Valerie Prasetyo- Steps to successful investing
Valerie Prasetyo
Steps to successful investing
By Fati Gorezi
Valerie is a crypto-currency and property investor, a ‘Success Strategist’ and an International Speaker. Her vision is to create a better life on this planet for future generations and also to empower people to start living their lives on their own terms and conditions. Valerie was born in Central Asia and grew up in a traditional Asian family. She graduated from business school with a degree and an MBA. She started her first business at the age of 22 working full time in the one of the biggest central Asian banks in the department of ‘International Relations’.
What does being a successful woman mean to you?
Success has a broad definition because each and every one of us defines it differently.
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For me, a successful woman is one who brings out all her talents and gifts and who is not afraid to stand out and deliver her message to the world. It is a woman who constantly educates herself and stands up for growth in order to serve and who brings value to the local community/country/world – and does it with the natural grace. A woman who knows exactly what she wants, achieves her goals and is not afraid to be vulnerable because recognising her vulnerability makes her stronger. A successful woman is one who stays true to her values and prioritises things accordingly having both a career and a family if she wants. At the end of the day, success is not only a combination of all your trophies, medals awards, etc., it’s how much you transform yourself for the better on your life journey.
How did you come up with your business idea? Can you tell us more about it?
I have several businesses now. My entrepreneurial journey started from the dancing school that I opened after my graduation from business school. However, I always wanted to create multiple passive income streams. That’s why I read almost all of the books of Robert and Kim Kiyosaki. My first investment property I acquired five years ago, and it was my first passive income stream. Then I started to study and learn more about the property business. Together with my husband we did several courses, had some mentorship and then founded our own ‘Property Investment’ Company. Rule number1: first you learn then you earn. So, we continued with the business coaching, surrounded ourselves with like-minded people, and new opportunities then came our way. We discovered an opportunity to create a passive wealth stream through a crypto-currency investment. First, we invested, learnt how it works, got the results and we are now educating other people and sharing this opportunity to earn money while you are sleeping. But what is the most fascinating is the vision of Bitcoin and many other blockchain-based projects to give power to people and provide them with the opportunity to build a greater life. In blockchain everything is based on trust, because we rely on mathematics here, withdrawing fully human factors and other “third party” biases. I am really excited about the positive changes that technology can bring to our lives as long the industry is growing in a positive and healthy direction. Also, I think a big part of our business is ‘Speaking’.
What are your three greatest accomplishments?
I like challenges on some level and always test myself. So, I went through a lot of battles.
One of my greatest accomplishment was to become a World and German Champion in ‘Formation Ballroom Dancing’ representing the German National Team. Before this I had five years break from sport because I wanted to try something different, build up a career and a business. However, I went through a tough time after losing the family and many down moments in life connected to it. But I always say, the hardest time reveals how strong you can be. I set high goals for myself and made a decision that starting from now I will follow my heart, my passion and do what I really love to do. I left my home country and was travelling from country to country to find a good base for myself involving good trainers, dance partner and the opportunity to start my own business. It was not an easy path, so many people told me that I was ‘crazy’ and I would come back in a maximum of one year. I met people who tried to bring me down only because of my nationality, my long-term break in sport, physical condition, etc. The more challenges I faced, the more power I’ve got and determination to go for it. I was in the gym every single day, I took private lessons, I woke up early and come back home after midnight working on my dream. To make a long story short, I found myself in Germany, where I moved without knowing any German language, having zero connections or any idea what ‘formation discipline’ is. I loved to watch the performance and yes, it’s still ballroom dancing, but it’s completely different world when it comes to dancing it. After one tough year of working hard, training 8-10 hours per day, learning a language to be able to understand what the trainer and team members were saying, competing with myself and in my team (because only 8 couples are allowed to represent the country) as well as sacrificing family, friends, meetings, health, etc. we finally became World and National Champions. One year later we won the German championship in ‘couple dancing’ and were taking part in lots of prestigious international competitions around the world.
Saying ‘we’, I mean my life, sport and business partner – who is also an amazing dad for our baby girl. Another accomplishment, or I would call it a blessing, is to become a mom. This is the best thing that can happen in the life of any woman. It’s when you can fully explore the nature of being a woman – how to really serve, nurture and become a source of unconditional love. You have to go through many changes on a physical and mental level. Pregnancy, giving birth itself and postnatal experiences can be challenging. But when you hold your baby, see how it’s growing, learning something new every single day and then says “mom” for the first time it is simply priceless. One more accomplishment I believe was starting a new business in parallel with the existing one, being a full-time mom. And I applaud to all “mom-preneurs” who say ‘yes’ to both – career and business. However, I don’t recommend starting a new business during the pregnancy or directly after getting a new role as a parent. 🙂
Tell me about a time that you worked the hardest in your life
It seems like always! If you want results in sport, you need to train hard, keeping in mind that somewhere your rival is warming up. So, you need to push it more. I also had times when I was working in corporations (sometimes without weekends and from morning till morning) and combined work with opening my first business. Nowadays, I am a mom (chef, teacher, doctor, maid personnel, shopper, psychologist, bank, security, role model, etc…) and business owner which means waking up earlier and going to sleep later than everybody else in the family.
Why is financial freedom so important for women?
Financial freedom is important for everybody including those who want to enjoy this life fully. Just imagine – you have holidays, or you take time for your family and friends, or maybe you decide to try new hobby or start a new business that takes a lot of effort and time and you are still paid. In case of crypto-currency mining, you are paid every single day. Answering your question, it gives you freedom, choice and opportunity to build a life you really deserve. In my case, when I started my „to make dream come true journey“ I was not financially free, but because I had a passive income stream, I could travel and focus on achieving my goals in sport without being dependent on somebody, whether it’s a person or a government.
In your opinion what are the key steps to financial freedom?
Step number one is education. Without sufficient knowledge you can’t move forward. Step number two find a mentor/coach/teacher who will show you the way. We were always blessed to have the best trainers, amazing mentors and great coaches. And nowadays I am helping others to reach their goals in life and in business, because somebody did and is doing the same for me. Step three, learn to make up your mind in accordance with pure facts that you receive from the right source. Media and the internet are not always the best answer providers because it’s hard to filter and understand where the truth lies. Ask yourself; has this person got what I want, and can they teach me how to reach the same goal? Step four, know your numbers. You have to be clear with all your cash flow projections and know exactly what the numbers are you targeting. Step five, action! You can’t get results without doing things and implementing what you’ve learnt. Step six, celebrate small and big wins. It becomes a habit and attracts even more opportunities. Step seven, never give up until you reach your goal. In the beginning it seems like you are not moving forward, or you are moving but very slowly. But if you continue pushing forward, there comes time when it just grows exponentially.
What are the key ingredients to guiding and maintaining successful business relationships?
I think in any relationships the most important ingredients are transparency, authenticity and loyalty. Before entering the deal, be transparent with your intentions, end results and what each party expects from each other. It’s a must to have a paper contract in place and be clear about each scenario. Talking about authenticity, I mean ‘be who you really are’, knowing exactly what you can bring to the table, what values you can provide and what is the level of your expertise. It’s better to under-promise and over-deliver. Moreover, as a human being we are building a business with another human being, meaning that people want to do business with you if they are really connected with you and if they feel that you are someone who is trustworthy and have high values and life principles. If you pretend to be somebody else, you might have luck in the short-term, but you can’t win long-term. And that’s where the loyalty comes in as well. Loyalty in business relationships means to be committed to this relationship, avoiding any conflicts of interests and – if this is the case – informing the other party in order to find the best solution. We have had experiences when people committed and then we found out that they work for competitors or they promised something and never delivered. There were even cases when people took money and “forgot” to provide their services! So, be committed and if you took a responsibility to take care of your clients/investors/customers/partners – then do it!
How do you stay connected in mind body and spirit?
Kundalini yoga and meditation. That’s what brought me back from deep depression many years ago and it’s still helping me on so many levels. It’s a combination of physical exercise, breathing techniques, mantras, mudras and of course meditation. The result is not just a stronger physical body but also it increases self-awareness, intuition and the process of healing. It’s hard to explain with words – you need to feel it. That’s why I also did a Kundalini Yoga Teacher’s Training in Bali and teach people from time to time. But in general, I would recommend doing sport, reading as much as you can and doing spiritual practices. This is at least my way to stay connected to myself, generate creativity and increase my energy levels.
What’s unique about you?
I love change. This is one of my sources of growth. For example, when I see that I can’t develop myself further and get results I am targeting, I can easily move. Because if you are not growing, you are dying. And the purpose of this life is to explore different facets of it and transform yourself to be the best version of yourself. I also push myself very often out of the comfort zone. It helps to avoid fixed mindset, brings outstanding results and helps me to rediscover my internal power.
What qualities do you think make someone successful in business?
Quick decision making, not being stuck in analysis-paralysis, being able to adapt, especially nowadays when we face changes every single day – and be creative. In the past it could take years to build up a profitable business but nowadays, in the era of technology, it can take months or weeks. Your competitors are moving fast as well so you don’t have time to procrastinate with the decision making. Being able to adapt is another important feature, especially in such industries like blockchain technology. Everything is changing so fast that you need to be constantly prepared. And, of course, creativity plays an essential role. It helps to keep costs of business lower, results higher and USPs stronger.
Will you be speaking at Global Woman Summit? And, if so, what do you want to get out of the event?
I met Mirela the first time in London during the ‘Best You Expo’ where we were the Speakers. I felt so connected with what her organization is doing because I have the same mission – to help people unleash their power and bring the best into this world. Being the speaker at the ‘Global Woman Summit’ means a lot to me. First of all, it’s an opportunity to connect with entrepreneurs from all over the world, meet like-minded people and build new relationships. Also, I started my Speaking career some time ago and this is the way to bring my message to the world and help other people to succeed in many aspects of their life. Last, but not least, I’ve been in USA already, but this is my first trip to NYC. So, I am feeling excited about seeing the city of “labels and love” (like in the song ).
What are your aspirations and plans for the future?
I have several new projects that I am working on now. I will mention some of them. I am going to publish my own book. It was a goal that I set many years ago but put it in the ‘long-term’ folder. I feel like now is the time to tell my story. However, the goal of this book is to bring another view on different things in life and help people to see the beauty of all the gifts they have. I need to add that Speaking became a big part of our business and we receive a lot of invitations to share our knowledge and expertise. So, another project is connected with it. It will be exclusive and powerful event, more details will be revealed soon.
And for sure to bring into the world my signature program the mission of which is to create as many as possible life champions who succeed in everything they do, whether it’s in business or in life in general.
If the readers want to know more information they can follow me on Social Media. I am on facebook, linked-in and Instagram, as well as on my website. It’s an exciting time and I am blessed to be working with incredible people.
