Expand Your Fempire Podcast #148 Transcript

Turning Your Ideas Into Income with Shelby Jo Long

Welcome to Expand your Fempire with Caterina Rando, the podcast for women in business on a mission. Sharing ideas to support you to grow and thrive. Now here’s your host, Caterina Rando.

[00:00:00] Caterina Rando: Welcome back to another episode of the Expand Your Fempire Podcast. I’m your host, Caterina Rando, and I am blissing to be with you today. We have an amazing, super smart, super insightful guest, Shelby Jo Long. She is a brand strategist and author of “I See Your Genius, Transform your idea to income.” Hi, Shelby. So happy to have you here.

[00:00:57] Shelby Jo Long: Hi, thank you for having me on the podcast today. I’m thrilled to be here.

[00:01:01] Caterina Rando: Shelby, we got so many things we’re going to talk about before we get into the monetization and taking the ideas and transforming them. Before we get into that, you are a woman entrepreneur. You live in Montana. You are having a full, amazing entrepreneurial life. How did you go from young gal to thriving entrepreneur?

[00:01:26] Shelby Jo Long: Well, yeah, young gal was quite a long time ago. So I’ll give you the abbreviated version though. The entrepreneur part is Actually a little newer in my life than the other pieces. I’ve been a college professor for the past 17 years.

[00:01:41] I teach business communication, public speaking, small group communication. I also am in the college debate space. I was a college debate competitor and a coach for many, many years. And I started my entrepreneurial journey probably about five years ago, doing some on and off consulting with organizations about their organizational climate and culture and communication strategies. And then I really formalized that into a business in the past couple of years.

[00:02:10] And since then I have accumulated some businesses along the way. I am CEO of three different businesses and I am president of another, and it’s been a really exciting journey. How that kind of happened, I do very similar things in all of these spaces, which is all around the brand strategy space.

[00:02:33] It’s all about communication. It’s all about who you are and what messages you send to your ideal clients. And that exists in just about any business, whether you are in publishing or whether you’re in a small business that wants to expand, whatever that is, or you’re in a business partnership, any of those things, it’s all about how you communicate it.

[00:02:52] So that’s kind of the, the very short version of the entrepreneurial journey. But I really took my expertise and I transformed that into an income stream.

[00:03:04] Caterina Rando: Now, Shelby, I’m very excited to talk to you about the idea of taking our idea, transforming it to income, because I have what many entrepreneurs have.

[00:03:16] This is a malady that can be very debilitating in your life. It’s what I call “brilliant idea syndrome.” Not to be confused with bright, shiny object syndrome, which is outside of yourself. So many great ideas coming your way.

[00:03:33] Brilliant idea syndrome is when you have so many great ideas in your own head that you want to see in the world.

[00:03:39] Now, I know a lot of entrepreneurs suffer from this. So my first question before we even talk about how to take the idea and transform it to income is how do you decide with all your brilliant ideas which ideas are monetizable?

[00:03:56] Shelby Jo Long: I think there’s two answers to that question. First of all, it’s an internal introspection and it should be either the thing that you are most passionate about or the transformation that you want to make or the cause that you want to connect to.

[00:04:11] What are you most passionate about? Cause you are going to be Most passionate about building that business that might not be the easiest path to build a business, but it is the one you’re going to be excited about it. You’re going to be focused on it.

[00:04:23] I call that your genius zone. When we’re working in our genius zone, we operate at a much higher efficiency. We get things done faster. We’re passionate about it. We want to do it. And then when it comes to fruition, other things always emerge.

[00:04:38] However, I do recognize that having all those ideas in your head, maybe you’re passionate about a lot of things.

[00:04:43] There is a way to put all of those together into an overall strategy.

[00:04:47] Caterina Rando: So if I have lots of brilliant ideas. What do I do with all those brilliant ideas before I make a decision?

[00:04:56] Shelby Jo Long: Write them all down. Figure out which one you’re most passionate about, go through each one of them, talk about the possibilities of monetization, talk about what sphere you already have, what access of network you already have, to be able to make those ideas come into fruition.

[00:05:13] And think about what strategically is going to be the best place to start.

[00:05:17] It’s what you’re most passionate about. It’s where you have the most resources. And it’s where you can begin earning money right away. And then your other things can come later.

[00:05:26] Because it’s got to be about revenue. Because there’s a lot of great ideas out there. And we build businesses out of great ideas. But if you don’t have revenue attached to it, they’re not going to go very far.

[00:05:36] So you’ve got to think, What is the fastest way to revenue first? I would say that and this is a method I teach is that put them all on a piece of paper, have it all visually in front of you when you write them down, they become more of a reality and then you can actually see it and you can write things out and and discover the possibilities there.

[00:05:58] That’s what I say.

[00:05:59] Caterina Rando: Okay, that’s good because I always tell gals “your brain is not a filing cabinet.” take it everything out. Don’t say it’s in your head. Put it down on paper. I love it. I love that Shelby.

[00:06:11] And the other thing is that yes, we want to look at what is the fastest path to cash.

[00:06:19] Beautiful. So Shelby, let’s say our listeners have made a decision of what the idea is that they are going to pursue. Okay, now how do they go? What are the steps for them to go from idea to income?

[00:06:37] Shelby Jo Long: Well, that’s what my whole thing is about. That’s what my book is about. That’s what my program is about. It comes down to four major things.

[00:06:45] So who you are, who you serve, what’s your idea, what’s your message?

[00:06:49] Your idea, and the steps of your idea. When we are experts and we have a genius idea, there’s a difference between the idea and teaching that idea to somebody else. So you’ve got to articulate the steps in the process so you can teach that idea to somebody else. So you can make sure that their client journey is articulated so we know how to present it.

[00:07:13] So brand, idea, and the implementation strategy, you’ve got to think about how to position yourself as an expert in that field so people will pay you for that expertise or pay you for that idea, and it has a lot to do with positioning and has a lot to do with your network.

[00:07:32] So you’ve got to think about the implementation strategies.

[00:07:34] And then finally, it’s building a community and building a community around a transformation is something that, especially in thought leadership areas, or even, even any business. A business transaction is about some sort of transformation in your life or transformation in your lifestyle.

[00:07:54] So once that is articulated and you can walk other people through that process, people will see the value or very simple steps, but there’s a lot involved with them.

[00:08:04] Caterina Rando: Let’s hang out there a little bit because I’m a big fan of building community. What are some of the things you see, Shelby, that are the things that work great? A couple things that work great for building community and a couple things that don’t work so great for building community.

[00:08:22] Shelby Jo Long: Sure. Well, first of all, you got to have a space. So it can be a Facebook community. It can be a LinkedIn community. It can be a Slack community. It can be whatever community you want.

[00:08:31] But you have to have a space. That’s first and foremost.

[00:08:35] And you can really exceed if you have a space and where you can have these conversations and create that community because the people in the community are going to support other people in the community and your ideas and they’re going to feed into the transformation.

[00:08:51] That’s very important.

[00:08:53] The place where I see people failing at this is having a community and not engaging the community enough. And being active in that community and making sure that you’re engaging other people in that community.

[00:09:07] If you’re just feeding a bunch of information and just trying to sell to the community all the time, that’s not a way to create a connection.

[00:09:13] Way to create a connection is providing value and relationships and developing strategic partnerships in that community. There are many ways to strategically engage a community, and that’s not just creating a community you can sell to.

[00:09:27] I don’t think it matters where you host it, where you have it, whether it’s a private group on Facebook or, or it’s in a Slack group or whatever, just make sure that you are engaging.

[00:09:37] Caterina Rando: And Shelby, what you’re talking about here is online community. Do you do things on zoom with your community?

[00:09:45] Shelby Jo Long: Absolutely. Zoom is a vehicle that you can use to engage the community, but you’ve got to feed your community somewhere. So yes, Zoom, it absolutely is.

[00:09:55] Caterina Rando: Wonderful. Okay, Shelby. So we’re building the community. We’re getting going with our idea. What are some of the biggest challenges that you’ve seen when somebody is trying to go from idea to income or monetization?

[00:10:10] Shelby Jo Long: Trying to tackle too much.

[00:10:12] I mean, I think the biggest problem that people have is that we put out proposals and we put out ideas and we try to, you know, change the world. And we try to tackle way too much with one transaction.

[00:10:24] The more focused you keep it, when you focus on a transformation and not 15 transformations, you have to accomplish one before you can get to the longer term commitment.

[00:10:36] So focus on one, have success there, and then build your higher ticket program from there.

[00:10:42] Trying to tackle too much from the very beginning. You’ve gotta build your credibility. You’ve got to have some engagement. You’ve got to have some of that going on before you get to, you know, doctors don’t become doctors overnight.

[00:10:55] You don’t also become an expert in your area overnight, even though you might be. But you’ve got to convince your community that and your potential clients that you are that.

[00:11:05] Caterina Rando: That’s a really good thing for everyone to have attention on. So let me ask you this question, Shelby, having worked with many people, what have you found has made the superstars? What have you found has really worked for people to go from idea to income?

[00:11:28] Shelby Jo Long: Focus on the brand. The brand is, is who you are, who you serve, and what transformation you offer. But your brand comes with a package, it comes in a story. It comes in a transformation offer that you have, and the people that have really put thought into that and develop that into their storylines. And telling the story and creating that genuine connection is what helps that authenticity come through and helps you create the biggest impact in the space that you want to.

[00:11:58] Because there’s a lot of coaches out there. There’s a lot of people out there that are trying to transform their idea into income. The instant consultant post COVID, right?

[00:12:07] So it’s a, there’s a lot out there and what differentiates you is the story you tell and the differentiating factors that you have within your brand.

[00:12:17] Caterina Rando: Okay, great. So Shelby, let’s say some one of our listeners or some of our listeners here today. They’re saying, “okay, Shelby, that sounds good. I want to focus on my brand. I want to elevate my brand. I want to be my authentic self so people will connect with my brand.” How do we do that? How do we amplify our brand in a way that will have our people, meaning our ideal clients be drawn to us?

[00:12:45] Shelby Jo Long: I think there’s an introspection piece of it, but I also think it’s important to work with people that have done it and the work for the people that do it.

[00:12:53] And many of us are solo entrepreneurs, but it’s hard to stay in our genius space when we’re solo entrepreneurs. But if you recognize that, “Hey, I can partner with somebody or I can, I can make sure that I can have somebody else build my website so I’m not agonizing over it” or what have you. Stay in the zone where you are performing at your highest capacity and highest efficiency.

[00:13:20] Find someone else that has done it for you. I have worked with hundreds of genius entrepreneurs to be able to transform their ideas into income. I don’t do everything. Neither should you.

[00:13:33] You should stay in that zone where you are operating at your highest efficiency and talk to people who have has successful marketing campaigns. Talk to other people about website development. You can manage that.

[00:13:46] I think partnerships is key and that includes you just have to trust yourself and then trust others to help you. So that would be the short answer to that.

[00:13:56] Caterina Rando: Okay, good. So Shelby, what you’re saying then is the way I would say it is do what’s the highest and best use of your time, which is staying in your genius zone.

[00:14:04] And then Have all those other people that do their genius. Like you said, the web person, the marketing implementer person all those things, graphic design. I always makes me laugh when people are telling me they’re spending hours on Canva. Yeah, it’s easy to use, but it’s not the highest and best use of your time if you’re not a graphic designer.

[00:14:28] Okay, good. This is important for anybody in any business to keep looking at this, how to stay in your genius zone. Okay, good. We’re doing that.

[00:14:37] Shelby, we’re thriving. What are some things that you have seen that you wish, like you wish you knew before that, you know, now.  You’ve been doing your thing for quite a while. It’s like, I wish I knew when I started this and now I have more attention on this and I want my clients to have more attention on this. What might that be?

[00:15:01] Shelby Jo Long: I would say and this is inspired. I I’m getting into the PR space and the branding, like elevate your brand be in front of more people space.

[00:15:11] I am a speaker. I’m a communication professional. That’s what I do. I’ve been teaching it forever.

[00:15:15] I would say that I wish I would have been on the professional speaking circuit a lot earlier. Because video and speaking, that’s where you can actually connect with people and let your authentic genius come out in front of people and people will seek you for those solutions.

[00:15:32] I wish I would have done that earlier. And that’s why I put this authentic genius program together to be able to help people do that in a much reduced time commitment to it.

[00:15:46] So get out and do speaking, do your TEDx, do your keynote, make sure you have your video reels, make sure that you have your credible publications.

[00:15:55] Do you have a book that you can add credibility to? Are you co author of a book? Are you in magazine articles?

[00:16:02] Those things I piece together along the way and I’ve refined that into a program that where we can bring all of those assets and resources to people. And I would say, start video sooner and start building that content much sooner.

[00:16:18] Caterina Rando: So Shelby, that means don’t wait until you feel like you’re the super expert. Start today wherever you are. Beautiful. I love that.

[00:16:28] Shelby Jo Long: And once you’re in this space where you’re actually working, you won’t have time to build the content. So build it now.

[00:16:34] Caterina Rando: That’s true. That’s true. Also, Shelby, I 1000 percent agree. Speak, speak, and speak some more. If you don’t think you’re good, that’s because you haven’t done it enough. And the more you do it, the better you’re going to get.

[00:16:46]  Speaking is an amazing solution to grow your business and create more visibility for your brand.

[00:16:52] Shelby, so much exciting things we’ve discussed today. So much thought provoking information that you have shared. Shelby, tell everyone how they can connect with you.

[00:17:02] Shelby Jo Long: Yes, connect with me. My website is shelbyjolong. com. I also have a program, “my authentic genius program,” “my genius entrepreneur program” is on there. Please follow me on LinkedIn and Facebook. I am active in those spaces. It’s a very important to build your credibility through your social media.

[00:17:21] So I definitely have done that in many spaces so please follow me, Shelby Jo Long, just find me on social media, connect with me. And I’d love to set you in the right direction for your brand strategy.

[00:17:33] Caterina Rando: Shelby, thank you. Before we wrap up, any final words of wisdom for our listeners?

[00:17:40] Shelby Jo Long: Just do it. Just get out and start.

[00:17:43] If you have an idea you’re gonna introduce it into the marketplace and it’s gonna change. And your methods will change, your idea will be malleable and adapt to the market, but you don’t know it until you actually introduce it to the audience. So just do it.

[00:17:59] Caterina Rando: Love it Shelby. My favorite quote of all time is “action is the antidote to despair” from Joan Baez, American folk singer who I believe is now 82 and just released an album. Bing, bing, bing.

[00:18:15] My friends, you heard it from Shelby: get in massive action so that you can take your ideas and turn them into income.

[00:18:23] Remember, you got massive value to bring. There’s a lifetime supply of people to serve. Go out there, speak, start your community. Engage with your community so you can sell more, serve more, and most importantly, uplift more lives with your amazing self. Shelby, thanks for being with us today. We will be with you again very soon on the Expand Your Fempire podcast. Listen to our over 150 other episodes. So that you can expand your fempire more. Thanks everybody!

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Expand Your Fempire with Caterina Rando.