403: 5 Brutal Truths that Are Stopping Content Creators from Growing & Making Money

[00:00:00] I have been coaching content creators for over seven years. You can imagine I have seen some things in the industry over those years, so this episode is full of the advice I would give you if I wasn't afraid of hurting your feelings.

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[00:00:38] Little bit of tough love, but everybody wants to know. All right, Brie. Just share it with me. What do I need to do to grow? So here it is, friends. Number one, stop overthinking and start posting the content that's in your drafts. You're trying to be perfect, my friend.

[00:00:58] It's hurting your growth and it is going to keep you from reaching your goals. I know that you have content sitting on your phone, maybe you even edited already and you haven't posted it because as soon as you started to, or almost got done editing or got done recording it, you started to second guess yourself and you started to wonder, should I actually post it?

[00:01:22] Or even worse, you came up with this idea that you were really excited about and then talked yourself out of it before you even filmed it and put it out there. This is going to hurt you in the long run. You keep wondering, why am I not seeing growth? How do I see growth?

[00:01:37] How do I hit my goals? You have to stop overthinking, and you have to start posting. Number two,

[00:01:44] getting brand deals is really freaking hard right now, okay? You have to diversify your income. If you are putting all of your weight on getting brand deals and you are not building out other income streams, you are going to hurt your business. Number three, trying to be perfect is putting up a wall between you and your audience.

[00:02:12] Get. Rid of it. You cannot be perfect and attract the people that you're wanting to because do you want to attract only people that are wanting to pretend like everything is perfect in their lives? We all know the type of content that I am talking about. The ones where it seems like everything is together.

[00:02:37] They never make a step wrong. I'll give you an example. I've probably shared this on the podcast, but years and years ago I was traveling and I was in Utah. We were going on a massive road trip and we made a stop in Utah for a, it wasn't a conference, but it was like a one day workshop that I was going to attend, um, from another content creator.

[00:03:10] And we were traveling in a travel trailer and I didn't have like a lot of outfit options. For something cute and fun and put together for this type of event, right? So I remember we were in this shopping center and it had a Barnes and Noble and it had a target, and we were hanging out at Barnes and Noble, and I was like, you know what?

[00:03:33] I'm gonna run into Target and I'm gonna go see if I can find a couple of pieces to pull together a cute outfit for this event that I'm gonna attend. And I thought I was like, I mean. I've been traveling, right? So, I mean, I was in like shorts and a t-shirt type of thing, but I, I remember distinctly that I was like, oh, my hair looks kind of cute today.

[00:03:54] Like, I did a little bit of effort. I put a lot, a little bit of makeup, right? Like it, it was a normal weekday outfit, right? For me running around in traveling and doing different things. And I walked into this target and I was like. What is going on? I felt like I walked into like a fashion blogger event where everyone was put together.

[00:04:21] I am talking hair extensions, the lashes, the makeup was perfect. Even, you know, their outfits, but even their children that were with them, I was like, did everybody just come from a photo shoot? Like, what is going on? It was, it was the weirdest experience. You guys, this was, how long ago was this? This was the same year I started the podcast, so this was, or maybe the year before.

[00:04:48] So this was probably. Seven or eight years ago now, and I still vividly remember this experience of walking into target and being like, I am in the wrong place. A target you guys. And uh, it wasn't just this first family. That's the one that sticks with me that I remember like walking into being like, whoa, should I not be here?

[00:05:08] I am so out of place. I'm not dressed accordingly to go to this target. But it wasn't just that one family, it was throughout the entire store where I was like, this is the strangest thing I've ever experienced. Where everybody is like, everybody has it. So put together, their children look like they came from a photo shoot, and I'm like, what is going on?

[00:05:29] This is not normal. That is what I am talking about. So let's say that that person was a content creator, okay? And that was the only type of content that they ever put out was everything was perfect. Even when they go to freaking target, everything is perfect. I can't live up to that, right? And nor do I want to.

[00:05:53] Like, that is not my life. I'm currently sitting here and I've got a cute t-shirt on recording this, but I'm, I've got leggings on you guys and I've got some Nike socks and I've been walking on my, little walking pad while I'm working today. Like it is by no means perfect, like I literally just like grabbed stuff off of the chair behind me and threw it out of the video recording frame so it looked a little less cluttered behind me.

[00:06:19] That's what my audience needs to see though, right? Like I'm talking to you guys as content creators. That's what you guys wanna see. You don't want to see like, oh, I have to have it perfectly together. Every single moment. Every single piece of content has to be perfect. The editing has to be just right.

[00:06:34] The what I am wearing, what I look like, what I say, how I edit, how I record all of these different things, right? It's too much to live up to. I need you to look through that lens for your own audience. What are you subconsciously putting out there for your audience by putting these harsh stipulations on yourself?

[00:06:55] These harsh, Standards that you are giving yourself that you have to reach for each piece of content you put out there. What is the underlying effect that is hitting your audience as well without you even saying it right now? I am not saying that you can't create topnotch quality content. I'm saying that if you are trying to be perfect in everything that you do, it is going to come across in some way or another to your audience, and it's going to put a wall up. It's also going to affect number one, right? Stop overthinking and start posting the content that's in your drafts. It's all tied together.

[00:07:36] I told you guys this was gonna be a tough love, um, podcast. So I'm, I'm, I'm throwing it out there. Get rid of the wall that is between you and your audience.

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[00:08:30] Number four, stop trying to do so many things at once. You are superwoman. 1000000%, but Superwoman knew her limits and you need to know yours. You are stretching yourself too thin, and it is hurting yourself, your mental health, and it is hurting the growth of your business. Stop trying to do too many things at once.

[00:08:56] Friend. Number five, hone in on one platform and one income stream. I want you to nail it. I want you to make $5,000 plus a month doing that. Then add on. You're spreading yourself so thin that it is too hard for you to make an income stream, a platform. Work really, really well. I am talking to you about this from experience, both from myself and from others that I have coached.

[00:09:32] There have been so many conversations over the years where I have had to talk somebody out of start getting a second blog because of this other new idea that they had. I mean, raise your hand if you are somebody like me who comes up with a thousand new ideas every single month. Oh, this would be a good business.

[00:09:47] Ooh, this would be a cool thing. Ooh, I wanna try this. Right. It is. It's hard, right? Like we're wired that way, and that's great. And I love that about you. I love that about myself. But in order to succeed in this industry, we have to stop spreading ourselves so thin. We have to stop comparing ourselves to these other brands, these other content creators that have teams that allow them to.

[00:10:09] Jump off onto these other tracks and try different streams. Try different platforms, try different things. Oh, I'm gonna start a podcast. Ooh, I'm gonna start a YouTube channel, right? Like it's all great, but you're only one person and you're spreading yourself too thin. So real talk. Everything I just said, stop overthinking.

[00:10:32] Pick one platform. Now one income stream. Get to $5,000 first. That's exactly the framework inside Bold Fluence. My monthly membership for content creators for just $49 a month. It's probably less than you've spent on courses you've never finished. Let's be real. You're gonna get a custom roadmap.

[00:10:51] Monetization plans for the income stream that you want. We have them for every single one. So we're gonna hone in on the one that you want and focus there tech tutorials, so you stop googling at 1:00 AM and a community of content creators who actually get it. Plus you get me there to answer all of your questions and look at your strategy with you.

[00:11:11] One of my members, she joined, followed the brand deal roadmap and a couple months later, she had signed her first four figure brand deal. This is a membership with no fluff, no overwhelm, no 10 hour courses to binge. Okay? Just a little bit of time every week, followed by a clear plan built for where you are right now.

[00:11:33] If you're ready to stop spinning your wheels ready to start seeing real money from your content. Hit that $5,000 month head to Thrive Together Blog slash bold. Fluence. That link is in the show notes. Let's get you to those $5,000 months, friend. I'll see you over there.

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