Izabela Hamilton is the Founder and CEO of RankBell, a brand accelerator that helps Amazon businesses grow to 7 & 8 figures through driving organic keyword ranking and optimization. Izabela is on a mission to help third party sellers make an impact with their brands, build sustainable wealth, stop stressing about financial security, and start living the life they’ve always dreamed of.
Date: June 30
Episode: 7
Title: Norman Farrar introduces Izabela Hamilton, founder and CEO of Rankbell, a launch and rank service accelerator that helps Amazon businesses grow to 7 & 8 figures through driving organic keyword ranking and optimization.
Subtitle: The power of visualization and making dreams become a reality
Final Show Link: https://iknowthisguy.com/episodes/07-izabela-hamilton/
In this episode of I Know this Gal…Norman Farrar introduces Izabela Hamilton, founder and CEO of Rankbell, a brand accelerator that helps Amazon businesses grow to 7 & 8 figures through driving organic keyword ranking and optimization.
Izabela is a Networking magnet and a Boss Babe. She came from a communist country and dreamed of coming to America. Her first job was being a nanny and she was good at it. She studied at Harvard and honed her business skills. She is an advocate for women empowerment and strongly believes in the power of visualization to make dreams come true.
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Izabela 0:00
Walk in, I saw this little note on a lamppost and I say get closer, is written in like very small letters and there’s a phone number and he read. Do you want to go to America?
Norman 0:20
Hey, everybody. It’s Norman Farrar, host of I Know this Guy… and I Know this Gal. Her name is Isabela Hamilton. And she’s the founder of Rankbell.com. It’s a launch and rank service for Amazon sellers. And she’s going to share her amazing venture over the last few years.
Norman 0:46
Hi, Isabela.
Izabela 0:47
Hey, Norm, thank you so much for having me on. This is it, caught me actually by surprise when you contacted me because this concept is something that I’ve never heard of before and I am so happy to be part of this. Thank you so much for having me on. I love it.
Norman 1:07
It’s interesting, because you’re one of the people that came to mind yet you were referred to by Melissa Simonson who was on our podcast just the other day. But you are the ultimate entrepreneur, you are an incredible networker. I’ve seen you just broaden your horizons over the last year, year and a half. And so I was really excited when Melissa said, hey, you’ve got to talk to this incredible lady. And so I’ve got a few questions. We’re going to talk about, , your you’re quote that you provided. I’m going to talk a little bit about your success. I want to know what your secret is to , broadening out knowing every , everybody, , everybody, and you’ve only been in this business for a short period of time. What makes Isabela, Isabella?
Izabela 2:00
Thank you. That’s a beautiful, great question. But first of all, I want to thank Melissa Simonton. I love her. She’s become like a sister to me over the past year, I was fortunate enough to meet her and she’s just such a bright spirit in my life. And I think everybody’s lives that surround her. So I want to acknowledge her and thank her for recommending me and thank you again for having me on. Yeah, so as you all know by now, my name is Isabela Hamilton, and I came from Romania about 16 years ago. And I decided to come to this beautiful country because it’s one of those places that if you live in Europe, you dream of your whole life, and only a few of us are fortunate enough to get out and enjoy the United States move in here and make it your home. And when I say, only a few make it is not necessarily that it is like a prison there, but it’s just the circumstances that surround those in Europe or other countries that are not as elevated as the United States that have a hard time coming. And of course, then you have the immigration issue, and all of those But yeah, I was fortunate to, and I guess lucky to to make it to this country. So that was a long time ago.
Norman 3:38
So Romania, back in the day, communist country. What are the differences that you saw back then compared to living in America and how did you, what did you like from the start, say, Hey, I wanted to go to the US?
Izabela 3:56
So this dream started for me. When I was very young, my dad would always tell me stories about this beautiful country, even though he has never been here. It was just something he’s heard of as well. And it’s like when you live in a really poor country, or you’re going through like a bad situation, our mind tends to think of better scenarios. And I think America was that better scenario for him. So he kind of ingrained that into my mind as a young child. And he would always say, Oh, this country out there exists and people just have it so well, and there’s a lot of well then there’s not really any poor people and there’s an abundance of food and riches and everything you want. So growing up, I’ve always had this in my head and, , when I got older, I started thinking like, was that really my wish? Or was it his way? But I think together, it was like the perfect combination because I’ve always aspired to do something with my life. And those circumstances in Romania did not permit me to become who I wanted to become. So, him giving that to me was like a gift. It was like the gift of a dream. And it all starts with the dream, . So that’s, that’s how I was my goal started to come to US.
Norman 5:30
In Romania, what was it like growing up during your time there?
Izabela 5:35
So, , we, we were, we were poor, but everybody was poor. So, , everybody around us was in the same class. Of course, there were some there that were very wealthy, but those belonged, like the government or they were, , high, high level people. So it was this separation of those people, unreachable, untouchable. And this is where we are. And this is where we will be staying our whole life. Because I saw grandparents, , I saw the grandparents were in the village, and then their kids end up going back to the village to become grandparents. So it was, it was that stable, stable timeline. And, , growing up, I was like, this cannot be me, I will not just work in a factory or, , get hired for some very small meaningless job. And it was like, it felt like I was strapped in myself because I wanted to do something more but I didn’t know what I wanted. And I didn’t know how to get it. And I didn’t know how I could ever even do that. So that’s when my dream to come to the United States became even bigger and more fiery because I said I cannot stay in this country like there’s, it’s too small for me now that I’m putting any blame on everyone there is just, I was different. I’ve always felt different. I’ve always wanted to achieve more and also looking back at my parents like they were working so hard for really no money. I mean, I think the salary back then it was maybe $80 a month, $100 a month. And I have a sister and a brother. And , you have utilities, you have food, you have school. I remember every month was like a struggle. It was always like, are we gonna make it next month? And, , I mean, of course, your parents always tried to hide these kinds of things now that I’m a parent, I can understand that. But still, even as kids even though we didn’t understand what impoverishment is, and all that we could feel it a little bit, even though we didn’t know any better. So like for Christmas, what we would get as gifts was like, a piece of banana and like two oranges. And this was a Christmas gift. That means we would not get this throughout the year. You understand it was so simple, simple things that for us, it was like oh my god, we’re getting this, this beautiful gift. So it was things like that now that I look back or now I live in this abundant country where you can just go to the store and buy whatever you want, whenever you want. And, , then back it was these simple things that made us super happy and just different things like not having keys during the winter, not having, , just different different things like going walking to the school in, , like three feet of snow and being cold. And I mean, I could go back and think of all the instances but this was like our life and it wasn’t that it was hard or it was just different. It was what we were having That time,
Norman 9:01
It was the norm.
Izabela 9:03
It was the norm. Yes.
Norman 9:04
Yeah. So how did you get out of a communist country? I, you just couldn’t go and cross the border. So when was that aha moment?
Izabela 9:14
So, well, this actually brings us to the quote that I provided to you. And if you would allow me, I would love to say it is whatever the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve. So for me, it started very young when I started, like making these little goals and wishes for myself, and then they would come true. So I kept pushing the envelope a little bit, and I would say, let me see if I can wish for this and see if it will happen. So the more I did that, the faster my wishes became true. So because you asked, how did I get out of that country. And so my wish of coming to America became so strong that every time single Day, that’s all I would think about. And that was my goal. I had one goal in life. And it was to come to this country. So every day, I would say it and I was even more powerful, I would imagine it. So I would say like in my bed and nighttime, before falling asleep, and I would visualize the place I was going to live in, in America. Okay, I remember this beautiful white house, walking in, going upstairs in this room that had like, bunk beds. And I don’t know why these images came to me. Um, but it’s how I imagined life in America, right? So everyday, having these everyday, these dreams and the goals and I said, , one day I’m going to together, but because I was doing it every day, it became real for me. I had no doubt in my mind, that I wasn’t going to come to this country. So one day, I was walking down the street coming from my school. And as I was walking, it was like a very, very cool day. And while I was walking, I saw this little note on a lamppost. And as I get closer, is written in like very small letters, and there’s a phone number and it read. Do you want to go to America? call this number, we have the right program for you. So it was like an advertisement. But I’ve never seen that in my entire life. And I was certain This was my message. Okay, somebody did this for me. And this is my, like, it was like, I don’t know, like a, like a wish come true. And I was like, Oh my God, this this is literally what I’ve been praying for all the time. So I take that number down. And I run home and I call it because we have house phones. There were no cell phones back then. So I called this number and they explained the program and they said, , we are in a different city from where I was, it was about an hour away, you have to come to us, we’ll have to, like pay you to see if you can become part of our program. It’s a nanny program and what we do is we send different, , to different cities in America, these nannies that people can get some help with, for their kids. And I was like, Oh my god, sign me up. I’m the greatest nanny in the world. I mean, I was 20 , okay, I was good. I was a good person. But , I didn’t have so much experience, but in my head, I was like, Oh my god, I’m gonna be the best nanny that they have ever seen in their entire life. So they accepted me. All I had to do was pay $1,000 which was as you can imagine a fortune back then. And you just have to pay for the program, and you have to pass your driving licence. And I didn’t have it then. So I started taking lessons and it’s very hard to pass Romanian driving licence. It’s not like here. First of all mentality is completely different in Romania. Okay. Um, but I passed this so every time I would pass this goal, I was getting closer to my dream. And then one day this family calls me from America. And they say , we have two kids, we would love to have you. Your birthday is the same birthday as my daughter. So that means it’s meant to be and we’re gonna be a great family. And I said, Oh, of course, I’m going to America. And then it hit me. I was like, Oh my god, I am leaving my country. I don’t know anybody in America. I don’t know any English. I have no money, and I have to leave my family there. I was living with my parents. I was a child. I was 20. , I was like, What am I doing? It’s just in one instance. But then I was like, This is my dream like, I have to grow up really quickly, really quickly, like overnight, I went from being a child to a grown up. And then, um, I get on a plane. I’ve never been on a plane in my entire life. And I was like, Oh my god, like what is happening? Am I really leaving my whole continent to move to another one to start this life? And I did. And, , I got to America and I, I wish you could feel what I was feeling. It was a moment of like, Holy moly, I can accomplish anything I want. If I was able to make such a big goal, and I made it, there’s nothing in this world that I cannot achieve. So I got to America and of course, there’s all kinds of other things that have started when I was here , there are other goals, other fears that you’re facing other successes and failures. But that one move that one goal has completely and utterly changed my life. I could have been in Romania and who knows what I would have done there, I don’t know. But that one decision that one day for me to move to another country has , given birth to this, Isabella.
Norman 15:36
So the power of visualization
Izabela
hundred percent
Norman
and you’re still doing it to this day,
Izabela 15:42
I do it every day. And because I’ve been doing it for so many years, it has really become a tool. And I know , this term is thrown around a lot and people are like, well, that’s kind of like oh my god, you’re you just wish it and then it comes true. But there’s a science to this. I mean, there’s so many successful people out there that have practiced this and have become successful. We are all the same. We really are. I mean , look at Tony Robbins, he’s so successful and his mentality is all about , it’s 80% psychology 20% fundamental. So if you’re in the right frame of mind, you can almost guarantee your success at some point in the future. So it’s, it’s not an if , it’s when it will happen. It’s we’re all the same. We’re all born to say, of course, , there’re a few genius geniuses out there that , maybe they’re just born with that extra talent, but the rest of us are pretty are the same. And then you see some people elevate, like, look at Bezos as we’re , we all share the Amazon space. I mean, this human has created something so incredible. And he was a nobody he started in his garage. Like, to me that’s so inspiring to see somebody, it gives me power. So you can, you can take this two ways. You can look at somebody like Bezos and say, Well, , he’s a piece of whatever or , or you can take it as like, Oh my God, if that guy did it, so can I. And this has been my mentality throughout my life. I look at people that inspire me. And I try to copy that. And , of course, I’m also human. And, , we all have, , sometimes, excuse me, a little bit of jealousy or a little bit of stress or a little bit of, , like, Oh, my God, what if I can do it, but as long as you keep coming back to those fundamentals of believing in yourself and knowing that you can achieve really anything you want, and oh, A lot of us are stopped by our own beliefs, , when we think oh, I can do that I can be as smart as Norman or I can be, , as successful as him and, but really, if they have a conversation with you, they will find out that you do have started from zero, , you created yourself you brought yourself to this point and I did the same and all this other mega successful people in the world. They started from nothing but what they didn’t do is they didn’t quit, because once you quit, that’s the end. The rest of us, , we become successful because we keep on going we keep, , going for our goals. And even if we fail, we get up and we start back up.
Norman 18:46
Every single show that we’ve talked to entrepreneurs, successful entrepreneurs, Hayden, what did they say?
Hayden 18:54
Said a lot of things.
Norman 18:56
We hear it all the time, resilience when somebody knocks you down, you got to get back up. And if you can’t do that you’ll never be a successful entrepreneur.
Hayden 19:08
And also, I wanted to add something there too. I mean, like, you talked about visualization. And I’ve heard my dad talk about that too, since I was a kid. But do you think part of that is also like that time where you just kind of sit and reflect and figure out exactly what you want because I feel like a lot of people can kind of get up and just their day to day lives and not really think outside the box or see that they have another opportunity and like just taking a minute or two to actually like sit down and really see like, Okay, what Who am I and what do I want to get out of this life?
Izabela 19:42
This is one of the hardest things for people to figure out what they want. , I tried to do an exercise about about a month ago, I started this program and the lady said, , you will have to put 10 wishes down on the paper and it was one of the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Because it makes you face your fears in a way, because you’re putting those wishes down in the back of your mind is like, Oh, you cannot do that. So let me let me put on a lesser wish, or you can’t even think of 10 things that you want. Everybody says, Oh, I want to be successful. I want to be this. But then if you ask them what they really want, they don’t know. And that is Hayden, like you said, the number one, I think, stop that people get it because they really don’t know what they want. , when they say I want to be successful, they don’t really have a clear definition of what that is. Like, what does that mean for you? Does that means 5000 a month? Does that mean? a million a month or does that mean you want to live in Costa Rica for , $1,000 a month like we all have different term for that for that success. So but if you cannot describe it to yourself, it’s very hard to reach it. It’s almost like navigating without a map. It’s like, Oh, I want to get somewhere, I don’t know where well guess what your, your direction in life is now going to be, , good because you’re kind of just like on autopilot and you’re just kind of going with the wind and you’re going here and maybe you can get a little success here and a little success there. But it’s never going to be what you want is because you never made that goal. So I always say, , if you want to make 100 million a year, it’s definitely possible. You look at that number first of all, you make a clear goal if that is what you want. And then try to come up with some type of directions back. How do I get from 100 million to like where I am today, like, look backwards, okay, what do I need to do? I need to make this much money per month, and how do I get that? I have to sell this many products or whatever it is, and then you kind of let it go like once you have that map, your life is going to start rearranging itself to meet those expectations. And I know it’s a little weird because it’s kind of like, sounds like magic. But when you have a clear goal, the whole universe is going to work with you to accomplish your goal. I mean, look at me, I came from Romania. I mean, it’s probably easier now. But 16 years ago, it wasn’t as easy. If I made that happen. And also, , I came here with like, no money, I had $100 that my dad borrowed, that he gave me and now, I consider myself a very successful entrepreneur. And I did it all by myself like one were the odds of me ever coming here and doing this and even get to me you guys like this is it keeps blowing my mind every time I think about it. So , it’s it’s, it’s hard to look at successful people and, and think that you can achieve it too but it If you start focusing on your life and what you want, you’re going to be shocked, of how the universe works. It will bring every connection possible to make it happen for you like this is the simplest formula in the world that I discovered, is when you have a clear goal, what you want, how the universe or God or whatever you want to call it will give that to you. It’s that simple. It’s like, it’s like the perfect formula. You don’t even have to like do my job. Of course, you have to take actions, but it’s not going to be as as unimaginable and as crazy as as you thought. That’s why I love I love this quote, and I love this is actually from my favorite book thinking grow rich. And I tried to read that once in a while by Napoleon Hill. Because it always reminds me of everything that we can achieve, and it’s just so beautiful, like when you really sit down and think of all this, you’re going to be amazed and starts, , start with and practice with little things like, Oh, I would maybe like to speak at the next event or the next, , in a year from now, I want somebody to invite me to speak at an event. Oh my god, Norman. As soon as I did that, I was like, let me just play with us into one day. I’m not. I don’t even know how to tell you this. Like I was like, what, this year I want to speak at a few conferences. within a span of a week. I had like five invitations, including one in Hong Kong, one in Romania. And one in Austin. I’ve had, I was like, What is going on? Like my wishes are coming true so fast that sometimes it scares me. I was like, Oh my God. And the other part is be careful what you wish for that thing because it can come true. It’s exactly this because then I was like, Oh my God. I don’t know how I’m not . What is The world am I gonna do on stage? So you have to be careful what you are asking. But of course that gave me this, like, boost of confidence. And, , I started speaking a little more and it made me a little bit more comfortable with, , podcasts and, and the speaking summits and, , it’s it’s all going towards my one goal that
I know it will come true to,
Norman
, one of the things I remember, this goes back, oh gosh, probably 20 years ago. And , we were having a bit of a time with one of the companies and it was tough, but I had to move from one city to a different city. And I knew where I wanted to be. And I just like you said, visualizing, so , for those that don’t do this, it’s gonna sound a little corny, but , I sat down and we had a beautiful condo down on the water in Lake Ontario. I’d go down there and I just sit and I meditate. And , I saw where I was gonna live. And it was,, , I saw the condos. And , I thought, oh, wow, this is where I want to live. This is exactly what it is. And sure enough, I was driving by one day. And we were looking for a place and that was it. I was driving by. So that’s the condo. I went in, and I talked to the people and they said, Yeah, , there’s some available and I looked at it, and I thought, Okay, great. I was looking at a penthouse condo and I wanted, I had it all visual, all visualized. And this was like on the ninth floor, and I thought, Oh, it’s in the middle, and I got people above me and people below me. And then as I’m driving out, and this is the time of the big clunker, cell phones, so I’m in my car, and I got a call and they said oh, a pentose came available as I drove away. And it was oh my gosh, we went back and Hayden you you probably don’t remember this too much. But that was the 19th floor looking out, that that caught you stay there for a couple of years. But that was the condo and it was it. And as I was driving away, that was the condo I was visualizing. So yeah, it was kind of cool.
Izabela 27:20
I believe it. And like I said, the more you do it, the more you start realizing that it is true, because you’re going to all these notions that you have, they’re going to be backed up by facts, like you were visualizing the penthouse, and then you got it and you’re like, Oh my god, what else can I create? What is almost scary so I was talking to a friend, I’m about a month ago in he’s probably gonna listen to this and he’s gonna call me but, , I was talking to him and I asked him, I said, , what is your goal? I just want to know how much money you would like to have in your account in January 2021. And I believe he said $50,000 and I said, Are you serious? You can, this is a wish. This is like, you caught the golden fish and you can make a wish. And you’re only wishing for 50,000. What is wrong with you? So what I noticed is that we as people, we tend to lower our goals, because we’re trying to think how we’re going to make that because 50,000 for him was probably something achievable. And I’m like, this is a wish you can wish for anything you want. Why would you wish for 50,000? And I noticed that I didn’t do that to myself. Because I have a board and , I said, Okay, my goal is I could say this word. I love money , so I like to talk about financial stuff all the time. But I was like, Okay, so what is my goal? Okay, I want to make a million a month and I was like, Oh, that sounds good. But even that, why am I limiting myself? I was like, what? took that down and I bought $1 billion paid to Isabella Hamilton. And you’ll see that that will come true. Now that’s a wish I can be like, Okay, this is a little scary. So my point is, if it doesn’t scare you, is not good enough. If you’re kind of comfortable like 50,000, I can do it. No, you have to push yourself to the limits because then it will also create this energy in you like you want to do more. You want to do more, you want to go out there and get it like it will motivate you more because now you have a goal. Now you have a mission. And , whatever that passion you have, it’s going to work with you with your goals and your dreams. And that is why this is so beautiful. And that’s why life is so amazing. Because it’s , it’s not boring. Like we all go through ups and downs and it’s amazing. Of course, we don’t like to be at the down moments, but those down moments are what makes the high moments so enjoyable and so worthless. thing if, if we all live a monotone life like, oh, every day sunny and every day, it’s everything is good and nobody had a fight, but then it’s gonna be boring. Like, if you wake up with your Amazon listing suspended, like, there’s some action is going to happen, okay, you’re gonna be mad and you got to create this and you’re gonna talk to this person and who knows what kind of connections you’re gonna get from that and had that not had happen, you probably wouldn’t have met this person like, I always look even at bad moments. And I look at them and I’m like, what this happened for a reason. And I’m excited. Like, this is how I train my brain. Okay, I trained it and whenever something bad happens, I tell myself, okay, this sucks badly. Um, but I’m excited to see what’s gonna come out of this and it’s always something amazing. And the worse, whatever happened is, the bigger the, the benefit and the achievement after that. It’s like when something new happens as I go, Okay, I’m gonna Gotta get something like cute and little. But if something really bad happens I know is because it’s time for a change aside for something greater. And you’ll see once you make those big goals, you’re going to be surprised how many things are going to be shifting in your life like you may lose friends that you thought were really good friends like this all will make way for you to get to where you need to be. So that’s why wishes are very, very important then. And again, be careful what you wish for because it will come true. If you believe in it.
Norman 31:32
I want to go back to so you’ve rolled off, , basically the plane, you’re going over to your first job. You walk in the door to this family with $100 in your pocket. And where is the timeline between there and where you are right now? And there must have been some pretty serious hurdles.
Izabela 31:57
Oh my god. Yes, it was There was no more playtime. There was no more playtime for me, I came to us and I ended up being with the worst family on the planet.
Norman 32:12
Is that the one that you were talking about that had the same birthday and it’s butterflies and unicorns? And
Izabela 32:19
So, I go there and, , when I look back at it, I’ll tell you a little bit more about it soon. But uh, so I go there and it’s like this family they’re used to they’re very, very wealthy. First of all, it’s Lincoln, Massachusetts, it’s like, houses like you. They’re like mansions, okay, and you can barely see where the other houses like they have these huge spaces just for themselves. And you’re in this mansion, this it looked like, like one of those scary movies. So of course I love the kids and I’ve always loved kids and the mom was like some very high level Hewlett Packard executives like super wealthy, the husband was something as well, I don’t remember what but they were very wealthy, they were gone to work a lot. So what they were used to these, like, nannies come in every year. And before me there were many. And they got to the point where it was almost like I hate to use this word but it felt like slaves . So basically they wanted us to wake up in the morning at 6am and work all day until 7pm or 8pm and then have one hour or two and then look for yourself and then obviously go to sleep so you can wake up and do this whole thing again. And I was like okay, I mean maybe that’s that’s what this is. They used to pay us $140 a week for basically endless work like 40 50 60 hours work and it just got to a point where I was like, Okay, this does not feel normal like I have something’s wrong. Like they want a vacation. And they’re like, oh, if you want to eat, you can use your own money that we pay you like you can buy your own food. It was that type of family and when I look back I’m like, why did I have to get like the worst family in the world? But it’s because it had to teach me some lessons. Because I was a child and I didn’t know what the real world was about. So I had to learn again, really quickly. Um, and then, but the good part that came out of this and you don’t know this Norman about me, they had paid for my school and I was actually a student of Harvard for a while. And that was really the only benefit I had. But if I had to go through all of this to get some good with a bad, but anyway, one day, it just I couldn’t take it anymore and I broke down. And basically the lady came into my room. It was like maybe 8 at night. And she said, You have to take my son right now to a hockey practice. And I said, , I actually would like to go to sleep because I have to go to school tomorrow. Because we would, I would go to school a few hours and then come home and continue my work. And she got so mad at me and called her husband and told him how horrible of a person I am and how this is like the worst nanny ever. But anyway, so I started crying and I was like, Oh my god, they’re gonna send me back to Romania. I can go back to Romania. Like it took me so many years to get to this point. And actually, this story, not many people know. So you’re probably the first of my friends that know this. So they called our counselor because there’s a person that they put in charge of your program when you come to US. And they called her and , they said they have to replace me because again, I’m the worst person in the world. So I started crying. I was so sad and I didn’t want to go through Romania and the counselor said, would you like to try other families in the United States, you have three times so you can exchange families, I think it was like two or three times. And I was very grateful, I said, of course. So I started getting calls from all these families from different parts of the United States. And none of them felt the right. But then this one family from San Diego called me. And they just sounded amazing. , they had one child. And I was like, I felt like I already had experience. I was trained like crazy people. So I was like, they can’t be crazier than this family that I have now. So I accepted and I came to San Diego and it was, it was really good. Of course , there’s different things that happened, but it was all for a lesson. So when I came to this family, I was already prepared with the tools that I had from the other family where I wasn’t, , allowing them to like step all over me, because what I noticed is not only with Americans, but people in general, they will push your limits to see how far they can go. And , we all do this on some level. And I just had to learn to become me, to have a voice. And if I didn’t feel like it, to say no in Norm like I was born in Romania and a country of like, Yes, ma’am. Yes sir. Where everybody it’s like, , you don’t raise your voice, don’t speak up. , if you want a raise in your salary don’t ever ask for it. It was imagine living for 20 years in a country where that was like, ingrained into your head and for me to try to make that transition, It was very hard. I still battle with that mentality today. I have points in my life where I say I’m not good enough. I’m, , I’m a woman or I’m this and I’m done. I’m not as good as this guy or I’m not good. I fight with that daily, I don’t think that will ever go away. I just think my tools are going to get better. And my dealing with these emotions and thoughts is going to get better every day. And yeah, I think it’s, I don’t know, it’s sort of emotional going back and thinking all I had to go through, but every single thing has made me so much stronger and I’m so thankful. And actually I was gonna write a letter to that family and I haven’t but it’s never too late, but I was gonna, , thank them, thank them for the lessons, thank them for bringing me to the United States because they did. And , little do they know, they have made me into who I am today. Those were the lessons that I had to learn to get to where I am now. So it’s not that we’re a bad family, it was what had to happen in order for me to become me because there were other nannies prior to me and they were perfect. They’ve never had a fight. They’ve never , everything was dandy, but for me, this had to happen. So yeah, that was and of course I had different jobs. Over the years after I finished my nanny program, I was actually supposed to go back but my dream was to stay in America. So again, power of dreams and visualization. I met a lady. Her name is Cara Coby. She took me in, Norm, she, I told her my story, like we saw each other at the gym where I was going to and we just became friends and I told her, , time has come, I have to go home but I don’t want to go home. I want to stay in this country. She took me in, Norm, she took me and she fed me. She gave me clothes. She gave me her car to drive. She put me at the same table. with her two kids, single mom, and she fed me like I was her child. And the house that I lived in is exactly the one that I visualized for when you walk in, you go up the stairs, there were the two bunk beds that I shared with her kid. Okay, crazy, insane. And it just like these moments have made me become such a believer of this because there’s this lady who came into my life, I obviously attracted her into my life, to protect me to take me in. Because there was no way I could have lived in this country. On the money that I made off the 90 program, which by the way, I had to send the thousand dollars back to my dad because he had borrowed that amount. So, I had nothing left. I was basically, , like, homeless had she not taken me in. And, , I’m so grateful to her even to today, and we’re still really good friends and we talk all the time. And she lives here in San Diego. And I had all these key people throughout my life that are my angels that have paved the way for me to be where I am right now, so many people, , they always lend a hand and , of course I always thought like, Is it because I’m a girl? Is it because I’m pretty Is it because I’m white? Is it because whatever you can think of, but you also can think of those in a negative way like , in different situations. But I like to think it’s because it was me it was my personality was the energy that I was putting out and I consider myself to be a nice good person and, and I think people can see that like they can they can understand your energy and when you are so grateful for everything that happens in your life, more good things happen to you. So head I started on another pad and said, well, that experience in Lincoln, Massachusetts was the worst in the Americas and the worst in the world. And what? I’m going back to Romania, because at least that’s what I know, had I done that my life would have been different. But I didn’t take that experience and say, all the Americans are going to try to make me their slave. No, I still said, Oh my God, thank you, God and universe for bringing me here. This is amazing. Like, okay, I had some fights with these people, but there’s so many other good people out there, they’re willing to help me. And every time I would think that more people came to help me, I met this person who was Cara’s friend. And he had this extra car that he wasn’t using. And he said , “Izabela would you like to use this car for a few months until you get a job? Norm, when I say this to you, I never asked anybody for anything. People were literally giving me things. Would you like a house to live in? Would you like to have a car to drive? Yes, I would. And then the same thing happened when I got my real first job. I walked into this bar restaurant with a couple of my friends with Cara and her friends. And we went to the , we sit at the bar, and the person serving asked me if I wanted to drink and I was like, No, I don’t. I don’t drink but I’ll have a diet coke. And the guy looked at me and he said, Would you like a job here? And I said, Well, yes, I would. I would love to have a job here, said “Well, can you start tomorrow?” I will be here tomorrow. That’s how I got my real first job. But you see, it’s all about like, where you are, what you say the energy you bring in. And so they hired me as a hostess for the restaurant. And in a week, their event manager quit and left them and they promoted me to the event planner, marketing director. So I became a hostess in a week to the marketing director of this amazing restaurant. In downtown San Diego, and I started making some real money and started meeting some real people, which boosted my confidence and just an event after another and norm I have so many of these. And when I tried to look for the bad events in my life, I don’t remember them. I don’t remember like, I really don’t like how I see my life , there’s some things that happened. And, , it was because of this amazing thing that came after. So, yeah, I have an interesting life.
Hayden 44:34
I was curious, like, obviously, those early situations when you first came to America, like it would have definitely played on you at that time, right? Like, it’d be tough to fight through that. But like, did those interactions with that family or even after that being taken in by such an open person, or even a job situation like how does that change your interaction with people like? I feel like you’re kind of like in those situations getting hit with all these different conflicting signals, like, so do you? Yeah. How do you treat people now? Or has that influenced how you treat the people around you?
Izabela 45:10
A great deal, because I am that kind of person that always looks for the good and people and innately. People want to do good. People in their hearts, they want to do good. So if they see that in you that you’re open to receive somebody’s help, or, , a good conversation or really anything we all want to do good. I mean, look at you guys. Right now you’re doing this podcast because it’s going to help somebody out there. You don’t even know who and probably that person will never even tell you. But it’s because it’s who we are on the inside. So every time somebody did something amazing to me, I became 10,000 times more grateful which opened my heart and my life to even better possibilities and everything, that’s why when bad things happen. They were so, they had no real effect on me to say, Okay, now, I’m going to start hating people. And , there was some one event that happened in my life. That was a little bit traumatic. I was robbed. Me and my best friend were coming from Vegas one year and, , this van of like, there were , there were Mexican people. And , they came, they surrounded us and they robbed us, and they beat us and, I mean, we didn’t die. So we were thankful. But I could have taken that situation and say, from now on, I will hate Mexican people. No, I love Mexico. I love Mexican culture. I love Mexican people like I. You see, it’s all what do you do with the things that happened to you? I didn’t choose to hate them. I think it’s one of them. It’s one of my favorite countries. Mexico actually, and I love their culture and I love their music so that one single event in my life will never change how I feel about the Mexican culture, or the people in it. So it’s all how you really how you look at it, and I tend to look at every event that happens in my life for a reason. And, um, , and sometimes, , not life is not perfect as it shouldn’t be. And , I got robbed, okay, it’s terrible, it’s terrible, , when, in that moment, I wish you’d never had happened, but I don’t see what good came out of it. But , things do happen. And it’s okay. It’s just you just have to, like, live through it. And, , continue your life you can’t really wallow into situations because that’s when you change your mind. And that’s when you start attracting negative things. , like, Oh, no, I hate Mexican people. And then the next day, , I see this Mexican person and then I have a fight and then it’s going to cause all these like chain reactions into my life. That I have no desire to to have any part of that. I love my life, I love people, and which is what makes me so good or networking. Like I truly, when I meet somebody, I can love them. Like, it’s it’s I know it’s hard. It’s kind of hard to hear maybe but,, , we’re all the same,, , we all have stories in our hearts. We all have things that a lot of people don’t know, we all go through difficulties. And , when I meet a person and I talk to them, and I can feel I can feel them, I can feel their energy and I know they just want to be heard. And I know they just want to be loved. And that’s why I think I have so many friends because I’m genuinely interested in what they’re about and into themselves. And I’m not all about how much money you make and why do you do this? And that’s like, I see them and people want to be seen, they want to be seen. They want to be heard even those that are introverts and shy and they, they want to be loved as well.
Izabela 49:05
You’re positive. You sit here and you oz this positive energy. I’m just kind of curious, I’m, I’ve never asked you this, when you put a price on something that you’re doing, okay, If it’s something in business or you’re putting a title down on a business card, Do you give yourself the perceived value that you should?
Izabela 49:29
I think so I try to, and again, it comes down to like, how we feel inside. But for me, I’ve been practicing this so long to have this confidence, , to, to come on a podcast, knowing that I’m not perfect and accepting it and knowing that what I do is for others, so when you think of it this way kind of takes the pressure off of you. So my first speech I was terrified and I was like, oh my god are people gonna think and then of course, everything that was bad happened, slides didn’t work. microphones were, , just all over the place. But I realized that it is not about me, people are not going to remember that they’re going to remember how you made them feel like they were inspired by you. So when I talked to somebody, and they , they asked me what I do. And I said, I am the owner and founder of, , Rankbell, and I look them in the eyes, and I say, this is the best service you will ever get guaranteed. And I say that with the most utter confidence because I know what I can provide for them. And I don’t shy away from that. So when it comes to business, and knowing what I know, I know I can improve somebody’s life with my simple technique. And that’s why when , I, I think I think I am pretty confident when it comes to when it comes to that if hopefully that answers your question.
Norman 50:57
What has been that number one success in your life?
Izabela 51:01
It goes back to my connection with people. So there’s, of course, different services out there. And they’re probably magnificent. And if they’re better than me, I don’t know. I don’t know, I would have no, because I don’t concern myself with making sure that what I deliver is a great service. So that connection that I have with people is not something that can be replaced. There’s a million different software out there, that can probably give you the same thing. There’s different , many chats that can, they’re doing the same things, but there’s only one person, that’s me, and that’s me. And same with you. Nobody can replace who you are. And, of course, , sometimes when a new service comes along, and again, I’m still human, and I think, oh my god is they going to be better than me and I have to catch myself and remind myself that it’s not important because wealth is abundant. Amazon sellers, there’s a lot of them, we can all share. There’s there can be launch and rank services tomorrow 100. And we would all still be pretty good at not worrying about money. So it’s all about again, like how you treat people and what makes me the best is I do have a really good service one and two, I understand what people want, like I make that connection with people. I actually care. I care about them. I care about where they’re coming from. I care about what they have been doing with their life, what makes them happy, what, what doesn’t. So it’s that human connection is my number one success I would say in life. And it comes also to relationships. , I’ve made so many friends in the Amazon space and not a lot, a lot of them are now my clients, what do we have this amazing connection and it again, it comes down to the human interaction and how open you are to be a real, real human with another person like we, as humanity lost, I would say that connection a lot over the years because we’re all , we’re all too busy. We’re all concerned , putting food on our tables and this and that we forget to care about each other. I mean, in the end, what is it all about, , you just want to make a lot of money and for what, like, you only need so much to survive. And I think if we all take a moment to reflect and remember, because we all have this inside of us and we all know that we’re here , on this earth for a very short time and in the end is not about the money. It’s about the people that you meet, the people that you can help the weather is, , monetary or with, with a nice thought, or maybe a prayer or, , a smile to somebody, like, that’s so important. And that’s what I like when I go to conferences and events. And I think that’s why people like remember me, because, , I do make the time to talk to everyone, like I go to a convention and sometimes I don’t even know who like speaking because I’m so busy talking and getting to know people and I don’t do it with that, like, Oh my God, this person is gonna become my client. Let me like talk to them. I never worried about that. , Norman, I’ve never once marketed my company. I have never done a net. People came to me because of who I was. So when I talk to people, and people can tell, we can all tell if somebody’s trying to sell us something like we know. We know. So and I don’t do that. I care about that. People and that’s, that’s my, yeah, that’s my Ace card.
Norman 55:04
, it’s so important. I’ve gone to events, I might be watching presentations. And then the very first thing somebody says, is, , help me. I don’t mind. It’s the people that for me, I don’t remember that well, are the people that just want something they want right off the bat, they want to dig and like, answering one question is everything. Asking a whole? Like, how do you structure your business and how do you do this? And how’s this and how, and hold hold, hold it? Like , let’s give me a little bit of time. I don’t know about you, but I answer every email I answer anything that comes through social media. And I really, I’m, I like to help and I know you do. I know tons of people that have worked with your service. Never even mentioned what you do. So why don’t you go ahead and introduce that. And , we are just for people who are in the Amazon space, probably very interested in what Isabela Hamilton does.
Izabela 56:12
So I have this so what I like to call a very small service. It’s not big, it’s not grandiose. But no, it’s a very, it’s a small service that does a lot of good. So what we do is we help Amazon sellers launch and rank their products on Amazon. And it’s just as simple as that and we do a really good job and we have helped a lot of sellers get on page one and start getting organic sales which in turn, turn to profit and, , now they can have an easier time on Amazon and, , put food on their table. So I and I like to know that I’m part of that , creating that financial freedom for sellers. It’s beyond money. beyond anything is knowing that you have a small part in somebody’s life. To me, that’s amazing.
Norman 57:07
There’s a ton of launch and rank services out there. You created more of the concierge service. And just by going out and taking a look at what the market had, and doing something slightly different, you I don’t know if it’s the number one but I would say it’s the highest perceived value service in the launch and rank space. And, , that’s that’s something on you. I mean, you were able to take a look at it, see what people needed, and just modified it a little bit. And look what happened. You took off.
Izabela 57:44
Thank you. I agree. Thank you.
Norman 57:47
Yeah, you built it. I mean, you did it all on your own. I mean, you had it you had , you didn’t have help you this was something that I thought when I first heard about it. She can’t be doing that. And when we talked the first time, it was like, wow, , this is what you’re doing. You’re vetting people in certain categories, you’re, and another thing, you charge probably the highest premium in the industry. Probably. Right? and I don’t want to scare anybody off who’s in Amazon. But you get what you pay for because it’s quality and the perceived value is there, and they get what they pay for. You can go to another service that’s automated and you just don’t get that you don’t get that personal touch. They don’t get to get the results that you get, but you pay for it. Yeah.
Izabela 58:43
And , we all all entrepreneurs, I think we all gone through life experimenting. I paid for courses, I paid for many different things. And, , we because we want fast and cheap, and really you can’t you can get that and then at the end it cost us even more like all that money that you could have paid once using a really good service, it would have saved you thousands of dollars or in some cases, , like suspensions. And , because Amazon is so sensitive and if you use the wrong service or the wrong rebased side, you are never sure what’s going to happen. So , it’s just having that peace of mind even though you pay a little more, I think it’s worth so much more in the end. And then of course, you got the, , the quality buyers and quality buyers core and all of these benefits that come with using a higher level service. Of course, you can always create your own money chat and, , do trial and error but you’re not going to get the same results and you have wasted a lot of time. And then you might end up coming to me which a lot of people do and say I’ve used this and this and this and it didn’t work or I got suspended or this is what happened. And then they have to come back to me and pay that price that they could have just paid one time. So I agree with that.
Norman 1:00:09
The other part to this podcast is, and this is my favorite part is that everybody hears about the success. Everybody, a lot of people think it’s luck or you’re in the right place. I’m glad we’ve got on the topic of visualization and they hear your story. But they don’t understand. It takes rough times, it takes failure to do this. So I’m curious. Can you discuss any other failures that you’ve had and what you’ve learned from it now, how it came about what you’ve learned from it, and how you proceeded?
Izabela 1:00:44
So for me the biggest failure that I had was that I thought it was the worst thing ever happened in Romania and in Romania, you go to high school, with the notes That you already know where you’re going to accomplish in life. So, in high school, you had these four years and you already picked like your subjects. So here you would go to college for certain things like, I want to be an engineer or I want to be this. In Romania, you have to start that after you finish A grade, like go into high school, you already have to have it chosen. So I went and I finished my high school and I thought I did pretty good. But that grade that you get is taken in consideration when you apply for college in Romania. And because we didn’t have money, , you can just go to like a private college that the rich kids go to probably very few. So I had to go to a college that you would get a scholarship for. Well, my grade wasn’t good enough in high school, and I had to pass this exam that I had to do like, all A’s, okay. I was a kid. I did not care about school. I wanted to go out and have fun with my friends. I was a child. And so I went to this college and I took the exam and I thought I got good grades, but they weren’t enough for me to get into the college. My dad was so disappointed in me that it was like, it broke my heart. I was like, Oh my god, I can’t believe I’m such a failure. Like there was one thing that I was supposed to do, and I couldn’t even do that and that I beat myself up. But that failure is what has caused everything else. had I gone to that college, I would have been pressured to finish college to pressure now that I have this college degree to get a job. So those years are not wasted. I am so thankful that didn’t happen. Of course at that time. It was like the most. The worst thing that could have happened to me and my heart was broken and my dad was disappointed. Everybody was just, it just felt really bad. Okay, well, looking back, that was the moment that started at all. Because had I gone to that college, it would have been done, it would have been over for me, I would have gotten some job at, , maybe a little better job as I finished college, probably making 200 bucks a month for the rest of my life. , have, , a bunch of kids or, , who knows? Who knows what would have happened, but that failure was the best thing that ever happened to me. And it was the most crushing and I still have that like, it can really mess you up like it’s traumatic, even though it seems such a little thing. Um, , of course, when you , you continue to grow into your life and become an adult. You carry all these like, all this baggage with you. So that sometimes shows up. It’s like, oh, maybe I’m not good at this. Maybe I can do this. I always have to overcome little , little failures and it’s fine. Because it’s what makes us who we are. And , with business , we all have different failures at different times, but I think that was the biggest and the worst and the best failure for me.
Norman 1:04:14
I’d also like to touch on you, you get involved a lot with helping women entrepreneurs. Can you tell me a little bit about what you’re doing? And, , just your thoughts on that.
Izabela 1:04:27
Um, , coming from Romania, I, again, , going back to that, I’ve met a lot of women that were in my situation, , and now they feel trapped, they feel trapped. They don’t know what their move is next. They don’t know what’s going to happen or they get married to somebody that’s wrong for them only because they’re going to provide something for them whether it’s food or , protection or and way too often, I see this woman almost crying for help, like, how can I do it? How, how can I get out of it and I like to be an ambassador of, of inspiring women to know that they can do anything they want at any time. Whether , they’re they’re married or they have kids or they’re single moms and, , there’s so many inspiring women out there that I get my inspiration from, I mean, we I can name a million, but , starting with like Sara Blakely, , she became the first like the youngest women billionaire, I think 2012 if I recall at she was 41. And then you have Kylie Jenner, who became the youngest, , at 21. And then you have all these like women from different places. And I get inspired from people who I get inspired the most are actually the women in our community. Norman, I mean, look at, , my best friend Christina, single mom crushing it on Amazon. I have never seen so much resilience and so much energy and this woman, , she has a few brands and now she’s creating another one and she’s always there. She’s taking care of her son. And she’s just, she’s just a fountain of information into her head. And , when you hear her speak, and I get inspired from that, I get inspired from women such as like, trying to work whose wife, , Stefania, and she’s, she and her husband have created this. They’re pretty much who that is that name. , they’re like the geniuses like the Einstein of Amazon. And I get inspired by her. I get inspired by Sylv Stefanowicz, who has, a lingerie brand and Melissa Simonson, who manages Empowery and Elena Saris who’s the queen of Shopify, and , you have all these women and Regina and Cassandra, that runs Helium and so many women, like I get inspired by these women like I don’t even know if they know. And it doesn’t even matter like who’s more successful, but I see them there. I see through them. I know they’re there and they’re resilient and they’re they’re fighting and nothing stops them, nothing stops them. And that’s that’s who I get my inspiration from. I mean, of course, , you have all these billionaires but women that surround us on a daily basis is what makes me work harder. Like oh, I see Oksana or I see destiny or he, , Paris. Everybody, like I see that. I’m like, oh my god they’re doing so I’m going to get up and do it more like I want to be there with them. So that’s why I love women in business, and hope. Hopefully , one day I will be remembered as somebody who inspired at least one person. I think that will be a big achievement for me because money comes and goes.
Norman 1:08:12
You’re right. There is an excellent podcast happening this weekend. It’s Danny Macmillan’s, you want to tell us a little bit about that. I know you’re gonna be featured on it.
Izabela 1:08:24
Yes. So the event is called Branded By Women. And I’m very thankful to Danny for putting this together. So he picked, , 30 women from the community who are just this, , they are experts in their field. And they can inspire somebody they can help somebody with, whether it’s something tactical or just just a thought or a message so inspirational and I’m lucky to be co hosting that with Athena. Athena is very she has this amazing China trip. And this other amazing lady, who I mean, they’re all just so inspiring to me. And I’m so grateful to be part of that. Like, when he first told me I was like, Oh my god, Danny, you sure like you want me to be a co-host? And I’m glad he did even though it was a little scary. So but yeah, it’s going to be a beautiful event and it’s free. The ticket is free for everybody to attend and hear us all speak and yeah, I think we need more people like Danny that , put put the lights on on some of these women because even if we feel confident inside or , we still have our days where we don’t feel that great, , so for having somebody to recognize this. I think it’s so beautiful. And you do that a lot, Norm, like I see you you’re always , you’re always supporting women like you came to Melissa says, women empowerment event. And, , I see you say and I recognize that so thank you for that.
Norman 1:10:08
Oh, you’re welcome. But I have to say, Yes, I would support but the reason I went was because it was great s. And also so for Danny’s it, can you give the what is the podcast called? Where can people watch that? I know it’s coming up soon.
Izabela 1:10:27
It’s brandedbywomen.com and you just sign up and you get your free ticket and it will give you the schedule. And you can try to catch as many s as you can. And it’s going to be amazing because there’s women from different different places doing different things like I’m speaking a little bit on the ranking and launching and different s are going to be speaking about different things and I’m actually excited. I hope to catch it all and to see all of them and see how they’re going to shine. I’m super excited.
Norman
From all over the world.
Izabela
Yes. from all over the world correct.
Norman 1:11:05
Yeah, yeah, it’s gonna be great. Okay, so I know that there is this #bossbabe. So I just keep taking those pictures with the boss babe jacket.
Norman 1:11:24
So it is you there’s a group of you now right boss babes is that? Yes, yeah.
Izabela 1:11:31
I still love my jacket.
Norman 1:11:33
There we go. Yeah. So we gotta bring it the next time we go out for a cigar.
Izabela 1:11:38
I would love that. I cannot wait to see you in person. It’s been a while.
Norman 1:11:43
It’s been too long. Yeah.
Norman 1:11:47
Your information has been incredible. I’ve learned some things I have n’t known about and it was just a pleasure having you on the show. So can you give out your contact information
Izabela 1:12:00
Yes, absolutely, people can reach me on Facebook is the easiest way Isabela Hamilton or , they want to know more about our services at Rankbell is just rankbell.com and I’m quite accessible just messaged me on Facebook and I’m always there especially now during corna time. There are not many places that we can go. So yeah, please reach out whether , just to say hi or ask any questions you want, whether it’s from my past or if you have any to do with the business or want to be inspired. I’m always there.
Norman 1:12:40
Alright, so at this point, we always pass the torch. And the question over to you Isabela is do you know a guy or gal that would like to be on this podcast?
Izabela 1:12:57
I know a lot of people and We didn’t touch on this, but I used to live in Africa, one point and in Asia, and I met incredible, incredible people. But one person that stands out the most was this gentleman named Matthew shed. And he was the regional security officer there. And it’s just one of those incredible people that you meet, and they leave an impression on you. He was such a wise, wise man, and he would give me advice about anything I ever asked them. Um, I reached out to him just recently, and I think he would be somebody that would really benefit your podcast because he’s such a unique person. And you’ll see and I’m sure he has tons and tons of stories of working for the government and all the places he has lived in the world and I consider him to be one of my mentors back in the day. So I think he would be a good addition. But there’s so many people and I feel like I wish I could give you 100 days at least, and I feel bad for having them left out. But um, , things happen for a reason. So I think Matthew is who I will recommend for you.
Norman 1:14:22
Fantastic. Well, we’ll reach out to Matthew, and we’ll get him on the show. So, Isabela, yeah. thanks for being on the podcast.
Izabela 1:14:29
Love that. Thank you for having me. I always feel so comfortable around you. And I think that’s what made me overshare today, so, but it’s good. Thank you. Thank you for bringing me on and opening this side of me that not many people know. I appreciate you. And, of course, Hayden, so thank you both.
Norman 1:14:48
All right. We’ll see you later.
Izabela 1:14:49
Absolutely.
Norman 1:14:52
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