Love & Hustle: Building Community Through Entrepreneurship

Love & Hustle:

Building Community Through Entrepreneurship

See the slideshow below of our sold-out event. Scroll further to read our official Love & Hustle recap, highlighting great insights and advice from our panel!

February 11th, 2019, marked the first-ever Love & Hustle event at Asmbly Hall, a live convening of go-getters and empowered industry leaders. These innovators and influencers came together to share their experiences as well as to build connections.

Ron and Tricia Benitez, owners and founders of Asmbly Hall, hosted this meeting of the minds in the intimate space of their Fillmore Street location in San Francisco. The site itself, a locally grown and family-owned business, also reflected Art of Hustle values centering on community and giving back.

Moderator Irene Faye Duller kicked off the event with an exercise in mindfulness and being present. She had us greet each other and acknowledge the power in sharing space with fellow hustlers. She spoke about the impact that reframing your mindset has on achieving goals and turning a challenge into a teaching moment.

“It’s that hustle that drives us.” – Genevieve Roja of Lily Spruce

With the stress and pressure of being a solo entrepreneur, it’s easy to slip into “deficit thinking,” focusing on what’s missing, what we lack, our weaknesses or the overwhelm of a growing To Do list. By shifting our thinking into “abundant thinking,” we’re shifting our energy and resources to celebrate our strengths, the progress we’ve made so far, and choosing to focus on the excitement and the potential that the future holds.

Owner and founder of event planning company Lily Spruce, Genevieve Roja talked about one of the biggest challenges: making the leap into entrepreneurship. She explained how Art of Hustle has supported her throughout the process from leaping to landing.

Looking out into the audience of budding entrepreneurs, community members and friends, Genevieve captured the essence of Love & Hustle in saying, “It’s that hustle that drives us. That’s why we’re here in this room. If it’s worth it to you, to make all of the sacrifices, make the leap. Do it.”

“Turn your deficit thinking into abundant thinking.” – Irene Faye Duller of An Otherwise Co.

Founder and creator of Art of Hustle, Anthem Salgado, wove together the series of insightful talks and experiences of the speakers with his business advice and training. Reflecting on the importance of belief, Anthem said, “Defend the dream. Hire YOURSELF. Create your own path.”

There appears to be a trend of professionals across fields making the leap into entrepreneurship. Many do so to cultivate a sense of more meaningful, purposeful work. But seeking out the flexibility and mobility of becoming your own boss can present new difficulties.

Hiring yourself means making the shift from thinking like an employee to thinking like an owner. It’s a mental shift away from the narrative that dictates that we perpetually work more hours in order to increase income. To become your own boss, you have to invest in yourself, actually create new space for visioning and especially strategy.

“Defend the dream. Hire YOURSELF. Create your own path.” – Anthem Salgado of Art of Hustle

While the journey of entrepreneurship can be isolating at times, having a support system of like-minded individuals who champion your goals is the cornerstone of success.

Comedian and writer, Kat Evasco shared her experiences as well. She emphasized how there should be no limitations to your dreams or your goals. “What Anthem got me to start thinking about was how to think bigger. You have to defend your dream, and you have to defend your energy too.”

Defending your energy means being intentional about the projects and connections that you allow into your space in order to curate a balanced lifestyle. It means occasionally saying “no” in order to create time and space for self-care. It also goes hand-in-hand with shifting toward a wealth mindset, trusting that more opportunities – maybe even better ones – will still come down the pike.

“You have to defend your energy.” – Kat Evasco, Comedian & Writer

Blending her holistic teaching methods with her background as a licensed financial professional, Jennifer Navarro-Marroquin and transformational coach Raynelle Rino shared more about necessary mental shifts as well as how Art of Hustle allowed their paths to cross.

Working together to build a stronger sense of entrepreneurial mindset, Jennifer noted that “Abundance is not outside-in; it’s inside out. Don’t devalue your work, what you’re putting out into the world. [As entrepreneurs] We’re claiming the space for ourselves.”

A common perspective may be to view money as an external force – something to be acquired, worked for, and gained. Undoing this learned narrative takes time, but it’s worth deconstructing the value that we place on money and how we equate our revenue to our personal worth.

“Abundance is not outside-in; it’s inside out.” – Jennifer Navarro-Marroquin of Claiming Prosperity

Raynelle reflected on her business and how her relationship to money and revenue has evolved over time. She shared, “I had to learn that self-worth is an actual number that you have to define.”

Similar to many of the day’s panelists, Raynelle talked about her nonprofit background and how this shaped her relationship to revenue when she first embarked on her entrepreneurial journey. While nonprofit work gave Raynelle the fulfillment of helping other people, it also roused feelings of burnout and scarcity-thinking.

“Self-worth is an actual number that you have to define.” – Raynelle Rino of Rino Consulting Services

Putting a tangible number to her work enabled her to better appreciate the value of her skills and the services she continues to provide for her clients. Working with Anthem and Art of Hustle introduced her to a wealth of resources and peer support that she lacked in the nonprofit sector. “I feel more support here than I did in nonprofit,” Raynelle noted.

Paloma Concordia, publicist and founder of PapaLoDown, built on the importance of community and support systems in sustaining her business. “PR is personal, so I am intentional in aligning myself with clients and partners that I respect and that inspire me. Some clients have become friends or mentors. It’s important to invest in the relationships that help you grow.”

Bringing it back full circle, Paloma notes that while revenue and profits are important, she values having connections with those she works with. Building community, humanizing business, and connecting with people on a deeper level. It’s through these connections that we create a network of people who share similar values and experiences, and seek to help one another in all aspects of life.

“Your network is your net WORTH.” – Paloma Concordia of PapaLoDown

Love & Hustle created a space for our community to see each other – to recognize the work that’s being done and how the movement into small business ownership can be rewarding and exciting.

At Art of Hustle, we are supporting each other in the grind, celebrating both the successes and the constructive learning moments of this entrepreneurial journey.