The Exceptions to The Rules Part 2! - When I Grow Up

The Exceptions to The Rules Part 2! - When I Grow Up Color Outside the Lines by JM Design I wrote  The Exceptions to The Rules back in December, and have been keeping the idea of a follow-up to it in my back pocket since then. It sparked lots of comments conversation as well as kudos thanks, so I cant stop myself from busting more Rules finding even more Exceptions! The Rule: “You have to be an expert before you can offer up your services! The Exception: I have a feeling I can point to anyone here (including myself!), but I wanna point ya to  Halley Gray. She doesnt have a marketing degree and never had her own full-time biz, but yet her sweet spot is absolutely working with creative entrepreneurs on their marketing strategy (seriously, shes super smart passionate bout it). Did she say she had to get a masters or write a book or work in PR or get 10,000 followers before she put an offering on the table? No. Instead, she reached out to her peeps offered them a package where she gives the once-over to their site/shop/online homes sends em actionable items to implement right away thatll fill the gaps in reaching their ideal clients/customers. About a year later, that’s translated to  a $1200 offering with just 1 spot left before October! How to adapt: OK, theres absolutely a line here. Sure, its pretty difficult to work with someone on, say, writing copy if you have NO IDEA where youd start, what itd look like, and what you can be sure of delivering to them. So, spend some time (but not too much!) mapping out what your process would be for that offer (i.e. ask if theyre interested via email - book consultation upon confirmation - set deadline(s) - check in weekly - deliver copy by July 1 - ask for testimonial) and make sure you tell them upfront that theyd be your guinea pig. That way, youre able to confidently Take Charge while giving yourself permission to be a bit messy. And if youre having trouble figuring out how to shape that offer, hone in on whatd be Fun and Easy for you + whatever Phase One is (aka the quickest way for you to get your stuff out to the world).  This can also help, because everything worth doing takes time! The Rule: “You wont succeed unless you offer something radically different than everyone else! The Exception: Me! I couldnt resist this one because Ive been conducting this experiment a lot lately. Humor me and  click on this link to go to a Google search for creative career coach. Now, open all the non-video links on the first page or two into new Tabs take a look at all of us. We all have the same title, but arent there differences between us? Who does it seem our target audiences are? Whats our site design + copy trying to express? What are the similarities and the differences in our offerings? Conduct this experiment and then tell me that we should all call ourselves something else and/or there’s not room for all of us and the work we do.  (This is obviously hypothetical ‘cause I know you can’t/won’t. We CAN all share this title and there IS totally room for all of us!) How to adapt: As Twyla Tharp says in  The Creative Habit, “Honey, it’s all been done before. Get over yourself.” It’s called “ballet” or “impressionism” or “folk music” because everyone knows what that means. Take the pressure off that  you have to be the one to create “farfeling” or The Schmoover Dance. (Although I encourage you to tell me what those are in the comments!) The Rule: “You cant be a successful entrepreneur AND an introvert! The Exception: Beth Buelow is the easy choice here, because she created a business around this!  The Introvert Entrepreneur focuses on what it means to be an “innie” in an “outtie” world. Her results speak for themselves. Can we say 16,000+ Facebook fans plus a thriving coaching, speaking and writing biz? How to adapt: Uh, this probably seems obvious, but dig in to Beth’s stuff from the links above!  This and  this also offer great tips. Remember, the most outgoing does  not always win! What does win is being authentically yourself, as cliche as it sounds. The Rule: “You can never change your business/name/offerings once youve been established. The Exception:  Jessica Lively. I remember getting  Jess announcement that she was closing her jewelry shop back in December and being so super excited for her (if not a bit shocked!). You can tell that she was so passionate about her blog, Makeunder My Life, and the Life With Intention platform that it created for her. But walking away from a successful business that you started at the age of 15 have worked full-time on for 5 years is no joke. Its been amazeballs to witness her transition see all her recent success in being someone who help(s) people refine (or define) their purpose and determine the next steps to make their vision a reality, whether its in their lives, their homes, or their businesses. How to adapt: If you know what youre working on now isnt your Forever Career, make some Baby Steps every week towards what your Forever Career might be start a new series on your blog around your passion, join a  Meetup group to meet people who love what you love, start telling your audience about your upcoming transition, etc. I have a hunch Jess would say that attaching her initial blog, Makeunder Your Life,   attracted the people who now look to her as an expert in designing lives With Intention. That makes the announcement/transition easier for your people and lets you keep the majority of the audience youve spent so long engaging with. Did I miss any other rules? Any exceptions? I’d be happy to make a Part 3 if there are more Rules to break and/or more RuleBreakers to spotlight. Let me know in the comments!