Learn how you can gain more confidence and become a changemaker in business with Erika Tebbens 

Akua: What does it mean to be a changemaker? Well, today on the independent business podcast, you are going to find out Erica Tebbins, who is a marketing strategist, business consultant, and author of the book. You got this a counterintuitive guide to powerful, inevitable change making joints on the show to talk about how we can gain more confidence in selling our offers and how we can become changemakers in our business.

Your business can create a lasting impact and Erica shows us how we can explore that. So we can turn our mission into a movement and let’s get into the episode. Hey everyone. This is your host Akua Kanadu and you’re listening to the independent business podcast. More people than ever are working for themselves and building profitable businesses in the process.

So on this show, I get to sit down with some of the most influential authors, entrepreneurs, and creators to break down the science of self made success so that you can achieve it too. Hello,

Erica. How are we doing? I am super great. How are you? Good. I’m super excited just to have you on the show, just to be chatting up about what it really takes to be a change maker. You know what I mean? I think you are a very multi passionate entrepreneur. And so I’m really excited just to explore the amazing things you’ve been working on.

So thank you so much for joining me. Yeah. Thank you for having me. Absolutely. In regards to sales, right? Like, and I think just in general with entrepreneurship, we do get very consumed that other people will think about us. We’re like, we’re right. We’re afraid of the rejection. We’re afraid of what people are going to say, how people are going to move, what people will think.

How was that confidence wise for you? Like, were you just like, Oh my gosh, I’m so uncomfortable. Or like, how did you like, I just know for myself, I’m still, I sell my business, but it’s still something I’m like, Oh, it just makes me like cringe a little bit, but I’m sure there’s many of us that feel that way.

But with you, how are you working and building up that confidence within that? 

Erika: Yeah, I really like this question because I think that, I think a lot of times that we think that there’s this level where we would get to where that like, awkward feeling will just go away permanently. And the reality is, is that even for people like me, even for a lot of, you know, friends of mine who outwardly people would say like, Oh, they’re very successful.

Right. There’s. You know, when you talk behind the scenes, like there’s still those moments where you feel nervous, right? Or you’re moving into maybe a new realm of your business or a new price point or a different like offering or something. And a lot of those feelings come up again and again and again.

And I think the thing to remember is that like, it’s okay and it’s normal. And that’s not like a, like a warning sign to stop. It’s just, Oh, this is here. It’s uncomfortable, but like, I can do it anyways. Right. And to remember like why you’re doing it. Remember, you know, like, like, are you actually doing it because you’re excited about doing it because you want to do it because you believe in it because you know that you’re selling to the right people, or is it because somebody just told you that you should, and like, you’re feeling FOMO or, you know, whatever, because if it’s the former, then it’s just going to take some practice, right?

It’s kind of like with anything, right? Like learning a foreign language or a new system. skill. Like it does feel a little awkward and it does take some practice, but eventually certain things like you’re just like, Oh yeah, just, it’s sort of become second nature. And then still we all have off days. We all have moments where it just feels, it just feels a little bit uncomfortable.

Akua: I feel, yeah, to your point, I still never feel comfortable doing it, but I do it. And every time I do it, I’m like, oh, yay. Or every time it doesn’t work out, you know what I mean? I, it’s an, it’s another learning opportunity. So I think that’s just like a really great reminder. And again, it’s just like a muscle, like I say all the time.

And so like, yeah, you have to just keep practicing, keep leaning into it. And so, and then things will get better. But I love that you just said it just never, for some people, and some people selling comes naturally, which is great. But other people are like, it’s, It’s never going to be comfortable. You just have to kind of, you just have to kind of just do it and lean into it, which I, I love that.

And so how you are able to determine what type of questions to ask, like what, what, what is your perspective on that? Yeah. So 

Erika: one thing that I think helps actually both with like building confidence and knowing the right questions to ask is start by offering something up to That you are really comfortable and confident with, like something that you’re like, Oh, this is like a no brainer.

Like, this is super awesome. And it’s not, I’m not going to be like super bummed if somebody says no to this thing, because I know I can sell it confidently because It’s so awesome. And like this type of person is going to love it. They’re going to be blown away by the outcome, whatever it is. Right. I have this offer.

It’s very specific. It’s very time bound. It’s like what I call like an hell yes, entry offer. And you price it at such that it’s just like. You can basically sell it with your whole chest and then decide for yourself how many you’re going to sell before you raise the price, right? As you’re like working with those people, as you’re getting used to offering that service.

You are going to learn things about those people that you’re working with. You are going to start to notice commonalities among the people who get the best results, who are the easiest to work with, who are the most appreciative, all of it. And you’re also going to start to notice things where you’re like, Ah, it didn’t quite like.

Like it sort of missed the mark for a variety of reasons. Right. And then when you look at that, that will help inform what questions to ask and how to refine the offer going forward. Right. So you’re going to kind of like learn through doing, and then you’re going, you’re going to know better questions to ask, to assess if somebody is a right fit.

And a lot of that is stuff that you can. Do ahead of time, like in your sales copy, in your content to sort of pre qualify people. It’s not necessarily stuff that you have to ask directly on a sales call. And so those things will help inform your process. And all of that will help to make everything feel more confident because the people that you will end up on those discovery calls with.

Are already going to be a much better fit and so you won’t feel like you’re actually like selling them or trying to convince them or anything. It’ll just be more of like, let me answer your questions. Let me make sure you’re actually a good fit. Let’s get comfortable with each other. And I can answer any questions you have about working together, et cetera, et cetera.

Akua: I love that though. I think that’s such a great way to look at it. Like you’re not on that call to convince somebody to work with you. You’re there to just be that support and answer any questions that they have. I just love that tactic in general. Just being able to. Pick something small that you can sell with your whole chest that you just feel really, really confident about.

And I just realized I think of my own journey as well as an entrepreneur. Right before I became a storytelling strategist, I used to do Instagram strategy, social media management. And I realized I struggled so much with selling it was because it was something I wasn’t very passionate about. It wasn’t, you know, I still obviously love social media, but I love storytelling.

And so. Whenever I would talk about like, you know, my social media management packages and this and that, I was not passionate about it. And so it like made it more difficult to sell. And then it wasn’t until I rebranded and then actually created an offer that I feel really confident about it made it still feeling uncomfortable, but still made it a lot easier to be able to sell.

And like. Where I’m able to communicate a lot easier the value of what it is that I have to offer to help like bridge that understanding, like where my client can understand what I’m offering and see the value of what it is of how I can solve their problem. And so I think that’s such a really, really good, really good.

first step for people to take within that. I love that. Sell with your whole chest. What can you sell with your whole chest that you feel confident about that you can step into that you don’t even have to think about? And going from there, because again, it’s going to show those commonalities that you pointed out of like what questions that you should be asking in order to really uncover the real reason why this person wants to work with you.

And I think that’s just such a, an important thing. And like I said, the power of asking good questions, it’s just, So, so important. What are your thoughts within this? I feel like in the industry just in general, right? Like there’s been a lot of urgency when it comes to selling and all of these tactics that we have, some people say sleazy, you know what I mean?

I think, and you will kind of lean into more holistic approach and more sustainable approach. And so how can we do that when it comes within selling? So 

Erika: there’s a few things and I’m going to, Bring it back to something that you had just said about, like, in the package that you were excited to offer, you mentioned you could see, like, you knew the value to the intended target client, right?

When you rebranded and all of that. And I think that that is really. Really crucial, right? So when you’re thinking about something that you’re selling and something that you’re excited about, and you can sell with your whole chest, I think that it is really, really important to be honest about who it is best for and the value.

To them, like the actual value of that service, that product, whatever it is. Right. And. It’s okay to be like, you know, to, to embrace the fact that it isn’t for everyone. And we do not have to necessarily like have businesses that have an offering at every price point for every person. Like we are, you know, Micro businesses, right?

So think about your brand, think about who you want to be working with. Think about what you can sustainably offer. And again, like what, what lights you up, right? If I don’t know, and if I can’t hold that vision of who it’s best for and why they would really see value in it and what it could really do for them.

And, and like all of that, I am not going to be able to sustain an entire launch period, Of continuing to talk about it and create content around it and send out emails and do sales calls. You know, the whole all of it, right? And so the more that you can really be super clear and honest with yourself about who is going to get the best results from the thing that you’re offering, and.

Then from there, how does it make sense to design the offer with that person in mind, which like would include the price, right? So, like, a lot of times there’s discourse online around, like, quote unquote, you know, reasonable pricing, but I don’t necessarily think that that’s always helpful in talking about.

Creating change in an industry because that is an unspecific, right? You have to think about balancing time and money on either side of it. And then I think that in terms of urgency and like the holistic nature and all of that, I think that there have unfortunately been a lot of gimmicks and tactics and things that have been used in a lot of cases for a lot of like False urgency that just uses like psychological manipulation to get people to buy something that maybe they don’t really need or shouldn’t be buying.

But I also think that what is important to think about is that, or this is, this is how I approach it, right? Is that if you have designed your offer suite, And who you are looking to serve and your brand and like your pricing and all of it right if you’ve, if you’ve done it all with intention, then. You should not be needing to close every person that you come across, right?

Like, you should be able to have conversations with folks, and if they are not the right fit for your highest ticket thing, or whatever it is, you should be able to say, Yeah, I don’t think that, like, that we’re there yet. Right. I don’t, I don’t think that this is the right thing for you, but I do have this other option, why don’t you start there first and then we can see about this other one later, right.

Or to say, I actually don’t think that I am what you need right now at all. I’m going to send you to this other person I know who has this other service. Work with them first. And then like. We’ll talk in six months and see, right. When you put the relationship first and like trust building first, that sometimes a sales cycle can take longer.

In some cases, sometimes this whole process, you might not be getting those like immediate sales on the daily, but you will have much longer term success and a much. better and more consistent brand reputation in the industry. 

Akua: I feel like the main thing that you just kind of shared was just really being extremely intentional, right?

I think being intentional every step of the way, as you’re preparing your offerings, your pricing, all of that, because the more intentional that you are and the more that you lean into who it is that this is for, like really knowing who it is that you want, like the product or service, who it’s for.

Specifically surveying, it really does make a world of difference to essentially where you feel like you aren’t necessarily selling, right? Like you’re selling with a lot more ease when you really lean, lean with intention first to where again, like you position it, build that relationship where people are, have that trust within you to where you’re not feeling like you have to come from a sense of urgency or maybe use tactics that aren’t necessarily aligned with you or feel very good to you to use in order to make a sale.

And so I think that’s like a really, really key thing that. With what you shared within that. And I think that’s just such a really, really good reminder of again, leaning into the offering to where it feels aligned with you, but also to being intentional every single step of the way and keeping your audience at the forefront, because again, you’re selling to make it about them.

It’s for them. It’s to impact their life. And so. Absolutely love that. And, you know, you have your book about being a change maker as well, but I even like to view selling as like you’re being a change maker essentially, right? Like we are making an impact on the world. We want to leave this world better than how we found it, right?

Like that kind of saying. And so how do you view like selling and being a change maker? 

Erika: Yeah. So, I really think that we as entrepreneurs, small business owners, just humans in general in the world, but especially people who have, even if it’s a little bit of influence to create change, we are in this position where.

When we are intentional, we can actually do a lot of good with our businesses. And I think a lot of times what often happens is there’s sort of just this equation of make a lot of money with your business and that’s how you will do good. And we forget that there are a lot of other ways that you can make money.

Change culture with a business that is not just through, Oh, when I make a lot of money, I can, you know, donate a whole bunch of it, right? It’s everything. It’s the way that we. Are engaging, like, like the communities that we are paying to be in, like, to learn from to it’s the tools that we’re investing in, you know, to say that, like, does this company align with my values?

Okay, cool. I’m going to invest in the software or this. Membership or, you know, whatever it is. I think it’s also, you know, when we hire support, you know, virtual assistants, OBMs, copywriters, et cetera, et cetera, like are we paying them appropriately, right? Or are we trying to just get, you know, rock bottom pricing and.

Exploit people, right? So there’s a lot of different ways there. And even like when we are paying people, well, are we treating them? Well, right. Are we, are we treating them the way that we would want to be treated within the culture of our business? Even if they’re not like an actual employee, even if they are a contractor, they’re still.

Team culture there. Right. And so there’s just so many, so many ways, right? Even things like in my group programs and group spaces, I always have community agreements and people have always really appreciated that because people know up front, like what is okay. What is not okay. Like they know the boundaries of the space and they know.

The values and everything. And so, but I also think in sales and in our offers and in, in all of it, I think in that process, kind of like we’ve been talking about, right? Just thinking more along the lines of what are your values and do they show up in that process? It doesn’t necessarily mean that you won’t have success and you won’t have great success.

There are a lot of. Extremely like values aligned people that have had tons of success. Like I would count myself among them and all of my friends as well, but it’s not always as flashy as some of the marketing that is out there, right? It might be a little bit slower. Sometimes it might be, you might not have some of those like giant.

You know, super ultra flashy, like launch revenue numbers and things like that all the time. I’m not saying it won’t happen. It’s just that it might, it might just, you know, be a little bit less shiny if you will. But if you are a. Okay, with that, if you have designed your business that you don’t need those giant, you know, sexy peaks of money to get the money that you need to sustain you or to hit your goals or whatever, then think about is that okay?

Because if that’s, if that’s okay, like design your sales and your marketing process with your values in mind and you will be successful and it will feel really good. Along the way, right? So that is one thing to keep in mind. And another thing to keep in mind, too, is I would say don’t discount the power of putting out really solid content and resources and things that have no, like, dollar value or anything attached to them at all.

Keep going back to the word intention, that is done with a lot of intention. Like, I, I want to, it is, it is. One of my values to have some of my resources be high quality and also have no payment necessary to get them because I don’t necessarily have, like, I’m not spending a ton of my marketing energy, marketing 12 million different things at different price points.

I do not have the capacity to do that. So, you know, there’s, there’s. There’s a win win, right? And of course there’s obviously like sliding scale things. There’s all different ways that you can bake that into your business based on what feels right for you. But yeah, I would just say again, think about your values.

Think about your goals. Think about just because somebody is saying, Oh, you have to do this. If you want to. Make a sale doesn’t necessarily make it true. 

Akua: Yes. I love that so much. I think again, to your point intention, but then also to your values, this is something that I just continue to drive home a lot because yes, a lot of us as business owners, we say that we know our values, but is it really woven into all areas of your business, right?

Like, I love that where you said that one of your main values is providing high quality education, no matter what that looks like. So if it’s free, like a free training, or if it is with an offering, it’s Either way, no matter what you’re always continuously providing high quality education, I think that’s such a really great value because then again, you are building those relationships that truly do matter.

So when it is time for you to be like, okay, I have this offer people again, they’re just there to ask questions. They, they already trust you. They already know they want to give you your money. You know what I mean? Like, they’re just there to ask you some additional questions and you’re there to support them.

And I think that’s just such a great way to look at it again, of really understanding what your values are as a business owner and really are I love to look at my business all the time to just holistically of like, yes, I’m a storytelling strategist. Yes. I can absolutely help you. You know what I mean?

Share stories. But most importantly, I want you to feel confident about sharing your stories because I want to see the change that you can make and the difference that you can make in other people’s lives with your business. Right? Like I think again, looking at your business, like you are a change maker.

So when you are feeling not very confident with selling your products or services, I just say to yourself, I’m a change maker. Like what I have to offer can truly make such an impact. impact in somebody else’s life to where, why wouldn’t I want to help them? You know what I mean? I think that’s just such a great way to look at it and leading with values, leaning with intention.

I think, again, it’s such a great, great thing and how we can truly, truly make an impact within our business. So absolutely love that. So I’m really curious for you, Erica, as you were, you know, in your business in this current season, what is being a change maker look like for you? How are you making an impact in your business?

Erika: Leaning into folks that want to turn their mission into a movement. So, you know how entrepreneurs, like we always go through these phases where it’s like, you get used to doing something and then you sort of like, Evolve, like you sort of like level up a bit. I feel like that is where I’m at, where, you know, like I, I love marketing strategy, I love sales strategy.

I love all of that. I could, you know, do it half asleep, but really thinking about thought leaders, visionaries, and change makers who are not the folks who are like, Hey, you know, tell me how to get clients. Right. But really those folks that are like, yeah, yeah, yeah. I know that all of that is. It’s gravy, right?

I’ve got it, you know, all set. But who are really like, I have a change making mission. I need to get it in front of more of the people who will champion it so we can get this message to spread like far and wide in front of the people who need to hear it or who need to like help be advocates of it. And really come up with strategy and Around that, because that is something that I am fantastic at, because I am really, really good at thinking about like, like I have been running businesses since before social media was a thing.

And so my brain works in terms of like, Like pre social media marketing, which is really just like relationship building marketing, right? It’s like, it’s just, it’s like very old school. Right. And so I love, I love stuff like that. And I love creating like. Strategy that is built around partnerships and collaborations and, and things of that nature.

And so, and, and also really powerful messaging and positioning and stuff like that. So yeah, I feel like that’s what lights me up, you know, given, given the world being what it is, I feel like just working with other people who are like, yes, like I am a change maker, I want to make big things happen, please.

Let’s co create the blueprint and just tell me what I need to do. So, 

Akua: yeah, I love that. And like, I totally want to definitely break that down a little bit. Cause that is absolutely amazing. I kind of want to lean into a little bit more of like what your journey has looked like as being a change maker, essentially.

Erika: Yeah. So I, I wrote my book, the title of the book that you’ve got, this is actually in 2016, I testified. Before, members of the House Subcommittee on Agriculture and Nutrition, such a mouthful, in D. C. about my family’s experience receiving government food assistance while I was pregnant and my husband was active duty in the Navy.

So a lot of people do not know how common it is that active duty military families in the U. S. qualify for food assistance. I did not know it. Until like it happened to me, it was one of those situations and it’s actually sadly in the last few years, it has gotten worse. The problem has gotten worse. And so the organization that had sent me their mazone.

org, the guy who was their VP of policy at the time, he, right before we got started, he wrote, you’ve got this on a piece of paper and like handed it over to me. And so I titled it in honor of that, but it was really like. I did that. I used to do roller derby. I’ve run for office. Like I’ve done all these different things that To me, like they felt big, but they didn’t feel impossible, but like they were also these things that people in my life would be like, well, I could never do that, right?

Anytime people would learn about it, I would kind of get this really like very surprised response from people who like, honestly, were smart, Talented, successful, amazing people themselves. And so over and over again, I was like, this is weird. Like, yes, you could. What are you talking about? Like, are you kidding?

Yes. Like, like, stop. You totally could do this. Right. Like. Honestly, most of the things that I have done that people would look at and be like, how did you do that? Were things that people asked me to do, like I got invited to testify and they flew me there. Right. Like I just had to be like, okay, I’ll, I’ll go.

Right. And I mean, yes, I had to prepare and you know, the whole thing, but still like running for office. Yes. It took work, but I also like. Our democratic caucus in the village I was living in asked if I would run. I said, okay, I’ll, I’ll run. The thing that I started to feel very frustrated about was I was like.

If all of these smart, amazing, wonderful humans think that they are not capable enough of doing awesome things that would actually make the world a better place, then, like, what hope do we have? Right? And so, It tells some of those stories throughout, but it’s not an autobiography. It’s really breaking it down in the simplest way of like, if you were somebody who is like, I would like to do something, not even, it doesn’t even have to be like, Mega noteworthy or anything, but like you want to do something meaningful with your life, even in like the most itty bitty way, or you feel very frustrated and you don’t just want to be like, well, there’s nothing I can do, I guess, like, I’ll just throw my hands in the air, but you want to actually like, try to do something that makes the world even better.

A teeny bit better. It breaks it down in the simplest of ways of how to do that. Like how to decide what to do, how to get started, the whole thing. And it’s really like it, it breaks the myth that we have to all be like Oprah in order to actually be change makers, or that we all have to be like, Mega rich or have tons of time or very well known or very well skilled or well connected or anything like that.

You absolutely do not. I just really wanted to show people like it’s not about doing the biggest and best thing. It’s not about all of us need to start a nonprofit. It’s that there is a change maker in all of us. And it actually is imperative that. The thing that each of us feels compelled to do that we do because there’s something magical in each of us that like that little thing that we’re like, Ooh, that feels exciting.

Kind of like was selling right. That little like offering that we want to give to the world. Like there’s a purpose, there’s a reason. And so the more that each of us leans into that, even if we’re like, Oh, it’s not big enough. It’s not special enough. Like, yes, it is. Like it matters. So yeah, that’s why, that’s why I wrote it.

Akua: I love that so much, especially with you being in a roller derby, running for office, going to testify, like what? But I think that’s amazing though, because I think of that book, I think with like, too, with like Shonda Rhimes, like the power of yes, or something like that. And I think how you just were like, Yeah, I’ll just go do it.

I don’t know what’s gonna happen. I don’t know how it’s gonna play pan out. But yeah, I’ll just go ahead and do it. You know what I mean? And I think the impact that you have made within that is just absolutely incredible. And I love how you shared of like, again, you don’t have to be like an Oprah Winfrey to where you’re like, you get a car, you get a car, you know what I mean?

Like you can make an impact wherever you’re at. No matter what the season of life looks like for you. And so it’s like, again, being just opening yourself up, leaning in with curiosity, like I always like to say, just leaning in with that of like, what, what opportunities are there? You know what I mean?

Cause I feel like the opportunities will start popping up once you just are more open to receive them. And so. What are some things that business owners can do to really, to lean into that, to be more of a change maker? 

Erika: Yeah, so I think, like to your point, and curiosity is one of my favorite things, like it’s, it’s the thing that I always go to, it’s the thing I always tell my clients as well, is get curious.

Like, true, I talk about it in the book. I really think that that is so important. Essential, right? So just get curious for a moment and be like, okay, why does that thing not feel great? Like, why do I not like that? Or why do I like that? If something feels fun or interesting or exciting, Or whatever, just explore it, like, just try it out.

Just know that like, nothing is set in stone and just because you agree to do something once doesn’t mean you have to do it forever. Doesn’t mean you can’t change your mind doesn’t mean, you know, like that you’re locked in, right? But just give it a try because you don’t, you don’t know until you, until you try something out, right?

You might give it a whirl and it might be. The greatest thing ever. Right. And, and also just like. You know, once you’ve tried it, do some reflecting, like, did some of it feel good and some of it didn’t feel so good? Okay, well, get curious about that, right? What didn’t feel great about it? Is there a way to, like, omit that part or tweak it for next time?

Or, like, what, what did feel good? Can you change it up? Can you, like, do something, you know, can you do more of that? Like, just, just keep, I feel like the more that you keep following, Those paths and again, like layer in your values and layer in what is like sustainable for you and all of that, not that your goals become irrelevant.

They don’t become irrelevant. Goals are still important, right? We obviously we all have bills. We have to pay and things like that. But I feel like then. Sometimes things are just out of our control. Right. Just think about like, okay, what is right for me? Cause even going back to like what we were talking about with like offering free trainings and stuff, it’s not like I’m offering them every week or even every month, right?

Like even that for me, like. I have to keep it sustainable. I’m not going to be out here just giving and giving free, free, free all the time. If I’m going to do free, and it’s going to be high quality, I also have to be choosy to make it sustainable, right? So again, it goes back to like the balance, right?

And then like also to the change making part, if you are in a position to like spread that knowledge with others, Then also you can like share your findings with others. So if you’re in like a peer to peer mastermind, or if you’re a coach of some sort or whatever, you can also say, Hey, I tried this and this was super awesome.

So just FYI, you might love it. Or, I tried this and I found I didn’t love it and here’s why. And that way, you kind of help other people along too. 

Akua: I love that so much. I think again of leaning with intention, really knowing your values, but I love what you said earlier of really want to making sure that you’re whole.

I think that is so, so key, right? I think sometimes we forget that and we have these goals and these dreams and sometimes we forget. Everything comes at a cost. So we end up sometimes giving up pieces of ourselves in order to attain that specific goal. So I think that’s a really good reminder of just how we need to continuously be grounded because things will come in all the time.

How are you and your values to where like, you know, exactly what is right for you. So you’re like, all right, I can take this and receive it or not. And just leave it at the table and just keep leaning and doing your thing. I think that is just so, so key. I also. Cool. Thought about what you said too, even if the fact that it’s bad doesn’t mean that it’s wrong.

Right? Like, again, it’s just like collecting that data that you need to be able to pivot, to move forward. And that is just so, so, so key as you’re going in within those seasons within that, if all those changes when trying to figure things out, how do you honor yourself within that? 

Erika: For me, it’s getting clear on a few things.

I always start with negotiables first. What those things always are, are your personal non negotiables. So not. The business stuff, you taking care of yourself and your needs first, and then going into your, like your business non negotiables and stuff. So for me, that is also a few things. Like I, a lot of times, like I’ve had a CEO day, right.

Where I am just like working on my business. And then also like, I’ll have other things where it’s, I’m just. Like paying myself, right? Like, I have like a dedicated time where I go through and I, you know, do all my financials and I can do it really quick now because I’ve been doing it for years. Right? But like, like those simple things where it’s, it’s simple, but it’s, it’s really powerful.

Like it, it adds up when you do it. Cumulatively, you know, over, over time, week in, week out, it really does matter. And for like, for me, that is what works for me, but for other people, they might have another schedule that works better for them. And so just have that schedule. And then also to know that like, in the winter, I tend to just be less productive when the days are shorter.

And then, you know, when the days are longer, I’m more productive. Right. So. So those things just being really like honoring the fact that in, you know, January, I’m probably not going to be super prolific with my marketing. And so not to schedule a lot of very necessary marketing right during that, that time.

Another thing that has been really, really, really essential for me and has made a huge difference is having a close. Group of friends that I really trust that I can have honest conversations with about things. And I think that’s so, so, so important. Like, even if you just have one or two friends that are also entrepreneurs that also get it.

It’s so important because it’s really hard to like, you know, I don’t know. It’s like, you don’t want to put all your. Verbal processing, like out on the internet and stuff, right? Like, I mean, we see people do it and it’s, it’s awkward. And you’re like, save that for the group chat. Right? Like, what are you doing?

I think that that is really important is to have those folks where you can. Be your whole truest self with when you’re going through those moments. Cause every entrepreneur has them where you’re like, just like, I don’t know, things are weird or wonky or what’s going on. Or like you’re having moments of doubt or whatever it is.

Right. So it’s super important to have. 

Akua: Oh, 1, 000%. I think that’s such a great thing. And I love just how you do that of like, okay, these are the personal things I’m going to honor first. That are my non negotiables. Right. And then like, okay, here are the business things. And I do think having that routine and structure, being able to take care of those daily tasks in your business.

Really just makes it easier for you to focus on the things that you would love to focus on the things that are going to impact your business or the things that you are really passionate and excited about that can really make an impact on people’s lives. So I think that’s really important of how you structured that of like, okay, these things have to be taken care of in order for me to be able to be whole and feel good and where I’m putting my best self into other areas of my business that I’m really excited about, that I know I want people to know more about.

And I, and I love that. And I think, you know, That’s such a, that’s such an important thing, right? There’s so many aspects of our business and things that we enjoy and things that we don’t enjoy. Another thing that you shared that I thought was really good is just really getting to know yourself of like, you know, you said in January, I know I’m not going to be marketing, like leaning so heavily into my marketing this season or like right during the summer, it’s longer days.

I think again, really getting to know yourself, cause there’s no wrong way to do that as a business owner and really just creating that structure and that space. system that works really, really well for you so that you can be your best self in whatever it is that you want to pour yourself into whatever projects that may be.

So I absolutely love that. And Erica, this conversation has been so impactful. So wonderful. A question that we love to close out with is what do you think is the biggest differentiator between the businesses that succeed and the ones that fail? First and foremost, 

Erika: people absolutely have to learn. The essentials of business.

So I think a lot of times what happens is that people go, well, I love this thing. I love doing this thing, or I love making this thing. And I want to like offer this thing. And the struggle is, is that whenever you have a business. You have to be good at the thing that you’re doing or making, and you have to be good at business.

You don’t have to be great at business. You don’t have to be phenomenal at business, but you have to be good enough at business in order to be able to sell the thing that you’re trying to sell, right? So a lot of people try to skip over All of this because it’s not as fun and it can also feel really confusing and it can also feel very Uncomfortable as we’ve talked about today, right again, it doesn’t have to feel uncomfortable it like sales and marketing are totally learned skill the whole the whole shebang right but it is really, really, really.

And so a lot of times what happens is people will spend a ton of time and money learning every new tactic and hack and whatever they can under the sun to avoid having to actually like sell and market in order to sell their, their thing. Right? So. You have to understand the business fundamentals. And then the other thing I would say is that it’s really good to be honest with yourself about where you can like best shine and don’t be afraid to evolve.

Even when it’s not. It’s uncomfortable, right? So even in this, like, evolution that we’ve been talking about and you talked about, you know, how you can honor yourself, right? So, A lot of times it, like it happens, I’m sure you’ve been through it too, where you go like, Oh my gosh, this thing that I’ve been doing, like I, I think I’ve outgrown it.

And I think I need to start kind of like whittling it away. Right? I need to like, be done with it. Right? And that can feel really awkward. Especially if it’s what people have known. You for, or what they’ve been coming to you for, but I think it’s really important to embrace like what you do best. It’s really, really, really important, especially as like micro businesses, right, where so much of your own heart, soul, energy, attention, capacity, and everything is in the work and again, tying it back to selling, right?

Like it’s. Like you kind of, you have to really be like all in on it. And it’s normal that we will evolve over time. And this doesn’t mean that, like, I think that there’s also a danger and a lot of people hinder their own success by doing way too many pivots. So I don’t mean pivot, pivot, pivot. I don’t mean don’t give something enough time.

Cause that is also. I’ve seen a lot of people who never have success because they launch something once it does, like, it doesn’t go as they hoped because they didn’t give it enough time. And then they’re just like, well, scrap that. I’m on to the next thing, right? You have to give stuff enough time. But I would also say that, like.

Usually, people get to a point where they realize, Oh no, I have evolved, and my work needs to evolve to best suit my people. And like, you just, you have to make peace with it. And you, You have to sort of like surrender to that process, and it can be super uncomfortable, but if you don’t, I find that like, you just get sucked into this like, resentment vacuum, where then you’re not excited to show up in market, you’re not excited to sell, you’re not excited to, Actually like offer those services or anything.

So yeah, just go, go all in and, you know, kill your darlings if you have to, but know that you’re doing it for like the right reasons and you are going to change people’s lives with whatever you come up with next. 

Akua: Yes. Oh, love that. Thank you. Thank you so much, Erica. This conversation has been just so impactful.

And I know for me, like already the wheels are turning of just what are some things I can lean into in my business to continue to show up, to be a change maker. And so for our audience, how can they connect with you? How can we support you? Let us know where we can find you. 

Erika: Yeah, so people can find me at erikatebbins.

com and I’m there. There are tons of resources. There are over 150 podcast episodes from my Sell It Sister podcast. There are blog posts. There are also several things on the self study page. So there’s actually like a really low cost sales course on there called conversations that convert. If people want to go through that, it’s very quick and it works whether you sell a product or a service, but you can also get the first chapter of.

My book, you can download it for free at ericatabins. com forward slash book. And I’m also on Instagram. I like to share a lot of memes in the stories and you know, if anyone ever comes across like Lord of the Rings memes or Parks and Rec memes, feel free to send them to my DMs. So always a happy recipient of those.

Akua: Oh my gosh. I love that so much. And we will absolutely be linking your book in the show notes as well. And Erica, thank you. Thank you so much for this conversation. And if you’re listening until next time, that ends our episode of the independent business podcast. Everything we’ve discussed today can be found at podcast.

honeybook. com. Head to our website to access for show notes, relevant links, and all of the resources that you need to level up. And if you’ve enjoyed today’s episode, be sure to subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss our future content, drop us a review and leave our guests some love on social.

And thank you again for listening.