Finding Balance and Standing Out: Birthday Reflections on Life, Business, and Success

Welcome to this episode of the Content Amplification Podcast. I'm Shaun Whynacht, and today is a special day for me. It is my birthday, and I wanted to record this episode and we're not gonna be talking about content or, or marketing, but we're gonna be talking about life and business. And it led me to reflect back this morning when I got up about what did I learn over the last 12 months about myself and my business that you, the listener, could take a, a nugget of experience outta that and use it. So that's what we're gonna talk about in to today's episode. First, let's, let's look at, at what has happened in the world when it comes to your business. So we're going to talk about business first. And this is something that I've seen personally. This is something that I've seen clients struggle with and also just the business world in general is the fact that the world we live in is changing so rapidly. And, you know, in every different aspect, whether it is political or physical or, you know, even technology, which, which plays in a lot to probably what is impacting you as a business that's trying to market yourself. You know, there's, there's, there's human behavior, there's customer behavior, it's all that kind of stuff that's happening and changing. And it may leave you feeling a loss of control. Like, I don't know how to keep up. I don't know how to stay ahead of the curve. I don't know how to know what I need to do next. And this is absolutely okay to feel that. That is something that I've looked at and have experienced in the last 12 months, in the last year, is that our clients are feeling that. Heck, we're feeling that because of the change, the rapid change. And you can say that it's just the fact that, you know, there's more and more technology out there. I think that COVID has had a huge impact on that, where we forced the world to change so rapidly and that we're seeing that it is possible to create new technology, to change our behaviors and utilize technology, that that momentum has not stopped. And now we've got AI that's playing into it. Everybody's, you know, now comfortable with doing things remotely and that, that behavior change, that ability to implement digital tools, to be remote, to not be in a physical space while it has its benefits, I would argue that it has more negative impact than positive. And a couple of points on that is you may have experienced this. You know, you have a bunch of Zoom meetings or online calls and they're back to back and probably about midday you're starting to feel burnt out. And the reason for that is you don't have that decompression in between that you would normally have if you were doing physical meetings or driving out to meet clients where you have time in between those meetings to just chit-chat or, you know, get lost in your own world while driving and listen to your favorite music, those type of things that are would normally be there that aren't there anymore. So what we need to do is you need to start to build that into your routine. Make sure that you've got buffer times between those meetings if you have to still stay in that digital space. And so that's something that, that you need to just be okay with, that things do feel out of control. What are the things that you can control? And do those to the best of your ability. And that's what we're focusing on in the next 12 months in our business is narrowing down the 3 things that we can control, the 3 things that we want to do really well, and the 3 things that give us the most good feelings, the most satisfaction, and provides the best value for our clients. So the second thing that I want to bring to your attention is what's going to stand out in your customers' minds. We're in, we're in a world that is changing so much, like I just mentioned, and especially if you're in a commodity type business or a service business, whether it's, you know, selling carpentry skills or maybe you're installing heat pumps or whatever that is that you're putting out there. When there are other people that do that, what's going to stand out? And it's going to be how you make those customers, prospects, clients, however you want to label them, feel. There are many people that can probably do what you do. There are many people that are competing for the attention of the customers that you are trying to obtain, but it's going to be the ones that focus on how you make them feel. Now, what do I mean by that? How do you make them feel? Well, let's look at it the first time that somebody hears about you. So let's take, for instance, you know, a service-based business, somebody that, that comes out and services a client, whether it's, you know, like I mentioned, heat pumps or any kind of repair or anything like that. Somebody has a problem. Either they need something that you sell or they need you to fix something that they currently have. And they're going to hear about you somehow, whether it's just a Google search and they're looking for repair people near me, or somebody refers you, they're going to go check out your website. And that's the first time that they are going to see you. That website needs to work, number one, especially if they're on their mobile phone. So focus on that. Is your information accessible? To them? Number 2, is the messaging on there speaking to them in a way that makes them feel that you understand them? So a lot of times the best test for this is if you were to take your website and you were to take all the copy or words for those that don't understand what copy means, but you were able to take that off, put it into a blank document and put any of your competitors' names at the top. If you read that, would it make sense for them? If the answer is yes, your copy is not unique to you. It needs to speak to you and that, that value, that, that understanding that your company brings to the client. So the only way to stand out is if, you know, if you're competing with somebody that can do the exact same thing, is what makes your business unique? Is it the fact that You will respond to every inquiry within 2 hours, right? If that is your unique selling proposition, and if you feel that your audience is someone who, who notoriously in the industry feels that they don't get responded to, that is a huge selling proposition that is going to make you stand out. Now you have to then put the resources in place to make sure that happens. But that's something that would make them feel better, make them feel that you understand that need. Okay. Now they start to work with you. Maybe they do an inquiry and then suddenly you don't respond for several days. Well, that's going to make them feel like you don't want them, like they don't matter. Now you start to work with them. You're going to have these processes in place to make sure that they feel valued. They feel understood. Even after you're finished working with them. Focus on the feelings, focus on the things that are going to make the difference. And don't worry about feeling like you're overcommunicating, because I can guarantee in a commodity type business, nobody is overcommunicating. So how do you do that? Well, that comes to number 3, and this is going to be key. And this is something that businesses that do this in the next 6 to 12 months will be able to thrive moving forward. Focus on systems, focus on a process internally that will give that consistent experience for those prospects and those customers. Right down to what do we do when somebody inquires? Does it come by email? Does it come by Facebook? Does it come by Google? Do they call? Do they show up on the premise? Whatever it is, what is our process? Do we respond? Do we check the emails? Do we check the messages every 3 hours, 4 hours, whatever that is? Do we respond back by email? Do we always have a process that we call them regardless of where they come in? If they do, then we need to make sure where we're capturing that information has a phone number. Now, when we're going to then look into something or do a quote, how long of a period do we go before we respond to them? Maybe the quote process takes a week. Well, you've got 5 days there to build a stronger relationship with them through emails, through texts. Maybe you can mail something out to them. But these are going to be the systems that are going to allow you to stand out. And when you make it a system, when you make it a process, the next key that is falling short in many people is these systems come as an idea from the business owner. They either have worked with a consultant or they've gone to a workshop or they've, you know, been to a seminar or whatever that is, or gone to a conference. And they're like, wow, yeah, I can do this. This is our business. This is what we're going to do. And they jot it down. And they come back and they go to their team and they say, hey team, this is what we're going to do. Right. And the team's like, and then they don't implement because they haven't gotten the buy-in from the team. The team doesn't understand why. The team doesn't understand the value this brings, the importance this brings to the client, to the customer, to the prospect of why you're putting this in place. You need to make sure you spend the time to get that buy-in. And I'll tell you, there's a fine line that you're going to have to run on here where if you have a team member that is not willing to buy into this and not willing to implement, you're going to have to make a tough decision whether they need to stay on that team or not. Regardless of their length on your company, right? How long have they been with you? Because they will pull it down, right? You're only as strong as that weakest link that's there. If somebody's not buying into it and you've got maybe 8 other team members that are, they will infect the thoughts of the rest. It will happen. So focus on the process, focus on the way you make people feel, and don't feel bad about feeling out of control. Those are my 3 things on the business side. Now let's look at the personal side. What have I learned in the last year that can really help you as an entrepreneur, as a business owner? Number 1, you need, and I'm going to stress this, you absolutely need to make time to disconnect. I did this for the very first time in my over 20 years of being in business. The very first time I did this was this past holiday. I made the decision not to work from December 15th until January 2nd. I mean, I work from home. I could have done it anytime, but I made the decision to disconnect. And this was something that I observed my clients doing, those that are in the professional service industry. They shut down and they disconnected. And I always felt that I couldn't do that because what about those clients that want to work over that time? They need my services. They need help with this stuff. Well, you are in control of your business. You are in control of your life. And if you don't make that time to disconnect, your body, your mind will disconnect you in a way that you're not going to want. It is a huge benefit to disconnect. It may be hard. It was hard. Doesn't mean you can't think of your business, but try very hard not to put things into action, especially when you've got people around you that you want to spend time with, you need to be there and you need to be present. Number 1, find time to disconnect. Number 2, find your joy zone. We all have passions. We all have things that we want to do. It's really thinking about if I didn't have to work today, what would I be doing? Ask yourself that. What is that one thing that you would be doing? And don't say laundry, chores, cleaning the house. That's not the thing. That's just another commitment that you need to do. What do you want to do? Maybe like me, it would just be going out and tinkering around in the garage, right? Or making something or going ATVing or, or, you know, or just going out and, and, you know, just checking out what's new in different stores, if that's your thing, whatever it is. But you need to find that joy zone because you need to make that time for it, which plays very well into number 1, which was making that time to disconnect. And it could be just going with your family somewhere, right? That could be your joy zone. And number 3 is making sure that you feed those relationships with those around you who care about you. We know that as our family or our immediate family, our extended family, right? Friends. And I'm talking about good friends, not friends that only come around when they want something. Make the time to build those relationships. I have, number one, failed at this so many times. There are several friends that I've known over the years that I have neglected because I have been working. Now, distance is one thing that plays into that, but if you make the time to just reach out, check in, right, you need this. They need that. It's going to come back twofold in you. And one thing that I would stress the that you try to be aware of is when you are in that mindset of not disconnecting and you're like, work, work, work, I have to work, I have to work. And then your family says to you, hey, can we do this? And you're like, no, I have to work. Right. And then you think to yourself, this little thing goes off in your head. You're like, oh, you start to resent them because they're taking you away. No, that's the problem right there. They are not taking you away. You are, I don't know what the word would be here, but you are not being present, right? You are absent. That's the word. They're not taking you away. You are making yourself absent from that. You are actually taking that experience away from yourself. It was a hard lesson to learn. Took me quite some time, but it is something that when you change that mindset and you focus on the fact that when you take the time to spend the time where it is valued, it will feel so much better. That when you come back from that, you will be in a better place to thrive in your business, to take it to the next step, to minimize that burnout or even eliminate it that you may have been experiencing. So just think about that. What can you change in your life? Do you have any of those feelings there from the business side, from the personal side? That's what I wanted to, to give to you today on this January 15th, my birthday. And thank you so much. I mean, putting on this podcast for the last several years, it has evolved over the years. I absolutely love it. Whether you're taking stuff from this, hopefully you, you've listening to this episode. I absolutely love putting it out and I thank you so much for being part of that audience. And I hope you make today an amazing day. I want to take a moment and thank the sponsor of our podcast, eWebinar. If you've been doing webinars for any time now, or you've even just considered starting to do a webinar, you should consider eWebinar. This platform allows you to do evergreen webinars with a feature set that is just like hosting a live webinar. Those that are in attendance can chat with you, can engage with your content, all in a recorded format. Check it out. You want to learn more? Go to BlueCowMarketing.ca/eWebinar.