I had an awesome chat with Catherine Cain of Be Awesome Online. She woke up at 7am on a Sunday morning to talk to me. She was happy, funny, and questioning. That’s not easy to do after just rolling out of bed. She forced me dig deeper into my own business.
In our short conversation she helped me be more awesome online. She used her superpowers because she couldn’t help it. Really it was just supposed to be a conversation, but she couldn’t hold her superpowers back.
I’m not writing this post to gush about Catherine, even though she is amazing. I’m here to tell you about a really cool nugget of awesome that I got from our conversation.
Right People
She told me about her lack of being able to find her right people back when she first started her business. She couldn’t find people that were easy to work with. They weren’t delightful and weird. That’s what she wanted, but didn’t tell her audience that. So the boring people showed up, you know the ones that make you feel like you getting your tooth pulled.
You’re glad that you are getting rid of that tooth, but you would rather be doing something else.
That’s where Catherine was. She wanted delightful and weird, but didn’t attract these people. It was only after she took the time to drill down into her business that she began to find the people that she wanted to help.
Fresh Air
That’s when she changed her tagline to “website advice for delightful weirdos” and everything changed. She was reaching out to her “right people.” It wasn’t like pulling a tooth. It was like leaning back and breathing in fresh air. The tedium stopped and the fun ensued.
When she embraced what she really wanted out of her business the law of attraction answered her.
If you aren’t hanging out with your “right people” in your career you must ask yourself, “Why not?” You must drill down and find out if you are telling the world the kind of people you want to help.
Clarity
I started this blog to help employees because I know how hard it is to work through bureaucratic tape, but a lot of employees are content with where they are at. That's good. These aren't the passionate people I'm after. The people I really want to help people who want to do work that excites them. No one should settle for boring work, but I can't force people to want heart pumping awesome work. I want to help people who want to start their own business or have a small business. It’s these people who are quick to adapt ideas that will help them succeed.
I have to be more clear in who I want to help, otherwise I’m not doing work that’s easy and fun.
How About You?
Are you clear on who you want to work with?
Are your co-workers fun and easy?
Are your clients smart and cool?
If not, start digging, ask yourself the question that Catherine asked me. “What are your people’s sense of humor?”
My people can laugh at their mistakes because each experience improves their superpowers.
When your understand your perfect client’s (co-worker’s) personality then and only then can you truly connect with people that make work feel easy and fun.
* Are you on Twitter? Then join over 3,400 people who get my stress relief tips, happiness ideas, and thought provoking quotes. @workhappynow
* Todd Smith over at Dumb Little Man has a wonderful article about productivity. We all let time slip away. He suggests creating a work journal to see what you spend time on. Click here to check out the productivity article.
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Hi Karl,
Thanks for doing this interview. The advice about giving a lot of thought to who your right "people" are is crucial because it can be painful when you're working with clients or colleagues who are not the right fit. I think of it more like hobbling around in a pair of ill-fitting shoes. They'll get you where you need to go and give you some protection but they're tight,they pinch and the friction leaves blisters. It's much better to find shoes that fit comfortably from day one so you can feel relaxed and happy.
Have a great day!
Karl and Catherine...
This
"website advice for delightful weirdos" is the bomb! It just makes so much sense on how you came about it...then Todd's idea of a work journal...exactly what I need:) I'm a happy camper and now this added a giggle.
Hi Karl
Wow, you and Catherine are both to be commended for your motivation at 7am on a Sunday morning! But when one loves what they are doing or talking about, I know it all comes so much more easily!
I think I am still defining my audience in many ways. I know the audience I would like to target more, but that may turn off my current audience... so it is fine tuning and in the end, figuring out which audience will turn on my superpowers more!
Hi Sue, It's funny how we blame our clients and not ourselves when the client is not a good fit. By taking the blame now we can make sure future clients are a better fit.
Hi Tess, I'm glad we could superpower your day.
Hi Evita, I have to admit that Catherine's the one that deserves the credit. Her time was 7am and it was 4pm my time.
It takes a long time and a lot of effort to drill down into your business. I have faith that you will get there. I will offer this advice... Never try to cater to just both sides of your audience. It's better to turn off the people that aren't a good fit because your core audience will love you even more.
Sue,
That's a great way of putting it. I CAN work with people who aren't quite my Right People, but that friction is always there.
Cheers!
Catherine
Thanks, Tess! I love that tagline, it's so clear on who is and is not my Right People. If you like it, then you probably are. 🙂
Hi Evita,
Possibly turning off your current audience is definitely scary, but you might be surprised how many stick around when you change directions.
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Hi Karl -- thanks for this -- on the whole issue of defining the client I'd like, I've never been totally certain about this, because I (perhaps in my arrogance) get the sense that I can basically work with anyone -- but I have found that there is a certain sort of person who has been seeking me out, through no effort of my own, and I've started naturally tailoring my marketing to that person.
It's great to see how just a one-liner of precision can really spell out a niche and act like a lightening rod ... and "delightful weirdos" is sticky.
Hi Chris, It's funny when we let people find us because this really is our people. They want what we offer. The more we can build these relationships the stronger the business will become.
Hi J.D., Great point. We have to understand what we want and how it connects with other people. Understanding both will allow us to create sticky outreach that gets people excited about what we offer.