I Got Hacked - Here's How It Happened & How to Protect Yourself

There’s something electric about sitting down with a young entrepreneur who’s ALL IN, eyes bright, and ready to take on the world. I swear, it’s like drinking a double shot of ambition with your latte. This past Saturday, I had coffee at The House on the River with Seth Kirschner, owner of 2 Clean Home Care . His company handles both commercial and residential pressure washing. Now here’s the humbling part… Seth is younger than my two oldest kids, Marlin and David. Cue me sitting there thinking about how time flies and how much I love seeing that kind of determination in the next generation. Ohhhh.... come on! Anyone who knows me, knows the truth - For the rest of the day, I obsessed over how old I've become! I met Seth at BNI Abundance , one of the chapters I manage as a BNI Director Consultant. I had already hired his company to pressure wash my sidewalks and clean up some landscaping bricks. Let me tell you, he did a GREAT job. The work was spotless, the service was professional, and his prices were so reasonable that I almost wanted to tell him to charge more. During our 1:1 coffee meetup, we talked about his goals, what’s working, and where he wants to grow. That’s when I thought of another young business owner who is just as driven - Johnny De Jesus, owner of De Jesus Media , whom I know through another BNI Chapter I manage, BNI Wealth Builders . Johnny runs a social media and content agency, and like Seth, he’s under 30, big on vision, and relentless when it comes to taking action. I made the introduction right there at the table because I knew they could help each other. Seth could use stronger social media & content marketing to showcase his work, and Johnny could connect with a reliable, service-based entrepreneur who delivers on what he promises. Watching them start brainstorming was like matchmaking for ambition. It was two business owners meeting for the first time but already speaking the same language => growth, opportunity, and possibility. While Seth’s energy pulled me straight back to my own early days of building a business from scratch, I could also see where my years of experience could shorten his learning curve. I shared two big lessons that I wish someone had drilled into me earlier. First, look at your business through your customer’s eyes. If you’re going after more commercial contracts, having “Home Care” in your business and URL’s name might make people assume you only do residential work. That small perception can cost you some huge opportunities, and the fix is often as simple as rethinking how you position yourself. Second, think bigger than your current projects. Explore RFPs, grants, and larger contracts. Those opportunities are out there, and they’re not reserved for just giant companies. They’re open to prepared, capable businesses that know how to show up, bid confidently, and deliver with excellence. Sometimes the leap isn’t about working harder but working smarter in the right arenas. Our coffee turned into a two-way mentorship. Seth left with new strategies and fresh connections. And I left reminded that when someone is both bold and hungry for growth, the energy is contagious, and definitely worth catching. If you’re under 40, drop a question about business, sales growth, or life in the social media comments. If you’re over 40, scroll through the comments and answer at least one. You can join the conversation here: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/QueenKongBiz LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xojorawald X: https://x.com/queenkongbiz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xojorawald Let’s see what happens when hunger meets experience.

Some of us were born with silver spoons. I was handed chopsticks….literally. My mom was a Chinese warrior in sneakers. She worked two jobs, barely spoke the language, and still managed to raise daughters who believed they could conquer the world. My dad, a Spanish-born U.S. Army veteran, served three tours in Vietnam and came home battling things no one saw, so Mom carried it all. The bills, the stress, the dreams. She taught me how to keep going, no matter what. And when life hit hard, and oh, it did, I remembered that. I’ve rebuilt my life after loss, trauma, and a head-on collision that nearly took me out. I've grown a business through grief, strokes, heart failure, and hard-won lessons. And through it all, one thing has always stayed the same: I believe women are built to rise. Not to struggle endlessly, but to build empires that outlast and outshine. That’s why I do what I do. And why I’m sharing this today. Because right now, there’s a golden opportunity hiding in your business, and less than 1% of owners are using it. Let’s change that.

Let’s be crystal clear - I’m not what you’d call "outdoorsy." My idea of roughing it? Spotty Wi-Fi at a four-star hotel. So, how exactly did I end up camping and rafting for four days in a remote canyon with no running water, electricity, cell service - or actual bathrooms? Glad you asked.

You ever walk into Costco for one thing, and leave wondering what the heck just happened to your life? That was me last night. All I needed was paper towels. Just one 12-pack brick of industrial absorbency, thank you very much. But the moment I stepped through those magical warehouse doors, it all unraveled. First, I saw a velvet chaise lounge I definitely don’t need. Then - it was a six-tier spice rack. A kayak. A weighted blanket. A 5-lb tub of Gummy Bears I haven’t stopped thinking about. By the time I made it to checkout, I was $312 deep in, “Maybe I’ll use this someday ” purchases. And that’s when it hit me. This is exactly what shiny object syndrome looks like. Not just in Costco. In business. You start with a clear goal - launch a course, a new service or a new product, finish your website, close three new clients. But somewhere along the way, you get distracted by someone else’s launch, a new app, a Canva template you’ll definitely use one day. You buy a course. Download a funnel template. Rebrand your business at midnight. Before you know it, you’re carting around half-baked ideas and unopened tools you never actually needed, and your real revenue-generating work is buried under distractions. It’s a costly habit. Not just in money but, in time, clarity, confidence, and momentum. Here’s your wake-up call => If it doesn’t drive sales, systems, or sanity - put it back on the shelf. You don’t need more stuff. You need a strategy that works. One that moves your business forward with intention and impact. So if you’re tired of carting around the chaos, and ready to focus on what actually gets results - I got you. Check out the free resources on my site or book a quick call. No pressure. Just clarity, next steps, and a bold plan that keeps your eyes on the prize. Download your free Focus to Profit Blueprint so, the next time distraction shows up dressed as a business breakthrough, you’ll know the difference. With Grace & Grit, Jo Jo Rawald Growth Architect for Women Entrepreneurs | Lean Six Sigma Black Belt 📞 (305) 934-0006 | ✉️ jo@jorawald.com www.JoRawald.com | @xojorawald www.QueenKongBiz.com | @queenkongbiz

Have you ever had one of your childhood memories come crashing back at ya with full volume and suddenly you're 14 again... but this time, with 40 more years of hindsight and a whole lot more humility? Yeah. That happened to me last weekend.I had the honor of being a keynote speaker at one of the best women’s business events I’ve ever attended - the WFS Female Founders Forum 2025 , hosted by the phenomenal nonprofit Women for Success . The room was filled with powerful, purpose-driven women who weren’t there to play small. They came to scale, get certified, and secure the kind of legacy their Moms would brag about at church.

Imagine losing money every time you make a sale… and choosing to do it anyway. That’s exactly what Costco has done - for 40 years straight - with their $1.50 hot dog + soda combo. Yep. One dollar. Fifty cents. No inflation. No markup. No apology. And when someone on the leadership team had the nerve to suggest raising the price? Costco co-founder Jim Sinegal flat-out said, "If you raise the price of the hot dog, I will kill you." Savage? Maybe. Strategic? 1000%. Because he got something most business owners miss entirely… => Not everything you sell is about profit. Some things are about perception. That hot dog isn’t just a cheap meal. It’s a statement: “We’re not here to nickel-and-dime you. We’re here to treat you right.” And guess what? That tiny loss leader earns them billions in customer loyalty, trust, and recurring revenue. I call this the Hot Dog Method: 🌭 Sacrifice something small. 🌭 Earn something massive. 🌭 Make it memorable. Every business can have a $1.50 hot dog moment: 🌭 A bonus your clients didn’t see coming 🌭 A “damn, no one else does that” type of policy 🌭 A ridiculously over-delivered offer that makes them tell 3 friends The key? Don’t hide it. Flaunt it. Repeat it. Build a reputation around it. Make it so obvious your clients can point and say, “That’s why I work with her. No one else shows up like that.” So here’s your million-dollar reflection: What’s YOUR $1.50 hot dog? Find it. Double down on it. Then sit back and watch your referrals multiply like Costco memberships in January.

I went to a networking event yesterday at Rosie’s Bar & Grill in Wilton Manors. Tropical-chic to the max. You know the kind of place - upscale casual, strong cocktails, mandatory valet. Now usually, I’m all about valet. But not yesterday. I wasn’t there to sip martinis or hang around all night. I could only stay for 20-minutes. That means - I was on a serious 20-minute mission: say hi, shake hands, peace out. Then, get back in my car to jump on a Zoom meeting! I certainly wasn’t about to drop $20 just to park my car for 20 minutes. No way! I pulled into the valet area, looked the guy dead in the eye, and said, “I’ll be in and out faster than your last relationship. Can I just park it right here?” And bless his heart - he said yes. Honestly, that should’ve been my win for the night. But then I met Sean Gac-Guerrier. Sean’s the Marketing Director at Excel Title, Inc. We started talking about dogs - and **cue the angels singing. We clicked instantly. Not two strangers meeting, more like two childhood friends who hadn’t seen each other in a decade! Sean showed me a photo of his dog, Dottie. I pulled out pics of my girl, Adelaide. Then he pulled out a photo of Dottie that stopped me in my tracks. Sean had a photo of what Dottie would look like as a human. Not a cartoon. Not a filter. I’m talking AI-generated, fully humanized, real-world, cardigan-wearing, intelligent-and-intimidating Dottie. I was mesmerized! It was as if Pixar and the FBI teamed up to design her. I looked at Adelaide’s pic… then looked back at Sean… and blurted out, “I need to humanize my dog!!” And I did. I went home, found the exact AI prompt, uploaded Adelaide’s photo, answered a few fun questions about her personality, and style - then… BOOM. Human Adelaide was born. Tall, lean, cozy-chic, with that unmistakable “don’t-mess-with-me-but-I’ll-still-hug-you” vibe. She looked like she ran Homeland Security and still had time for tacos and espresso martinis on a rooftop. Honestly? I stared at the image for like five minutes. Because it wasn’t just about making something cute. It was about seeing something familiar - something you know - come to life in a new way. Here’s the AI Prompt if you want to try it yourself:

Your business is not a side dish. It’s the main course—and it deserves to be treated like one. In this no-BS blog, I’m calling out “leftover” business strategies that leave women entrepreneurs stuck, stressed, and scaling in all the wrong ways. Discover how to build a business that’s bold, sustainable, and built to outlast trends using my BAMBOO Framework.

Too many women are stuck in the hustle—working nonstop, solving the same problems, and barely seeing the return. You didn’t start your business to burn out. You started it to break free. If you’re ready to ditch the stress and build a business that actually pays you back, this is your moment. Join me LIVE in South Florida at Brains, Brilliance & Bold Moves—where I’ll show you how to scale smart, simplify your systems, and make way more money doing less. 🍷 Dinner, wine, and your profit breakthrough: www.jorawald.com/Brains-Brilliance-and-Bold-Moves