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Welcome to Amplify Your Authority, the podcast where innovative marketing meets heart-centered entrepreneurship. Join Marissa Shadrick, an award-winning international speaker, Ray Edwards certified copywriter, and personal brand expert. You'll gain insights into the external strategies for business growth and how to navigate the internal journey of entrepreneurship. Now get ready to amplify your authority in a competitive digital world. And now is your host, Marissa Shadrick.

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Hello, hello, and welcome to the Amplify Your Authority podcast. I'm Marissa Shadrick, online marketing coach and certified copywriter. And today we're going to talk about an interesting topic. This is a topic that isn't normally addressed and talked about, how to adapt and how to thrive and mastering the art of online business resilience. It really comes down to those small acts of courage that we exercise every single day to move forward, to test, to innovate, to show up like we never have before. And when life begins to change and the market changes, it can create some challenges for us. So I think this is a topic that might resonate for you. So I wanted to give you just three key points, and I'll give them to you up front. Some of the things that I think really helps people succeed consistently online. The first one is embrace innovation and testing. People don't necessarily like to test things because they're afraid of failure, but we're going to talk about that a little bit. The second is to acquire wisdom or insights as opposed to just information. There's a difference between the two, and we're going to talk about that. And the third point I want to make is cultivate a healthy mindset. These three, I feel time and time again, in my own experience and also in interacting with peers and talking to other mentors, these are things that I think we always see consistently. Maybe it's not so obvious, but it's happening and it really helps people continue to thrive and move forward. So let's get started. Let me pull up my notes here. And the first point I'm going to make is that it's important for all of us, solopreneurs or small business owners, to always embrace innovation and testing. My goodness, there are so many things that are evolving on a daily basis now. There's so many new things, so much information that is now it's hard to keep up. It's hard to keep up with all of the changes that are going on. But when it comes to our own business, we need to figure out for our industry, for what it is we're trying to accomplish, for the goals that we've set throughout the year, how are we going to innovate? How are we going to adapt and change or adjust or add or remove something to be able to see if it will give us a little bit more of the results that we're looking for? And in order to do that, when we innovate, when we start putting in our creativity hat and we start thinking of other ways, maybe to prospect, other ways to get in front of other audiences, we begin to test. And test is just that. Test is to see how it's going to land, how it's going to be able to create the results that you want. And sometimes the tests aren't that great. You don't get a good grade on the test, but it's an opportunity to learn and it's an opportunity to adjust and review. And sometimes the test goes really well, and we uncover a whole new way of operating that we would have never discovered had we not tested. Even people that use ads, they test, they test headlines, they're always testing to see which one is going to resonate. And then they shut down all the other ads and they stay with the one that is working and converting. So the best example I can give you about innovating and testing is when we all went through that season of the pandemic. Everything changed, everything shifted, right? Many businesses, like in retail, in hospitality. At the time, I was living in Vegas and we saw literally the strip was empty. No people, no cars, nothing. Just a little bit of litter that was just kind of blowing across the street in the wind. That was it. There was nothing there. It was the oddest, strangest thing I ever saw to see the Las Vegas Strip so empty with not a person in sight during the pandemic. It really was kind of eerie, but hospitality was affected. Entertainment. Obviously, Las Vegas was an entertainment capital and a lot of that shut down. And so all of that pivoted. Education, you know, my granddaughter had to begin to stream on Zoom and do her lessons. You know, we had to create all these little areas of offices throughout the house for everybody to work at home, right? Because my husband and I already worked at home, but my daughter and granddaughter didn't. So we what had to make up these little corners where everybody would be in their corner on Zoom. So a lot of things changed for even for students changed. And even churches that weren't prepared and weren't streaming services, all of a sudden it's like, oh my gosh, how do we reach people? You know, because there was a lot of things going on. Elderly needed food, all kinds of things are going on. So with all the limitations, people began to see what can we do? It's not so much what can't we do? And this is what we have to consider when we're trying to grow our business. We figure out what can't we do. That's easy to figure out. Okay, I can't do this. Well, why can't you do this? And figure out what can you do? Is there a different way of doing it? So many businesses had to pivot during that time and think of new ways of connecting with their prospects, connecting with their clients. And they had to pivot and reinvent strategies, what would work. And um, in the testing, you know, people would test something, and if it worked, then other people would adopt it as well. New ways of doing business. Remember, there was kind of that drive-up service where people could drive up and and pick up things, especially pharmacies. They had that kind of a drive-up thing where one person came out all covered up with a mask and everything, and they would, you know, everything would be as touchless as possible. And so we have all those drive-through type things. And then through this, there was a lot of ideas and innovation that came out of it that's still practiced today. So the the outcome not only helped during that time, but it just was a time that to see that there was a better way of doing things, that the same old, same old could have stood some improvements. One of the things, for example, one of the results were people adapting more to technology. People didn't know about Zoom. Like what's a Zoom? And now everyone knows, from students to elderly. Elderly were connecting with family members on Zoom. Remember those days in the holidays where you couldn't connect and gather together, and people were connecting via Zoom. So everybody was aware of Zoom now, not just online entrepreneurs. So Zoom has become something that has allowed businesses to offer like hybrid opportunities for employees where they can work at home, but also just come in for major meetings or events and be able to have a balance, like work-life balance and work from home. So some of these things really ended up resulting in some great ways of conducting business. The other thing was the QR codes. QR codes kind of came and went back in, I don't know, it was like it was back in 2015, around that time. And I thought they were great, but it just didn't, it didn't catch on. And then all of a sudden we saw the re-entry of the QR codes as people were trying to be touchless. And I used them when we started even going back to our familiar ways and start things were opening up and we were starting to go to workshops and conferences. That would be a way that I would interact with people. I'd put a QR code so that they could scan and schedule an appointment with me or download a resource. It was the way that we were able to still stay touchless for those people that maybe had health issues and were a little bit concerned about just the re-entry of everything and everything starting over again. So QR codes are still used. They're used in restaurants, right? A lot of times you can scan a QR code and you get the menu right on your on your phone. Convenience, amusement parks would use these too. You know, QR codes for menus, and really the apps have flourished. So we already touched on remote work, how it's helped that, and people continue to do that. But flexible customer service to the development of apps, and even in fitness, you know, a lot of people weren't going to the gym. And now we had even more. We already had, even back in the day when we had, you know, videos, we had programs and stuff that we could buy, but now it's interactive, like the Peloton app. They have interactive programs, they have different types of equipment that's interactive, that looks like a mirror, but you're interacting with an actual live coach, a fitness coach. And so even that has evolved. And just about every tool that we are using now has an element of AI as technology continues to evolve and grow. We saw that many people are streaming now. There's streaming conferences, churches are streaming their services, they're using streaming now more than ever. I'm using streaming right now to stream on LinkedIn. The online sales continue to grow. We saw Amazon. All of this came from a limitation that literally brought everything to a halt. And look at all of the ideas, the innovation. Obviously, there was testing, right? That came out of that. So in all these illustrations, I'm trying to point out the fact that when you have something that is screaming at you right in front of you, saying, halt, you can't proceed any further in this business, right? Or halt, that method is not working anymore, or that traffic strategy is not working anymore, or those conversions aren't happening anymore. When you have something that's saying, halt, stop, it's not working anymore, it's we begin to think what can work. We innovate, just like all of us experienced during the pandemic. It was a screeching halt. And look at all of the different things that came about it. The delivery services now. You know, it used to be we were used to Lyft and Uber, but now you can go on an app and get a cooked meal, you know, conveniently sent to your home like in 10, 15 minutes. You can order your groceries and have them sent to you. I mean, now the services are so much better for people that are really busy, right? And so that feature alone is such a comfort for me because I can order a cooked meal for my mom's favorite restaurant, and she lives in California, and I can order cook meal, set the time when I want it delivered, and send it from Tennessee to her in a in just a few in just a few clicks of an app. I mean, how simple is that? So a lot of these delivery services have improved so much for people that either are shut-ins or elderly. Um, you can send things to them this way. I can send all kinds of Amazon items to my mom as well. It's just so convenient and so simple. We also saw in the healthcare there's more of the um remote consultations, the remote doctors, the telecare, where you can go in and get consultation on some symptoms that you have, and they'll kind of do an intake and see whether or not you need to go to physically see a doctor. So even that has evolved. All of the doctors, the holistic doctors that I use now use portals. It's all about portals and all your information is in a portal. It's almost like a membership, right? You go into a portal and you find all your information. And online education continues to grow using technology and using Zoom and using all these things. So long story to make a point. When everything stopped, it was innovation, it was not looking at the limitation but the possibilities that brought about new ideas that are still being used today. And when we have that type of mindset that if I can't do this, then what can I do? We begin to think outside the box. We begin to think outside of the traditional ways of doing things, and we begin to find creative ways to get the work done that we need to do, whether it's prospecting, whether it's traffic strategies, whatever it might be. The second point I want to make is to acquire wisdom or insights as opposed to just information. Now, information is great, information and investing in yourself to learn something is always going to be a good thing. I'm a lifelong learner, so I'm gonna always be learning because I love to learn, especially when it comes to technology and all the things that are going on. But there is a time when we have to seek out ways where we can connect with people or mentors to get insights, right? That's when we take information and we use experience to uh offer others some insight, maybe give them pros and cons. Because courses and and and trainings are always helpful, but at some point you need to implement each business, it is a little different. What works for one may not work for the other. You need to know the pros and cons. You need to learn from other people's past mistakes, you need to learn from other people's successes to streamline your efforts because time is our greatest resource that we have. And if there's anything that will help us shorten the learning curve or re remove complexity or simplify something, that's what we need. And sometimes information alone that teaches a method or a theory doesn't really give you what you need for implementation. So in my examples here that I have, um implementation has a lot of moving parts. And sometimes I call this the reality of execution. That once you get started and you start implementing, oh my gosh, all these other questions surface because nobody talked about this little area here. They said I can connect this with this, but they left out this middle part, you know, or what if I don't have that specific tool? How do I adapt it to this tool that I have? All of a sudden, all of these things start surfacing when you're implementing. It's the reality of execution. And what seemed like it would take a week starts feeling like it's taking two, three weeks because you're not getting the answers that you need. You in theory, it sounds great, but implementing is another thing. So you need to learn from other people that have gone before you. So we want to learn from others. We want to get insight as far as the best technology tools, especially today, because there's so many options. There's lots of options, lots of things, lots of directions. But what's right for you? What's right for your business? Maybe there's a tool that's very, very helpful for one business, has lots of features, but do you need all those features? Maybe you don't. Maybe you need something that's a lot easier and simpler. It depends on what your goals are. And so, as far as technology tools, it's good to talk to different people too. Discuss the pros and cons of every action, right? And that will help you make an informed decision and get feedback and answers. One of the things I do a lot within my communities is I'm always critiquing, you know, copy because I'm a copywriter, I'm a certified copywriter. So no matter what the discussion is in marketing, it will end up, we end up reviewing the copy because the copy is what people will see online. And so, regardless of what it is, you know, it comes down to everything. That is the great equalizer. The copy is what's going to make a difference whether it's going to fly or not. And so oftentimes, you know, I'm critiquing or giving feedback on copy to see if we can make it stronger or clearer. So it's very, very helpful to acquire insights, not just information. The third point I want to make is that we need to cultivate a healthy mindset. And I think the first thing that we need to realize is that we don't have all the answers. We don't. And the market continues to change, and what worked three years ago may not work now. We don't have all the answers. I know I've had mentors, I've invested in myself, and people have invested in me to have me mentor them as well. I teach copy, I critique copy, I mentor people, I have a mastermind, I have group coaching, I do one-on-one coaching, all of these various options so people can implement quickly, but they need to have a healthy mindset. They have to be open to new possibilities and to implement what they're learning. So, mindset not only influences your decision making, because it will, there's some things that you'll never touch if you have a negative mindset about it. You'll never go that direction. You'll just throw up your arms and go, Well, I'm not good at that. And you will completely take it off the table when maybe it's exactly what you should be doing. Instead, you should find other people that can help and support you and show you how to do it. So you have to have a healthy mindset and not say, I can't, or that's not me. It's maybe I've never tried this before. Maybe I need to see the best way to apply this. And it begins with a healthy mindset. A lot of the things that I do right now, I hated doing. I didn't want to do. I was afraid of doing. I was afraid of public speaking. I was afraid of sharing my own opinion, right? I kind of listened and I was like a fly on the wall. And I had to go through a lot of public speaking. I forced myself to get over that and get over the fear of public speaking because I knew communication in written form and the spoken word is really, really important. And if we're going to communicate with people, and most of us, regardless of what industry you're in, we're in a people business. Even if you're you're selling some kind of tech tool, you're still in a people business and you're communicating one way or another to a prospect or to an audience and to your clients. So communication is important. And so you have to have a healthy mindset when it comes to that about being on video or the communication you put out there and know that you don't have all the answers. And that's why I'm a lifelong learner. I'm always learning because I know there's more that I can learn. And so when we have a healthy mindset, we break away from past limitations. Maybe something in our past tells us or suggests to us that we're not capable of doing something. And so we have to recognize those past limitations and not let the past define your future. Never let the past define your future. Your future is unwritten. It's a blank slate, it's a blank page. It's ready to write your story and you decide what story that is. So whatever happened in the past is in the past, is over, and most of the time forgotten. So don't let the past define your future. Let the past allow you to learn and seek new opportunities or learn about who you are, really. And so the past can really be a source for us to move forward with more confidence. So when we embrace change and uncertainty, that's a mindset shift because some people don't like to embrace change or uncertainty. So earlier, the first tip I gave was to innovate and test. Some people testing is feels too uncertain. They want a guarantee that this is going to work. And there are no guarantees. Everyone tests. You have to test the market. And so we try to do all our due diligence and we try to do as much research as we can, and we try to write the best copy we can and set everything up in our funnel and everything correctly. But it Is a test ultimately. And if you've done all of the things, your due diligence, your market research, all those things, you know what your audience wants, then it's just maybe a matter of tweaking just a few little places, not changing the whole thing and throwing your arms up and saying, This isn't working. I got to start over. And maybe just making small adjustments. And you will see conversions slowly improve over time. It's sticking with it. So many people will try something and they'll try it once and then give up and say that didn't work. I mean, it's very seldom that someone will implement a strategy, for example, and have it succeed 100% and convert like crazy and hit the millions. It just doesn't happen that way. There are cycles, right? And there's revisions, and we begin to perfect and improve, and we get feedback and we do surveys to improve our messaging, and it improves over time. So we need to embrace change and uncertainty. That's part of that mindset. And don't let fear become your master. Fear will rob you of choices. Fear will not let you be an independent, wonderful person that you are. Fear will say, no, you can't do that. So don't let it rob you of your free will. And just figure out what do I need to do? Do I need to innovate? Do I need to test? Do I need to seek the wisdom of others? You know, in community form. And the other thing I want to say about mindset is consider the things that you're going to do. Don't put any barriers. Comfort zone, that term, it's it's very clear to what that is, but it already defines that there's a zone, a barrier there already. There's like, and I always envision like a little circle. This is my bubble, my bubble, and there's a boundary. I've got to step out of my comfort zone. What if you didn't have a zone at all, no comfort zone, and there was no barrier? And it's just you taking the next step without worrying about some zone that you're in and whether you're out of it or in it. What if it's just you saying, This is what I need to do? What do I need? What resources, what insights, what type of community do I need to make it happen? And not put yourself in a zone that you have to get out of. Because it's really what we're thinking, right? It's the things that we're believing, it's the the inner dialogue that's going on. So don't put yourself in a zone whatsoever. You don't have to step out of something that's not there. So don't even put that barrier up. But it does take courage. But I will say all you need is 10 seconds of courage to take the next step. And maybe you have to exercise 10 seconds of courage multiple times a day, maybe a hundred times in a day, but it's just 10 seconds. Can you do 10 seconds of courage to do the next thing? And forget about the zone. You're not in a zone, you're not in a bubble. You're just taking steps, you're taking action. And as you take action and you begin to get into a momentum, you begin to discover more about your audience, you begin to discover more about yourself, you begin to make progress, you begin to convert, you begin to get on one-on-one calls, and all of a sudden this is happening because all the success happens when we're in motion. It doesn't happen when we're stopped. Because when you're stopped, you can't steer. You can't steer a car when it's stopped. But when you're in motion, and it doesn't have to be fast, it could be slow. You could be in slow motion. You're still in motion, you're still making progress. You can still steer the car even when it's going slow. So you can steer and adjust. But in motion is where that happens. That's where the magic happens. And then the last thing I'm going to say is on mindset is remind yourself why you're doing this. And I think everybody has different ways of connecting and creating a healthy mindset. For me, it's journaling. It helps me so much to be able to really identify how I'm feeling, what my emotions are telling me. Maybe for you it's something different. Maybe for you, it's going on a walk. Maybe for you it's um taking time and maybe reading a book. Maybe for you it's listening to music. Something to reset yourself and give yourself space to think. We don't give ourselves enough time to think and ponder and reflect. And I think that's important. So journaling might be for you, maybe walking, taking a walk might be for you. Find what works for you to cultivate that healthy mindset and reconnect with your why, why you're doing it. Because there was a reason back when that you wanted to do what you're doing right now. There was a reason. And most of the time, at least with most of my clients, it's not just for revenue. There's a deeper purpose behind it. Reconnect with that. And I love what Rick Warren says in The Purpose-Driven Life. The first line of his book is it's not about you. And that's what helped me with a lot of the fears and the negative talk and the, you know, all the dialogue, the inner dialogue that creates that resistance was that it's not about me. Stop focusing so much about myself and what I'm feeling or whatever fears I have and start thinking about the people that you can serve. And that's just a wonderful way to be able to continue to cultivate your mindset. So here were the three. I'm going to wrap it up. So the three things to be able to help you continue to adapt and thrive in your online business is number one, embrace innovation and testing. We're always doing that. Number two, acquire insights and not just information. Number three, cultivate a healthy mindset. All of the people that I have been mentored by, and I mean, they do this. They do this, and it's not really spoken about very much, but if you observe people, just do a test. Just observe people. See if they do this. See, see if the people that you admire and the people you consider successful, are they innovating? Are they testing? Are they obviously they're getting information, they're learning, there, but are they reading? Are they do they have peers and and mentors that they surround themselves around? And do they have a healthy mindset? So that's what I have for you today. I want you to adapt and thrive in your online business. I'm always available to have a conversation with you. So if you would like to maybe talk for about 30 minutes, it's a free coaching call. It allows me to just kind of listen, ask you some questions, and be able to see what the blinders are, what you can't see for yourself, and maybe what the first step is for you. And it always aligns with your goals. So I'll probably ask you what are some of the goals that you have for yourself for the end of the year, by the end of the year. But it really is an opportunity to have clarity and direction. And so if you'd like to schedule a call with me, I'm always available for that. You can go to my website. It is simply marissah.com forward slash contact. And then you can schedule a call with me and we can have a conversation. It'll just be fun connecting with you. I'm in Tennessee now. So if any of you are in Tennessee, would love to talk to other Tennesseans as well and um chit chat and maybe we can even have a cup of coffee. So until next time, take care, and I'll talk to you soon. Bye bye.