I Will Not Be Responsible For Running Your Business (A True Story)

I used to work on retainer, helping direct strategy for some of the internet’s biggest brands.⁣
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Which worked. ⁣
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Until it didn’t. ⁣
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Until I noticed a growing sense of unease over whether I was helping.⁣
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On the surface of course I was helping. By and large the businesses I partnered with were growing and models were aligning and profit was increasing and all was good in the world.⁣
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But underneath the surface it wasn’t as rosy. I know how to grow businesses, and the entrepreneurs I was helping hadn’t had that experience before, so they were ceding decision making to me. ⁣
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But it doesn’t work (can’t work) that way, and by making their decisions, I was hurting the same businesses I was trying to hard to help. ⁣
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👉🏽Because I was allowing the CEO’s to stay in their comfort zones⁣
👉🏽Because my presence meant they weren’t facing the real emotional choices + hurdles only they could face⁣
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And so I stopped offering retainers.⁣
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Now I guide, show and teach but don’t do. ⁣
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👉🏽I show you where things might be out of alignment.⁣
👉🏽I guide you to better options and help you choose which of those options makes the most sense for you.⁣
👉🏽I teach you how to implement your choices.⁣
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It’s worlds better for everyone.⁣
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Why am I sharing this now?⁣
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Because the other day I was talking to a copywriter and she confessed “I worry I’m ruining these businesses because when I write for them I end up making decisions they should be making.”⁣
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YES. A critical insight for her, and her business and her client’s businesses will be better for it.⁣
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And so my message to you is:⁣
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Your Copywriters.⁣
Your Strategists.⁣
Your Ads managers.⁣
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Our role is to amplify and perfect what’s already working for you.⁣
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To find you the extra 10-30% that takes you from a good business to a life-changing business.⁣
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It is not to take your idea and build it from scratch for you.⁣
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We can’t (and won’t) do that for you, because we know it’s a path to nowhere for you, and we want you on the path to everywhere.⁣
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Tell me in the comments where you’ve been asking someone to solve something for you, when instead you could be asking for guidance to solve it yourself.