Episode 173: The Disconnect Between Taught and Practiced Business Strategies
In this episode, I examine the disconnect between the business strategies taught and what is actually practiced. When this happens, it's not the end of the world...but it is good to recognize the disconnect, so your expectations (and success) can adjust accordingly.
Join me in this thought provoking episode.
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Episode Transcript:
(00:01):
Welcome back, FEMNation. I'm going to hit on a touchy subject today, one that I know directly from deep internal experience, but I wanna talk about it, not to shade or throw shade on anyone in this industry. I do truly, truly believe that there are a lot of people that are in the influencer space, in this knowledge industry, in this course creation, in this program, coaching, whatever you wanna call it, world online digital help business building world, right? I truly believe that there are tremendous number of people that have decent intentions, and so that's why I don't regularly well ever really shade on anyone. I don't talk about what's wrong in this industry. I don't highlight it specifically as a talking point or a teaching point or a topic point, because it's not necessary for me to say what is already understood. That would be me writing a post or putting a podcast out there to just put it in echo chamber to draw all of the people out that already think that, already know that, and to engage with me for it.
(01:19):
I don't want it for engagement. If I can't stand for something that's going to be better going forward, go do better is one of my biggest, biggest mottoes, right? If I can't stand for that, then I'm not really actually helping anyone move forward or grow or be a voice of reason that of what's possible instead of looking at what's ugly. But I do want to say that when building your business, this is kind of the crux of this episode, when building your business, if you are learning from people out there that are teaching you a process and are not implementing that process themselves, you will not have success the way you see that their success successes, and I'm speaking specifically to some of the bigger names out there, I can tell you without question that there are bigger names out there that have content that they're teaching bigger, as in, let's say not audience size or revenue size or whatever, but louder, okay? All over your feed, all over in your email, all over, in all the places that they can funnel you, for instance, in your opt-in telling you what it is that they know. But if they are not actually working on the content utilizing the process that they created, you're not going to see the same measure of success that they are. Yours will be different. Here's why.
(02:59):
Influencer A, and this is again, I want to emphasize this is not anyone in particular. It's an example. Influencer A has a large audience, tells you what's possible. You purchase a program. The program teaches you steps, hopefully good steps, and you try to implement them and they don't work. But you see, influencer A is not utilizing that model themselves. They probably have teams of people doing things for them. They're probably spending, especially if they have a large audience, they're spending tens of thousands of dollars on marketing to get in front of a volume of people because they're working off of sheer strategic numbers. Get in front of 10,000, 25% will take you up on that particular opt-in, and then you might close one to 2% of that 25%. Very basic, very simplified numbers there, but those are industry standards. But you have to recognize that the process that they're going to teach you inside of that program is not the process that they're using. So if you know that going into it, then there won't be a disconnect. You can separate their success from yours. But what if you don't desire to build a business like Influencer A?
(04:34):
What if you don't want teams? Then that becomes an issue because then their process, as sexy as it sounds, isn't for you, and nothing they can teach you is going to actually work. Now, will it be beneficial to have learned something? Yes, yes, absolutely. But just don't bank your measure of success on it. What if though you are someone who desires to have a more simplified business, but yet make different money with it? What if you desire to be a solopreneur or very, very, very small team? What if you prefer quality of life instead of chasing 50, 60 hours a week, building your own thing? What if you want to get to that 20 hour, week or less? How in the world do you do it? When you're learning from someone who has teams built to do all those things for them, how can they actually teach you to do it the way that your heart wants to do it successfully?
(05:54):
They can't. That's the disconnect. Because their success is on a different lane. Their success is something completely different. It is not what you desire. If you do not see how they operate and realize that the volume or size or financial benchmarks that they hit are what you think or want is possible for you, then what they teach, if it's disconnected from that, is not going to get you anywhere close. It's completely disconnected. Their process is disconnected from their method and their process, and they're just getting people through the door. That's okay if just getting people through the door is okay, and that's okay, cuz I'll give grace that maybe their messaging is off. My example, influencer A, again, not any particular person, simply an example, but they might be working on their stuff too. Maybe they don't have a doubt, but if their marketing and their messaging is off and they promise something that they're not able to deliver because what they show is different than what they can take you to because their vision is different than what you desire, then you're going to have to make sure that that distinction is very obvious in your mind.
(07:28):
Learn from them. Go through the investment. Anytime you invest in anyone, go through the investment. I have invested the most weirdest money. Well, it's normal money, but in the most weirdest of scenarios with business coaches to scale my business, and I found a million different ways to Sunday on how I can do it. That's great. I always learned something. It doesn't matter if I spent 67, 27, $7, or I spent $70,000. It didn't matter. Doesn't matter. I always learned something.
(08:10):
But what I found the most is that marketing, you're writing, your voice needs to be authentically connected to the outcome you provide. And how can you do that if you're learning it from someone that they're marketing and their messaging isn't the same as the outcome they provide? But don't worry, I don't want to bring this to your attention because I want you to feel any level of bad investment or any shame of following somebody that might be similar to my example, influencer A I don't want that to be the case. Follow them, learn from them. But turn it around and view it through a lens of research. Pick it apart. What do you like about it? What don't you like about it? If you invested in a program from someone, what did you like about it? What did you not like about it? Get good at working that muscle so that you can see the benefit from any investment you make.
(09:27):
You can see the process and the evolution for yourself at no matter what level you are investing in, no matter what amount of money or time you are giving to investing in yourself, but get good at recognizing that you may have, and their marketing may have led you this way, but you may have gone into that investment of time and or money with a disconnected idea of what is possible. That doesn't mean there wasn't something to learn, there always is, but just be aware and be okay with acknowledging that, okay, my assumption going into this program with this particular person is different than what's actually capable or possible. Maybe I jumped the gun on where I was with my process, who I am, where I'm at in business building or turning my knowledge into a program. Maybe I'm ahead of myself, maybe I'm ahead of what they're actually teaching. Maybe I know better and I disagree with some of it. That's valid, absolutely valid, and I wanna validate that all day long.
(10:51):
But when that's the case, maybe they flat lied to you, maybe they're not able to deliver any outcome, but now you know exactly what you don't like. Now you know exactly how to not show up for your ideal client. It doesn't derail you moving forward. It just gives you very, very, very clear perspective on how you will not operate your business. So in closing, in closing on this episode, and thanks for hanging with me. This is so fun. I truly do value you guys, and I enjoy this time with you. I actually enjoy the vocal aspect of a love writing, but I enjoy the vocal aspect of it and that's why this podcast lives. But in closing this episode, I want you to be very clear on who you
(11:53):
Learn from going forward. If they are not using actively now, the process that they promised to take you through to success or a measure of success, then they can't get you to where you want to be because there is a disconnect for them. They're on their journey, let them learn. But you know that there's a better way out there than continue to seek for a better way or create it yourself. How's that sound? But in this world of digital product creation of knowledge, in businesses, of scaling, of making money, of putting things together, find authenticity first, real authenticity. It is a buzzword in the industry. I get it. But there is real authenticity. There is integrity, there are values, and it's not just mindset or momentum or hype or shoring you up, encouraging you, cheering you on. It's not just that. Make sure to be picky and choose to get to know the people first.
(13:15):
See if they're walking the walk and walking the talk, quite frankly, and then make decisions logically from there. Are they offering something that can actually help you to where you truly desire to be in the future and the impact that you choose to make even starting today? Are they someone to emulate, someone to model? Because that connection is in where you learn the real lessons you're looking for. Strategy will come, but learn from those who are walk in their talk. All right guys, I'm going to wrap up this episode. That was fun, right? Digging into a little bit of, of the industry. My, there's so much of it that I know and so much of I've seen, and so much of it I've been a part of. And there's so much ugliness and so much difficulty and so much comparisonitis and procrastination and all the above. But keep seeking, keep looking, keep finding those voices that are real and true and authentic and with integrity, because that's what you desire to be when you show up for your ideal client. Find the examples, the leaders that are definitely walking their talk. And until next time, keep moving forward.