Hello world!

Jordana in the fabulous NYC

Hi Everyone!

My name is Jordana Jaffe and I am the founder of Embarkability, a company dedicated to empowering and teaching young women how to create their own successful businesses.

My journey as an entrepreneur, however, didn’t just begin. I started my first business live ORGANIZED when I was 24 years old.

In the beginning, I had NO idea what to do, where to start, who to turn to. I stumbled, tripped, and somehow learned the ropes along the way. But I would have SO much rather had someone to turn to and help me navigate the world of being my own boss.

I can only imagine that there are so many 20-something women out there in the world wanting, thinking, dreaming of starting their own businesses, but paralyzed because they don’t know what to do or where to begin.

So for all of you out there who are scared of taking the leap, but even more scared of staying put, this blog is for you.

You can do this.

I’m here to help you, guide you, and motivate you along the way.

I can’t wait to watch you succeed.

LOVE, Jordana

Boundaries…Ever Heard of Them?

Sometimes work is a no-no...

Sigh. As an entrepreneur, that’s one thing we’re not very good at.

Consider yourself warned: When you enter the world of business owner-ship, the line between your home and office, work and play, may very well be near invisible, at least at first.

This is one lesson that I’m still learning.

Boundaries. Are. A. MUST.

When you work at home and/or when your business is well, YOURS, it’s hard to start the day at 9am and finish at 5pm. After all, in the beginning, you’re only getting paid if you’re working. The days of a consistent salary and paid vacation days are o-v-e-r.

So do you work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?

No, you don’t. Not if you want to last past the first week.

The answer to this is pretty straightforward: Create a boundary.

Just like you need 8 or so hours of sleep to function, you need some time to just relax in order to work efficiently and succeed.

You probably didn’t think I would be writing about the ABSOLUTE need for R&R time in the first week of blog posts, huh?

Well, it really is that important. Making a commitment to shut off your computer at a certain time everyday, or to say no to working on weekends – whatever your boundaries are, make sure to make them.

One of my personal favorite mantras is “You need to deposit in order to withdraw.” If you don’t take care of yourself, your business will suffer.

So go turn off the computer and turn on the TV. Yes, really.

Your Happy List

The Happiness Project, By Gretchen Rubin

Right now, I’m reading a very interesting book called The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin.

It’s about a woman who, over the course of one year, researches what it takes to be happy.

It’s definitely very eye-opening and insightful, if you’re looking for a good book to read.

Anyways, feeling happy and list-making are two of my most favorite things ever, so I created the concept of a happy list.

What’s a happy list, you may ask?

Aside from being an ESSENTIAL ingredient to being a successful entrepreneur…

It’s a list of the things that make you happy!

I know, I know – kind of an anti-climatic answer. You might have been hoping for something more profound. (side note: oftentimes, the most significant things you can do to help grow your business are the most basic and simple, but that’s for another post…)

Why is this important? Because there will be days where you will feel sad, upset, frustrated, doubtful, annoyed, hopeless and just plain mopey (yes, it even happens to the multi-millionaires of the world). Whether you have your own business or not, these days happen, of course; however, it’s especially important to not let yourself get sucked into the yuckiness of negativity when you’re a business owner.

Your moods affect the success of your business, plain and simple. The happier and more consistently optimistic you are, the easier it will be for you to succeed.

So do yourself  - and your business –  a favor. Before you do much else, take 5-10 minutes and write down 20 things you can do quickly and easily that will put you in a better mood. Keep this list handy so that you can reference it in a moment’s notice. Better yet, post it on your fridge or on your bathroom mirror (that’s where mine is).

Some things on my list: Talk a walk around the reservoir, call someone, have a 5-minute dance break, take a yoga class, or play in Barnes and Noble.

Again, very simple, but when the bad mood monster hits, you’ll be very grateful to have the list nearby.

When’s The Last Time You Made a Decision?

Which way do you want to go?

Probably a minute or so ago, right?

It would totally make sense if that”s the case. Over the course of the day, we probably make hundreds, if not thousands, of decisions from “what to eat for breakfast” to “whether or not we should stay at our job.”

Our lives are really one decision after another.

Decisions are really powerful. In fact, the word decide – at its origin – means “to cut off” – essentially, making a decision cuts off any other possibility. When you’re looking at a restaurant menu, and decide to order pancakes, you’re eliminating the possibility of any other dinner option.

In order to get anywhere in life, you need to take action. And in order to take action, you need to make a decision.

Which leads me to my point, if you want to start your own business, the first step is to DECIDE to start your own business. It may seem a bit oversimplified, but that act alone is a pretty powerful starting point.

Success is yours for the taking

Success is right around the corner...

Many people feel like success is only for some people – that you’re either born to be successful or not.

I have some big news for you:

This is not the case.

At all.

Success is an ‘up for grabs’ type of thing. You want it? You can have it.

So what’s the recipe to success?

1. Knowing what it is you want to do. This is not what you think you should want to do, or what your parents, friends, sister, brother, or third cousin once removed wants you to do.

2. Believing that you can do it. I know, first hand, that that’s sometimes not the easiest thing to do. Seek out the people who love, care, and believe in you for reassurance, motivation and support. Having a coach or mentor always helps as well.

3. Taking action, no matter what. I was speaking to one of my clients today, and at the end of our session, she asked me, “Jordana, what is the #1 reason why businesses fail?” Businesses fail because people quit. It’s as simple as that. The most successful people have also failed the most. The reason they’ve succeed is simply because they’ve kept going.

There is a super successful, beyond your wildest dreams, entrepreneur of the year award-winning, shining star of a woman business owner inside of you. She ALREADY exists.

How exciting is THAT?