CEO Stories 078: How to Stay Present and Visible in Your Business

When you’re an entrepreneur, your personal life and your business life tend to blur. That’s what happened with North Star Messaging’s Jessi + Marie. They found themselves stepping away from connecting and watching their business stumble because of it. They walk us through this moment of failure and how they shifted to find more success on the other side.   They just realized that one of their failures was because they were not showing up.  Personal life got in the way of the business. To get back to this, it meant getting honest and vulnerable, and putting in the effort they needed to.   They were afraid to step into a new place with the high achieving business owners. There were things in the business that needed systematized.  Them they started relying on the systems and it became a detriment to human interaction.  Examples: not commenting on other people’s post, writing something in someone else’s group and running, not having the deep conversations. If the client was not in a face to face session, they really did not get the human connection and authenticity that others felt.  They needed to show up in the online marketplace to achieve this. When you don’t show who you are, you get the wrong people. They went transparent and public with their new commitment. Now their audience is their accountability. Marie and Jessi set dates to implement new ideas.  This holds them accountable and gives them time to plan.   The self-care is a huge part to making sure that they stays present.  Jessi is still trying to figure out what that self-care looks likes. The first step is recognizing that she is getting tired and needs some sort of break. Take the time to get to know yourself.   Marie has limited the hours that she works to keep from getting burnt out.   They are ok with going public, letting their audience know it’s a trial, and then feeling comfortable to be able to change things.  You are the only one really paying attention to the “set promises.” People generally like the change and are forgiving. You are allowed to change things.  Just give it some time. It’s ok to communicate during a pivot.  You do not want your audience to feel left out or lost. When switching up your message or who you want to work with, it is never too early to be transparent.  You can use it for market research. The more you say it the more you will believe it yourself. It will become real and less scary.  The humanity driven approach helps people feel like they are a part of things. They like to see the behind the scenes. If you are questioning a shift, ask yourself why are you at this decision.  If it is because it is not working, have you given it enough time. If it is just not in line with your values, figure out why and how to align it in those goals.  You need to feel confident.