“Sales” would be WAY easier if I lied. Or used clickbait. Or if everything I create wasn’t so nuanced.
That said, I’ve made it a practice to seek ease. (In fact, the last time I “launched” Peer Pods, it was SO “easy” to talk about, sell, and facilitate.) But never at the expense of my values, my relationships, my reputation.
So here’s where it gets meta…
The fact that I still need to fill 3 out of the 4 spots in this peer feedback group I’m SO excited about existing in the world is exactly what I’d bring to Peer Pods if I was a participant.
And because I’m not in an intimate peer group right now, I’ve sought out 2 separate accountability partners.
One is a paid strategist and one is a constant-Voxer-convo-thought-partner-and-friend. With them, I’ve sifted through the shame of pre-failing. (Anyone else experience that, even when it could still pan out in the end?) I’ve bounced around thoughts for contingency plans. And I’ve decided on steps I can still take to sell this thing I care so much about. (For example, this email. Again, we’re going meta.)
Because I truly believe multi-passionate deep thinkers need a group like Peer Pods to get out of their heads and take action.
A place where real people who have been in business for a while still have real problems and need to talk about it. Or rather, through it.
A place where no idea is too nuanced or too pie-in-the-sky.
A place where there’s immediate intimacy and trust, but there’s fresh perspective and different lived experiences so we get out of our normal echo chambers.
Last time I hosted Peer Pods, we discussed about offer suites, how to prep for an opportunity with a big-name brand, how to proceed when a workshop only sold 1 spot, what to do when someone you admire offers you the chance to collaborate but you’re not sure it fits with the big-picture vision you have for your brand, whether to “give up the dream” of entrepreneurship and go in-house (and what “the dream” really looks and feels like).
We also brought in very real, very personal parts of life that affect how we show up in the day-to-day and long-term of our business: loved ones with cancer, unexpected and seemingly all-consuming caregiving, being on the road, a rosacea flareup, navigating ADHD, a spouse’s mental health, years of self-doubt.
And when I was in the peer group that inspired Peer Pods, I sorted through so many plans and emotions and ideas. I chatted through the vision of my podcast and its mini shift. My most popular (and most fun) event, About You Audits, which I host quarterly-ish were born from Guidance Groups conversations. I was able to chat through pitch ideas, website copy, balancing priorities, planning for mat leave, motivation gaps, and so much more. My group even talked me off a ledge when I was seriously considering throwing in the towel on my business and just getting a j-o-b. (So glad they talked some sense into me…I don’t deal well with red tape or this-is-how-it’s-always-been protocols.)
So, all that to say, sales are hard. Marketing is hard. Business is hard. LIFE is hard.
I don’t promise that Peer Pods (or anything else you can find around the internet) will fix everything.
But I do promise that it’ll be space to imagine and process, decipher and plan, all while pouring generously into other people who are navigating their own hard times and big dreams.
It’s a super special setting. A 6-week blip in time and space that could change the trajectory of your quarter, your year, or even your life.
This is an excerpt from Toward Purpose & Progress, my newsletter where I share business tips, good news, shoutouts to Founder Friends, and other juicy snippets. Subscribe here for more rants, reflections, and resources.
