What do bars and the online business world have in common? Day 3.
^ This q works only if you, like me, are the type to have an ongoing serious relationship with your bed, Netflix, and your covers.
I’m not the type to go out, but someone turned 30, and a special occasion is a special occasion! A small group of us went to a restaurant last night to celebrate: we told stories, grilled each other on The Latest, had some drinks, and ate way too much food.
Then at about 10 o’clock, the restaurant switched off the lights and switched on the tugs tugs tugs: the DJ played Where is the Love? followed soon by Love on Top (which, I suppose, answers the Black Eyed Peas’ question). But because of the music, we began yelling at each other to talk. And the other tables were also yelling, and the music kept playing, and there was another birthday group behind us really feeling the party vibes. Even more yelling —
— and I was mega overstimulated. My grandma sensibilities were overloaded. Eventually I just… sat in my chair and stared.
Have you felt that way online, too?
When I began internetting, I was craving for information. I would research, right click -> open in new tab enough links to make my computer hang, sign up for all the 4am webinars, enroll in the courses I could afford, and wish I could enroll in the courses I couldn’t.
Before long, I was receiving 50 emails a day, being told I had to try this top-converting technique, no wait, that top converting technique, and if I wasn’t doing this in my business, I was leaving cash on the table, and hey have you created your 20-part launch email sequence yet? You know, the one that follows the free thing you’re offering people that you’ll have to separately conceptualize, write, design, and set up the tech for while you’re figuring everything out?, and oh, this new course is launching designed to 5x your sales, buy it now before it becomes mega expensive!, also, have you been to my masterclass?
^ Please note, I’m not saying they weren’t valuable resources, I’m just saying THERE WERE SO MANY OF THEM ALL COMING AT ME ALL AT ONCE.
Information quickly turned into information overload. And — just like when I was at the tugs tugs place — overload turned into paralysis.
You have to turn off consumption so you can put your ideas out into the world.
I was crippled by the barrage. I thought I was moving, but was I really, by panicking over this other thing I had to do from yet another webinar?
Maybe it was the oversaturation, maybe it was the ever-looming deadline (maybe it was Maybelline).
But I realized, if I really wanted to get things done, I had to shhh the noise and:
Focus on what’s essential.
At some point in my book launch — my first ever anything, btw! — I was trying to plan for daily lives, webinars, this magic formula of an email launch sequence, social media content, figuring out how do do the daily lives, webinars, write the content for the magic formula email sequence, and do social media … while oh, right, writing the book.
It became an overcomplicated messy mess that was stopping me from doing anything because — how???
Then I came across the term: minimum viable product. Minimum viable product! What a wonderful phrase!
Oh my goodness, that became my mantra. Every time I came across a roadblock, or new thing that was causing me to stress, I would just repeat to myself:
What is the minimum I need to get this off the ground?
And focus on that.
Did I need 12 FB lives to launch my first book?
Did I need to move this image two pixels to the left, no, a little more, or wait, move it back, no, it’s not even?
DID I?
(No, I did not.)
And to be honest, spending 30 minutes deciding “font size 16? or 18? or 17? no, 16,” was just stalling.
If I didn’t need it to get my thing off the ground, then I didn’t need to waste time on it.
Focus on what’s doable.
I broke things down into small things. Teeny weeny things.
Doable things.
“I have to have a 50-part launch plan!” is scary.
“I can share the table of contents of my book on social media today” is doable.
What can I do today? What can I do this week?
Then I just kept doing small things. Just what was doable, until the doable was done.
Focus on what works for you.
A word I had to especially shush from the bombardment was “should.”
You should have an email list*. You should be on Pinterest. You should have a YouTube channel. You should go live. You should schedule out your content. You should blog. You should use Facebook / Twitter / Carrier Pigeons. You should wake up at the crack of dawn if you want to get anything done.
It’s been a year and a half — I don’t have an email list (SOON, PROMISE, @GURUS, once I figure out what I’m about), no Pinterest, no videos, 3? blog entries, social media full of memes, and I’m up all night ’til the sun.
But …
I’m alive and kicking.
I didn’t do those, and I admit I have plenty to learn about putting myself out there, but I did figure out what felt more natural to me. I’d hang out in FB groups because I genuinely enjoyed being there and answering questions; the networking was incidental. I’d make friends. Like, real friends. And I’d collab with the friends I’d met in said FB groups, and be introduced to their audiences through those.
I’m writing this journal on the daily! Because selling and promoting scare me but I thought: stories. I can do stories. Maybe I can just tell you my stories.
Treat every “should” as a “should”ggestion, and watch your stress melt.
If you’re game to play and experiment and try things out, you will find what fits your business model, your life model, your personality, you.
*Fite me. No, please don’t, I’m weak.
Focus on getting it out there.
This one was tough. This is where my brain kept getting in the way.
“What if nobody likes it?” — Do it and you’ll find out.
“What if it doesn’t work?” — Do it and you’ll find out.
“What if I’m not good enough?” — Do it and you’ll find out.
“But what if — “
Just do it.
People say starting is the hardest, but starting is… relatively okay. I think we are more serial starters than we are serial finishers. What’s tough is following through. And what’s tougher is making it all the way right up to the edge and not blinking.
Two things about getting Your Thing out there:
- The “what if?”s are not as scary on the other side of going live. The doubts melt. Like, oh, this… is really, really, really not as bad as I thought it was gonna be. The anticipation is much worse. Just don’t blink.
- An actual thing is easier to fix/iterate/edit than a hypothetical thing that will never exist. You’ll have real feedback to really improve the thing, instead of just the naggy, self-sabotage-y, impostor syndrome-y voices in your head. And changing things is… turns out it’s not a big deal.
Why are you telling me this, Mikli? Why are you talking (mostly) about 2016?
In thinking about my business model shift, one of the questions I asked myself was: how can I be as helpful as possible?
And I think: you have enough information. Or you, like 2016 me, may have too much information. I don’t want to add to the noise if I can’t improve it. (And I’m not in the position right now to improve it.)
The most helpful I can be to you is with what should come with all that information.
I want to help you implement what you already do know and help you follow through on that idea.
So you can focus on what’s essential, what’s doable, what works for you — and get it out there.
That’s where I’m coming from, and that’s hopefully where I’m going!
Where I’m probably not going… is another tugs-tugs bar for a while. Grandma’s still recovering.
^ I’m looking for feedback to help me validate + improve my offer! If this is something you’re interested in or just curious about, shoot me an email for a no-pressure chat.
