Traci Brown is a body language and persuasion expert whose winning mindset propels her business to success. Today, on episode 10 of the Small Biz Stories podcast, Traci shares her best stories — like the time she got a product deal with Kevin Harrington, a Shark from ABC’s hit show Shark Tank — as well as her biggest setbacks. You’ll hear her unexpected journey from champion athlete to body language expert and her best advice for other business owners. Find us on Stitcher Small Biz Stories tells the story of some of the bravest people you’ll ever meet — small business owners. You’ll hear how they got started, their biggest challenges, and their dreams for the future. You can also read the transcript below: Small Biz Stories is brought to you by Constant Contact. Constant Contact is committed to helping small businesses and nonprofits connect to new and existing customers with email marketing. You can be a marketer, all it takes is Constant Contact. Find out more at ConstantContact.com. Traci: Here’s the thing: If you’re waiting for someone to give you some kind of approval, you’re way behind the curve. And I can’t always say that I’ve been the most successful person that there is, but I can say that I’ve learned a few things about how to not quit. Dave: That’s Traci Brown, body language expert, keynote speaker, and former champion athlete who knows: if you don’t play, you can’t win. Welcome back to Small Biz Stories! This season, we’re back with businesses — from a pay-what-you-can restaurant to a capital raising consulting firm — to find out how they turned their dreams into reality. Today, Traci shares how her unlikely path led her to a product deal with Shark Tank’s Kevin Harrington. And how a winning mindset can propel you to victory, even in the face of setbacks. More than fifty percent of small businesses fail within the first five years. These are the stories of those who beat the odds. My name is Dave Charest and I’ll be your host as we share the stories of some of the bravest people you’ll ever meet, small business owners. You’ll hear how they got started, their biggest challenges, and their dreams for the future. Dave: Have you ever met someone unstoppable? Someone with so much drive and energy, the room can hardly contain it. Sitting in Traci’s home in Boulder, Colorado, her energy and confidence is tangible — which explains how she can command a keynote stage and work a packed room. Listen as she shares her unexpected journey from winning athlete to body language and persuasion expert. Traci: it’s funny how one really…life kind of unfolds if you just follow it. And I raced bikes for, gosh, 12, 14 years and I got pretty good at it. I won three national championships in college and I rode for team USA. And through that time I knew one thing about myself is that I was the wrong size to be a cyclist. I was too tall, strength to weight ratio wasn’t there for me. But I knew that I could outsmart my competition if I watched them really closely and started to anticipate what they were going to do. That gave me the information that I needed to raise my game and beat them on certain days.