Finding Your Entrepreneurial Purpose With Rachel Proctor

[00:00:00] You're listening to the my biz bestie podcast where female biz owners find their support system to have their back through the highs and lows of running a business and to make the journey less lonely and a lot more fun. Here is your host, licensed therapist, entrepreneur, and your biz bestie Amber Holly. 

Welcome to season six of the my biz bestie podcast. I'm Amber Holly. And today I have a very special guest. I have the lovely Rachel Proctor, who is a Virtual business mentor with me today to talk all about finding your entrepreneurial purpose. Welcome. Rachel Thank you for having me amber. I'm excited.

Yeah I know we were we were talking right before this that I think that this is such a great topic because Given what 2020 has been throwing at us, so many people I think are questioning or reexamining how they have structured their business and their life and trying to figure [00:01:00] out does it still work for them or what are they wanting to get out of their business and their, and their life.

So I felt like, you know, when, when you reached out about this topic, I was like, this will be perfect. So why don't you do a little bit better job than I did of explaining a little bit more about who you are and what you do. So I am a virtual business mentor, which essentially kind of in layman's terms, I'm, I'm more of a business strategist, but I also incorporate a lot of faith and just life things into the way that I teach and the way that I coach my entrepreneurs and students that take my classes because we know that it's really hard, especially when you're an entrepreneur, that it's hard to separate a lot of.

Things like from your business, because if you're not in a good health, health, health space, emotionally, a lot of times, and mentally, a lot of that spills over into your success in your business. So a lot of it ties together. So yeah, I love to help people do strategy. And I always tell people, if I wasn't an entrepreneur, I probably would have taught something.

school. So that's why I also refer to myself as kind of an online [00:02:00] educator with like a lot of my trainings and free trainings that I do on Fridays and stuff like that because I love teaching and just sharing information and helping people to be better in their business. So I love it. Yeah. And it makes sense because you have emerged university, correct?

Yes. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. Well, there you go. The teacher, the consummate professor. So, yeah. And you know, that's the thing that's kind of the premise of this podcast as well is, you know, I say it's the emotional side of business because it's like, you're saying everything overlaps, like how, how we're structuring our lives or the things that we're going through personally definitely impact our business and vice versa.

Right. So it's about figuring out how do we set up that support system or those systems or how do we structure things. That make it so that it's actually something we want to do because yeah, you know Sometimes we get so caught up and it's like we're working for our business instead of our business working for us Yeah, and you know what?

I just something just came to my mind about just this year in general and [00:03:00] with 2020 and some of it has felt like a lot. I know a lot of my students and even for myself at times it felt like we were in crisis mode but I think there's like a blessing sometimes that comes with that in that a lot of times crisis will shine the light on what's just not working and it's to say okay I need to take a look at this and oftentimes it's stuff that we probably should have stopped doing a long time ago that wasn't serving us but sometimes it takes Our circumstances forcing us to make those changes and so sometimes you have to just look okay What's the blessing in everything that's going on right now?

And I know for me that's been huge for me because it's like okay I've got to either do better with getting these systems in place or I need to do this or maybe I need to Stop doing this. So it's been super huge to kind of shift my perspective And that's what I try to help my students do shift your perspective In in what's going on to see how can you come out of this situation?

Are you feeling stressed out or unmotivated? Are things in your personal life affecting your [00:04:00] business? As a licensed therapist and coach, these are just some of the things that I help people with all the time. Right now, you can book an SOS session for 50 percent off. Just go to mybizbestie. com forward slash SOS.

I don't know if I had talked about it on the podcast before, but I had so many of those moments where, like especially in the beginning when you know, like COVID initially hit is I finally let go of a team member that I should have let go of a long time ago, but I realized I was no longer willing to tolerate it.

It was like the, the. You know, you kind of deal with something, it's like that boiling a frog thing where the heat churns up and you're just so used to dealing with it because you're so busy and there's so much going on. And then once everything kind of like shut down, it was like, wait a minute, I no longer can tolerate any of this.

Like there's too much stress in the world. I've got to focus. So there is a blessing in it, even though obviously there's been a lot of struggle. I do agree. This is a great opportunity [00:05:00] to re examine a lot of those things. Yeah. And, and to your point, like it's the perfect segue into what I was going to share about that.

It's like, it gives you a chance to really sometimes start over and get a fresh start and really design your life and your business the way that you want it to be. And just giving you kind of that, that fresh start that do over to say, okay. I see what's not working. I see what hasn't been serving me, but realizing that you are in control of that is such an amazing feeling and an amazing realization.

And I know for me, like, it has been this thing to where, you know, okay, I get to design this. I get to say what I allow, how I want it to look, how I want it to feel, how I want to work that I want to do that actually brings me fulfillment and not just feeling like I have to work to work because, you know, that's what we're told in this grind hustle mentality.

And I mean, you know, it's so much I can say about that, but yeah, it gives you that, that feeling that [00:06:00] puts you back in control of your life and your future. Absolutely. And, you know, it's interesting though, as I. I know I experienced this last year when I made a big move across the country where it was almost like, okay, I can do anything.

And so when we're kind of re examining, sometimes when we have so many options that can feel overwhelming to people. So that's why I felt like the, you talking about How do I find that entrepreneurial purpose? Because there's the whole, I know what I don't want. Like that's very helpful to know. We know that I don't want to keep doing this.

I don't want to keep tolerating this. I don't want this to keep going. But when we're figuring out as I shift or look at the new iteration of my business, what is it that I do want? Sometimes people get really stuck and lost in that because they're, they've either been You know, hustling so hard that they're out of touch with what they want, or they're just like, Oh, I could do this, this, this.

It's like that. And they're not focused. Right. And I know a big part of your messaging is also about focus, which I love. [00:07:00] So what would you say to that as far as you know, if people are place of, okay, I want to look, I want to figure it out. What is my purpose in my business and in my life that what's going to fulfill me and you know, how do they start that process?

So you said something and if I feel like you stepped over into exactly what I was going to say about this and one of the things that I've been doing as a coach is really evaluating what my students are saying in terms of like more internally of why they want to do a thing or why they want to be in this particular business versus another business and one of the things no matter what niche or any of that that I've been seeing is they just want to do work that feels right.

And they just want to pay it forward. They just want to feel like they're serving a bigger purpose in the world. And sometimes it's hard to articulate what purpose is because it's kind of a big nebulous word in terms of like, what does that even mean when we talk about purpose? But it's kind of like a little illustration that I use to kind of make it sound like, Clear as far [00:08:00] as how to find that thing that you were specifically called to do with your life and it through your business That actually does that in fulfilling this service to other people and it's called my tour guide Travel agent comparison.

And so we think of what a travel agent is. These are people that are actually self serving Sending people places that they actually probably have never been themselves. So how many of, how many times have you ever went on the trip with your travel agent? Probably next to never. So when you get to that place, there's a chance you may get lost or you know, you may not know where to go when you get there because there's nobody there to actually help show you around and all of this stuff.

And you see a lot of that, especially in the online business space with Instagram. I mean, the only thing that makes you something is that you created a page and you put it in your bio. You don't actually. have to be those things. You see lots of travel agents that are just doing other things that they've seen people be successful in.

And you know, lots of people that [00:09:00] are putting things out there that they really don't have results in or they have no frame of reference for, but because it's online, you know, they're doing these things. And what I try to help my students to become. Our tour guides, which are when you go on a journey, when you travel or you're someplace, you have that tour guide and the tour guide is right there with you.

They are out front and they know how to show you the way, the way forward. They've been there time and time again. They know the history of that place. They know the shortcuts. They know what to tell you in terms of where to go. We're not to go all of these things. And so I really try to help my students to find things in their life that they have been time and time again, and they now have the system or that those steps to help guide them.

They're out front guiding those people along that journey. And so when I say that, I think that it's good to just Find that thing and I'll get to that because it's like, okay, well, how do I find that thing? Right. But find that thing that actually [00:10:00] positions you as that, that tour guide for the people that you're called to serve in your business.

And I think when you do that, it gives you that greater feeling of purpose because a lot of the things that qualify us and give us credibility as a tour guide. Sometimes they were really tough things that we made it through. And we didn't realize until after the fact that we developed a system to actually get on the other side of it.

And now we can show other people how to do those same things. And so that to me is like kind of the beginning stages. It's like looking at the things in your life that have given you a level of credibility and how can you use that system you gained through that to actually get there. guide and help other people that are typically, and you know this Amber, like the people that we're called to serve are typically just previous versions of ourselves.

And so who better to lead them, you know, in a way to get those same results as somebody who's walked in their shoes. I absolutely love that analogy. And I would think also, like you're saying there, you [00:11:00] have the confidence because you've gone through this path, right? You've been there before, but I think it would also cut down on like a lot of the imposter syndrome and things like that, that come up.

for people where they're like, Hey, wait, I actually have done this. I know what I'm talking about. I feel confident in those skills and I know that I can impact people, which, you know, I think is a big barrier for a lot of people in business. You know, when they're figuring out, okay, where do I want to go or how do I want to put myself out there?

So I love that analogy. Yeah, because the thing is that oftentimes we have lots of skill set that that are like We're really like really great at we just don't know how to sell them or who to sell them to Like we don't know how to package that wisdom I always say get in the wind use what you know and get in the wisdom business, right?

You're packaging your expertise and your knowledge. And so a lot of times it's just like, okay I know that i'm really good at xyz, but how do I actually make that into a thing? You know, to where I can actually make it a business to be able to serve those people that need that result that I'm selling. [00:12:00] So yeah, it, it does.

It cuts down on imposter syndrome and I think it gives us more confidence in our delivery and just who we're called to serve in the marketplace when we know what we know. Because you can't, when you know what you know, nobody can tell you what you don't know because it's your experience, right? Exactly.

Exactly. Yeah. And, you know, I think what you're saying is, I think when we do feel like I can really help people or I am making an impact, I mean, for, you know, not all businesses, but I think for a lot of the women business owners that I know, like having an impact is such an important piece of their business.

It's not just about making profits, although that's super important because we all need to live. So, But I, I do think that when we're doing those things and we feel like we're impacting people, it's just a lot more fulfilling, right? It just makes it, it makes the work easier. I know that's how I feel when I'm working with people where I'm like, okay, this, I love this.

This was a great day. I could do this forever. You know, that kind of thing. Yeah. And [00:13:00] that's the thing. You want to find the thing that feels natural for you to do it. You know that doesn't really feel like work and I know we've heard that before and at the risk of sounding like a cliche You know I really believe that I guess because I really believe it because I found that thing Like that feels so natural to me to where I could talk about it like all day I could literally talk about business and strategy and just Entrepreneurship and fulfilling.

I can literally talk about that stuff all day. And people can tell, usually my friends are like, Oh, here she goes. I'm like, this is what I love. Like, this is literally what I feel like I've been purposed to do. And so, and that doesn't mean that there won't be challenges. That doesn't mean that there won't be days where you're like totally confused and questioning everything.

It doesn't negate that. I think that just comes with the territory. But at the end of the day, I think when you know that, that's what helps you to push through those days because we all, we all have them, but it's like when you know the bigger purpose and you know, the bigger [00:14:00] impact of what you're doing, it helps you to be able to push through that.

I agree. I think, I mean, I've talked about this many times on the podcast, like I'm the same way where I could just, I get so excited about talking about, you know, marketing or branding or just, you know, Like business in general and just how we can improve and do better and, you know, have more fulfilling lives.

But at the same time, the other part of my business, the work part, I need to have all that inspiration and all that excitement because on the other side of it, there's always that stuff that you have to do to make your business. So I think when you have that much energy around. the pieces that you love in your business and then it's like, okay, all right, now I have to do the grunt work, you know, I have to, I have to submit my stuff to my accountant for taxes.

Like I have, you know, all those things, like I just don't want to deal with. Absolutely. I love it. I love it. So if you, like we were saying, I think this is a year. Especially this is a year where people are questioning kind of, you know, is [00:15:00] my business still working for me? How am I showing up? You know, do I need to, you know, a lot of people talking about pivoting or, you know, I think of it as even if it's not a pivot per se, but it's like, what is the new iteration of my business?

Like what is it going to look like now? How am I going to structure it? And they're in that place of like, I mean, I could do this, I could do that, you know, there's this going on. Right. What kind of advice or recommendation would you give those people or those women who are in that place? A one piece of advice that I would do and this has this actually worked for me So I whenever I give advice I try to say what has worked for me, right so I can just not giving random Thoughts about things.

But for me, one of the things that I had to do in terms of, if you are in a position to where you feel like you're having to pivot in your business, it wasn't that, and I almost made this mistake, but just like going out and trying to find a whole new market of people, like to do this new business thing with, but for me, it was not about going out and finding new people to sell to, or [00:16:00] to, you know, to build an audience with, but it was looking at my current audience.

And asking them, what do you guys need from me now? Like what, you know, and saying, okay, how can I serve you now? Because, you know, I know what I was doing, but you know, okay, what do you guys need? And what I found from that was that, you know, in terms of things that they were needing, many of them, even though a lot of them were still coaches, consultants, they were hosting live events, things like that.

They were now having to bring everything online. And so, you know, this like brick and mortar and like offline versus online, it's two completely different worlds. And so many of them were really struggling with, okay, well, what is the sales funnel? How do I do an email list? How do I do all of these things that, you know, that I haven't had to do before.

And so I was able to then. Start offering the trainings that were specifically geared to those aspects of business strategy that they weren't familiar with. Because yes, they could get results, you know, that we're, we're past that, but it's kind of like, okay, now [00:17:00] how do I do the tactical things that to bring this brick and mortar business online?

And so I would say if that is you and you're feeling like you have to pivot, look at ways to engage with your audience to say, okay, what do you need for me now? And look at what results, like everything that you could could possibly help them to actually attain results in that comes with you. Just like I say, kind of maybe reevaluating, pulling out the whiteboard.

And just looking at what results have you gotten? What systems do you know how to use? What, you know, all of these things that you actually could help somebody to do and look at how you can kind of intersect with stuff that you, you're confident in delivering for them, but then looking at, okay, what do they need from me now?

And seeing how those things can intersect to possibly look at new revenue streams or just new ways to, um, again, serve your audience and still maintain that level of service to them. Yeah, I think that's a great point that it often isn't about finding a new audience. I think it is, sometimes it's as subtle as like a shift in your messaging of like, here's [00:18:00] what I'm here for.

And, you know, what are the kinds of, like you're saying, Where is that intersection of where I have skills that I can help people and what do I hear people talking about or what, when I ask, and I love that, you know, sometimes we forget to ask, we forget to talk to our clients who, you know, especially when we've been doing this for a long time, we feel like, Hey, I know them so well, but this, the world has changed, you know, absolutely.

And then Amber, we forget that our audience is growing as well. Like, they're, you know, they're, they're not the same. Like for me, you know, a lot of my, and it was so, I just, I was humbled literally by this. And I was sometimes when I do my trainings and stuff on Fridays, I'll ask questions about what level they're at in business.

And I've been doing them for so long and asking that same question. And I'll see, oh, the beginners. And then we'll start to see intermediate. And then we'll see some advanced. And one of my students, she said, Oh, I was a beginner, you know, a few months ago, but she said, now your trainings have helped me to move into advance and it's kind of like, Oh, you [00:19:00] know, you're growing to like, you're actually implementing the things we're teaching.

And we forget that, you know, while we're giving these things out, and sometimes it's very difficult to see that because people have to be. And I use the word thoughtful with air quotes. They have to be thoughtful enough to actually tell you that there has to be some realization that they are growing.

Right. And like you said all the time, because we're moving fast and we have so much, we don't often stop to just assess where everybody is. And so it's one of those things. It's like, you gotta just stop and ask. And that's the secret. simple thing, the simplest thing we can do, but it's, I think it's also the most powerful thing that we can do is just to ask and talk to them and engage with them because they're, you know, a lot of times, especially if your platform is growing or, you know, they can just seem like these binary digits, these numbers on your email list or these numbers on your Facebook page.

And we forget that these are. Real humans with real dreams, real goals, real fears, you know, behind all those numbers. Right? And we forget kind of that, that aspect to say, okay, let me [00:20:00] just reach out, you know, because everything's online and all this, but sometimes you just got to stop and reach out and say, Hey guys, how are you doing checking in?

What, how can I serve you? What do you need from me? Yeah, and I think that's one of those it's so simple and it can be like deceptively simple that we can overlook it First of all, it's free and you get to target people who are already in your audience who are already connected to you and your message and your style and so it's It's like the perfect market research thing, right?

Which, you know, I do love that you say you're a self proclaimed market research, I don't remember, junkie, that was the word, junkie. I was like, I wasn't nerd, it was something else. I'm like, I love that. I love anybody who identifies as something like that. But, you know, and, and thinking about it, my, one of my, my, actually my first business is a brick and mortar that I still own in California.

And that was the thing where, you know, after being with people for so long as a therapist, it's like, they've done their work, they're good, and, you know, and then they go off, which is great. You know, we want them to, that's the goal. [00:21:00] And then just even thinking about like, oh, okay, you know, They don't need this help or that help.

And even through all of this, I was like, wait a minute, I'm having so many clients reach back out because of the stress and everything that's going on. Like, then it was just one of those things of paying attention, like, okay, well, why don't I make an offering around that? Because, you know, I know they're not alone.

Everybody's going through it. And so sometimes it's just paying attention to Yeah, what people are talking about, right? Yeah. And who's more likely to buy from you than somebody that's already proven that they will buy from you? Absolutely. I mean, again, very simple, but it's like, okay, you know, cause I mean, you know, we, we talk about that and reaching out and trying to get new people on, but there's a period, right.

And in terms of their journey that they, you know, they have these time periods that where they, if they don't know you, or, you know, they're trying to get comfortable with your brand or just kind of All of it. I mean, there's a time period. So why not reach back out to the people that have already proven that they value what you do and they've already bought from you.

Yeah. And then [00:22:00] that's a great way to test like the new direction. And I think never, I mean, I think it's important to reach out to quite a few people perhaps because you know, there's going to be that person who like, if you're shifting, you know, to have like, I'm going to say as a coach, like more of a financial focus.

You're gonna have that client who's like no I feel really dialed in on that so they don't need it That doesn't mean that it's not a great offering or that it's not a good, you know that it's not right for your audience It's really about not taking that personally I think that's a big piece of market research is you know, making thoroughly checking it out.

I mean listen to the feedback Don't just ignore it but but also make it so that it's not a You know, statistically a party of like three people. I love it. Yes, absolutely. And so I would say to even that is like, when we're looking at those new offerings, like look at what they're already serving.

Searching for like, and I mean, again, that comes with, with reaching out. That may come with surveys that may come with just reading your comments [00:23:00] or, you know, all of those types of things that can give us clues and insights into what people are actively searching for and around areas that they are in pain about.

Because we know that like, there are problems that people have, but they aren't in pain enough around those problems to actually buy anything or spend any money with you. So like what are the urgent and imminent problems that they're actively searching for things on and there are ways to do that You know in terms of like just kind of what I call well I guess the official term is like immersion market research right like looking at things like reddit and youtube and All of these to see like what types of content are people typically searching for On to kind of give you again some additional insight onto what they're looking for and what answers they're looking for and how you can intersect those results and skills that you know into those answers.

Because again, that's kind of the thing is like they have to be able In pain around that area and actively seeking solutions So I always say that it's easier to sell the cure than it is [00:24:00] prevention I'm sure we've all heard that in terms of like if I don't have a headache I'm, probably not going to be motivated to go buy any headache medicine because i'm not in any pain But if I have that headache then i'm going to be motivated.

I'm going to be so best way to get rid of that headache. And so that's where you kind of have to, like I say, get out there and see what people are searching for, what content are they consuming online to find answers to these things, and then look at how you can position your solution in front and how you can get your solution in front of them.

Through your content and you know other things like that and i'm kind of getting into a lot of strategy I feel my strategy hat But yeah You know You've got to just get out there and see what people are actively doing and there are many ways to do that and we we Kind of hit on some of that number one just asking and then just seeing what they're actually Searching for and and the types of content that they're consuming.

So I love that and you know That's actually how this podcast got started was me really paying attention to I mean a lot of [00:25:00] Facebook groups for business owners and different kinds of businesses and you know some for therapists I'm not and people talking about that loneliness that they're feeling and Feeling so isolated and for me, I was like, well I can understand and that's really hard but I never had that because I You know, that was the one strength that, you know, it's usually that thing that comes so easy to you, but it's a struggle for other people.

It's like, Oh yeah, there's that. And so my best bestie and I, Melissa started the podcast because of that. It's like we knew the value and how much, because it is a hard journey being an entrepreneur. So having those people that you can talk that strategy with and get that feedback from and making all kinds of choices where you spend your time, like what you invest in, you know, and just normalizing the struggle of the process.

Right. And so I think it's. Sometimes it is about that. It's just like really paying attention. So I love that idea too of going out and doing that market research and looking at places. I've never really gone on reddit. I find it super overwhelming But I have so many clients that do and [00:26:00] love it. So I feel like I just vicariously get the nuggets from them Out on reddit.

So i'm maybe i'm just But I geek out totally on reddit like with just all of the like we call it voice of customer data that you get With the reddit forums and stuff like that No, and I, I think it's great, and I think, like, everybody has to find their place, right? Like, I think, probably, you know, having, I have three young kids, and I, you know, I'm in my 40s, I was like, I'm good with Facebook.

Like, I'm, that's where I am, but I'm telling you, I feel like I get all the, like, top nuggets from my clients who love Reddit. So, yeah, looking at those places, and, you know, I'm sure, like, Other places like Medium or Quora. Yeah, Quora is good too. You know, and just kind of noticing trends. Like, I think that's important.

And again, figuring out, is there something there that you are like, Hey, I would love to help people with that. Or, Oh, I'm so good at that. You know, it can be those small things. I love that idea. I think it's really important for people to think about it that way. Yeah, and here's the thing I think about like how many and you [00:27:00] use the word that that I feel so it just hit the nail on the head for me like iterations like of my business and my coaching and the things that I coached about and it's okay to like change like for some reason we feel like you know there's there's like this thing that tells us we can only do this and it's kind of like no like again you you're in control of this thing like You gotta be flexible.

You gotta flow with what's moving, you know? And so I think it's okay. Like we have to tell ourself, it's okay to like change our mind or like to move it to a new direction. You don't have to stay in this one place. And I think that inflexibility is what causes a lot of the frustration or that feeling of inflexibility or this, this notion of the lack of flexibility keeps us in that frustrated part.

But when you realize that, Again, this is your ship to steer. That's why I love entrepreneurship so much because you literally get to make it what you want it to be in your life. And that's why I love it because of that flexibility. I'm so glad you said that [00:28:00] though, because I know even for me, I really, I'm a very type A, like a little perfectionist type of person.

And I would get in that place of, I don't want to look like I'm flitting. Like, I don't want to look like I'm just like all over the place and not really being focused. And so even as I've been going through this process, And I was acutely aware of it and I still was doing it. I was like, okay, what do I want to be helping people with now?

What is coming up? You know, where am I getting the people that I am doing work with? Where does it seem like we're having the biggest impact? And so a lot of stuff around money started coming up. And so even though i've been helping people as a, you know, couples therapist, like you have to talk about money and know how to give people that support.

Like there's, there's a lot I know and yet I had that like therapist thing where I was like, no, I've got to have a certification around that. And so even though I knew that wasn't true, and some of my favorite financial people that I follow don't have certifications or degrees in it. It's just because they're, you know, they're smart.[00:29:00] 

driven people who do research. And so, so I, I have found myself as that's one of my shifts, you know, as I'm like, okay, I want to be talking more about that. I was like this push and pull. And I think, I wish, I hope for people that they don't struggle that much with it. I wish they would just do it. No, you're so on point with that because I have so many of my, of my students that they literally feel stuck because they don't have the certification.

And it's like, Dude, are you able to get the result? Like I don't know anybody that's done really good work for me or to help me to achieve a tangible results in my business That i've said wait, where's your certification? I've never done that and it's just like y'all come on No, no No, you don't like you just need to be credible in the fact that you're able to show receipts For what it is that you're helping people to get and that's why I said, you know I'm not Yeah, you don't need that.

Yes. No. And I agree. Although I did do the certification. I will tell you. And [00:30:00] listen, Amber. Nothing's wrong with it if you have it. I'm just saying, like, don't let that be a point. Yes. You suck. If you know your stuff, then that's, to me, that, in my opinion, That is enough to move forward and just help people get the results that you That you can help them to get and that's the thing and I want to acknowledge it for people to just To say that to understand so that's like, okay, we get it We get that that still comes up and you know, and there were reasons why I chose to do it But also if anybody listens, they know i'm kind of a junkie for buying this kind of stuff This is like my favorite thing to spend money on like i'm not really somebody who's out like buying fancy shoes I'm like, oh, what's a course?

What's a certification? Like it's an addiction. It's an addiction And I need to work on it, but I absolutely wholeheartedly agree because over, you know, I've been in business for you know, a little over nine years now and I have followed so many different people or coached with different people or you know had different mentors and I do think we grow and sometimes what we're needing from people shifts and I want to make sure [00:31:00] that i'm choosing somebody who has credibility.

I love that you said that they do have credibility I want to know that they've actually done it and they just didn't put up that page So I want to know they have that experience Experience and that they can get people results, but ultimately, you know, whatever the certification is that that isn't really as important to me.

Right? Yeah. It's really about can you help me get the results? And I think that's what, like you're saying, that's what the clients are looking for. So it's like one of those things where if that's the thing that's keeping you stuck. You know, despite that, I'm really honest that I did, I did do that. But I also think for me, it was like, you know, uh, Denise Duffield Thomas talks about this thing she calls Procrasta branding, where she'll like make these beautiful things and just like brand everything and waste time doing that.

I almost feel like me, like it's Procrasta certification or it doesn't sound as sexy. It doesn't roll off the tongue, but I feel like it was my, also my way of saying like, okay, I'll do this first and then I'll get to it. Cause I also knew like, you know, it takes work to make that shift. Right. To, to change up, you know, your messaging and your branding and everything.

So [00:32:00] I guess if somebody's in that journey and they're like, okay, I'm going to listen to Rachel and I'm not going to worry about, you know, having that certification. And I'm going to go for it. Cause I know I can help people, you know, and they start like, what would be the thing you would tell people to start as far as like their messaging or kind of how they're putting things out there?

I would say that a simple way to put this is to Talk about the thing that you want to be known for a lot because to me That's what your branding is and when you talk we're getting into like branding and things like that It's while logos and colors and fonts are part of it Like really what your brand is the the impression that you're leaving like you're telling people what to expect when they get you and so to Find that thing that you want to be known for.

Find that thing, like you said, that's easy for you to do. That's difficult for most. And like, what is that thing? And then you need to be creating conversations around it, showing people, you know, again, creating content that showcases your level of expertise and putting things out there. But again, talking about it all the time.

And I know [00:33:00] that's hard because I know that's hard for me too. It's like, Ooh, I don't want to sound like a broken record, but you're making the assumption that. Everybody that's in your audience or attached to you heard it the first time. Or, you know, or what you said was what they actually heard. So, you have to be constantly talking about it so that you become known for that.

In terms of, okay, if I know that I want to get X, Y, Z, then I know now because Amber's always talking about this and always talking about that. I know to go to her for that particular result. And that's to me how you start positioning yourself as an expert. And a lot of times people struggle with that word expert, but to me, all an expert is, is that you know more than the people that you're teaching.

So if you are a five on a scale of one to 10, then your audience and the people that you're serving are one, two, three, and four. You're not targeting six, seven, eight, nine, 10. So I believe that everybody has a degree of expertise, even at the level that you are now. That's not to say you don't grow and develop and grow in your skills, but even at the level that you are now, there are [00:34:00] people that don't know even that much in that you can actually serve at this level.

And so, Find that thing that, that you were called to do that, that you know, well, talk about it all the time, start creating content, start creating ways for people to engage with you around that particular thing so that people start, you start that process of like the know, like, and trust and people are coming to you now and asking you questions and all of that stuff around.

What it is you want to be known for and ultimately build your business and brand on that thing. I love it. That's so helpful. And you know, you made me think about, because I think what we're talking about right now is you feel like you have an idea of the direction you want to go, but it's either it's confidence or it's, you know, imposter syndrome or just fear, you know, lots of stuff comes up for people.

And I, I, this is going to be my Denise Duffield Thomas quoting time again, but she said this thing. She said it in one of her, one of her calls or something, some training I was on, and it might've even been her book. And it just stuck with me where she said, I [00:35:00] am a contributor, not the only voice. And I think that that was such a like, it was so relieving to think like, because when you are perfectionistic, it can be super easy to be in like, well, I don't want to, I have to think of the perfect thing to say, because if somebody can come back and prove me wrong, then I'm going to look like, I don't know what I'm talking about.

And I think when you're like, okay, but this is this, I'm a contributor to this. This is one point of view. This is my voice. Exactly. And understanding that to me, that's so freeing. As opposed to I have to know everything about everything. Yes And then it takes away from that whole well the market's saturated.

Everybody's already doing it Well, literally there are millions billions of people on earth and no one business can actually service Everybody who needs that particular result Like you said there's a reason why somebody would choose you over somebody who does the exact same thing as you and so we have to realize that and like really own our story really own the things that make us unique in terms of Even how we may have arrived at being able to do that skill because that's what people [00:36:00] connect with.

They connect with our stories. Yeah. You know, I think that's perfect too when you're like, you're saying if you're at a five in your journey as a contributor, there's a lot of value because right, like the people who are at 10. Or nine. They might not even remember that part of what it's like to be a one or a two, you know, like in that journey.

Right. So it's like, you can really relate to them in a different way. So I think I love that because I do think it, it does give permission to people to like, you don't have to be the ultimate expert on everything. Right, right. Yeah. That's such a great way. I've never even. Yeah, because sometimes when you get so far in your journey, you do forget like what it feels like to be at the very beginning of, of the journey.

So yeah, we need everybody. We do. We literally need everybody. I say this a lot to new parents when I say, I said, don't trust anybody who's a kids over the age of five because they forget because it's cause then, and I would say to people like, I feel like the fact that I work with new parents a lot, cause you know, couples counseling, you know, I feel like that [00:37:00] keeps me rooted and so I'm grounded to it, but I will say I'm not that.

And I think that's a really important point in the journey where I still don't remember exactly, you know, my kids, my youngest is six, like how hard it was. It can be easy to forget. So I think it's one of those things that I always think about, like, like you're saying, we need voices along all, all parts of that journey.

That's fantastic. So I know we're kind of running out of time, but you know, I feel like we could talk about this all day. Do you have any kind of exercises you do or practices you have or ways that you take that time to kind of check in with yourself and figure out like what is what's going on for me in my business?

You know, what is it that I want to be doing? Do you have like any of those practices? Like sometimes we've talked about on this podcast like, We do these GSD weekends where we do like a focus weekend and we're working on a project, you know, like taking that time to address, you know, to work on your business instead of in it.

Is there anything that you kind of recommend or any kind of practices you have that you would suggest to people? [00:38:00] Well, I would say from a, just from strictly business. Outside of just like personal development and stuff like that. I typically try to map out like everything that I'm going to be focused on in from a sales standpoint.

I try to do that at the, before that month starts, but like taking a day or a couple hours to kind of sit and actually look at, okay, what am I actually going to be focused on selling this month? What do we have coming up in terms of programs, this and any other, and then I'll actually start looking at how to shape my content.

around that. Like, okay, what are we going to do? Like everything needs to point to whatever our sales objective is for that particular month. And so that really helps to keep me focused in terms of content, um, as far as what I'm sharing so that nothing is kind of like off track, you know, in terms of what our ultimate objective is from that, I would say from just a personal standpoint, something that I do and I do it often, I mean like literally all throughout the day.

Is I really really do struggle with imposter syndrome in terms of and not even [00:39:00] necessarily just always just imposter syndrome But just like kind of doubting like is this working? It's kind of like what we've been talking about throughout this podcast like okay Am I really on the right track or is this really working?

And so one of the things that I actually do Is I will like I keep this thing in Evernote. I love Evernote I've had Evernote like ever since it was a thing So it's so full right now in terms of these screenshots And I have this folder and what i'll do is I will like anytime I get like a dm or a comment Or maybe somebody will send an email or maybe I achieved a goal or just something I'll actually either screenshot it or do some sort of a visual But of that particular thing to just remind me.

And when I go back and I have these doubts or I have these thoughts that don't align with who I know I am in terms of my higher self, I go back and look at those things and it reminds me that, Oh, that person did learn from that class. That person did achieve using your strategies that you taught. So you actually do know ways to actually help people.

And [00:40:00] so to go back and look at all of those things and those achievements, like literally since I've been, I've been doing it for as long, I can't even think of when I started doing it, but I literally have thousands of screenshots and just little things over the years that affirm the path that I'm on, like, okay, you know, because all the time it's not easy to see the picture when you're in, you know, side of the frame in terms of the impact that you're actually making on people.

And so that's something that I like to actually do in terms of just kind of a personal thing that I do to keep myself focused that, okay, you are on the right track. You are making an impact, you are helping people and you do know what you're talking about in terms of the things that you're teaching because that helps with the imposter syndrome.

It's like, Hey, you're just a fraud. You know, you don't really know that's not really going to help anybody. Nobody's going to get results using that strategy. And then when somebody. Come back and say, Oh, I got results using it. It's kind of like, Oh, okay, well there's, there's that for that thought, you know?

Exactly. So it's, that's something that I've done. Like I said, I've done that for years and [00:41:00] it's proven to be honestly so helpful because you have so many thoughts all day long and a lot of them don't serve you. So to have, you know, a visual. Of you know evidence to say, okay, you're on the right track. You got this just keep going.

It's always helpful I love that You know And i've I know i've had that suggested to me many times and i've even the therapists who I work with I say do that like because you know It's such deeply personal work and you can have those rough days where you question yourself and I think that's normal You know, even it's like new level old devil, you know, we we all have problems points in which we question our efficacy or are we on the right track or what are we doing?

And I say it all the time and I've never actually made it a habit. Like I'll do it occasionally, but I love the idea of making that a daily habit of taking that time when those things come in to do that. Because I do think it's really helpful. Like you're saying, I love that thought of, yeah, we have so many thoughts in the day that don't serve us.

And so we need to have a different [00:42:00] voice that kind of counterbalances that so that's fantastic. Wonderful Well, I know that you do a lot of amazing things for entrepreneurs like the free training fridays And you know, there's so much that you do to offer people and to help them along their journey But if people wanted to find out more information about you, where should they go?

Sure I think the easiest place is just to hit my website rachellproctor. com Or i'm really super active on Instagram as well. I do respond to DMs as long as they're relevant. I do respond. So I don't mind you reaching out to me there either. And that's at Rachel L. Proctor as well. I love it. I love that you said that they're relevant.

So you don't reply to those guys who are like, you're so beautiful. You're so beautiful. I love you. You will get ignored if that's one of those but awesome and all of the information of course is going to be in the show Notes, but thanks so much rachel for coming on, you know I think that I love the way that you approach things.

It feels so I don't know down the earth is a word That's coming up. It just feels so approachable [00:43:00] It feels like these are ways to kind of look at things or address things but it's with such strategy, you know, such a Savvy strategy behind it. So I think that people will get a lot and I hope they head on over to your website and check out your information and you know, thanks for coming on.

Thank you. It's been so much fun.