Confessions of an Introverted Entrepreneur

by Karri on March 24, 2010

I spent 5 days last week in Vancouver to attend the Wealthy Thought Leader Training, hosted by my colleague and business coach, Andrea J. Lee. As with many such experiences where a large group of like minded people gather to share, learn and grow, this event caused me to take a long hard look at not only what’s current in commerce, but at myself as an entrepreneur. And as a human being. Not your typical conference by any stretch.

So what does being an introvert have to do with the “conference circuit?”

I am a dyed-in-the wool introvert. No two ways about it. Yet those who know me–outside my immediate family and very closest friends–do not see me this way. They see an outspoken, tough minded woman fiercely determined to bring the gritty truth to light, with little regard for risk or consequence.

I did not come into the world saying “look at me!”

Fact is, the extroverted qualities I show to the world had to be learned, practiced, acquired over much time and through even more introspection.

I stood up during the conference workshops many times to share my feelings about the content being presented, the a-ha moments I was experiencing, and what I deemed to be the deeper truth of one issue or another. Many people with whom I shared that sacred space, however, spoke up this way very rarely, if at all. How deeply I respect that choice. Getting up in front of your peers this way is like undressing for the first time in front of someone you don’t know all that well. It’s both exhilarating and, in some moments, scary as hell.

At the end of each day I was thoroughly exhausted. Not from all the thinking or reflecting either; though I think those activities are very exhausting for the extroverted individual who energetically lives in the “space between” two people. This energy exchange feeds the extroverted soul.

The thing is, if you’re open to it, it’s impossible for sparks NOT to fly between you and your peers in this type of setting, whether you’re introverted or extroverted. You’re sitting side by side all day. You’re eating together at night. And yeah, you’re getting naked in your business at every turn. It didn’t matter who I “networked” with, each person offered me some nugget of wisdom or asked the perfect burning question in such a way that I could do nothing but step into the light and stand tall.

No small feat for the introverted entrepreneur.

Yet all around me I witnessed other introverted entrepreneurs doing the same thing. It was quite incredible. And spiritual. Of course, by sharing my own questions, my own desires, my own brand of wisdom openly and honestly, I think I provided the same “call to action” others were needing at just that moment. Epiphanies were always just a conversation away.

Again, no small feat for the introverted entrepreneur who would rather read a good book or surf the Internet or even do some work, alone, than mix ‘n mingle with 80 or 90 strangers for 8 hours a day.Introverted entrepreneurs–and I now see how many more of them there are in the world than I ever realized–do not always feel comfortable stepping into their potential, purposely shining a light on their gifts … for money. Lots of it.

And until this past weekend, I thought I was the exception to this rule. Was I wrong.

I may be known for my rogue attitude and gritty writing style, but I have quite intentionally NOT explored how this might inform a bigger platform for me to stand on. For this introverted entrepreneur, playing to a smaller crowd feels like wrapping myself in a warm blanket. For 5 years I’ve been placating the little girl writing poetry in her bedroom, hoping someone will say “good job, Karri! You’re a great writer.” I’ve been living for the pats on the head instead of the uproarious applause or even the collective resistance to what I stand for as a business woman.

I choked for a moment when I stood up this weekend to share that revelation with a crowd of people who waited silently for my words to fall upon them. But when I began to speak from my heart about the bigger purpose that was suddenly overwhelming everything else I’d been cluttering my life and my business with, I exhaled and the room exhaled with me. (Thank you, Mark Silver for providing us with the context of exhale!)

If you’re an introverted entrepreneur who senses there is a bigger group of people out there waiting, hoping, or even praying for what you’ve been reluctant to share, ask yourself if that’s really okay with you. Ask yourself if it’s getting too hard to hold it all in. Ask yourself if you’re willing to “get extroverted” long enough to let people experience your gifts. You might be surprised by their reaction. And yours, dear introvert.

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In a Left Brain World, Right Brain Thinking is the Ultimate Weapon

by Karri on February 19, 2010

As a dyed-in-the-wool polymath and introvert, nothing gets my heart pumping more quickly than discovering intimate, inextricably profound connections between seemingly unrelated or even diametrically opposed ideas. It is my opinion that the two ideas I want to present in this post, could together solve just about every problem every marketer or business person has ever faced.

Actually, I think the juxtaposition could bring about something akin to world peace. But hear me out first.

The “Informationalization Age” demands we create meaning from the madness. Or bust.

For the business person, making sense of continuous information overload is an unrelenting stressor; it presses down upon marketing and operations to the point that no single task or activity seems to make a damned bit of difference. It’s hard to know what works and what doesn’t, let alone if any of it matters at all to anyone.

If information and humanity could finally meet in the middle somewhere, what would that look like?

Do we not have the ability to become masterful mind-maker-uppers who can distill information into actionable, purposeful knowledge?

I believe it’s possible.

First, let’s introduce the madness I speak of:

Now, let’s introduce what I believe to be the ONLY long term, viable solution to ending the confusion and resulting destruction once and for all:

Editor’s note: right around minute 17:40 of Sir Ken Robinson’s talk I nearly choke up. Every time. What he says at that moment is much, much more than a commentary on big pharma.

So on the one hand, we have a world that seems to be expanding at an exponential rate in terms of both information proliferation and population growth.

And we generally feel powerless–even strangled–by the ever tightening grip of “too much.”

On the other hand, we have the creative mind that does not consider each possibility in its purest mathematical, calculable form; it does not contemplate the perfect choice, the best decision, the most rational use of resources at any given moment. Instead, the creative mind–the right brain if you will–navigates an information-bloated world organically and intuitively.

Like the child who cannot think without the dance.

Like the business man or woman who should not make a decision about which path to take without tuning in first to the rhythm of his or her heart.

Let’s now consider for just a moment what would happen if we applied Sir Ken Robinson’s ideas about the evolution of  human intelligence to a world dominated by quantitative, left-brain, “perfection-is-excellence-is-God” thinking.

What would the world look like after many, many years of practicing “disciplined creative thinking?”

I have a few ideas though my list is far from exhaustive:

  • Governments would back technology that potentializes humanity, not downgrades it.
  • Consumers would only buy products and services that enabled meaning, not simply more.
  • Marketers would add value, not create the perception of value where it doesn’t exist.
  • Children would be eager to step into their potential, not shrink back from it.
  • Parents would teach children the awesomeness of freewill, not seek means to take it away.
  • Teachers would instill an appreciation for the unknown, not teach how to measure what is already known.

What’s missing from this list? How profoundly would your world–the world–change if you and your circle of influence decided to unleash right-brain thinking onto your excruciatingly informationalized environments?

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5 Business Lessons I Learned From Ali Brown (Without Buying Anything)

by Karri on February 1, 2010

I started following Ali Brown when she was at the height of her “Ezine Queen” fame, about 4 or 5 years ago.  At that time, despite her kitschy website (remember the little crowns everywhere?), it seemed she was going places. Though I admit I could not have foreshadowed what has been her truly meteoric rise to wealth and fame. I also admit that until recently, I didn’t’ even know if I liked what she stood for or what she was doing with her business.

I’d watch her videos and wonder if she really “got” her audience. I mean, she’s adorable and stylish and, well, kind of a showboat at times. (”Shine” anyone?) But doing a fashion shoot and then editing that into a pseudo-music video for the “fans” seemed, well, a bit over the top. I was never so naive as to believe this was really what building an empire was all about, but especially not for a work-at-home mom who spends more time in yoga pants than high heels.

Then over the past few months I started paying closer attention to the woman steering the showboat. The human being behind the glamor. I (sometimes) read Ali Brown’s newsletter. I watched a few of my colleagues jet off to her Shine event in Las Vegas. I read the Shine reviews afterward–good, bad, and everything in between. I listened to some of Ali’s telecalls. I cut short other ones short because the content is just too … light.

Then I started reading between the lines. Looking for the grit behind the glamor. And you know what? I’ve been pleasantly surprised. More than that, I’ve had a few big “a-ha” moments, including the realization that Ali Brown is about much more than a brilliant saleswoman with good looks to boot. Here are some very paradigm-shifting lessons I’ve learned from the Ezine-Queen-turned-Internet-mogul over the past few months:

1) You can’t move forward in your business in a big way until you clean up the clutter. Ali Brown told one audience from the stage that it was when she started saying “no” to more things, her business growth began to accelerate. As a woman with multiple, ever-diverging interests and passions, this resonated with me big time. It resonates with my clients too. Until you say “no” to mediocre-not-really-a-YES clutter in your life, your success will always be a watered down version of what you REALLY want (money, fame, fulfillment, whatever).

2) Your vision can be as simple as what is right in front of you right now. Ali admitted on a recent podcast that in the early days her vision was simply to make enough money to pay her bills and stay in New York. She said that if you don’t know what your grand vision is, that is okay. In fact, I’ve been letting the vision thing get in my way for a long time; there is enough to “vision” for my immediate future–why not just roll up my sleeves and get down to making that stuff happen? Why do you need a 10-year-plan when you’ve got plenty to savor and strive for right now? I now have faith that I’ll figure it all out as I go. The point is to just GO.

3) Pick your battles and then get really good at them, even if they’re a little boring sometimes. On another call Ali explains that chasing the next shiny thing has become like a national pastime for women working online. It’s getting them nowhere. Instead, pick a few marketing tactics that fit your objectives and chart a course to do them over and over and over again. There is no silver bullet. Consistency and continuity is what gets you further faster in filling the pipeline with paying clients. (Duh! This web marketer knew that already, but I see I may not have been practicing what I preached.)

4) Perfection is overrated. Again, I knew this on an intellectual level but never believed it in my soul. Ali very candidly talks about her foibles, her missteps as a business woman, her fears, and she definitely knows how to laugh at herself. On a recent podcast she admitted that the call was going so long she really just wanted to get off the phone and take a pee break. It was candid and funny and it actually made me like her more.

5) If you want to work through your personal BS, start and grow a business. (I think those are close to Ali’s exact words.) Almost every thing I’ve battled with in my personal life has surfaced somehow in my business. Got confidence issues? Try and close a deal. Got marital strife? Your business will limp along until you get those ironed out. Feel like a crappy parent? You’re less likely to take charge and more likely to succumb to the drama. Point is, when your personal stuff comes up in your business, deal with it head on. You’ll grow personally and as an entrepreneur in unexpected, amazing ways.

I have a prediction about the future of Ali Brown “Inc.” I predict that some of the glitz is going to fall away, though it will always punctuate Ali’s calling card. (Ali is a girly-girl. I can’t fault her for reaching out to women using that.) But eventually we’ll start to see more of the grit and less of the rhinestones. Ali Brown will continue to “Shine,” but it will be from the inside out on a deeper, more intimate level, all matters of branding and grandstanding aside.

You heard it here first.

Now take the lessons I’ve learned and DO something with them. They didn’t cost me anything. (Sorry, Ali. Someday I may invest 5 figures, but not today.) The value of Ali’s generously shared wisdom? Immeasurable. (Thanks, Ali.)

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What Matters Now, the Decisiveness to Decide, and a Free eBook

by Karri on January 12, 2010

In December, 2009 Seth Godin published a digital compilation of mini-essays on “what matters now.” Over 70 contributors provided their personal perspective on one thing they believe matters right now. These thought leaders are as varied and unique as the insights they provide on everything from education to the long tail to slowing down to fear. Each topic has been elegantly boiled down to its essence. It’s a delightfully thought-provoking yet easy read.

Which gets me to thinking about my own “what matters now” perspectives. With so much happening all of the time all around us via more-accessible-than-ever multi-media, what matters now is:

Decisiveness.

Social media is forcing us to re-intimate with our fellow human. That’s a good thing. Yet as we navigate uncountable relationships and pseudo-relationships with uncountable numbers of people online (no one has 5 or 10 thousand close, dear “friends” regardless of what their fan page says, okay?), we’re not feeling very connected at all.

We’re disconnecting from ourselves and our ability to discern what matters most.

We’re so plugged in to the Borg, so bombarded by multimedia, we’ve grown afraid to turn any one frequency off. To say “no” to what does not or should not or indeed cannot matter too much to us.

Case in point:

Are each one of the fifty or sixty newsletters crowding your inbox helping you get there faster? Do you need to buy another business book that you won’t finish? Must you “download” every guru who strikes your fancy?

Instead, what if you decided to pay attention to a mere hamlet of thought leaders that resonate with you most? Would you un-smart yourself? Or might your knowledge–and ability to apply it rapidly and confidently–deepen?

The road to hell is paved with good intentions for a reason. Intention on its own is powerful, and too often, wields a deadly blow.  But placed lovingly in the context of a willingness to decide–moment to moment–what matters and what absolutely doesn’t,  intention can flow freely and rapidly into purposeful action.

As someone who has chased a lot of shiny things over the years, the shiningest thing of all has always been my decisiveness. So I say get out from under the overwhelm by endeavoring to be decisive. Nothing will change your current experience faster.

So tell me dear soul, what matters now to you? I’d love to know.

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Forget New Year’s Resolutions. 3 Ways to Have Big Revelations–And Maybe Start a Revolution–in 2010

by Karri on December 30, 2009

Me and my sis all those years ago. Savoring the moment (and enjoying some "beta" fashions).

I have this feeling 2010 is not going to be so much about resolutions as it will be about personal revelations and business revolutions. At least for me. It’s a huge relief to say that too. It’s also super empowering. New Year’s resolutions have a way of sucking the life out of passion and purpose, don’t they? Resolutions can make you feel like time gone has perhaps been not as fabulous or productive or WHATEVER as it could have been. Regret sets in, and you promise yourself that “next year I will do things differently. I’ll dream big. I’ll be more disciplined. I’ll achieve more. Bla bla bla.”

What if this New Year’s Eve you stood on the precipice of your future with a different perspective?

What if you decided that instead of trying to be super-duper at all the stuff you didn’t ace last year, you looked at the new year ahead as an opportunity for exploration? As a time to let go of your most-likely-stale definitions of success and achievement?

Consider how much further ahead you’d be right now, at the close of 2009, had you endeavored to do the following instead of going through the same-old, same-old ra-ra resolution exercise:

1) Embrace working in beta. I’m a self-proclaimed Alpha female if there ever was one. I’m also a recovering perfectionist. And the less perfect I need things to be in my life–and my businesses–the more empowered and yes, powerful, I become. If you don’t think beta can be the road to greatness for you, consider what it’s done for Google. Hmm?

Accept that there is no perfect time to do something in your business. And waiting for those cute yellow duckies to be all in a row is often just an excuse for procrastination, for not trusting what you’re doing is good enough, for not believing in yourself or your business enough, for letting the “dream” become more important than what you do in the here and now.

2) Decide to say “no” more. Ali Brown, entrepreneurial mogul and mentor to thousands of women around the world, told one audience from the stage that things really started happening in her business when she learned how to say no to more things. I believe her. (Hey, the gal went from “Ezine Queen” to multi-million dollar diva in less than 5 years.)

I’ve seen the power of no in action, and it’s an elegantly simple process that truly accelerates results–results that really mean something to you.

One of the biggest breakthroughs I’ve had with a coaching client was to get him to say “no.” No to the information. No to the books. No to the gurus. No to leaning on the wisdom of others when the world really just wanted more of him in all his imperfect awesomeness. The minute he gave himself permission to say say no to stuff, it was as if a zenith of light and wisdom unleashed itself from within this man.

He’s unstoppable now because saying no to others allowed him to say a resounding “YES” to himself.

3) Get your heart rate up regularly. I’m not talking about exercise either (though most of us do need more of that). I’m talking about taking mini adventures in your business, about jumping off the proverbial high-dive even though you may look like an idiot when you hit the water. Hey, belly flops hurt, but damn, the rush of jumping off makes it worth the pain, no?

When I was a kid I was terrified of jumping off the high-dive. But I wanted to feel the rush so badly that I forced myself up the ladder and out to the edge of the diving board. When I looked down my heart was practically in my throat. And then I just jumped. I scrunched my eyes shut and pinched my nose and jumped in feet first.

Once I got that initial freaky jump out of the way, I couldn’t stop going back for more. I sucked at it too. But I didn’t care. I wanted to keep jumping and to keep feeling the fear turn into ecstasy.

Of course, you don’t have to jump off high dives to go rogue. But you do have to feel a bit uncomfortable or break a light sweat or feel a little light-headed. Give a teleseminar on something near and dear to your entrepreneurial heart. Send a personal email or call up that prospective joint venture partner you’ve been courting for 6 months on twitter. Package a new offering and blast it to your list.

There are more ways to kick your own ass in 2010 to be sure. These 3, however, are the big ones that come to mind. They’re the ones I myself struggle with now and then. And they’re the kinds of revelation-inspiring, revolution-starting, resolution-snubbing activities you really do want more of in the year head.

Here’s to your perfectly flawed, somewhat unpredictable, heart-stopping 2010.

PS: My deepest gratitude and affection goes out to my business coach, Andrea J. Lee for being brave enough to “get” me and for helping fortify my Alpha spirit in 2009. Rock on, Andrea, like only you know how.

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How Your Marketing Niche Is Right Under Your Nose (and Not a Wild Goose)

by Karri on December 15, 2009

Turns out niche marketing might not be all it’s cracked up to be, at least if you’re a coach. According to Dave Buck of Coachville.com, searching for your perfect niche is a journey that goes nowhere fast. Instead, says Buck, “ditch your niche” and instead spend your energy getting clear about what you have to offer. In turn, the clients will find you.

If you want to clear out a room full of Internet marketers, just whisper “build it an they will come.”

Yet here’s Dave Buck appearing to declare these very words as truth to anyone–or at least any coach–willing to listen.

What’s he really saying here?

Some might say that, at least on the face of it, he’s telling us to forget what we know about marketing our products and services in a targeted, purposeful way. I disagree, although that’s what I initially thought too. After all, how many hours, days and even weeks and months have you spent obsessing over “the niche” you should pursue in your business?

But what if chasing the niche is just that? A chase? A wild goose chase?

What if you find “the niche,” invest all you have in “the niche” and then “the niche” isn’t what you thought it would be? What if there ain’t gold in them d’er niches?

My take on niche marketing for coach-consultant types …

Niche marketing per se isn’t going anywhere, but “the niche” isn’t out there somewhere waiting for you to discover it. “The niche” is right under your nose. “The niche” is YOU, and figuring out YOU is always the place to start with any marketing plan. Once you know the gifts you can offer endlessly and effortlessly, “the niche” will reveal itself. Of course, this kind of reverse engineering in marketing takes courage.

And with that, let’s see what Mr. Buck had to say to coaches struggling to find their niche.

CoachReporter: Coach Dave Buck Says “Ditch Your Niche” from Mark Joyella on Vimeo.

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“Killer Copywriting” is Killing Language

by Karri on December 11, 2009

One of my biggest pet peeves with web marketing is what I call a “propensity for hyperbole.” We’re so desperate to get our message across–to sell our sh*t–that we resort to extremes. So much web copy I read now is littered with sweeping descriptive language that says little or nothing about the product or service being offered. Instead, we’re supposed to, as consumers, somehow know that if it’s “killer” it must be good enough to make us get out the credit card.

As Louis CK, comedian and all-around narrator of the human zeitgeist, would say, “Everything is AMAZING and no one is happy.”

You go that right, Louis. More in the video below on a subject near and dear to this web copywriter.

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What’s in the Library of You? A Brain Exercise to Capture Future Big Things for Your Business

by Karri on November 25, 2009

I was brainstorming some ways to help a coaching-consulting client of mine channel his creative energy. It’s all over the place and like most entrepreneurs, it’s overwhelming him. The entrepreneurial dream can become an unwieldy beast, dragging us across all kinds of terrain with no real destination or plans for a pee break!

Don’t let this happen to you or you’ll eventually lose steam altogether and give up on your dreams.

Instead, capture the knowledge that is inside you NOW. Give it the space inside you to take root and grow. THAT’s where the dream must begin. In the here and now. Stop worrying about what you DON’T know and start focusing on what’s already within you, on the gifts you’ve accumulated throughout your lifetime but are somehow trapped inside the overwhelm.

Stop hoarding your gifts and start cataloging them … where? In the Library of You.

Watch the video to see what I’m talking about. It’s fun :)

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