8 “Kelseyisms” (Read: Sage Advice) For Clarity & Success In Business (Birthday Episode Special!!)

I usually always like to do something fun around my birthday. Normally I do eight tips, things I've learned lessons learned. With my birthday coming up, I thought we would do something a little different this year. 

We are going to actually dissect eight different Kelsie isms and what they actually mean. I've realized this last year, especially, there are certain things I say over and over again, whether it's to my networking groups or to my clients. And I thought it's kind of fun to dive into all of these and maybe you will learn something along the way. Maybe there's a piece of advice wrapped in some of this that would be helpful for you. But aside from that, we're gonna jump on in and dig into the eight Kelsey isms for my special birthday episode. 

1. Whisper To One Person, Don’t Scream To The Masses

Number one, something I say a lot is I would rather whisper directly to the right person than scream to the masses. What the heck does that mean? 

When I first started my coaching business, I really, really put a lot of emphasis on my social media strategy, which is hilarious. Scroll back to early 2020, 2019 content, and you will see lots of Canva graphics, lots of Oh, my God, emojis, lots of very heavy, aggressive sales convos happening. I got no bites. 

I talked about this a lot in my coaching business. When I started off, I built a course and I spent a lot of time on social media, including Pinterest. I had a Pinterest specialist when I was making no money from this. I put so much emphasis on getting quote unquote, content out there so people would come to me, and it did not work. Why didn't it work? I didn't know who I was talking to. I didn't know what I had to say to them. Put simply, I was screaming to the masses and tired because nobody was responding. 

So what really shifted honestly, was starting this networking group with my Empower Co. founders, Michelle and Taryn. It got me in front of different people in person who got to know, like, and trust me see my process, see how I work. That organic workshop I taught on social media turned into a coffee date, turned into me working with people. So all that to say that in person networking stuff really shifted my priority. 

Instead of trying to wave my arms aggressively on Instagram to get noticed, I instead focused on serving people one on one more directly or personally, and it worked out a lot better for my business. 

It's also about working smarter, not harder. When you are whispering directly to the right person, you can picture who's on the receiving end, knowing that information. You know how to package it up, you know what pain points to speak to, and you have clarity on what you're saying. You're not just speaking just to speak. 

Even this episode, like I mapped out ahead of time, different topics I want to hit with some topics under all of them. I still have an emphasis and a focus for every episode I record. It would be a lot harder for me to just wing it completely. I've done it in the beginning, I used to do that a lot. But when it comes to content creation, when it comes to promoting yourself, it's so much easier to do that when you know who you are intending to speak to. 

So that's what that whole Kelsey ism number one is. I'd rather whisper directly to that right person and scream to the masses at the end of the day. It just makes marketing easier. I know when it's working, and I know when it's not working. 

I'm also not here to be a content creator. That should be like number two, but it's not. It's wrapped into that first point. I'm not here to be a content creator, which means the strategies and hashtags and reels and tiktoks and dances that other people are using to get eyeballs on their pages are not what I am using for mine and that is okay. 

At the end of the day. I want people to book me to help them with their business. I want them to hire me as a business coach. I want them to come to my Baja business retreat in March 2024 with Karina or come to one of my networking groups. That to me is success in any marketing effort. If someone engages with me in one of those ways that I have done my job. I am not a content creator. I'm a business which means that the tools and strategies I use to promote myself are what works for business, not what works for algorithms. And that's just my personal opinion on this topic. 

2. Don’t Treat Your Marketing Like Flypaper

Kelsey ism number two, stop treating your marketing like flypaper. What does that mean? Great question. I think a lot of people put a ton of weight on the content creation part, selling the perfect reel with the right transitions, having the flat lay that performs really well, having the right audio, having the graphics that are interactive and cool and looks nice. 

With all the branding, I think people assume that one post is going to save the day for their business. When in actuality, that's very rare that it does happen. I've talked about this before, I have a past client who's in the product space and all of her businesses via social media. 

So this may sound like a social media rant. It's not social media. It's just a tool and it's about using it correctly. And my product client knows how to use it very effectively in getting sales for her business. But what she does, the choices she makes, the trends she hops on, the strategy she has looks vastly different than the service based clients that I work with. 

So all that to say, You can't treat your business like flypaper. Meaning when you follow the Tony Robbins, the Lewis Howes, the Janet Cutters, the Rachel Hollis’, the Amy Porterfields, is when you're following those people and they create content that's really catchy and engaging, that's great. They're thought leaders in their space, but they have a very established brand. So they don't need to seek people out. 

Odds are if you were posting on social media, because you need more business. It's because you need to make more money, right? So instead of just posting something and hoping it attracts the right people in–think about ways you can also reach out to people, have coffee dates, have zoom coffee dates, go to a networking event, reach out to be a guest on someone's podcast. 

Newsflash, all the guests on my show are either people that I know personally and invited on or people who have reached out to me. So go do that. Go be proactive. The point of this one is to be proactive in your marketing, don't just think that you can stick up a flyer, AKA a post on Instagram, and hope that people just come to it. The odds of that eventually leading to business, that one post –well, there’s no way to know. 

Now, if your posts have a cohesive strategy and consistency behind, sure, maybe if people see your content more and more, your name keeps popping up. And they're like, Okay, good. There's definitely something here. Awesome. That is different. I'm not talking about that. 

What I'm talking about is that one post and ghost, they spent a lot of time on that perfect real, they slap it up there. They're not on stories, they're not following up with people, they have no game plan beyond that one post. Don't be like that, because you're setting yourself up for failure. Which leads me to the next point. 

3. Failures Don’t Define You

This Kelsey ism is inspired by failed launches. Or if you're trying something new, the amount of times I launched or put something out there and it didn't stick, or I hosted an event or workshop or webinar, and people didn't come. I've lost count at this point. I just want you to know that just because something didn't work doesn't mean you have a failed business. 

I have an entire episode on how to rebound from a failed launch. So just because something doesn't work doesn't mean your business is broken. But it does mean you get to look at what did work, what didn't work and make some small adjustments. Maybe ask yourself how much you were talking about the thing. There's things you can do to recover from this, but don't let it just define you and help make you decide whether or not you have a quote unquote, good business. Things happen. 

Sometimes you put something out there and it just doesn't resonate with people. Sometimes you put stuff out there and the timing is weird. Sometimes you put stuff out there and you didn't talk about it as much as you think you did. All that to say it doesn't mean you're a bad business owner, maybe that there were other factors involved. 

I think a huge part of being a successful entrepreneur is being resilient and the ability to pick yourself up and pivot where you need to. 

4. Prioritize Taking Time Off

Kelsey ism number four. Treat your time off like a client meaning you wouldn't miss. This Kelsey ism is inspired by Kelsey the hairdresser. When I was behind the chair, I was committed to my clients. I would not cancel unless I was really sick, which meant there were times I was cutting hair where maybe I was feeling a little down that day or a little anxious or a little tired. Maybe I didn't get awesome sleep, maybe I was sore, maybe I actually came back from a wrist surgery and took out my own stitches the night before to cut someone's hair.

The commitment I had for my clients, I did not have that same level of commitment to myself, when it came to self care, drinking enough water, eating enough food, moving my body. I just had it so backwards. I was so worried about making enough money, being able to pay my bills, making sure that I had this momentum. I was hitting all these quote, unquote, goals in my business that I did not put myself first. 

I've talked to other business owners who are in the same boat. I've had clients who struggle with this. So I always pose a question to them, would you bail on yourself right now? Yes or no? Most of them would be like, I don't know what you're saying. I take care of myself. 

So I then say it this way. If a client were to be on your books for an appointment, would you bail on them? They'd be like, No, of course not, I'm showing up. I then ask, when would you not show up? The examples I gave, super sick, kid is sick, death in the family, serious stuff. Other than that, I am there. I am taking care of my client. And then my rebuttal to that is, okay, great. How do we have you have that same level of stick to itiveness? To yourself? How do we ensure that you protect and show up and commit to yourself the same way you're doing it for your client?

That's where the systems come in place, you have to find what works for you. There's no one size fits all. If I write a sticky note of to-do’s, some days, I do them. Some days, I don't.Some days, I'm really great about moving my body. Some days, I'm not so good. But at the end of the day, I know what works for me. I know if it's not working, it's time to revisit that. 

I encourage you to put it on a calendar, whether it's a digital calendar or print calendar. Find a way to prioritize yourself just a little bit every day, if that's something you struggle with. 

Now, maybe it’s an unpopular opinion – but on the flip side of this exists a world where we're almost too focused on self care. So when things aren't working in business, we just say, oh, you know what we need? We just need a full spot and we were doing a half day before we need a full day every week. Sometimes we really focus almost too heavily on that. 

There has to be an awareness of where you are your best self, but also, where are you most productive. You have to be doing things in your business that are productive and moving the needle forward. This is the Get Shit Done podcast. We're not just about dreaming up ideas and manifesting and sitting on them, we are about taking action. 

If you find yourself stuck, and you're like Kelsey, I actually do a pretty good job taking care of myself, first of all, great –that's awesome. I think that's very important. But if you still are not seeing the growth and success you're wanting in your business, ask yourself how you're spending that other time? Are you focusing on activities that actually move the needle forward for your business? Yes or no?

It's important to do that. Again, if you're someone who struggles with putting yourself first, then we got to start simply with that. I literally have my lunch on my calendar. I'll be honest, there's days I don't eat it when it's scheduled. But it serves as a reminder, oh, yeah. I do need a rest. I do need to refuel during the middle of my day. Sometimes I'll even move it to different times of the day, but at the end of the day, I make sure it happens. That is a win enough for me. So treat your time off like a client meeting you would not miss.

5. If Your To-Do List Is On Repeat, Something Needs To Change

Number five. If your to-do list keeps repeating, you either have to change your list or change the process. What does that mean? We've all been there. We've all had those to-do lists where we're overwhelmed, we sit down, we write a bunch of things that we quote unquote need to do. And then we do them. Wait, what? No, we don't. Otherwise you wouldn't be here.

If there are certain tasks that you’re writing over and over and over on your list, and they are not getting done, you gotta ask yourself, why?

If one of them is to pay taxes, that's kind of non negotiable. You can't change that to do, you have to do it. What you can change is your process of how you do it. Maybe instead of “do my taxes”, maybe you have it broken down into steps. Maybe one step is to email my accountant, maybe one step is to reconcile my QuickBooks. Maybe one step is to make an appointment with a CPA. Maybe one step is to print off all my receipts from the last quarter. Maybe the process needs to change. But in that scenario, you can't just not do your taxes, you have to do them. 

So the better question is, how can you change your process to ensure that it gets done? Here's what I mean by having things on your to do list that don't need to be on your to do list. Maybe you do your whole to-do list, and one of the things you write down is post a TikTok. My favorite question to follow up is, why is your target market there? Do you have capacity to add another marketing platform to your plate? Do you have a strategy to use that platform? Do you have guaranteed ROI? Do you know what success looks like? Is it if someone engages with you on that platform? Yes or No. 

As business owners, we get very easily distracted with potential other solutions that could help. When in fact, the less sexy and probably more important thing to do is to focus on what is already happening in your business. It probably isn't TikTok, it might just be looking at your Instagram and being like, yeah, I'm actually wasting a lot of time on there. 

Where can I create some better processes? I'm writing this blog every month. But I don't repurpose it. What if I turn that blog into five pieces of content? Maybe that would save me time so I can focus more time on that proactive marketing. It's really important to check your to-do list. Not only write it, but just be honest and check it. Again, if something's repeated over and over again and it's not getting done –in my opinion, you either got to change what you're putting on that list in the first place, or you have to find a different process to make sure that it gets done. 

If you're like me, you love a good procrastination session. There are certain things that I put off, because I don't want to do them. It's important to know why. For instance, one of them for me was recording this episode. What I had planned just wasn't exciting. I actually tried to record this episode three separate times, and it just wasn't flowing. Because what I had written out just didn't feel like me. 

So I actually just scratched it and came up with this new concept. I share that because I had on my to do list to record this for probably a solid week. But it kept going on that list and didn’t get done. I had to really ask myself before, when I was attempting this and not being successful, why am I not recording it? Why does it not feel like it's flowing? It's because I didn't like what I had mapped out. So I changed it. 

You're the business owner, you have the power to change it. That's why you're here, own it and make adjustments as you need to do it your way that you have to do it sometimes. And that's okay. 

6. Systemize Or Templatize

Number six on the Kelsey isms birthday list is you have to systemize or templatize. One thing I absolutely love to help people with is creating workflows. I love it because for so long, I was so lost. I didn't know these things existed. When I was in corporate –for those that don't know, I did consulting through the university for a hot minute– I worked with incubators and startups and investing groups and stuff. So I was in the tech world for about five seconds and there's tons of apps and processes. 

People are using Slack and Zapier and all these different automations. But I was in this role where I was just getting to know that world. Then I quit and went to hair school and then army crawled my way up into being an entrepreneur. Things have evolved and changed since then in the tech world, to where there's all these platforms that can help you run a business that I was not privy to anymore. 

Basically, there's a lot of systems out there that my clients or people I talk to have no clue exist. But I will also say they're not always the best solution. At the end of the day, what I really love to help people with in this specific area is getting clear on what works for them and why. 

There's that learning curve of learning a new tech and it's painful. Sometimes that's not the best solution. Sometimes, tech actually can get in the way. I've had that happen a couple of times where we explore tech for a client, we think about getting it set up or even we start setting it up and realize it's not the best system in place for their business. It's important to realize that before it's too late. 

I share that example because sometimes a system is as simple as steps 1 through 10 when we have a new client. Maybe it lives on a Google Doc. But what shouldn't happen is every time someone buys from you, signs up, books from you, you shouldn't have to be scrambling to take care of them. Especially if you're doing the same things over and over and over again. Let's create a system to make it easier for those repeat kinds of tasks. 

A great example in my business is the podcast. This is so systemized that it is easy peasy. We have spreadsheets, we have two different teams. I work with a video team and an audio team. We all work very well together because we have really solid systems in place. They know the end goal of the podcast, they know how long the episode should be. Once I have a guest that I want to have on, we have a process of how we get them scheduled, we have a way to keep track of making sure we get their bio, their headshots, all of that stuff. When I go to record an episode, I have clarity on the specific topics, like I just mentioned, with room for changing because I'm the boss. Systems can be amazing if done right. 

Templatizing is also something that's important and a lot of people don't talk about it. But that could be simple things like maybe when someone buys from you, you send them a really nice email. That's a template that you have saved. They don't need to know that it's a template. But those little things that you just do, semi consistently in your business instead of having to recreate it every time. What if you could just push a button? Or better yet, what if you didn't even have to do anything? What if after someone came in and got a haircut from you, they automatically got a series of emails checking in on them. How amazing would that be?

Just some ideas here. If you need help with systemising and templatizing things, you know who to hit up because that's stuff I absolutely love. 

7. If It’s Not A Hell Yes, It’s A No

Kelsey ism number seven is if it's not a hell yes, then it's a no. This one is tricky for me because I suffer from what some might call business FOMO. I have lots of dreams and goals. And when really enticing business opportunities come up, I have a hard time saying no to them. I've had to sharpen this tool more and more. 

I'm actually thankful to Sarah Anne Photography who was a guest a couple of weeks ago on the podcast. I'm really grateful for her because she is a new mom, who is also shifting her business and she shared her journey in building her “Hell No, Hell Yes” filter. She's adamant that if it's not, Hell Yes, then it's actually a Hell No. She just doesn't have the time and capacity to take on these ‘maybe’ opportunities. Now, everything she does has more focus. I thought that was really cool and I agree with it. 

I say different versions of that to my clients all the time. What I want to say to people in this is to know your why. Know why we're doing the thing. If you're going to add another stream of revenue, if you're going to increase your offer, if you're going to work an extra five hours a week, I want you to be able to answer why. If you can't answer why aside from more money, then it's not a good enough reason and you shouldn't do it.

If your why is something like, I want my kid to graduate with college with no debt, and me being able to see a couple more clients a week helps make that happen and my why is to leave a good life for her, then we can talk about you working more, even though I'm still going to tell you you shouldn't. 

The point I'm really trying to make here is that you don't have to say yes to everything. When you're a business owner, there's going to be so many opportunities inundating you. I can't tell you how many other coaches are out there that are talking to my potential clients –not in a ‘I'm threatened’ kind of way. I just mean, people are hungry for business. There's lots of different ways to do business. If you're a business coach and you're wanting to serve clients, there's so many different ways to do that. I just do it my way and I'm authentic, I'm real, I'm raw with my people and I'm not for everybody. I know that.

I say that because if you are searching for answers in other places, you will find them –which can be a blessing and a curse. Because if you are struggling with your business and you search for business tips on Tik Tok, you'll find them on Tik Tok. Maybe you end up in a rabbit hole where it's encouraging you to focus on your Pinterest strategy. I've been there where I'm thinking this Pinterest strategy is going to quote unquote, save the day in my business. 

But when you're not clear of your why and you're not clear on what you're really looking for –and you're asking for help, you're asking for resources and clarity –there's times where it can come to you and it may not be the best thing for you at that time. You have to know people's intentions at the end of the day. 

I just rag on coaching because this can happen a lot where people are just really good at marketing. They have courses that they sell, they have podcast episodes, they have different containers that they're promoting, at the end of the day, their business too, and they're wanting people to engage with them and their businesses. So you need to be really clear on what you're looking for and pursue that.

As far as the hell yes stuff goes, that also includes personal stuff. If you are a mom and your kid constantly has games on Saturdays, why are you working Saturdays? Is it because that's the only day you think your clients can come in? Well, then you need to find some new clients. Maybe that means marketing yourself a little bit more by going to a couple of networking meetings, but change your schedule to fit your life. 

Back to that hell yes, it should be a hell yes. If not, you have to get rid yourself of it. It's not for you and that's okay.

8. Define What Success Looks Like For You

That brings us to the very last Kelsey ism number eight. I ask my clients this all the time. What does success look like for this? Here's what I mean by that. When we're working on a new social media strategy, when we're working on a better onboarding workflow for clients, when we're working on productivity for the team, we have to define what success looks like, because otherwise, we'll never know if we get there. 

I encourage you to start at number eight and define what does success look like for you right now. What does that look like? What does it feel like? What does it allow you to do? What are you doing with that free time? How do you feel once you've achieved it? 

When you know where you're going and why you're doing it, you can take on the world once you have clarity on that. Then you just have to go do it. That's the part no one talks about because there's no secret sauce –it's just the doing of it. I have had some of my best revenue months ever in the last quarter. I am not doing anything different. I am not doing anything earth shattering. I am just doing the same thing over and over again.

I hope you take that to heart too. I hope this equips your toolkit with some Kelsey isms. Picture a little Kelsey on your shoulder cheering you on as you execute on these things. I encourage you to have some focus going into your business. I hope that you define what success looks like. Because I think that's game changing to have that not only for your overall business, but everything that you do every new thing you're putting out there. It just helps you have clarity on what works and what does not. That's where we can start really being proud of the progress we're making and stop comparing ourselves to what other people are deeming as success in their journey because it's your own journey.