I want you to rant more
For the first few years of my business, I tried to write web copy and newsletters.
And they were fine.
But completely generic.
And totally miss-able.
My first business coaching website!
Every business owner wants to have health, wealth, and worth (my 2021 tagline) or “grow without the grind” (from 2022).
Who doesn’t want more money, more time, more freedom, more flexibility, more connection to your soul?
I saw some of my early posts when I was archiving them to quit Instagram, and boy have I evolved.
For example, a post from 2021
Like, this is fine?
It’s true?
This was the start. I was writing and posting content that attempted to be concise, with a depth level that could fit on an Instagram post. I wanted to be snappy with my web copy.
But this content could be published by anyone in the business building and operations space. I’m not even sure I could articulate what re-imagining your business meant. I had no brand identity because I didn’t have a business identity.
So I started to dive in.
Early in 2022, I took Kelly Diels’s Copywriting for Culture Makers course. In that course, she encouraged us to think about the villain we were against with our work and use that concept in my copy.
In that era, I was really learning about the history of capitalism and the impact that it had on my worldview.
So of course, the “villain” keeping entrepreneurs from sustainable businesses is capitalism and the patriarchy and oppressive systems, right?
But I found when I presented the challenges at the societal, systemic levels, I wasn’t clear on the specific impact it had on my potential clients and how I could help. I saw some alignment with people about the problems… but I wasn’t getting clients.
I wasn’t clear on the day-to-day challenges for my potential clients: what they were struggling with and the points when they’d be looking for support.
I wasn’t clear on how my work actually solves those tangible problems while being aware of the larger issues at play.
Most importantly, I didn’t have a clear voice at the more practical level of really what I do and how I think. I had branded myself a spiritual-meets-strategic business coach but almost completely hid my business training, ignoring my operations consulting skill set and corporate background (because McKinsey, HBS, and Nike are all slightly tarnished beacons of capitalism - see John Oliver’s skit).
An evolution of my message and branding
So I kept digging - and started ranting.
In 2023, I hired a writing coach and then joined Jay Acunzo and Mel Deziel’s Creator Kitchen.
I also started guesting on podcasts which has been an effective way to aerate my ideas.
I felt in my bones that I would write my way to depth. And verbal process my way to depth. I needed some long-form opportunities to both explore my questions and demonstrate expertise.
So as I started writing for my book and for this newsletter, my real anger and frustration with the solutions on the market started to come out. Partially because those were initial assignments given to me 😃
I started raging against the pressure to give up your weekends or to engineer every ounce of free time out of your day in order to be “productive.”
Against the perception that social media and marketing are synonymous.
Against the advice to hire your first full-time employee early on.
Every coach asked me to write longer. To talk longer. To think harder and feel more deeply beyond the initial 30 seconds of polished, glib, content that’s designed to be palatable at a networking event.
And as I wrote, and as I talked, I started getting specific - because you have to get specific when you talk on a podcast for 45 minutes or write a 1,000 word post.
I was no longer, as Jay says, “Marketing Sam.” I was “Two-Drink Sam.”
And I started to find my voice.
I found I was really ranting about how the Entrepreneurial Casino dangles “the secret to success” in front of you, promising how it’s easy to grow and 'scale', and “you can do it too, just take one more gamble” - and doesn’t tell you the risks! Doesn't tell you the odds! Doesn’t tell you the nuance! Doesn’t tell you what to consider about why that boilerplate advice doesn’t work for you! Doesn’t acknowledge that relentless growth might not match your vision and values!
(We’re seeing that now - the de-scaling and burnout from biz owners that once reached $1M.) Here are some examples from some female business owners. And here’s some from the Twitter/YouTube-sphere.
I was raging about how the House almost always wins. The “7-fig” business gurus making money are often capitalizing on your hopes and dreams - and the lack of business-building education that’s easily accessible - and selling you solutions that might not work for your business at exorbitant price points.
But as I continued ranting and raging…. I started going beyond the rant and started getting curious instead.
Getting curious about the gap I see for education and foundational business frameworks for knowledge-based entrepreneurs beyond the basics. (Unless you’re willing to consume reams of information and/or pay for a ton of education, hi, this is my life).
I realized that while we aren’t startups dealing with funding and debt, B2B businesses, or brick-and-mortar businesses, there’s a lot we can learn when we break down industry silos and work from first principles about business.
And I fundamentally started to believe that my dharma in this world is to democratize access to high-quality small-business training and demystify the “secrets” so we’re all working from a more transparent place.
Because the challenge is not the knowledge. The real challenge is the practice of doing hard things over a long period of time.
My current point of view
The biggest unlock in my business has been deepening my voice through writing.
Because as I started to rant more, write more, dive deeper, and frankly express more about how I felt about the solutions on the market - and really lean into how I was different - my voice started to appear.
If you’re on this newsletter, it’s because you find value in long-form writing and classes that are grounded in tangible frameworks and targeted information.
(If that isn’t you, feel free to unsubscribe at anytime).
Once I started going down this path, I couldn't stop. I was starting to be honest and determine my role in the world and in my business.
And how did it start? It started with ranting about:
What’s the problem facing my clients?
What frustrates me about the solutions in the market? What’s broken in the space?
How does my worldview impact how I see these gaps?
What vision do I hold for the world (related to my work)?
Who am I most compelled to serve, and why?
Now of course, you’ll need to also dive more deeply into your vision, your solution, your deeply held belief about what’s possible for those you work with. But once you’ve delved into your frustrations, the vision becomes easier to hold.
My wish for you: rant more.
If you can, write it. Put it on your website. Keep it in your journals (though I encourage you at some point to start being public).
If writing isn’t your creative practice, then find a friend. Get on the computer and talk to each other - REALLY talk, until you get past all of the conditioning about what we’re allowed to say in polite company and dive in. Record it and transcribe it.
Feel the feels that come when you read your deepest thoughts, or hear yourself speak them out loud.
And see how being more honest makes an impact on how you show up in all kinds of ways.
Honesty about the clients you best work with and the problems you’re best set to solve. Honesty about your approaches and your tools. Honesty about your business model and what you’re really doing this for (because it might not be about the money beyond a point). And… how this honesty helps you show up in shorter-form ways.
