Earlier this year, I was listening to one of Rachel Hollis’s podcast episodes, and I heard her talk about the RISE business conference she was hosting along with her husband Dave and a ton of other incredible leaders in business. I was immediately intrigued especially after hearing the entire line up of speakers. I remember I texted Stephen and was like, “Babe, we need to go to this conference.”

To be honest though, I still didn’t really know what to expect. For starters, I have never been to any (business) conference before. And secondly, I wasn’t really sure what I would get out of it. If I’m being really honest, I loved Rachel Hollis’s book Girl, Stop Apologizing. However, since I’m a pretty confident person and not someone who really struggles with other people’s opinions, etc., I didn’t leave the book with any huge revelations but more so, “Yeah, girl I got you! I feel the same.” So that isn’t to say I didn’t get anything out of the book–it was definitely worth the read. But I don’t feel like it impacted me as much as some others. I hope that makes sense?!

However. Rachel Hollis speaking in person at a business conference was straight fire! I mean, I honestly have no words. Her energy, presence, words…everything about her was incredible. Her speeches would make you laugh, cry, and then also be like “Wow, that is SO smart. Why aren’t I doing that in my business?!” And aside from her, literally all the other speakers were on another level. They had people there that are the best in their field and it showed. Despite being in an auditorium for 10 hours for 3 days straight, there wasn’t a single time where I was like, “Okay, let’s wrap this up! I’m getting antsy.” No. I was seriously captivated, motivated and inspired the entire conference. I would have paid 4x what I did for my ticket.

SO. What were my biggest takeaways from the conference? I want to share a few things that will be super helpful if you’re trying to uplevel your business OR personal life.

Impact & Purpose. When shit hits the fan, when you fail, when you feel discouraged, when you feel like giving up…because all these things WILL happen when you’re trying something new, when you’re doing hard things, remember one thing. The impact you can bring to others and your purpose. These are the two things that will give you the strength to push through. You have to remember what will happen if you DON’T succeed. If your brand, product, company, etc. never reaches someone, what will that mean? A great example of this was a story Tom Bilyeu, the co-founder of Quest Nutrition told during the conference. He originally created Quest protein bars because his mom and sister were obese and very unhealthy. The purpose behind why he created Quest is because he wanted a healthy but good tasting protein bar. His mom and sister’s health were dependent on it. That was his purpose. That was the impact he wanted to make. You have to start remembering why you started. This goes for business or any personal goal you’ve ever set out to achieve.

Stop thinking about money. Start thinking about delivering value. I feel like in the beginning we all focus on the value because we all start something typically because we are rooted in the passion for it, and we know that it’s unlikely to make money overnight. But then there’s a shift once you start making money. And instead of focusing on value, your focus starts to shift to more growth, more revenue, etc. What if we continued to always focus on value though? If we did that consistently (ahem, see the next point) then the growth, revenue, will come because you are providing value and making an impact (point #1). See how this all ties together?! So how do you deliver value? Consistent content, listening to what your customer wants, and being a guide. Your customer is coming to you because they want your help and for you to guide them. You need to be the guide, your customer is the hero (Sidenote. If you haven’t read the book/listen to the audiobook Story Brand, it’s a must. It talks about this concept a lot).

Be Consistent. This is one of the pillars of the champion mindset that Trent Shelton talked about, but it was a theme that every speaker focused on. Here’s the thing. Entrepreneurship is hard. Getting out of old habits is hard. Letting go of shit or people that don’t serve you anymore is hard. But anything in life worth having or doing is hard. The only way that you will get that end result you’re working towards is by being consistent. We are so easy to give up on things. I’ve been to the gym for 2 months and I’m not seeing progress. I started this business a year ago and I’m not seeing any results. Guys, Rachel Hollis started on this business of hers SIXTEEN years ago. What if she wasn’t consistent and just gave up when things got hard? When things didn’t go her way? When she failed at something she tried? I know how much of an impact she has made on my life and others, and if  she had just given up none of us would be able to learn and grow from her.

An analogy that I love to use with the power of consistency is one that Ed Mylett gives. You know when you’re at a party and there is a pinata? Okay, so maybe not your party but a kid’s party–you know what I mean LOL. When the pinata is first hit, what happens? Nothing. When it’s hit a second time? Nothing. Third, fourth, fifth. Nothing. But then after consistently hitting the pinata, it finally breaks and all the candy falls out. Reaching your goals (business and personal) is the same thing. Each day you’re working towards it and you may not feel like you’re making any progress. But then, finally, one day, all your consistent efforts pay off and the rewards are finally there.

Everyone is in the experience business. So what do I mean by this? There are 3 types of businesses: a product, a service or an experience. But everyone is in the experience business. So let’s say you’re a chiropractor. You would initially think you’re selling a service, and you’re not wrong. However, people are also coming to you because of the overall experience. They want to come to nice office, a place where they can relax, a place where they feel at ease. That is an experience. You are also selling that experience in addition to the service. Another example–I choose where I get botox based on the skill of the injectors but also because of the overall experience of when I’m there. The staff, the office aesthetics, the convenience, etc. Regardless of what your business is, you are in the experience business.

A few other thoughts…

Failure sucks but it’s the most rich data steam that exists. Don’t get discouraged, take failure as an opportunity to learn.

People will buy from you when they feel that you understand them, not when they understand you AND people will buy from you not when they believe in your product but when they believe that you believe in it (be an evangelist for your cause!)

Decide what your most important values/priorities are. When you look at your day to day life, your calendar, how you spend your time–is it aligning with those top values?

When you’re just getting started, invest creating a product that costs you your time, not your money.

The majority of your revenue will come from existing customers, not new ones. Figure out how to better serve and upsell them.

Create an email list. This is crucial. You cannot just rely on platforms that you do not own (ie. social). Create a freebie (like my tip sheets) that you can provide to your audience list in exchange for your email. You then “own” their emails and always have access to them regardless of the algorithm.

 

On that note, I hope that these takeaways were helpful. If you take anything from this post, please know that this shit, entrepreneurship, is HARD. EVERY SINGLE PERSON that spoke to us at the conference shared about the many, many hurdles they faced to get where they are today. So please know that this is hard because IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE. Don’t let that stop you from your purpose. xxC