Isn’t it crazy how everyone around you has an opinion on what the right thing to do is, for YOU?
You have an idea, excitedly tell your partner about it and they ask “are you sure that’ll work?” –
You happily create something you’re proud of and show it to your best friend and they say “people won’t pay for that…” –
You launch your business and tell your parents and they knock you down with a “when are you gonna get a REAL job?” –
Punch to the stomach, am I right?
Lots of people have lots of opinions, but they’re THEIR opinions, and in the end, their opinion is NOT valid when it comes to decisions you’re making about YOUR life/YOUR business.
I’ve had a lot of doubt, criticism, and judgement thrown my way - for much of my life, actually - as soon as I identified as an entrepreneur and started acting like one.
Early on, this negativity would cripple me. It would get under my skin and I’d eventually break down. It’s no wonder I had so many failed businesses! I had zero support, and zero encouragement.
Once I found a sliver of success (by doing everything on my own), people would come around and congratulate me or ask me how I did it, but before then? Nope, not a chance. Total dismissal of my big goals and dreams.
If you’re an entrepreneur, you probably have a similar story. Perhaps you’re lucky and have someone who did support and encourage you, but you most definitely also had people in your life who doubted you, called you crazy when you shared your ideas, and tried to convince you to give up on your dreams.
Yes?
Yeah, I thought so.
I’ve been called crazy for much of my life. I’ve now come to own it and it’s a part of my brand, ha! If who I am is the definition of crazy, then I IS CRAZZZZZZY. Tattoo it on my forehead and let’s keep moving.
Every year I set huge, massive, CRAZY goals for myself. In the mind of a normal person, they’re outrageous, and there’s no way they’ll ever come to life.
Except… they do. Often.
And it’s so fun to see the faces of THE NORMALS when they do. 🙂
I also do what many consider to be crazy THINGS. Things I’m warned were very bad, terrible ideas.
–> Things I’ve done in my business that people told me were crazy and would never work:
** GAVE A STRANGER $6,000 TO MENTOR ME
Felt like the right thing. Got all the tingles and butterfly feelings in my gut when I spoke with her. Said YES to the investment, even though I was terrified it would backfire.
(Was warned this was a pyramid scheme and I’d never see that money again.) I went on to make over 6-figures from that investment. Shocked everyone, myself included.
** GAVE ANOTHER STRANGER $20,000 TO MENTOR ME HARDER
Again, felt right, said yes. Made another 6-figures plus. $250K received that first year (in CASH).
** CONTINUED TO GIVE STRANGERS MONEY (OVER $100K AT THIS POINT) TO KEEP MENTORING ME
I always say yes when I see an offer that I feel in my soul is a hell yes, even if it feels scary (it always does) and even if I don’t have the money (I rarely do since the investment keeps getting bigger).
I figure it the fuck OUT, and then it WORKS itself the fuck out. Every time. To the tune of over $2 million dollars cash received so far.
MENTORSHIP CHANGED THE GAME FOR ME.
… clearly I love being mentored. 😉 I truly believe THIS IS THE #1 REASON I’VE BEEN SUCCESSFUL. I believe that if you don’t have a mentor, you’ll struggle. Mentorship makes you more money, faster (and often EASIER).
** STARTED COACHING BIZ CHARGING $5K TO WORK WITH ME FOR 3 MONTHS (it’s now 5x that amount)
In the early days of my business, I didn’t want to “start out small” in regards to my pricing, as a lot of people told me that I HAD to do. I knew I was worth more - I’d spent close to a decade at that point, learning the shit I was about to teach, no way was I charging pennies for that.
I started with my prices at $5,000 for 3 months of private coaching, full one-hour calls every week. The more I invest in myself, the more I learn, the more I experience, the higher my rates go. And I am almost always completely booked with private clients, no matter my rates.
Charge what feels right for you, not what others tell you that you SHOULD be charging. They don’t have a say. It’s YOUR choice. Your decision. And if YOU’RE in alignment with the price, your audience will be as well, and they will BUY.
** HOSTED AN IN-PERSON EVENT EARLY IN MY BIZ
I was told to only focus on 1:1 coaching until I “had credibility”; that no one would come to an event if they hadn’t worked with me privately first. I ignored this advice because I always trust my gut and follow my soul, and my soul was craving in-person connection.
Sold out the event. $80K cash received that month.
** SENT EMAILS EVERY SINGLE DAY TO THOSE ON MY LIST (often more than once per day)
Ooooh I can’t even tell you how much I was warned about this one. “People will think you’re annoying, and will unsubscribe”, was the advice I received, time and time again. “Then they aren’t my people”, I’d respond. (That shut people up real quick, ha!)
Truth is, if you’re giving highly valuable content in your emails every day, and you send those emails from a place of service, then PEOPLE WILL LOVE THEM. I have people that tell me that if they don’t see an email from me in their inbox one day, they wonder if something’s wrong with me, and then they get antsy, waiting for the next email to come through. 🙂
And if they unsubscribe, good! Those ain’t yo’ peeps, and don’t need to be in your community anyway.
** SELLING ALL DAY, EVERY DAY, CONSISTENTLY, NEVER LAYING UP
Similar to sending daily emails, I was told not to sell every day. Some people even got ANGRY with me when I told them I was planning to sell all day, every day.
“Don’t you think that’s a bit agressive?”
“People are gonna think you’re money-hungry and hate you.”
“That’s so selfish!”
In the years I’ve been selling all day, every day, guess how many people have complained to me about it?
ZERO.
Because alongside my sales content, there is often FREE content, which is valuable. People only think you “sell too much” if all you do is sell, and never provide anything other than sales content.
** SWEARING IN MY CONTENT 🙂
Speaking of content… one thing I started doing a few years into my coaching business, was dropping the idea that I needed to be like everyone else. I thought I had to show up in a certain way, speak in a certain way, and conduct myself in a certain way - a PROFESSIONAL way. I bit my tongue a lot. I rarely said what I actually believed and was thinking.. I would say what I thought I was supposed to say.
And I attracted a lot of the wrong people doing this. Eventually it got to be way too exhausting for me to keep up being a different person, so I stopped - and I started being my real, true self instead. The real me who swears.. a lot.
I don’t know how many fuck’s I’ve dropped into my content over the years, but I’m willing to bet it’s well over a thousand at this point. Ha!
—
All of this to say –
OWN YOUR CRAZY.
Do the things that feel good in your soul. Trust the feelings you’re feeling in your gut. ACT accordingly - even if it’s scary, even if seems like you can’t - YOU CAN, and YOU MUST.
Follow. Your. Soul. Guidance.
In all areas, at all times, NO MATTER WHAT.
And of course - fuck the naysayers and do YOU. Always.