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Audience Hot Seats

Does anybody wanna do a hot seat? Okay, we're gonna do two hot seats. Here we go. And this how we'll close it out and then after this we're gonna talk about what we can expect tomorrow. So if I can get a mic here, and if I can get a mic back there. Okay, so we'll start right about, oh no, the mic, this mic will go down here. Thanks. Thank you. I'll have you stand up. Let's do it. Okay. So my question, do you want me to talk about myself, or? Yeah, do an introduction. Okay, so I'm a brand designer. I'd like to think I'm a one stop shop because I take entrepreneurs from the beginning to the end of their journey. My question is not solely on my business, it's more of like a personal brand, and how do you, okay so, with the, thinking about your ideal client and narrowing it down, if I think of myself as a one stop shop, do you think that's too much? If I do, if I design your logo I'm also branding mentor or strategist and photographer. Do you think that's too much? So, at lunch (wo...

man laughs) we sat across from each other Right. and so I feel like I knew a little bit more about the situation, so people are like, "God, Jasmine, you came in real hot." Okay. (Woman laughs) This is what the conversation we had at lunch and she said that this is the difficulty, is that people, you know, the jack of all trades, master of none. But she could say "I am a master of all of 'um "and my superpower is to do all the things in all the ways." And you didn't ask me for my opinion so I didn't give you my opinion. But you asked for it now. (audience laughs) Yes, I want your opinion. You have a couple options. You can rebrand as an agency and bring on people to help you. Mm-hm. Or you could just niche out, build trust in one vertical and then offer ancillary components to people who want to go deeper with you. Because when you come out and you say, "I shoot your photos, I design you logo, "we talk about your branding, "I help with your social media strategy." My thing is you're doing too much and you're not known for a thing. Mm-hm. So, I hate using this example but it's the cleanest, clearest example, is when my mom was diagnosed with cancer we didn't want to go to any doctor, we wanted to go to a neuro-oncologist who was charge, who's charging a premium because he did one thing really well. He operated on cancer in a certain part of the brain. Not all of the brain, a certain part of the brain on her central nervous system. We wanted to deal with nobody else but him. When we run businesses, there's people, real talk, I've never seen your work so I can't even speak to it, but I just know, statistically, of photographers who are better than you. There are people who write copy better than you, people who do social better than you, people who brand better than you. So for you to out come out and position yourself as "I do all those things" without being known for one you're gonna have a hard time trying to have somebody pay you a premium for those things without commoditizing your superpower. So in order for you to convey your superpower that yes you can, I would rebrand it and say "I'm an agency. "I do certain parts of this and we bring on a team." Even if you bring on a team as just somebody for admin and your still doing all the back end, it's all good. But people just often don't understand how one person can do all these things for multiple people. Which then the next thought is every time you get a new client I can't celebrate you 'cause I'm like "Oh, less time for me." Mm-hm. That's how we'd view it. Even though if it's patently false you have to position yourself as the value and benefit and if they don't believe they're on the better end of that value and benefit, you're gonna have a very hard time selling it. Yeah, you're right. I think what got me wondering was my last gig here in Seattle. I was actually a still photographer for a Hollywood set that's being filmed here for Bollywood and you know, the producers were asking me "So what is it that you do?" And they didn't think, "Oh you actually do photography full-time." And I said, "I do, and I do this, and this, and this." "Well, which one do you like the most?" Well, I like all of them, honestly. So I guess, I don't know, I don't, it's, I guess the question is what do I want to be known for Exactly. than just a one stop shop. If my bigger vision is to become an agency, do I wanna be a famous photographer on a Hollywood set? I don't know. Do I want to be a designer? I don't know. But is it okay to be all of it right now, and practice all of it right now, if those are my backgrounds or just focus on one to attract that one ideal client? As a personal-- Do you wanna grow a profitable business right now? I do. Yes. Then yes. If you weren't, if you were just like, "I'm a state in my life where I wanna create, "and I wanna be, and I wanna feel, and I wanna do." I'd be like dude, do all of that. Like, live that. But if you're like, "I wanna grow a business." then you have to make a decision of what business you're growing. Because what happens, you're building a lot of short ladders, but short ladders don't lead anywhere, they don't lead you to the next level. I always advise that the best way you can actually pivot and grow something else is when you have a very strong vertical. Thank you sweet baby Jesus that my vertical started off in photography. I built out a tribe of people who trusted me to be the photographers that when I started speaking about something else they're like, "You did me right with photo, I'll see if I "can trust you over here with social. "I could see if we could trust you with strategy." Can I get a witness? Anybody in this room? (audience hums) Thank you. Yes. I built a vertical and transition with me. If I had said "I'm a photographer. "Hey guys, I also do social media. "Hey guys, I also do fashion blogging. "Watch my food recipes." People are like "Wait, what?" So I kind of feel like that's where the waters get a little bit murky. My encouragement to you is you either choose one and go deep, or you say "I'm building out an agency." Yeah. Then they fell like people understand an agency because they believe you have other people come along. However your back end team makes out doesn't matter but your messaging has to convey what is people getting and what're they trust. They're gonna be on the value and benefit side of that relationship. Mm-hm. No, that does help a lot. Okay. Thank you then. Thank you. Thank you. Let's give her up! (audience applauds) Okay, one more hot seat. Stand up queen, you and your pink jacket. Yes! Bringing color to the Pacific northwest. Yes, Georgia girl comin' west. (Presenter laughs) (audience laughs) It's a different world over here (laughs) and my first time this far Wow! North and west It's pretty cool. I love it! All right so, I'm a small business owner on an island resort area. What do you do? It's, the business is called, can I say it? Yes, girl! It's called Two Friends and I've been in business for 19 years. Started with a friend, she moved away, I kinda took the business. Had three stores at one time, back down to one. Reachin' that point in my life where it's "Okay, I've done this." I grew up in a family owned business. All-- What does your stor sell? Everything. Lifestyle, clothes, shoes, jewelry, baby, guy's stuff, home. Got it. Okay. Little bit of everything. Got it. So I feel like I've really gotten to where I wanna be with that Okay, good. and have some experience. And I wanna, I wanna pivot. Okay. And where I'm lookin' and thinkin' and watchin' you and I keep kinda goin' towards it is, and I have so many people who follow me. I think I have about little over 14,000 followers on the business account Beautiful. And a lot of those followers are other small business owners. Okay. And they're very interested in what we do and how we do it (clears throat), and so I, after the DM challenge I reached out to some of the people that I knew who were other business owners and said-- So time out. For those of you all who are wondering what this DM challenge is, I'm assuming you're on the inside of Social Currator. Yes. Ay, ay, ay. (audience laughs) Every month we have an accountability challenge to keep us all like on the same page. This month we are doing a Instagram direct message challenge and for 12 days straight we are giving an assignment to go, to do something with intention and you are now DM-ing people who you think ... So I identified, I forget how many, however many, Instagram shut me down on it, so you can't send any more. Did you DM me about about that? No. Oh, 'cause somebody else did. Instagram shut me down, okay. (audience laughs) Sorry. Go on. So they shut me down, but what happened is I just said "Hey, "I know you all follow and I'm puttin' together "a pre-market checklist." Because market starts in July for us. "So I've just put together a little "pre-market checklist on things I do. "I've done it for a number of years now. "Just thought I'd share it with you. "If you're interested send me your email address." Oh this is just rogue and it's old school and it's ugly and it's clunky and it's so good. I love this! (audience chuckles) 90 people Good god. Gave me their email addresses. Amazing, dude. Which is so Amazing. Cool. Amazing. It's like, okay now what? Okay. I'm like (gasps). So, so, I've kinda decided that when I go to Atlanta for market, it's a huge market, it's a huge regional market, is I wanna, I've got a friend who owns a showroom who has said I could use the showroom one evening and invite all of my friends who are gonna be there. I'm dead right now, just dead. Reached out to to come for cocktails and conversation. I'm dead. I'm dead. Okay. Okay. But then what? Oh my god, don't, don't worry! (audience laughs) Don't worry! Girlfriend (Pink Woman yells) You don't gotta I have a fever! Solve the worlds problems! Okay so, so, 'kay. (Jasmine claps) You wanna pivot. I need you to repeat after me. If I If I Do everything well If I do everything well It will take me It will take me About two years to pivot. Two years to pivot. Are you okay with that? Yes. Okay. I've given myself three. Good, even better. Because often times people wanna pivot and then they burn their list, they burn their relationships. So guess what, girlfriend, you got two years to build a tribe that come hell or high waters, say "That queen did me so right "when she was trying to figure it out." That's where I wanna be so careful not to burn that list. Well then don't charge them for anything. That's it! I haven't. 'Kay, good. (audience laughs) But, hey okay, so, But all my friends who know me and know what I do, they're like "Girl, don't give away all of our secrets." There's no such thing as secrets. There's Google. I don't know why people (audience laughs) think that there's secrets. They honest to God, I don't care if you created something proprietary, somebody did before. The Egyptians did it before you. But this kinda like I'm not even lying. (audience laughs) We create nothing new. We create nothing new. But it's kinda you told, you just told her. It's, people wanna know what your doin'. Exactly! So share it! Like I wanna know what J Star's doin'. Don't you think it's weird, do you think it's weird that I come onto Creative Live with 20 plus hours of content and I'm saying to my social audience "Watch it for free." I even said, if you're in a tight spot, watch it for free. But Talk to me. Okay, but when does the content become so redundant that they're like "Well, she's already said that." I'm not like-- How many times did you do the dream customer cheat sheet? Six. When did it finally click for you today? Today. I led you to it (chuckles). When did it finally click for you today? (audience laughs) Since January, six months. Today it clicked. It doesn't get redundant it gets clearer. It doesn't get redundant, it gets clear. I'm telling you, I've been doing this for years. So, what do you do now with the 90? You send them warm up sequence. Because when do you go to, when do you go, in July did you say? Mm-hm. The 12th kinda the cocktail party. So then what you're gonna do is your gonna send one email a week warming them up. And you're gonna send like and iPhone photo, you're hair up in a messy bun and be like "Nobody would see this in the store "but I'm gonna give you guys a sneak peak. "I'm gonna share all about this when we do our "cocktails and conversations at market. "This is where we're gonna go. "Don't tell anybody about it because it's just for y'all." 'Kay, you get them in the room, you speak to every single person as they come in. If anybody did the morning meditation, I went to every single person and I hugged them and I said "I don't want anybody leaving without a hug." Why? I need to create that personal connection because you're gonna be the ride or die. So you do that when they come into their cocktail party and then every month after that be like "Hey guys, I'm gonna be sending like a weekly "newsletter just sharing ins and outs." And slowly but surely people start asking you and positioning you as an authority and then they're gonna ask you to come and speak in their stores and in their women entrepreneurs. And you're just gonna be sharpening your teeth, sharpening your teeth, sharpening your teeth. And when you're ready to come out and position yourself as a small business owner authority, and pivoting, and branding, and physical properties, taking people to market, hosting free events, using all of your resources to host and take care of other people, you're going to be the only person. So something else that I was really, really interested in is creating a subscriptions based service. Too early. Too early. I mean, you'll burn your list. You'll burn you list. That's just it. 'Cause your gonna have a small percentage of people. Now, your saying that of your following of 14, you DM-ed about close down, about 90 people said yes. Let's just say you triple that. You have 270 people who say yes. 2% of 4% of buy from 270 on a subscription for 45 to 65 dollars a month is nothing. Stick in your store, have a sale you'll make more money there. You gotta build a much bigger list far before you ever say "I'm gonna cash in some chips." Far before.