Expand Your Fempire Podcast #24 Transcript

Three Syndromes Inhibiting Your Success

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.

Caterina Rando: [00:00:00] Hi, my friends happy to be with you. And I have some really important things to talk to you about because you know what? Women have many maladies, syndromes, challenges, that go undetected. That they don’t even know that they have. And right now, I’m going to share with you some of these, because my friend, let me tell you something, these things that we’re going to discuss, these are in the way of your massive success.

Bright, Shiny Object Syndrome is Just the Beginning

[00:01:03] Now you’ve all heard of bright, shiny object syndrome. That is when there are so many opportunities that you become aware of, or people invite you to – business opportunities, speaking opportunities, marketing opportunities, and strategies.

[00:01:26] And you’re like, “Oh my gosh, this looks good. And this looks good. And this looks good.” And you want to grab all the bright, shiny objects. Well, let’s be very clear. That is not a good idea for your business.

[00:01:39] Now, that’s one I know you’ve heard of. But what I want to talk to you about tonight are three other maladies that may be affecting you, that we want to create some treatment for, and you want to become aware of.

[00:01:54] We want to look and see if you have some of these symptoms that may be interfering with your success. Does that sound good? Okay, great. Now, as we’ve said, bright, shiny object syndrome is when there’s things outside yourself that look really good. Glitzy sparkly.

Brilliant Idea Syndrome

[00:02:17] What I’m concerned about is even worse. And that’s what I call “brilliant idea syndrome.” Brilliant Idea Syndrome, B.I.S., is when you have so many great ideas – new courses, new programs, new offerings, new speeches, new books to write. And you can have so many brilliant ideas. And you know what? Your latest brilliant idea is way more exciting than that thing you’ve been doing over and over for quite a while.

[00:03:03] But here’s what I want you to know.

[00:03:06] If you give in to your brilliant idea syndrome, you will be exhausted and in bed very soon. Because you cannot do everything. Even when you have a great team. And not only that, it’s not only about what you can do. It’s about what others are going to be wanting to embrace. And you can only promote one big thing at a time because otherwise super tip alert, you dilute and confuse the marketplace and you can dilute and confuse people about your brand.

[00:03:55] I’m going to give you right now, my treatment protocol for brilliant idea syndrome. You ready for it? Here it is: recognize that you cannot start your new brilliant idea until you have massively monetized what you’ve already got. Hear that? Make that thing that you’ve already got more amazing. Upgrade that coaching program, that course, whatever it is. Upgrade that. Make it more amazing.

[00:04:40] Or better yet actually talk to some people about buying it. Focus on your selling. Let’s be clear. Marketing is not sales. And while it’s very exciting to create new content and, oh my God, you have the best idea ever. My friend don’t pursue it. Because you probably already got 10 things on your plate that could use more attention first. Write them down, capture them, but don’t get your party started on them.

[00:05:13] And in fact, back to your treatment protocol – really only three new initiatives a year max. One is fine. Two is fine. Three is fine. For example, in my business in Q3, we launched our podcast. In Q4, we’re launching our app. Really that app, we could move it even to the next quarter, but we’re going to launch it in Q4.

[00:05:49] You cannot do it all at once. These are two examples of huge projects, and of course you still have your regular programs. You have your regular serving of your clients. You cannot do everything.

[00:06:03] By the way, your new book, that is a new initiative. Your new course, your new class, your new workshop – these are all new initiatives.

[00:06:14] And you can’t have 10 a year, or you will pull your hair out. But more importantly, you won’t be massively monetizing because there is not only the content creation. There’s the marketing program. There’s the sales program. There’s the testing and upgrading period.

[00:06:34] What I want you to do in your business is rinse and repeat wherever you can. Now, after you do something, you upgrade it before you do it again. But if you’re doing something new every five minutes, I am sorry for you. Because you are not massively monetizing.

[00:06:53] You know, one of the things you do, and I’m going to let you in on a little secret, I’m a little depresso right now about it, is that I take ladies on retreats, cruise retreats. Now I’m not depresso about that. I’m depresso that they keep getting canceled and we can’t go. Next one is in April, we’ll see if we get to go on that one.

[00:07:13] But here’s the thing. I remember one lady said, because you may or may not know that I teach women how to do retreats. And one lady said to me, one year, she said, “Well, Caterina, I did this retreat in this place and we did it this way, but next time I want to do something completely different.”

[00:07:34] Now she could maybe change the location. She could change the time she could change the theme, but this idea of starting from scratch every year with a completely new everything is not the highest and best use of your time. It’s not smart for your bottom line.

[00:07:57] Because really when you do something, for example, this year I started doing my Thrive at Sales class. Great. We did it. You offer it introductory price. You always, by the way, super tip alert. The first time you do something, you offer it at an introductory price because you don’t have a track record yet. You want to get the peeps in the door, right? Well, then you upgrade the content, you upgrade the marketing, you upgrade the price because then you’re proven, and you rinse and repeat, and you rinse and repeat.

[00:08:31] And you know what all that rinsing and repeating does, it gives more value to more people. And it also allows you to be more profitable. Did you hear that part? It allows you to be more profitable because you’re not recreating from scratch every single time.

[00:08:52] So I want you to look at that in your business. Is there a place where you need more rinse and repeat and less recreating from scratch? And if that’s you, you probably are the victim of brilliant idea syndrome. And I want to encourage you to take what we’ve discussed here, put in your treatment protocol so that you can manage your condition more.

Serve Your Sister Too Much Syndrome

[00:09:22] Now that’s the only one. I got two more I want to talk to you about tonight. Ready for them? The next one is “serve your sister syndrome.”

[00:09:34] Now, if you know me, you know, I’m all about lifting women up. A rising woman lifts all the women around her. And I want you to lift up your sisters wherever you can. Here’s the thing, though. You cannot do it to the detriment of you and your business.

[00:10:05] Every committee you get asked to join. Every fundraiser you get asked to participate in. Every class you get asked to attend. Every, “can you give me five minutes?” you hear. Everyone that wants your support but doesn’t want to pay to be a client. My friends, you have to manage this. Because there are a lifetime supply of women to uplift.

[00:10:39] I want you to recognize you’re not only in the XYZ business, bookkeeping, health, coaching, image, consulting, whatever your business is. You’re not just in that business. You are in the women empowerment business. And I hope that you see that your business is absolutely a vehicle for uplifting women’s lives. But you know whose life you got to start with? Yours.

[00:11:16] You’ve heard me say, and if you haven’t, I’m going to tell you again, there are five pillars of thriving women in business, five pillars of Fempire Builders. I like to call women entrepreneurs, Fempire Builders, and you know what those five pillars are? Speaking, selling, serving your clients, strategy and self- care.

[00:11:44] If you are a yes, for every Mary Jane and Sheila, every opportunity, you know what you’re not going to be a yes for? Your self- care, your time off. Your downtime.

[00:12:01] Now. Some of us have been raised to feel guilty if we’re not working too hard. Get that in check. Some of us have been raised to feel super guilty if we’re not a yes, every time someone asks us for help. And let me tell you, because truth is, I got to tell you the truth, that this is how I was raised – help everyone, be a yes. And I was raised in a household where my parents did a lot of community service and a lot of support for organizations.

[00:12:39] And I ran my life like that for a long time. But then I realized, and my friends, I want you to realize, when you say “no” – okay I really want you to hear this. When you say “no,” people are disappointed for about five minutes until they ask the next person. And you’ve got to make yourself a priority in your life. And I’m hoping that you are, I’m hoping that you do.

[00:13:13] Does your life reflect that? Did you hear what I said? Does your life reflect that? And how do you know if your life reflects that? You look at your calendar and you look at how much time is for you.

[00:13:32] And then the other thing I want you to look at is when you say yes, when you really want to say no, that’s interfering with your business. And you’ve got to stand up for your business. This is your treatment protocol, my friend, for this syndrome.

[00:13:58] Your business is going to suffer if you’re a yes for every request. I want to encourage you to look at this because your business takes creative time. It takes thinking and planning. It takes setting aside time when you don’t do anything other than reflect and see what thoughts you have. And you ask yourself inquiry questions.

[00:14:30] Inquiry questions are questions that we ask ourselves over and over to get different answers. How can I improve my marketing? How can I improve my sales? How can I have more bliss in my business? And you see what answers come to you.

[00:14:52] But if you’re a yes for every Mary Jean, Sheila, every opportunity, you’re not going to have time for reflection. I want you to consider that malady. I want you to consider if ” serve your sister syndrome” is a syndrome that is impacting your success.

Playing it Safe Syndrome

[00:15:15] One more. I got more of these, but we’re going to talk about one more right now. Some of you may have the syndrome, “I have to play it safe.” I can’t risk even $1. I can’t explore these new possibilities because they may not work out. I have to play it safe.

[00:15:39] And let’s be very clear. Safe is where you are right now. If you want to grow, if you want to expand, if you want more clients, you’re going to have to be willing to be uncomfortable. In fact, taking your business to the next level will involve you being willing to be uncomfortable. And I want to encourage you to look at where in your business are you playing it too safe?

[00:16:16] I support women with their speaking. Sometimes I hear ladies telling me they want to do a workshop and it’s six months later and they still haven’t done the workshop. I hear ladies tell me they want to launch their group programs. It’s a year later, they haven’t launched their group program.

[00:16:35] Let’s be very clear. Your first one – your first group program, your first workshop, your first speech, it’s not going to be your best one. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not going to bring massive value. It takes 10,000 hours to get to mastery, according to Malcolm Gladwell in his book, Outliers, which I’m hoping is on your reading list. Now that is a very depresso number, 10,000 hours to get to mastery! Here’s the beautiful part though. Bing, bing, bing – every hour in, is one hour closer to mastery.

[00:17:24] Let’s look more at this idea of playing it safe. You may not use those words, “got to play it safe.” Here’s what words you might use: “I’ve got to research this a little more. I’ve got to figure this out a little more. I’ve got to sit down and put together the program before I can begin to think about when I might launch it.”

[00:17:55] Okay, if we’re talking about a program, a workshop, a speech, a course, you need a date, a time, a price, and a place. Well, hello, pandemic lifestyle. You got a place. If it’s a one-hour thing, make it free. If it’s longer, make a small fee. Do something, get it done. Get the party started. Because the longer you wait to get started – here’s the super tip I want you to get – the longer you wait to get started, the more you’re pushing off your mastery.

[00:18:33] My friends, entrepreneurialism is not for sissies. Entrepreneurialism is for women on a mission who know they have massive value to bring. Do you know that you have massive value to bring? If you don’t, then you’re going to be more uncomfortable. But even when you are comfortable, I still want you to know every new thing is another thing to, to experience and it’s always uncomfortable.

[00:19:06] I remember my first Facebook live, uncomfortable. My first retreat I led on a cruise ship, even though I had done 10 before that on land, still uncomfortable. Whatever it is that you’re doing and then you’re tweaking it to do it a little bit different, it is going to be uncomfortable.

[00:19:30] Do not get ready, to get ready, to begin to think about getting going. Ready is a myth. Did you hear that? Ready is a myth. Now I’m going to give you your treatment protocol right now for the “playing it safe syndrome.” You ready for it?

[00:19:49] Here’s your protocol: take a risk a day. Every day, one thing that makes you uncomfortable.

[00:20:02] And you know what? Sales is a great place to explore this. Make a list of your top potential clients, that you’ve built influence with. Because nobody buys from us if we haven’t built influence, right? Make that list. And then the person that intimidates you the most on that list, call them. Be willing to be uncomfortable. And I say, intimidate, makes you uncomfortable, however, you want to interpret it. But the one that you’re not looking forward to the conversation, not because you don’t want them as a client, but you’re not sure that they’re going to be an insta-yes.

[00:20:42] Make those calls first. That’s willing to be uncomfortable. Doing a workshop, doing a speech, doing a Facebook Live if you haven’t done it before, that’s willing to be uncomfortable. And you can make a list of several things. Here’s the question I want you to ask. Remember I told you a little bit earlier in our time together, I said an inquiry question is a question that you ask yourself over and over?

[00:21:09] Here’s an inquiry question I want you to ask yourself over and over: if you knew it would be successful, what would you do to grow your business?

[00:21:24] And that is probably going to give you a list of things that would fall into the “willing to be uncomfortable” category.

[00:21:35] Okay. My friends, we have discussed three syndromes tonight: 1. Brilliant Idea Syndrome, 2. Serve Your Sister Too Much Syndrome, and 3. Playing it Safe Syndrome. Apply the treatment protocol, put attention on your syndrome, manage your condition, and watch your business soar.

[00:21:57] My friends, I want to invite you to check out our Facebook group, Thriving Women in Business Group on Facebook. And a quick reminder, you have massive value to bring. There is a lifetime supply of people to serve. Go be loud, go be proud about your massive value so you can sell more, serve more, and uplift more lives. Bing, bing, bing!

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