Innovation is Messy: Discovering What Works for Your Business
In this episode of Process to Profitability, I will be discussing the topic of innovation in the business world as it pertains to wellness professionals. As someone who has worked in this industry for several years, I have seen firsthand the impact that new technologies and trends can have on our businesses. Throughout the episode, I will be exploring different strategies for staying ahead of the curve and adapting to the changing landscape of online business, while also remaining true to our values as wellness professionals. Whether you're just starting out or looking to take your business to the next level, this episode will provide valuable insights and actionable tips for achieving success in a rapidly evolving industry.
Timestamps:
[00:01:27] Innovation: Start messy, experiment, take action.
[00:05:54] Compassion and conversation key; blending life/work.
[00:07:10] Flexible schedule enables work and life balance.
Key Topics:
Significant changes in the online business world in the past six months
ChatGPT as a popular and accessible tool in the industry
Exploring relationship marketing and collaborations in a world of AI and templates
Importance of authenticity and connection with clients
Aligning business values, ethical chatbots, and collaborating with others
Innovation is messy, take action quickly to experiment and determine what works
Willingness to experiment and try new things is important- Personal connection with clients is still important
Transparency and remaining true to values and industry guidelines is important
Building a business that serves both the owner and clients
Not all strategies may be a fit for every business, but there are always ways to make it work
Resources:
[00:00:00] Samantha Mabe: On this episode of Process to Profitability, I am going to be introducing our very first series, the Innovating in Business Series.
Why you need to innovate in your business
[00:00:10] First I wanna start by talking about why we are covering innovation. I have seen so many changes in the online business world in just the past six months. ChatGPT has made a huge impact in the online business industry and in many other industries and has become more popular and widely accessible.
[00:00:36] But we're also having to innovate around how we do our marketing. Ads are no longer working as well as they used to, so we are looking at how else we can do that. Are we doing relationship marketing? Are we doing collaborations? And what do those collaborations look like in a world where so many things can be done by AI or templates, or even having a VA do it?
[00:01:03] How do you show up and be authentically you and connect with the people that you want to work with in a space where things are constantly growing and shifting and you need to show up to represent your values, but you also need to be spending time serving your clients, and there are so many alternatives to doing some of that work for you?
[00:01:27] It seems like every social media scheduler now has AI built in that can write your social media captions for you. And while so many of those can be time savers for us, is it actually the best way to go about doing our business? Do we really want to outsource so many things in business?
Innovation needs to be aligned with your values and your business
[00:01:50] So in this short series, we are going to be looking at how we can be more aligned with our values in business. We are also going to be looking at how you can use ChatGPT to write for your website and do it in a way that's ethical and still represents your voice. We're also going to be talking about different ways that you can look at collaborations and working with people who can also support your clients, but do it differently than you do.
[00:02:25] When I think about innovation in websites, I am constantly learning about new things, and we're gonna be talking about some of the trends that I have been seeing in 2023 as well.
Innovation is messy
[00:02:39] But the first thing I want to make sure that you think about when you are looking at innovating in your business, no matter what that might look like, is that none of it is going to be perfect. Innovation is messy. And as one of my biz besties likes to say, you have to take messy action in order to move forward.
[00:03:02] If we wait until everything is perfect or we figure out exactly how we want something to look or sound, or the perfect prompt to put into an AI machine to spit out what we want, we're never going to move forward.
[00:03:18] And so what we need to think about when we think about innovating in business is: what do we want to experiment? What do we want to leave behind? And then how can we take action on those things quickly to figure out if they are going to be a good fit for what we need or not?
[00:03:39] In many cases, you may start playing around with something and learn that it is not the right tool for your business. Maybe it can't write copy that sounds like you, or maybe the values that you have been talking about are not in line with using some of the new technology that's available.
[00:04:01] You have to be able and be willing to get a little bit messy in this space to try things out, and it's okay to show up and be honest about that. We no longer live in a society that expects perfection, even from people who are consultants and experts, and you have all of the credentials in the world, people still want to connect with you on a personal level, and so it's okay to show a little bit of that process in your business. It's okay to show a little bit of why you do what you do as long as you are still staying within the guidelines and values you've built here for your business and the guidelines that your industry has for you.
How I'm innovating my business to fit my family needs
[00:04:50] I know that one of the things I talk about occasionally on social media and on my podcast is that I am the mom to a now four year old little boy, and he is, super energetic. He always wants attention. And so my business has had to grow and change as he has gotten older and things look different. We went from having him sit next to me at my desk while I worked when he was a year old, to having a nanny come in two days a week to help me. Now, my in-laws help me two days a week, the nanny comes two days a week, and I get to take Wednesdays off.
[00:05:33] But next year it's gonna look different again because he will be in preschool five days a week, which means I will have him in the mornings, I'll take him to school, and then we're going to rotate who picks him up.
[00:05:44] We're still trying to figure out the best way that I can run my business and serve my clients, but also adhere to that value of family. And all of that takes conversation and compassion.
[00:06:00] Many of my clients and podcast guests can attest to the fact that they hear a little voice in the background when we're talking and I'm up front with them and tell them that that might be a possibility. But I haven't let it stop me from running my business, from jumping on those calls, from recording those interviews because that is what life looks like for so many of us.
[00:06:24] Even people who used to go to an office for a nine to five are now working from home, and so life and business and work have all blended together in this really strange way, but it gives us a chance to innovate. It gives us a chance to try things out and see what works best for us.
[00:06:48] For me, I am spending the summer at a co-working space here in Richmond that is geared toward wellness professionals. They have some offices and they also offer childcare, which is amazing. And the reason that I chose to do that is because it allows me to be in a space with other business owners, it allows my son to interact with kids his own age and get out and have fun while I work. And then I don't have to feel like I am trying to jump on the computer every five minutes at home when I should be spending time with him. I still get to have my dedicated time with my family.
Find ways you can innovate in your industry
[00:07:32] And so what I want you to do when you look at this changing landscape of business in the online space, in your industry, in the wellness space, as you look at more and more people leaving corporate jobs to start their own businesses, or more people wanting to work from home with flexible schedules, think about how you as a business owner, you as a CEO, and your company can innovate.
[00:08:02] What does that look like? How can you push the boundaries? Whether that is doing things in a more automated way or maybe it's going back to one-on-one relationships and keeping it small and intimate. There are so many chances here for us to build a business the way that we want it to function, the way that it's going to serve us and our clients.
[00:08:29] So as you listen to this series of Process to Profitability, I want you to keep in mind that some of these things are going to be a great fit for your business. And others may not be. But either way, you can always find a way to run your business and serve your clients in a way that serves you as well.
