Which business-building experts, trendsetters, and websites do you follow online? Are you sure you’re subscribed to all the right people? How do you know?
Today I’m getting into the nitty-gritty of who to follow, who to not bother with, and how to know when you’re getting all the right updates from all the right people.
Plus, I’m sharing a step-by-step plan for whipping your inbox into shape so that all the best information is at your fingertips – and I’m rewarding those who use it with free some coaching (seriously!).
If you want to tap into the most valuable free online content, boost your own productivity, and move your business forward, you won’t want to miss this Jenny Shih tell-all!
Keeping Up with the Experts
The internet is bursting with amazing free content that can help you do everything from eating healthier to publishing your memoir to training your dog to wipe her paws at the back door (mine now can, thanks to a 10 year old boy on YouTube!).
The same goes for your business: You can get professional tips, training, and advice on every single aspect of running an online business delivered directly to your inbox every single day.
The natural tendency is to collect as much of this information as possible, because you should never stop learning … and knowledge is power … and you wouldn’t want to miss out on something important … and the next new trend is always around the corner.
However…
Keeping up with numerous sites and having all that information at your fingertips is totally counterproductive. You can’t possibly act on all of it at the same time – hell, you probably don’t even remember subscribing to all of it – so it just sits there clogging up your email account and your mind.
Look, I get it. FOMO (that’s the fear of missing out!) is a powerful force. You find a great blog or an expert spouting off amazing tips left and right, and of course your first instinct is to subscribe so you don’t miss anything.
Then the emails start pouring in, and, after hanging out unread in your inbox for a while, they eventually join the hundreds (maybe even thousands!) of others in the purgatory of your “someday” folders.
You may think that having these emails out of sight means they’re out of mind and saved for the very day you’ll need it most… but it’s not what’s happening.
Subscribing to too many lists wreaks havoc on your productivity!
Here’s what’s really happening: The more electronic clutter you have, the more you’re slowing down your success. Why?
- It clutters your inbox and your brain, and it’s a leading cause of overwhelm.
- It’s distracting and draining, because you’re trying to keep track of what everyone else is up to and what new things you need to learn. People are less productive when they’re spread too thin, and there’s simply no need to tie yourself to every new trend anyway.
- It causes total panic and compare and despair by telling you all the ways you’re inadequate – and that’s never worth it! Self-shaming is just not a good business practice.
To this I say (firmly, but with all the love in the world): Enough is enough!
Click to TweetIt’s time to STOP letting your FOMO obscure your focus and to STOP cramming your mailbox full of shit you don’t need!Who to Follow, Who to Drop, and How to Keep Your Inbox Organized
I don’t clutter my mailbox with information for the sake of information because, frankly, it’s a huge waste of time and brain space. And it halts creativity, distracts me from what I need to do most, and totally stresses me out!
My focus is always on the tasks I need to do right now and the knowledge I need to gain to move my business forward in the immediate future. And your should be, too.
Take the exact same approach with your mailbox. The only people you need to follow right now are the ones who can help you right now. Maintaining this laser-like focus on what your business needs in the moment is the best strategy for keeping your mailbox – and your mind – clear and organized.
So who should you follow?
Click to TweetYou should deliberately subscribe to the one or two experts who are currently teaching the exact things you need to learn to move your business along to its next phase.When you’ve learned what you needed to learn from a particular expert, unsubscribe and move on. It may be brutal, but it’s also extremely efficient!
As for all of the blogs, newsletters, free online courses, and email lists you’re already subscribed to but routinely ignore, my advice is simple: unsubscribe, delete, and repeat.
Love the Unsubscribe Button (Starting Now!)
As you can tell, I’ve got my bossy pants on today, and you know what that means… A CHALLENGE for you! Plus a reward for following through. (Yay!)
Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to go into your mailbox and unsubscribe from anything and everything that distracts, overwhelms, or takes your focus away from moving your business forward.
I know it’s scary, but it’s wildly liberating: Open your email program and just start unsubscribing from all email lists that do not serve the immediate needs of your business. You may even need to dive into your trash folder to see the emails you’ve deleted in in the last few weeks.
This might require you to battle your FOMO, but I promise it’ll be totally worth it!
You know that website you subscribed to because you knew you’d need the advice somewhere down the line and you didn’t want to miss anything in the meantime? Unsubscribe and delete. (Now!)
All those folders full of emails and newsletters from dozens of experts on all sorts of topics to be perused later when you have the time? Unsubscribe and delete. (Now!)
Any and all emails from a sender whose name you don’t recognize and whose area of expertise you can’t remember? Unsubscribe and delete.
Those newsletters already in your trash that you tossed without even reading? You guessed it … unsubscribe and delete!
And if you find yourself racking up subscriptions again in the future (and you very well may!), remember this mantra:
Click to TweetFree online content isn’t going anywhere. You’ll find what you need when you need it. Promise!First, I want to hear you weigh in on this subject. Share in the comments:
- Are you a packrat when it comes to email subscriptions, or do you keep it lean n’ mean like me?
- If you’re a packrat, does the thought of unsubscribing give you major FOMO?
- If you’re not a packrat, what advice do you have for those who are?
Second, I want to reward you for following through on the challenge!
Here’s what to do.
- Go through your email RIGHT NOW and unsubscribe from anything that’s not helping you and your biz right now.
- Count up how many lists you unsubscribed from and leave a comment below with the total.
- Also in your comment, tell me one list you’re staying on (biz or personal) and why.
- Then ask me your biggest, burning business question (in the same comment).
- Do this all by November 16, 2015, and I’ll give you a personal response — a little coaching on the house — to reward you for taking action!
This is gonna be fun! I can’t wait to hear from you, see your numbers, and find out how I can help you and your biz!
I do this monthly! I use unroll.me and LOVE it. Just today I unsubscribed from 23 lists.
One list I am staying on—The Middle Finger Project. I am a writer with edge + heart, so Ash Ambirge’s site speaks volumes to me, keeps me motivated and makes me laugh. All good stuff.
My burning question is—as a business coach, how do you avoid a “cookie cutter” method of coaching people in their businesses? In other words, how do you support and bring out each individuals unique style? One thing I have noticed with many online business coaches, is that they tend to produce students that sort of have similar offers, similar websites, etc. Just curious if you have a particular way you address this in your own model.
Thanks!
As a student of Jenny’s I feel that I can answer some portion of the question. I’m sure she has a much more specific answer, but this is mine.
The first thing Jenny does is make it possible for her students to get VERY clear on who they are. Then she helps them get very clear on who they serve. Each one of us are so individual we can help similar audiences, but if we are true to ourselves we are not going to go about it in a cookie cutter fashion.
How Jenny accomplishes this with each class is her super power. Systems are also her strength, and the many business practices that often get ignored, yet are necessary for your business to work, no matter who you plan to serve.
Thanks for chiming in, Lesley! It was fun to flip to the comments this morning and see you already here. 🙂 It’s such an honor to work with committed, smart women like you who want to get their work out there and just want the systems, structures, and clear guidance to get there. Woohoo!
Yay for unsubscribing 23x!
Such a great question about being cookie cutter. And THANK YOU Lesley for chiming in (so fun to see my clients here!).
She’s totally right, Carrie. You can’t be cookie cutter when you are focused on YOU in your biz. This is why I always have my client start by honing in on what lights them up, what they’re all about, who they love to help, and how they love to help those people. When you do that, you can’t be a copy of anyone else.
I can’t really speak to how other biz coaches do it (because, like this post says, I don’t follow them!), but I know for sure that my clients aren’t cookie cutters. And truthfully, how can an expat coach look like a perinatal coach look like a naturopath look like a weight loss coach look like an accountant look like a [you-name-it service provider]! My clients come from all sorts of services, and we focus on what makes them different — and I teach them how to build a successful biz around just that very thing (and it works!).
Hi Jennie. I unsubscribe regularly, and try to connect only with sites that make me feel empowered. Enough with the self-doubt, which seems to be the biggest challenge at this early phase of getting my online business going. It’s good to evaluate what’s going into ones writing, images and overall branding, but I’m spending a lot of time trying to figure out where’s the right line between professional and personal/edgy – to borrow Carrie’s phrase. For that I have to dig deeper inward, not outward. No real question today, but thanks for being here.
Amen to this: “Enough with the self-doubt!” I definitely can go there when I subscribe to lists that aren’t right for me, so I can relate!
Carrie – thx for the tip about unroll.me!! That was a lifesaver… I unsubscribed to 114 lists haha granted, that’s the first time I did a big list detox so I’m sure those numbers will be lower going forward. I realize that I follow a lot of other folks in the holistic health, functional medicine realm (to stay ‘in-the-know’ since I’m in that arena) BUT they have felt more like distractions than helpful emails lately.
I did stay on lists that inspire me, because I realized those are the ones that help me find my voice . For example Dr. Kelly Brogan or Dr. Aviva Romm are two powerhouse women who always inspire me to think outside the box. I stayed on Ash’s TMF project emails too 🙂
I have a question about having two brands so to speak. My business is evolving and I have taken on a new direction with the new venture, started up social media and creating a website for it. It feels more like an evolution of my original brand, but its my original business that is bringing in money. Any tips on that kind of transition or teetering between two similar businesses? Thanks for the push!
WOW, Venessa!! 114 lists has got to be a record. You must feel a huge weight off your shoulders (heck, I do just reading your comment!). You’re totally right that often the idea of staying “in the know” is actually a distraction, not helpful.
To answer your branding question, I need a little more info. Can you tell me about where you’ve been and what you’re headed toward and what the specific struggle is in the transition between the two? That will help me give you the best advice. Thanks!
Hi Jenny! I’m a functional nutritionist and holistic health coach, I’ve been specializing in autoimmune and weight loss but now I am shifting more toward creativity and spirituality as it relates to health. I still have the functional nutrition background, but making that shift to creativity and spirituality in my new venture, branding and marketing has been a challenge. Esp since I feel like I now have 2 biz…. Thx for your help!!
Thanks! That’s helpful.
This is going to sound a little funny… but you don’t need to worry about it as much as you think you need to worry about it. You’re just transitioning your business a little bit, something people do all the time! Simply start talking to those people, updating your copy, creating a new opt-in, and start operating as the new business model.
It doesn’t have to be any more complicated than that — promise!
I love Aviva Romm’s newsletter! 🙂
Hi Jenny!
I unsubscribed from 10 new subscriptions.
I use unsubscribe every month. I call it the “addiction of more.” Sometimes we think “more is better” and “more” will sometimes magically fill that gap between not making your business work and making it work, not having the guy and then finding the guy, whatever it may be. Point is – I fall into that trap, we all do! Once that happens I fall into the black hole of the internet and get on what I call an “idea high” where I think “ohhh maybe I Should do that, this, etc.” which is why I have to consistently go back and unsubscribe.
Ironically, your posts and site do the opposite for me. It focuses me. So do Kendricks and Nikki Clarks. But the winner is:
Maru on my list because she challenges me to just get out there – which I am great at getting into my head and doing everything “the right way” so I’ll hide out.
My big question: I want to start reaching out for beta-testers for my upcoming launch. My ideal clients are high-acheiving, successful women who want to create more “flow” in their life. I have a unique method I take them through and I have studied in depth the effect stress has on our body and how it can adversely affect our progress and success. For women who are already busy – how can I reach out effectively without sounding annoying!? 🙂
Yay for 10 unsubscribes and for keeping it up every month. I think you’re right, that it is an addition of more, and you’re also right that more isn’t always better — in fact, it’s usually worse!
I love your question and actually want to give you a first pass answer right here, because I know it will help others. Then you can let me know if we need to dive deeper.
If your women are busy, you’re right, you do have to reach out in a way that catches there attention but isn’t annoying. So, the trick is to find a creative way to do that. Think about it this way: They are busy and some things do get their attention — but what? My guess is that something like, “Create more flow in your life” isn’t going to be strong enough to break through the din of the chaos they have going on. What will? (This is your #1 marketing question to answer.)
Reflect on what it is that’s bothering them so deeply in their lives that if you could get their attention then they would want to hire you. Addressing that specific pain point head on (no beating around the bush with these women) will be what catches their attention and makes them say, “Yes, I need this.”
Does this make sense? Does it lead to other questions?
I unsubscribed from 10 lists today! Thank you Jenny Shih. I was so happy to get the kick in the pants to do this since I am always saying to myself that I get way to much crap in my inbox and need to take the time to unsubscribe and then don’t! It would take too much time…
I am sticking with Everyday Cheapskate. I have come to love her tips and ideas and pass them along regularly to friends.
My big burning business questions is how do I get unstuck. I have been circling around what my niche should be for months now. I feel strongly that I want a niche so I know who to market to, where to find my peeps etc. but keep second guessing myself about if I should coach people on careers (logical since I have been a recruiter for the past 20+ years but does not feel that exciting to me though think there may be a way I could make it so) or around life after recovery (I am 21 years clean and sober and have done tons of personal growth work outside of the traditional AA approach that I believe was instrumental to my not going back out and using and super helpful for someone who is clean but not living the life they yearn for yet) or be a bit more general and help women who are ready to transform their lives in some fashion (helping them get clarity around direction and steps). And, even better, it would be great if I could include my passion for all things spiritual like meditation, breathing, removing limiting thoughts and behaviors, dream analysis, being guided by your intuition etc. Whew!
Yay for 10 unsubscribes and a kick in the pants.
I’m so happy to help you with your question, Laurie. And the answer is within my favorite (famous?) saying: “Clarity and confidence come from taking action.”
You can’t *think* your way into the right niche. You can only *work* your way into the right niche. What I mean is the way to answer, “Should I be a career coach?” and “How do I incorporate the spiritual things I love into my biz?” is to DO something and see how it works.
You won’t land a perfect score on your first try, but you won’t get anywhere if you don’t try anything. This is one of the many reasons I have my clients create bite-sized offers when they’re starting out. One offer that you work with 5-10 people on to help them and help you. You can’t NOT get clarity after coaching 5-10 people on something that you put your best guess into.
So declare your best guess niche. Don’t worry about making your website perfect. Then go out and get clients to coach. Coach them and see what happens. You’ll learn something (I guarantee it) and then you’ll adjust your niche slightly or massively as a result. This is how all successful businesses are born — one best guess after another.
Here are three posts (oldies but goodies!) that might help:
https://jennyshih.com/2012/10/the-perfect-business-myth-have-you-been-fooled/
https://jennyshih.com/2012/09/stuck-heres-how-to-get-unstuck-fast/
https://jennyshih.com/2014/01/exactly-experiment-business/
Does this help?
Jenny-This totally helps. I am going to go with an offer that feels fun to me and see what happens. Thanks for the second kick in the pants in the same day! I needed that.
Well, this is funny timing! I literally unsubscribed/unroll-ed from probably 95% of my email subscriptions yesterday…and yours was one of the handful I left untouched. Haha
I’m pretty new to your world, Jenny, but everything I’ve seen so far has been so wonderful! Your emails are one of the gems that I just know are going to be worth my time and energy. 🙂
Well thank you Whitney for being (and staying) here. I’m honored!! I hope to keep good stuff coming your way to help you and your biz — that’s my #1 goal! And welcome to the community!
hahaha i’m up to 7 unsubscribes already and i thought for sure i had minimal subscriptions.
WOW. they easily creep in every month!!
thanks for this challenge, jenny.
being in business really does require laser like focus…ok back to work now!:D
carla xo
p.s. i’ve been on your list for years and always find value!!
They do creep in, don’t they! Yay for finding 7 to release. So glad you did. 🙂
I have a reminder set up on my calendar that pops up once a month called the “great email list unsubscribe.” So once a month I go through all of the lists in my unroll me folder and delete three quarters of them. It feels amazing!
Last time I deleted 50. I keep yours, Marie’s, Kendrick’s, and a few food blogs I love because they’re all solid and actionable.
I don’t really have a business question, so if I win please give the advice to the person who comments directly after me.
Argh, this isn’t a contest… I totally read that wrong. Sigh. Ok, now I have a question – how do you combat brain fog related to health problems/autoimmune, especially as it relates to your business? :/ I swear, there are months where I’m only operating at 25-50%.
Hi Stephanie, I know how frustrating it can be! I would highly recommend finding out what your triggers are, for example food, infections, other toxins or any stressors. So that you can avoid them! bringing in natural anti inflammatories such as turmeric or resveratrol can be helpful. Hope that helps!
Agree with Vanessa. Also, 1) important to have core systems in place so the show can keep running even on “off” periods and 2) being super clear on the non-negotiables so you know where to focus your 20% energy stores and allows you to be kind to yourself when the rest gets parked. It’s hard to figure this out in a brain fog haze, so having the plan B scenario (and plan C) mapped out ahead of time avoids the need for decision-making which isn’t our forte when we’re not so functional!
Totally know how that goes. When my Lyme symptoms were at their worst, I felt like I had half my brainpower or less. It took me longer to THINK and do everything, so I hear you.
The way I dealt with it was to simply acknowledge what was happening and accommodate it — not fight it (resistance never helps!). Recognize my limitations and work within them, focusing on exactly the things I needed to do that were the highest priority for my biz.
Hi Jenny,
Unroll.me is a lifesaver for this – hadn’t done a sweep in a while so just did 10 more unsubscribes. They pile up so quick!
My question is: my 6 month coaching package to support women to recover from burnout (in work, health & life) is in demand, so I’m dropping my bite-size offer which never gets takers. I want to raise the price of the 6 month and expand/add value, but I’m stuck on what this could look like? Or whether I should just create a new high end offer? For either, I can expand the period of time to 8-12 months (would serve them better), but otherwise I’m stuck for ideas because I already offer so much… short of organizing in-person time involving travel. Maybe the price just needs to go up in line with the current value 🙂
Hooray for 10 unsubscribes!
Great question about expanding your packages. I’m going to reframe the question for you so you can find the right answer for your people. Back to Carrie’s point — there isn’t one way to do this and to avoid cookie-cutter, we’ve got to get you doing YOU in the best way.
So…. When you think about your clients and what you offer them and you look at your 6 month package, what could you add or change or improve to get them BETTER RESULTS FASTER (and have it be even more fun for you)?
It’s not always about more time (duration of support or time with you), but sometimes it is. The focus is always about what is going to get your people the best results. Start there.
The next question would be: If you could start from scratch, what would your clients’ dream-come-true-be? (Now that may or may not be something you want to offer, but it’s a great question to consider.)
Let me know if this gets wheels turning or if it leads to more questions. And congrats on working on 6 month packages and raising rates. Bravo!
You just inspired me to finally drop Marie… One less thing to do!