“I don’t think anyone has as many failed businesses as I have.”
I heard that quote from an entrepreneur I admire yesterday (whose name I’m keeping private because it was a swanky private call) and instantly felt relief. Someone else was admitting to failing at business—not just that, but someone successful was admitting to failing and failing a lot. How refreshing!
He shared “his number,” and I felt even better.
Oddly enough, I also felt like it was time to get to work (methodical, strategic work, that is) because I was nowhere near his number.
Mistakes, failures, and hurdles aren’t shamed or shied away from in the entrepreneurial world. They’re celebrated.
You know who you won’t hear celebrating failed ventures?
Podiatrists won’t gloat about the number of failed osteotomies they have under their belt
Law enforcement doesn’t brag about the number of people who got away from them
Firefighters don’t share the number of acres that could have been prevented from burning had they shifted their strategy
Rock climbing guides don’t celebrate the number of times the rope system failed (yikes)
In the “real world,” I surround myself with many people whose professional lives involve a lot of necessary perfectionism. Celebrating something that didn’t go as planned is so foreign to them that it is often shamed.
For years, I felt like something was wrong with me because of this. I couldn’t talk to them about my entrepreneurial world because I actually wanted to share my failures. I struggled to share the wins with them because those were “expected” rather than seen as a challenge I’d just conquered.
Ever notice how we tend to live in pockets?
For too long, I felt like I was walking this entrepreneurial journey alone. I felt ashamed when things would go wrong. It wasn’t until I added a few new pockets to my life that things started to perk up.
Morning voice notes for accountability and support with my fellow entrepreneurial friend who is walking the same journey
A small group of business owners from my church who are walking a faith-based entrepreneurial journey
A Voxer thread with fellow moms who are building businesses alongside their children and can understand the range of emotions every time our kids go into a new grade (also the same range of emotions when our kids are suddenly kept home from school because they’re sick)
A Signal channel with a good friend in South Africa who I’ve walked through dozens of fires with in this business (and life) journey
Notice something about these pockets? They’re filled with people who are in the fire with me.
They’re filled with people who will celebrate failures just as much as they celebrate successes.
They’re filled with people who will nudge (and often shove lovingly) me out of my comfort zone and get me excited to take action instead of worrying about what will go wrong every time I share something new.
Speaking of new things, I have a new pocket for you to add to your entrepreneurial pants:
Introducing: The FREE (For Now) Content Club
You deserve to have a space that gives you this same loving safety paired with a healthy dose of accountability to feel more confident in sharing your voice in your business.
You deserve a space that will celebrate with you when your newsletter gets a record number of replies.
You deserve a space that will inspire you with fresh perspectives on this wild, constantly changing world of content marketing.
You deserve a space filled with people walking inside the proverbial fire with you.
That’s why I created The Content Club—a free (for now) community where you can discuss all things related to content creation for your business.
Once we hit a certain number of members, there will be a small monthly fee to join because the power of these connections is just that strong. Jump in now and you’ll secure your spot for free for life.
PLUS, I’ve Lowered the Price of Content Creation Lab!
The Content Creation Lab, where you get templates and training to simplify your newsletter, blog, podcasting, and social media efforts every week, has just seen a price reduction, too!
Here’s the backstory to that decision.
I launched the Content Creation Lab in June with the anticipation that people would want more hands-on help every month. The reality was that most people wanted the templates each month and the chance to get that hands-on feedback when needed.
I've pivoted my approach rather than charging for services they weren’t using and keeping other entrepreneurs away because the price tag was too high.
Now, you can jump inside the Content Creation Lab and get this private community PLUS weekly templates for your newsletter, blog, podcast, and social media, a framework for finding your voice so those templates always sound like YOU, and support on monthly connection calls.
If you want me to review a specific piece of content, you’ll get a discounted rate every time you need that service rather than paying it monthly.
If you want extra hands-on 1:1 support from me, you’ll get that at a discounted rate whenever you want to schedule a private Voxer session to work through a sticky point with your content or even have me write your content for you at a discounted rate.
In other words, you’ll only pay for what you use.
I've lowered the price so that it's more accessible to more people. I could only do that by shifting the model so that members pay only for what they use.
That’s what I call integrity in business — creating paths for people to get the help they need without taking out a second mortgage or maxing out their credit cards.
I’m inside the Content Club right now answering questions about how I came to that decision if you’re on the fence about making a pivot in your own business. Come ask. Let’s talk as you rub elbows with your new entrepreneurial friends inside.
It’s time to up your content marketing game!
It’s time to get your voice heard and get your ideas out into the wild!
(This free price tag is only available until we reach a certain number of members inside, so don’t hesitate to jump in and lock in that $0 price tag)
And, if you’re eager for more support with your content creation, will you join the Content Creation Lab at the new rate?
~ Kimberly