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Category: Money

Why This 29-Year-Old Left Her Desk Job To Prosecute War Crimes With Technology

Due to ongoing political turmoil and social unrest, the Middle East is not exactly everyone’s dream job destination right now.

Except for one daring woman, that is.

Sweet, polite, and just 29 years old, Raquel Vasquez Llorente doesn’t look like the kind of person you’d expect to see flying into military airports in the midst of war. But don’t let her appearance fool you — she packs a serious punch.

The lawyer and 2016 Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe honoree is an original team member behind the innovative app eyeWitness to Atrocities, developed by the International Bar Association (IBA), which aims to empower civilians to capture and report evidence of war crimes on their smartphones.

I caught up with Llorente about her taste for pursuing dangerous work on this week’s podcast episode, “Fueling Your Passion: When To Choose Anger Over Love w/ Raquel Vasquez Llorente”

Growing up in a tumultuous northern Spain during the 1990s, Llorente was exposed to the harsh face of reality from an early age. It was then that she developed an interest in civil violence and its implications for human justice and desired to pursue a law degree.

Her path to prosecute war crimes started out relatively peaceful, with a government internship at the National Commission of Energy in Spain checking algorithms for electricity prices. “It wasn’t something that kept me awake at night,” says Llorente.

It wasn’t until she ended up in Libya in 2013, at the start of their civil war, that she could see the impact of these crimes on civilians.

In that process, Llorente found that, “The things that drive me the most are things that make me really upset and angry. Impunity for war crimes really upsets me to my limits so I wanted to go into international justice and feel that upset all the time about the crimes that are being committed and going unpunished.”

Llorente’s anger became her fuel and instead of repressing it, she let that guide her forward. Ultimately, leading her to join as one of the first few team members of eyeWitness to Atrocities, where that fuel is used daily through channeling technology as a means for ending impunity for war crimes.

Since launching last year, eyeWitness users can download the app for free to their phones, to record, store, and send footage that can later be verified for use in media coverage or legal cases.

The app automatically records the GPS coordinates of where the image was captured and stores the image in a vault maintained by LexisNexis , the world’s largest electronic database for legal information and public records. It’s aiming to increase the number of successful prosecutions by eliminating the need for the person to show up in court especially if they are unwilling or unable to testify.

Through Llorente’s participation at eyeWitness, since joining in 2015 as a war crimes analyst, she is able to combine all of her passions into one form of self-expression- her love of law, love of being in the field, and love of seeing justice served.

Llorente says. “It is very important to love what you do, but almost more important that whatever you do or are trying to solve makes you upset and angry so you keep going. If love works then that’s fine and if it works better being upset then go there instead.”

It’s not every day a woman chooses to tackle the brutal offenses of war criminals through harnessing her anger. Yet, what a different world we might live in if expressing anger were not so uncommon.

How will you step up to create the kind of world you desire living in?

This article was originally published on Forbes

February 28, 2018
How To Increase Your Value So Your Clients Will Want To Pay You More Money

“How much should I charge?” Is one of the questions I frequently hear from those that are just starting out or have hit a plateau in their business. It is as if that one question in and of itself can hold you back from taking the next step. I have seen close friends and colleagues struggle over coming up with the “right answer” and as a result they decide on a number that is unsatisfying or just enough.

There are countless examples of talented creatives, coaches, service providers, and emerging thought leaders like 16-year-old Madison McGregor who is launching a movement to unite Generation Z, that deliver great value yet, at the end of each month, the dollar amount they take home doesn’t reflect the value they put out. According to Next Web, “66% of founders pay themselves less than $50,000 per year” of the 11,160 startups surveyed worldwide.

Figuring out what you are worth and how much value the services or products you have to offer can be difficult. It is a challenge of not wanting to charge too much for fear of facing rejection, yet not wanting to charge too little and be in a constant state of survival.

Lynan Saperstein, the founder of Experience Experts, a boutique company that helps clients in the tourism industry create more reach and profit, encounters this question of quantifying value daily.

Saperstein shares on this week’s podcast episode her process for determining what you are worth.

As Saperstein sees it, worth “has to do with how you value yourself, your personal growth, your spirituality journey, and your willingness to continue to learn and understand yourself.” She believes investing in yourself is like investing in your business. Being willing to spend the money upfront to develop the relationship with yourself, your interpersonal skills, and your mindset play essential roles in your business.

For Saperstein, it was jumping to take a Reiki training, with the last few dollars she had in her savings account, several years ago when she was transitioning out of a period of healing from a car accident and losing her job. She knew she just had to do it, even if it was scary and exciting.

“I just kept following my highest excitement. Whatever inspired me that got me lit up and turned on, I did. I did a coaching training, then a marketing training, then I got to see what I was really good at. When I started business coaching I was just a magnet, clients started flying at me and I got to choose who I wanted to work with”, according to Saperstein.

Once you realize that every aspect of your life is connected; the component parts function harmoniously rather than independently of one another. When you take a composite perspective of your life, the lines between work, recreation, relationships, health, spirituality and leisure begin to fade. You relationship to value then begins to change and you can thus have greater confidence to charge more for the services you provide.

As you expand your skillset, keep in mind that skills that might not seem directly applicable to the type of service you provide or the industry you work in can actually work in your favor and help you to stand out. Oftentimes, unexpected skills fulfill an unmet need and cause others to choose you above the competition. In turn, your business becomes more attractive and you can raise your price.

According to Saperstein, “By bringing marketing or some skill set that is desperately needed in an industry or marketplace you can charge a lot, they are so grateful for you, and you can get extremely ridiculous results with them and a massive return on their investment. Ultimately, that is all they want.”

When you have done the work on yourself upfront, the process for putting a price tag on your worth can actually be quite simple. If you find yourself stuck, consider these three things:

How much you should charge starts with how much you value yourself. By transforming the relationship you have to yourself you will find more confidence in communicating your value to someone else.
You are the only one that can offer what you do. There are no real competitors because you are going to do it your own way and certain clients are going to respond to you instead of someone else.
You can always ask.“What is this worth to you? How much is a client or sale worth to them. Would you be willing to make the investment of 1 person or 10 people with me?” Once you get one yes, it opens up a gateway for another.

This article was originally published on Forbes

February 28, 2018
5 Ways To Profit From Growing Your Personal Network

Over the last five years, my Dad has watched me attend one conference after another. New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Costa Rica, Mexico, Chicago, and Philadelphia, just to name a few. I have spent thousands of dollars on travel, event tickets, and important dinners to meet with and learn from influential industry leaders. And no matter how excited I am about what I learned, or who I met, my Dad always asks me the same question: “How is that going to translate into cash?”

Every time he says it, I could almost shake him. How does he not get it? How does he not see the value of these relationships? Even though it seems obvious to me, I know my Dad is not alone in his thinking. Historically, the path to cash has been very linear. Each person or relationship is seen like a transaction, serving a very distinct and clear purpose. Today, however, we are living in a relationship economy.

Ted Rubin, an industry leader in social marketing strategy and brand evangelism, calls this currency “Return On Relationship” (ROR). “ROR is the value that is accrued by a person or brand due to nurturing a relationship, whereas ROI is simple dollars and cents. ROR is the value (both perceived and real) that will accrue over time through loyalty, recommendations and sharing.”

Growing and building a network of relationships is essential, which is why Network Under 40’s founder, Darrah Brustein, has built a lifestyle and company out of connecting people.

I recently caught up with Darrah on this week’s podcast episode where she shares how to turn connections into cash.

Darrah says, “I can track most things that have happened in my life — both personally and professionally — back to a relationship I’ve had with someone. Once I met a man at a networking event and he asked to interview me on his podcast about my kids books. Several months later, he randomly wrote about Network Under 40 in Inc. Magazine which generated global interest that facilitated our expansion. You never know how you can help someone, as well as the power of their connections and influence.”

Darrah is on a mission to redefine the way people think about the word “networking.” In her opinion, “networking has become synonymous with selfishness, when at its root, I believe it’s about selflessness.”

To thrive in this relationship economy you have to be willing to give more value upfront than you are trying to receive. That is why the best time to cultivate relationships is when you have nothing to take–only something to offer–so that when your time comes to ask, you don’t appear self-serving. Some of the best business returns end up being the most random and you never know which connections will cash in at which time.

Want to know how to get rich from your network? Follow these 5 principles to abide by:

People are Human Beings. Look at each person beyond their perceived transactional value. See them for who they are, the interests they have, the types of things they like and speak to that. Ask them about their kids, where they want to travel, or a favorite movie they saw recently, get personal!
Be Authentic. Cultivate relationships with those with whom you naturally connect — with no self-serving agenda. Don’t be afraid to be yourself, you will find people want to help you more when they get to know the real you.

Figure Out How To Add Value. The more value you can add the higher your social currency becomes. Listen to what people need and help be the one to connect the dots for them. Every person is missing a “piece” to their puzzle, figure out the piece and when you need something you won’t be forgotten.
Keep In Touch. Always send a LinkedIn invitation with a personalized note after you’ve met someone or an email. This is a simple way to keep track of their latest job updates, birthday and other important things they might share. You can also add them on Facebook or social media so when they post something you can easily “like” it and remain a presence in their life.
Get Clear On Your Goals. When you are clear on what you need or the “pieces” you are looking for people can know how to contribute to you. Without having this clarity most people will not know how to help you. You will be surprised by how many people are willing and are just looking to you for the next step.
If you want to win a free copy of Darrah’s book “Finance Whiz Kids” subscribe to the podcast here then enter to win by following this link. Darrah has made this offer exclusively to Unconventional Life readers and listeners.

February 28, 2018
How This 23-Year-Old College Drop Out Built A $41M Company

One of the quickest ways to accelerate your success is to learn from those who have already accomplished what you’re working towards.

Top performers around the world know that just how successful you can be depends on how successful your coach is. That’s why CEOs pay Tony Robbins $1M a year for 1-1 coaching—he’s one of the best at what he does.

What makes a good mentor? They haven’t just gotten lucky, but rather they’ve been resilient. They’ve encountered obstacles and persisted in the face of adversity.

This week, I interviewed one millennial who has a unique blend of both success and triumph. He’s a 23-year-old who dropped out of college and went on to build a $41M company.

Meet Walid Halty, the founder of DVinci Energy, a sustainable energy company on track to be one of the fastest-growing companies in history. DVinci is on a mission to make energy affordable and accessible to everyone. It donates 10% of its profits to charity and is scheduled to give $100k in educational scholarships in 2018 and $1M in 2019.

This week on the Unconventional Life Podcast, Halty gives us the scoop on how he’s achieved so much in so little time. Below, learn ten of the habits and philosophies he says are integral to his success so you can fast-track your own path to your goals.

1. Treat Each New Week Like A New Year. There’s no doubt the New Year propels millions of people around the world to embark on new goals and positively reorient their lives. And yet, just two weeks after January 1st, a significant percentage of those people begin to give up on pursuing their goals. What is it about the New Year that’s so motivating? Psychologists call it the “fresh-start effect,” and Halty says you can capitalize on it by treating each new week like a new year.

2. Take Advantage Of Your Resources. With billions of books, podcasts, articles, and other resources at your fingertips, why wouldn’t you take advantage of them? And yet, so many of us don’t. Entrepreneur Tai Lopez says his reading habit of a book a day has been key to his success. The average CEO reads 52 books a year.

3. Don’t Lie To Yourself. How often do we talk ourselves into believing we didn’t eat that much at that party or we didn’t waste that much time on Instagram? It may seem benign, but Halty says it’s the reason you’re not seeing the results you want. “Be brutally honest with yourself,” he says.

4. Make Time For You. With so many things to get done in a day, “you-time” can often be the first thing to sacrifice. It seems practical—after all, you’re saving time—but it’s actually incredibly counterintuitive. According to a study reported in the HBR, the more time working mothers spent taking care of themselves, the better were the emotional and physical health of their children. Think twice next time before you skip a workout or cook yourself a nourishing meal.

5. Adopt A Weird Habit. Halty confesses he’s a fan of cryotherapy, a $75 shock treatment that involves stepping into a frigid booth for three minutes. Sounds crazy, but Tony Robbins and LeBron James also swear by it. Consider trying something unexpected and it might pleasantly surprise you

6. Beat Your Doubt To The Punch. Tim Grover, no-nonsense trainer of NBA star Michael Jordan, says “Don’t think. You already know what to do, and you know how to do it. What’s stopping you?” In other words, don’t give yourself time for a second thought before you take action. Entrepreneur Marie Forleo says, “You don’t have to get it perfect, you just have to get it going.

7. Enlist Mentors. “I’m only 23,” Halty admits. “That’s why I have a team of advisors. I can say to them, hey, what would you do here or hey, I’m struggling with this, and they give me actionable information.” Acknowledge your weaknesses and seek feedback from those who have already walked your path.

8. Don’t Listen To Your Haters. Have you ever been told by friends and family not to pursue your dreams, only to gain their support after you’ve proven them wrong? Don’t let the fearful projections of others stop you. Trust your gut and act upon your own volition. “My parents didn’t believe in me—they said I was crazy, they said I wouldn’t do it, they said to back to school. Now they believe in me, now I’m helping them and the tables have turned,” Halty says.

9. Work Harder (And Smarter) Than Anyone Else. Demir Bentley, co-founder of Lifehack Bootcamp, says, “Today’s hustle culture is telling us to ‘outwork your competition’, but the truth is that you are not a scalable system in your work. There’s never in history been so many cheap tools available to automate, delegate, and eliminate your work. If you’re not taking advantage of that, you should be!”

10. Minimize Your Decision-Making. Steve Jobs was famous for wearing the same outfit everyday—a black turtleneck, blue jeans, and a pair of New Balance sneakers. Why? He knew that decision-making is a precious, limited resource. Halty’s philosophy is the same. “On Sundays I take the entire day to plan out the entire week so when I wake up I make as little decisions as possible because I already have to make a lot of decisions on a daily basis,” he says. Conserve your energy for the decisions that count.

Enjoyed this post? Check out more of my tools to create a life by your own design.

This article originally appeared on Forbes.com

January 25, 2018
Millennials, Here’s How Cryptocurrency Could Transform Your Future
Resources:

-3-Day Crypto and Blockchain Online Summit Hosted by Jules: http://www.cryptosummitonline.com/

3 Key Points:
1. Blockchain technology has exciting potential for our future with a host of applications beyond digital currency.
2. “Alt” coins, or Alternative cryptocurrency coins like TRON, Ripple, and Xarum are gaining traction in the crypto market and deserve your consideration in your investment portfolio.
3. Big businesses like McDonalds, Microsoft, eBay, and Expedia, plus governments like Dubai and Switzerland are backing Bitcoin and beginning to accept cryptocurrency as legitimate forms of payment.
To be completely honest, conversations about finances and investments usually tend to put me to sleep. But for some reason, all of this buzz about cryptocurrency really has my attention.

Some call cryptocurrency the “digital gold rush,” magnetizing thousands around the world to invest in digital currencies like Bitcoin and other alternative coins and tokens. Although skeptics have their concerns, there’s no denying cryptocurrency has an exponential growth trend that appears to be steadily rising.

For millennials, cryptocurrency could be the investment opportunity of a lifetime. Not to mention, it’s ushering in a tidal wave of technological innovation.

The biggest barrier to entry for most? Decoding all of that tech jargon.

It’s about time someone explained cryptocurrency to you in a language you can actually understand.

That’s why I’ve just launched one of the world’s first online crypto and blockchain summits, where 21 industry-leading experts will be sharing everything you need to know about cryptocurrency over the course of three days.

This week on the Unconventional Life Podcast, I spoke with a cryptocurrency geek who’s done all of the heavy lifting for you. Meet Michael Graziano, the founder of Global Degree, one of the largest online communities for millennial travelers worldwide. He’s racing to become the youngest North American male to visit all 193 countries in the world, documenting all of his adventures online. Across his social channels, and including collaborations with Discovery Channel and MTV, Graziano has a combined reach of 50M+.

“I’ve been to over 100 different countries and seen all different types of economies, people, and ways of life. Some of these countries’ databases are incredibly inefficient and outdated. Can you imagine what the world will look like when everyone’s on one database?” Graziano says.

Enter the blockchain.

If you don’t yet know what that is, don’t sweat it—below, I’ve transcribed my Q&A with Graziano where he breaks down the fundamentals of cryptocurrency, blockchain, and more, so you can finally get up to speed on everything crypto.

Q: What is blockchain?

A: “A blockchain is a global online database that anyone, anywhere, with an internet connection, can use. The cool thing is traditional databases are owned by a central authority like banks, companies, or governments, but blockchain isn’t owned by anyone. It has a peer-to-peer network looking after it, so cheating the system is nearly impossible.

Blockchain stores information permanently across a network of personal computers, which decentralizes, distributes, and records it onto a public ledger that anyone can see. The transactions are verified by miners, who maintain the ledger. These bundles of records on personal computers are called blocks. Each block has a timestamp, and a form to a previous block, forming a chronological chain.”

Q: What is Bitcoin?

A: “Bitcoin is blockchain’s first and most widely known application.. People send Bitcoin freely to each other, and blockchain comes in to verify that only one person claims to own each coin at one time.”

Q: How are businesses and governments reacting to cryptocurrency?

A: “Big players like eBay, Microsoft, Expedia, McDonald’s and Subway are all starting to accept Bitcoin and other digital currencies. The Swiss government is accepting Bitcoin for tax payments. Dubai has announced that they want to become the world’s first ‘blockchain city.’ These are major statements from major economies… all of this is happening so fast and I expect these changes to really amplify in 2018.”

Q: What will change in the future with everyone using these blockchain technologies?

A: “When it all boils down, blockchain allows us all to share a single source of truth. Take the sharing economy, for example, which has given rise to Uber, Lyft, Airbnb, etc. These companies have profited on the idea of a sharing economy, but instead of sharing, they’ve acquired or eliminated competitors and collected all the profits. Where blockchain could step in is to create a public marketplace where people can share cars, homes, or whatever, with no intermediary.

Another application is the recapturing of our identities. The most powerful asset of the digital age is data. Perhaps more valuable than money, land, or anything else you own. Everywhere you go and everything you do online is recorded. It creates a virtual you. But the biggest problem is that you don’t own the virtual you. It’s owned and exchanged by big companies like Google. Blockchain is one new technology that will allow you to have privacy and to monetize and control where your information goes.”

Q: So what are some of the top cryptocurrencies to look out for in 2018?

A: “I encourage people interested to do your research, but here are 5 projects that I think have a lot of potential: Skycoin, which has the ability to give each company or application their own blockchain, helping to combat high traffic and loading times with no transaction fees. Xaurum, the only cryptocurrency backed by gold, which provides intrinsic value and makes growth much more secure with less volatility. Stratis, a blockchain development platform that allows people to create custom uses for blockchains that haven’t even been thought of yet. Shift, another alternative blockchain that includes peer-to-peer storage, an uncensorable internet, and seamless monetization removing the need for third parties like Facebook or Youtube for content creators. Then there’s DOVU, which is embracing the emerging smart car industry where cars are predicted to generate up to 25GB of data per hour. With DOVU you can manage and sell your car’s data at your discretion in exchange for tokens.”

Disclaimer: the opinions expressed in this article are not intended to replace the advice of an investment advisor. Invest at your own risk.

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This article originally appeared on Forbes.com
January 9, 2018