This season’s podcast theme is all about the beliefs and rules and all the things that hold us back from finding success in our businesses. In this podcast episode, we’re talking about the idea that something's not going to work. And how, because you’re stuck on that thought, you won’t be able to move past it.
Joining the discussion is Susan Diaz, founder and CEO of c+p digital, a digital marketing agency with a strong focus on delivering effective content as a tool for conversion. She began her full-time entrepreneurial journey in 2011 as a new mom and recent immigrant to Canada and has grown c+p to a communication consultancy with deep niche knowledge in small business growth, finance, technology, and health. Susan is big on building flexible dream teams, and her team vision involves blurring the lines between ‘agency and client’, creating a model that brings senior talent together in a way that prioritizes accountability and growth.
Susan has witnessed many people second guess themselves before doing new things – especially in marketing. Social media, in particular, is an area where many business owners hesitate because they don’t believe it will ever work. They don’t believe they will get any likes or comments, and in the end, that mindset is blocking them.
Breaking down why you think it won’t work
There is a blocking belief that something is not going to work because it never works. It's not going to work cause it's too hard. It's not going to work because you don't have time. We get really good at finding all the ways things aren't going to work and so we wait to start anything new – and sometimes we never start.
As a marketer, marketing for her own business has remained a challenge for Susan. It's the reason she stepped out and let somebody else do it on many occasions. For Susan, it was the fear of the work involved to prove that something works.
One example is Susan’s podcast called the 4 am Report. She didn’t want to do it. She questioned if the world needed another podcast about marketing. She kept pushing back and saying it wasn’t going to work because it takes so much time. Susan’s partner kept pushing and so she decided to trust him. Together they started with $500 and a lot of hard work. Things were not going to happen unless she put the work into it. Once she realized that and started doing the work – things happened.
Does it fit your goals?
If you know why you're doing something and you have a proper plan to do it, even if it feels scary or hard or that it's going to be a lot of work, if it fits your goals, then it fits. You just need to make sure that whatever you are doing is going to be fun or make it fun. So, if you want to create content, but you’re not sure where to start, but realize you like talking, then talking is a good way to create content.
By launching the podcast, Susan was able to look at her business and the marketing of her business, differently. She saw the impact the business was creating and what leads they were getting out of it. She and her partner didn't set out to be a podcast production company, but they’re slowly becoming one – and that's an opportunity so long as they believe it will work and go forward with it.
Are you having fun?
Having fun while working is important. The podcast needs to be some level of fun for Susan and her partner to make it doable. Often people get stuck in the belief that things are supposed to be hard in order for them to be fruitful. But when we're having fun doing things, they're better. When we get too hung up on vanity metrics, and when we get too hung up on exactly what it was supposed to look like versus being curious as to how it's all going to come together, it generally works out better.
What are you focussing on?
If you’re waiting to do something, such as digital marketing, you could easily talk yourself out of it by saying you don’t have time, etc. You could be really good at doing your social media marketing, for example, but it could take up half your day and that’s time you should be spending on your business. You should be focusing your efforts on a few things, trying to see where your time is well spent. You need to ask yourself where your best successes come from and focus on that.
Work shouldn’t scare you. Everything can seem hard when there is many steps. With Susan’s podcast, she had to figure out what to talk about and find a guest on that subject. When she and her partner started, they thought they were going to have to convince all their friends, but eventually it got to a place where that wasn’t needed. Now they book potential guests in a calendar.
It’s about seeing that there are 20 steps ahead of you, and taking the first step. Focus on what the first thing is that needs to be done and focus on one task at a time. Once you have done the first thing, it'll give you that little hit of adrenaline that comes from having achieved something and then you'll do the next one and then the next one, and before you know it, all 20 tasks are done and 20 steps are done.
The key behind not getting caught and overwhelmed when you have one million things to do before having success is to take one step at a time. The overall goal can feel like a lot of pressure, but if you break things down into one at a time and do things one at a time, it will feel a lot easier and less overwhelming.
Celebrate the wins
Getting things done is worth celebrating. So, make sure to take the time to celebrate everything you do. Celebrate all the doing in the middle.
To learn more about Susan and her business c+p digital, check out her website, including the free marketing resources section, as well as her podcast, the 4 am Report.
Resources & Links
Join my Free Facebook Community
Book a free 30-minute call with me
Subscribe on Stitcher
Podcast editing done by Eric Wellman