No more apologizing.
Or wringing your hands in indecision.
Do this instead:
I want to know what this brings up for YOU! Let me know in the comments below.
Video Transcript:
If you’ve ever watched South Park, or at least back in the day (I don’t know if this is even still a thing), you might remember Cartman and his catch phrase which was, “WHATEVA. I do what I want!”
I want to know what would happen if you started saying that in your business. What if instead of looking for the answer in Facebook groups, or asking your friends, or on blog posts, what if you answered “I do what I want,” and then you did what you want?
This is something that I’ve been starting to do a lot, and it feels really good. And today I’m going to tell you about something that I’m going to start doing, because I want to. It might not be popular, it might not be what I should do. It might hurt my traffic, or get me some unsubscribes. I don’t know, but it really feels good to me, and I’d love to see what would happen if you started doing things that felt really good.
One example of this that I’ve started doing, or I noticed, and that’s really what brought this up for me, was sometimes I get messages via Facebook about working with me, and that is not my jam. I try to stay away from all the notifications on my phone, or on Facebook, and I’m bad at it. I’m constantly looking at everything and reading everything, but I’m not necessarily going to respond to something that comes to me via Facebook, because I see it and forget it. It’s not like my inbox, where I keep things unread if I haven’t replied to them. The last time this happened, I got all like “Oh, what should I do? I’d love to just tell this person to email my assistant, and she will send you all the information about my services, the prices to booking, whatever, whatever, or just check my website, because that’s all there.” But, I started thinking “Oh well, this person came from a referral, from somebody who I really respect, so I should probably make sure this is a one-on-one interaction, always with me, and I guess it’s just here in Facebook.”
But that’s dumb. That back and forth and “oh, what should I do.” That was a waste of my time, and so I’ve made the decision that when that happens, I’m going to just say “email my assistant, I don’t do Facebook messages.” And that might come off like I’m a bitch, but that’s the reason that I have an assistant. That’s the reason that I pay someone else, is so that they can take that stuff off my plate, so I can focus on some other things.
Now I’m not saying that I’m just going to do whatever I want in my business, the way that I want, and never really consider the impact of that. For example, I’m putting together a pretty complex program to teach other people how to run Facebook ads for their clients, and I’m not just going to be like, “Well I’m going to teach this in whatever order I want, or just sort of like wing it, or do it at whatever time is best for me,” because that really doesn’t necessarily work for the people that I’m trying to serve. Since those people are investing their money with me, I’m definitely going to keep that into consideration.
But at some point I feel like you’ve got to stop worrying so much about what other people are going to think, or how it’s going to impact your business if you actually run it the way that you want to.
The thing that I am not going to do for a little while is write blog posts about Facebook ads, or whatever, for 4 to 6 maybe weeks (I’m not really sure).
And the reason behind that is because I’ve just got a lot of other shit on my plate, and I’m sure that you have felt this way more than once, where you’re doing different things. I’m working on different offerings, positioning, branding, design, this program to help people run ads for their clients. It is a lot, and so I have to step back from something. In addition to all that, I’m still doing the podcast, which is something that I love, so instead of putting this pressure on myself to get a blog post out every week, get a podcast out every week, and serve my clients, and try to grow the business, it’s like, all right. Something is going to come out from that whole pile, and it’s going to be the blogging, and I’m okay with that. I hope that you’re okay with that.
It doesn’t mean that you’re not going to hear from me. I’m still going to be emailing you every week, but about the podcast episodes. If you haven’t listened to the podcast yet, this might be a good reminder to do that! I really recommend it. I have just gotten incredible ideas about my own business from these conversations, and the feedback has been tremendous.
If you are not interested in the podcasts, that is perfectly all right! There will be a little link in all of the emails that say “I’m not interested in hearing about the podcast anymore,” and you can click that, and then you’ll hear from me again when I come back from this kind of blogging hiatus.
What I would really love is for you to think about how you can start saying “I do what I want in your own business.” If there’s something that you’ve been kind of thinking about, or it’s really just been on your mind, something you would love to stop doing, or something you’d like to start doing, let me know just by leaving a comment on this post.
If you’re really going to miss the Facebook ad blog posts, I have a ton on the blog already. If you just Google “clairepells”, and then whatever topic, like targeting, or interests, or copy, that’s all going to pop up for you.
So again, let me know in the comments what you are going to change, stop doing, or start doing, because you’re going to start doing what you want in the business. Thank you so much for watching; I hope to still see you when I come back from my hiatus, and if not, if you gotta unsubscribe, that’s okay with me. We can’t all be BFF’s forever, right?
I will talk to you guys soon. :)
You do what you want dammit. Love it! Really enjoying the podcast so far too. :)
Thank you, Lane! I’ll be in touch soon, would love to feature one of your campaigns as a case study when I come back from the hiatus!
That’d be great! :)
I like the fact that you care about informing us! And it’s totally fine, writing blog posts takes soooo much time!
I wouldn’t think of NOT informing you! Not that everyone on my list will even see this post, but still, having an extended absence and then starting to email your subscribers again out of nowhere is a good way for people to forget who you are and then get angry they’re on your list.
You are right! Great example!
Yes! I Love this post. I keep trying to make a business that my parents will understand and be proud of, but it’s resulting in making decisions that are taking me away from my ideal. They absolutely mean well but I need to make peace with the fact that they likely won’t get it and I can’t build around what they expect a “real” business to look like.
That must be REALLY tough, Wahida, combatting the pressures of really important people in your life, not just abstract “best practices” on the Internet. Sounds like just being aware of that fact is a great first step to making peace with it!
Love it! I keep reminding myself that *I* set the rules in my business. My clients will either go with it, or find someone that fits them better.
I’m not obsessing about getting a weekly post out! Instead of churning out more mediocre content, I want to focus on better content even if it is less often and getting it promoted and shared more.
Yes, quality over quantity for SURE! And I completely agree: the people who don’t feel good about your rules will find someone who’s a better fit.
Thanks so much for your thoughts, Casey!
Bravo! Whenever I find myself slip into people pleasing mode I am quick to remind myself that the whole reason I put myself through the highs and lows (and growing pains) of being an entrepreneur is that I wanted to be the one calling the shots! So I take a step back and remind myself of why I’m here/doing whatever before I ask what should I do?
AMEN! If we have to play by someone else’s rules, I’m not sure those lows and the growing pains are worth it. I’ll take the highs on a regular basis, please! :)
Go for it Claire! It’s all about being clear and having boundaries with people so they know what to expect. I wouldn’t be offended if you directed me to your assistant. I wouldn’t think twice. It’s a sign you take your business seriously and that you value your time. Nobody wants to work with someone who’s burning out or overwhelmed. If I were you, I’d take this idea and run with it and see where else in your life you can apply this principal.
Rock on!
Maureen
“It’s a sign you take your business seriously and that you value your time.”
I so wish I had thought of that when I got some flack for having an assistant respond to emails instead of me responding personally. I will definitely try to run with this idea both in my business and outside of it, thank you for the challenge! :)
Great Claire….I once learned that success is focussing on things that only you can do, and then either delegate or delete the rest. Letting the assistant handle the emails is perfect. I do this in my online business as well.
As content creators, there is a flow within us that tells do this and don’t do this. Following that instinct is key and I guess that is what you done by deciding not to do the blogposts.
I will look forward to hear the result of the changes you are making in your life.
Best wishes.
Sijith
Thanks so much for that encouragement Sijith! I like the idea of following the flow!
Love this idea! I’ve been waiting from someone to tell me that was okay :)
Sometimes all we need is that little affirmation, right?
Word. I’ve been feeling mildly guilty about not blogging over the past few weeks cos we’ve been flat-out in launch mode. Needed to hear this sooner!
P.S I did come across this handy little trick that you might want to implement; Saved Replies in FB Messenger. Genius! http://andrewmacarthy.com/andrew-macarthy-social-media/facebook-replies-answer-messages-record-time
Oh I almost never blog in launch mode! Instead I sell my course, which is what I’ve been seeing you do.
Go for it Claire – I love your show and did wonder how the hell you’re keeping up with blogging and your show. I did the same thing earlier this year, I had a FB group, I was doing webinars and video blog posts and I stopped the whole thing to just refocus and ‘do what I want’ and i’ve had the best 6mths in my business because of it.
Wow, that’s awesome Janet! What did you end up focusing on that you think had a major impact?
I just focused on creating an offer that my clients and communmity had been asking for which is a ‘done for you’ service and that was it. So I stopped doing everything I should be doing, and just focused on bring in revenue into my business and that was it. It amazing what you can achieve in 6 mths when you stop ‘playing business’ and just get down to things you need to do to keep your business going.
That’s AWESOME Janet! Is it this service? https://offers.janetkafadar.com/program-creation
I’m just curious: do you have to tailor each proposal and price to each client? I imagine some course take a lot more time, energy and maybe outsourcing on your end.
Yep, that’s me. Nope, I have 1 flat rate for each package – to save myself the headache of writing proposals. But I have 3 different types of offers – which will be up soon. But I draw a very hard line in the sand about who I work with and where they’re at in their business which means I don’t have to write proposals each time. I have a little team that help me out so it’s working out really well.
Claire – Sounds like you are embracing the 80-20 principle. If you haven’t done so already, I highly recommend checking out Perry Marshall’s book about this time-tested rule. For me, it has become my “go-to” resource for 2014- 15, Here is a link to a pdf that we all need to understand.
http://marketing-and-sales.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/2/7/1127036/8020paretocheatsheet.pdf
That book keeps popping up on my radar so I really need to hop to it and read it!
The 80 20 book by Perry Marshall addresses the exact issue you discuss in this blog article. It is one of those books that I read through quickly at first and, since then, I review every now and then. It is one of my favorite time management books; the other is David Allen’s Get Things Done. If interested, I have created some notes in an outline that I refer to whenever I need to re-group and get organized. Let me know if you are interested in seeing it. — Phil Gardner
Oh yeah, I almost forget. FB advertising can be the best and worst. The best in targeting and the worst in logistics. What a pain! Your training videos (and Jon Loomer’s) are outstanding at simplifying this confusing topic.
Phil Gardner
Aww, thanks so much, Phil! I’m a big fan of Jon’s as well.
I don’t know what I’m going to do…just yet. But I just wanted to comment and say, “bravo”! Do what you gotta do to leave yourself that necessary energy to excel. I’m just selfishly so happy to hear that you’re going to keep up with the podcasts!
I have this crazy idea to do MORE episodes, as in more than one per week. But this blogging break is supposed to give me time to do the important things I’ve been putting off, so maybe I should try to practice some discipline and give myself a month before trying out that idea . . . anyway, let us know when you figure out what you’re going to stop/start doing, Alyssa!
Yessssssssssssssss. Totally with you on this. I have definitely struggled with the “I’m supposed to do xyz” and the feelings of having too much on my plate and too little time. Sometimes we have to adjust & pivot what we do in order to not only serve our clients and our audiences/community but to serve ourselves. Something that I’m slowly learning. So this “WHATEVA I WANT” totally speaks to me. Cheers to you, Claire!
Thanks Joyce! It’s always a pleasure to see you here in the comments. :) Cheers to serving ourselves!
I realize this isn’t the first time, but I love that you have transcripts with your videos or I’d never get to read your fab content!
Thanks for letting me know, Tess! Rev.com makes it so easy but I wouldn’t always do it if I didn’t hear feedback like yours. :)
The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say “no” to almost everything. – Warren Buffet