Episode 169 Transcript

Heather Porter (00:03.886)

Hi you guys, welcome back to episode 169. I was listening to a podcast the other day by a guy I followed for a long time named Seth Godin. He's written a lot of books like Tribes, Purple Cow, things like that. And there was a great conversation that he had that I wanted to share with you. It actually became a bit of the motivation behind this episode. But I'm also stacking this episode on the one from before as well.

 

Cause I want to give you some really good action steps. If your business just feels like if something in your business just feeling a little off, this is going to be a really important episode for you. Maybe it's just that you've like lost that hope or the energy that you once had, or maybe you just feel like you're going through the motions day to day, whatever this looks like for you. I just

 

You'll know right you'll know if you're feeling something that's just a bit off in your business So I want to continue on from my last chat from episode 167 where I talked about stopping the busy work and Doing less in your business and I actually in this episode wanted to give you more ideas on how to actually do that Because it all sounds well and good, but you know if you're having to pay bills cash flow team All that sort of stuff, then it's easier said than done, right?

 

So this little conversation with Seth Godin got me thinking, how do we get you guys some actual tangible tips and things that I'm actually actively working on in my business right now too. Plus I was also thinking, okay, I've interviewed a lot of business owners over the last couple of years and there's a lot of themes that keep coming up time and time and time again. So all that to say from the conversations that I've had with them on, you know, when it's right to change direction in the business, but also

 

what makes people really, really passionate and more driven than ever before in their business. I have some ideas for you. So let's focus on what that formula is in this conversation today. That formula that seems to make people happiest in their businesses.

 

Heather Porter (02:19.368)

So many business owners spend years chasing more, more clients, more content, more followers, more revenue, more offers, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. However, more doesn't always equal better, right? And that's the shift to think about today. So what if your goal was actually better rather than more?

 

better systems, better clients, better pricing, and yes, better boundaries for yourself. Sometimes the business you're building is actually not broken. It's just, and by the way, you don't even have to rebuild it. It's just that you need to refine it, refine what you're actually doing. And maybe that's the main little thing that's causing you to feel a little bit off in your business, a little bit lost.

 

So once you shift your focus to better, then you can create leverage. And leverage tends to start with your brand. So it's not your logo or your colors. And hopefully you guys know that, right? Like your logo and your colors is not really your brand. It's how people feel. It's how you're positioned. It's what you're known for. It's what people say about you once you've left the room. And...

 

By the way, you don't need 50 offers or to be on five different platforms. I mean, I know in marketing, a lot of times we're taught to make another offer, make more offers, sell more, do more. But what if it's just actually refining the different messages that are for our main one or two offers, different hooks, different ideas and different ways of talking about it rather than reinventing the wheel and coming up with different.

 

offers all the time, like full different service packages. You really just need to focus on one powerful brand and one or two ways of working that really delivers those results that you're after. So really you're looking at making things way more simple than complex, right? Make it simple, make it amazing and make it yours. Something that you're actually known for guys, especially with the advent of AI. know you could, a lot of us are talking about that. get

 

Heather Porter (04:38.176)

experts on all the time, we're getting concerned about same same-ish, right? We're sounding same same-y with the use of these tools and the copy that it can produce. So here's your permission to think about things differently. You do not have to grow. Maybe just keep the same number of clients and have a waiting list or deliver more to fewer people and charge more for it.

 

That's leverage, really honing in on what you're already doing well. The best businesses do not serve everyone unless you're McDonald's, but you you don't serve everyone. They serve the right few, the right group really, really deeply. They become the one and only in their space and not just like another option that's out there. So if your goal is better, not just bigger, you can't be making

 

what a hundred other people in your market are making, right? You need your unique flavor, your unique voice, your own specific edge. And here's another mindset shift to think about. Stop trying to fix all your weaknesses either. So stop trying to take on more and stop trying to fix all your weaknesses. Stop trying to learn more and learn about all these things that you will never be passionate about. You get stuck in that cycle of learning and then you just don't do. So instead ask,

 

What are my strengths? And how then do you double down on those? The most successful people are not the most well-rounded. They're the most self-aware. And I think you've heard that over the journey of our podcast or any episodes that you've listened to in this podcast together with me, is you're hearing that time and time again. The specialist, right? The people that are...

 

finding their people and getting really, really good at that. And they're very self aware. They're aware of their emotions. They're aware when they're facing burnout, they're aware when it's time to change what they're doing. They focus ultimately on what they're exceptional at, right? And build businesses that let them stay in that zone. You may have noticed if you've been a long time listener that I've changed my questioning a little bit with my interviewees.

 

Heather Porter (06:55.99)

And one question I've been asking is what's something in the last year you feel you've done exceptionally well in your business. And I tend to hear in their voice over and over again when they answer that question, passion, right? Cause they're talking about what makes them good, what makes them unique. So if you've built a business and you're still not happy in that business or just recently you felt a little off in the business.

 

Maybe it's just time to redefine what success looks like to you. Not more, but better. Better clients, better prices, better boundaries, and ultimately, of course, a better you, a better way of living your life. So hopefully that gives you some ideas, right? Leverage, focus on your brand, focus on being better at what you do really well, and stop learning so much.

 

really hone in on what you're good at. You guys, thank you so much for listening. If this resonated at all for you, know, share it. Be a little hustle rebel and share it out there. Get the voice and the words out there to people that need to hear it, that they don't have to be grinding and hustling and working more and more and more and more. And in fact, maybe they can flip that dialogue around and work less, but be better.

 

Until next time, stay focused and don't build a business that you want to escape from. I'll talk to you soon. Bye.