My Values + Feminist Business Practices
My Values +
Culture-Making
Business Practices
believe...
that we are all culture makers and that we can use our culture making power deliberately, to create new realities for ourselves and our world.
Here are a few of the ways I try to do that in my own LIFE AND BUSINESS
Profit + Money
- I offer payment plans and I don’t charge any extra fees or interest for accessing payment plans. I think it is unjust.
- This is a business. I advertise. I market. You're going to see social posts and emails about my offers
- I don't pause the business or my marketing when there are tragic world events or crises and I push back on the expectation that I should.
1) My team still needs to get paid and my family still needs to eat
2) It is revealing that so many people expect that of independent small businesses (especially of women entrepreneurs) but not of blue-chip companies who are vastly more capitalized.
- I have a LOT of financial responsibilities — children, elders, extended family, team— so I need to earn a lot of money. I do this unapologetically.
- If any of this upsets someone, I am not for them
How (and When) I Offer Critique
- When I’m critiquing, I strive to name patterns, not people
- Because my focus is on patterns, not people, I will not comment on online controversies nor will I participate in "public humiliation spectacles"* on social media.
- I do not respond to attempts to discipline me if I'm quoting someone you disapprove of
* My thanks to Dr.Christine Marie for the language of "public humiliation spectacle" and "media misinformation/misrepresentation campaigns"
How I Respond to Tragedies, Wars & World Events
- When there are mass tragedies, my first efforts are direct and relational, which means they're often publicly invisible. I strive to offer my time, support, care and resources behind the scenes the people in my spaces who are most impacted by events. Just because something isn't visible on social media doesn't mean it is not happening
- When there is a crisis that is outside my zone of leadership & expertise -- which means I don't have useful analysis to contribute -- I deliberately get quiet so that I do not contribute noise that can obscure valuable signals from actual experts. In cases like this, my form of contribution is to signal-boost those experts rather than strive to overlay my voice or platform onto the situation (I'm not here to build clout off tragedy)
- I strive to only comment on events where I have leadership to offer AND, importantly, 'skin in the game'. To me, skin in the game is RISK. Is there a risk to me for getting involved? That's when I SHOULD get involved. If not, there's a risk of posturing, performing, or virtue-signalling and generating noise that obscures the voices we actually need to hear from
- I'm Canadian, so I usually don't have 'skin in the game' to comment on US politics. By that I mean there's no risk to me for comment and only reputational upside (clout). Armchair commentary on something where I have no analysis or risk, I get the reputational benefits of looking virtuous and righteous at no actual cost to me. And often, when Canadians comment on US culture/politics, we often end up acting smug and erasing our own failings from view. And, no. Once again, I'm not here to build clout off tragedies, signal the appearance of change or simulate change; I'm here to be effective in the places where I can actually be effective
- I am not a newspaper. I do not have the expertise, resources, bandwidth, or team to publish regular updates and commentary on the ever-intensifying crises impacting our world and communities
- I do not issue statements or position papers on international events or wars because (a) that is outside my zone of expertise & analysis and (b) because I am not an institution, Prime Minister, President or an elected government representative. I don't have the ability to directly intervene in world events -- but they do and it is literally their job to represent our will. That's the most effective place to direct our change-making energy: Let's call them. Email them. Write letters to them. They have a responsibility to legislate in our interests. Let's make sure they do that
- I do NOT stop selling during social crises because bills don't stop coming. It is not reasonable to expect indie providers with the least access to capital to stop their livelihoods in times when we need them most
- I specifically don't comment on mass shootings in the US because
- Again, I have no skin in the game
- Because I'm not a citizen, I have no ability to influence US legislators
- Research shows that the more media attention the massacre gets, the higher the likelihood that there will be a copycat shooting within 7 days. My silence is an attempt at harm-reduction
Solidarity, Self-Preservation,
and Culture-Making
- I believe in signal-boosting and sharing the work of the people influencing me (Citation is a culture-making practice; I’ve even footnoted a sales page!). There is so much brilliance in our community and it’s a joy to be part of it
- I do not to use mental/social triggers in high-risk sales situations
- I do not engage in money-shaming as a marketing tactic (or any kind of tactic!)
- If I cite or mention someone's work, it does not mean we know each other. It doesn't mean they even know I exist nor does it mean that they like me or approve of my work. Nor does it mean I endorse them unequivocally or that they endorse me. It means that there's a particular cultural thing that I'm trying to talk about and an idea or project of their's is relevant and I want to give credit where credit is due
- If I quote an idea from someone you object to, I am not obliged to respond to attempts to discipline me or silence me. If your concern is that there's been a call-out of this person, or you are responding to generalized claims of harm and are worried that I don't know about it: I probably do. I may have access to different information than you have or have come to a different conclusion than you have. We need to be able to tolerate differences in perspective rather than aiming for homogeneity and purity (neither of which have ever been liberatory)
- Please never substitute my judgement for your own. We don't have to agree or even like each other to respect each other's work.
- I do value good-faith critique and feedback from my co-travellers and will take the time to process it, learn from it, and integrate it (thank you!!!)
- If we know each other, I welcome your critique, feedback and correction. Call me! Email me! Text me! (If we know each other, you have my deets)
- If we don't know each other and you feel compelled to discipline me or sabotage my work, that's weird. I reserve the right to treat that as the unwelcome behaviour of an intrusive stranger and take protective measures. Instead, if my work is not for you, I invite you to unfollow me
- I won’t tolerate attempts to erase me or my work nor will I accept intellectually dishonest or personally malicious “arguments”. I believe in my body of work and I will protect it, and myself. That’s part of being a culture-maker.
Pro tip: Stop selling programs and start selling your proven process for getting RESULTS.
Because people buy proven processes for getting results, not programs. (And not messages!!!!)
Which means you need to articulate your method -- your proven process -- for getting results and named it out with language that speaks CLIENT not COACH so that your client knows, instantly, that you’ve got what they want.
When that happens, more of them buy faster, easier and more frequently.
Which, obviously, makes a massive difference in your sales, your profitability, your business and your life.
Here’s how you make this life-altering switch in your business:
1) Forensically investigate and uncover what your client actually wants to buy. (A lot of us are so in love with our subject matter that we lose track of what the client actually wants and how to talk to them!)Then use those revelations & intel to develop precise, irresistible, jargon-free language. I`ll show you how to use the *Speak Client so You Get Clients System* to do exactly that so you can turn your readers into buyers and your offers into REVENUE.
2) Surface your result-making method (and you definitely have one, even if you think you operate in response to a client or intuitively). This is especially crucial if the work you do is internal & non-quantifiable because that`s how your client knows you’re NOT a risk and you’re NOT winging it and it becomes safer & easier to buy from you. Repeatedly :)
3) Systematically name out every step & tool in your method with hell-yes let-me-buy-it-right-now language. I can teach you how to use the *Find the Right Words to Make Righteous Money Framework* so that you can make sure your client knows, at every step, that they’re getting closer to the outcome they wanted to buy in the first place.
This the work I do with you in my 1:1 VIP Days and in my Surface Your Methodology Mastermind and it’s the reason that my clients are able to surface their revenue-boosting proven process -- their methodology! -- that gets them unstuck and into money-making momentum in as little as one session with me.
DM me for details.
Jul 24
90% of the time your messaging problem isn`t really a messaging problem at all.
It`s a methodology problem and it`s the reason your sales are stuck and you`re not getting the attention or revenue you know your excellent work deserves.
When you`re perpetually in a battle to write hot copy for yourself and it isn`t getting easier or better no matter how much you learn; or it is a constant struggle to find yet another copywriter and then actually love the copy they write, the problem isn`t the writing or the writer.
The reason it`s been damn-near impossible to nail your authentic sales-boosting message is because the underlying pieces that the copy is trying to explain - your named-out process for getting results - are missing.
If it was just about finding the right words and messaging, then professional copywriters wouldn`t have this problem, too.
BUT THEY DO.
Ask any professional copywriter: this is an ONGOING and routine copy-block. When pieces of the client`s process are missing then the writer has to suggest or invent ways to fill in the gaps...
...which is totally out of scope and one of the reasons a messaging project can fail.
I LOVE COPYWRITERS and they can be pure jet fuel for your business...
...but they cannot write successful copy for you if your process is unclear or pieces of your business are missing.
If you`ve ever spent eons writing new copy for yourself and then been disappointed that your revenue didn`t jump as a result, then you`ve already experienced this unclear-method=unclear-message business block first-hand.
*New messaging does not solve a methodology problem*
This is the work I do with you in my high-proximity spaces and in my Surface Your Methodology Mastermind.
I have a proven step-by-step process that reveals your method (and I promise you have one) and then messages it in a way that inspires your client to say yes and sign up NOW instead of ten months from now.
AND ensures that you finally land your client-converting, money-making, unmissable message with absolute precision & conviction.
DM me for details about my Surface Your Methodology Mastermind or 1:1 VIP days in Merida, Mexico (you see the pics!)
Jul 24
It’s not the size of your socials.
It’s not razzle-dazzle, fancy marketing or personal charisma.
All of those things are GAS for an engine that is built.
But if the engine isn`t complete...
...well you see where I`m going with this.
It`s not that you`re ‘bad at marketing’…
It’s just that some of your biz pieces are missing AND they’re not working together, on-plan and by design.
Here’s what missing engine pieces can look like:
* Working way too hard for not enough money
* Constantly inventing new offers to fill revenue gaps
* Unsure why some products work & others don’t
* Doing A LOT of marketing & promo work (especially on social media) that isn’t translating into sales
* Feeling pressured to lower or raise prices based on industry trends rather than based your costs & revenue plan
* Revenue rollercoasters OR revenue plateaus
All-in-pieces + no plan + maybe-some-parts-missing is the reason you haven’t got the results you’re seeking…yet.
You are always doing the most, but the tasks and activities you’re completing are often disjointed and disconnected.
Yes, lots of activities & tasks are happening inside the business, but there are missing links…
…which means the activities are not working like dominoes or gears where one task sets the rest in motion in a sequence that’s designed to automatically & consistently produces REVENUE (and peace of mind).
So the problem isn`t YOU.
It’s simply that some of your business engine pieces are missing AND they’re not working together, on-plan and by design.
Customizing your business to fit you,
crafting an instruction manual for your business
& making sure all the dials (core business competencies) are in place
is how your business stops floundering — or skips that part, entirely — and starts flourishing.
Because now you`ve got a fully-built sales engine that works.
VROOM VROOM.
--
DM me to learn more building out your business engine & momentum in BESPOKE
(extravagant discount, extended payment plan and two bonus courses available for the VIP pre-sale happening now until Monday July 15)
Jul 13
When you are starting out, trying things and iterating is GOLD. Ad-hocking and getting in motion are how we figure out what the business is.
And then there comes a time when you’ve accumulated so many ad-hoc services and programs and clients that your results become random, too.
That usually coincides with the moment you want to uplevel and breakthrough and stop working so hard for unpredictable results.
You don’t solve that problem by doing more or trying all the latest marketing trends.
You solve it by cleaning out the garage of all the business clutter and forensically designing a business model that delivers you exactly what you’re envisioning.
Clients that sign up right away rather than 7 months from now. Clients who do the work. Knowing precisely how to price and position yourself instead of wondering what to say in your content or fretting about social media being a time-suck.
Let’s pinpoint the precise sales activities that work for you —your bespoke sales engine — and make an actual business and marketing plan. One that works. By design, not happenstance.
This is the work I do in my high-proximity spaces and in the Bespoke mastermind I teach with the incomparable Danielle Cohen. DM me for details.
Jul 10
You don’t have an overwork problem. You have a business design problem, and it`s the reason you’re overextended but not making the money you want.
Thought exercise:
If you had more free time away from your business, but you didn’t do anything else differently, would your sales automatically increase?
Probably not.
So it is deeper than effort & energy.
But overwork & revenue gaps ARE related, just in a different way.
They’re both symptoms of an ad-hoc, busy-work business.
Your sales & free time won’t increase unless you explicitly design your business model & selling engine so that you know *the exact marketing activities* you need to do to get more clients excited to buy, right now…
…and then do ONLY those things.
This kind of bespoke business model & radical focus is how you stop wasting your time on ad-hoc busy-work that consumes energy but doesn’t convert.
Instantly you’d feel less drained. Less burned out. And your revenue would grow and keep growing.
The good news is that you don’t need burn your whole business down in order to up-level into more sales and a softer, more sustainable life.
Simply tweaking your business model so that all the gears work together as a cohesive momentum machine that continually drives sales — instead of a never-ending to-do list of disjointed, stop-start activities — will set you up, by design, to achieve your revenue targets for years to come.
Without all the wasted energy & unnecessary exhaustion.
This is the work I do in my high proximity spaces. This is why in as little as one session with me my clients nail their precise business model & message that churns out sales like clockwork (without having to pour even more time and energy into their marketing).
This is also the method Danielle Cohen and I teach inside our Bespoke Mastermind. We begin September 4.
Early enrolment (with a handful of outrageous bonuses)
happening right now from July 9-15.
If you’re ready to get out of ad-hoc busywork and into your custom-designed business —
the kind that consistently makes more money with way less wasted energy, working with clients who say yes now instead of 8 months from now —
then please DM us for details.
Jul 9
