Building Deep Community that Grows With You | People Magic Summit with Luvvie Ajayi Jones

Hello there and welcome to our session. It's so great to have you here. I'm having some coffee. I am gearing up after a fantastic opening session that probably gave us all a lot to process. Could not be more excited about this session. Lovey is a hero of mine. She is a four time New York Times best selling authority blog, her social media and creator, superstar community builder and someone that I'm just generally in awe of. And so I'm going to bring her on board. Can we go ahead and have some claps? Lovey, thank you so much for joining and like, what I just am, am so grateful for is that you are just a person who inspires me. Your books are amazing. You bring your, your energy to everything you do. And so anyways, I'm just super excited to have you. Now, I don't know if you know this, but I think you do is this entire summit with your fan.

Wow.

There are a fair number of claps for you. Fair number of claps. We, yes, we've got questions coming in. We've got troublemakers in the house. Brenda, every time I see Lovey's face, she makes me smile. So you are, you are in and amongst a group of people that are very excited to hear from you. So this summit is all about how we as entrepreneurs are gearing up for the best January ever. So I don't know if you know this, but I think you kind of do. January is like the super bowl for memberships, community, new frameworks, things you want to do in your life, things that you want to do differently and better or just differently. And so what I want to focus in on first in our conversation is first of all, how are you doing?

Listen, I am, I am out here. I think I'm doing good. I'm doing good. You know, I am focused, I am energized, I am clear on purpose. And in the midst of it all, I'm getting rest. So, yeah, I love that.

We're, we're gonna get, we're gonna get to the rest. We're gonna get to the day in the life. So let me ask you a question, which is how have you thought about January in your, you know, in your past, your present? And as you think about 2025, what does it look like for you?

So January is a special month for me because it's also my personal new year because I'm a Capricorn. January 5th is my birthday.

Happy birthday, Capricorn.

Thank you. The goat is in the building. Okay. The goats are in the building. January has always been a great month for me in general. And this January is also very special because I turned 40.

Happy big birthday, right?

It's a big birthday. It's. I am energized for what next year has and, and January is definitely a crossing over into the realm of going even deeper in my purpose. So, like, I'm excited for January because I am actually launching something in January.

And this is definitely a crowd that is going to want the behind the scenes. So yes, let's even just zoom out then. Yeah, great. That's a great context setter because this is a countdown to January. When you look at and define your purpose, how do you articulate it?

I give people the courage to take transformative action in their lives that can leave the world better than they found it. I use my words to do it. So whether it is through my best selling books, whether it's through my podcast, my social platforms, that's what I do. Like, when people encounter my work, they walk away able to do something different. So whether I'm speaking on a big stage, that is what I get from everybody is like, I constantly get notes from people being like, because I read your book, I asked for a raise and got double what I was going to ask for because I had the audacity to do it after reading your book. So my purpose is tied into all of that, is to ultimately be the person whose work and whose presence and whose being gives people courage, tools and words to take bold action.

What has been a bold action that you have taken in the last six months?

A bold action that I've taken in the last six months? I can tell you a boat action I took in the last year.

Okay.

I fired my whole team.

How big was your team when you fired them?

I fired my internal team of six. I've. I got a new book agent. I fired my accounting team.

Yeah.

So I probably end up firing about 1112 people total. Wow. Starting over.

What, what, what was the impetus?

So I called last year my crumbling. So my this season of my professional troublemaker podcast was all about my crumbling and my rebuild because I built my multi million dollar company, built a team, had everything moving, and then it all came crashing down at the same time. While I was launching my first children's book, I was firing somebody as I was getting off the Today show stage. Like, I got off the stage and I was like, yeah, your last day's Friday. Because what was happening was I had built the company and it was so tied to me for such a long time. And My actual brain power, my actual pressure presence that for the last five years, I've been telling everybody, hey, hey, this is too risky. If the company's making money from me jumping on a stage because my. My speaking became, like, 70 of my revenue. I was like, this is too risky, guys. This is too risky. We gotta switch this up. So, Right. I was like, let's build courses. Let's build memberships. Let's build revenue streams that don't require my physical presence on a stage. So I hired a team. I wrote three books and launched three books in three years. So all of that is happening yet, and still the team was not optimized. I had a team executive coach. So finally, last year, around February, My finance team SOS and were like, listen, if we do not book another piece of business, the company could be bankrupt by June. So that sense of urgency had me going, oh, so it's either y' all or me, and I' ma always choose me. So I was like, People started flaming out. Ultimately, it wasn't even like. I was like, I'm gonna fire everybody. All of a sudden, people started making such giant mistakes that it became a detriment for me to keep them on. They were costing me. There was one mistake that was about to cost me $30,000. Okay. So that person. I was like, you gotta go. You gotta go. Basically, by July 2023, I had fired everybody but one person. And I was like, okay, I am clearly gonna have to rebuild my company from the brink of bankruptcy. Let's build it right back up. And that's what I've done this year. So.

So when you. You know, it's. It's one of those. So first of all, thank you for sharing. And, you know, as entrepreneurs, and for those of you who have been entrepreneurs, those of you who are starting out as entrepreneurs, what I. What I want to really focus in on this. Focus this conversation in on, is the fact that you had the courage to do that. But also, you are like a thief. Phoenix rising from the ashes.

Yeah.

One of the reasons I became an entrepreneur was because I wanted the confidence to be able to be dropped into any situation, to lose everything in my life.

Yes.

And to be able to build it back up from scratch. I wanted to be able to be dropped in anywhere and figure out what was around. And so one of the things that we see a lot of, and we've seen it sometimes here in the Summit so far, is just a lot of fear. A fear of, what if I fail? What if it doesn't work? What if it, you know, isn't what people want and I look stupid or, or I, I spent all of this money and I'm out. And what I think is so important about this conversation is that you on some level are living and have lived through in the last year the worst case scenario.

Yeah.

And not only are you here, but you are here with a stronger sense of purpose.

Yep.

We're going to get to that in a, in a moment. And that you also had the courage to look at it and say, number one. And I'm. We're going to tease this out. I can't be the hero. I want to be the host. Like, as the entrepreneur, I want to be a host of something more. Not the. The entire business relies on me.

Yeah. I mean, here's the thing. In terms of like the fear of like, what if you fail? Yeah. What if you fail? What if you do fail? Okay. What if the whole thing comes crumbling down? Yeah. Worst case scenario. And I am also type A, very much a pragmatic person. Even though I'm very creative, I wear both hats. Where in one way I can write an amazing book just like that. Another way I'm very operations minded. Right. So I'm not the creative that's like very like flighty that you have to like. No, I'm the person who's like, bring me the SOPs, bring me the operation manuals. That's build systems. Right.

Yeah.

So, but what the. What if you fail? What happened last year for me was that despite my efforts, I failed. Despite the mentors, I failed. Despite the executive coach, I failed. Which meant that it was a massive global divine, personal professional signal that something had to shift majorly. Right. How I was operating had to shift where? I actually think one of the major lessons of last year was that, so I've been building a business, I have been building a platform. I have been on these Internets for the last 14 years. I actually started my blog 21 years ago. I've been working for myself for 14 years. Who I was back then and the way I set my business up to be really around, just my brain power had expired. So what happens when you go past a season that has expired for you? You basically get the stick thrown at your head. Hey, hey, pivot. We get so afraid to pivot because we're so comfortable with the way we've been doing things. I think, yes. Like, last year's major lesson was that you are beyond the assignment you were in. Like, you have a new assignment now and I need you to focus on that assignment, your business needs to shift, and your focus also needs to shift. Because also as entrepreneurs, as creatives, we will find ourselves doing eight things at the same time.

Right, right, right.

Forced me to pause, stop. Actually, not just pause, stop, stop and say, okay, what do I need to be doing right now? Who do I need to be serving? How do I need to be serving them? What is energizing to my spirit? That can also be profitable. And it was in that pause. I mean, I was actually very clear what it would be even throughout the year. But my team could not figure it out. In that is when I launched my book academy. That has been what has rebuilt my company. But it took me stopping, pausing, getting very clear, removing the distractions of all the other randomness, and being basically in what I consider the valley of my company and my professional life that I was able to go, okay, clarity, focus. Here's the direction. Go that way.

Yeah, Keisha, I'm pivoting now too. I don't know what I'm pivoting to, but I know now is the time. I think that's so well said. The stick has hit me in the head enough times to know I gotta do it. And so let me ask you a question. You know, when you.

Let's.

Let's. Let's kind of work outwards and into where. Where you found your energy and what this next chapter is going to be, what did you find were some of the biggest distractions that you had? Oh.

Honestly, the biggest distractions. I was too busy. I was too busy. So in 2023. So I'm a professional speaker, but I'm also a consultant. I am also an author. There was no main priority. Everything was a priority. So I was too busy. I remember there was the month of March last year. I almost missed three flights. I think I had six speaking engagements that month. Wow. So. And I had conferences I had to go to. So I was ping ponging. Right. All while still having the same workload, all while launching my first ever kids book. Like, I had written three other books. And then my first children's book, which children's books are a whole different ball game. And that's a whole entity that I had no clue really how it was gonna go. So it was like, you want to talk about spread thin? Yes, I was spread thin. I was basically like a panini. It was not productive, and I had lost sight of what was important. I had lost sight because at that point, my burn rate was over a hundred thousand dollars a month.

Wow.

I Was spending over a hundred thousand dollars a month, and I'm ping ponging and doing all these different things, and I have to go, wait a minute. I'm spending all this money to pay y'. All. Meanwhile, y' all stressing me out. No.

Must be helping. Not like not taking, but giving. It's, it's, it's. It's a really interesting.

Every two weeks, payroll will piss me off because I'd be like, I'm spending all this money and I don't feel ease.

Yeah.

Oh, no. So, yeah, yeah.

And so was it. Sometimes for me, what happens is that I say yes to too many things that are in the future. So especially, I would assume as book launches, paid speaking, you end up in a situation where you're like, yeah, in three months, I'm totally going to be able to do that, and no problem. Like, I'll just like, I'll, you know, I'll hold my breath and for two weeks, I'll just, like, white knuckle it, you know, just like go. And I'm curious, was it, was it one moment or was it like, you're on enough of those planes just after having missed it, where you're like, something, something's got to change?

Oh, it was definitely many of those moments. Yeah, Many of those moments. And I remember just being exhausted by all of it. Right. Like, I was barely sleeping because I'm over here trying to problem solve, and I'm like, okay, as a boss, as a leader, what am I supposed to be doing different? And I was pivoting in how I was handling the team. I was doing everything I could. And then I was like, this is not working. I'm doing too much. But that's the other thing that has shifted. I am very, very. I mean, I've always had good boundaries, but when you do work that energizes you, sometimes you loosen them up. Because it's almost like, I mean, I was loving everything I was doing. Here's the thing. I was never doing the thing that I was like, oh, God, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's like, kid in the candy store, you get too much candy, even if you love the candy, you will get a stomachache. Yeah. So I had to pause and be like, okay, you can't be everywhere. You can't do everything. You can't say all the yeses. And even though they're energizing, you got to have even stronger criteria for why you're there. Because your presence is worth a lot of money.

Right.

And your energy is worth Even more so if you are there, it shouldn't just energize you a little bit. You should be like, I cannot imagine being anywhere but where I am. So I got really extra super specific about my yeses and my nose. If y' all see me anywhere now, it's because I really was like, yeah, no, I really, really, really want to do that. Like, that's gonna bring me some type of joy and even beyond the money of it all, because, again, one thing I'm also recognizing is after almost losing all my money. Yeah. All my company's money and building right back up, money is to be found. Money at this point is almost an infinite thing. It. What you can always make money when you can merge the profit, the peace and the purpose is where your perfect span is. Peace, profit, and purpose, all of those things can coexist at the same time. And this year, I have been cultivating all three.

And I'm like, ah, now we're gonna go into that. Okay, so you are. You are free of your team. You've. You've. You're in that zone. How did you start to tease out what brought you energy and started to rebuild the next chapter?

You know what's funny is all along, I've known what would bring me energy, but I did not pause and didn't have time and didn't have the capacity to make it happen. I knew something that was tied to my purpose. But. And I had told you the old team, I'm gonna need you to help me execute this. But they couldn't execute basic. So by the time it was. I was like, I can't trust you with that dream.

Right.

I was like, I can't trust y' all with that dream, so I'm gonna wait. So when I fired everybody. So I'm. This timeline is gonna be crazy. So by July 1, I had let go of everybody but one person on my team. Wow. Everybody starting over, I immediately was like, now I have the space and the clarity to do what I actually want to do next that I know will create impact for people. After hitting the New York Times bestselling list four times in four different categories because I wrote a teenage book, I've written a kid's book. Two adult books, one hardcover, one paperback. I knew I was uniquely positioned to be somebody who helped other people, especially people who are on the margins, to get their books out. And not just get them out, but sell them well, because all of my books have been not just New York Times bestsellers, but they continue to sell as Perennial titles. So I was like, oh, finally I can actually teach people how to write books. So I launched the book academy July 15th, after firing everybody July 1st.

So 15 days. Amazing.

Okay, 15 days. I sent out an email to 3,000 people who had joined a wait list that I randomly just posted online. And I said, hey, I want to help you make your dreams come true when it comes to books. I want to help you become a successfully published author. So I'm launching the founding cohort of the Book Academy, which is a 6, 7 fashion course with me that would teach you how to go from idea to ink. I would teach you the business of publishing. I'll teach you how to get clarity on your first book idea. I will also teach you how to market it so it flies off the shelves. Yeah.

Can I just put a pot. Like, I just. I'm going to put a pin in this for one second. Does anybody hear the transition that Lovey not only just went through, but the transition that she zeroed in on for the Author's Academy? It was, I don't have a book. I want to be an author. That is a transition. Now this is. This is the thing that drives me crazy. That is not a niche. That is a transition. Transitions are easier to build businesses because that those 3,000 people, they could raise their hand because they knew what it was that they wanted to go do. So keep going. But I just think it's a really, really good example of something we've been talking about a lot over the last couple of days.

And I tested it out, being like, I had a team of seven, couldn't figure this out. Let's do with the team of one. So I hired. I had my one person who identifier, and then I had the one. I went on like, fiverr upwork and got a project manager for this. And I didn't even use social media. Right. I only use social media to throw up a lead magnet. But that 3,000 people sign up for the lead magnet. They got the notes about the Book Academy, and from there, 270 people signed up for the first cohort. Wow. And.

And just to add a couple more details. So what was the. What was the lead magnet?

The lead magnet was five mistakes, which I still have five mistakes that people make when they try to write books. Wow. Because I wanted to come out the gate, give you some value. Right. And then you want to write a book. Great. I am the person who can tell you because I'll tell you every single one of my books, my adult books. I Wrote those in five months. So not only am I somebody who can teach you how to write a good book, I can then write it fast. Write fast and impactful book. Right. I don't want to just write a random book just to give money, people's money. I want you to write a book that actually will make impact, that will stick with people, that they will want to quote and give to their friends and say, you know what? Have you read this? You should read this. Right, Right. And then I want to help you make sure you brand it properly and get it together, and it's a whole thing. So the Book Academy became my focus. I eliminated everything. I was like, I'm going all. Can I ask.

Can I ask one question? So. So you had 3,000 people and then 270 people signed up.

Yep.

And how much did you charge?

495.

495. Okay. Just. So everybody at home and. 495 for six sessions. Were they weekly sessions?

Weekly sessions over a month and a half. And we had a community cohort, so they got to be in community with each other. They got to create, you know, this. These relationships. Some of my Book Academy alum are on this call. Shout out to y'. All. Okay. Because. And then after the. That first cohort, I was listening to what they needed, and I was like.

I want to be a testimonial here. Lisa says, worth every penny. Worth every penny. So course community cohort.

Yes, Course community cohort. And then after that cohort, I heard what they were saying and they needed next. Then we did a book proposal program where in 10 weeks, I walked them through and taught how to write your book proposal. Lisa, who is actually on here, is one of my star students. When Lisa started with the Book Academy in July of last year, she had her book idea in mind. She took the book proposal power program, finished her book proposal in 10 weeks, got her agent. Her book is not coming out next May. Right. Two years, less than two years after she took my book academy.

Let's. Let's just have a moment and plug Lisa's book. What is Lisa's book?

It's called Space to Exhale, and it's a handbook on how to live a soft, serene, calm life.

Oh, my gosh.

So it's going to be coming out soon. Y' all look out for that, because I'm always gonna show love to my Book Academy alums. Okay. I love that, and I'm so proud. And Lisa actually. I was telling her that she's actually a prime example of what Happens when I double down on my purpose and other people do the work and reflect it back to me. Right. So she was an affirmation for me to show that, honestly, you going all in on the Book Academy was the right move because you already have all these victory notes. But it took me firing everybody, it took me stopping all the things to finally be like, ah, okay, deep purpose. This is where it needs to go. This, the direction, eliminate all the things. Because we also are so afraid of all the eggs in one basket. Think about it like this. 80% is not one basket, because I put Book academy into my 80%. And I said for the rest of the things that I care about 20%, but my 80% of my focus, my resources, my energy goes into serving my Book Academy students. So that was the first cohort at 495. And now it's going to be. Is this different? My second cohort actually paid double. And we have a community in mighty networks called Office Hours, where we still bring people who tap into office hours. Every month, we give them a different workshop related to books. So last month, I brought one of my friends who is an editor at Penguin Random House, to talk to my students for an hour. So, yeah, it's great.

Okay, that's amazing. So. So you're gonna launch Cohort 2. $990.

Cohort 3. Actually, we did Cohort 2 this year. Cohort 3 is coming in January.

Okay, so. So let's talk about what you're launching, because I think, you know, a lot of the folks who are in the chat right now, they're like, how would I launch something for December and January? I think. I think everybody's here because they're like, yeah, I get the fact that there is more energy and more people who are demanding, you know, the programs, the things that they want to really start 2025 and make it their best year ever. So how did you think about the. Just even the dates? Like, let's go. Let's go behind the scenes to how you put this together.

So me and my team are working on the dates. What we. What we knew is that. So I can. I'm doing a. The Book Academy has expanded into its own universe, which I have so many more dreams for it. But from the first cohort and then the second cohort, we have office hours. But I knew that I still need to help somebody like Lisa, people whose books are coming out next year with their marketing. So actually, we're in the middle of a tiny mastermind right now. It's not Tiny. But we in the middle of a mastermind right now that people have to apply to where I'm helping people actually create the marketing plans for the books that's coming out next year. So Lisa's book is coming out in May, so she's in that cohort. Also, Lisa's on her third cohort with me. Like third program with me. What we're doing for December and January. So for the next cohort of the Book Academy, what I am offering is the idea to ink. So the first session, it's for anybody who wants to see the books come true. You might have your idea right now or you might not. So the first session, I teach you about the business of publishing. How does a book go from an idea to now? You see it on your bookshelf. What is the timeline? How can you go from. Well, also, what format should you go with? Should you do self publishing or should you traditionally publish and go for a deal? How, what is the best way to go forward? I also teach you how to write your book proposal. Because no matter how you go through your book, no matter what process you go through, self publishing or traditional, if you don't have a book proposal, you will suffer for it. It is a shortcut nobody should make.

Yeah.

And I also teach you how to be clear about which book idea you should do. Because sometimes we have zero ideas or sometimes you have four. It's the same problem. If you have no idea, you have too many the same problem. So how do we get you clear on the one you should do for your next book or your first book?

Yep.

And then the marketing, the branding? Because I will tell you, I can, I can tell when a book is going to do well based on its cover. I have not been wrong in five years. So the COVID of a book, the title of the book, the tagline of the book, how do you set yourself up for success? So, yes, I will be back and.

Let'S look at your book. And what, what were the elements we're getting? You're, you're, you're sharing with us a little sneak peek into. And the reason I want to focus in on the marketing piece of this, because this is relevant to any thing that you want to bring into the world.

Yes.

So, yeah. So take us.

Okay, let's talk about branding, marketing. So one of the things that I have done really well in the last 14 years is create a brand that is impenetrable, really easy to trust and visually cohesive. I have been on these Internets for a long time. Whether it's my podcasts, whether it's my social platforms, whether it's my books that are bound, when you should see something that is mine, you will know it's mine. We use color to anchor number one. Like, y' all see behind me. You see my signature color?

Yeah. I'm like. I'm just like, I'm gonna spitball this here, but it feels like red might be, like, the color. Not sure.

Okay. Right. So even how I build my spaces that I lead online, the color red in this form and in burgundy are always prominent because I want people to always be able to make a visual cue and say, that reminds me of Lovey. When you see this color now, you will probably think about me in some level. Okay. Okay. So I made my banner book, the brightest version of it, because it also speaks to the fact that my goal is for people to be bold. And what's a bold color? Red. That's the reason why it's the color of a stop sign and exit sign. You cannot ignore the color red. So whatever it is that you want, your brand and the work that you do to represent, make the color match. So if you are somebody who wants to talk about wellness and joy and yellows and soft blues, and if you want to talk about money, give us the greens. Give us the deep blue, like a navy. So all of that pertains. So how I even do my book covers. I. Yeah, my first book. Like, this was my first book. I'm judging you to do better. Manual had judgy pop on it. Judgy Pop grew up and put on sunglasses in the second book. In the third book for teenagers, a little icon. And then in the book for kids, Judgy pop is there, but it's smiling, you know? So all my books look like they're part of the same family, and that's important. What?

So color iconography.

Yes.

Title. Tell us about title.

Title is always tied to values for me. Right. Like, who I am is clear in the platforms that I lead because I lead with particular pieces of values. I always ask for radical transparency and honesty in any spaces. So when my titles pop up from my books or whatever it is, I'm like, what is something that will grab somebody's attention that speaks to my values? So my banner book is called Professional Troublemaker. That's who I proudly identify to be.

Right, Right.

And it ultimately means I'm somebody who will say what is hard, even when it's difficult. I will always try to move boldly, and I will hope that others Move boldly because I give them some type of courage to do it. So, like, if it's hard to do the thing or say the thing, look to the side. I'm probably here doing it with you so I can peer pressure you to do it in the best way.

Yeah.

So, yeah, the titles are important. They grab people's attention. So, like, again, with the branding of it all, I want it to be clear. Immediately you hear the Book Academy, you immediately know this is something teaching you about books. Yeah.

Yeah. So get in a time machine a year from now.

Yeah.

What do you want the Book Academy to become?

Ooh.

When you're celebrating your 41st birthday.

Yeah.

January 5th, 2026. What? What. What's happened?

I want to know that I have helped other people amplify their stories and their books. I am. We're starting the database of Book Book Academy alums. Just knowing that as a result of the work that I'm doing, somebody else gets to share a shelf, somebody else gets to see their name on a book cover is what I want to celebrate. I want to be able to be like, oh, my gosh, five of my students. So actually, five of my students. Books are coming out next year. Seven. Seven. Okay.

That's amazing.

So being able to celebrate them is something that is deeply important to me. And, you know, knowing that, again, publishing is really mysterious. People don't know how things happen. Everybody just happens to stumble inside. I want to be able to celebrate that I am opening the doors to. To an industry that can be very locked.

So I love what you said in terms of people reflecting your work and your purpose back to you.

Yes.

And I think that that's very different than being the person on stage with an audience that is not talking to each other as opposed to building a. A community that is on the same journey together.

Yes. So over the years, I've had people who've been following me since I was on blogger.com like, 17 years ago. I have my audience. The one thing. One of the things I'm really proud of is that you might love my work, but if you come on any of my platforms, my audience happens to be some of the funniest, most thoughtful, hysterical, loving people you've ever met. Like, or never met, because you haven't seen them online. But, like, my audience is known to be. They don't play. One, they don't play about me, two, they don't play about the world. And three, they will move with consideration. And that's something that is so meaningful, and it actually feels to me like even a reflection of my purpose, because my audience is an embodiment of my values, right? Who they know me to be is who they also reflect right back to me. And that's always a gift to, to see. That's always a gift. And for a lot of us, when we think about purpose, when we think about what we're supposed to be doing or we're thinking about what we're even given to the world, oftentimes the people around you are a reflection of that. So I always say that I am deeply affirmed by the community that I've built. Super diverse in terms of even age. Like, I, my biggest fan is 95 years old, and she has her daughter sending notes while she goes to, you know, when she visits her at the nursing home, she's always like, send Lovey this picture of me. Right? So, and then I have the Gen Z and I have, of course, the Millennials. But I am just really proud of being able to say that I've cultivated an audience that no matter what platform I use, no matter where I decide to go today, they go, we're going with you.

Well, and, and I want to, I'm going to, I'm going to put a pin in this moment because something is happening in the chat that is phenomenal and I want to just, like, shine a spotlight on it. So first of all, what is the URL for the Book Academy? Can we get this, can we get this in here?

The Book Academy, dawg.

Book. The, the book academy.org the bookacademy.org yes. So, Chloe, can you or somebody pin that to the top? Because I want to make sure that as folks are seeing and something amazing is happening in the chat that I want to just, you know, love you. We've been talking about this in community design and now people magic, profit. So a couple things. Number one, at no point, at no point has Lovey felt like a used car salesperson trying to sell you on the book academy.org she's telling her story. She's offering value where it's, I know who I want to serve. I know the person that is in a transition, and that transition is that they want to become an author. And they're not, they're. They're not there yet. And they need, they're stuck. Lovey. But the people that are going, that Lovey is going to attract alongside so that in those office hours, it's not just about. And maybe even, maybe even Lisa will help us out. Lisa, will you share maybe what, what you've learned from other members.

Yeah.

In the bookacademy.org do you see what I'm doing with the book?

I see what you're doing. Joyell is also in here. She's also in my office hours. Like we call it our continued education.

Our continued education.

But to your point, Gina, like, that's how we use. I saw the question somebody else asking, like, how do we, how do I use Mighty Networks? So how we use Mighty Networks for the book academy is every cohort, they get their space in the Book academy box. So they have, the first cohort has their space, the second cohort has their space. So during the cohort, we put our lessons there, we put the resources there. And then as they graduate from their cohort and they just become alumni, either they move into office hours space or they just part of our general community, which I still give some value to. I still drop information.

Right.

My office hours group, though, they do co working sessions with each other where they get on and everybody's working on their book. We do, we do weekly, no monthly workshops where we bring in and do a particular like education piece to anything related to books we bring in. They had a chat with my editor where my editor gave them all the information. They had a chat with one of my agents. Like my agent broke down how they sign new clients.

Y.

So we have that. But Mighty Networks, I've been using Mighty networks for like seven, eight years because we were using it for Love Nation. When we had Love nation, we had 7, 500 people in there.

Yep. But yeah, I, I want to, I, I want to emphasize this, which is I said this on day one. Community is forgiving. Community can take so many different forms. And so as you were growing Love Nation and getting to 7,500 members, we're like, yeah, this is great. And the day you showed up and you're like, this is no longer serving me. We also were like, okay, great. And I think that this is a really important piece because community and the relationships that you're building, it is, it's something that is a journey and it can take many shapes and forms. And so many times when people are getting started, it's like, I have to be perfect. I have to have all the answers. I have to know exactly what we're going to do. And what is so fantastic about the bookacademy.org is that it is. You started with one thing and then you're like, oh, wait, this is a second thing that we need to do with the book proposal. And now it There's a third thing with the marketing. And the other thing that I. I've seen it even in the chat over the last two days is, oh, my gosh, I need to add all these things for free. And what you are actually saying is that as you are adding more value, you have actually raised the. The price.

Literally.

That is. That is not just okay, but actually important. Lisa said she's like, it's great for me because I'm a procrastinator. And she's going to have a book out by May because she made the decision to invest in a. A program, the scaffolding for what she's doing and how she's doing. Heather is now on the Academy wait list.

Let's go. Let's go.

And here's the thing, like, put in. Let's put. Put in a. A good word for let's do it.

And here's the other thing, too, Gina, that I realized that I think a lot of us bypass. I am so deeply confident at what I know, what I teach, what I have done, that I am like, the value that I offer. I don't feel any qualms about charging what I charge for it, because you will make that back multiple times if you follow my teachings. So that's the thing. I know a lot of us sometimes struggle with pricing. We. We sometimes struggle with charging people certain things. Here's the thing. The next book Academy cohort is going to be at a thousand dollars. Because I told the first cohort back in the day in July, I said, I know the reason I'm pricing it at 495is because I'm going to consider this a beta test. Let's see if what I know is real. Let's see if it actually works. And the. I already said in advance, like, this is the lowest it will ever be. And here's the thing is every cohort is the lowest it will ever be. Because if I continue to raise the price because I realize the value is going up and up and up, it's still going to be worth it. So for those of us who are entrepreneurs who struggle with pricing, who struggle with charging, stand in the confidence of what you know. Because here's the thing. There's. I have very few peers in this arena, and I can say that full chest. Yeah, I have very few people who can say, I have hit the New York Times best selling list four times in four different categories across age groups, across multiple years. And no, I'm. I'm batting a thousand. So there's so Many of us who walk around with expertise, who are walking around with credentials that very few other people have, we especially cannot be shy about knowing the value of the work that we're going to do. And the ones that my knees, I always over deliver.

Right. Let me test an idea out on you that I, I shared, I shared yesterday and I shared actually with a, with a couple of other people that are building some really interesting businesses is, you know, there's such fear in that initial cohort. But at the same point in time, that initial cohort is the closest thing that, that you will ever give to one on one coaching or small group coaching. And what would you charge, what would you charge somebody for one on one coaching with the things that you've done? Like how much would somebody pay for one on one coaching or small group coaching or a workshop with a four time New York Times best selling author across four different categories. They'd probably pay a thousand dollars. Especially because what they're good.

I know I have the answer.

I'm setting you up. I'm saying I love it.

Gina, come on.

Okay, now what, what would you charge for that?

I already do. So I offer power hours for the people who just want a session, a quick win where you walk away with tangible takeaways. You know, what's next. And my power hours are $2500. And I haven't even advertised my power hours publicly because they've been full since I started offering them because of word of mouth. So whenever one of my clients will come book a power hour with me, I'll get another text message. Hey, hey, hey. I heard you do these. Bet. I've literally done power hours for the last six months and I've never publicized it. So yes, $2,500 for the one on one one hour time with me.

So now, so here's, here's my mission for 2025.

Yes.

My mission for 2025 is to teach people how to value their very first cohort, especially if they are fearful that it's going to be too small to charge. What they would charge for, for one on one consulting or coaching. And, and some. Because the cohorts themselves are going to start to get more and more valuable.

Yes, that's, that's a great, that's, that's.

My, I'm putting my intention out there. The world. I love that there's this sense that you have to discount. And what I love about what you just said is you didn't discount. You, you started with a premium price and you're Like I'm gonna, this is my first level of value. And then you added more value and raised the price. And added more value and raised the price. And so many people show up and they're building a program, they're building a membership, they're building a course and they want to undercharge because they're, they're afraid it's going to suck at the beginning. That's really what it comes down to. And yet we're never afraid in a one on one coaching or consulting, in a power hour that it's going to suck. Why? Because we know our stuff. And so there's something really powerful about that.

And here's the other thing too. Whether it's my speaking, whether it's my, I'm expensive and that's okay. My value will never be that I'm the cheapest one that can offer that service. I'm not, I'm expensive. My speaking fee, I get paid the same thing as white men. Know that. Like, I'm not going to apologize for the fact I'm expensive because it will be worth every dollar and I will make you look so good and the result will be so good that you'll be like, I would pay more next time. Right. Like, so that's the thing that especially we, we, we're not primed to say that, to feel that. But like, I would not be the cheapest person you can go to. Sure, you can go find another author who might be doing coaching, who might do a cheaper power hour. But my value, my perspective is so different and it's so clear and it's so based in proven things that I'm like, no, because if by one hour that you spend with me, I save you time, energy and I make you. Because I've actually made some of my clients change your covers as a result of my power hours. I just, I just made you $50,000 by making you change your cover. Because had you used the original cover you were going to use, that book will stay on the shelves and not sell. Yeah. So I think for all of us, like again, the value that you offer be very clear. The credentials that you have double down on them. And that's also why I, half the people on the Internet who are teaching stuff have no, no right to be teaching the thing.

Yeah.

Because they don't even have the value that the credential. But when you have it.

Yeah.

When you have it, stand in that and then have people like Gina have people who you can call and say, hey, here's what I want to charge. Is this what the industry standard is? And then you add the tax of your own brand prestige. So my brand prestige is this particular thing. So there's an additional thing to add to that. All of those allow you to, to then move with the confidence. Because here's the thing is if, let's say you come to me and you like, oh, I can't afford the book Academy, I don't even know where I would tell you to go to as the alternative.

Right.

I don't, I don't know another person who's teaching it at this level where I can be like, well, okay, fine, if you can't afford this one, go to this person. I don't even know who that person is. So my whole thing is come to the best, get the money's worth and again, money is to be found.

Yeah. One of the things I'm seeing people in the chat basically being like, oh my gosh, I wish I could be this confident or like she is not starting with imposter syndrome. And here's the thing, I want to just observe and you tell me if it's, if it's right or wrong. But what I want to observe is when you take action, even if it's a small action, even if it's a small action and you do something that scares you just a little bit, you're going to start building your confidence and your ability to take a step that is a misstep and a failure and get back up and do it again. Whether you are at Lovey's level and the radical transparency in the crumbling to the rebuilding or Martinez Evans on, on our first day on Tuesday talking about launching a course, having five people sign up for it and two people failing, two people showing up and wanting refunds and one person basically being like, what is this? And still getting up the next day and saying there's something else out there for me to do. And then going on to build a bestseller, a community front page of the New York Times. Like these are only possible when you face your fear. You surround yourself in a community like Lisa is talking about with the Book Academy. Yeah, I, I, I love how so many times we want to like complexify it and it's just not that complex.

Can I tell you? I would tell you like so, and I saw people say like, Lovey doesn't have imposter syndrome, but I've had imposter syndrome before and it didn't serve me. I've walked in the room. So, so in 2016, Oprah Winfrey came out with a list of her Super Soul 100, which is a hundred people who she thinks are elevating humanity. And this list had, like, Brene Brown, Adam Grant, you know, it had Ava DuVernay on it. It had all these big names, and me. And I remember when I first got the email, I sent it to Spam because I was like, that is obviously fake.

Right, Right.

They. That was not for me. That. That was not for me. And I sent this to Spam, and then I got a phone call that was like, hey, have you received our. And I was like, that was real. That was for. I'm included. That's crazy. And I'm just like, you know, and I walked in that room because she did, like, a special brunch for the Super Soul 100. And I walked in the room, and I was like. And I walked up to one of her staff people, and I was like, no. So, like, Oprah actually knows who I am. Like, she chose me. They were like, literally, we have. We had names for her pictures. And she was like, no, no. Yes. Yes. And I was like, whoa, that's crazy. Here's the thing. Here's the thing. Imposter syndrome does not serve you. If you are a good person who knows their impostors, who. Who benefits from your imposter syndrome as women, especially if you are a woman in this world that has done so much to diminish us, you do not benefit from imposter syndrome. The world does. Because then the world gets to cheat you, take advantage of you, tell you you're not dope when you dope as hell. So I'm just like, imposter syndrome doesn't serve me when I know that the words that I have, that I know that the work that I have, that I know that the books that I've written can change lives. Because people have told me, imagine if I'm shy about talking about the book.

Don't be.

Imagine if I'm shy about being like, hey, I wrote this thing that when you read it, will embolden you and give you all sorts of, like, gumption to move different. Even my book editor got promoted because of this book, because there's a chapter in this book that tells you how to ask for a raise. She didn't just ask for a raise. She got promoted. And she said that publicly, that as a result of reading my chapter that she edited, she got a promotion. So that's why I'm like, listen, we have spent way too much time not being confident. We have spent Way too much time doubting and questioning our purpose, our goodness, our mission. And everybody else gets to take advantage of the fact that we're not confident about it. And I'm like, the more of us who can step and stand, full chest, feet on the ground, chin up, everybody wins. Because now the ones who come in behind us can see us moving confidently. So we can model that for them and they can know that they also deserve full respect, full payment, all of that. Like, so I'm like, you know what? I want my confidence. I'm confident like this because I want my 21 year old niece to see me move through the world and be like, why shouldn't I be confident? Why shouldn't I ask for a raise? Why shouldn't I show up feeling like I'm the best thing that that room has? And then I will back it up with the work and the way that I show up. Right. I'll back it up with the value that I bring. I will back it up with the fact that I will leave that room better than I found it.

Yeah. So can I add even one more thing that you're modeling here right now, and you model in every of your interactions, which infectious joy, like when you have confidence, you actually can be more playful.

Yes, yes.

And if you, if just tying it back to you show up with infectious joy, which does serve us, and then you attract people who want to share in that infectious joy, that humor, that, that fun, that being able to do hard things, but with a sense of joy and energy. And when that stopped being who you were surrounding yourself with every day, you found a different path.

And the confidence opens you up to failing because you realize even if you fail, it doesn't mean your worth is diminished. The confidence lets you know that your biggest mistakes are not you. Esther Perel, when her and I were in conversation, she said she defines confidence as knowing you have flaws, but knowing you are worthy anyway. So that's the thing. That's why I can show up here and tell you about how I failed, how my company crumbled. And I still know I'm good. I still know that I'm worthy. I still know that I am great at what I do. Right? So the confidence, when we don't have it, we think the failure means now we really should take ourselves out the game. That confidence insulates you for the failures. Right. It lets you know that the failure is just part of the journey. It's part of the testimony, it's part of the story. Because every hero needs a hero's journey. Right? Heroes need the valley moment. So then you show us how you went from valley to the peak without.

No one is interested. No one is interested in. I succeeded, and then I succeeded.

No way. That's boring.

That's the boringest story you could buy. And yet, when we talk about personal branding and building a personal brand and, like, what you've actually demonstrated is that you can have an overarching brand, and in that container, you get to be your full self.

Fully, fully, fully. Okay? And here's the thing. My brand and who I've been, who I've shown myself to be as somebody who's worthy of trust because I insist on integrity. Like, my integrity is so important to me. My name is so important to me. Even when you fail, people don't stop believing in you. People do not stop believing in you because you've already built yourself, right? You've shown who you've been in the good times. And the brand building is for the moments when you fail, because those are the moments when your prestige, when your name, when your reputation has to now speak for itself. When you are down bad is when who you've been now really kind of cradles you and hold you and swaddles you. Yeah. So I am deeply, deeply thankful to the community of people who I've built, both in my personal life, in my professional life, in my online life, people who read my work. Y' all didn't miss a beat. Y' all didn't skip a beat in the middle of my crumbling. You made Little Troublemaker a New York Times bestseller.

Like, four for four, baby.

Four for four. We back. Five is coming out in May. Little Troublemaker defends her name. Yeah, Little Trouble. Look, the COVID is here.

Let's see.

It's ready. So we out here.

Wait, wait, wait. Where was the. Where was the. The little brand person from the first one? Oh, right in there. Little Trouble. Okay, got it, Got it. Y. Y.

Look, Judgy Pop is gonna be in the building, but, yeah, like, I just want us all to understand that all of this is tied to our values, right? The communities that we build. Again, digital is just a way to show it online. But you being a community builder is a lifelong thing that is tied to your purpose. Who are the people you want to attract? Who are the people you want to serve and help? Who are the people you want to come with you on this hero's journey that we are all on together? And then how can you show them and model what's possible? And that's ultimately all I'm trying to do.

Yeah, well, so many things. But here's the thing. As we, as we are up against time and you've been so generous with your time and your story and your perspective. I think I can speak for everybody or nearly everybody in the chat, certainly for the people on our team. Whatever you need, whenever you need it, to make bookacademy.org a wild success. And I think that that's true for folks in the chat. Can we all just agree that as we are building this community and continuing it in the countdown to January 30 day challenge, that we are on Team Lovie, we are going to help Lisa and every other member of the Book Academy have at least a small set of people are going to pre order and be a part of it.

Yes. And I will.

How does that sound? Look at this. I think. I think we figured something out.

Yes, please. So for. Look, I. I need you guys help, right? In this hero's journey, in the building of the mission of the purpose. I need your help couple of ways. One, I want you to follow the Book Academy on Instagram. We're at the Book Academy. Do that. I'm writing this. If you want to become an author one day or you've written a book and need help getting it out even more, join the Book Academy wait list. We're going to start sending out emails to get y' all ready for the cohort that is going to start next year. I'm going to actually drop an early bird registration. That'll be slightly discounted. So when I drop the early bird and you want in, jump on that. And then three. Yeah, just follow me on social. Actually, no, forget social media. Social media is. Ah. My newsletter is. Honestly, if you are somebody. I'm reading all the comments. I was reading some of them. But if you are somebody who loves this messaging that I got gave you today. My newsletter goes out once a week and I basically do this in that newsletter once a week. My audience hears from me. We have over 50,000 people on the newsletter and we have a 66% open rate. That's how good it is. Okay? People don't want to miss it.

People don't want to miss it. You got testimonials in the, in the chat.

The love letter is everything. Okay. The love letter is everything. I'm trying to tell you. My newsletter is everything. So the energy that I'm giving y' all on this call is what I bring into your newsletter every freaking week. The love letters, everything. So sign up for that. So, yeah, book Academy follow up on Instagram. Sign up for the wait list if you want in. And then three, join my newsletter. And yeah, I just. I encourage you all to stand in your power and to move boldly without apology. Like, if there's nothing else that you got from this conversation with Gina is those two things. Stand in your power and move boldly without apology. And, Gina, I just want to say thank you for creating the space and the work that has allowed me to also continue to do my work. You know, like, my pleasure.

My pleasure. We are. We are here for you, and we're here for all of the folks who are on this summit session. I just want to thank you again. Let's give Levy a round of applause over this.

Oh, people are asking about my newsletter URL. It's loveletter.com.

You know what we're gonna put, we're gonna put. It's in the chat. But the other thing that I want to say is we'll put all of these links in the challenge community just so everybody, as they have the replays, they'll. They'll be like show notes. They'll be like, we'll make these, like, show.

So lovey.

Thanks again. Really appreciate it. I am on such a high from this, and I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day.

This has been energizing to my spirits. What a great way for me to start my Thursday.

Awesome. Thank you so much. And we will see everybody in 10 minutes on the next session. All right, See.