I’ve been spending a lot of time this year (2020) in the virtual company of Eli Trier.
Her Big Why is all about community and as she, quite rightly, points out that it’s very tough to have success running a biz without people.
And me?
Well, it’s fair to say, I’m a hell of a lot more comfortable configuring a system or designing a process flow than hanging out in online groups or going to networking meetings (wistful gaze back to pre-2020).
But Hell Yeah Tech exists to help one-person businesses do the online thing without getting mired in tech and admin.
Big CLUE there… people.
Hell Yeah Tech would not exist without people.
As 2020 sets on the horizon, Eli issued a challenge to ask who we wanted to let into our business.
Here’s my answer (but it ain’t all about me, so I’ll pop a link to Eli’s post at the end, so you can do this for yourself)…
The Red Flag People
I’m very clear on who I do not want. (If you’re ever unclear on what you do want, it’s often easier to start with, what you don’t want).
I defo do not want ultra-hassle bro dude types who use sneaky persuasion tricks to get you to buy.
I’m not keen on what Maggie Patterson from Small Business Boss calls the “celebrity entrepreneur” and what Kelly Diels calls, the “Female Lifestyle Empowerment Brand” (FLEB)!
Why do I not want these people?
Coz it’s all style over substance, smoke and mirrors, glossy on the surface and grainy underneath…
It’s all about them and not about the client.
So… no bro dudes or celebrity entrepreneurs or FLEBS!
That still leaves a LOT!
My other Red Flags are people who say…
“This is how it is”
I prefer… “This is how I see it”
“You have to do this”
I prefer… “You may benefit if you do this”
“Just get on with it”
I prefer… “if you’re procrastinating a lot, it may be worth taking a step back to figure out why”
Side note >> I have seen copy online at the start of this pandemic telling biz owners that if they aren’t 100% on it, they’re somehow “unprofessional” or not cut out for running a biz. It’s a f*ing pandemic!
Most of my clients are female and sadly a lot of the family / emotional work still falls to women. This pandemic has been an exceptional time and if you, reading this, have let balls drop over the past year, that’s perfectly understandable.
Congratulations, you’re a human.
Back to the show…
Recap of my major Red Flags …
- Black and white thinkers who lack empathy.
- People who aren’t connected to any goals. They see only the Big Vision and want it now! They don’t want to take small steps.
- People who treat me like a flunky, there to do their bidding… I’m not a human-mouse that people talk into until websites fall out.
- Super scatty people, who are so attracted to being creative they don’t check email… ever!
(I’m not talking about people who are creative but make the time to do the more grounded tasks even though that’s not their forte. I salute those people)
Please don’t think I’m judging these types of people and filing them under “NO HOPE EVER”. I have zero desire to mould the world to my image.
Here’s the Game-Changing point…
I asked myself… “who do I become when I work with the Red Flag people?”
With the first type, I become self-doubting and full of shame.
With the second type, I become confused and ungrounded.
With the third, I become aggressive and bad-tempered!
With the last type, I turn dismissive and bossy.
I don’t like myself when I’m like any of the above.
And more importantly, it’s a shitty working relationship! The Red Flag people will not have a good experience working with me.
(By the way, we can all be a little bit like the Red Flag People at times. The Red Flag People are like that for the majority of the time and that’s the difference.)
If you’re reading this thinking…
“oh yeah, shit! I’m like that sometimes so Jenn would never work with me”
The fact you’re even thinking that shows you are very self-aware, and I probably would work with you.
So, now I’ve seen how I don’t enjoy being, my next question to myself was…
“How do you want to feel?”
I want to feel calm, grounded in control and inspired.
So, I work with people who make me feel like that.
Which leads to my Green Flag People…
I keep this list handy when I have a Disco Call (my word for a Discovery Call) with a potential client.
- A clear website with offers on it.
- Consistent creation, they have blog posts or social media posts or newsletters or podcasts… or usually a mix of these.
- Replies to emails in good time (2-3 days).
- Turns up for calls on time (within 5 mins or so is ok).
- Understands diversity, that people are different and that there are many paths to goals.
- Interested in me as a person.
- Doesn’t bite off more than they can chew but remains ambitious (yep, that’s a balancing act!).
- References something I’ve created, like my website.
- Clear on their goals and their direction.
- Has a sense of humour.
- Exudes joy.
- Is committed to self-development doesn’t see themselves as a fait accompli. They know they are human and flawed but they’re not trying to be perfect.
- Cares deeply about their clients, their biz isn’t all about them.
The rationale behind the Green Flags?
I work with people who know what they do, why they do it and how their clients benefit.
If that’s not you right now, that’s ok.
It just means you’re at too early a stage to benefit from working with me.
Your best bet is to get onto my newsletter and follow me on social media. You’ll get a lot of help just from that.
I work with people who have some kind of organisation in place. If not, projects drift and drift.
If you’re struggling with this, my top recommendation is Louise Miller, she helps people sort out the spaghetti in their heads and she does it with so much kindness.
If they’re interested in me as a person and they reference something I’ve created it demonstrates to me that they’re not seeing me as the human-mouse, there to do their bidding. It also demonstrates an interest in people in general, which indicates they care about their clients.
I work in partnership with people on their biz. I also understand that life still goes on and it can throw curveballs.
When I do my Deep Dive calls with clients, if they seem off, I will ask them how they are feeling.
I can then adjust how we work together to encompass what’s going on for them.
That might be moving a deadline or changing a goal. It’s about being flexible because outcomes always matter more than tasks.
I work with people who accept love is love, trans rights are human rights, black lives matter, the patriarchy damages society and that women don’t need to lose weight to have a fab life.
That we are all different and we are all equal.
So, there you have it.
This is who I invite into Hell Yeah Tech.
If that’s you and you could use a hand getting your tech ducks in a row, you have three options…
- Join my newsletter or as I call it, the “Chill Out Area”. Every Friday I send emails to help you manage the tech side of your business without resorting to gin.
- Book a chat with me. I’m not going to beat you into submission. We just talk and we see if I can help. If not, I can point you in the right direction.
- Drop me an email. There’s a form at the bottom (coz I set up a blog post template and the form appears automatically and setting it up was so much fun ?)
This post was inspired by Eli Trier.
If you’d like to consider who you want to invite into your biz, I encourage you to read Eli’s post here
