For this episode of “I’m a Millionaire! So Now What?” I share some highlights from the discussion I had with Susan Diaz and Will Lamont of C+P Digital. They are the back-end support for this production and they wanted to ask me about the value of fractional marketing.

 

We touched on many of the themes that have been flowing out of the interviews and discussions here on my podcast. Team collaboration, the “Who Not How” mindset, mental health, vulnerability, the drivers of business value, and so much more. I invite you to be that fly on the wall during this conversation about the value of not trying to do everything ourselves. The value of having a team, whatever that team may look like. And…  just taking risks, being vulnerable and trying and testing things.

 

Focus, flow, and frankness

Susan asked me how one can make valuable relationships. Is it accidental or the result of a carefully nurtured networking system? What leads entrepreneurs to the right relationships that give you the ‘Who’?

 

“It’s a bit of both. Having focus, but also going out and looking for the people that you need to collaborate with, the people that you need to hire. It’s about creating relationships, being curious, having conversations and building your network. They end up melding together. There's a saying about where you focus, your results will flow. So, it's a little bit about where your energies are and where you're looking. It can come together for you if you're open to it.”

 

Susan shared the story of how we started working together:

“Colleen and I met a few times at different events. We knew what one another did and there were some synergies. That said, there was a post I wrote about mental health and antidepressants, which is what made you pick up the phone and call. We always say you don't have to go out there and display your shame stories willy-nilly to the world. But you do want to show up authentically and let people see who you are behind the business talk. And our relationship is an example of this.”

 

It’s hard to be your own worst critic

We discussed some of the uncomfortable positions or situations I’ve found myself in – and while they made me vulnerable, they took me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to build deeper connections and relationships.

 

From vulnerable business moments in Double to Sell, where I had to renegotiate a contract due to Covid-19. To sharing my own personal stories about mental health. And even producing video.

 

“When I look at those videos in the past, I might have said it's not going out. We're our own worst critic! I was so conscious of how I was sitting or how I looked. But I said, I'm going to go ahead and put this out. What I have to say is meaningful. It helped that the (C+P Digital) video production was able to incorporate other pieces of design, so nobody would really notice how I was hunching over. It was uncomfortable to watch and think that I can't re-record it without losing all the other moments.”

 

Perfection blocks progress

“I have to keep reminding myself that it is about progress, not perfection. Like anything else, it’s about practicing being okay. Starting with one thing at a time, maybe not being perfect, but getting it out there. I think that also goes back to this idea of ‘Who Not How’, of having to be perfect and having to know how to do everything. If you have to be perfect, and everything has to run through you as the entrepreneur and the founder and the CEO – you could become the bottleneck. One of the drivers of value in a business is how well you can release that control, because if you happen to be away or need to recharge and have a vacation, does your business slow down?”

 

Don’t underestimate the value of your time

According to Susan: “A system doesn't get built until you stop doing it, teach it to someone else, and then let them bring their own flair to it.”

 

In the beginning, it doesn’t save time to set up a system. It’s probably faster to do it yourself. But if you keep doing it yourself, you’re not freeing up any time!

 

We chatted about:

• The Kolbe System

• Gay Hendricks and his book, The Big Leap and your zone of competence

• Why you need to find your zone of genius – and outsource the rest to people in their zone of genius

• How your life stage or business stage can affect the ‘investing time to learn something yourself vs hiring out’ decision

 

Lastly, the importance of a centralized structure or ownership over what you’re outsourcing.

 

“I had Susan and trademark specialist Cynthia Mason on I'm a Millionaire! So Now What? where we talked about how the previous producers of my show had set things up behind the scenes that I couldn’t access with my login. And it created a vacuum where nobody could find my podcast for some time. So, while you may not need to know how to do everything, you do need an overall sense of what's going on and have access and control of your properties.

 

Have a listen for more tips from myself and my fractional marketing team!

 

Whether you’re at the helm of a thriving business or start-up, or looking to exit, I’m interested in your story. Reach out and connect with me.

 

If you’re craving elevated conversations and to explore and create during the still-quite-tumultuous environment of the pandemic, I’d love to hear from you. Look out for Elevated Conversations on 17^th June on how to make yourself redundant, and of course more roundtables will be coming up this Fall. Along with the next Double to Sell 2021!

 

I look forward to connecting with you.