The Realest Business Q+A I’ve Ever Done

Standing on stage answering live questions feels like I’m running through a speeding highway.

I don’t know what to expect, and sometimes I get hit out of the blue. 

This Q+A session from Pays to Be Brave goes deep into my organizational flaws, the inability to openly state what business you want to build, and my biggest mistakes I’ve made.

*I NEED A MARGARITA FOR THIS!*

I’m keeping it real here, my friend. Running a business isn’t always rainbows and butterflies. Let’s dive in to some of the questions I answered!

Q: What organizational tools do you use to remain consistent?

A: I could rattle off a bunch of sites to use or apps to buy that may help with this, but in reality, the biggest tool can be found right between your ears. 

>>More than half of the battle of showing up consistently is due to not having a plan in place.<<

When you make the effort to create a plan, 70% of the work is done for you already.

For the remaining 30%, I advise sitting down and mapping out your month on social media (national holidays, social media holidays, personal events, etc.). You don’t need to execute on these posts right away, but having a plan in place will ensure consistency.

Q: How do I pivot my business to attract a different client?

A: Pivoting an established business takes guts. In order to embrace the nudge to do something different, you must speak truth into the future.

>>Your success is a foregone conclusion as long as you are willing to show up.<<

In 2006, I built my career around photography. In 2017, I knew I was called to do something else, which was to empower business owners to believe that the impossible is possible for them. 

Talk about a pivot!

Pivoting takes a very long time in order to bring the audience with you. Very gradually work in new content rather than a complete 180 degree turn. 

If you make a drastic switch, that’s like having a disco party and then turning on the lights, killing the music, and announcing that a classical orchestra is coming in. *That party will clear out faster than the shelves of retail stores on Black Friday!*

Q: How do you deal with messy situations?

Short answer: 

>>You have to own 100% of your crap.<<

Long answer: 

Let me tell you a story about a girl who started her photography business, met success for the first time in her life, and didn’t know what to do with it.

  • She was always the girl on the outside, so when she finally got noticed, she got caught up in the noise.
  • She masked her inexperience of photographic perspectives by using content from another website and put it on her blog. 
  • She then got her rear end handed to her when she got called out for it and a group of people tried accusing her whole life of being a lie.
  • She was ripped to shreds and could barely get out of bed for two years.

That girl was ME. 

How did I come back from that mess?

I owned up to my mistakes and I make 100% real content now. 

I didn’t allow my past to define my future.

>>I’ll always have haters, but I would rather speak my truth and admit I don’t know what I’m doing, than conform to others’ opinions.<<

If you don’t have haters, you’re not doing enough.
So boo boo, in the act of keeping it real, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for extending grace when I admit I have no idea what I’m doing and for sticking around anyway. *Now where’s my margarita?!*

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B6BYKRvDX9E/