look young. Even though as we're aging, we're moving along. And there's always someone who is younger than you coming along to be the next Miss Singapore to be the next Miss Universe and to be the next person, right? So really learning to accept myself and be loving myself even more and be aligned with my mind body and soul to truly embrace that.

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Genecia Alluora: Hey! This is who I am take it or leave it. Yes, I have a personal branding in place but you know what this is me and I speak and I think what I stand for and this is what I mean because I can't please everybody, right we can't be a people pleaser all year round and all my life and there was a purpose for me for me to be on this planet Earth. God puts me here for a reason. I can't be for everyone. So I can only be serving those people those women that God has placed me under his stewardship and I'm a steward of the the things that he has given me on this planet Earth.

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Annette Comer: Yeah, and I love that. And that is so important to stay in touch with who you are because when you lose that you can be taken down all kinds of rabbit holes, can't you?

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Genecia Alluora: Yeah, definitely.

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Annette Comer: Yeah, yeah. So during those years that where you were in the pageantries and and other places you had sponsors and during those you uh those sponsors taught you the concept of what you told me was value exchange. So what does this mean and did it impact the way you sought out sponsors?

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Genecia Alluora: Wow! Definitely I never really understood back in those days what was what is value exchange? Does it mean that exchange money for something? Is that butter trading? So what is that concept and what is that all about? So value exchange to my realization and through my self-reflection simply means what value do you put on the table when someone sponsors you? What is the benefit? What's in it for them? That means it's not just what's in it for me anymore because a lot of time we think about what's in it for me if I do business with you what's in it for me if I sponsor you what's in it for me, right? So instead of thinking that way look into playing win-win. Now win-win simply wins that if they give you something for example they sponsor you a series of trainings they're going to get you grooming and department and help you to present your self beautifully and perfectly to win that title on stage or win in business.

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Genecia Alluora: Then perhaps after you win contribute back by being their ambassador say for example three months half a year for or even a year for x number of hours based on the value of the duties that you are kind of matching it with the goods that has been sponsored to you. So that's one way to look into it as a way of value exchange. So for me it's definitely help to choose my sponsors wisely because it's not just, oh, you sponsor me? So I will take everything. You see, what I mean because first and foremost I choose based on a few criteria. First your values must be aligned with mine. What is your story behind your brand? What do you stand for? Who are you speaking to? And number three number, two who is your target audience? Who are the people you are helping it through your brand?

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Genecia Alluora: Are you serving? Are we having a common ground? Are there people whom I hope to reach that I wasn't able to and you are able to do that? Number three. How are you, how am I going to help you to spread your message of the awareness or brand message to my audience as well to my followers as well? So when you have these questions in your mind it becomes a win-win situation and that is my understanding of value exchange. Meaning that you put that worth on the table and that you value that value of that brand you value yourself and then let's do a match and it's not one higher or the other.

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Annette Comer: Yeah, and that's and that's really a good perspective because I think people sometimes get so focused on what they're doing themselves they forget that we live in a world where everybody is focused on what's in it for me. So you have to do you have to remember that even as generous as someone's wanting to be they're still coming from that space. And it's not necessarily bad it's just humanitarian nature.

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Genecia Alluora: For sure.

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Annette Comer: For sure. So you have focused over the last few years on how businesswomen can go from on offline to online. If someone wants to do this what's the first thing they need to do?

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Genecia Alluora: Find a coach. I think finding for me I will take this path and I will tell myself again go this path the earliest and the fastest. I think that to me will shortcut my success even at the younger age or earlier age and don't have to wait until now. But of course having life as it is I'm very happy with my life at this moment. So I've already done my mentorship, right? So the first step will be find a mentor, find a coach. Now a lot of times when a solopreneur gets started they will say I have no money, I've got no time, I don't know who to look for. You know you have to get started and go somewhere, right? So there will be a space to look into and you can ask yourself this question. How much is your time worth, right?

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Genecia Alluora: Many of you are could be nine to five employees before, you could be nine to five employee right now. You could be still hustling your way to hopefully find a way out or perhaps you're just pivoting at this very current moment. And you look at your salary that you're drawing previously and look at a time that you're spending at this very current moment. Now if you were to match that salary and then you're going to be able to find a way out of it you're going to be able to match the time now and to match the things that you are doing and wasting time on and not going anywhere or would I say round and round in circles and that would definitely not be worth your time at all. So that is why I talk about finding a mentor finding a coach to shortcut your success. See it as an investment to triple to quadruple your growth to 10x your growth rather than say, oh, it's too expensive.

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Genecia Alluora: I don't have the money to invest and what if it doesn't work well if you don't put in the effort nothing is going to work. Think about I don't know if you know Joseph Schooling. We had this swimmer who was from Singapore and he jumped into the pool to swim every single day at 5 a.m. He practiced and he swam. The coach arrives and a coach sit there and watch him swim. Eventually, Joseph Schooling won the Olympic gold did he not jump in the pool to swim or did the coach jump in the pool to swim or did the coach jump in the pool to swim or did the coach jump in the pool to swim for him? You see the story here is that if you want to succeed you have to make things work. You have to take the power into your hands. I think that's the first key.

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Genecia Alluora: So the second part if you were to get started from offline to online and you're not sure where to go about and you're thinking okay I'm already posting. I would say find a way to do one thing. I think that's something that a lot of people cannot do because they are like fear of missing out right the formal effect where, oh, what if I focus on children. I focus on teenagers and then I focus on adults and what what if I, if I don't focus on them I would miss out a big pie in my business but you see if you're starting out I believe you have x amount of dollars to do marketing. For example a thousand dollars whatever that you have at the moment and imagine a thousand dollars to spend on your marketing running Facebook ads, Instagram ads, or whatever ads you need to run trying to spend time in organic Facebook groups or LinkedIn groups in trying to find the customers, right?

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Genecia Alluora: You have only got a thousand dollars and imagine you're doing five things. I'm targeting children teenagers adults men and women. That itself is gonna be crazy because that time of 24 hours is never going to be enough. So when you look into moving online pick a battleground when you know that you can be victorious in that you can play to win especially when online is really very busy right now there is no way that you can be fully distracted and achieve success. Look around you everyone that is successful online is only doing one thing and they're known for the one thing before branching out into other things. Just take a look at Grab. Grab is a car sharing app around the world even in Singapore we have that as well when they first started they were a transportation app. Like, okay, I have a car. You want passengers okay, let's match you.

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Genecia Alluora: And then let's bring you from location A to location B. They started as that. And from grab being a transportation app they have fully evolved in the last eight to ten years to you know selling food bringing people you know credit card facilities and so many other things. But they started as a transportation app and they have fully evolved in the last eight to ten years and they started with one thing. So to be successful in the online space start with one, pick one and get started. And that will be my advice for you. Last but not least I would say go back to a community and that is why I built Soul Rich Woman and that is why I really believe in community being so important because that vibrations the vibrations the vibes that's going to impact your life your soul your heart is going to be there if you are in the right space in the right around the right people.

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Genecia Alluora: And that is going to accelerate you. Imagine yourself being in the group of procrastinators and you're just, oh, that there will always be tomorrow. There always be tomorrow, there always be tomorrow. Versus a group was like, hey, let's get things done. Four hours a day. Let's get things done. Let's complete this. What would that vibrational energy that you will be vibrating at? Unless you choose not to vibrate at the same time in energy level as them then you will be eliminated from the group. But if you choose to evolve as a phoenix and be rebirthed and a different version of yourself that is when you will grow and go to the next level. Have that diamond that is within you and you deserve to shine. So make it happen.

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Annette Comer: Yeah. I love that. I love that. And I'm gonna move into a little bit of a personal space now. So Asia is a culture that expects women to have a man as part of their completion. Yet you told me you don't need a man to complete you. So as a successful businesswoman, what role do you see a man playing in your future?

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Genecia Alluora: Well a man for me is basically still a leader because I mean I believe God. So I mean it's just kind of like men and women coming together and completing that space and fulfilling a certain purpose on our planet Earth. But when I make that statement that men, I mean in the context where I'm financially independent. I can do the things that I want to do and I can choose the lifestyle that I want. So I make myself happy first. I love myself first and when that happens that vibration instead of seeking out a man to, oh, because I feel so empty I cannot be with myself and then I need someone to be in love with me so that I can be completed. It doesn't function for me that way. So it functions to me as a man like a partnership. I talked to you about being playing win-win.

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Genecia Alluora: And that has been a strong factor in my life. A man who comes to my life is a partner, a co-dependency where he loves himself, he's confident, he knows what he stands for. I know what I stand for and we come to a common ground. Think about the venn diagram two circles coming together with the shaded area in the center. Ikigai that middle part where we find the I, the us, the we, that is in that space. So when we are truly aligned that space will continue to flourish and blossom to many other circles that we are looking forward into our life. So for me having a man means a partnership. And that to me is long term.

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Annette Comer: Yeah. I think that's a great way to and great advice wisdom to wrap up our interview. So Genecia is there anything about your journey to greatness that we haven't covered that you'd like to share with other women?

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Genecia Alluora: I really believe that success is never about glorious wins. You can see what I have now is just the tip of the iceberg. Always look into deeply what is under the tip of the iceberg. It's always to let to take a step back of whatever I feel to let other women shine as well. Remember, alone you are strong but together we are unstoppable. in the chinese character woman if you understand mandarin or chinese women is w-o-m-e-n, women, w-o-m-e-n. In chinese the character woman spells exactly the same way. So imagine that woman is together as one woman the same spelling for woman includes that women we must come together and work together to revolutionize what you are thinking about the change that you want to become the dreams that you want to achieve. We must come together in the space that we are good the space that we are going to be amazing and let's shine together as one.

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Annette Comer: Yeah. I love that. And I so appreciate you. You taking time to come and share all your nuggets of wisdom. You have such an interesting and glorious journey ahead of you, and I can't wait to watch it unfold.

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Genecia Alluora: Thank you.

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Annette Comer: So Genecia is another great example of how women are challenging the norm, making things happen, and demanding their own greatness. So join me next time on the World's Greatest Women Show as another powerful woman's story unfolds.

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Genecia Alluora: Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm so honored that we are connected. And I hope that I can continue to serve you as you build your dreams. And if you love this episode, and I hope that you did, rate it five stars. Give us that glowing review because it will help more women around the world finding the Soul Rich Woman podcast. Alone you are strong. Together we are unstoppable. Now share this with every woman who needs it because this is how we are changing the world. One woman at a time. As always, get out of your comfort zone and go towards the dreams you've always wanted to achieve. For women who love the F word, being fabulous, having freedom, and financial independence. My dear Soul Rich Woman, sending you my love and I'll speak to you soon. Bye for now.