Business Soulwork

Sometimes we behave like a 5-yo in our businesses. We kick and scream when things don’t work, people are jerks, and not everything seems to be figure-out-able.

When things don’t go as planned, we panic.

Some people chase after any and every magic bullet and quick fix that promises the moon.

Some go about kicking, screaming, and hustling to force things their way.

But when you’re putting out these scattered efforts, you often lose sight of the big picture.

When you hear “branding" -- what comes to mind?

"Branding", in my book, is how you do YOU in your business.

It's not a logo or a tagline. It's how you express your message and connect with your audience. It's how you deliver your genius in a way that resonates with you and the world.

When you have your brand solid, you'd know exactly what to do to grow your biz.

I've done a lot of work on overcoming fears. A lot of self-talk and analysis and whatnot. And I appreciate the intellectual ability to recognize, witness, and verbalize fears.

Just because “the other guy” is doing something doesn’t mean (1) it actually works and (2) it’ll work for you.

Go back to the basics for a moment. Be client/customer-centric — who’s your audience? What do they want? How do they talk about it? How do you deliver value? Why are you relevant?

Why should they can about what you’ve gotta say?

Finding your "life purpose" is an iterative process of growth, reflection, and realization.

The intention to find it, the intellectual exercises to give it a voice, the act of putting it into action, the awareness to check in with yourself, the discipline to be honest, the willingness to take it back to the drawing board — to reflect on what you’ve learned and to articulate the next round of iteration.

If doing big launches and getting 997 people to join your online course is not your cup of tea; if working with a small clients 1:1 allows you to create the biggest impact — then make it your thing.

Be known for your bespoke services. Be known for your exclusivity. Be known for standing up for the quality of your work and the best interest of your clients.

Being honest about our values and convictions means we don’t chase bright shiny objects that don’t align with what we stand for.

Being honest about what’s the right expression of our message means we don’t get sucked into buzzwords and clichés out of fears or the need to fit in.

Being honest about the story you want to tell and what makes you tick means how you do YOU in your business is nobody else’s business.

Shed the labels and how I’m supposed to work with clients because of those labels.

Stop spending time scheming about the next launch or sales campaign or marketing tactic and just do good work.

Stop twisting my message to fit the market.

Discern what I really need to say vs. what the market wants to hear (look around, everyone is regurgitating the same thing because some guru said something and everyone thinks the market wants to hear that.)

Stop pondering how to “attract” clients and just do good work.

You've read those blog posts that tell you to write "conversationally," right?

It probably makes the whole writing thing sound less intimidating, which isn’t a bad thing to encourage people to get started.

The problem is, it’s somewhat misleading.

Writing “conversationally” is quite far from “write like we speak.”

I was in Solvang, CA last week on a ride camp — 7 days of uninterrupted cycling happiness over 370-ish miles with some serious hills.

As the only woman in the group, the dudes first looked at me with skeptical eyes. Until we hit the climbs.

It was quite a blast to keep up with three 6’2″ athletic big boys who have thighs the size of Texas. They're some serious trucks.

After a day of climbing Mount Figueroa (5,500′,) apparently, I got the thumbs up because two bottles of ice-cold beer later, we became hot tub + margarita buddies.

Pondering how the drinks were covering the calories burnt during the first hour of the ride ;)