Success Secrets Exposed - Adapting in business to be future-proofed

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Welcome to Success Secrets Exposed with Sally A. Curtis, where we share stories of challenge, success, and inspiration, along with practical tips and strategies to move you forward to your your success. And now here's your host, Sally A. Curtis.

Good evening. Good morning.

Good morning.

How are you? Great to catch up with you. Hi, Celeste. How are you?

Hello. Hi, everyone. Whether it's a night or a morning for you, we're excited to be with you here today.

Yeah, today's episode is obviously our monthly marketing episodes session, an episode. So today we're going to be talking about adapting in business to be future-proof. So a really, really hot topic, something many businesses have gone through over the last several months or 12 months or so. And so it's going to be a power-packed session for you today. So Celeste, I'll let you introduce yourself today.

Thank you. I'm Celeste. I'm the owner of Lustosa Marketing, an end-to-end marketing agency supporting service providers. So we support them with content creation, uh, PR work, digital marketing, and a lot more.

Yeah, beautiful. And I'm a marketing strategist and growth strategist for speakers, coaches, and consultants specializing in content repurposing and LinkedIn strategy, and it is my role to amplify your voice, your message, and your impact. So you've got 2 brain trusts here today talking about small, small and service-based business, or SME businesses, and then more of the consultant coaching businesses. So we'll, we'll do our normal and tag-team each other around the conversation as to how you can actually future-proof your business by being adaptive. adaptive. So one of the things that I find very, very intriguing and important is that there's lots of commonalities as to why businesses struggle to adapt in business and to future-proof them. So I thought I'd rattle off some of those, and then we can get into a bit of a conversation around that. And some of the commonalities are they're actually scared. Some of the other commonalities are they're often too comfortable, or they're fatigued and overwhelmed. And I think we've all experienced that recently. Or they don't listen or see, see what's going on in their marketplace. And the big one is that they don't act on information, insights, or data that they see. And sometimes they feel they lack resources. So I thought between us, Celeste, we could perhaps unpack that little bit of a list and provide some examples as to why people are feeling those— feeling that they're in those situations. And then we can also provide some tips to move them out of those situations.

Perfect.

Excellent.

All right.

Start with this scared scenario or wherever you'd like to go, and then we'll go from there.

And obviously this has been a very important topic, not just today, for the past 6 months to a year with COVID And if anything, COVID really showed business owners that they needed to be, you know, more resilient and more adaptable to things they can't control. Mm-hmm. So I think that the fear is something that it's a human reaction to just freeze to it. And it's okay, it's what happens when you're a business owner as well, and there's more things at stake. But you have to kind of build your emotion. And I think that's the hard part of this, the fear factor, is that it's an emotional trigger. So you have to find yourself in terms of mindset, in terms of even support if you need to, with coaches and consultants who can provide you some guides and some, really that extra support in terms, not just on the, you know, it's not a 2+ 2= 4 kind of formula. Mm-hmm. Fear is something really real. And when you don't know what's on the other side of the spectrum, when you don't know what's going to happen, which is what happened with COVID it's really easy to just freeze and stop everything you're doing. So one thing that I always advise people, and I think has been really helpful for my business and for all the businesses that I supported, was to have another person who understands business who can mentor and coach you through it. Mm-hmm. And I find that so important, and that can help you navigate through your fear. And say, okay, I can't control this, but what are the parts of it that I can control that I can take a step forward with?

Yeah, and I think that adds into— there's also that scared element, um, as well as that, um, being very, very comfortable element, uh, and the lacking of resources. That sort of all ties into when you've got, um, key people around you that can come in, uh, with fresh eyes with the assumption that they've got been there and done it experience, it actually gives you a very different perspective. You, you don't just focus on the scary monster under the, under the bed, you can actually see the sunrise in the distance that you can walk into the warmth of the sun. And some of those elements of those fresh eyes that enables you to see things differently and resources and tools has been a big thing for me over the last 18 months with clients is everyone perceives that I'm sort of the tech person and know all the tools, etc. And it's only through trying to solve problems that I found these— found different tools. But one of the things that I think people get really stuck on is that tools and resources cost a lot of money. And they actually don't. There's so many tool tech tools and apps that are that are free that you can find online. And if you've got the right, if it was a resource from a person perspective, whether that's you putting on a a VA in your business for the first time or getting a very seized and very specific coach into your business, then it's actually not an expense. It's actually an investment in you and in your in your business. And that fresh eyes teamed up with that been-there-and-done-it experience is what can catapult you and really shift that sort of scared, uncomfortable, um, sort of place that we get stuck. And when we get comfortable, we think that we're still the best, brightest, shiniest thing in the box, whereas the box has been moved over to the side. So being too comfortable and having somebody with fresh eyes almost make you uncomfortable. And being uncomfortable and curious at the same time is really what enables you to adapt and create yourself and your business into a future-proofing, uh, move forward movement.

Yeah, and just adding to that, I think one thing that I've noticed a lot was that business owners feel that they can't be in fear or they can't let that come out. And I think there's one thing that is how you're communicating with customers. And no, you shouldn't pass on your fear to a customer. They are coming to you to feel safe and to feel that you have a solution for them. But that's not to say that it's not okay to find a tribe around you from the business community Whether it's groups, like these days there's so many amazing Facebook groups, or your local council might have a group of local business owners. And come together with that community. And once you're there, come from a place of honesty. Say, I am scared. I don't know how to navigate this. Has anyone been through this and how did you do it? And have those honest conversations. I found that people shouldn't be scared of saying, oh, we're business owners, therefore we're competitors. We should hold our cards up to our chest. Those days are gone. We need to come together as a community. And I think this is a very clear live example of this for us, Sally, here.

Mm-hmm.

Sally and I provide marketing services. We, uh, come together, joining forces, enjoying experiences, and we— and you know, there's fish in the ocean for both of us. We're not sitting here, um, with a competitive mindset. We're sitting here with a mindset that she's got answers to some of my questions and vice versa. Mm-hmm. And find your tribe and share your fears with that tribe. which is very different than sharing fears on your Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn page, which will send a message to your customer that is not really what we want them to see. But I think finding a tribe is, is so important for that future building and scaling up.

Yeah, very much so. And I think for me and for you, I know we've experienced it dramatically in the last 6 months some really significant people around us and getting into some significant networks. I know you do a lot with some of the Facebook groups. I do a lot with some of the great groups in the US. And just having, having that, as you said, that tribe of people around you where you can have those really honest conversations and actually have the opportunity to laugh at yourself when you realize that, hey, And this is such a common human thing that we think the greatest problem that we have is massively huge, and we're the only one that's ever the only one going through it. And then you, you share it, you find out that everybody's been going through it. And best of all, you get to find out what they've done or what they've experienced or what tools they've used or how they've overcome it. And this is where you get that massive brain trust and the, of, you know, all of the different intellects and knowledge bases that it really does just make such a huge difference.

And I think just going back, yeah, just going back to that, it's like, it's like for my case, it's like motherhood, right? I don't know how it is in the US, but here in Australia, once you have a baby, you get connected with a group of mothers and you become a mother's group. Find your business group. Find, you know, because we go through the same with motherhood, and I know, uh, you relate. You're doing things and you're just like, oh, I don't know how to do that. I'm the only one who doesn't know how to do it. I'm doing everything wrong. And then when you come together with other moms, they're going through the same things. They're navigating it together. Once you talk about it, Mm-hmm. you find solutions a lot easier. And not only that, that also addresses that fear. Your fear becomes a lot less because you're like, well, actually other people have been through this and they made it. So let's just understand how I can make it.

Yeah. And I think with adding on to that, that's that whole collaborative collaboration, that collaborative mindset. And I think one of the great things that comes also out of the collaboration is the insights to actually see things or hear things differently. And that's one of the other things I saw many, many clients get stuck in is that they're not listening to their community, their clients, and they're not seeing the changes that are happening in the marketplace because they were so stuck in their lane. But unfortunately, the lane's just changed. And by having that ability to gain insights from other people, you can then go, oh, did you— how did you find that out? Oh, you found that out in the data that you've got. Oh, you've seen that in your e-news reports, etc. Oh, so what's happened? So you— and that's what I mean by people don't— you don't listen or see when it's, when it's right in front of you, but through other people's insights, you can actually hear it and see it differently. And therefore, you can actually capitalize on it and leverage that information as well.

That is so true and so powerful. I feel that sometimes we say these things, they're actually simple to implement. So I really wish people listen to these and really take it to heart, it sounds like a simple thing, it will give you huge results. And once again, long time, like long-term results as well. And it's important to start.

Yeah, absolutely. And it's just about with these, with the collaboration and then with the insight, and then actioning those insights and creating those actions into habits. And then when you have the insights, you have to take the action, you create the habit, you get the results, and then you'll continue the habit. So it's not— it's about that continuation of creating those good habits. And that's where you really can become adaptable and future-proof your business on a continual basis. Because we'll future-proof now, and we know that, you know, those goalposts and the marketplace moves. So we've got to You know, you've always got to be adjusting, you've always got to be evolving. We are never ever done, we're always growing.

Yeah, oh, that is so important. And I think one thing that business owners are really lucky these days is that there's just so much more. You mentioned a little bit about tools and that perception that tools are anything that are automated in my business is going to cost me a fortune. And reality is, I remember starting in roles in marketing, 20 years ago, we had nothing for free. Then you're actually paying a lot of money to put an ad on TV and hope for the best. You don't have analytics, you can't really, you know, have that intelligence behind you. Today, the amount of free, free, no cost, you sign up for it, free online tools that will save you so much money and time. on your day-to-day little things is absolutely impressive. And on the flip side, the amount of businesses who are, you know, lacking of time, lacking of resources, who are not using them, I really would like them to stop and think why, why, and so important.

Yeah, I'll just add to that because I that because people perceive me as being the tech person, which I may be, but I'm actually not. It's not natural for me. And so my key message here is, as Celeste says, there's lots of massive, massive time-saving and tools that create some really good opportunities within your business. And yes, we may be talking about tech tools, but let me tell you, some of those tech tools are really easy to use, because if they weren't, I wouldn't be using them. Because I'm not technical, but I can follow steps. I don't often read instructions. So I'll just clear that up. I do not read instructions. But I will—

It must be a nightmare to you.

Yeah. So I can work out if it works intuitively. It's a really good system for me. If it works to the Sally methodology, then it works for me. So it's not about even finding tools that someone else tells you are brilliant, because if that tool is not brilliant to you, you don't get it straight away, it's not the tool for you. So find the tools that are for you, that work with the way that you work, and that will make a huge difference to your business.

Oh, absolutely, 100%. And I think you'll be surprised with the amount of options that are out there. I dare say you will find something that suits your needs. And that you feel comfortable with. And at the end of the day, it is saving you money, time. It is saving you money, resources, and that means money as well. And we know how important that is to grow a business.

And once you've adapted to it once— so here's your first lesson in adaptation— once you've adapted to it once, you wonder why you've never got to it sooner and what you ever did without it. And because it's, it's a one-time investment in getting, getting it set up, getting it working, and then it'll continue to pay its benefits. So that little bit of, you know, slowing down, that little bit of, you know, working out if it, if it fits for you and works for you, that little bit of frustration and fear will become massive opportunities and pay long, long-term dividends. So really have a look at some simple tech tools, um, and discovering what you're needing is, you know, what do you, what do you do repeatedly? What drives you nuts that you'd really rather get rid of? And, uh, what do you, um, causes you to waste time? So look at those. What do you do repeatedly? Um, what causes you to waste time? And, um, what do you not like doing and see what's available for you to actually pass that over to somebody else and create some more time for you.

And just linking the, the, the 2 things there, I mean, I think that going back to that tribe, uh, they will be sharing what they use. You give it a go, you have a look, might not be for you, you listen to someone else. What kind of systems are you using for that? How are you doing your accounts? How do you manage your social media? People will show you the way they're doing it, and then you give it a go. But the flip side of that, that I'm always very conscious of, and I always talk to my customers about, is that also be generous with— once you find a tool that is saving a lot of time, go back to that tribe and give them your feedback as well. And say, look, I was also— so I think for people, it always has to be a two-way street for things to be future-proof for your business. So you go to that tribe, you build trust, you ask the questions, but then you also give them what you've learned and your experiences and feedback on things. And I think that's just as important.

Yeah, and that's that whole shared experience. That's the whole baseline of the whole scenario, is that shared experience and that two-way street. Beautifully said, Celeste. Thank you. Excellent. So, um, one of the other areas that I'd really like to dive into is some ways in which people can future-proof their business. But what I thought we would do very, very quickly is just jump to a quick, um, quick ad break, and then we'll come back and go through the various different ways that you can actually future-proof your business. So we'll be right back after this quick break.

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Welcome back. Today we're actually going through, through the future, how to future-proof your business and how to adapt your business to continue to grow. And I'm going to go over the 6 ways to future-proof your business. And I'll tell you what those topic titles are, and then Celeste and I will go through them in discussion as always. So the 6 ways that I've identified, particularly in my community, and I'm sure Celeste may have some more as well, is the first one is having a curious growth mindset. So we'll come back to that one in a minute. Creating a clear vision for yourself and your business. Being very strategic with your plan, asking for help, which of course we've covered a little bit today and I reckon we'll probably dive back into again, as well as building an action plan and continually evolving and growing. So there's just 6 ways that we can have identified in ways that you can future-proof yourself and your business. So let's Let's start with the curious or growth mindset. What are some of the tips that you can provide around that, Celeste?

I think the growth mindset also feeds back into the idea of starting from a plan. It's starting knowing what are you trying to achieve and for whom and really tackle the basics before you get your product or your service out. And I think people are so keen to get it out there and, you know, I've helped just recently a business owner who had a product out, but the messaging was so confusing. Nobody could actually understand what it was about, what they were actually trying to sell. So I think the growth mindset starts with really understanding what we're trying to achieve here. Who are we for? Just going back to those basic questions. What? your strategy, whether it's a business strategy, a mark— and the marketing strategy will feed into it. But I think you need to understand what you're trying to achieve before you get out to market, because confusion is one of the biggest killers of business.

Yeah, totally. And I think that that whole confusion also comes into play that we get confused because we sit in that change space and change for all of us and our businesses and us personally is inevitable. But the struggle that we create for ourselves is optional. And one of the things that we often see as marketing strategists is people will just leap. And I love a good leap of faith, trust me. But a leap of faith with a plan and a strategy is what we want there, not a leap of faith and I'll work it out as I'm going along. Because that's where the confusion kicks in, and then your clientele don't understand what you do. So I think it's really important to continue to be curious about your customers so you can gain customer insights and adapt accordingly. It's be curious about yourself as to what's going on for you from that mindset perspective, Yep. as well as being curious enough to listen to what's happening to your, you know, your tribe around you so you can actually help them and then ask for help at the same time. So I love one of Steve Jobs' sayings, which is, stay hungry, stay foolish. And to me, that means be curious and continue to personally grow or professionally grow.

And that's growth mindset, continuously being hungry and curious and It's, it's a growth mindset thing. And I think, um, you know, it's, it's not how most people start. And I don't want you to feel because you've already started your business and you're out there, it doesn't mean that you can't now just embrace the growth mindset. Even if you've been in market for 5 years, 10 years, and you're already, um, your business is already out there, you can still you know, understand that growth mindset and get to it. So don't feel that because you didn't have it back then and I started and things just started happening for me. As long as you take a breather, take a step back and pause for a minute and try to go back to those basics. How am I going to grow? Why am I growing— going to grow? What am I offering people that's going to allow my growth. And once you do, I think one thing that is really important these days to be mindful with the growth mindset is burnout.

Yeah,

we don't want your growth mindset to lead you to a road of burnout because you're just trying to grow and, uh, you're taking steps that are a bit too big for you.

Yeah, and I think that's a key thing. And I love what you said about, um, and I'll just rephrase it as saying It's a case of letting go and learning to be adaptable, but not adapting through force, adapting through flow. So just working in that really nice space and coming from there. So I think that's been a great snapshot of having that curious mindset. The other one, the next stage, which ties into that, that, you know, not creating the burnout for yourself, is actually having a very, very clear vision of what you personally want to achieve, what you want to achieve for your business, listening and being curious to what your clients are saying so you can adapt that vision, and also working out how you can best serve them. It may not be the way that you've always served them because they've probably adapted to and changed too. So having the ability to adapt the way that you've served them. An example of that was in my arena, it was we used to have face-to-face events, and then all of a sudden we didn't have face-to-face events. So we had to learn to adapt to what our audience required and what was required in the world at that time. So it's having that strategic, clear vision. And this also comes back to not a forceful vision, but a fluid vision. So it's about having a clear vision for yourself and knowing that you might need to ebb and flow and adapt accordingly.

Yes, absolutely, 100%. And I think that's so important. And I think one of the things that I always ask people who are in business, and I would love for the audience to also take a minute and make some notes, is that do you have a mission, vision, values? And if you don't, maybe it's time to think about it and it's time to really create those foundations, uh, for, for your business and understand what's your vision. Because when we're talking about, uh, future, uh, you know, proof mindset and, uh, getting your business to a place where there's a longevity to it, you have to understand what's your vision for it. And, uh, you know, and if you're not clear on what each one is and how to craft one. I do have a blog on my website, so if you look, and it's actually just addressing what is a vision, what is a mission, what are values, and how do you make them work for you. But I think every business owner should have clarity of what their vision and mission are.

Yeah, yeah, beautiful. And I think that ties into the next one, which is being strategic. strategic. And with that crystal clear vision that can be a little bit fluid as you, as you adapt, the strategic nature of it is being disciplined to look at it frequently. It's being strategic and disciplined to look at your data each quarter. It's disciplined and strategic. And sometimes discipline frightens— the word discipline frightens people, but it actually excites me now. I never used to like it, but I like it now. And because with those little bits of disciplines where the magic happens, because if you're looking at your information, you know what your vision is, you know what you want to sell for the quarter, you can actually start to see the steps naturally and in that fluid scenario versus that forced scenario. So I think it's really important to have a strategic view of, of all of the different moving elements. And it's also important to also know, okay, strategically, I need to have this done by this time. Who's doing that? And also, this is where your tribe, which I'm sure Celeste will speak more on, is where your tribe becomes very important in fostering accountability and having a master— what I call it a mastermind in my scenario of where we keep and hold each other accountable, um, can create massive shifts in your business and in your own mindset.

Oh, absolutely. And I just want to make one— so about this, uh, plan and understanding your timelines, what are you trying to achieve by when— have yourself a KPI. I know that, um, you might not be in a corporate job, uh, you might have never been in a corporate job, but Put yourself a KPI as part of the business. What are you trying to achieve? Give yourself a timeline and it will drive you to keep going further and further. And the other thing is accept. So I've seen a lot in some of the groups that we're part of, if you put yourself out there and you ask for feedback, be open about the feedback you receive and be accountable for it.

Yeah.

I've seen more often than not, people put themselves out there and they'll say, oh, here's my website, please provide feedback. But what they're looking for is affirmation.

Yeah.

If you find your tribe, understand that you're equals. You're not there to get a pat on the back every time you show a photo of your product or your service. So this person showed their website and they weren't prepared for what they were going to hear about it. And what I say is that you have to have that fixed and saying, if anyone takes their time away from their business to sit there and look at something that is yours and provide feedback, whether this feedback is not what you wanted to hear, is extremely constructive for your business. And you should take it to heart. And instead of— and that happened this morning, it was actually funny as I'm reading things before coming, I was like, oh my God, I have to mention that in the show. Yeah. Because it was, that's not how you prepare your business for the future. If you want to prepare your business for the future, you go back to your tribe, you ask them for feedback or input on something, take it to heart. If someone's taking their time to look and provide feedback, listen to it. I'm not saying that 100% is gonna be right. I'm not saying that you have to then change everything you've done because someone else said so. But find the, you know, the alignment there. Okay, everybody's kind of mentioning my photography is not right. Let's listen. Um, so I think there's that side as well. It's not putting it out there and expect people to just compliment everything you're doing because that's not the real world.

No. And I think you've touched on something really, again, that's very, very empowering for business owners as it relates to everyone getting more collaborative, is that if somebody's provided feedback to you and taken time out of their business They're actually demonstrating that they actually do care. They really do care because they've taken the time to share that with you. So take it from— don't take it as an affront if it wasn't what you wanted to hear. Take it that this person really cares enough about you to provide that feedback. And that's where having that balanced, balanced, you know, does that resonate with me? Do I understand that? Is there a commonality? Is there a common repeating thread in this? Because the reality of it is really great successful business owners know that feedback's the fodder of champions.

And oh, amen, 100%. And that's it. And I think when we're talking about the future, so longevity of your business, listening to feedback and really adapting it and responding to it accordingly is a huge part of your business growth. That's not only from your tribe's perspective, but from a customer perspective. Mm-hmm. I, and I just mentioned a little bit about testimonials and customer feedback. They are so crucial for your business growth. It doesn't mean they're always gonna be good. And when they're not good, it's the perfect opportunity for you to look at parts or aspects or processes in your business or products that are not hitting the mark. And they might be the bottlenecks that are stopping you from growing. Once you listen to it and you respond, Mm-hmm. you find your business in a whole new kind of road to, a whole new journey to growth. Uh, and what I see more often than not is that people getting defensive when customers say something negative, especially if it's a Google review. They'll go back to groups, how do I delete this review? I said, you don't. You respond to it, you learn from it, you acknowledge it.

Yeah, beautiful. And I think that just going with the, with the, the customer feedback and the, um, the learning from it is an example of my own was with our LinkedIn strategy that we have. We just systemized that process and I had 2 really great clients that would go, hey, I don't quite get this bit here, or it would be really good if we could automate that bit, or this bit's getting messy for me, or can I just change that dropdown menu? Those 5 little, hey, can I, you know, can you, this bit's annoying me from a client perspective. perspective was what catapulted our entire system from a LinkedIn perspective into a completely new arena where it's really accepted really well by customers now. But that was built— it was originally built by me from a messy Excel spreadsheet. The genius in the system was built by the customer feedback.

Yes, and that's how it should be.

Yeah, yeah, very true. But I wanted to share that because I'm somebody that when someone says something negative, I can— or used to really go, oh, but I just take it to heart. Whereas now I listen, I have very different mindset. I've learned to adapt and mold and take that feedback and utilize it. So I wanted to share that as a lesson learned for me because I'm somebody that does take things to heart. But now I can take it to heart and action because I can listen and hear differently. Because I can feel the care now where it's coming from. And I think that's really important to sort of demonstrate. And that sort of ties in to that sort of, again, asking for help. Now, I may not have asked those clients for help, but because we had such a trusting relationship and we had an open relationship like Celeste has been talking about with these groups, etc. The clients were giving the great feedback and I'd go, oh yeah, let's see what we can do. And that's the ability to have an open, honest conversation, but also them asking for help to make it easier for them. And then us asking for help when we need it most as well, because you don't know what you don't know, but somebody else often does.

Yeah. And I think just adding to that is just Be generous with your help. Like, I see, uh, people really holding their cards so— oh no, but if I— especially from a service provider perspective, um, no, if, you know, if Sally wants this advice and I give it to her, then she doesn't need me. So that's not a growth mindset at all. Yeah. Be generous. Show people who you are, what you have to offer, and be okay with offering it for

Yeah.

When it's appropriate. I'm not saying that as a business owner you're working for free, but I'm saying advice should be given with an open heart, with everything you've got. Because what that does create is that accelerates that trust relationship that you build with people and the sale. So I might have resolved your problem right now with my free advice, which is something that I do very often with the groups that have generated me a lot of business from different people in the groups.

Yeah.

So the other day I supported someone who was having issues with their social media, and I gave them all of my own. Like, I've— I went all in. I'm like, I'm not holding back, I'm not making you pay for this information. This is what you're doing wrong, this is how you can easily fix it. And to be honest, you don't need to pay me for that. Go. Uh, someone else had the same issue and saw my comments and felt, actually, this is the right person for me. The sale was done for me.

Yes.

Through my— through me showing my attitude, through me showing what I've got, showing my authority into that problem. So I think, you know, don't be shy, don't be like Show them what you've got, and I think you'll see that it does pay off. Sometimes not at the exact moment. Sometimes that person that I provide the feedback solved her problem today, but if in a month's time she has a different problem within marketing, I know she knows she can trust me.

Yeah, absolutely.

And that's future right there. That's you doing something today thinking of the future of your business.

And I, yeah, beautifully well said. And I would love to add to that. I'm often saying to my community, give them forward movement without you. In other words, educate them and give them forward movement, just like Celeste has done in that example there. Because what happens is they become your greatest referral point.

Yes.

They become your greatest advocate. And eventually they may become your client. And often in that order, which is exactly demonstrated with the story that Celeste told there. So it's all about giving your clients forward movement without you. And then when they need you, they will come to you. But often prior to that, they will have shared, or in Celeste's case, she's demonstrated and picked up other clients along the way. And that is very much a future-proofing attitude and adaptation to have into your business. And really, it's about not only in that scenario us asking for help, it's us providing service by helping others. And that's a very, very clear growth mindset, as Celeste said. And I think that forms into— I'm going to go jump to the continual evolving and growing, and we'll perhaps finish off with the action plan type scenario. Um, but that continual evolution of— I'm going to call it service because I find lots of the clients that I'm involved with, and it sounds as though Celeste is very much the same with some of her clients as well— is to have that service mindset. Know that you're continually evolving, and through that evolution, you've got insights and tips that you can share with others around you to give them forward movement. That's the sharing of information. information. And it's also about sharing of the systems or people that you've found or connections that you know, or networking groups. We're always continually evolving and growing. I think what COVID has certainly helped us is that we actually share more of that information now than what we ever used to. And that's been one of the biggest adaptations and the biggest way to future-proof yourself is with all of that new shared information that you've got, that you've discovered, is actually now the ability to, to co-share it with other people, to collaborate more with other people, to do, to do and share more in a collaborative manner. And that's part of our continued evolution as we move forward as part of, as part of growing our business.

Absolutely. And I think the other thing that you got to remember when it comes to future is that, that evolution piece is that nothing is worse for your business than the sentence, we've always done it this way.

Yes.

So can you please take it out of the dictionary, delete it, rip the page, throw it in the bin? If you're saying we've always done it this way, You know, like, the future is not going to be kind to you and to your business. So let's just evolution. You've always done this way. Now there's a new way.

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And I think that comes back into the plan. We all need to have plans, and we need to focus and execute on our plans. But at the same time, we need to have adaptability and fluidity within our plan, but the plan that we used 2 years ago is not the plan we will be using in our business now.

Now,

I think, you know, that, that should make sense. That should land for so many people today, that what we used to do is not what we are doing now.

And I think that goes back to really continuously evolving your content, continuously reviewing your website. So if you built a website 5 years ago, you need to go back to it and you need to revise it. And content creation, I think you know that with your services, what happens today is not what you should be posting in 6 months' time. So keep up to date on those elements of your business.

Yeah, absolutely. And I think as you said, there's all— we're always learning, we're always evolving. And I find in the coaching and consulting space, the clients that we often have, and you probably find this from a marketing perspective, are often us 2, 3, 5, or 10 years behind us depending on where they are in their journey. So the stuff that we've— that we're learning along the way that might be a little throwaway line that's just something, you know, whimsical that made a significant difference for us in our business is going to be extraordinary to the other person. So that's where that, you know, our evolution becomes somebody else's stepping stone.

Yes. Oh, perfect. Absolutely. Yeah. And I think just one final note from me in terms of a plan. Just think of your business and how you— the lack of a plan in terms of your marketing or your business practices. Would you ever take a trip without a plan, without a Booking your ticket, having a hotel booked, looking into attractions in the city you're visiting, packing a bag, knowing if it's cold or hot and what clothes to bring. So bring the analogy of travels, and I think it has really clarified the importance of the plan, of putting things in place and, and having structure to many of my clients, and I hope it helps you too.

Yeah, and I think too, just going into that plan, if we think of personality types, and it's often usually the opposites that attract from the husband— from a husband and wife perspective, and I hear these stories all the time. The husband's the prolific planner, knows the kilometers between the cities, knows where they're going to do their toilet stops, knows where they're going to do everything. And then you've got the wife that's just going, yay, we're off on holiday! Even though you may be a, woohoo, we're off on holiday! I, I know Damn well that you still will go, oh, where, where can I go that's an attraction? And what— you'll know what dress you're going to wear because you will have actually pre-planned that, and that dress will be in your, in your suitcase. So even though you may not think you're a prolific planner, perhaps as somebody else is, we all have, regardless of our personality type, regardless of our level of planning. We do all naturally plan. Because if I said to anybody that says, I don't have a business plan, that's not the way I roll— if you got an invitation to a particularly ritzy hotel, or a very, very special guest, very special person invited you, you would go into planning. You would be getting your hair done, you'd be getting your suits right, you— all those sorts of things. So that's just a little challenge for those people out there that say, but I'm not a planner, you are under the right circumstances.

We all are.

We all are. Yes. Yeah. So any final words? And then I'll do a quick recap.

No, I think, I think we've said it all. I think, you know, really hope people took some notes and watch this again. But yeah, wishing everybody has very, very big longevity in their business.

Beautiful. So just as part of a very quick recap, Some of the ways in which you can continue to create a future-proof business and yourself is to always have a curious growth mindset, create a clear vision for yourself and your business, be strategic in the way that you do things— look, listen, and learn— ask for help and give help as often as required, put a plan into place We know you can now, we've just discussed that. And continually grow and evolve and be okay with that. That's what we, we do as humans— be okay with that. So I hope that has helped everyone today have some tips and strategies and ideas on how and the different ways in which you can adapt and continue to grow your business. Look forward to seeing you again next month for another month of Marketing Magic, and I look forward to seeing you next week on next week's episode. Thank you very much. Thanks, Celeste. See

you all.

Bye. That's it for this week's episode. Thank you so much for joining us. I trust you got some inspirational tips to move you forward. See you next Thursday at 7 7 PM Eastern for more Success Secrets Exposed.