Transcript
Hi guys. It's Rochelle and over in The Studio, if you're not familiar, that's my group program where I'm taking people basically through all the steps that many, many CEOs have had me do as a project manager and as a virtual assistant in the last few years that I've been doing this.
And so basically I'm teaching you how to do it yourself! Just in case you can't afford, or you're just not ready to bring on a team member?
You know, there are certain things that you need to get set up so that you're ready for it. And so that, you know, just running your business actually feels like a nice thing.
Like what you WANT it to feel like.
And so one of the things that we're focusing on for this month is thinking like a CEO.
Embracing your CEO tasks and your identity as a business owner.
Versus living in that really uncomfortable space where you're just like, "I don't know what I'm doing."
"I don't know."
"I don't know, and I suck at this."
"And, I tried different things and they didn't work."
Or, "You know, social media so hard. What hashtag should I use?"
It's really easy to get stuck in all the mud, you know, and trying to figure out all of the details. And just trying to get everything wrapped up and beautiful before you even expect to make any money.
Or you're jumping the gun and you're like, "I'm going to make this entire thing. I'm going to do this giant course, a launch and ads and webinars and you know, a tripwire that's an ebook that's 40 pages, and then I'm going to, you know, have a course that has like 80 modules."
It's really easy to get stuck in between those two things.
Either like thinking too small, or thinking WAY too big so that you put in all of this work and you burn yourself out. Either before you even launch it or you don't sell anything when you do launch it, and you figure, "I guess I'm just not cut out for this."
So if you're in that kind of sticky situation right there, I think that this question will help you reframe some of that.
Because on some level, I think you understand that it's kind of all in your head.
And I'm not trying to like belittle any of your feelings and the hardship that you're going through as a business owner because it's very real.
You know? You're depending on this. And you want it to grow and you want to set a good example for people, your family, your relatives, your coworkers, your tribe.
But you know, things are getting hard.
So one way to reframe your expectations of yourself and your business is to think of it just just a little differently, just so that you're not like stressing yourself out.
And by the way, if you want to work with me on this and you're like, "This is a little complicated and I might be overdoing it."
And maybe you need someone who's a little more like analytical and strategic about all the pieces, then make sure that you come and work with me inside The Studio.
The Real Deal Business studios really where things are going to happen and I'm going to keep you accountable and we're going to work on things that are, that actually have to be done and aren't all the fluffy extra stuff that just looks impressive.
You know what I'm talking about.
So anyway, how do you reframe your expectations for yourself and your business?
This can be difficult.But I think that it'll help you to just answer a question for yourself.
So you're in the CEO chair, right?
You're not planning on doing the grunt work for the next 20 years. Right?
You don't want to have to be like a slave to your laptop, trying to do everything yourself.
Until your kids are in college or graduated or are married, or you have a grandchildren.
Like that's, that's not really what you have in mind. Right?
So in order to start thinking like a CEO right now, I want your answer to this question, and that is:
What would you do with a $2,000 small business grant?
Okay, so this is not a "$2,000 to pay off your debt."
It's not a $2,000 for spare savings.
It's, it's what would you actually do with it?
Someone hands you $2,000 you have to spend it and it has to bring your business to the next level.
What would you use it on? And I think, uh, it's, it's not so much the answer to that that matters.
As it is how sure of it (your answer) you are and how you really know like how all the pieces of your business are coming together.
If you're working on social media and you say, "I'm going to, I would definitely hire it and hire a VA to do my social media because I hate spending all of my time on my phone, uh, making content. I hate it. You know, I just want to help my clients and I don't want to spend all of my time like thinking of quotes and scheduling things and all that stuff, and I want to hire someone."
That in itself tells you so much because that means that you're, you know, what, what might be helpful, right?
That's helpful. To have an extra person. It tells you that maybe you're spending too much time on something like social media content that won't actually bring in clients because you know that you -- maybe, you're not doing a good job of it. Right?
So. It kind of helps you figure out that the things that you would outsource, but at the same time, you have to admit to yourself that you are spending so many hours -- maybe!
So many hours, so much effort, so much brain power and bandwidth on something that you're not even really that good at.
Right? So like aside from the fact that you would hire someone for social media, you get to think about yourself.
And you get to think about how you ARE spending it.
Because technically... technically you're spending $2,000 in EFFORT.
In time, in hours spent, in manpower, that are all YOU doing it.
Okay?
So another way that you would look at this, again, the question is what would you do with a $2,000 small business grant?
It's also helpful if you can think about like, I don't know, think of it like a mini Shark Tank show.
If you have your business model and you're like, "I know that people need this. People have told me how helpful I am."
Maybe you're doing market research calls or you've done a few free things, right?
Offering your services for free.
And people are telling you that you're so good at it. You know, they're like, "That was so helpful. Thank you so much."
And if you think of like, I mean, $2,000, it's either big or small, right? But if you think of being on like a mini shark tank show.
How would you describe your business?
And you say like, you know, "Projected, I know that I can do this. I know I can handle this many clients. I know that in the industry, which is booming right now, that this is what can work. This is what sets me apart from everyone."
Right?
So you have kind of like that business plan, that pitch that you would say, you know, like, "No, I should get this business grant because... you know, XYZ."
So if you have that, that's fantastic. That's good. Okay.
So I want you to really lean into that because sometimes it's hard to take our own businesses seriously.
Because you've done a lot of it yourself. You've done a lot of learning yourself, just you and your phone and your webinars and signing up for things that it can be, you know, it can be hard to give yourself credit for how much you've actually done.
Maybe you've put together an email us already. It mght be small, but you did it, right?
So $2,000 for a business grant for a small, you know, like for someone to just invest in you.
You have to think about how you would actually use that money. And you have to take yourself seriously because you're using that money whether or not you have it.
Makes sense.
So I know that you're probably thinking, "Okay, well I don't have to the to $2,000. What do I do with it?"
Well, you asked for help. Because I don't know about you, but like a lot of my business and all of a lot of the success that I've had has been because I've connected with people who are very kind and generous and willing to talk about it.
Because if you connect with the right kinds of people who are totally in it -- they're like, "I understand what you're going through. I've been there myself. I know what I've done and I know what I've done that didn't work."
And like, you just start talking to people! Start asking other business owners how they did it.
Start seeing how you feel around certain kinds of people. Because I think that if you think that you can serve everybody and you could work with anybody and you will take the opinions and input of anyone who, as long as they've been making money, then you're probably at the beginning of your journey.
Because there are certainly a whole lot of people who will not be helpful as you're building your business.
But there are way where people that vastly outnumber the not-a-good-fits who will be able to help you. Okay.
Or maybe you're in a position where you're like, "Oh, I would never go on one on a shark tank type show. Like never ever. Because my business is just starting and I don't have a lot of backers and I don't even know if I'm going to be doing this for the next few years. And I just want to figure it out on my own first before embarrassing myself on a TV show where you know people are going to ask me hard questions."
If that's your answer, that's perfectly fine.
But you also have to admit to yourself that you are working on a business that you don't completely believe in. So that's something else to keep in, to, to think about.
This is what you're living with.
That's the kind of coworker that you're sharing your space with.
Every time you sign in, every time you start marketing yourself or working on your content, that's the kind of company you're keeping.
So it's not so much about the amount. Or whether you're going to get it or how you would use it. It's about what that stirs up in you.
So keep that in mind.
Try it again.
What would YOU do with a $2,000 small business grant?
It really opens up a lot of doors for yourself. Like just, just thinking about what that does for you. Thinking about how you would spend the money, how, how you are admitting that maybe you are not that good at something that you would rather hire out.
And yet you're using all of your time and limited budget, trying to learn how to do it yourself.
All of that stuff. So that's my thought for you today. Think of your little mini Shark Tank pitch. Make sure that you're using your time wisely.
And, of course, join us in The Studio if you're ready for some out accountability, hangin' with people like me who are in it.
We're, we're doing the work, we're building it. And, um, you can, you can ask any of the questions that you have on the things that are holding you back.
Okay. Thanks for watching everybody.
Let me know what comes up for you.
Leave a comment or send me a message and I'll see you next time. Bye!