1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:04,559 Now I know that success doesn't come from jumping on trends early. I know 2 00:00:04,719 --> 00:00:08,759 that it doesn't come from constantly chasing the new shiny things, the things that 3 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:12,359 are working right now. Instead, it comes from strategy, It comes from 4 00:00:12,359 --> 00:00:18,760 intentional focused, and it comes from consistent action. Welcome to Imperfect Action. 5 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:22,760 I'm Steph Taylor. For years, I read all the books, downloaded all 6 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:26,879 the freebies, and did all the courses, but it wasn't until I started 7 00:00:26,879 --> 00:00:32,920 taking imperfect action that my business had its first million dollar year. Imperfect action 8 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:38,719 is about doing things before you're ready, prioritizing consistent action over perfect action, 9 00:00:39,079 --> 00:00:43,679 and moving forward even when you're not sure you're doing it right. On this 10 00:00:43,719 --> 00:00:48,079 show, you can expect mindset advice, actionable marketing tips, and strategies to 11 00:00:48,079 --> 00:00:52,240 build a business that brings you more profit, more freedom, and even more 12 00:00:52,399 --> 00:00:57,880 joy. Are you on the list to get my daily businesses? Every day, 13 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:00,119 I'll send you a bite sized prompt designed to help you'd grow your business 14 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:04,200 in a more intentional way. Sign up at step taylor dot co, forward 15 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:11,079 slash DBB, or at the link in the show notes. Hey, welcome 16 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:15,959 back to Imperfect Action. This is episode seven hundred and eight. Today, 17 00:01:15,239 --> 00:01:22,159 I'm doing a little bit of a compare and contrast and then and now of 18 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:26,480 what I used to do in business versus what I actually do now. I 19 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:30,439 mean this business I've been doing for more than five years now actually closer to 20 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:37,599 six years, and how my approach and my strategy has changed. So back 21 00:01:37,599 --> 00:01:41,319 then, back in my early days of business, I cared about how many 22 00:01:41,359 --> 00:01:46,040 followers I had. Now I care about how many email subscribers I have. 23 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:49,159 And it's pretty funny because now that I have a decent sized Instagram following, 24 00:01:49,159 --> 00:01:52,680 I think I've got like, I don't know, thirty eight thousand followers or 25 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:57,840 something like that. I actually don't even really care about Instagram anymore. I 26 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:05,159 hardly ever show up there outside of the content that my team is repurposing for 27 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:08,719 me. But that's also because I know that my email list is what is 28 00:02:08,719 --> 00:02:14,479 converting my subscribers. They click through to listen to these episodes, they register 29 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:16,800 for my free webinars. They're the ones who are signing up for my courses 30 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:23,759 more than the audience that is on Instagram. And that matters to me so 31 00:02:23,879 --> 00:02:28,960 much more than this number of how many followers I have, Because followers on 32 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:32,360 its own is a vanity metric. Yes, it is the one clue to 33 00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:38,000 someone's business size that you can see externally. But I've met people with one 34 00:02:38,039 --> 00:02:43,599 hundred thousand followers who are broke, and I've also met people with less than 35 00:02:43,639 --> 00:02:47,840 a thousand followers who have a super engaged email list and a very profitable business. 36 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:53,280 So it's not a very reliable gauge of how big somebody's business is or 37 00:02:53,319 --> 00:02:59,560 how successful or how profitable they are. Number two. Back when I started 38 00:02:59,599 --> 00:03:04,719 out, I would show up online when I felt like it, and now 39 00:03:04,879 --> 00:03:09,599 I have systems and structure in place to ensure that my content is always consistent. 40 00:03:10,199 --> 00:03:15,680 I hardly ever actually log into Instagram, but my team repurposes and schedules 41 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:20,960 my content. So as long as I'm creating these three podcast episodes every week, 42 00:03:21,319 --> 00:03:24,840 everything else happens consistently. We've got emails going out three times a week, 43 00:03:24,879 --> 00:03:28,680 We've got posts going out to Instagram. I don't have to think about 44 00:03:28,719 --> 00:03:32,360 it anymore because we now have the systems and the structure in place, and 45 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:38,240 it has taken a long time to get to this point. We definitely weren't 46 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:43,520 always the content machine that we are today, Like when it was just me 47 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:47,639 doing every single episode. I wasn't creating all of the other content. I 48 00:03:47,719 --> 00:03:52,159 was so scattered. I would I'd show up on Instagram when I felt like 49 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:55,599 it. I would occasionally miss a podcast episode if I didn't have an idea, 50 00:03:55,719 --> 00:04:00,919 or if I was a little bit uninspired, I would I would try 51 00:04:00,919 --> 00:04:04,759 to email my list each week, but I would often miss those emails if 52 00:04:04,759 --> 00:04:09,599 I didn't know what to write about or I didn't feel like writing. Whereas, 53 00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:13,599 now that we have these systems in place, I have to show up 54 00:04:13,639 --> 00:04:17,040 and record the podcast episodes even when I don't feel inspired, because otherwise my 55 00:04:17,079 --> 00:04:21,079 team can't do their jobs right. And once I've recorded those podcast episodes, 56 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:27,399 then everyone else can step in and do their roles to make sure that everything 57 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:31,360 is consistent everywhere. Okay, number three. Back when I first started out, 58 00:04:31,519 --> 00:04:38,120 I worried about the outcome of every single launch. Now I treat every 59 00:04:38,199 --> 00:04:43,040 launch as a learning experience and as an experiment that we can build upon. 60 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:46,680 The few failed launches that I've had they've taught me so much more than the 61 00:04:46,759 --> 00:04:51,079 successful ones ever could have. And the lessons that I've learned from the failed 62 00:04:51,079 --> 00:04:55,920 ones means that I can help my own students and my clients a whole lot 63 00:04:56,000 --> 00:05:00,720 better than if I'd only ever had successful launches. Successful launches. Imagine if 64 00:05:00,759 --> 00:05:04,879 I was like, hey, guys, I've only ever succeeded in my launches, 65 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:09,800 you probably wouldn't relate to me. You would just think I was lucky 66 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:13,000 and that I didn't have to work for it. But instead, I've been 67 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:16,240 through all of those same tough times, and I have learned so much from 68 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:19,759 them, and I can share the lessons that I've learned through those tough times 69 00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:24,639 with you so that you avoid making the same mistakes that I did. And 70 00:05:24,680 --> 00:05:29,720 when my launch magic students find themselves freaking out because yes, launching does bring 71 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:32,600 up so much mindset marks, so much fear, so much imposter syndrome, 72 00:05:32,639 --> 00:05:36,680 all of those things, I can empathize with them because I have been there. 73 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:40,800 I've been through all of those things, and by going through those things, 74 00:05:41,199 --> 00:05:44,360 I've been able to come up with my own tools and strategies for dealing 75 00:05:44,399 --> 00:05:47,360 with it, which I can then share with my students to make that journey 76 00:05:47,399 --> 00:05:53,600 a little bit easier for them. Okay, number four, I was constantly 77 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:59,160 searching for the magic pill, what was working right now, and I'd be 78 00:05:59,240 --> 00:06:01,920 chasing that. These days, I know where I need to focus my time 79 00:06:01,959 --> 00:06:06,160 and my energy, so I can be a lot more intentional about growing the 80 00:06:06,199 --> 00:06:11,120 business. I was constantly I was looking for that magic pill. If a 81 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:15,839 new social media platform or a new format like reels came out, I would 82 00:06:15,879 --> 00:06:18,040 try to be the first one on there so that I could be on that 83 00:06:18,079 --> 00:06:25,560 trend early. And that was a huge waste of my time. Now I 84 00:06:25,639 --> 00:06:29,879 know that success doesn't come from jumping on trends early. I know that it 85 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:33,399 doesn't come from constantly chasing the new shiny things, the things that are working 86 00:06:33,519 --> 00:06:38,279 right now. Instead, it comes from strategy, It comes from intentional focused 87 00:06:38,360 --> 00:06:44,439 and it comes from consistent action. There's no quick, fixed tactics involved in 88 00:06:44,639 --> 00:06:49,000 growing a successful business. Okay number five. Back when I started my business, 89 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:53,399 if it felt easy or boring, if any part of my business felt 90 00:06:53,439 --> 00:06:57,120 easy or boring, I thought that that meant there was something wrong. Now 91 00:06:57,279 --> 00:07:01,079 I know that actually bottom isn't bad thing, and I started to lean into 92 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:05,959 things that feel easy. It can't always be exciting. Yes, uncertainty creates 93 00:07:05,959 --> 00:07:11,399 excitement, but it also creates anxiety and stress and all of those other things 94 00:07:11,399 --> 00:07:15,319 that maybe don't feel so calming. I remember reading a quote on Instagram a 95 00:07:15,319 --> 00:07:17,959 while back that's stuck with me. I think it was from Jeriicia Hawk, 96 00:07:18,079 --> 00:07:21,680 who was a guest on this show a little while ago, and the quote 97 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:27,000 said something like, your business isn't here to entertain you. So true, 98 00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:30,000 right at the end of the day, Yes, you want to love what 99 00:07:30,040 --> 00:07:33,319 you do, but you can't expect it to always be super fun and super 100 00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:38,519 exciting. The truth is that parts of your business will feel boring, and 101 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:42,240 that's not a bad thing. When I first started this podcast, it was 102 00:07:42,480 --> 00:07:45,959 so exciting. That was because it was new, It was shiny, it 103 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:47,680 was novel. Every time I put an episode out there, there was this 104 00:07:47,759 --> 00:07:51,560 dopamine hit of how many people listened, how many downloads did we get? 105 00:07:51,759 --> 00:07:56,319 And seven hundred episodes later, I still love it, but in a different 106 00:07:56,399 --> 00:08:00,160 way. The honeymoon phase has ended. I don't get the dopamine hits from 107 00:08:00,199 --> 00:08:03,839 each podcast episode that goes out. And now I keep showing up and I 108 00:08:03,920 --> 00:08:09,879 keep being consistent with it because I know that by sharing these podcast episodes, 109 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:13,199 that is how I get to help people, and that is how I get 110 00:08:13,240 --> 00:08:18,040 to drive growth in my business as well. Okay, when I first started 111 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:22,680 out my business, I was so attached to everything happening the exact way that 112 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:26,319 I wanted to, And now I am so much more flexible and open to 113 00:08:26,639 --> 00:08:31,360 what else is possible outside of what I had planned. These days, when 114 00:08:31,439 --> 00:08:33,440 something doesn't go to plan in my business, I'm able to see that bigger 115 00:08:33,480 --> 00:08:41,080 picture because I've been through so many little failures that have redirected me in the 116 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:46,120 right direction. But if you told me back in twenty sixteen that the very 117 00:08:46,159 --> 00:08:48,840 first business, the business I was building back then, would fail, I'd 118 00:08:48,840 --> 00:08:54,240 have been devastated. I wouldn't have been happy at all about that. But 119 00:08:54,360 --> 00:09:01,360 what I have built instead is so much better than I ever could have imagined 120 00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:05,120 or planned for. And it took me way too long to let go of 121 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:09,399 that first business. Unfortunately, I didn't want to swallow my pride and close 122 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:11,559 it down because I didn't want to accept that I had failed at something. 123 00:09:13,039 --> 00:09:16,440 And while I was desperately clinging on to that first business with all of my 124 00:09:16,519 --> 00:09:22,919 might, I probably missed all of these other opportunities for success. I could 125 00:09:22,919 --> 00:09:26,840 have started my current business earlier if I'd let go of the first business earlier, 126 00:09:28,360 --> 00:09:31,120 and other things that might have been a better use of my time and 127 00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:35,519 energy, I would have maybe spent my time there rather than hanging onto it 128 00:09:35,559 --> 00:09:39,759 looking this one way that I was so attached to it looking okay. Number 129 00:09:39,799 --> 00:09:45,159 seven. Back when I first started, if something didn't work right away, 130 00:09:45,399 --> 00:09:48,360 I thought that that meant I should give up on it all together. And 131 00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:54,120 now I know that consistent action over time is what creates results. When I 132 00:09:54,159 --> 00:09:58,480 first started this podcast, it took six months to hit the same number of 133 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:03,440 downlaw that we now get in a month, and it didn't happen quickly, 134 00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:09,320 but through showing up over and over again, that is how the momentum started 135 00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:13,600 to build. And even now sometimes growth feel slow, But then I look 136 00:10:13,639 --> 00:10:18,080 back to twelve months ago and we've nearly doubled our monthly downloads in the space 137 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:22,519 of twelve months. These last twelve months are also the only twelve months since 138 00:10:22,519 --> 00:10:26,480 I started the show where I have not missed a single Monday, Wednesday, 139 00:10:26,559 --> 00:10:31,039 or Friday episode. And previously I would sometimes miss episodes, or i'd miss 140 00:10:31,039 --> 00:10:35,519 a week or two if I just didn't feel inspired, or if things weren't 141 00:10:35,519 --> 00:10:39,039 working out great in my life or in my business. But in the last 142 00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:43,879 year I have consistently shared episodes every Monday, Wednesday, Friday. My team 143 00:10:43,919 --> 00:10:46,919 has been consistent with the content that we now repurpose from this episode, and 144 00:10:48,039 --> 00:10:54,960 so everything has grown okay Number eight. I used to compare my business to 145 00:10:54,120 --> 00:11:00,320 everyone else's businesses online, and now I know that what you see online is 146 00:11:00,399 --> 00:11:03,799 only part of the story. I so completely. I remember this recently. 147 00:11:05,279 --> 00:11:07,919 I was sitting down with a friend and we were talking about somebody that we 148 00:11:07,960 --> 00:11:11,200 both went to school with and hadn't seen in a long time, but we 149 00:11:11,279 --> 00:11:15,159 follow her on social media, and I remember saying to her, Oh, 150 00:11:15,240 --> 00:11:18,600 wow, Like, you know, they've such a beautiful family. They're such 151 00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:22,679 a good looking couple, such beautiful children, Like they look so happy. 152 00:11:22,759 --> 00:11:24,519 And my friend said to me, well, you know, he's been having 153 00:11:24,519 --> 00:11:28,559 an affair, and you would never have guessed that from looking at them on 154 00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:35,080 the outside. And there have been so many times when you'd look at my 155 00:11:35,159 --> 00:11:37,919 business online and it would look like I was crushing it, I was nailing 156 00:11:37,960 --> 00:11:43,639 life, and I meanwhile, I was miserable behind the scenes for whatever reason, 157 00:11:43,840 --> 00:11:46,679 something might have not been going to plan. And what I've learned is 158 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:50,639 often the people whose lives look the best online, they're the ones who are 159 00:11:50,759 --> 00:11:52,840 least happy, and they are the ones who are living for the validation that 160 00:11:52,879 --> 00:11:58,519 they get online. Not everyone. Obviously there are exceptions to the rule, 161 00:11:58,799 --> 00:12:03,240 but this is very and now I barely even look at Instagram. I follow 162 00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:07,639 a few people on my personal account who I actually care about, my friends, 163 00:12:07,039 --> 00:12:11,279 you know those people. But I don't compare myself to other people's businesses 164 00:12:11,320 --> 00:12:15,440 because I know that that's not actually an indication of what's really going on. 165 00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:20,600 Okay, number nine. Back when I started my business, I worried a 166 00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:24,519 lot about what people would think of me, and now I focus on how 167 00:12:24,559 --> 00:12:28,799 showing up means I can help more people. What will they think of me 168 00:12:28,799 --> 00:12:33,480 when I start a podcast? That is what I had spinning through my head 169 00:12:33,519 --> 00:12:37,559 when I started this show back in twenty eighteen, And now nobody has said 170 00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:39,679 anything bad to my face, Nobody has judged me for doing it, yet 171 00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:43,919 nobody's told me out loud yet, And seven hundred episodes later, if anyone 172 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:46,960 did judge me when I started, well, guess what, I'm the one 173 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:52,519 who is laughing now right because this show has helped a lot more people than 174 00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:56,360 I ever could have if I'd never started in the first place, and it's 175 00:12:56,399 --> 00:13:01,960 helping people beyond what I ever believed I could share. As I learn new 176 00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:05,960 things in business in life, I share them with you. As my business 177 00:13:05,960 --> 00:13:09,639 grows, I learn new things, I share those with you. And magically, 178 00:13:09,759 --> 00:13:13,519 over the last few years, I've really stopped caring what people think as 179 00:13:13,639 --> 00:13:16,960 much. I have learned let them think what they want to think. If 180 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:20,799 they're judging me for doing something, it's probably a reflection of them. If 181 00:13:20,840 --> 00:13:24,200 somebody is judging me for starting a podcast, it's probably because they don't think 182 00:13:24,240 --> 00:13:28,159 that they could ever do that themselves. Okay, and then number ten. 183 00:13:28,919 --> 00:13:33,080 When I first started my business, I would overthink every little detail, every 184 00:13:33,159 --> 00:13:37,480 little decision. Now I take imperfect action and I figure it out as I 185 00:13:37,519 --> 00:13:43,919 go. I've learned that overthinking is so unhelpful because you're usually trying to solve 186 00:13:43,919 --> 00:13:48,399 a problem when you don't quite have all of the fact and so your brain 187 00:13:48,480 --> 00:13:50,919 makes up facts to fill in the gaps for you. For example, when 188 00:13:50,919 --> 00:13:54,000 you are planning out a launch, you have no idea whether that launch is 189 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:58,080 going to fail or succeed, but your brain is going to tell you a 190 00:13:58,159 --> 00:14:01,639 hundred reasons why it is going to fail, and so it's going to feel 191 00:14:01,720 --> 00:14:05,080 really true to you, so you don't end up launching, and now your 192 00:14:05,080 --> 00:14:07,840 brain's like, yes, I've won, I'm safe. This is your brain 193 00:14:07,879 --> 00:14:13,399 trying to protect you from failure. Right Whereas if you take action, you 194 00:14:13,480 --> 00:14:16,840 do the launch. Now you have facts, you know for sure whether that 195 00:14:16,919 --> 00:14:20,679 launch failed or didn't fail. And if it failed, great, you survived 196 00:14:20,679 --> 00:14:24,519 it. First of all, you didn't die, and second of all, 197 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:28,519 you can learn something from that, and that is how then you can tweak 198 00:14:28,519 --> 00:14:30,480 the launch. You can do it better next time, and that is also 199 00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:33,000 how you grow. This applies to every area of your life and your business, 200 00:14:33,039 --> 00:14:37,200 not just your launches. Okay, you need to take that action to 201 00:14:37,240 --> 00:14:41,120 get the facts rather than sitting there ruminating on it, overthinking it, trying 202 00:14:41,120 --> 00:14:46,440 to make up facts when there actually aren't any. So they have ten things 203 00:14:46,440 --> 00:14:50,879 that I now do differently, how my approach to business has changed. If 204 00:14:50,919 --> 00:14:54,879 you're not already subscribed to the show, hit the subscribe buttons. You can 205 00:14:54,919 --> 00:14:58,360 get each brand new episode every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. And if you 206 00:14:58,440 --> 00:15:01,960 haven't already he left a rating or a review, please take thirty seconds to 207 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:05,279 do so. In Apple podcasts means a lot to me, a lot of 208 00:15:05,320 --> 00:15:09,480 work goes into creating this show, and I read every single review. It's 209 00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:13,440 the highlight of my Tuesday morning when they land in my inbox. Thank you 210 00:15:13,519 --> 00:15:16,320 so much for listening. Catch you next time.