Hey everyone! Today I'm sitting down with two of my closest friends here in Playa del Carmen for a conversation that hits different.
We're talking about something most entrepreneurs struggle with but rarely discuss openly: the difference between self-confidence and self-esteem.
Meet Ray Blakney, a Filipino-American entrepreneur, and his wife Laura Ramirez Blakney, a Mexican-born language educator. Over the past 18 years, they've built over 20 profitable companies, sold 4 of them, and taken multiple to multi-seven-figure success, including their global language-learning platform Live Lingua. Their newest venture, Online School Builders, helps experts turn their knowledge into thriving online schools.
Ray shares a mentor's definition that completely shifted his perspective: self-confidence is believing you can do anything; self-esteem is believing you don't have to.
When scammers destroyed his business, his high self-confidence couldn't save him from an identity crisis. We dive into what depression actually looked like for both of them, how Laura's cultural approach helped pull Ray through his darkest moments, and why high-powered executives have the exact same self-doubts as everyone else (they just act anyway).
Plus, we explore their "wisdom to wealth" philosophy and how they help experienced professionals turn their knowledge into profitable schools.
Laura's approach to supporting Ray wasn't just cultural, it was strategic. She reminded him he was more than his business success, gave him space to process, then literally created action plans on giant sticky notes to pull his intellectual side back online.
This conversation reminded me why I love talking about the non-business side of business. Success isn't just about confidence. It's about knowing you're worthy even when everything falls apart.
Connect with Ray & Laura:
Thanks to Proximity Outsourcing for sponsoring this episode! If you need to outsource your tedious tasks so you can focus on what matters, visit proximityoutsourcing.com
See you in two weeks for another episode of None of Your Business!
P.S. - If you know an expert who should turn their knowledge into a school, send them Ray and Laura's way. You'll be doing everyone a favor.
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