I've Been F**king Up (BIG)

I've made 3 massive mistakes in my business this year.

Let's see if you can spot the common theme....

1.  Relearned an Expensive Lesson

I invested a bunch of time, money, and effort into building a content system with my team that allowed me to easily create a lot more content, including video. Awesome right? It mostly was.

But it led to me repeating a big f**k up.

With all this content pouring out, I decided to start regularly posting on Instagram again. I even had someone schedule the content there for me so it wouldn't be a distraction. Well, that was the intention.

It started innocently at first.

I would "just check to see how things were going". With the increased output on that channel, there were more comments and DMs there that needed my attention. So I began spending more time on the second platform.

It crept up incrementally.

Checking twice a day turned into three and four times. Then I noticed my content wasn't doing as well there as I thought it could. So I started studying Instagram strategy more closely.

Shortly after, I took over the Instagram content scheduling so I could oversee it.

And all of this took me away from my main squeeze. It meant I was spending less energy on the platform where I have my biggest community. The space that's connected me with the bulk of the incredible people I've worked with got less of my strategic cycles.

I could've used all this new content to double-down on what was working.

But instead of keeping my focus on the channel that's literally changed my life, I opened a new distraction. The worst part about this lesson? I've spent tens of thousands of dollars, with more than one mentor, to learn this lesson before.

But I fell in the same hole. Again.

When I made the realization a couple months ago, I went back to ignoring Instagram other than the odd story. And starting next week, I'm turning up the dial on LinkedIn. That means posting daily content and regularly doing live streams on the channel.

Does this mean I'll never get serious about a second platform?

There'll be a point in the future where I intentionally add another channel. The difference next time? I won't be doing it until I can genuinely invest the resources to hire an expert for that platform.

Someone who can fully own overseeing it without my involvement.

2. Launched a New Offer

Instead of iterating on my Impact Accelerator, which is a program that I love and has been getting people results like signing huge clients and creating a consistent flow of clients, I designed + launched a brand new community offer. I justified it as the two programs serve people at different stages in their journey. And while this is true....

They were competing in my head.

Competing for my attention, focus, and energy. I initially got really excited because it was super easy to enroll people into the new program. Which isn't surprising, because the launch price was considerably lower than the other ways to get my frameworks, guidance, + mentorship.

But it added a lot of new complexity to Growth Habit.

This included plenty of new decisions to be made, tasks to manage, and people to onboard and care for. And when one of the selling points is "it's only $98/month and you can leave at any time", you inevitably have lots of people both coming + going. It's noisy.

If you want people who are invested, they have to invest.

While I don't consider the program a total write-off because it brought loads of incredible new people into my world, in hindsight, I would've done three things differently: 

1. Put my energy + creativity into expanding the capacity of the Impact Accelerator first before launching something brand new.

2. Being more intentional about how the two offers fit together.

3. Given the program a minimum enrollment period. This would've not only decreased traffic + noise, it would've increased people's commitment to the program and therefore also the outcomes they achieve.

However, the biggest challenge with this new offer is how it set the scene for my 3rd massive f**k up.

3. Drifted Away from Coaches

The new community attracted a broader group of people. It included the kickass coaches + consultants that I'd been focused on, but it also drew in others who wouldn't identify with either of those labels. And while what I teach can apply to other entrepreneurs, the nuances are different.

So I started diluting my messaging to appeal to a broader group of folks.

The shift was slight. But it took me away from speaking specifically to the desires, dreams, and challenges of the purpose-driven peeps I love serving so much. This was a bad idea.

Because...

If you're like the people who've gotten the most awesome results from working with me, then you're truly doing this work from the heart. This isn't "just a business" to you. It's more than some way to make money.

Your work has meaning.

You've chosen to pursue this path because it's incredibly rewarding. You almost can't believe that you can get paid to do something THIS fulfilling. This is me and my journey.

And this is who I'm meant to serve.

See you next Saturday.

-R

Btw - If you're damn good at what you do + have client results to show for it, but know you need guidance to get your business to the next stage, there's currently one opening in the Impact Accelerator. Apply here.

P.S. - Want to be in a room with others who not only get you, but genuinely inspire you? Join us for Do Bold Sh!t in October. It's limited to 100 people + there's only 49 spots left.