Inspired Table Dinner at Side Yard Farm – Photo credit: Cassie Goodluck Photography
On a recent Thursday evening my wife and I invited eight people to a unique dinner gathering that we call “Inspired Table.” We host this event every month to accomplish something pretty simple – bring together a small group of people who inspire us and help them get to know each other over a good meal. Over the past year, we’ve gotten to know over 100 badass leaders this way.
Think about that for a second. We ask amazing people to join us for an evening so they can hang out with other amazing people. It’s so simple and it’s our favorite way to connect and elevate others. We love to honor individuals that are doing remarkable things in a world where being average is acceptable and often encouraged.
“I’m intimidated by the fear of being average.”
– Taylor Swift
How to Do Business
Two to three times a week I go to my “bike therapy” session. When I walk into Burncycle I know exactly what I’m going to get. Jessi Duley has brilliantly created an experience that is fun, challenging, inspiring and intense. I’ve never had so much fun getting my ass kicked and I walk out the door feeling amazing – every single time!
Jessi has taken a simple enough concept and infused it with her soul, her energy and her desire to live life to the absolute fullest! And let me just say it – what people really want is to feel more alive. And that’s what Jessi and her team deliver.
If you can remember these three things, anything you do will have an exponentially greater chance of succeeding.
- Business is about belonging – If I can buy from anyone, why would I buy from you? What am I joining by investing my time and money in your product or service?
- Access is the new aloofness – Get to know people by offering unique experiences and you’ll have more fun and more clients than you can handle – always!
- Connect and serve – Operate from a place of service and you’ll always thrive. Whenever we work from a place of scarcity, hunger, and fear, we can’t seem to make money.
Serve From The Heart
My wife is my hero. I’m not saying that to be cute. She has methodically built a thriving yoga business that has an enormous impact. She left a high-paying, high status job in financial services to follow her heart and build something from scratch.
Jill Knouse Yoga is a flourishing business that’s purposeful, profitable and allows Jill to do what she does best – serve from the heart. People don’t show up for her classes, events and workshops to do vinyasa flow yoga. They show up because she cares. She cares so deeply that people can’t help but feel it.
If you’re not aware, transactional-level business is evaporating. People don’t want an “average” experience any longer. People want to feel something. People want their world to be rocked!
I don’t need an “average” web designer so I have Natalie McGuire work her magic on my business. I can’t possibly sing her praises enough. I could experiment with 99designs or Fiverr but I don’t because I want mind-blowing results. Every. Single. Time.
The era of average is over.
If you’re not finding ways to build and nurture a community, if you’re not thinking of ways to build a relationship beyond the buy button, that’s why your business is drying up. The phone isn’t ringing because people don’t know enough about you to know that they should love you. Just having the skills is no longer good enough. You have to tell your story boldly and give people an experience of you.
People buy experiences and results, not skills. The skills are a given. We buy the relationship, not the checkbox.
3 Actions You Can Take Immediately
Every single day, offer value and serve the person who is right in front of you. Build a community to earn more customers, one step at a time.
- Create a valuable piece of content, however brief, that helps someone else move the ball forward in some way. It can be a video, an audio or two hundred words in a blog post: “How to fill your yoga classes once and for all” or “A guaranteed way to connect with experts in your industry.” Share something you’re damn good at and give others a taste of your brilliance.
- Look around and see if there’s even one person you can help (not necessarily a customer, but someone you can help). Who did you just meet that you could connect to someone they need to know?
- Promote someone other than yourself for the great work they do. It’s not all about you. Shine the light on someone else that inspires you.
I promise that doing these three things will move you towards being extraordinary. Maybe not immediately. But the work you do to help will move everything else. It’s the reason why 100+ people have said “yes” to ‘Inspired Table’ dinners on a week night.
You can do this. I promise.
Other People You Should Know
I already mentioned a few of them above. Go and find them and witness their brilliance. And tell others about them when they blow your mind.
I also want to mention Yasmin Nguyen who is a genius at creating Customer Gratitude videos! He understands that trust is the currency of business. If you’re an elite level coach, consultant or freelancer, you need Yasmin on your team. You can check out the work he did for me here.
And I just had breakfast with Dr. Scott Mills and he blew my mind with his work around generating prosperity in a more playful, graceful and connected way. You should know him too.
See what I just did there? I mentioned others besides myself – people that I think you should know about. People who are doing epic things in the world. People who are way beyond average.
And I would love to know you better. Request an in-depth conversation with me if you are tired of being average and you want to lean into your greatness. That’s what I do – help ambitious business builders to dream bigger than they’ve ever dreamed and then execute on those dreams.
SOMETHING NEW
I’m teaming up with Jill to offer something completely new. It’s a one-of-a-kind offering called The Council of Visionary Business Builders. If you’re tired of trying to do it all yourself and you realize that it’s your time to RISE, have a look at what we’re up to and maybe even apply for one of the 20 spots. You’ll be held to a higher standard of performance while achieving your boldest ideas.
Now, go and practice being extraordinary.
Live bravely,
Michael
