Julie Chenell

The Epidemic Of Gurus *Unraveling*

Probably should start by saying that *unraveling* is in asterisks because I’m working with a loose definition here.

+ It could mean something like an acute mental breakdown.
+ It could mean abruptly shutting down what to all of us look like a very profitable successful business.
+ It could mean a hard right or left pivot by the leader that doesn’t make sense to an audience who has known something different for a long time.
+ It could mean a personal life crisis like divorce, affair, arrest, sickness, etc.
+ It could mean a run in with intense financial stress like bankruptcy.
+ It could look like an angry “out of left field” tirade on social media towards followers and/or customers.
+ It could look like a social media war between the leader and a group of people attempting to “cancel” them.

Before social media and online business (and frankly the Internet), 99% of business owners were only successful and known in a very small geographic location.

Outside of celebrities and famous politicians, it was very hard to be a “global” superstar.

Humans are gonna human and so even if high powered business people still faced all these types of issues, the ripple effect was relatively small. Your main neighborhood/city and area knew (maybe) and that was it.

Geographical limits created constraint that limited power and the ability to wreck havoc globally.

This online world changed everything. It made it possible to have more success, more influence, more power, more money… and we know what happens where there is a concentration of power and/or money. A whole generation of people who aren’t designed or prepared for the pressure that that level of access creates.

I think many of these issues are very normal for us humans. We are seeing them happen with more frequency because times are tougher, people are tired, and it’s hard to hold a facade of perfection for too long. The “boom” of gurus are running into a pretty predictable burnout cycle.

The social fabric has made the *unraveling* all more visible and intense. Plus there’s the ripple effect of not being able to hide - anywhere on the planet. And the thousands of reactions. That pressure is insane. And that alone can crack even the strongest of people.

My favorite 7 marketing numbers.

9 Pay Plan - Why I like it? Because it's got the irresistibility factor of the 12 pay (lower price) but people think 12 pays mean month to month and I don't want people bailing on payplans, so 9 pay communicates that.

30% Off Coupon - Why I like it? Because it's meaty enough to feel like an amazing discount without forcing you to give up half your profits.

5 Day Launches - Why I like them? Because there's really only one "middle" day. Day 3. And it always feels like a failure. But days 1,2,4,5 all have things you can do to get sales moving so you only have to endure one "bad middle" launch day.

$3000 Coaching Offer - Why I like it? Because most coaches who are starting out can deliver a key transformation in 90 days and it works out to $1000/m.

$297 Beta Course Price - Why I like it? Because you can price anchor between $397-$497 and then you can do a 9 pay plan of $37 which is a steal. Ironically, this is definitely not a good price point when you're selling evergreen. But for BETA, hell yes.

$20k Months - Why I like them? Because at this revenue threshold ($240k year business), you have the max ability for profit without building out a huge team. $20k months gives the owner just about a $100k salary, which is the first key milestone.

$997 Evergreen Webinar Offer - Why I like it? Because you have a bit more wiggle room to be profitable when using ads.

I'm sure I could think of more, but these are my go-to's!

At first glance, we’re as different as can be.

Gregarious, outgoing, Latin hips, black as night hair, muscles for days.
I’m introverted and serious, blonde and very much muscle-less, and prone to worrying.

Where Ac takes the world by storm, I stand back more cautious.
Where he has no trouble standing at the center of a party, I am the Irish goodbye at 9pm.

Mr. Spends hours at the gym meets Miss Don’t make me exercise unless it’s walking in nature.

Mr. Colombian wild child who dances on bar tops meets Miss Don’t give me more than one drink because I’m a light weight.

Mr. Energy that never ends meets Miss Likes to sit home, write and fall asleep.

And yet…

It’s hard to explain just how much our natural cadence of values, goals, and day to day living… matches.

Yes opposites attract and also you need more than just that to make something work. You need that deep abiding alignment of values and desires for the present and the future both.

You need common interests (even if you have separate ones too, and that’s a good thing!)

Yes, he’ll go play golf and I’ll devour 17 articles on the climate. We’re clearly quite different.

But watch us in our environment and as parents and humans, and we have quite a few similarities.

We both…
Love the ocean
Love Disney
Love Christmas
Read Twitter (sorry I mean X)
Love animals
Love the idea of gardening (he actually does it better than I do LOL)
Love the same types of vacations
Love sitting side by side in silence
Love word games and Animal Crossing (we say we’re doing it for our kids)
Drink tea
Read books
Love music and dancing
Love cooking and food and hosting

And those things are cool, but it goes deeper still.

We both value being on time.
We think the same way about anticipating our kids needs (and prioritizing kids).
We have the same sense of what can be let go and what needs to attended to (we have very similar ideas of mess and cleanliness).
We have the same beliefs about caring for and valuing family.
We have the same way of thinking about the future and what we want our second half of life to be like.

Continues in comments….

Happy Thanksgiving from chilly Connecticut!

You know what I noticed today?

The garden we have outside looked amazing in the spring. Green, fresh, healthy, blooming.

The garden we have now is a hot fu***ng mess.

Shriveled leaves, bent over branches. Weeds everywhere.

But...

It's bursting with fruit.

The fresh green plant in the spring looked "pretty" but had no fruit.

The plants filling our fridge with fresh tomatoes and cucumbers look like they've been through a tornado.

Fruit makes a mess. It takes a lot out of the plant to produce.

Use that same analogy in business.

If there's a lot of energy expended in "image" and things looking good, it probably means they are either new (and will bear fruit later) or more focused on *look* than output.

Watch for people more focused on image than output.

Businesses busy producing solutions are going to be invariably more messy and in the ring than those that aren't.

It’s been 8 days since I worked. Tomorrow is the last day of my summer vacation and as an entrepreneur, it can be hard to unplug.

There’s the rush to finish everything before you leave, and the re-entry when you return.

Or you fear that everything will fall apart when you leave because you are the #1 money maker in your business and when you stop selling, the money stops flowing.

There are ways to stabilize your income so you can go away. Building a team, selling 365 days a year through funnels, and planning your vacations for the year ahead of time so you can work your launches around it.

Nonetheless - no matter how hard it seems to make time to step away, you should. Creativity and renewed energy for your work comes during the time of rest.

Thank you for the invitation to speak at the Saaspreneur mastermind. Amazing community. Epic software. Great founders. Xx

I am so excited to present on sales page tweaks anyone can do to boost conversions. Doesn’t matter how beginner you are! Be sure to check out my highlights for the link and all the details!

It was impossible for me to accurately summarize 2022 with a takeaway or a recap of all the things that happened since it was a banner year for crisis and problems. However, there are things I'd love to remember and gift to anyone who is looking for inspiration for 2023. So here are the things I'm taking with me!

10 Business & Life Tips To Take Into 2023 » Julie Chenell It was impossible for me to accurately summarize 2022 with a takeaway or a recap of all the things that happened since it was a banner year for crisis and problems. However, there are things I’d love to remember and gift to anyone who is looking for inspiration for 2023. So here are the things [.....

Online Business Myths To Unlearn ASAP

MYTH: When you first start your business, you'll just know it's right for you.
FALSE. Most people have no idea what they are doing and pivot at least 5-6 times.

MYTH: Wait for the offer to be finished and perfect before selling it.
FALSE. You actually should try to sell it before it's built! Get a BETA test going and see if people are willing to pay for the idea.

MYTH: The right business will feel great and amazing and like you're doing what you're meant to.
FALSE. Most business owners want to quit multiple times a year. Business is hard. It takes work. It doesn't mean you're on the wrong track.

MYTH: Your social media following wants to be inspired. Keep it aspirational as much as possible.
FALSE. Failure, mistakes, transparency actually get people to pay more attention, make them more likely to trust you, and helps you relate to your audience. Don't hide.

MYTH: Be certain all the time. As the leader you must show vision and certainty to your team and audience.
FALSE. Don't surround yourself with yes men/women. Admit when you're wrong. Show your audience there are multiple ways to get to the same destination. It's true, and trustworthy.

MYTH: If you can't make it work, it means you should automatically go back to having a job.
FALSE. Failure is so common. It might not be the right business idea yet. Maybe you're designed to be a co-founder or partner. Don't give up. If you want to run a business, keep at it.

MYTH: Wait til you're making money to get things like quickbooks, bookkeeper, etc.
FALSE. The first thing you should buy when you make your first dollar? Either a quickbooks account or a bookkeeper. Or both. Don't mess with your hard earned $$.

MYTH: Start publishing on social media about two weeks before a launch.
FALSE. You should be publishing consistently, regardless of your launch seasons. People need to see you showing up, day in and day out.

MYTH: Wait to have a coach until you have an actual business.
FALSE. Some people would do well to have a coach starting from the VERY beginning. You will save SO MUCH time and energy and money by buying into the shortcuts.

It's hard to spot a transition when you're in one.

Here's a few clues you might be in the middle of a big shift or change...

--> When things feel unstable or off and you can't put your finger on why.
--> When what you used to do and think doesn't quite fit anymore.
--> When things in your world are breaking down - seemingly in ways that are out of your control.
--> When your future feels foggy and your instinct is to freeze.
--> When other people notice you're acting different.
--> When you spend an inordinate amount of time suppressing uncomfortable feelings you don't want to deal with.

I'm going to go out on a prediction limb here...

As a business coach who is neck deep in a LOT of online businesses, there is NO doubt in my mind, we are in a huge shift and transition.

There are too many patterns and similarities across totally different niches for it to just to be coincidence.

I think there are a lot of businesses in operation today that will not be open in five years because their owners did not see the transition and prepare.

Think about just three of the following industries for a second:

1. Health industry... where once diet culture was the position through which everything was sold, there's a massive uprising against diet culture and many companies are taking a more holistic sustainable approach.

2. Investing industry... where once the hot way to make money was real estate or stocks, now the rise of crypto and NFT's and web3 gamification, etc. is gaining traction (although it's sort of dead at the moment because of the fall of crypto, but it'll be back like it always is). It's still in a strong transition moment.

3. Education industry... where once it was all the rage to get a college degree, now? There's a huge push to correct the horribly broken system and call for reform. And online education and experience is a part of that with more and more companies not requiring a degree.

What about...

1. The push to a four day work week for employees
2. The increasing number of young adults who don't want to have kids because of climate change
3. The lack of trust in government institutions and leadership increasing exponentially by the day.

My coach just gave me a timeline exercise and... well nothing like a visual to just snap your ass to attention.

I've been an adult for basically twenty years (ages 20-40). And in those two years, BOTH decades were N.U.T.S.

My 20's were peppered with things like marriage, pregnancy, babies, nursing, and just scraping by to make ends meet.

If that wasn't stressful enough, my 30's were like "hold my beer."

I had a crazy traumatic familial event, which led to the unraveling of my entire life. That ended in divorce, with a quick pregnancy, new relationship, and "oh s**t gotta make money" moment RIGHT on its heels. I spent essentially this decade picking myself up, raising another child, trying to survive a terribly toxic 2nd marriage, and building a career and business foundation.

As I was drawing the timeline, I was struggling to stuff little "lines" in the decade to denote the major events like the exercise told me to do. It was so full.

So here I am, technically 41, and half my timeline is a bunch of lines and scribbles, and the other half on the piece of paper...just staring at me. Blank.

If I think of myself with four more decades of life (til 80 but really I want to live longer)... the next two decades are "prime of life" adult decades.

Ages 40-50
Ages 50-60

Continues in comments.

I feel some massive shifts happening after the last week. It was CEO week here at the farm, but there was also a ton of internal stuff going on. Here are a few things I'm taking with me...

1. You need rest as much as you need work.
2. You need people as much as you need time alone.
3. You need free time as much as you need structure.
4. You don't have to be "fixed" or "healed" in order to keep moving forward.
5. Give people a chance to love you even when you're not at your best. You might be surprised.
6. Sometimes getting advice makes things worse because what you actually need is to quiet down enough so you can tap into your internal voice.
7. Your heart and gut and body know better than your mind. Listen to it and don't let fear get in the way.
8. It's okay to mess up. The things that are truly for you won't just disappear if you can't get it right all the time.
9. Everything runs in cycles. That should be good news if you're in a down spin. The dawn is coming.
10. The people in your life are there for a reason. Don't miss it.

xx

I’ve been up since 2am. Decided to go to the beach and watch the sunrise.

Whenever I’m quiet with my writing, whenever I go days without sharing my thoughts, it’s a sign things are not ok.

Things are not ok. They are not ok even a little.

I am in the battle of a lifetime. A dark night of the soul where it feels like there is no protection from the injustice of the road I must walk in order to be free.

It’s mind numbing honestly. Those in my world that do know are chewing on their hands as much as I am.

There is so much I cannot share, but one day I will tell my story. One day.

If you are in my world and I seem distant or aloof or I don’t respond or I’m short…

Please know I’m using all my bandwidth to run my business, care for my children, fight for the future I worked so damn hard for those I love.

I’m trying to maintain my peace.
I’m trying to not fall apart spectacularly.
I’m trying to trust God.
I’m trying to move forward and not get stuck.

And I’m waiting for the sunrise that God promised comes after the blackness of the night.

That’s it. That’s the post.

I had dinner with a good friend and client last night. He is in the book writing world and he asked me about my book ideas (which are many).

He said, “What’s a book you could write and be proud of three years from now?” What a question!

I told him if there was anything I know to be true about my life, is that I do so much s**t scared to death.

I take risks. I give my heart. I don’t shy away from hard conversations. I am not afraid of mess.

And I find that the very things in life that are hard to share… are the very things my audience needs to hear.

Because if I can leave one message as my legacy it is… you have permission.

This morning I opened up Facebook to read a post from someone who gave themselves permission to start.
To try. To not worry about knowing everything.

And 18 months later her life looks different because of that permission.

So I think I know what my book will be. And I hope that by writing it, I inspire more people to say… “If she can do it, so the f**k can I.”

Xx

Inspire respect by becoming impressively capable in your zone of genius.

The money will follow.

Dirty little secret about marketing.

There is no secret.
No magic bullet.

No fancy tactic that is going to save you or replace the work you need to do to build your brand and platform.

Marketing is people. Marketing is relationship. Marketing is showing up.

Get after it.

Happy New Year Everyone

2021 Income (ish) + Takeaways » Julie Stoian Every year I write a recap of sorts. I put it on the blog, write it in an email, and use it as a bookend to the year. I linked up the older takeaway posts at the end of this email if you want to see them – many of the takeaways are still true […]

You might not realize it, but in online business — you’re walking on a tightrope.

Once you see it… the next revelation comes quickly, “Oh wait. I’ve been on this tiny piece of string this whole time.”

The tightrope I speak of, is your reputation + credibility as it relates to the money you make. And as I’ve pondered this tightrope, I’ve been able to look back and see that yes… it’s been the way this whole time.

The Tightrope » Julie Stoian You might not realize it, but in online business — you’re walking on a tightrope. Once you see it… the next revelation comes quickly, “Oh wait. I’ve been on this tiny piece of string this whole time.” The tightrope I speak of, is your reputation + credibility as it relates to the money y...

Digital Insiders Take Disney: Part I {What Actually Happened} » Julie Stoian On Sunday November 7th, 80 Digital Insiders descended on Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa for a week of play, fun, and masterminding. We all rolled in at various times of the day, and collected together at the outdoor patio at 6pm to connect and say hello. It’s hard to explain how much exci...

Three Ways To Measure Your Offer's Success!

Three Ways To Measure Your Offer's Success » Julie Stoian It’s bound to happen if you’re putting yourself out there: An offer is going to flop. This post is about how to identify if it is in fact a flop (scientifically :P), because many people get disillusioned about their offers because it doesn’t LOOK like what they expect. First, let’s start wit...