Ep. 080: Show Up As Your Unique Self to Sell More w/ Helen Tremethick
Being different and weird/quirky/authentic feels really freaking vulnerable, but showing who you really are is the key to resonating with your perfect people. In a world where people tend to show up as "beige," Helen encourages us to be bold and vibrant instead. And the best part is that it looks different for everyone because we are all unique! In this interview Helen shares why and how to show up as yourself and use it to your advantage to attract the best clients and grow your business in a way that feels damn good.
BIO:
Helen Tremethick is a brand voice strategist & business coach who helps entrepreneurs find the courage, confidence, and clarity they need to move their businesses into the next sphere of their work with just the right amount of love & badassery. She’s the CEO of The Communications Distillery, a brand voice studio located in an old farmhouse in the middle of the Ontario countryside, which means if you ever hop on a coaching call with her, you might hear roosters.
LINKS:
Website: communicationsdistillery.com
Love & Badassery: a peek behind the scenes to see how 31 entrepreneurs grew their businesses while leaning into their authority and authenticity loveandbadassery.com
OTHER LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED TODAY:
Your Next Big Thing Intensive: http://bit.ly/nbt-intensive
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Erika Tebbens: Bro marketing culture and sketchy MLMs have given modern business a bad reputation. It feels harder than ever to succeed as an entrepreneur, even though we've got an abundance of info and tech, right at our fingertips. If you feel frustrated, running your business, stress over your sales schools or are baffled by marketing strategies, you've come to the right place.
You deserve to run a successful sustainable business without out spamming all of your friends or wasting time and money on marketing gimmicks. This is the sell it sister podcast, and you're going to learn how to make more money without complex systems or sleazy sales tactics. I'm Erica Kevins and I teach highly motivated.
Female and gender expansive entrepreneurs that selling doesn't have to suck. I've been running successful businesses and teaching others how to sell smarter, earn more and create raving fans for over 15 years. And I'm excited to share what I've learned with you. If you want success without truly serving your clients profits without any passion or the next get rich quick scheme, I'm not your gal.
But if you're all in as an entrepreneur, want to make a difference with your work and are ready to run a business. You're proud of. Thank get ready to sell it. Sister, on today's episode, I am joined by Helen of the communications distillery, who is a new to me friend, but a really rad person. Helen is a brand voice strategist and business coach who helps entrepreneurs find the courage, confidence, and clarity.
They need to move their businesses into the next sphere of their work with just the right amount of love. And bad-ass Surrey. She's the CEO of the communications distillery, a brand voice studio located in an old farmhouse in the middle of the Ontario countryside, which means if you ever have on a coaching call with her, you might hear roosters.
Well, there were no roosters crowing at the time of this recording. Definitely after you listen to this, be sure to check out her work at communications, distillery.com or love and bad-ass surrey.com. Helen is just the coolest, and I know you are going to get so much out of this episode, so now without keeping you waiting, here we go.
Hi Helen. Thank you for joining me on the, sell it sister podcast. I'm really excited to talk to you today. Cause I feel like we are kindred spirits and we recently got to have a virtual coffee chat, but we have. A lot of friends in common. So to kick it off, why don't you explain in a bit more detail, the amazing work that you do and who you love to work with?
Helen Tremethick: Sure. Yes. Hi Erica. I'm really glad to be here. Uh, my name is Helen . I am the CEO of the communications distillery, where I help scaling entrepreneurs, find the words they need to get the clients they want. Now, sometimes that's about. Finding those exact words, this word or that word, but sometimes it's about the mindset and the courage to show up as you are, who you are, where you are in a way that's really authentic to you so that you connect with your ideal audience.
I love that.
Erika Tebbens: That is so, so, so important. And I think. As I've gone from growing to scaling. Yeah, we, we do kind of have to change up our messaging.
Helen Tremethick: We often think that our businesses are a bit of a set it and forget it. We establish our business, we establish our message. We establish our website and our copy and then go.
But the truth of it is, is that just like we are, our businesses are evolving and changing. And so that means that our message needs to change. Our copy needs to change. Our mindset needs to change. Everything moves and grows with it.
Erika Tebbens: Yeah. That's a really good point. I feel like to lead with just because. I think when that happens, our instinct is to beat ourselves up and think we've done something wrong and get really frustrated and be like, you know, Oh my gosh, I've been doing it all wrong.
Or I have to go back to the drawing board or I'm starting from square one. And that's really like, not the case. It's just like a little bit of a shift and refinement. And I feel like normalizing evolution in business. Should really be a thing so that we can like be more gentle others.
Helen Tremethick: Yeah. I love that.
We can just start with a hashtag, right? From this conversations and normalize business evolution. Absolutely. Like normalize that growth and the changes that come with it. Um, we change, we allow ourselves to change and so why shouldn't our businesses do so too.
Erika Tebbens: Yeah, exactly. And I know that we really connected, so like we definitely have some amazing mutual entrepreneurial connections we do, but we really got to chatting in DMS on Instagram about just showing up as our unique selves.
And I know you, part of what I like about you is even before we actually connected, I feel like I had a good sense of. Who you were and what you were all about. And I think that that is important. Like I know this isn't necessarily the first time or the first conversation I've ever had, but. I imagine that like, when you're working with your, your clients around, like pulling out, you know, or around their new messaging, part of that is like pulling out who they are.
They are as their authentic self.
Helen Tremethick: Absolutely. Absolutely. I think. The best job that we can do as well. Entrepreneurs, as people who sell products and services is to create a consistency of message across the board. So if you find me on Instagram or you find me on my website, or you find me on Facebook, or you find me at a conference, That message that you received from me.
And I don't mean certainly a higher level. I am a such and such who does this thing message, but that kind of general consistency of tone and language should be the same all the way through to that consultation call. Because when you get on that call, when you've got that consistency all the way through, and you get on that, call your clients, say.
Oh, you're right, exactly the way I thought you were. And so now you're not talking about whether you're going to work together or not. You're talking about how and when,
Helen Tremethick: It creates a seamless sales conversation that doesn't feel pitchy or icky or uncomfortable because it's been natural in the way that you've shown up for your business on behalf of your business, the whole entire time.
Erika Tebbens: Yeah, that is really, really, really crucial. Cause I know, you know, I talk a lot about selling. Obviously the podcast is called, sell it sister. And I think part of that, like the authenticity in messaging is so crucial because you're right. Like it attracts those people to you who are automatically going to be.
A better fit and you don't have to feel like, Oh crap. Now we're on this discovery call and I have to like sell myself. Cause like they've already bought into who you are. Cause they very clearly know who you are. And also like who you aren't, if you're being polarizing as part of your message.
Helen Tremethick: So, absolutely.
Absolutely. And I think the more that we can do that and I want to, I want to unpack that word authenticity a little bit, um, that. We use this word authenticity and it has been authentic washed for a while. And I really want, I want to reclaim it back to its original definition of being who you are that doesn't mean airing out all of your dirty laundry.
It just means being true to you and true to your business rep representative. Yeah. As opposed to. Piling on layers and layers and layers of makeup onto a facade that isn't really yours. So the better that you can come back, scaling it back to who you are, what are your values? What do you stand for? How do you show up in the world?
The better your clients are going to be able to self qualify and you're not great clients. You're not so good fit. Clients are going to be able to self qualify out so that nobody wastes their time. And that is a benefit to everyone.
Erika Tebbens: Absolutely. And before we kind of talk about like how you can cover those really fun, juicy things about yourself that you can share that don't feel like oversharing, but they do feel like authenticity.
What do you find really gets in the way of, especially like women and gender expansive entrepreneurs? Like what holds them back from feeling like it's okay. Or allowable? To really show up as themselves in their business, Patriot systemic issues, you know, the big, huge things, but like just, you know, their regular day to day, mind
Helen Tremethick: trash.
Yeah. Absolutely. Number one, the patriarchy. Yeah. Number two. Systemic issues. Number three, the regular day to day mind. Gosh. Yes. Yes, absolutely. I, you know, we are newly created. As women and gender expansive entrepreneurs, we are created to be in a very particular way. And a lot of us do that for training reasons.
Some of us do that for trauma reasons. Some of us do that for safety reasons that we hold to a very particular way of being. So that is the deeper, more emotional answer. But also when you're starting a business, Even, and this is not just for people who are brand new. This is pervasive all the way through entrepreneurship.
But when you're saying starting a business, it's really difficult to know exactly how to communicate who you are, to who you want to attract. We don't get into business to where all of the hats we get into business to sell them thing we love to sell. And then all of a sudden we find out we're wearing all of the hats, the accounting hat, the sales cap, the marketing hat that the admin hat, the tech hat, all of it.
And to be able to on top of all of that communicate really clearly to your audience when you're so close to it, when it's. You're so invested in it, that becomes very difficult. So to have a silver bullet, like I am a such and such who does this and that for these people is, is really attractive. And so we fall into this patterning of leaning on the templates and when we lean on the templates, it works in the beginning, we get our website out there, we start shaking hands.
We start bringing in clients and that's great. And then a little while later, We outgrow those clothes because they never really fit as well in the first place. They were just something to put on so that we could get out there. And that is where the real work begins to start uncovering. See what fits, see what is really your style and, and step away from those templates because those templates have a place, but they're just not first place.
So yes, patriarchy, but also. It's very, very attractive to have a downloadable template that you can fill in the blank so that you can put it out there and get to work.
Erika Tebbens: Absolutely. And I think that that is like, kind of in the same vein as like sales templates or sales scripts or any of those things, like totally, it feels so safe, it feels like, okay, well I'll just have this like blueprint or this, whatever, and I can just use this and it will solve all my problems. And it's like, well, yeah, it's a good, it's like good to have an outline and some examples and things to go off of. But it should, it should like back to the evolution thing.
Like it should be able to evolve beyond that. So that it's, I don't know, a bit more like interesting or intriguing or it like, like you said, like it fits better on you than just that. More broad thing that is going to work for a lot of, a lot of entrepreneurs.
Helen Tremethick: Absolutely. When you're using cookie cutter, everything, all of your cookies are gonna have that exact same shape.
Yeah. The work, the real work and our world is to not be cookie cutter, to stand out, to not be beige, to be vibrant and bold. And just the exact way that we were meant to be that is our job to break away from that critique cookie cutter. So. All though, there is a place for it. A cookie cutter does solve your problems.
In some ways it gets the cookies out, but the real work is in making them so that they're representative and resonant representative of who you are and resonant with your right people.
Erika Tebbens: I love that. And that is like, I'm, I'm just like, isn't processing that. I'm thinking about like how you said, like. We shouldn't be beige.
Like we should be bold and vibrant. And I, I really think like this is such a hard, hard, hard thing for entrepreneurs because our whole lives, we have been conditioned a lot of the time to be quiet, be small. Like not make waves, make everyone around you happy, just all of these very conditioned things that are like, you know, don't be too much.
And now in business, like whatever that thing is in us, that it's too much. We have to put it out there, like in order to differentiate ourselves. And it's, so it's like a total one 80, and I would give an example, which this just makes me laugh. So when my whole life, as a kid, I've always been told, I talked too much.
Like I was always a really good kid and I was always a really good student, but I was really chatty. Like, I love conversation. I'm a total extrovert. Like I just love it. And I have to laugh now cause I'm like, literally I have this podcast, which is just me talking or me talking to other people. And my whole business when I work with clients is like, if I'm coaching somebody or strategizing it's me sometimes I think certain people or like, like classmates or teachers or whomever who.
Made me feel really bad that that was something that came easy for me, like conversation and like, connection just comes very easy for me. I kind of want to be like how y'all like me now, mommy, like with my boys, like with talking with connecting to people. And, but there, there was a lot of my own mind trash that was like, You know, even at the beginning, like you are too weird or you are too different or like, you don't look professional enough, like who is going to take you seriously and pay you good money when you still dress like you did when you were a 16 year old who like went to punk shows, right?
Like who the Frick is? You gonna pay me thousands of dollars to help them with their business. But yeah. The more I've leaned into that and just like worked on my own mind, trash around it. Uh, literally the bigger my business grows all the time. Like it's totally contradictory to what society tells us.
Helen Tremethick: Absolutely. Absolutely. And like, and we're going to, uh, okay, so I'm going to pull up, like I have a portable soap box. I'm just going to hop right on it for a moment. The fact is, is that. Us weird misfit, revolutionaries who talk too much or talk too little, or, you know, I really like their Pixies t-shirt and their skinny jeans that have got the holes in their knees really still want to wear a high top cons, whether they're in or out of fashion, minor pink, by the way, who might have
Helen Tremethick: nice we're kindred spirits.
So all of us. We are not very good for the quoting system because we don't really help the machine run in the way that it's set up. We don't work very well in factories on the line because we're like, Hey, I have another idea. What if we put her over there and her over here and we can optimize the whole system.
And that is a big. Wrench in the whole machine works. So in this like soap boxy sense, it is better for us, quote unquote for the economy, for the system, for us to not stick out, to not be different. And so we're trained to toe the line to be quiet, to not be too much, but you're right. The reason why. People choose your services is not because of your services.
It's because you it's because of who you are and you have always been you. So they need the services. If they're in a solution aware space, they know they need the solution, the service, and they choose it. Was you because of you. Because you dress like you dress when you were 16. I don't know how you dress when you were 16.
I love the way that you dress. Now. It tells me that we have some things in common that I can then trust you because we. Visually and on a values basis have similarities. We have alignment. And that feels like knowing, seeing, liking, feeling heard and understood. It creates some trust between us even before we get on that call.
And that is really good branding.
Erika Tebbens: Mm. And I think that when we think of competition, it's. Like again, I mean, systemically, like we are taught, you know, you're pitted against anyone who does anyone or anything similar to you, but I really like thought to look at it now in terms of, you know, pretty much any online.
Business. If you provide a service, you have competition of some sort. And, uh, even yesterday I was in a thread in a group and somebody had tagged me for like the, the original poster was looking for a business coach, their friend, who was also in the travel industry looking to scale. And so a friend of mine tagged me.
So I looked at the post and. And I was looking at the other people who commented. And I literally was like, Oh my gosh. Like some of them were people like I know personally, or I know of, and I'm like, there are amazing people here. And I feel like normally one would look at that and go, Oh my gosh, I'm competing with these other amazing people.
And it would either be like, well, I have to prove somehow that I am the better choice or. Automatically defaulting to, well, these people are better than me, so there's no way that I'm going to be the chosen one. And I was able to look at it and go, yeah, you know what, like when she sends this list to her friend and her friend is going through and, you know, assessing for herself, Like, she will probably pick whoever resonates the most with her.
And that's wonderful and beautiful that she has options. And maybe it will be me and maybe it won't be me, but either way, like I know she'll be in great hands and that is a beautiful thing. And I feel like that run totally counter to the mainstream. Like how we're taught to view competition and part of why I didn't freak out.
Like I actually said, I said, here's my website. And then I said, and here's my Instagram, because if she really wants to see what I am like, you can tell within 30 seconds when you go to my Instagram and, and like, I can feel confident that I am good at what I do, but also like if she doesn't resonate with who I am.
Then we would just not be a good fit and I want her to be able to confidently make that decision and not get two months into working together and suddenly be like, Ooh, art, like values and stuff are not, we're not aligned.
Helen Tremethick: Right. Absolutely. And that, and I think that's a really great and healthy perspective.
We are taught that there's only one winner that we have to elbow our way to the front and there that's not true. Um, this, that word competition. It's very loaded. You know, it makes it sound like a right. Yes. And yes, there are other people in your service sphere who serve. In slightly different ways. There was a vocal coach that I worked with one time who said we can't sing in harmony if we all sing the same note and, yeah.
Good. Right. And I like to extend that a little bit further to say that every voice is a fingerprint and we don't sing the same note. That is the beauty, the, your power is that you are you and nobody else is so. Showing up in that space of self compassion, I do my best work and I attract my right fit audience in this way.
And then the rest is not yours. If you can learn from others then great. If you can say, Oh, that's a really good tip. I'm going to implement it. Great. But to anchor yourself in your knowing. That you do really great work. And if she feels like you're a good fit, then great. You know that if she sees your Instagram and feels like you're a good fit, you're going to feel like that's a pretty good measure because you put yourself out quite authentically.
So that's our work. That's our work is to show up as best as we can in the way that we can and do better when we can. And that's it. Um, there's um, it doesn't have to be Jocelyn. It doesn't have to be pointy elbows. It doesn't have to be a winner takes all. It's not that, um, some sort of ruse that we just don't need to pay attention to.
Erika Tebbens: Yeah, definitely. And I know that part of like when you're helping people kind of pull out those quirks and those unique bits of themselves, a big part of that is also. Their values. And this is something I'm actually working more deeply on now is like, I know my top five values, at least what are my top five values currently.
And I am actually going to spend some time this weekend, like crafting some deeper statements around them because I want to put them on my website and start to put them out there more. Um, but that, you know, it like, how do you. Well first, I would love for you to talk a bit about values and then also like the first little steps that people can do to kind of excavate all of this for themselves.
Helen Tremethick: values. I think that, you know, similar or to the word competition, we get a little bit thrown about by the word values, because there are a lot of bigger companies that say our values. We have a commitment to community, and then they, we don't see anything. In the community in their local community, in their online community about how they're giving back or if we do, then it's very big and it's definitely not intersectional.
So they've using this word values, but they have no proof. And that is really key if it is, if you don't have proof, it is not a value. Not one of yours. Anyway. Um, I used the words, values and guiding principles, relatively, um, uh, fluid. And, and ultimately what I'm saying about those is what do you stand for?
How do you show up? What have you always believed in? What does the world need? And when you can dive into these cases. Gosh. And so this is that, that part, B of your question, about what steps can people take. So look at these questions, what do I stand for? What do I believe in, what does the world need more of and get into that place of passion, the place where you started your business originally, because you are fired up, right?
Maybe, maybe it's not a linear path to the way that you. Serve, but I'll bet you can find a common theme through everything that you've ever done and every choice that you've ever made that align with these values. And if you get stuck on these questions, like, what do I stand for? And what do I believe in because you start writing them down.
When you feel a little bit, like you sound like everybody else, then start looking at those momentous memories, the ones that really shifted you, why did they shift you? Why were they important? And then what do they have in common? Because that's where you get to your proof. That's where you get to that place, but you have always been new and this is the piece that people want to see.
So. For example in this, like you have a always been, you know, my, my bio has my education and I studied radio and television communication right out of high school. Prior to that, I had a, uh, an internship. While I was in high school at a really major radio station. I was going to go into audio production, making people sound good.
That was my big thing. And once I got into college, I found that there was just too much ego in the room for me. I didn't want to work in small rooms with these people for the rest of my life and no judgment on them or their right fit people. That's great, but it wasn't for me. So I stepped into. Um, international development and anthropology studying people where they're from, what their history and the problems and issues that they're dealing with now.
And the solutions that we can find together then are sustainable and even better regenerative. And that stems from the fact that I've always done volunteer work. I've worked with nonprofits, always done that. Starting from when I was. 11. And I volunteered at the emergency room at the local hospital, which incidentally parents don't let your 11 year old kid work in the emergency room.
It's just not the right department.
Erika Tebbens: Yeah. Wow.
Helen Tremethick: I always had this like service giving and, and as a hybrid of, I'm just talking about my education as a hybrid, that is. The study of people, knowing people as they are, where they've come from, where they want to go and finding a really good solution that makes them sound good. And so it's, it seems really linear except for a very long time, I felt flighty.
Like I was at this nonprofit. It was that, that nonprofit, it was a head Baker at a vegan cookie company for a little while I worked in a bank and one of the channel islands, I felt like I was all over the place. But when I looked at those common threads, when I looked at all of those decisions, that's what I kept coming back to this desire to serve people in a way that helped them feel aligned.
To who they are stand grounded and confident in that knowledge and take really strong steps forward for themselves, for their organizations, for their communities. So valued. Don't get hung up on the word values, but look back at your memories. Look back at those moments to swims, look back at the ones that really have a hold on you and explore those and see what commonalities they have.
Erika Tebbens: Yeah. I w I really enjoy that, like that example, because one of, one of mine that almost, I almost was like, I don't know if that's this fits like in the business sense, wherever, um, but his adventure. And I, so I, I have always loved the Helen Keller quote and I used it part of it as like for something in a previous business of mine, but the life is a daring adventure or nothing at all.
And that is very like, like experiences are really important to me. And like, Journeys and fun and exploration. Like all of that is, it is one of those things. Like when I look back at the thread that weaves through my life, I have been a bit all over the place as well. And one thing that I, that I feel like is kind of.
Like essential to me, it's just trying things, just try, like trying new things and just seeing, and I'm also like one of the weird quirks of mine is that I love like the works of token. Right? So I'm super in the Lord of the rings and the Hobbit and anyone who's like hung around me long enough knows this.
And I, like, I had like three Hobbit tattoos, the whole thing. And part of why I love those stories is they are these adventure stories and adventure is not always pretty like it's, it's not always working in your favor at sometimes it's like really, really bleak, but it's, I don't know, like it's, it's exciting to me.
It feels exciting. And so when I was actually thinking about like, how does this relate to my business and how I want to. Show up in business and show up with clients and everything. It was really that sense of, um, cause another one of my values is resilience of like that this adventure of entrepreneurship is sometimes really messy and really hard, but that like, we can be resilient.
Like we can get that ring to Mordor, right? Like we can make it happen. And, um, like weirdly this is going to go down like a whole nerd rabbit hole, but my, one of my other values is community. And part of why, like I literally still cry, no matter how many times I've watched those films. I cry in every single one every single time.
But is that none of them, like the six sense of the mission was not just Frodo. It was the whole community. Like it was, it was people working together. And I, that is really how I view. Like the world of being an entrepreneur, like you might be a solo preneur, but none of us gets to our goals completely in isolation.
Like we need to lean on each other and all of our strengths. And so, yeah, it's kind of like, it's super dorky. But when I, when I looked at it that way, I was like, Oh no, this to me, it's perfectly parallel. To the world of business. And it's like, what makes me excited? Because I feel like if it was always sunshine and roses, where would the challenge be?
Like, where would the fun be in that? Like, I don't know in the moment, it's not always fun, but yeah. I feel like in hindsight, those are the moments that you're like, this is where I like evolved. I grew, I changed for the better.
Helen Tremethick: Mm. Yeah. I love that. Um, incidentally, uh, roses don't grow without rain and roses have thorns.
So it can't be all sunshine and roses because you can't have roses with all sunshine and cause you also need the rain. Um, and what I hear from you is. But this adventure piece, this resilience piece, this community piece is, is also like a, um, it's a not one size fits all package. This adventure piece is very custom.
Is you on your entrepreneurial journey and what works for you best. And that is very exciting to explore what that looks like and figure out the. The plan, including uncharted territory, that's that's adventure. Sure. At its best. Um, incidentally, if an old friend of mine used to call entrepreneurship the C a S E a cause it's the self-employment adventure, but like a C it's xAPI and turbulent, and sometimes calm and smooth sailing, but sometimes it feels like there's.
Like a Norwest or actually, I, I live in land. I have no idea. I can't continue the metaphor with like sea storms, but what's
Erika Tebbens: the thing like the Alberta clipper is that one is that that's like a form for it. I know there's no resear. I actually hate that word. Having lived in New York for many, many years.
Like the word nor'easter just noise.
Helen Tremethick: I don't really, I don't know at all, but ultimately, um, a sea or an ocean, we were actually just out at Lake Huron yesterday. And speaking of inland seas, like you're on is about 40 minute drive from. Our farm. And we went out there expecting to put up our sunshade on the beach, a beautiful Sandy beach, turquoise water that goes on forever.
It is beautiful there. And we got there and the waves were so high. There was no way that we were letting our kids. Go into the water and it was so choppy, just like an ocean. It didn't obviously fresh water, but just like an ocean, these huge waves and the tide was so, so high. Um, and I thought about that too, but this beautiful, calm water that's turquoise and tropical.
It's sometimes really, really turbulent with a strong undertow and, uh, and running a business is just like that. Sometimes it's beautiful tropical water, and that's more, I'm an easy to plan. And sometimes your boat gets tossed
Erika Tebbens: about yeah, absolutely. That is, that is incredibly accurate. And I love, I love that description because yeah, it's a.
It's really true. And I think even, you know, like as, as you were in it for longer and you meet other people who are in it for longer, I think one of the best revelations out of that is like, there's like no one person that has it all figured out and is not evolving in their own way at some point. And it's really nice to see and nice to know.
That like, like, I feel like my, the difference for me is, is that now I'm just a lot more okay. With being like, Oh yeah, that's just part of the process or nothing is wrong with me. Or like, Oh, I do hate doing this. Or this is a real challenge for me. So I'm even though like, uh, you know, I know we have the thing all the time.
That's like, I feel like I shouldn't need help with this. Cause this is what I do for my clients. Um, but it's kind of like the, like you said, like when you're helping to craft messaging for people who are stealing, I'm sure you have a lot of people who come to you and are like, I feel like I should, this should be easy.
Like, I'm talking about myself, I'm talking about like who I am and who I serve. And I've already been doing this work. Like, why does this feel so hard? Why shouldn't I be able to figure it out on my own? And it's like, yeah, cause we're too close to it. Like get, get somebody who's outside of you. Who's really fricking good at this thing to help you with it.
Cause like I feel comfortable selling and I feel comfortable writing and you know what I freaking hate doing writing sales pages
Helen Tremethick: and
Erika Tebbens: it, so it's like, yeah, we're not, we're not flawed. It doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with us. Like sometimes you just need that other pair of eyes to like. Dig help you dig it out of your other yourself.
Helen Tremethick: Absolutely. Sometimes you just need somebody to, to help draw back your eyes from the picture because we are too close work in it. You're in your business. This is something we were talking about before we hit record was as soon as you get comfortable with the way that things are. It will change. Yes. And that is true in life and it's true in business.
So as soon as you get comfortable, you're like, Oh, look at me. I'm like totally making it. And then all of a sudden you're like, no, actually I'm showing up in this way now. Now all of a sudden I'm starting to talk about this thing. Like. You know, it's like, we're an ever blooming Rose. We'll bring it back to Rosa.
We're like an ever blooming. We open an open, an open, an open and open and open. And so once you're getting used to the space where we're like, Oh, here we are. I made it doing it. Or even if we don't feel like we've made it where like doing it, and then things change things shift, it gets, it can be very difficult to.
See it coming and it can be very difficult to know what to do. This is something I talk to clients about a lot is that if you can think about your message and your copy and your surfaces and the way that you're approaching your business in the same way, as you think about planning, planning your year.
Then those sweeping changes, don't take you as much by surprise. So you can, when you go to sit down and like plan your 20, 21, because I'm sure a lot of us are thinking about that right now. Oh, geez. It's like August end of August already. So, um, at the time of this recording, and so what. Does 2021 look like at the same time, when you're doing your planning, look at your website, is it still representative?
Is it still resonant? Does it express who I am in a really true way? Do I still offer. That service because websites ended up being a bit of a slap dash kids art project where we're like, Oh, that's back from when I was really into glitter, but I'm not now. Or, you know, I don't do that at all. And people are still asking me for it.
And so there's the opportunity there to keep it aligned, to keep it. Aligned with where we are. And so when those pivots happen, when those changes happen, they don't come as such a big surprise.
Erika Tebbens: Yeah. Yeah. That is, uh, that is very applicable. I feel like to, to my life right now, as I'm like looking ahead and thinking about, even though I just redid my website.
When was it? Gosh. Last summer. I think it was,
Helen Tremethick: was it before that?
Erika Tebbens: Oh, I got, I can't remember. And now I'm like, I feel like it's already time to evolve it again. And, um, yeah, it's definitely not like a set it and
Helen Tremethick: set it and forget it kind of a thing.
Erika Tebbens: But, yeah, and like, even just thinking of how my, my own offerings have changed so much and the focus of who I serve and yeah, it's, it's really like a thing and it can, it can be kind of emotional and, and weird as well.
Helen Tremethick: Yeah. It's very emotional. Like this is, this is the work that we do from our hearts. I mean, At least for most of us, this is the work that we do from our hearts. It's a reason why we show up in the world is to do it in this way. And yes, there is that exchange of money and that is beautiful to have that, that, that reciprocal exchange.
Um, but that makes it an emotional. Thing it's hard to track from. And same, I redid my website at the beginning of 29, 18 and still love it. Um, yeah, I'm undergoing a company fleet rebrand, and this is the first time I'm saying that out loud in public, a complete rebrand. Uh, the word communications no longer represents me.
The communications distillery has been my business for 10 years. And the work that I do is in occasions, it is in messaging, but it's much more than that. It's so much more. And it's about stepping into your authentic self it's about becoming. Less beige, more vibrant and more bold. And my brand needs to represent that so that I can continue serving in the way that I do and am and want to.
And so that means that the, this iteration of my website absolutely needs to catch up.
Erika Tebbens: Yeah, definitely. Yeah. That's I, it is. It's interesting when we have those realizations and we're like, Ooh, I've actually outgrown this. This suit or I, you know, like time to go shopping and get some new clothes.
Helen Tremethick: And 10 years in our world is really old.
Erika Tebbens: It's like 400, 400.
Helen Tremethick: My business is 400 years old. And, uh, yeah. And it's shifting and changing and becoming. Something new. And that is very, very exciting. It doesn't mean that the work that I'm doing is changing that my website and the way that I represent my brand is catching up to this natural business evolution.
Erika Tebbens: Yeah, I did that. So, uh, in the meantime, before that is all done. What are the, like something, you know, a way that people can work with you, a way that people can. Get help on their own way of amplifying their message.
Helen Tremethick: Yeah, totally. So people can find me at communications, the ciliary.com, even if you're listening to this episode after the rebrand, that will redirect probably.
Forever. And, uh, so communications facility.com. That is my home where I live. You can find me on Instagram at Helen traffic, and you can find in the show notes, how to spell my last name. I am the owner, they went, uh, home medic. And, uh, and if you're interested in taking this further and feeling less alone and how.
This is natural business evolution of feels inside. Then I have this really awesome free thing that called love and badassery, which started out as a community project back in may of 2020. And it, I took 31 different stories from different entrepreneurs about who they are. How do they show up in their business and how they scaled and grew their business by becoming more authentic to them by becoming more of who they are and not less so, so they opened themselves up, became more vulnerable bet on themselves, took imperfect action.
And I gathered all of those stories and you can find them at dot com for free. And then you'll also hear from me every now and then with metaphors. Today. I wrote to my list, a little story about ducks. So it's always interesting, always metaphors. Um, and so yeah, you can get that@loveandbadassery.com and that's not going anywhere.
Erika Tebbens: That is awesome. What, what a really cool resource for people, and this is just great. I hope, you know, I feel like this conversation can. Almost never be had enough because it is so important. And as our world just expands online, more and more and more and more people are breaking away from nine to five and traditional paths and going into the world of entrepreneurship.
I just feel like this is such a crucial message for people to hear. So thank you. So coming on and talking about it, thank you so much.
Erika Tebbens: Thanks so much for tuning in to this episode of the, sell it sister podcast. If you loved it and you want more, be sure to subscribe so that you never miss an episode and then head on over to sell it sisterhood.com to join my free Facebook community group. And as your mama said, sharing is caring. So if you got a lot of value out of this episode, be sure to share it with your biz besties too. Okay. Now get out there and sell it, sister.
