Episode 134: Popular Business Advice I Rejected (Part 2)
From being in masterminds, attending events, and taking all the programs, I am sharing the top business advice that I actually decided to REJECT and share WHY. Our problem isn't a lack of information, it's a lack of clarity on our own personal goals and defining success in a way that is true for us, and using the strategies that can help us get there. Everyone's path and journey of entrepreneurship is deeply unique and personal, and although there is a ton of info and resources out there, I hope this episode helps you have a strong filter for receiving advice that is aligned for you, while not being afraid to reject advice that others may feel is "good advice" but it does not resonate with you. Remember: your business is a reflection of you, and it's YOUR job as CEO to decide how you want to lead your business!
Here’s What We Cover and More:
Merits of rejecting popular business advice and following a path aligned with your values and vision.
Having singular focus on one compelling offer.
Avoiding the dangers of scattering energy across too many options.
Advocating for balanced growth that respects personal limits and entrepreneurial spirit.
Recognizing and honoring the different seasons in business and life.
Misconceptions surrounding networking and relationship building in business.
Fostering connections creatively and authentically.
Embracing your own unique path in business, even when it contradicts popular advice, can lead to a more authentic and satisfying entrepreneurial journey. By focusing on a singular vision, honoring the natural seasons of growth and leveraging creativity for publicity, you unlock the potential for success without sacrificing personal well being.
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Resources Mentioned:
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Join Gloria Chou's PR Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/428633254951941
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Transcript
00:00:00 Gloria: Hey, Small Business Heroes, it's Gloria, your unofficial hype woman. So this week's episode on Small Business PR is going to be a continuation of last week's episode titled, The Top Business Advice I Rejected. So last week was part one, this week is part two. It's going to be super short and quick because listen, honey, we are all inundated with information.
00:00:17 Gloria: The reason why I wanted to position this podcast episode as Business Advice I Rejected is because we have no shortage of information and strategies and people who are giving us information. I think so often we get lost into what other people are doing and we lose track of what's true for us. We end up building a business that's so far out of alignment and we're feeding this big machine of a beast, which is our business that we have created, that we have no idea what happened.
00:00:42 Gloria: This actually happened to me when I scaled my business. I had multiple six-figure launches and I went into a complete and utter burnout after having a big mess of surgery, which is to remove a huge fibroid in my uterus. I basically saw myself working my ass off with bandages grinding until no end because I was chasing that goal post that was always moving.
00:01:03 Gloria: So may this episode and last week's episode be a permission for you to be able to filter out what is aligned for you and to not be afraid to reject business advice from popular coaches that maybe you don't agree with. And so this is my way of doing that and giving you permission for that. So step into that power.
00:01:20 Gloria: So last week we talked a little bit about the business advice I rejected, which is that you got to delegate certain things in your business, that you shouldn't give away things for free and how quality is always more, better than quantity, which I disagree with in the beginning. Now this week, I'm going to share three more popular business advice I hear all the time in my circles of entrepreneurs, whether it's five, six, seven figures.
00:01:41 Gloria: And the first one of this episode is the business advice that I rejected. And that is just creating different offers and different things so that people can buy from you at all different stages. Now the Ascension model of having different tiers, different ways to work with you, in theory, that's fine. There's nothing wrong with having different ways to work with you. But in practice, this is where it gets really quick, really tricky.
00:02:03 Gloria: Here's the thing. We are constantly wearing so many hats, leadership, systems, operations, accountability, marketing, that even just to get one funnel and one product super dialed in is really, really hard. And if you have different business models where you're creating different offers and different things all the time, just for the purpose of getting everyone who walks in the door to be able to work with you based on their budget. That is not in alignment with what you're doing.
00:02:27 Gloria: Remember, you're not at McDonald's, you're not here to serve everyone. And so while it is tempting to have different offers and programs and ways that people can access you at all different budgets and stages, how are you really honing in onto the one thing that you do really well? Stay in your lane.
00:02:42 Gloria: My coach always told me the fastest way to scale your business to a million dollars is to have one really compelling offer. And even if you make products, like have one thing that you're really known for, get that super dialed in. And that includes the messaging, the systems around it, how you deliver it, all of those things in and of itself can be a full-time job.
00:02:59 Gloria: So unless you have a ton of money and you can hire the industry's best and turnkey day one, have them come in, set them up for success, it's going to be very hard for us small businesses to be always focused on, oh, well, I need to create another offer here or, oh, I need a lower pricing and, oh, I need a higher pricing. So this is my reminder for you that the best way to scale is to have one way or few ways that people can work with you.
00:03:24 Gloria: Products that you really believe in, make products that you have a super dialed in. And after you scale that, then you can branch out. I've actually been asked so many times, well, Gloria, like, you don't have like a lower ticket offer. You don't have a way for people to work with you. That's like, you know, in a lower budget range. And I said, all of my amazing resources and information, like people can access that right now for free.
00:03:50 Gloria: The way that people work with me in the container that I created is for a reason. The reason why I created the container is I know that that container gets some results. I know that people who are not ready to take that step should not be in that container because they're not ready to do what it takes to get your business visibility. It takes an entirely different mindset and a level of business ownership and empowerment to be able to say, I'm willing to do what it takes to get my story out there.
00:04:15 Gloria: So that's why I have created that container. Everything else. My information is out there for free. I mean, even listening to this podcast, I give away so much for free. So that is why I've personally rejected the business model of, you need to have different price points so that people can work with you at every stage. I just, I don't agree that that's true. And I think if I did actually take that advice, my business would be a lot smaller than what it is now.
00:04:37 Gloria: So this is your permission to also know that you're not a McDonald's and you don't have to serve everyone at every single price point, believe in your product, believe in your mission and believe that the right people will come to you. But it's your job to make sure that your products and services are so damn good. And it gets people repeatable results that you're unapologetic about it, whether it's from a pricing point of view or however that looks like.
00:04:59 Gloria: Okay, the next thing is always be hustling, always be grinding, always be growing. So while I do agree that a growth mindset is absolutely key for us to evolve, not only as individuals, but as a humanity, we need a growth mindset. That's fundamentally different than this whole thing of, like always be growing, always be scaling.
00:05:18 Gloria: Now I come from a scarce immigrant childhood mentality where more is always better and there was never enough and it was just go, go, go. But I have literally reached the point of physical mental burnout to be able to tell you that even if you do reach that six, seven figures, which I have in my business and rather quickly that it's never going to be enough. It's never going to be enough.
00:05:41 Gloria: And so what you're finding yourself doing is you grow a business to a point where, yeah, it's great. You're very profitable, but then you're completely burnt out. You're not a good leader because you're strapped for time. You're not showing up for your friends and family because you're not available to be present with them. You're not a good partner. You're not a good sister, mother, wife, whatever that is. And that's not really worth it.
00:06:01 Gloria: Another thing is that it takes a toll on your health. If you're constantly, always grinding and everything that you do is just for business expansion, whether it's the books that you read and the networking things that you attend, and you don't give yourself some spaciousness and room to explore other facets of your personality, you will burn out. Also, it becomes a very one-dimensional life. I think there's so much richness in the abundance and diversity of things that we can do.
00:06:26 Gloria: This is something that I'm still learning. I am born to be an entrepreneur. I learned this later on in life, but my father who died when I was three, he was an entrepreneur and everyone always said at a very young age that I am like a carbon copy of him. Now, I didn't really spend enough years with him to really understand the man or really get to know him. But I know that what I'm doing, I'm living and breathing entrepreneurship. I think like an entrepreneur, I act like an entrepreneur.
00:06:50 Gloria: But even though I know that I am doing what I'm supposed to be doing, I still find ways to do things that are “non-business related.” So things like movement and art therapy and music and dancing and exploring different cultures and maybe reading books and doing things that are not business related. And just taking a breath and a beat and not needing every social engagement or interaction to be for the benefit of my business. Because my holistic self, when I really look at myself as a living, breathing, holistic place of creation and impact and love, that's only going to help my business.
00:07:30 Gloria: So I'd rather step back and look at it holistically. So I know it's hard because you're always, everyone's showing their highlight reel and this person did this. And when you reach five figures, it's six figures. And then it's never going to end. I promise you, I mean, even the people who have reached eight figures, they're looking at the people who have reached nine figures. So we know that the goalpost will never end. So we just got to celebrate ourselves a little bit, give ourselves a little bit of grace and know that this constantly hustle mentality is not good.
00:07:57 Gloria: And here's another way to reframe it is, really step into knowing what is the season of business you are in. I was just on my friend, Iman Ismail's podcast where we had a really vulnerable conversation about how I'm in a process of descaling my business, how I look to my left and there's a huge board of my entire year planned out from December of last year when I planned this year and how none of it, I'm not doing none of it because I'm pivoting, I'm innovating, I'm creating and the market's changing.
00:08:28 Gloria: And so we have to adapt. And so yes, I can resist that and trust me, I have tried to resist that. But the universe is sending us a message which is, we are living, breathing, evolving creative things and this is your permission to maybe have a business that's different than what you thought it was gonna be like, to be able to go back a few steps so that you can go forward, to be able to lean into spaciousness and to have time to think about the next steps that you're gonna do and give yourself permission to explore that without always having the right answer.
00:08:57 Gloria: I recently went from a team of seven contractors to a team of three. It was terrifying, it was a shatter to my ego, it was hurtful, it was so many things. I started questioning my worth, I started questioning my ability to lead, all of the things. But as soon as I kind of surrendered to that and I readdressed the question of what is this here to teach me? And this is also right as I'm planning a wedding and I'm leaving in a couple of weeks, I realized that I was just not set up for this season of my business being a go, go, go, push, push, push season.
00:09:30 Gloria: And my friend, my friend actually, when I told her about what was happening in my business and my plans to redo the website and rebrand. She's like, wow, you're really doing a lot, Gloria. And I know that you are someone who loves to push, push, push, but maybe this is a sign from the universe that it's time to slow down. It's time to really be present at your wedding because one regret that I had at my wedding is that I wasn't as present and I wish that I could go back and redo it.
00:09:58 Gloria: And after I heard her say that, it kind of became so clear to me that I get this one chance to reunite my families, to merge a bond between my family and my in-laws, to fly my family from continents so that they can go to a new place. We're getting married in Italy. I owe it to myself to have this season not be one where it's always constantly hustle and going and client work and just reserving more time for myself. So that's really what I'm stepping into.
00:10:23 Gloria: And oh my God, does it feel so good. I'm finding that I am a much better listener. I'm finding that I'm enjoying the wedding planning process much more. I'm not as short and snappy with my husband because I just have more energy to be present and lean into these decisions that are going to make our big day absolutely perfect for us.
00:10:42 Gloria: So this is my little reminder for you that to honor the season of business you're in and know that there are seasons where you are pushing and hustling and there are seasons where you are collecting information and sitting with insight and getting clear and spending time to plan out your next phase.
00:10:56 Gloria: The last thing I'll leave you with, which is the business advice that I rejected is, there is this whole notion around like, oh, you should just pay to get in the right rooms or like just pay your way to get on people's radars. And while I think that does work, I also think that's fundamentally exclusionary because not only is it transactional, you're basically saying, well, you know, you're only going to be able to gain relationships if you pay. And it, like, cuts us off from our limitless creativity to foster relationships in other ways.
00:11:26 Gloria: I think there's so many other ways that we can get on the radar of people who, yes, maybe are really busy and really high in demand and have a lot of followers. Use your creativity. See how you can use your platform to sing their praises. Think about how you can tag them in your stories and talk about their methods and basically drive people and audiences to them. They will notice you. How can you use the people in your network?
00:11:51 Gloria: And I really do believe that we're only a few degrees of connections apart. How can you use your existing network to reach that person? So if you do have the money and the resources to just pay to get in the right rooms, go ahead. But I don't necessarily think that just because you pay to be at a conference that somehow that person on the other end is going to think highly of you or more highly of you than if you did it another way.
00:12:14 Gloria: All this to say is, yes, you can pay, but there are unlimited solutions for getting the result that you want. So don't always think that it's the money that's stopping you. Maybe it's something else. Maybe it's mindset. Maybe it's confidence. And so once you remove that blocker, you become more stepping into your creative power of knowing there's many ways that I can achieve this, not just paying with money.
00:12:39 Gloria: Because here's the thing, if you don't have the money to pay for it, then you'd all of a sudden think, well, this is the one thing I don't have, therefore this is not available to me. And so this is my reminder to you that you are limitless, you are infinite. There are so many ways that we can create. Remember, you created this business from nothing, from scratch. Don't forget who the hell you are.
00:12:59 Gloria: So with that, this concludes this part two episode of the top or most popular business advice I rejected. The reason I wanna do it this way and have a contrarian point of view is because I just wanna say stuff that people just don't say all the time. And I don't wanna do more of what other people are doing. I wanna take a different perspective because I think when we do see the holistic picture of all the different viewpoints, then we can make a better decision for ourselves of which viewpoint aligns with me.
00:13:27 Gloria: So if you resonated with this, please share it with a business bestie that you know. I so appreciate you listening and being a part of our community. Please rate and subscribe, and I cannot wait to see you for next week's episode.
00:13:43 Gloria: Hey, Small Business Hero, did you know that you can get featured for free on outlets like Forbes, the New York Times, Marie Claire, PopSugar, and so many more, even if you're not yet launched or if you don't have any connections? That's right. That's why I invite you to watch my PR Secrets Masterclass, where I reveal the exact methods thousands of bootstrapping small businesses use to hack their own PR and go from unknown to being a credible and sought after industry expert.
00:14:11 Gloria: Now, if you want to land your first press feature, get on a podcast, secure a VIP speaking gig, or just reach out to that very intimidating editor, this class will show you exactly how to do it. Register now at GloriaChouPR.com/Masterclass. That's GloriaChou, C-H-O-U-P-R.com/Masterclass. So you can get featured in 30 days without spending a penny on ads or agencies. Best of all, this is completely free, so get in there and let's get you featured.