868: Practical Advice for Creating Content, Gathering Reviews, and Building a Life-First Business

25:47And so I just want to say you don't need to go through a crazy life altering moment like that. But that was my experience of like, wow, I'm super successful as a service provider. And I built this amazing thing, but it doesn't actually match my definition of success. So long-winded explanation. I have three different ideas for you, Misha. So the first one is the most obvious in terms of what I would naturally gravitate towards, which would be pivoting into creating digital content or a more education route. Now I am saying this as a digital course creator, somebody who is able to sell products on the internet.

26:24So immediately I'm like, okay, you obviously have experience, expertise, and success. What could you do or how could you package that up in a way that allows you to create something once and serve many? So you could create a mini course like a bridal beauty business 101, or you could create like a makeup technique course, like to teach people pro makeup techniques for beginners. You could teach brides if they can't afford to have a hair and makeup person, the best way to achieve professional looks on their own type thing. So I think that if you could uncover what your superpower is or what you figured out or a system or a process that you do, that's unique to you, I would personally consider turning your expertise into assets.

27:08You could also create digital downloads like bridal beauty prep checklist or makeup artist pricing guides or different types of eBooks. You also could create content. Now this doesn't necessarily give you the more passive thing that you're looking at, but you could monetize like YouTube or video tutorials and have affiliate links for your favorite products. There's this one creator that I love and she creates just makeup content and she teaches people how to do their makeup better. And I have absolutely bought products off of her recommendation. And I love that they're affiliate linked. I love that she gets paid because she's showing me like, here's the best product and here's the best way to use this.

27:45What I want to say is, is that I would never pivot from what you're doing entirely. Like one thing that I've looked at is I've been through so many pivots in my business. And one thing that I think I've done well and done right is that every time I've made a big pivot. I've done so gradually and I've leveraged what is currently working or already working to help me get to that next place. So even when I decided I don't want to shoot weddings anymore, I didn't just quit shooting weddings. I phased out. So I went from 30 to 15 to seven to five to three. And then I stopped. People don't realize I was still shooting weddings a few years ago.

28:22And so continue to leverage what is working for you. Look at time as your currency. See where you can maybe save time so you can spend it learning a new way of doing business and consider creating digital content. The second idea I had for you, if you want to have a more passive role or be able to have more flexibility would be to build a team. So this could be more of like an agency model where you can shift from service provider to more of a business owner. So if you were able to hire and mentor junior stylists and then take a percentage of their bookings, That way, then you would be focusing more on branding, marketing, client experience, and your team would do more of the hands-on service-based work.

29:03You could also offer luxury packages with your trained artists. People will still value what you've built in your brand. And so consider that because you're still in your zone of genius, but you kind of remove that whole, you only get paid when you show up piece. And so that could also be an option. Now, the third option is a little bit out of left field, but I just wanted to toss it in because it was something I was considering for you is I just heard somebody say this the other day and I so deeply wish I can remember where I heard it, but it was like leveraging your day job to fund your new dream.

29:36And one thing that I was thinking for you too is like, would there be like a totally different left field place that you'd want to take your business? Like for me, when I was a wedding photographer, I started a watercolor print shop and it was a drop ship where I would just paint whenever I had time, upload the designs once they would sell, I would collect commissions or even something like real estate. Like, is that a direction you could go where you could use your income now to invest in creating other income streams? Like you could buy a property and you could rent it out. You could do some sort of retreat.

30:11You could create a beauty studio where other artists could use it when you're not using it. So I'm just like thinking of some other examples. We've had people on here that teach entrepreneurs how to create Amazon storefronts and drop ship things. And like, there's just a lot of other areas that you may have never considered where you could leverage what is working for you as a service-based business right now, but help use it to fund the next dream that doesn't necessarily have to be in full alignment with what you do. So I don't know. I'm just thinking through like, how can you earn from what you're doing right now, but use it to build future freedom.

30:47So those would be the three things I would consider. And really just getting clear about like, what is your definition of success? What is the type of work you're willing to do? I don't believe that passive income is truly passive. I think that one, it takes a lot to build up passive income streams. And yes, they can be more passive, but I don't know of anything that is truly like 100 % hands-off. I haven't uncovered anything like that. All right, I hope that answers your question, Misha. Let's scoot on to the next one. Hi, Jenna. My name is Lauren Alonzo and I'm calling from South Carolina. My question for you is, we hear all the time that we spend 80 % of our time creating and 20 % of our time promoting.

31:30And it should really be the opposite. I find myself in this boat all the time. How do I stop the hamster wheel? Practically, what does it look like actually when it comes to promoting an offer from the planning process to the actual launch and promoting it on different platforms? So here are three things that I thought of when considering this. So first is, and let me just preface this and say, it is so easy to get in this funk of spending way too much time creating and then you don't give enough breath or thought or air to the actual promotion. So this is like a very common problem. It's something we still deal with too, especially because we create a mass amount of content that to leverage it in all the places can be really challenging.

32:18And it's something that like I am still working on. So I just want to preface it with that. So the first thing that we have been exploring and thinking about, and I think this is the best place to start is how can you create less and use more? Because a lot of times I think we get stuck in this idea of like, we need more content, but what we actually need is to stretch the good stuff further. And so there's a few different ways that you could do this. So one would be to do like a deep dive investigation as to what is actually performing. Like what is actually leading to real results that are tangible and valuable for you.

32:53When you peel that back, it might show you that there are a few little things that you're doing that actually move the needle. And there's a lot that you could let fall away. Like over the years, we've greatly simplified a lot of processes in my company. I think we could even do that more, but we've also gotten better at understanding, okay, this is really good. Like how could we take one podcast episode and create a week's worth of content? Like how could we extract like the main idea of what we're talking about and then figure out different ways that we could repurpose it across platforms. Like maybe the podcast is a big idea.

33:29Maybe on Pinterest, we're sharing the key quote, a tip or a story. Maybe on LinkedIn, we're repurposing the story piece that we pulled out. Maybe on Instagram, we're creating a carousel using the outline for the content. And so the thing is, is that I think we've gotten afraid of repeating ourself, but in reality, a small percentage of our audience is even seeing all the content we're sending. Like, I don't know. I mean, it's like so small that like you could say the same thing for like two months and I feel like you still wouldn't annoy people because we're consuming so much content. And so the other thing to realize is like, not everyone is seeing every single thing you post.

34:05And I think that's something our brain tricks us into believing. So just thinking of like, how can I create less and use more? And if you actually go back in this episode where we're talking about batch working, I feel like having that month at a glance way of creating the skeleton and looking at what's coming up and what's coming out allows us to do that because we're able to see like, Hey, what's happening on the podcast that we can use for email content. Oh, okay. What from that could be a really good LinkedIn post. Great. Okay. What types of carousels could we create to send people to the podcast episode?

34:37And so again, creating less, using more and just really thinking about like, how can I take one piece of content and break it up to make it less platform specific and fit the other ones, which brings me to number two, one core idea. Now imagine it this way, many outfits. I'm thinking like share in clueless, like one thing that helped me to recognize this and realize how to do this so much better is Pinterest. Because what I'm talking about here is how can you take that one message and dress it up for different audiences and platforms. Pinterest helped unlock this within me because on Pinterest, when you create on Pinterest, you can create an unlimited amount of pins that can point to one piece of content.

35:21What I mean by this is this podcast episode that you're listening to right now will become 10 different pins, all using different angles, different titles, different graphics, different images, different headings, different styles. And so Pinterest helped me to recognize like, how can I take one core idea and dress it up in many different ways? And so for me, a lot of times we kind of look at like the podcast is the deep dive, right? I can share a lot of content in an episode. I can go deep. I can explain myself. I can give the stories. Instagram is more like the relatable moment or like the quote that stood out.

35:55And a lot of times what I'll do is I'll take the podcast episode and then I'll take the core idea and I'll turn it into a carousel for Instagram. Then with email, this is like the more personal storytelling, actionable takeaway value add. We try to use the email as like, here is something that happened to me. Here's why I recorded this. Here's why I think you should listen to it. And then LinkedIn is like the thoughtful reflection or something that really aligns with the pro angle. Like what is an insight that professionals could take from this? And then lastly, Pinterest, my favorite is like figuring out, okay, how can we drive traffic passively using all of these different angles?

36:32And so one of the things that I think we need to shift our mindset on is like, think distribution instead of always defaulting to creation mode. And one thing that I think is important here is like a necessary mindset shift that needs to come with this question is I think that oftentimes creating feels easy to us and promoting the creation feels incredibly vulnerable, right? Like it is a lot easier to be in go mode. I've listened to like so many like amazing famous people be like, I love the creation. I love the art of creating. I love sitting down and writing or singing or whatever that is. But when it comes to actually promoting it, it feels incredibly vulnerable.

37:10Like you're like saying like, Hey world, I made this thing. I hope you really like it. I hope it's great. And so when we think about distribution instead of creation, it allows us to say this creation took me time and energy and maybe even money. And I care about it enough to make sure that it reaches the people I created it for. And so distribution can become fun and it can become a really seamless process. One thing that I've been doing a lot more is like using Google Docs to help me take one piece of content and then think through how it's going to work on each platform, how I'm going to dress it up differently for each audience and each platform.

37:46And that helps it get out there more knowing that it's going to work for me long after I hit publish. And one thing to note here is like the average pin on Pinterest lasts months compared to a social post that lasts hours or maybe a day or two if you're lucky. And so when I'm thinking distribution for me, I'm thinking Pinterest and that allows me to create something and spend time and energy creating it, knowing that it's not just going to live and die within 24 hours. Pinterest is going to help that piece of content stay in the ether, stay in front of my dream audience for months. And that has really helped me to kind of maximize Pareto's principle in a positive way.

38:26The last thing here is to build a simple repurposing system. So stop starting from scratch every single time. How can you create systems or processes or flows that allow you to more rinse and repeat? So you have recognized like, Hey, I'm creating all the time. I'm not actually promoting very much. How do I fix this? I would say that having an SOP, like a standard operating procedure or a simple workflow that will allow you to follow each piece of content through the process is going to be so important. So the first thing here would be create a content tracker. So whether we use monday.com, that's what we use to track all of our projects, but there's notion.

39:08You could use a Google sheet. You could create an Excel spreadsheet, but map which content is created and where it's gone. Like make it a super simple checklist inside of Monday.com. Once we say, write a blog post, we're writing copy for it, for Facebook, for LinkedIn, et cetera. And so that is just a part of our process. And so nothing is getting dropped and we're not like missing those promotional pieces. And then I would also say, if you struggle with this, once you create that process, figure out how you can batch your repurposing. Like, So set aside one hour a week to splice up the long form content into bite-sized pieces.

39:45And I will say here, ChatGPT can be an amazing friend for you if you can create a system or a way to communicate with ChatGPT saying, here's the long form content. Create a post based on this piece of content for X platform where I typically serve X, Y, or Z. And go back and forth with it for a little bit. You could easily create prompts inside of ChatGPT that would take that long form piece of content and help you make it into bite-sized pieces to help you with that promotion piece. And then lastly, if this is an area where you just know you're not going to follow through, consider hiring somebody to help.

40:19So this could be a virtual assistant. This could be an intern. Tell them, okay, I want to be in creation mode. I love creation mode. It's comfortable for me. Help me to repurpose this once the core piece is done. Help me to create the process or follow through on the process so that I know that everything I'm creating is actually getting out to who it needs to reach. When we were young, we dreamed of castles and fairy tales. And as we grow up, those dreams might shift into building something real, like starting a business. You need a website, payment systems, a logo, and a way to reach customers.

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41:48Anyone who knows me knows that I'm all about creating spaces where people actually want to be. So when we started hosting on Airbnb, it honestly felt like the most natural thing in the world. And it's turned into one of the best decisions we've ever made. Over the years, we've hosted hundreds of couples in our little spaces. We've had so many repeat guests come back and we've created this incredible community, not just with our guests, but also with the people who help us care for our space. Whether you've bought properties as an investment or have unused rooms waiting to be shared, hosting on Airbnb is a practical and profitable choice.

42:22And just think about it. If you've put a ton of time, effort and work into your home, someone out there probably would love to experience it while they're traveling. So next time you're planning a trip or want to make some extra income from your spaces, you should definitely host on Airbnb. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at Airbnb.com slash host. All right, let's move on to the next question. This one is from Christy. Hi, Jenna. It's Christy calling from Nashville. I was just wondering, you always seem so grounded and intentional, but I'm sure there's a lot going on in your life behind the scenes.

43:03What's something that you're currently struggling with that people might not expect? Ooh, okay. This one feels incredibly personal. It also feels really timely. I feel like I have gotten increasingly more private as the years have gone on. I think part of it is just getting older. I think part of it is a stage of life I'm in. I think part of it is becoming a mom. And so I am not someone that's like on Instagram stories every single day letting you into my life. But one thing that I found really interesting and surprising at this stage of my life is the mental load and just like seeing how it can really, I don't know, bog me down, make things extra challenging.

43:51I think the mental load partnered with ADHD and partnered with this specific stage of motherhood has been incredibly challenging. And I feel like I have so many thoughts and ideas and tasks that are living in my head. I have so much fear around forgetting those things that I just constantly feel like my mind is racing. Another part of this that I think is adding slight complexity at this stage of my life is, you know, I always looked at this stage of my life as like the stage of like, you're raising the kids and you're really busy as a mom. I am that. Also, we recently lost my beloved grandpa, Sulo.

44:29And with that came a lot of responsibility and tasks and, you know, supporting our family in a lot of different ways and recognizing that. And somebody said this to me and I thought it was just so brilliant that like we are called like the sandwich generation where we're at, where we're raising little ones and we're also caring for our elders if we're lucky enough to have them. And so it's this like really peculiar time in life where I'm like, you know, I want to be super supportive for my mom. I've had to do sleepovers with my grandma where I'm like helping prep the kids and then running to take care of my grandma.

45:03And like, it's just been this like really exhausting stage of life where it feels never ending. And it's just really mentally draining. It's hard. It's like if somebody were to say, how can I help you? It's like, I don't even know how you can help because so much of it is living in my brain. And I was recently listening to a podcast about the mental load and it was just like something that is so unconscious and so innate, but it also affects us in so many ways. And so I think I've just been really thinking about that a lot. So this week has just been really heavy and like really task oriented.

45:40And I feel like I'm going from like motherhood to work, to family tasks, to organization, to packing for a trip, like all these different things. And they're all like good things in and of itself, but it's just a lot. It's a lot to carry. And my brain just feels like tapped out. Like at the end of the day, I'm like, I don't want to talk to anybody. I am just done. I have nothing left in the tank. And that is not a great way to end your days. So that is something that I am struggling with. And I think people maybe expect it. I don't know. But it's just like I've had a lot of deep thoughts, especially with the loss of my grandfather, of just recognizing this really peculiar in-between stage of life where we recognize that people aren't eternal, that our elders need just as much support as our children need and figuring out the ways to show up for everyone who needs you while still somehow, I don't know how, making time for ourselves.

46:36That is my struggle. All right. The next question is coming up. Let's hit play. Hi, Jenna. Jacrisha here, and I am currently in Montana. My question for you is, what was the biggest failure in your career and what did it teach you? Okay, this question is really interesting. And I think I'm really struggling with the word failure. Not because I've had a perfect and linear journey as an entrepreneur. Not at all. I've messed up a lot, a lot publicly and privately. But what's really interesting is when I hear this question, I struggle with like naming something as a failure. This is not coming from like a toxic positivity place of like everything is good.

47:24But like coming from like an honest and earnest place of like the places that I've messed up, I've learned so much and it's taught me so much. There's one, I mean, there's definitely been moments where like any entrepreneur likely has had them where you're like, this is it. I'm done. It's game over. I remember one of my weddings, I got home super late from the wedding and I was uploading all of the memory cards. and I was like, where is the memory card with this chunk of the evening? And I could not find it. And I thought that I had lost it. So I was like calling like the limo driver the next day.

48:01I went back to the venue. I was crawling on the floor. We were looking in the parking lot, couldn't find it. And I realized a terrible mistake that I never made again, that I had like shot over images. it was the worst I had the most gracious clients of all times I still love them to this day like I'm still a part of their lives they were so incredibly kind because I basically lost like a chunk of their wedding day it was a smaller chunk but still a very very important chunk Robin Brooke I love you but that was like a moment where I was like I will never recover I will never recover. One thing that that taught me, one, have ample memory cards with you to format every card before you go to the wedding.

48:45Three, have a second shooter. That is always shooting as well. I mean, it like created so many processes, but I hated that it was at the expense of somebody. I gave them like money back. I shot them for free for years. I like I absolutely they taught me the best lesson in grace that I could have ever asked for as an entrepreneur because I literally was sick for days around this. So there's definitely been like moments like that, where it's just like, you are like, I can't go on. This is the end. I'm never showing up again. I'm never showing my face again. And I think every entrepreneur who's been in business for any amount of time will have those moments.

49:22But when I think of failure, to me, failure would be not continuing on, not learning and growing. And I think my level of empathy has expanded. I think my consciousness has expanded. I think that I have evolved with every hiccup and issue and bump in the road. There are very few things that will keep me up at night anymore because I think I've just learned how to be more resilient, but I just have a really hard time labeling anything as a failure because I think it would be a failure if you didn't learn or if you just quit. So that might be a little too fluffy, but that's really how I feel. All right.

49:58We are on to the last question of the day. Ask what you've got, Ms. Rachel. Hey, Jenna. My name is Rachel Jones. I am calling from Louisiana. And here's my question. I've put a big pause on my copywriting and email marketing business since the fall of 2024 when I had a miscarriage. I know that's something you can unfortunately relate to. And I really would love your insight on how to get the joy back into my business, running it and all the things after such a traumatic event. Thanks so much. Okay, Rachel, I just want to say thank you first for sharing what you've been through. I think that you are incredibly brave for sharing it.

51:00And I also just want to acknowledge the beauty in you taking that pause. Like I want to remind you, I hope you know this, but like you didn't step back because you were weak. You stepped back because you're a human and you and your heart needed time to heal. And along with the lines of the last question I just to answer, like that's not failure. That's wisdom. Like that is pure, hard earned wisdom. And so my first thing to you is let that pause be a part of your story. This is not a detour. This is not the end. This is not the exit. This is just like a chapter in your story. It's a terrible, traumatic, traumatic chapter.

51:40One I wish I could hold for you and take away from you. So I just think that when I look back, I was actually just talking to a friend of mine who sadly experienced her second miscarriage. And she sent me a voice note and was like, I never thought this would be me. I remember it was you. Tell me everything. And I can viscerally relive that season of my life. And one of the things I told her was that after my first loss, I somehow felt like some weird peace and purpose in it. Like I felt like I was being called to like share it and remove the stigma. I mean, this was like eight years ago. So this was like a long time before people would really publicly share.

52:24And then with my second loss, I was just angry and I was scared and I was devastated. And so I just want to say that I'm proud of you for pausing because when I look back at that stage of my life, I just threw myself into work to stay busy, to not be still. And I think that stillness is such a gift and it's such wisdom to be able to see when you need to be still. The next thing I would say is it's really important after you go through something so life-changing, whatever that looks like to redefine what joy and success looks like right now. like after a loss like that joy might not look like excitement like joy might look like peace or stillness or contentedness like whatever that is and so I want to remind you and I have a line like this in my book how are you really of like you're not going back like do not force yourself to go backwards you've changed and so instead of thinking I want to go back to who I was before this thing.

53:24What would feel right for you today? Like what is one small step that sparks something? It doesn't have to be joy. Again, it could be peace. It could be success. It could be excitement. It could be calm. Like what is that? And so I just want for you to redefine like what is joy right now? It might be different and it's going to keep evolving. And so having a check-in of like, honestly, what is it right now? And just know that it is okay to start slow. I think that there is so much truth in finding your creativity again and momentum building and seeing yourself showing up and shifting your identity.

54:02Like joy can begin with just a flicker of curiosity. And so just pay close attention and don't force it. I think it will come back for you. The last thing I will say is that you are going to be rebuilding in a lot of ways and you get to choose what the pace is for that. And so one thing that I think is important when you've been through anything life-changing is you want to create from your experience, not in spite of it. Like you don't, for me personally, I didn't want to separate my losses from who I am, from what I create, from how I show up. You want to create from this experience because you have a deeper well of empathy now.

54:46That makes you an even more powerful writer. It makes you a better marketer. You get the human experience on a level that you didn't understand before. And that doesn't mean that I would hope anyone would ever go through this, but I know that my well of empathy just got deeper when I experienced what it felt like to go through that. And so maybe you just ease back in. Maybe instead of writing for clients or paychecks or contracts, you write for yourself first. Maybe you start journaling again. Maybe you record voice memos of where you're at and what you're feeling like. Maybe you just play with words again.

55:24But maybe you do it for yourself first before diving back into client workloads. For me, whenever money and deadlines gets involved in anything, it adds a level of stress to life. That's just natural. And so if you have the ability to start slow and to ease in, I would 100 % do that. And then the last thing I would say is I would encourage you to reconnect with past clients or peers just to get reconnected, just to talk, not pitching. I think that connection and just reconnecting with other people is what changes the world. I know that sounds dramatic, but I really do. And so I think to just like getting back into circles where you might be inspired or you might just feel seen and heard, or you might pick up something that sparks curiosity or brings you joy.

56:18I think that that could be really beautiful. But here's what I want to say. Your business will wait for you. And when you are ready to return, it's going to be better because you're bringing your whole heart with you. And that is the type of business that people can feel. That is the feeling that emits not just what you're selling, but who you are and why you do what you do. And so don't put a lot of pressure on yourself. I was telling my friend when I sent her a voice message back, one of the things that I really experienced during our season of loss was while I was working and while I might do things slightly differently now, one of the things I'm proud of is that I worked in that waiting season, but it wasn't like the hustly type of work.

57:03It was the type of work of like building the type of business that supported the kind of mom I wanted to be. And I can now trace back and see that a lot of the work that I did in that season of loss set me up for success, not just business success, but set me up for success as a mom and allowed me to become the kind of mom I wanted. And so a lot of times we can waste our seasons of waiting. And that's not to say like hustle your way through it. It's said to intentionally use them so that when the thing that you're waiting for, whatever that is, whether it's a baby or a partner or a big break or a new strategy or whatever that is, when the thing that you are waiting for comes, it's going to find you ready.

57:48And I think that that is something that I want more people to know and understand. man. So there you have it. That was a fun journey. And oh my goodness, we went for quite some time. Thank you for hanging out with me. As we wrap up, I just want to give a big shout out for everyone who called in and shared their heart and their challenges and asked their questions. These Ask Me Anything episodes remind me just how powerful community is and how many of us are navigating similar questions in different ways. Whether you're focused on growing your audience or shifting your offer or building in a way that supports your life, not just your business.

58:23I hope that today leaves you walking away with some extra clarity and encouragement. And remember, I want to hear from you too. So as this winds down, here's what I want you to do. If you've got a question you've been dying to ask, call me right now, 218-203-9660. Leave me a voicemail. Your question, I want your question on the next episode of Ask Me Anything for the Gold Digger Podcast. Again, 218-203-9660. Leave me a voice message. I want to hear from you and I want to answer your question. Thank you so much for listening to this episode. And if you know someone who would be touched by it, who might be walking through something similar, who would be inspired by what we talked about today, please send them this episode.

59:07It would mean the absolute world to me. I love that you are here. I love getting to spend this time with you. And of course, my goal diggers, keep on digging your biggest goals. I'll talk to you soon. Thanks for pulling up a seat for another episode of the Gold Digger Podcast. I hope today's episode fueled you with inspiration, gave you information that you can turn into action and realigned you with your true north in life and business. If you've enjoyed today's episode, head on over to golddiggerpodcast.com for today's show notes, discount codes for our sponsors, freebies to fuel your results, and so much more.

59:41And if you haven't yet, make sure you're subscribed so that you never miss a future show. We'll see you next time, Gold Diggers. Thank you.