12:57:35 --> 12:57:42
Tabatha Jones: Intentional Next Act. I'm your host, Tabatha Jones, and if you're new here, welcome.
12:57:42 --> 12:57:52
Tabatha Jones: This is where we talk about all things career, business, money, reinvention, and really figuring out what comes next in this chapter of life.
12:57:52 --> 12:58:03
Tabatha Jones: Now, a quick heads up, little PSA, if you've got littles in the room, consider popping in your earbuds or putting on their headphones and turning up the volume on their tablets.
12:58:03 --> 12:58:07
Tabatha Jones: Because sometimes I get a little spicy around here.
12:58:07 --> 12:58:10
Tabatha Jones: All right, let's dive in.
12:58:10 --> 12:58:13
Tabatha Jones: So, you've decided to start a business.
12:58:13 --> 12:58:21
Tabatha Jones: Congratulations. Oh, my gosh. You've got a website, you've got a logo, maybe you've got an LLC.
12:58:33 --> 12:58:41
Tabatha Jones: Welcome back to the Intentional Next Act. I'm your host, Tabatha Jones, and if you're new here, welcome.
12:58:41 --> 12:58:55
Tabatha Jones: This is where we talk about all things career, business, money, reinvention, and figuring out what comes next, and even more importantly, what do we want in this next chapter of life.
12:58:55 --> 12:59:10
Tabatha Jones: Now, a quick heads up, if you've got littles in the room, consider popping in your earbuds to listen, or putting on their headphones and turning up those tablets, because occasionally, you get a little spicy about these topics, and we want to make sure that.
12:59:10 --> 12:59:13
Tabatha Jones: Nobody picks up any new words.
12:59:13 --> 12:59:16
Tabatha Jones: All right, let's dive into it.
12:59:16 --> 12:59:22
Tabatha Jones: So you've decided to start a business. Oh my gosh, congratulations!
12:59:22 --> 12:59:32
Tabatha Jones: Oh, you've already got a website, a logo, maybe you've got your LLC, some beautiful business cards, and a social media account where you're posting at least 3 times a day.
12:59:32 --> 12:59:47
Tabatha Jones: You've spent hours picking out your new brand colors. You've watched 47 YouTube videos about marketing. You've downloaded at least 600 free guides about how to make six figures doing something you love. Am I right?
12:59:47 --> 12:59:53
Tabatha Jones: You're busy, you're excited. Yay you, you are officially an entrepreneur.
12:59:54 --> 12:59:57
Tabatha Jones: There's just one teeny tiny little problem.
12:59:57 --> 13:00:00
Tabatha Jones: Nobody's buying anything from you.
13:00:00 --> 13:00:03
Tabatha Jones: What the actual hell is going on?
13:00:04 --> 13:00:13
Tabatha Jones: Friend, here's what I want you to know. This happens to incredibly smart, talented, and experienced women every single day.
13:00:13 --> 13:00:18
Tabatha Jones: Especially women like us who spent decades in corporate.
13:00:18 --> 13:00:29
Tabatha Jones: We've managed multi-million dollar budgets, we've led teams, built departments, we've solved problems that most people wouldn't even know the first question to ask when it comes to solving the problem.
13:00:29 --> 13:00:32
Tabatha Jones: We know how to get shit done.
13:00:32 --> 13:00:39
Tabatha Jones: So why is becoming an entrepreneur and building a business so confusing?
13:00:39 --> 13:00:41
Tabatha Jones: Well, I have some thoughts.
13:00:41 --> 13:00:47
Tabatha Jones: let's be real, I have a lot of thoughts on this, so we're gonna try and keep it to our less-than-30-minute.
13:00:47 --> 13:00:49
Tabatha Jones: plan, but we'll see where we go.
13:00:50 --> 13:00:55
Tabatha Jones: Um, not only do I have a lot of thoughts, but I have some very expensive first-hand experience.
13:00:55 --> 13:01:09
Tabatha Jones: If you know my story, you've heard this before, but I spent more than $50,000 on coaching, on courses, certifications, programs, tools, all the things I thought I needed to build a business.
13:01:09 --> 13:01:16
Tabatha Jones: And some of those investments, oh my gosh, they were amazing. They helped me so much.
13:01:17 --> 13:01:18
Tabatha Jones: Some of them…
13:01:18 --> 13:01:29
Tabatha Jones: well, I could have bought some really nice vacations instead, but on the bright side, I feel like I've made at least a friend every single time I've invested in something, so I'm gonna take that for the win.
13:01:30 --> 13:01:40
Tabatha Jones: And I have learned a lot, which is why with my methodology, I lean toward women.
13:01:40 --> 13:01:49
Tabatha Jones: keeping their jobs while building on the side. Because there's some habits we need to break, there's some obstacles we need to overcome, and there's some success we deserve to have.
13:01:50 --> 13:01:59
Tabatha Jones: So, what we're talking about today is really going to be the biggest mistake most people make when starting a business.
13:01:59 --> 13:02:03
Tabatha Jones: And that is starting with the how.
13:02:03 --> 13:02:11
Tabatha Jones: How do I create a website? How do I get customers? How do I build an online course? How do I grow social media?
13:02:11 --> 13:02:14
Tabatha Jones: How do I create an offer that someone wants?
13:02:15 --> 13:02:18
Tabatha Jones: And those aren't bad questions.
13:02:18 --> 13:02:22
Tabatha Jones: They're just not the first questions you should be asking.
13:02:23 --> 13:02:32
Tabatha Jones: So I want you to think about what happens when someone decides they want to start a business. Kind of visualize, maybe go back on your journey a little bit.
13:02:32 --> 13:02:38
Tabatha Jones: What usually happens is the person gets really excited about their idea.
13:02:38 --> 13:02:47
Tabatha Jones: Maybe they're burned out at work, maybe they're approaching retirement and want something that's gonna just kind of add a little bit of fun and fill their cup while bringing in some money.
13:02:47 --> 13:02:53
Tabatha Jones: Maybe they've spent decades in a job doing something they're really good at.
13:02:53 --> 13:02:58
Tabatha Jones: But they're thinking, there's got to be a way I can make money doing this for myself.
13:02:59 --> 13:03:01
Tabatha Jones: So what do they do?
13:03:01 --> 13:03:06
Tabatha Jones: They go to Google or their favorite AI buddy, and they type in how to start a business.
13:03:07 --> 13:03:14
Tabatha Jones: And these tools are very logical. They teach you a lot of tactical things, so down the rabbit hole we fall.
13:03:15 --> 13:03:30
Tabatha Jones: Suddenly they're learning about LLCs and business licenses and websites and contracts and email marketing platforms and social media algorithms, online scheduling systems. Oh my God, there's so many payment processors.
13:03:30 --> 13:03:43
Tabatha Jones: uh, there's about 4,000 things that you didn't even know existed. And I'm someone who geeks out on tech, so that is one of my downfalls. I have, oh, a new tool, let me go play with that and see what happens.
13:03:44 --> 13:03:48
Tabatha Jones: It can be very overwhelming, and…
13:03:48 --> 13:03:50
Tabatha Jones: It can also be kind of addictive.
13:03:50 --> 13:03:51
Tabatha Jones: Because…
13:03:51 --> 13:04:00
Tabatha Jones: Every time you get an answer and you figure something out, you feel productive. And what have we always been rewarded for, my corporate ladies?
13:04:00 --> 13:04:03
Tabatha Jones: Oh, being productive.
13:04:03 --> 13:04:06
Tabatha Jones: It feels good to check something off that list.
13:04:06 --> 13:04:09
Tabatha Jones: You bought a domain name. Awesome. Check.
13:04:09 --> 13:04:13
Tabatha Jones: You created a logo. Oh, my God, that's incredible. Check.
13:04:13 --> 13:04:17
Tabatha Jones: Oh, you set up your Instagram account and handle? Check.
13:04:17 --> 13:04:19
Tabatha Jones: Look at you, sister, building a business.
13:04:19 --> 13:04:25
Tabatha Jones: Except, you haven't figured out yet who you're selling to.
13:04:25 --> 13:04:28
Tabatha Jones: You haven't figured out what problem you're solving.
13:04:28 --> 13:04:33
Tabatha Jones: You haven't figured out whether anyone actually wants the thing you're creating.
13:04:34 --> 13:04:40
Tabatha Jones: And you may not have even figured out why you want to own a business in the first place.
13:04:40 --> 13:04:43
Tabatha Jones: I call that the how trap.
13:04:43 --> 13:04:46
Tabatha Jones: And I know it really well because I fell into it myself.
13:04:47 --> 13:04:55
Tabatha Jones: It took me a bit longer to get my business to where I wanted it, because I started with how.
13:04:55 --> 13:05:03
Tabatha Jones: So the order I teach new entrepreneurs, or people who have a great idea that they want to start making income with.
13:05:03 --> 13:05:11
Tabatha Jones: Is teaching the foundation, which is really critical that you build it, and build it in the right order.
13:05:11 --> 13:05:20
Tabatha Jones: In fact, I'm so passionate about it, I actually outline it with the steps in my new book, The Idea to Income Playbook.
13:05:20 --> 13:05:22
Tabatha Jones: And…
13:05:22 --> 13:05:27
Tabatha Jones: I want you to grab your pen and write this down, because this is the order you need to remember.
13:05:27 --> 13:05:31
Tabatha Jones: Why? What? Who? How?
13:05:32 --> 13:05:36
Tabatha Jones: I'll give you a second. Why? What? Who? How?
13:05:36 --> 13:05:37
Tabatha Jones: How?
13:05:37 --> 13:05:42
Tabatha Jones: And I said most people start with how so do you see how that might be a little backwards.
13:05:42 --> 13:05:45
Tabatha Jones: So let's break it down so you understand why.
13:05:45 --> 13:05:50
Tabatha Jones: First of all, we're starting with why. Why do you want to start a business?
13:05:50 --> 13:05:56
Tabatha Jones: And it needs to be something so personal and important to you.
13:05:56 --> 13:06:02
Tabatha Jones: It can't just be because you want to quit your job. That's really a reaction. It's not really a plan.
13:06:02 --> 13:06:06
Tabatha Jones: Think about things like, what do you want your life to look like?
13:06:06 --> 13:06:08
Tabatha Jones: What?
13:06:08 --> 13:06:11
Tabatha Jones: What do you want to do to make an impact on the world?
13:06:11 --> 13:06:20
Tabatha Jones: What is meaningful to you and why is this so important to not just you but to the people you want to help?
13:06:20 --> 13:06:23
Tabatha Jones: Because here's the thing.
13:06:24 --> 13:06:34
Tabatha Jones: You can go and build a business starting with how, and that business may require you to work 60 hours a week, which doesn't feel like freedom or a reason to leave corporate at all.
13:06:35 --> 13:06:38
Tabatha Jones: It's important that you know what you're building toward.
13:06:38 --> 13:06:49
Tabatha Jones: it's really important that you understand your financial reality, which is why I actually start my book just a little before how, or sorry, before why I start it with your freedom number.
13:06:49 --> 13:06:56
Tabatha Jones: Because we want to know, really, what does this next chapter need to generate financially to support the life you want?
13:06:56 --> 13:06:59
Tabatha Jones: So when you start with your why.
13:06:59 --> 13:07:07
Tabatha Jones: I want you to go deep. I want you to go 5 to 7 wise deep, right? Why? I want to make an impact on women. Well, why?
13:07:07 --> 13:07:12
Tabatha Jones: I don't want women to have to figure things out the hard way or struggle.
13:07:12 --> 13:07:18
Tabatha Jones: Well, why? Because I know exactly how that feels, and I have the answer that will help them.
13:07:18 --> 13:07:21
Tabatha Jones: get their desired outcome.
13:07:21 --> 13:07:23
Tabatha Jones: Well, why?
13:07:23 --> 13:07:30
Tabatha Jones: Say it, well, why, until you get so set and so strong in your why.
13:07:30 --> 13:07:33
Tabatha Jones: That you feel absolutely unstoppable.
13:07:33 --> 13:07:42
Tabatha Jones: Also, friends, this journey gets a little hard. It's very different than what you're used to in the corporate space, or in, really, any 9-to-5 space.
13:07:42 --> 13:07:49
Tabatha Jones: there are gonna be hard days. Somebody's gonna tell you no, and you're gonna feel like quitting. You're gonna feel like quitting a lot.
13:07:49 --> 13:07:55
Tabatha Jones: And when you go back to that why, it's like your North Star. It gets you right back on track.
13:07:57 --> 13:08:04
Tabatha Jones: So once you're clear, you know, financially what this needs to look like, and what is your actual why.
13:08:04 --> 13:08:07
Tabatha Jones: Then we move on to the what.
13:08:07 --> 13:08:09
Tabatha Jones: What do you know?
13:08:09 --> 13:08:11
Tabatha Jones: What are you really good at?
13:08:11 --> 13:08:15
Tabatha Jones: What have people been coming you to for advice?
13:08:15 --> 13:08:21
Tabatha Jones: Um, asking you for advice for about the over the past, you know, 1520, maybe more years.
13:08:22 --> 13:08:25
Tabatha Jones: What problems do you know how to solve really well?
13:08:26 --> 13:08:29
Tabatha Jones: What do you enjoy doing?
13:08:29 --> 13:08:36
Tabatha Jones: And just because you're really good at something doesn't mean you love it and that you want to spend the next 10 years doing it.
13:08:36 --> 13:08:47
Tabatha Jones: So think about also what you don't want to do, because you don't want to rebuild something that you don't want to do again in a very short amount of time, because it's too much of that.
13:08:47 --> 13:08:52
Tabatha Jones: Trust me on this one. You're going to be glad that you went deep on your why also.
13:08:54 --> 13:08:58
Tabatha Jones: Once those first few steps of your foundation are built.
13:08:58 --> 13:08:59
Tabatha Jones: Ben.
13:08:59 --> 13:09:03
Tabatha Jones: Nope. Not the how yet. We're going to the who.
13:09:03 --> 13:09:05
Tabatha Jones: Who needs what you have?
13:09:05 --> 13:09:09
Tabatha Jones: Who are the people that have a problem you can solve?
13:09:09 --> 13:09:13
Tabatha Jones: And who is actually looking for a solution?
13:09:13 --> 13:09:18
Tabatha Jones: And most importantly, who is willing to pay for that solution?
13:09:19 --> 13:09:28
Tabatha Jones: you know, work I do with my clients when we get into the who piece is having them get out and have conversations with real human beings.
13:09:28 --> 13:09:36
Tabatha Jones: And I push them out of their comfort zone. Because your family and friends are gonna say, oh my god, girl, that's such a great idea!
13:09:37 --> 13:09:45
Tabatha Jones: That's not the same thing as someone pulling out their credit card to pay you because they know you can put an end to the problem they're dealing with.
13:09:46 --> 13:09:52
Tabatha Jones: Or you can give them a solution that makes their life or their career or their family stronger.
13:09:53 --> 13:09:59
Tabatha Jones: So, I want you to think about that, and why this foundational work is so important.
13:09:59 --> 13:10:03
Tabatha Jones: I was actually just talking to a client earlier today.
13:10:03 --> 13:10:18
Tabatha Jones: And, you know, we slowed down a little bit. She came in, she was excited, she's ready to go, she knows what she wants to do. Well, when I said we're going to slow down a little bit, in my old corporate job, we used to say slow down to speed up, and it drove me insane, but it makes so much sense in this space and time in life.
13:10:19 --> 13:10:24
Tabatha Jones: It's like, we're going to slow down. We're going to build your foundation the right way.
13:10:24 --> 13:10:32
Tabatha Jones: And we've been working, uh, through the why and the what, and today was the start of our who.
13:10:32 --> 13:10:42
Tabatha Jones: And at the beginning of the call, I said, what has come up? And she said, I knew what I wanted to do, and I thought I was clear, but now I have so much more clarity.
13:10:42 --> 13:10:45
Tabatha Jones: It is worth slowing your ass down.
13:10:45 --> 13:10:57
Tabatha Jones: taking the time to get this clarity. It doesn't have to be formal or fancy. It can just be you and a notebook, or a spreadsheet, or a Google Doc, or a voice app.
13:10:57 --> 13:11:11
Tabatha Jones: Or, if you get my Idea to Income playbook, there's actually, in the resource page, a QR code where you can download a spreadsheet… actually, sorry, a full workbook that I've already created for you to help you work through these questions.
13:11:11 --> 13:11:21
Tabatha Jones: It's so important that you do this foundational work first, or you're going to be feeling a bit defeated trying to figure out why you're not selling.
13:11:22 --> 13:11:27
Tabatha Jones: And once you've worked through those foundational pieces.
13:11:27 --> 13:11:30
Tabatha Jones: Then you're ready for how.
13:11:30 --> 13:11:34
Tabatha Jones: How are you going to package your expertise?
13:11:34 --> 13:11:37
Tabatha Jones: How are you going to deliver services?
13:11:37 --> 13:11:40
Tabatha Jones: How are you going to reach the right people?
13:11:40 --> 13:11:47
Tabatha Jones: How are you gonna use maybe different tools to keep your program straight, or to, you know.
13:11:47 --> 13:11:50
Tabatha Jones: deliver your clients services.
13:11:50 --> 13:11:52
Tabatha Jones: Do you see the difference?
13:11:52 --> 13:12:00
Tabatha Jones: When you start with how, you're building around tactics. You're building a solution that maybe nobody even wants.
13:12:01 --> 13:12:10
Tabatha Jones: When you start with your why, what, then who, you're building around your purpose, your value, your experience.
13:12:10 --> 13:12:13
Tabatha Jones: And real-life human customer needs.
13:12:14 --> 13:12:18
Tabatha Jones: The clarity comes before the creation.
13:12:18 --> 13:12:25
Tabatha Jones: So if you remember nothing else today, I want you to remember that. Clarity before creation.
13:12:27 --> 13:12:28
Tabatha Jones: Now…
13:12:28 --> 13:12:44
Tabatha Jones: Let's just talk about this as an example. I work with women who have spent decades in corporate America. Again, we've talked about them. They're incredibly capable. They've led teams, built systems, trained employees, coached, handled budgets, negotiated contracts.
13:12:44 --> 13:12:47
Tabatha Jones: Solve problems that would make your head spin.
13:12:47 --> 13:12:54
Tabatha Jones: Now, let's imagine one of these women, maybe she's you, wants to start a business.
13:12:54 --> 13:13:02
Tabatha Jones: Coming from corporate or, you know, a 9 to 5 type of job, maybe it's not corporate, maybe it's nonprofit, maybe it's something else.
13:13:02 --> 13:13:07
Tabatha Jones: When she looks at those skills, she could be a consultant. She could be a coach.
13:13:07 --> 13:13:11
Tabatha Jones: She could help small businesses improve their operations.
13:13:11 --> 13:13:13
Tabatha Jones: She could teach leadership.
13:13:13 --> 13:13:21
Tabatha Jones: She could create workshops. She could build membership programs. She could do about 15 or more different things.
13:13:21 --> 13:13:25
Tabatha Jones: And they're all things she's capable of doing.
13:13:25 --> 13:13:28
Tabatha Jones: But where does she really start?
13:13:28 --> 13:13:34
Tabatha Jones: And this is where I see women get stuck. I see this in my clients, I hear this in conversations.
13:13:34 --> 13:13:46
Tabatha Jones: But it's really, they start trying to figure out, and maybe you're finding yourself doing the same thing, like, trying to figure out how to build all of the possibilities before they figure out which one makes sense.
13:13:46 --> 13:13:52
Tabatha Jones: Maybe they start designing a coaching program, then think, well, consulting might be more profitable.
13:13:52 --> 13:14:05
Tabatha Jones: Then someone says, oh, you should create an online course because passive income is the way to go. I'm gonna give you the quick spoiler alert that nobody gave me. There's no such thing as passive income. Whatever you decide to sell, you gotta sell it.
13:14:05 --> 13:14:12
Tabatha Jones: You know, so suddenly, this particular woman, again, maybe you, has 3 business models.
13:14:12 --> 13:14:20
Tabatha Jones: Six different audiences and a website that looks like a department store. There's too many choices. Everything's for sale, but nobody knows what they're supposed to buy.
13:14:21 --> 13:14:29
Tabatha Jones: So I want you to understand that just because you can do something doesn't mean you should build a business around it.
13:14:29 --> 13:14:32
Tabatha Jones: You might be an incredible operations leader.
13:14:32 --> 13:14:37
Tabatha Jones: That doesn't mean you want to spend your next chapter fixing someone else's operational mess.
13:14:37 --> 13:14:41
Tabatha Jones: You might be a fantastic people manager.
13:14:41 --> 13:14:44
Tabatha Jones: That doesn't mean you want to manage employees again.
13:14:44 --> 13:14:48
Tabatha Jones: You might know how to do 20 different things.
13:14:48 --> 13:14:52
Tabatha Jones: That doesn't mean you need 20 different offers.
13:14:52 --> 13:14:58
Tabatha Jones: This is why we start with the freedom number and figuring out the life you want.
13:14:58 --> 13:15:06
Tabatha Jones: And the why. And then we start looking at the what, the skills you want to use. And then the who. Who needs those skills?
13:15:06 --> 13:15:10
Tabatha Jones: And then we create the how, the offer, the platform.
13:15:10 --> 13:15:15
Tabatha Jones: Otherwise, you truly run the risk of creating another job for yourself.
13:15:15 --> 13:15:29
Tabatha Jones: But this time, there's no paycheck coming every two weeks, because maybe you've already jumped. There's no paid vacation, no benefits, and uh… it's not going to look nearly as glamorous as Instagram makes it look when other people appear to be doing it.
13:15:30 --> 13:15:31
Tabatha Jones: So…
13:15:31 --> 13:15:39
Tabatha Jones: I want you to think about these things and maybe think about the business. If you've already started it, you know, where did you start? Did you start with the how?
13:15:40 --> 13:15:45
Tabatha Jones: Or did you get really strategic and start more with your why?
13:15:46 --> 13:15:47
Tabatha Jones: Now.
13:15:47 --> 13:15:57
Tabatha Jones: since I'm on a little bit of a soapbox… well, actually, you know what? I didn't share. I didn't share that I actually hired a coach. I think I might have shared it on a past episode.
13:15:57 --> 13:16:09
Tabatha Jones: Because I started with how, I hired a coach who helped me build this really great training program. I spent a shit ton of money on it. I bought the tool, I created all these modules.
13:16:09 --> 13:16:12
Tabatha Jones: I sold zero frickin' modules.
13:16:12 --> 13:16:23
Tabatha Jones: Hindsight, had I talked to a human being, the woman I was building it for, she would have said, girl, I don't want to watch modules. I don't want to stare at a computer screen after I've worked 12 hours today.
13:16:23 --> 13:16:28
Tabatha Jones: Oh, well, that would make sense. Maybe I should have figured that piece out a little sooner.
13:16:28 --> 13:16:33
Tabatha Jones: I would have had I talked to human beings, had I started with my why, had I gone in the right order.
13:16:33 --> 13:16:36
Tabatha Jones: So, all right, back to the other soapbox.
13:16:37 --> 13:16:45
Tabatha Jones: Another thing that's driving me a little nuts is social media. And before you come at me, I'm not saying social media is bad.
13:16:45 --> 13:16:46
Tabatha Jones: It's a tool.
13:16:46 --> 13:16:49
Tabatha Jones: It is not your business.
13:16:49 --> 13:17:00
Tabatha Jones: I see people all the time, again, smart, successful women who have a business idea, or they already have a business. I work with some clients that have already built their business, and we're scaling.
13:17:00 --> 13:17:10
Tabatha Jones: The… but the first thing that they'll… that somebody with a newer business or a business idea will come with is, I need to learn social media, I need to learn how to grow on Instagram.
13:17:10 --> 13:17:24
Tabatha Jones: So they sign up for the free workshop, they learn about the reels, they learn about hashtags, they learn about posting schedules, they get beautiful graphics in Canva. Canva, for those of you that don't have it yet, it's a tool for creating things. Do not fall down the rabbit hole on Canva.
13:17:24 --> 13:17:33
Tabatha Jones: So they do this, and they're just off to the races, right? Posting every day, watching their views, trying to figure out why one row got 3,000 views and one got 47.
13:17:33 --> 13:17:42
Tabatha Jones: All the while, no one has helped them really figure out what they're actually selling, or who they're selling it to, or why that person should care.
13:17:42 --> 13:17:45
Tabatha Jones: Let me ask you something.
13:17:45 --> 13:17:49
Tabatha Jones: If I handed you 10,000 Instagram followers tomorrow.
13:17:49 --> 13:17:52
Tabatha Jones: Would you know exactly what to offer them?
13:17:52 --> 13:17:57
Tabatha Jones: Would you know what problem you're solving or what their language is for describing their problem?
13:17:57 --> 13:18:03
Tabatha Jones: Would you know how much to charge or why they should buy from you instead of someone else?
13:18:04 --> 13:18:08
Tabatha Jones: If your answer to any of those questions is no.
13:18:09 --> 13:18:14
Tabatha Jones: You don't need to race to put all your eggs into your social media basket.
13:18:14 --> 13:18:21
Tabatha Jones: It's not going to solve your problem. You have a business foundation problem and we need to fix that.
13:18:22 --> 13:18:23
Tabatha Jones: And…
13:18:23 --> 13:18:30
Tabatha Jones: I want to be clear. So nobody says I was talking shit. There are some fantastic free resources out there.
13:18:30 --> 13:18:35
Tabatha Jones: And a lot of great resources for like, I don't know, 27 bucks or less.
13:18:36 --> 13:18:52
Tabatha Jones: But that doesn't automatically mean it's what you need. In fact, when you buy one of those $27 resources or think about it, instead of buying it, go look at the verbiage that's actually appealing to you because it tells me they're using your language. They understand the problem.
13:18:52 --> 13:18:55
Tabatha Jones: They've built their foundation.
13:18:55 --> 13:19:01
Tabatha Jones: And if you're learning how to promote a business you haven't figured out yet, you're skipping the steps.
13:19:01 --> 13:19:16
Tabatha Jones: So, starting with social media is kind of like buying curtains for a house you haven't built. Hey, those are great curtains, girl! But you don't have any walls, what are you gonna hang them on? So, I know, soapbox day, I did warn you.
13:19:16 --> 13:19:30
Tabatha Jones: Um, and then let's talk about something else, because, you know, you'll see me all over on different social media. Usually that means I'm experimenting with something to see if something has changed, or what's happening in the world today to make sure that I'm staying current.
13:19:30 --> 13:19:36
Tabatha Jones: But you don't have to be on every social media platform to build a successful business.
13:19:37 --> 13:19:47
Tabatha Jones: You do need to understand where your customers are and how they make buying decisions. So, maybe that's LinkedIn. Maybe it's actually networking and having real-life conversations.
13:19:47 --> 13:19:51
Tabatha Jones: Could be referrals or speaking engagements. It could be partnerships.
13:19:51 --> 13:19:56
Tabatha Jones: That right strategy really depends on the business you're building.
13:19:56 --> 13:20:01
Tabatha Jones: Which, again, is exactly why the how comes next.
13:20:01 --> 13:20:10
Tabatha Jones: Marketing should amplify your clarity. It should not create your clarity. And social media is a type of marketing.
13:20:12 --> 13:20:17
Tabatha Jones: All right, we're going to go back just a little bit on my super expensive education.
13:20:17 --> 13:20:23
Tabatha Jones: So, when I left corporate at 50, I had more than 20 years of leadership experience.
13:20:23 --> 13:20:32
Tabatha Jones: I knew how to lead teams, how to manage complex operations, how to, I always joke about this, how to translate geek to C-suite and C-suite to geek.
13:20:32 --> 13:20:39
Tabatha Jones: I knew how to build strategies and execute them. I knew how to solve problems. And I was really good at all of it.
13:20:40 --> 13:20:46
Tabatha Jones: So naturally, I thought some of those skills would translate directly into running my own business.
13:20:46 --> 13:20:48
Tabatha Jones: And some did.
13:20:48 --> 13:20:51
Tabatha Jones: But entrepreneurship is a bit of a different animal.
13:20:51 --> 13:21:07
Tabatha Jones: Suddenly I'm not the leader of the department. I am the marketer, the salesperson, the technology department, the accountant, the content creator, the customer service department, the coach, and the person responsible for figuring out what the heck we're selling.
13:21:08 --> 13:21:19
Tabatha Jones: I did what a lot of successful corporate women do when we don't know how to do something. I went and learned it. I hired coaches, I bought programs, I earned certifications, I invested in tools.
13:21:19 --> 13:21:31
Tabatha Jones: I kept learning and learning and learning. I spent more than $50,000 on that. Oh my gosh, branding and photo shoots and oh my god, so much, so embarrassing. Again, won't pull out the list.
13:21:31 --> 13:21:40
Tabatha Jones: I shouldn't say it's embarrassing, that's self-judgment, and I do preach about us not self-judging each other, or self-deprecating, but I do that a little bit, just humor-wise.
13:21:40 --> 13:21:50
Tabatha Jones: Um, but I want to be really clear about something. Again, not all of that money was wasted. It wasn't. I learned a lot. I met amazing people.
13:21:50 --> 13:21:54
Tabatha Jones: I develop new skills that I still use every day.
13:21:54 --> 13:22:01
Tabatha Jones: But my whole point in sharing this is I invested in things before I understood what I needed.
13:22:01 --> 13:22:13
Tabatha Jones: And there are service providers, coaches, and others who will take your money without being really clear on what you should be doing before you invest in their program.
13:22:13 --> 13:22:17
Tabatha Jones: Um, I was buying solutions to problems I hadn't clearly defined.
13:22:17 --> 13:22:23
Tabatha Jones: I was learning strategies that had nothing to do with the stage of business I was in.
13:22:23 --> 13:22:30
Tabatha Jones: And sometimes I was just doing what I knew how to do best, preparing and hiding behind perfectionism.
13:22:30 --> 13:22:41
Tabatha Jones: Preparing feels safe to me. Learning always feels safe. Taking another course? Yes, please! Putting an offer in front of a real person? Having a real conversation and asking them to pay for it?
13:22:41 --> 13:22:44
Tabatha Jones: That can be really uncomfortable at the beginning.
13:22:44 --> 13:22:56
Tabatha Jones: And here's the thing, here's the kicker of this. You can spend $50,000 or more learning how to run a business and still not know whether anyone wants to buy what you're selling.
13:22:57 --> 13:23:04
Tabatha Jones: Friend, I don't want you to go and invest $10,000 even in a coach when you're not quite ready.
13:23:04 --> 13:23:05
Tabatha Jones: So.
13:23:05 --> 13:23:10
Tabatha Jones: that's actually kind of brings me back to the premise of why I wrote the Idea to Income playbook.
13:23:10 --> 13:23:17
Tabatha Jones: I shared probably about $30,000 worth of coaching education into that book.
13:23:17 --> 13:23:22
Tabatha Jones: Not because you need that much education to start a business, quite the opposite.
13:23:22 --> 13:23:27
Tabatha Jones: But I did it because I want women to have access to the foundational work.
13:23:27 --> 13:23:32
Tabatha Jones: without making the same expensive mistakes I made.
13:23:32 --> 13:23:37
Tabatha Jones: Some of you listening, you've already left your corporate job, maybe by choice, maybe not.
13:23:37 --> 13:23:49
Tabatha Jones: Some of you are still in a corporate job. Some of you maybe are single parents, or taking care of parents, or helping put your kids through college, or navigating a life change, or an illness, or whatever that is.
13:23:50 --> 13:23:54
Tabatha Jones: I don't want you to spend a ton of money.
13:23:54 --> 13:23:57
Tabatha Jones: On things that you are not quite ready for yet.
13:23:57 --> 13:24:09
Tabatha Jones: So, the idea to income playbook, it starts with money. Really understanding your financials. We have a lot of leaks. We have a lot of things that we pay for that we don't ever even question when we're making a good salary.
13:24:10 --> 13:24:14
Tabatha Jones: The book then moves you into your why and then your what.
13:24:14 --> 13:24:16
Tabatha Jones: And then you're who?
13:24:16 --> 13:24:21
Tabatha Jones: And then we end with your how, which is your offers and how to really make progress.
13:24:21 --> 13:24:37
Tabatha Jones: And then each chapter has intentional hours. My philosophy and the way I did this when I was building my business and working a demanding corporate job was finding one hour per day. Sometimes that day, that hour happened in 15 minute increments.
13:24:37 --> 13:24:43
Tabatha Jones: Sometimes it ended up being an hour or two on a Saturday or Sunday because I couldn't do it during the week.
13:24:43 --> 13:24:50
Tabatha Jones: But teaching you how to find that time, and how to intentionally use that time to make progress.
13:24:50 --> 13:24:59
Tabatha Jones: so important to me. We don't need the big technology setup. We don't need to become an Instagram influencer overnight.
13:24:59 --> 13:25:07
Tabatha Jones: My book and my coaching programs are truly just that practical process for figuring out what you could build.
13:25:07 --> 13:25:09
Tabatha Jones: Whether it makes sense for your life.
13:25:09 --> 13:25:11
Tabatha Jones: And if it's something that's truly aligned.
13:25:11 --> 13:25:15
Tabatha Jones: I wish I'd had something like that when I started.
13:25:15 --> 13:25:19
Tabatha Jones: Now, let's be real, would I have still made some mistakes?
13:25:19 --> 13:25:29
Tabatha Jones: Please, if you've met me, you know, yes, indeed, I would have made some of those mistakes. I am very talented at learning things the hard way. I did it through my career, I've done it through my coaching.
13:25:29 --> 13:25:41
Tabatha Jones: Um, but it definitely would have saved me some time, a shit ton of money, and a lot of frustration in figuring out the constant, hey, is this thing on? Can anybody hear me? Does anybody see me? Does anybody want me? What's going on?
13:25:41 --> 13:25:47
Tabatha Jones: So, you know. If you are listening to this and thinking.
13:25:47 --> 13:25:53
Tabatha Jones: Tabitha, I'm laughing and crying because I've already done all of these things.
13:25:53 --> 13:25:59
Tabatha Jones: Friends, welcome to the club. You are an excellent company. We are not judging you here.
13:25:59 --> 13:26:02
Tabatha Jones: And you don't need to tear anything down.
13:26:02 --> 13:26:07
Tabatha Jones: You just need to stop building for a minute and make sure your foundation is solid.
13:26:07 --> 13:26:12
Tabatha Jones: So back to this slow down to speed up that I used to hate, but now I get it.
13:26:12 --> 13:26:16
Tabatha Jones: Here are five questions I want you to answer.
13:26:16 --> 13:26:18
Tabatha Jones: Before you move on.
13:26:18 --> 13:26:20
Tabatha Jones: Number one.
13:26:20 --> 13:26:23
Tabatha Jones: What do I want this business to do for my life?
13:26:24 --> 13:26:34
Tabatha Jones: Not what do I want the business to look like, or what do I want it to do for my life? More income? Are you thinking more freedom, more purpose, more flexibility?
13:26:34 --> 13:26:37
Tabatha Jones: What does success actually mean to you?
13:26:38 --> 13:26:40
Tabatha Jones: Number two.
13:26:40 --> 13:26:48
Tabatha Jones: Your question is, what do I have that someone else might find valuable? Oh my gosh, my words.
13:26:48 --> 13:26:55
Tabatha Jones: I want you to ask yourself, what do I have that someone else might find valuable?
13:26:55 --> 13:27:02
Tabatha Jones: I want you to think beyond your job title. Think about your skills, your experience, your knowledge, your passion.
13:27:02 --> 13:27:05
Tabatha Jones: The things people already ask you for help with.
13:27:06 --> 13:27:10
Tabatha Jones: The third question is, who needs what I have?
13:27:10 --> 13:27:12
Tabatha Jones: Please don't say everybody.
13:27:12 --> 13:27:15
Tabatha Jones: Everybody is not your customer.
13:27:15 --> 13:27:21
Tabatha Jones: I want you to get very specific. Who has the problem you know how to solve?
13:27:23 --> 13:27:32
Tabatha Jones: The fourth question, what problem am I solving? Not what service am I offering? What problem am I solving?
13:27:32 --> 13:27:37
Tabatha Jones: Because people don't wake up in the morning thinking, I really need to hire a certified coach.
13:27:37 --> 13:27:43
Tabatha Jones: They wake up thinking, I cannot keep doing this job for another 10 years.
13:27:43 --> 13:27:53
Tabatha Jones: Or, I know I have something valuable to offer, but I have no idea how to turn it into money. Or maybe I'm tired of getting passed over for promotions.
13:27:53 --> 13:27:59
Tabatha Jones: Those are actual problems. Your service is how you will help them solve those problems.
13:28:00 --> 13:28:05
Tabatha Jones: And number five, how do I know someone will pay for this?
13:28:05 --> 13:28:09
Tabatha Jones: This is a big one. Have you talked to potential clients?
13:28:09 --> 13:28:14
Tabatha Jones: Have you asked what they're struggling with and really learned their language for describing it?
13:28:14 --> 13:28:18
Tabatha Jones: Have you learned what they've already tried?
13:28:18 --> 13:28:26
Tabatha Jones: Have you tested a really simple offer? I'm not talking about something that needs a landing page, a checkout, a website, all that shit. You don't need it.
13:28:26 --> 13:28:33
Tabatha Jones: You need a way to make the offer, a way to take a payment, and a way to deliver the service. That's it.
13:28:33 --> 13:28:40
Tabatha Jones: You can take a payment through Venmo or Zelle if you want to. You can set up a Stripe account. It does not have to be a full-on website.
13:28:41 --> 13:28:44
Tabatha Jones: Have you actually asked someone to pay for your service?
13:28:44 --> 13:28:48
Tabatha Jones: Compliments are wonderful. We love a good compliment.
13:28:48 --> 13:28:51
Tabatha Jones: But compliments don't pay your mortgage.
13:28:51 --> 13:28:53
Tabatha Jones: Now…
13:28:53 --> 13:28:59
Tabatha Jones: I don't want you to hear this and think you need to spend six months getting perfectly clear before you take action.
13:28:59 --> 13:29:00
Tabatha Jones: Absolutely not.
13:29:00 --> 13:29:13
Tabatha Jones: Remember the client story I just shared? Clarity comes from taking action. Absolutely. You need to take action. Talk to people, test your ideas, get feedback, make quick adjustments.
13:29:13 --> 13:29:16
Tabatha Jones: That's how you learn quickly in this world.
13:29:16 --> 13:29:25
Tabatha Jones: And the difference is you're taking intentional action instead of just creating things without really understanding.
13:29:26 --> 13:29:31
Tabatha Jones: Why or where it's going or who's going to do it and are you even going to love doing it in a month from now?
13:29:32 --> 13:29:34
Tabatha Jones: So here's your big homework.
13:29:35 --> 13:29:46
Tabatha Jones: You know, I love giving homework. My employees used to say, you know, that person doesn't work for you, right? I'm like, that's fine. I gave them an assignment. It'll get done. So you get an assignment and you get an assignment.
13:29:46 --> 13:29:49
Tabatha Jones: I want you to set aside one hour this week.
13:29:49 --> 13:29:50
Tabatha Jones: That's it.
13:29:50 --> 13:29:52
Tabatha Jones: One intentional hour.
13:29:52 --> 13:30:02
Tabatha Jones: And we're not taking that time to play on Canva, we're not doing any website updates, we're not researching courses, we're not dicking around on Instagram to see what everybody else is doing.
13:30:02 --> 13:30:05
Tabatha Jones: I want you to sit down with your notebook.
13:30:05 --> 13:30:08
Tabatha Jones: Those five questions that I shared.
13:30:08 --> 13:30:12
Tabatha Jones: And I want you to start getting really clear on what you want.
13:30:12 --> 13:30:17
Tabatha Jones: What you have, who needs it, and what problem you could solve.
13:30:18 --> 13:30:23
Tabatha Jones: Then I want you to identify one person who might be your ideal client.
13:30:23 --> 13:30:25
Tabatha Jones: And have a conversation.
13:30:25 --> 13:30:27
Tabatha Jones: Ask them what they're struggling with.
13:30:27 --> 13:30:29
Tabatha Jones: Ask them what they've tried.
13:30:29 --> 13:30:33
Tabatha Jones: Ask what solving that problem would mean to them.
13:30:33 --> 13:30:39
Tabatha Jones: You're not going to pitch them. Do not pitch them. Do not try to sell them anything.
13:30:39 --> 13:30:40
Tabatha Jones: Just listen.
13:30:41 --> 13:30:49
Tabatha Jones: You might learn more in that conversation than you would in another month of trying to figure out everything on your own.
13:30:49 --> 13:30:56
Tabatha Jones: And if you want a little help working through those questions, that's what the Idea to Income Playbook is designed to do.
13:30:56 --> 13:31:06
Tabatha Jones: As I shared, it has exercises and a downloadable toolkit in the resource section, so you're not just reading about building a business.
13:31:06 --> 13:31:12
Tabatha Jones: You're actually doing the work, the work that matters, and you're doing it in the right order.
13:31:13 --> 13:31:18
Tabatha Jones: So, here's what I want to leave you with today, because I feel like I've been a little soapboxy, and we need to.
13:31:18 --> 13:31:26
Tabatha Jones: Your business doesn't need a website before it needs a purpose. It doesn't need a social media strategy before it needs a customer.
13:31:26 --> 13:31:31
Tabatha Jones: And it doesn't need a fancy offer before you understand what problem you're solving.
13:31:31 --> 13:31:40
Tabatha Jones: Sister, you have decades of experience. You have skills, knowledge, and probably some talent you've never even considered turning into income.
13:31:40 --> 13:31:43
Tabatha Jones: There's a lot of opportunity in that.
13:31:43 --> 13:31:47
Tabatha Jones: But opportunity doesn't automatically become revenue.
13:31:47 --> 13:31:54
Tabatha Jones: You've got to get clear, you've got to validate, and you have got to take intentional action.
13:31:55 --> 13:32:02
Tabatha Jones: And for my friends that are still working in corporate or demanding jobs in various industries.
13:32:02 --> 13:32:03
Tabatha Jones: I want you to hear this.
13:32:03 --> 13:32:08
Tabatha Jones: You don't have to quit your job to figure any of this out.
13:32:08 --> 13:32:11
Tabatha Jones: Use your paycheck as an asset. Asset.
13:32:11 --> 13:32:17
Tabatha Jones: Give yourself the financial breathing room to experiment, learn, and build something that actually works.
13:32:17 --> 13:32:28
Tabatha Jones: You'll hear me say on different platforms or topics or talks, I think it's even in my book, uh, build before you bounce. I want you to build before you leave.
13:32:28 --> 13:32:34
Tabatha Jones: Options is what we're building, and those options create freedom.
13:32:34 --> 13:32:40
Tabatha Jones: So, I'll drop the link to my book in the show notes, and, um…
13:32:40 --> 13:32:46
Tabatha Jones: Again, you know, I've already spent so much money learning these lessons.
13:32:46 --> 13:32:54
Tabatha Jones: Giving you this book for $15.99 where you can get the full foundational roadmap. All I can say is you're welcome.
13:32:54 --> 13:32:58
Tabatha Jones: Oh my gosh, thank you for hanging out with me today on the Intentional Next Act.
13:32:58 --> 13:33:03
Tabatha Jones: Until next time, I want you to keep building a life that feels like yours.
13:33:03 --> 13:33:06
Tabatha Jones: Take care, friends. We'll see you next week.
