Authentic Achievements with Special Guest Alinka Rutkowska
From Bestselling author, currently writing the forthcoming book Authentic Achievements – The 7 Secrets to Building Brave Belief, Unstoppable Sales, and Turning Your Leaders Into Talent Magnets for Guaranteed Sustainable Growth, this show shares advice, stories and inspiration to help you achieve exponential growth personally and for your business. Featuring interviews with industry leaders and a separate series on #confidencehacker to help you build authentic confidence.
In this episode, I am delighted to be joined by Alinka Rutkowska is the CEO of Leaders Press, a USA Today and Wall Street Journal best-selling press, where she creates books for entrepreneurs from scratch and launches them to best-seller with a 100% success rate.
She runs a hybrid publishing house with traditional distribution (via Simon & Schuster) through which more than 500 entrepreneurs have been able to share their stories with the world. 172 Leaders Press authors have become USA Today and Wall Street Journal’s best-selling authors. Alinka has been featured by Forbes, Entrepreneur Magazine, Entrepreneurs on Fire and numerous other outlets.
Her mission is to help 10,000 entrepreneurs share their wisdom with the world by 2030. Despite her achievements, she is still that professional, humorous girl, friend, mum and wife you wanna hang out with.
If you want to learn more about Alinka head over to www.leaderspress.com
If you want to find out more check us out at www.authenticachievements.co.uk
If you enjoyed it, please check out our YouTube or our recent blog or subscribe to our Mastermindset Newsletter
Full Transcript Authentic Achievements with Special Guest Alinka Ritkowska
Authentic Achievements with Alinka Rutkowska
Kim Adele
00:00:09
Hello, and welcome to this episode of authentic achievements where it’s my absolute privilege to be joined by the fabulous Alinka Rudkowski, who is the CEO of leaders, press a USA today and wall street journal, best selling press, where she creates books for entrepreneurs from scratch and launches them to bestseller with a hundred percent success rate, which just outstanding. She also runs a hybrid publishing house with traditional distribution by Simon and Schuster. That which more than a hundred entrepreneurs have been able to share their stories and their wisdom in the world. 172 of the leaders press authors have become USA today on wall street journal, bestselling authors. And on top of all of that, a link has been featured in Forbes. Entrepreneur magazine entrepreneurs on fire are numerous other outlets. Her mission is to help 10,000 entrepreneurs share their wisdom with the world by 2030. But the bit I love most about not just all of your achievements, that on top of all of that Alinka is a humorous girl, a friend, a mum, a wife, and someone you just wanna hang out with of which I’m so looking forward to having the opportunity to hang out with today.
Kim Adele
00:01:22
So Alinka welcome.
Alinka
00:01:24
Thank you so much for having me Kim, super excited, super excited to be here.
Kim Adele
00:01:29
It’s an absolute pleasure. I mean, what a journey you have already achieved so much, but if you had to go back and, and kind of just summarize your journey so far, what would be a key takeaways?
Alinka
00:01:44
I think a key takeaway is to follow your passion and find something in that area that excites you. And that can be something that generates revenue for you. Don’t just go for the revenue because it’s gonna be a very miserable journey, but go after an area where your passion is. And I can talk a lot about that on my publishing journey. I had some side things that I have tried, and that just was not a good idea. If your passion is not there, then doesn’t matter if you’re, if you’re bringing in some extra money, it’s just not. If it’s not aligned with your goals, your values, you’re not excited. Don’t do it. Do what you’re excited about.
Kim Adele
00:02:32
Oh, I love that. Do what, what makes our soul sing? Isn’t it, it reminds me of the Pablo Picasso quote, which is the meaning of life is to find your gift and the purpose of life is to give it away. So to find the thing that we are here to do that likes up our soul and then to go out there and do that. And you’ve you do that so beautifully and as well as that, a allow with your passion to help other people to share their story, which must be amazing.
Alinka
00:03:02
It is it’s a privilege to be able to share people’s stories with the world.
Kim Adele
00:03:08
It is to be fair. I live the most blessed life because I get to do just that in my own small way, through this show, getting people like you to come on and share your experiences, share, share the lessons. I mean, we call it authentic achievements, but not everything goes well, does it? You know, we get our lessons often from the things that didn’t quite go to plan. So could you tell us, has there been, what have been the biggest lessons you’ve learned so far?
Alinka
00:03:35
The biggest lessons are, I think you have to learn when to persevere and when to pivot. So there are moments when you want to keep going. And even though things seem to be going sort of against you, you still find a way to move forward. It’s important to remember that the path to success is not a straight line there’s ups and downs. And, you know, you might be in a sort of downward, you’re going down slightly before you jump back up again. And so it’s important to zoom out and to see where you possibly are sort of from a helicopter view. But then it’s also important to understand when to pivot, cause if you’re banking your head against the wall and you know, nothing’s happening, then that might not be the best and most productive way to keep going. You might need to be, you need to, you need to adapt. So that’s really Darwin’s theory of survival. It’s not the law of the fittest. I think it’s the law of those who are able to adapt to the changing conditions best. So a fine balance between the two persevere and adapt. And then I think it’s really important to find groups of people similar to you. I have a postcard on my desk that says, let your weird light shine bright so that other weirdos know where to find you.
Kim Adele
00:05:07
I love that. That’s amazing.
Alinka
00:05:09
And I think this is so important because you know, my lifestyle for some people might be totally weird. So I for sure consider it a weird though, too many, but it’s important that I find other people just like me and hang out with them and you know, people who have a similar worldview and similar issues, so to speak. So if you can find those tribes and be part of those, that’s, that’s really phenomenal. It it’s a game changer and a mentor. So, you know, success, isn’t that complicated. You just go to somebody who’s already achieved it and ask for directions. People will help. You might be surprised how helpful some people are.
Alinka
00:05:57
One of my mentors is created a huge publishing company that he sold for hundreds of millions of dollars. And I just reached out to this person saying, Hey, you know, I’m a person that implements and maybe you’d be willing to share your knowledge with me. And he was happy too. So, you know, that was even without a financial arrangement, if I was supposed to pay for that, you know, that would be equity or that would be, you know, way into six figures for what, how he’s helping me. But you’ll find people who really want to just have some sort of feeling of being helpful. So it’s important to reach out and don’t be afraid to be, to get rejected. Cause if you don’t reach out, you’re like, if you do reach out and you get rejected or if you don’t reach out, you’re sort of in the same place. But if you reach out and get rejected, first of all, you might learn something, then you can reach out to somebody else and find the ask or get a yes. So it really makes sense to, to go out there and to ask the questions, if you need help, ask for help, you need directions, ask for directions, whatever it is, you know, nobody’s gonna be as passionate about your business as your
Kim Adele
00:07:20
No, that’s, that’s so true and such great advice in there cuz I think, you know, it’s it’s right. Often we, we sit there don’t we we’re like, well I don’t ask us. They’ll they’ll be too busy or they’ll be this. But actually if somebody asks us for it for help and, and support, it’s really nice to give it. Isn’t more privilege to be able to go and share that advice. You’re like, well hold on either I really am the biggest weirdo in the world or actually there’ll be other people like me that also just want to help that just want to provide that, you know, that, that advice and that support because it’s nice to feel you are a part of somebody else’s journey. Isn’t it.
Alinka
00:07:58
That’s exactly it. Yeah.
Kim Adele
00:08:00
I love it. I loved also what you said about, you know, kind of embracing your weirdness and finding your tribe. I remember for years, I’m obviously I’m British. I used to try and be everybody’s cup of tea, which is ludicrous. I mean, we could argue about how we make our tea the same as we could about politics and religion. But then I found a quote, which has been the one I’ve lived by, which is for the right. I’d rather be somebody’s shot of whiskey than everybody’s cup of tea, cause for the right person, you’ll be a shot, their shot of whiskey for everybody else. They’re not, they’re not your cup. That’s fine. They’ll go and find their own shot of whiskey, but it’s quite liberating. Isn’t it? When you can embrace your own weirdness and be comfortable enough to go and seek that in the world.
Alinka
00:08:44
Yes. I totally agree.
Kim Adele
00:08:47
Love that. So we’ve obviously learned about your lessons. What would you say is the thing you’re most proud of so far?
Alinka
00:08:57
I guess I’m proud of what I created in terms of leaders press the business and the lifestyle, what comes with it. So it’s great to create from scratch. I don’t come from an entrepreneurial family. I come from an academic family, an academic background and the idea of, you know, walking up the ladder and getting the next accolade. So sometimes I, I get to know people who come from entrepreneurial family and I think like, wow, that’s phenomenal to get all that support and inspiration, but Hey, I didn’t need that to, to create leaders press. So it feels good to have created something from scratch from zero, you know, literally from, from nothing from idea. And, and now we’re, you know, three people publishing house, we published hundreds of authors, almost 200, got on the USA today was we journal bestseller list. We have an agreement, a distribution agreement with Simon and Schuster. We put books in bookstores. So to have created this from scratch feels pretty. I look back,
Kim Adele
01:10:13
You should be. I mean, what an amazing achievement and you know, not only have you built something up from scratch, you are a pivotal part of helping other people create their legacy because books live on don’t. They, they live on pastors. So, you know, you’re creating an opportunity for people to not only put their wisdom out there, but to keep it out there for it to, to be their legacy, which must be an amazing thing, amazing gift to be able to give somebody
Alinka
01:10:40
It is, you know, it’s wonderful. We’re we held the co-founder of deal international story of how he built the company from scratch to a billion dollar corporation that was for DHL’s 50th anniversary. So that’s, you know, that’s a company that a lot of people know, but then we did a lot of stories of entrepreneurs who built, not know the whole world, but are still number one in their niches. And you know, these stories are able to live on so other entrepreneurs can learn from them. And so that they do leave a footprint and are able to tell their story with their own words so that they are the ones that decide how they want to be remembered and there wisdom some lives on. So I remember my mom would always tell me about her uncle who had a sausage recipe and it was amazing. And he took it with him to the grave.
Alinka
01:11:40
So don’t take with whether it’s your sausage recipe or whether it’s, how to build a successful company or whatever, how to, how to be happy, how to be a good parent, how to whatever you figured out. I think it’s important to, to share it cause you know, that’s really how we’ve been able to grow through these centuries. It’s by, you know, first it was stories that were told from generation to generation. Then we started writing them and now we have this power to, to leave a legacy like this. So I would definitely, if we haven’t yet I would jump on it and get started on mine.
Kim Adele
01:12:26
Oh, I, I love that. So true. Isn’t it? You know, I’ve always said the one thing that connects us around the world irrelevant of our age, our race, our gender, our culture is that we all teach and we all learn in stories as you’ve so eloquently put we’ve been doing it since the Dawn of time, you know, with the caveman drawings all the way through to, you know, to these days you can do it. You could even through forums like this, can’t you, but getting it out there, getting the story out there. And, and you know, I always think if sharing that our story helps just one person, then it’s worth sharing our story. Because if we all just helped one person, the world would already be a better place. Wouldn’t it? So your, your mission, which I love to get to 10,000 people by 2030, how, how are you planning on approaching that?
Alinka
01:13:12
Hmm. Well, we do have a plan. We are numbers driven. So we know how many people we need to reach out to how many people we need to get on calls, how many people we need to get into our funnel so that then we can help them with their, with their stories and with their message. So we did do the math and then that’s, that’s how we planted gone in 2030. We still have a couple years.
Kim Adele
01:13:42
I love it. So for anybody that’s watching this share or listening to it, cuz we’re both on radio and TV. What kind of person are you looking for? You know, if this person’s got a story inside them, how can we get them ready to unlock that and come and talk to you?
Alinka
01:14:00
Right? So the type of person that we usually work with as a successful entrepreneur, who’d like to either share their wisdom with the world in terms of legacy. So leave a footprint legacy piece or somebody who’s looking to grow their business and wants to use their book as a lead generational or big card. Another group of people that we work with are speakers who want books in order to increase their speaking fees, because then they get to come on stage as not just speaker, but speaker and bestselling author. And we can do USA today or wall street journal bestselling author. So speakers have books have doubled their prices. That’s a good way to go. And the best way to get started is if you go to leaders, press.com/discover, you’ll be able to go through a one minute quiz that will tell you what type of book you should be doing, whether be generator or the lace piece, or maybe a chapter in anthology. So depending on your goals, and one minute it will tell you what you, what would be a good fit for you. And also you’ll get a copy of my book, entitled outsource book. Those are the 17 steps to creating a bestselling book. The original of that book is an article in entrepreneur magazine. And now it’s an audio book as well. So you get all that. When you go to leaders, press.com/discover.
Kim Adele
01:15:27
Oh amazing. And it’s, it’s, it’s such a great journey. Isn’t it going from, you know, thinking about being part of the book to then being part of the book to then writing your whole own, but it is, it is a journey, isn’t it? It’s getting, it’s having that courage to take that first step to that leap of faith and trusting that your knowledge is valuable. What you’ve learned has taken you. It’s taken you a while. I I do with clients all the time ago. Oh that takes me 10 minutes. It’s like it took you 30 years to learn how to do it in 10 minutes. So the value that you bring is the 30 years experience, not the 10 minutes that it takes you to do something. It’s how you help the next person not have to spend 30 years learning it cuz they can shortcut it through your learning.
Alinka
01:16:17
Yeah, exactly.
Kim Adele
01:16:19
I love that. So if you had to go back and give the younger Alinka, some advice, what would it be?
Alinka
01:16:31
I think to just keep going, things will, things will always work out. And I think it’s important to enjoy the journey. I was very goal driven for many years and didn’t really give a lot of attention to pay a lot of attention to enjoying the journey. And so now I’m much more about doing love, also really appreciating various segments of the day cuz you know, that’s what our life is, you know, consists of. It’s it’s I mean you could say day after day, but it’s also segment after segment after segment. So we’re doing this now and I am enjoying it and then I’m gonna be doing, you know, have another segment day and I will be enjoying it and just being conscious about it to both work wise and outside. So if you’re having a cup of coffee with friends, then be mindful of what a great moment this is that, you know, you’re surrounded by these great people or if you’re by yourself and say, Hey so great to have a moment for myself. You know, nobody’s, nobody’s, nobody’s wanting anything in this, in this, in this moment. So just being mindful of it. Cause if you’re not mindful of it just these days pass by and you’re on the treadmill, not stopping for a second. So just appreciating and knowing that you’re never really gonna get it done because as soon as you achieve that goal that you have in front of you, you’re gonna set another one.
Alinka
01:18:15
So, so in the end it it’s, the journey is important. The journey is as a destination. So what’s the destination right at the end. We’re just gonna, just gonna walk out of this life. Right? That’s the destination, I guess. So let’s enjoy it.
Kim Adele
01:18:33
I love that such great advice cause it’s right. Isn’t it often we’re so busy chasing where we are going, that we forget to be present to the present. And that’s where often the greatest gifts are. Aren’t they in those moments, I I’ve, I’ve become so much more present since I became a mum. When you look at the wonder in their eyes and realize, you know, you are doing the school work and you’re thinking I’m nearly late till I’ve got to get you here, I’ve got these things doing and then you watch them getting like totally distracted, cause there’s a butterfly that they just want to be able to look at and tell you about. And you think actually it’s not gonna, it’s not gonna change the world if I just stop and be present in that moment. But we’re creating an amazing memory and a connection with the people around us, whether that’s our children, whether it’s our friends, whether it’s the people that we meet in business, but being in the moment can be the greatest gift. Can’t it?
Alinka
01:19:30
Yeah.
Kim Adele
01:19:31
I love that. So I could, I wanna say I could chat you one day if I’m very conscious of your time as well. So what do you, what do you think is next for you? I mean, you talked about the fact when you get a goal, you think you’re gonna move on to the next one. I know you’re passionate about this one, but are there other things that you’ve got in mind for your next goals?
Alinka
01:19:55
I’m very consistent. And my goal is to grow there for us to help more entrepreneurs share their wisdom with the world, create more books and you know, all the consequences of that. So it’s, it’s great to have a driving business if we’re going through a difficult moment because when you’re growing, you know, growing sounds like fun, but there are some downsides to being in the growth phase. So just really understanding where we are on our journey and yes, going after that next goal. Cause I do have a next goal and then there’s gonna be a goal after that. And it’s all linked to growing leaders press right now. And as I’m doing this, just being more and more conscious of enjoying it, I’m also, I’m not the type of person who feels like you grow by putting in more hours or, you know, working harder much more about leveraging the skills of the team and growing without increasing my workload or my time involved. So as we become a bigger and bigger company, I want to be spending less and less time well working. I don’t really call it work cuz it’s fun, but just have more and more free time. So I get the people who have this type of mindset.
Kim Adele
02:21:32
I love that. Yeah. It’s like one of the things I help my clients with is how do we move you from working in the business, to working on the business? Because as you grow, sometimes you can get pulled into the weeds, can’t you? And it’s like, actually, how do you change that? So that you can do the bits where your soul shines and you can still grow. But, but actually you, it’s not, it’s not pivotal to you. There was a, a lady I interviewed last week, Michelle sealer took her who explained it beautifully that so many businesses, particularly in America, I think it was 80%. She said that actually exit poor. They don’t exit rich. And that’s because the whole business is pivotal around the owner of the business and you take the owner out and, and the business disappears. And, and so, you know, her advice is what you are doing, which is to think about the end in sight, which is what happens when I’m not in it.
Kim Adele
02:22:22
How do we make sure it goes on? It’s the legacy? It continues to grow because that’s the part that’s more important than the piece of you being in it. I am so, so grateful to you for sharing your journey with us. I’d love you to come back on and let keep us updated. Let us know how you are getting on. And I will also make sure that in the notes below is all the details of how anybody out there. That’s got a burning desire to get your knowledge out there for a legacy to take that leap, to be part of a book or to have an entire book, then do get in touch with Alinka. We’ll make sure that all of her contact details are in the link. Alinka. Thank you so very much. I hope you will come back on and see us again. And I look forward to hearing more of your successes.
Alinka
02:23:13
Oh, thank you so much for having me, Kim. Thank you everybody for watching and listening,
Kim Adele
02:23:18
It’s been a pleasure. Take care.