Episode 175 Transcript

Heather Porter (00:04.514)

Hello, welcome back to episode 175. Have you heard of barefoot hospitality? I was talking to a client the other day and she's talking about it and going on on about it. I'm like, what is it? What is it? I wanted to know, cause I liked the, I liked the phrase barefoot hospitality. And so I looked it up and I got to know more about it. I think it's a really powerful symbol of the anti-hustle shift that we're actually living through right now.

 

And let's be honest, you guys, people are done with hustle, right? I mean, I still hear like people and younger marketers coming up on Instagram or TikToker and they're like, side hustle, hustle this, hustle that, just get in there and hustle. But I don't know if it's resonating the same way, right? In its place. I feel like there's a very different kind of success, at least for established business owners like us, one that feels slower.

 

simpler, even more soulful. And let's talk about what that means and how you can bring it into your own business and life. Because we're exhausted as human beings go in the Western world, we tend to be quite exhausted. And I don't mean necessarily physically, we're overwhelmed with performance, tired of pretending that we love the grind and the hard work, burnt out on our screens, our scheduling apps,

 

scaling strategies that leave no room for breath. And that's why when I interviewed some of these scaling experts, I love how they talk about scaling in a different way these days. Even the productivity is starting to feel kind of like a trap. know, like time management and productivity, we need it, but it feels heavy.

 

And I feel like people are really over it. At least people in my social circles are definitely like trying to simplify everything you hear about the guests I interview on the show is like simplify, simplify, simplify. We're seeing it actually everywhere from the rise of slow content. Have you seen the, is it the, the moose, the like migration in Scandinavia? They were like a webcam set up and these moose, I think it was moose walking across.

 

Heather Porter (02:29.237)

slowly their migration, slow content. AI is helping us to do less. People are building businesses with smaller teams on purpose. Fewer offers, which you'll hear historically in this show. Most of my guests say the biggest thing they've done in the last year that they feel like they've done exceptionally well or recently for growth in their business is to actually offer less. And people are looking for more personal freedom.

 

And I feel like this is where Barefoot Hospitality enters the room. It's started in luxury travel. Think like no shoes, no rush, no pressure. Resorts like Soneva in the Maldives, beautiful place, by the way, you have to go to the Maldives if you've not been. Or Ney Palad in the Philippines have made this sort of travel culture really, really popular.

 

No big elaborate marble lobbies, no high heels, just sand between your toes, natural materials and a permission slip to slow the fuck down. if this, it's just not about how the place feels, right? Or how it looks. It's, it's everything combined. It's intentional. It's like quiet. It's conscious. It creates space for presence, for joy.

 

and for real connection with yourself and other people. And that is the shift that I want to highlight. If movements like this keep growing, we know that people are craving experiences that feel like exhaling. And it's not just a holiday, but in everyday life, in work, in business. So what's actually happening here? We're moving from status

 

driven success to perhaps soul driven success. Where luxury is not about the flash, it's more about the feeling. I mean, I don't know about you guys, but I see these memes and these carousels in my Instagram about the true success in life. And it literally is about being present, having a roof over your head, having time to be, to do the things you want to do most. It no longer is talking about

 

Heather Porter (04:52.769)

you know, big fancy cars and private jets. But again, that could just be my algorithms. Maybe yours too. Barefoot hospitality is absolutely just one example as well. I just thought the word was really interesting and I wanted to share it with you guys. But the message behind it, that's exactly what's showing up and how people want to buy, sell, work and live. And of course travel. No more pressure to be everywhere online. No more

 

20 step funnels or always on energy or rah rah rah. Instead, we're looking for more simplicity, more honesty and more space. And if a business can embrace this and they're thriving, this is because what people want right now, this is what we want. So how can you bring this sort of philosophy into your business? You don't have to run a resort obviously, right? You don't even have to like

 

the beach or any of that sort of barefoot stuff. It's truly about mindset and design and some ideas for you guys. I just want to leave you with simplicity over complexity. Fewer offers, clear messaging, less noise. Get very clear on who you're serving and what you do and stick to that. As per all the other guests on my show have been drilling into our heads over and over and over again. Design with calm in mind.

 

Think about your website, your onboarding process, your client journey. Is it chaotic or is it calming? Do you overwhelm or do you make somebody feel like, yeah, I'm in great hands here. I can sit back and sort of relax. Be human as well. We talk a lot about the human centric approach in this show. Be human, ditch the pressure to be everywhere at once, show up when and where it feels good and make it real.

 

Create this space for presence as well. I've spoken about this before too. Work on being present truly in every moment of your life as much as possible for you and your clients. Whether that's slower delivery or more spacious offers without so much crazy deadlines or maybe you just are having better boundaries. And personally, you guys, it means saying no to more stuff.

 

Heather Porter (07:17.035)

It means building your business at a pace that feels okay to you. You don't have to try and build it at a pace that you see somebody else doing. And it means letting go of the pressure to scale and choosing sustainability instead. So what does scale mean to you? Is it three offices around the world or is it system-based perhaps, or just adding two more team members and that's your perfect way of growing.

 

So here's my question for you on this episode. What would it look like to bring barefoot hospitality into your business? It's not just in your brand, but in your life as well. How would you show up? What changes would you make? What would that look like? It's not just about getting barefoot and getting your toes dirty. It's truly about building a life and a business that feels grounded, natural and free and really good.

 

something you crave and you want. So if you do want more of that, you're definitely not alone with these trends on the rise. Fight for it, make it happen in your life. Until next time you guys, thanks for tuning in. Talk to you soon.