August 10, 2023
Podcast #87 / Ask Kris & Don
Don: Hello, and welcome to the Design and Prosper podcast. This is episode 88, and today we are doing an Ask Kris and Don episode where we will be answering your questions.
[Intro Music]
Kris: Welcome everybody.
Don: Hello and welcome. So today we are doing something a little new, little bit different.
Kris: Yes. Yes. So we are going to be doing a q and A where we’ll answer, say three or four questions.
Yeah. But we’re planning to do this regularly. Yeah. Where we answer your questions. So what’s going on for you?
Don: Yeah, we have a lot of questions. We’ve got a backlog of questions actually, and we, when we answering the question one to one, we are like, so many designers need to know the answer to this.
Kris: Yeah. So we want to hear from you. We would love to hear your questions. And yeah, like Don said, you may just get featured on the podcast and we may choose yours to answer.
So to do that, just head to our website, design and prosper.co/podcast. And. Right there, you’ll see a form where you can pop your question in there. Or if you’re feeling brave, we would love you to leave a voice message. So if you do leave us an audio message, we’d love to know your name and then ask your question. We love hearing your voices and it makes us feel really connected to you. And we, we would love to use the audio on the, next ask Kris and Don episode. Yeah,
Don: absolutely. So it will be something like, hi, I’m Donna, I’d like to know X, Y, Z.
Thank you. That’s it. Yeah. That’s all you have to do. So easy. So come and have some fun with us and ask a question because we can almost guarantee whatever question you have. There’ll be another hundred designers lined up, wanting to know the answer to the same thing. Your question will have relevance across the industry.
So don’t be afraid to ask it. There will be others who really want to know the answer as well.
Kris: Yeah. Okay. So let’s get into the questions.
Don: All right.
Kris: Um, the first one is from a beautiful designer who is wondering if they should present themselves as a team or as a solopreneur. Mm-hmm. So whether they should use I or we in the messaging.
Don: We get this question a lot. This, this designer reached out and was working on their brand messaging and the, the way that she’s communicating to her clients. She needed to know, okay, this is a big deal. It makes a big difference if I’m speaking in first person or third person, and it makes a big difference about the perception of a business when you’re speaking in first or third person as well.
Kris: Yeah, we understand why people ask this question because. They want to grow and they want to appear credible and often that means I need to look like a team. Yeah. I need to look like I’m a full studio, full service offering
Don: To be trusted. Yeah. Otherwise I won’t get the business because they won’t think I can do it.
Kris: Yeah. To increase credibility and Yeah. Yeah. Gain respect and all that sort of thing. Um, but having said that, if you’re just starting out, we recommend using I.
Don: Mm.
Kris: Yeah. Because when you’re trying to get clients in the door, you want to seem approachable. Yeah. You want the path of least resistance. Yeah. And people want to connect. They want to connect with a human. Yeah. That I really want to have to connect with a team.
Don: Yeah, absolutely. And like Kris said, we get it. We understand you want to have that presence out there.
You want your potential clients to feel like they’re engaging a bigger business. And if you really can’t shake that, if you really can’t let go of that and, and don’t have the courage to be an I business, what we recommend then is for you to at least show up as I. Within the team environment to show up and say, Hey, founder of beautiful design business, my name is X.
And then speak about you in that instance so that you are still the face of your business, even if you do present as a team. Make sure that you’re introducing yourself as an I and how you founded the business and your beliefs and, and your goals and things like that. So people want to get to know the person, the one person they
Kris: And there’s lots of examples of people in business who are the ceo, but they have a team. But they still really do show up as I a lot. And an example we love to refer to is Sheri. Sheri, who’s the CEO of Digital Picnic in Melbourne. Yeah, she’s amazing.
You know, she’s front and center. You know it’s Sheri’s business, but the team is there as well. But what can happen when you’re starting out in business and your end goal is to have a team. Yeah. But you are just an eye at the moment. It can feel like you’re lacking integrity like you are. You’re trying to pull the wool over people’s eyes and that you’re.
Actually presenting yourself as something that you’re not. So in that case, when you are truly a solopreneur, we do recommend I, but if you, even if you have like a bookkeeper or you know, it’s just somebody who’s helping you out in the business, then technically you are a we.
Don: You are a we you use suppliers. You’re a we. Yeah, that’s it. Straight, straight up. You, you, you can stand in integrity. Yes.
Kris: So starting off with I and then transitioning to we is not a problem at all. You can change it at any time as well.
Don: Your business your way.
Kris: Yeah. And that can be a really wonderful opportunity to promote and talk about that if you become.
Don: about the growth, talk about how the vision and the goals for your business and the momentum that you have now, all of those beautiful things can be said.That’s right. So beautiful designers. I think that answers that question. Don’t forget to show up as the founder and make sure you have that human to human connection with your clients.
Even if you’re in a big team and you, you have a team right now. Don’t forget, your clients want to know who you are and they want to connect with you as well. So don’t forget to present in that way as well.
Kris: It’s all about personal branding, isn’t it? Yeah. We can’t lose the personal brand
Don: Yeah.
Kris: even within a larger business structure. That’s right.
Don: That’s right. All right, next question.
Kris: Okay. So another designer reached out and was wondering how to deal with negative comments that they received from others about their business. Yeah. So little put downs and, you know, just general negativity about the graphic design industry
Don: like you Oh, that, that’s, you’re not got to make money with that business. Oh, there’s so many graphic designers out there. That kind of thing. Yeah. And, and this can come from people we love and trust, like our family and our friends, you know, people who we think should be on our side.
Kris: Yeah. And I think it comes from a caring place. Yeah. Or it comes from a fear place. So they’re probably fearing for you.
Don: Yes. They’re projecting their fear onto you.
Kris: Yes. That’s what they’re doing. Yes.
Don: Yeah.
Kris: So it’s their fear.
Don: their fear so they can keep it and you can see their fear and just let it literally, water off a duck’s back. Let it, let it slide. Don’t worry about it, but it, it often isn’t that easy. Often we can’t just let it slide because it does take hold and negative comments can cut a little bit too deeply, especially if we have a little bit of fear ourselves, or if we are suffering from imposter syndrome or we don’t have a lot of experience yet, that self-doubt can come in and coupled with somebody’s fear being imprinted onto you can really derail you from your purpose and your vision that you have.
Kris: Oh, so easily. Especially if you’re having a bit of a wobbly day, and then it’s like, right. That’s confirmation. That’s it.
Don: Yeah. I’m outta here. Yeah. Yeah. Back to a, a nine to five page job. Yeah. I, I can’t do this.
So the way that we like to deal with it is, well, there’s many ways you can deal with it, but the first way that we like to deal with it is, remember, like Kris just said, The first thing to look at is that other person and their fear. That’s all it is. They are scared for you. Like our parents, they want us to make money and things like that. And it’s their fear and their concern.
Kris: Like, oh, starting a business in this economic climate.
Don: Oh yeah. That’s it. That’s it. We’ve, we’ve heard, well, Kris and I both started our businesses in a recession.
Kris: We did.
Don: So, um, yeah. There was a little bit of fear being vantied around by family and friends back then for us as well. So we get that it comes from a well-meaning place, but the first port of call when dealing with that type of commentary is just to see it for what it is. It’s their fear. They’re, they’re concerned. They’re just worried for you.
Kris: Yeah. Another thing that can happen is like, People are just a bit condescending and just a, a bit like how, how’s the little business going?
Don: Yes. Oh, that makes my blood boil.
Kris: they just like put you down a notch. Probably because they’re jealous. So jealousy could come up as well.
Don: Rears its ugly head. Yeah.
Kris: Or just like those busy body relatives who are just, I don’t know, they, I guess they mean well, but they just ask questions that make you feel less than. Yeah.
And, um, there’s a technique and I can’t remember who first came up with this, so if, you know, let, let us know. Cause we do like to give credit where credit’s due when, when people have come up with
Don: Yes. Yeah, yeah. We love it.
Kris: it’s called the beam dip technique. And so it’s like if you’re at a party or something, um, and they ask, how’s the little business going? What you do is say, oh good, thanks. Have you tried this dip? It’s delicious.
Don: Deflect. Deflect. Absolutely love that strategy. It’s a great strategy. The other thing is be prepared for that. That is going to happen at, at some point in time. It might happen straight away in your business when you’re starting up it, it might actually lay dormant and somebody brings it up in a year’s time and you’re not expecting it.
But Kris and I love to get out ahead of it, so, Be prepared and when people question you about the viability of your business, have a script ready to say, yeah, a beautiful little one-liner that says, I’m Akay. I’ve got this. I’m excited about my business and it’s doing really, really well. Or, I’m excited about the possibilities my business is got to bring to my life.
And I am, you know, Enjoying and then list. Boom, boom, boom. What are you enjoying? What gets you up outta bed every morning? And remember the things that you can do that non-business owners can’t do. Remember those things. Talk about those things like, oh, I just absolutely love that. My business allows me the flexibility to get up in the morning. And go and do two hours of yoga before I start my day. I love that my business gives me the flexibility to travel to a different town and sit beside the pool and do my work. I love that.
Kris: I love that I can travel the world Yeah. And do this business. Yeah.
Don: I’m a digital nomad and I love it.
Kris: it. Yes. And just, um, infusing that enthusiasm and I, some people might even ask like, oh, how’s it going? Like, are you making any money yet? That’s a question that people ask, and it is so, Ridiculous. It’s a ridiculous question to ask of somebody, and it’s awful. It’s very personal.
Don: When was the last time you arrived at a party and asked, and I can’t say asked
Kris: I think it is actually relatives who would say that
Don: Yeah, it’s relative. Yeah. But, but when was the last time that you turned up and asked that of a relative anyway, like I have, I don’t think I’ve ever asked a relative what they’re earning.
Kris: Yeah. I think I’ve had that
Don: Yeah. Oh, I’ve had it.
Kris: Yeah. And I, I think I can. I know who it was as well. The rel the
Don: got to name and shame.
Kris: But it’s, it’s kind of the response to that is, and even if things. Aren’t as great as you hoped right now, and, and it isn’t where you thought it would be and you wish you could say, oh my God, I’m crushing it. It’s amazing. I’ve got clients coming outta my ears. It’s just so exciting right now. Even if it doesn’t feel like that, you could say, you could say something like, yeah, my business is growing and I’m really excited about it. You know, you, you can just talk about it like that.
Don: about it like that and, and definitely don’t feel you have to be out of integrity. Like your business is growing. Momentum is momentum each day it’s moving. Right? So that’s a really valid response. The other thing that you could do is focus in on one small aspect of your business and talk about that when we’ve talked about that beautiful, um, approach when we are feeling down about ourselves. So this is not about a business, but when you’re feeling like you, you’ve got really low self-esteem. One of the techniques that you, that, um, I’ve been taught in my lifetime is to focus on one thing that’s working really well right now.
And so, You focus on that thing and then the next thing will be highlighted, and the next thing, same two can be said for business. So focus on the one thing that you are really loving about your business right now, and actually shine light on that when you’re talking to people. And then what you’ll find is that becomes a catalyst for the next thing and the next thing that you talk about.
And all of a sudden you’re talking about this beautiful business. And even if it’s spoken about in a goal setting way in a, these are the opportunities that I have with my business. That is inspiring and will ignite interest and excitement for you. And you want that, you want people giving you back that excitement.
Mm-hmm.
Kris: I love that word that you used just then Don, opportunity. And that’s something you could say to that negative person as well, is, there’s so many opportunities I’m exploring. It’s just really exciting.
Don: Yeah.
Kris: And if you want to get a little bit deeper with the conversation, you could talk to the transformation that you provide as a, as a designer through your business. And if you are not sure about how to speak to that, you need to listen to our last podcast episode because it was all about the transformation. Yes. Yeah.
Don: That’ll give you lots of conversation to have with people. Yes. Everywhere.
Kris: Especially if it’s that kind of energy of like, what do you do and why? And, almost like, oh, that’s not very good. Is it like that you’re doing that kind of business? Like Yeah. Especially if you come across a non-creative or they don’t really get it if they don’t get what you’re doing and why
Don: Yeah, yeah. Speak to the transformation that’ll soon have them turning around. let’s circle back to what Kristine mentioned before.
When people come up to you, usually family members, because they’ve got the gumption to do this and ask you if you’re making money straight outta the gate. They, they just come up with that. Well, we, we think it’s evident that we think that’s rude
Kris: Yeah.
Don: and we, we wouldn’t ask that of anybody. But if it is asked of you, if it is, if somebody does come up and say that to you, we want you to feel really confident about having a response to that.
It could be a bit cheeky and you could say something along the lines of, Oh, wow. I didn’t realize you’d transitioned into accounting. Are you got to be looking at my spreadsheets? know, and you know, because you’ll know what they do, you know, and it’s just like, wow, I would never ask that of a person. So I get a little bit appalled by that, and, and I just, we just don’t want you to get shut down by it. So another cheeky response might be,
Kris: like, oh, geez. Wow. You get right to the point, don’t you?And then you could just keep on going by saying, look, I’m really excited about where it’s heading. I can see there’s lots of opportunities. And yes, it’s, I’m, um, growing this business every day. Y
Don: absolutely. I’m excited by it. You could just say, I’m really excited by it. Yeah. Yeah. And you could just say, A designer never tells, you know, whatever. Um, I, I just feel like it’s one of those things that I’ve noticed over time with a lot of creative friends.
I’ve got a lot of creative friends in different creative industries and family and friends feel that they’ve got a right to ask and interrogate with creative industries, it’s almost like creative industries don’t have a right to earn money and they shouldn’t earn money and they don’t earn money. Um, whereas if you were.
You know, in a different industry altogether, like a what is perceived as a stable, grounded job, normal job. You know, we we’re not, our career’s not seen as a normal job. Yeah. Well certainly in the circles that I’ve been exposed to, we’re, we’re sort of that foreign, you know, enigma, bit of a unicorn.
Kris: They don’t really know what you’re doing.
Kris: They don’t really know what you’re doing.
Don: So I think that’s what gives them, that’s why they feel like they’ve got a right to ask you if you’re earning money. They’re just perplexed by it.
Kris: Yeah. How’s your little hobby
Don: Yeah, yeah, that’s right. You’re still using your scissors and cutting and pasting and you know, it’s just, it is quite
Kris: Yes. because I use collage in my designs. Yeah.
Don: well, we just want you to be really stand tall, you know, stay in integrity, be really proud. Be cheeky if you want to be cheeky. But at the end of the day, focus on the, what’s really great about your business and another little strategy that Kris and I use is, um, we, we sit in gratitude a lot with our business and we have daily affirmations.
And if you create a nice little list of affirmations for your business, and if you have some genuine daily gratitude commentary about your business. That’s what can come up when you’re talking to somebody. You can just lean on that. Lean on something that you believe in. Yeah.
Kris: Yep. So like Don said before, write a script for this sort of thing. Have a script prepared in your mind because you might not have come across this before, but we are pretty sure you were. We hope you don’t, but it’s sort of like insurance.
You need a little, um, a little script insurance policy in your brain because, and you hope you never have to use it. And we hope, nobody would be that insensitive or negative around you, but, we’ve experienced it, so we just want to help you get out ahead
Don: Yeah. And obviously this beautiful designer who’s reached out has experienced it as well, so I’m sure there’s lots of you who have experienced that. So
Kris: Yeah, it’s pretty universal.
Don: Yeah. Focus on the opportunities that your business affords you and the vision you have.
Kris: have, it’s even universal in that people. Ask inappropriate questions all the time about anything, not just about business. It’s like, oh, when are you got to have a baby?
Don: Oh my
Kris: Or are you got to have another, another baby? Oh, you’ve only got, you know, I’m just
Don: are you getting married?
Kris: there’s so many things. If you’re single, I’m single. Everybody. Um, and it’s like, oh, have you found, have you found somebody? You know, like, are you dating? You know, like, it’s like, oh, for God’s sake.
Don: when’s your next date? Are you on Tinder? Are you on white? I dunno. I dunno what they’re, but is that anybody’s business really? And is it anybody’s business? How much money you’re making? Really, honestly,
Kris: it their business that you’re in a, a design business? It’s your decision.
Don: that’s right. Yeah. And also another thing is, um, be we love the idea of being an example. So when you’re at a party, you think about the questions that you ask people. Be really accountable for the questions that you bring into a conversation and, and ask questions that you would only like to be asked of you. And just let’s take care of each other. Let’s hold each other up high and you know, be each other’s cheerleaders.
Kris: Yes, that’s it. All right, another question. Don,
Don: Okay, so a final question for today’s podcast, a beautiful designer reached out to us and said, how can I stay professional when I’ve got a lot of other things going on in my life, like, Being a parent
Kris: There’s so many layers to this question because it could even be like, you know, I’ve got mental health issues, for example. How do I stay professional? It could even be just like healthcare issues, but when you’ve got like a bit of a messy
Don: life, I was, oh, I was about to say, the question could have been how do I stay professional when I’ve got a life? Really? It’s that simple, isn’t it? We’ve got life. We’re complex people. We’ve got nuances and layers and depth and. We, our business doesn’t define us completely, and it’s really important to know that. It’s really important to know that first and foremost, you are a human, beautiful soul, and that is the most important job you’ve got to do being a human.
Kris: Yeah.
Don: Be that first business owner second. So there are got to be lots of different things that impact on your day-to-day business life, whether it be children or fur babies or partners or mental health, or you know, the list goes on. Remember, first and foremost, you’re a person
Kris: and you’re allowed to be human.
Don: you’re allowed to be human. And in fact, I think people actually now, especially since 2019,
Kris: yeah, it’s almost like Covid was a gift in some ways.
Don: It was such a gift to see each other as people who can exist outside of an office, who can exist with family, who can work and concentrate, use their brain without being in a suit. Mm-hmm. It, all of these things that we, we put restrictions on each other.
Expect expectations on ourselves about what being professional looks like. Yeah. And I think needles were being moved.
Kris: Yeah. And we had a lot of funny examples in Covid, like where, you know, there was that news reader who had his kid come in the background and the poor mum’s coming in and crawling and trying to get the baby out. And then we had the, the guy who, who was a solicitor who, um, or a lawyer who had the cat face on and he couldn’t figure out how to get it off the
Don: Yeah. That was so
Kris: not a, I’m not a cat. I’m not a cat.
Don: Whether or not that was staged or not, I don’t know,
Kris: I know.
Don: gee, I laughed my head off.
Kris: But the thing with that is, is that it gave us all permission to have the dog barking in the meeting. Yeah. Or have, have the kid running in or making a noise in the background or whatever.
Don: life happens. Having a courier knock on the door when you’re in the middle of a Zoom meeting, that’s okay. We’re working from home, we’re still working. We, we can actually create and do and be, and all the things outside of that professional model that we all have that sort of perception of it being.
Kris: Yeah. And I think professionalism comes down to how you are servicing your clients and how you’re managing the project. And so when you have like a little bit of perceived unprofessional, if you like, you know, in a, in a Zoom meeting for example, and something goes a bit pear shaped in the background or whatever, and you just say, oh, sorry, that, that’s just happened.
You know, and you don’t have to go on and on about it. You just say, whoopsie there, there goes the whatever. Um, but they’re going to see you as professional because of the way you operate your business.
Don: Professionalism shows up. In so many other ways than whether or not your child cries during a Zoom meeting or needs you, or you need to drop everything and pick up kids from school.
Professionalism is in all of your touch points. Professionalism is in your systems. Professionalism is in the way that you manage a project. All of the things you’re. Professionalism can be ever evident across all of the work systems and procedures. It doesn’t have to be ever evident for you, the person, the human,
Kris: Because honestly, those things that you think are making you unprofessional will actually make clients fall in love with you even more. Yeah. Because they’re like, oh, thank God.
Don: she’s human.
Kris: She’s got like, she’s got stuff going on. I’ve got stuff going on. And it, it could also be a beautiful connection point, like, oh, I’ve got a dog too.
Or, um, yes, he’s like, ripe. Beside my l my legs. Here he is. You know, like they might pull up, you know, their little fur baby, or it might be like, oh wow, you’ve got, you’ve got a four year old. My, my child is six, or whatever it is. So it’s like, common ground.
Don: It’s life really. It is, you know, inside the academy, we love the fact that we will be sitting in on one of our q and A sessions and there’s cats and dogs and you know, it’s all happening. Kids coming in and it’s just beautiful.
Kris: video bombing
Don: a lot of video bombing, but it’s life. Everybody has a life. It doesn’t mean you don’t have the ability to do the job. No. You know, and I think that’s what. People equate not being professional to not being able to fulfill the role as a designer.
Yeah. Or not being able to do the job. We want to, we want to literally squash that way of thinking right now.
Kris: So a bit more of a serious side to this conversation is if you are unwell, whether that’s mentally unwell or physically unwell, and you’re thinking, oh, it’s not got to be professional, um, I’m not got to be professional cause I can’t show up right now how I normally would, or I’m got to have to delay this project.
And that’s really unprofessional. Like in your mind, you’re thinking this is the worst thing in the world. How can I, how can I do this to my clients and still remain professional?
Don: Yeah. And be respected.
Kris: Yeah. Yeah.
Don: The answer is to communicate. So no matter what, communicate. So if you need to go and have an appointment with a doctor, or if you need to have a few days off, or let’s just make it holistic again, if it’s children or whatever, and I need, you need to pick them up from school, whatever it is, and you are meant to be somewhere else.
Communicate. I’m so sorry I have to run. I’m terribly sorry. I can’t meet that commitment. I’ve got to go. This has come first. This thing has come up. I need to address this first. It’s a priority for me. Whatever it is. Communicate. Even if the cat jumps up on the table in the zoom meeting, oh, sorry, there’s my cat.
There’s a little apology. Didn’t mean to happen. Communicate. It’s like, don’t just try and ignore it. Like, did you just see what happened there? There was no cat. There’s nothing to see here. Don’t try and pretend things are not happening in your life. They are happening. And that’s okay. Yeah. So communicate about it.
Kris: Yeah. And as soon as possible. Yeah. When it is a situation where you have to push out a deadline Yeah. Because you’re unwell. You don’t have to go into de detail about it.
Don: It’s nobody’s business.
Kris: nobody’s business. Yeah, that’s right. And just making sure you’re doing the communications and not like just leaving it and leaving it.
And leaving it. Yeah. And, this is why you need to have a script ready for this sort of stuff, because if you are really sick, you don’t want to write that when you’re sick. No, that’s right. So you need to have one ready to go and you can modify it, of course. But it’s, it’s like we have scripts for a lot of different things.
We have our nicely said scripts kit as well. That’s the best. Yeah.
Don: best way to get out ahead and have those scripts ready to go because us, a script essentially has been created in a calm, relaxed, really high powered thinking session
Kris: Not reactive.
Don: reactive, very intentional.
Kris: intentional. Yep.
Don: And when you are in that pressure cooker, Where, you know, shits hit the fan,
Kris: or if you’ve got a, a really high temperature
Don: oh, you’ve got literally a high temperature. You are not going to be that calm and intentional. And you’re going to be reactive.
Kris: Yeah. Or you’re got to write an email that doesn’t make
Don: be highly emotional. So we want to remove the emotion from it and get clear and get to the, get to the point. So the strategy is beautiful designer. The way to stay professional when you’ve got life happening is to communicate.
Make sure all of your processes are highly professional and your professionalism will be undeniable. Communicate, and then add follow up communication to your calendar. That that needs to be a system that you have on repeat, so you’ll communicate, say this thing has happened. I will be in touch at this point.
I will be out for a day. I’ll be out for an hour, I’ll be out for a week, whatever it is. Then schedule another touch point so that as promised, I’m back on deck now and. That’s undeniably professional.
Kris: Yeah, it is. And I like looking to other people’s examples of canceling or not being able to show up for whatever reason. And I think that’s another Covid gift if there are any gifts of Covid. This is, this is another one. Is that, because, nobody could go out in public with, with Covid.
Um, it was became really acceptable. Right. And I kept seeing examples on TV shows as well, like, in Australian idol, one of the hosts wasn’t there. One of the judges wasn’t able to show up. Because they were sick. And, um, my daughter and I have been obsessed with watching the Great British Bake Off.
And, one of the hosts wasn’t available on the day of recording, and it’s like, you know, Noel’s unwell, he can’t make it today, so it would just be me.
Don: show goes on.
Kris: before they didn’t do that. They would just drug themselves up, you know, with the, you know, the cold and flu stuff and they would show up.
It’s like we have permission now to not show up. And there’s another great example. Do you remember the Rachel Rogers example?
Don: Which one was that?
Kris: Well, Rachel Rogers, um, had a, a big event and I think there were a lot of
Don: Oh, I do remember that.
Kris: people had registered for it. It was a live event and it was a paid event.
Don: love this example. Yes. Mm-hmm.
Kris: And I think it was, um, not even 24 hours beforehand, she sent an email basically saying that she had hit the fan Yeah. In her life. And, um, in, you know, she wasn’t well and I think there was family stuff going on and she had a talk with her team and it was like, I’m not got to show up as my best self.
If I, if I show up today, I’m not got to be able to give you the best of me. Yeah. And so they sent out, An amazing email. The emails that come through from, um, Rachel Rogers and the Hello seven team are pretty incredible.
Don: Brilliant.
Kris: They’re really, um, beautifully written. But this one I just loved it and it, and I, I spoke to Donna about it and was like it gives you permission, right?
That you can cancel. Yeah. It’s okay. It’s okay.
Don: Communicate, communicate people, people love knowing what’s going on. If, if you just get out ahead of it and tell them what’s happening, even if it is slightly short notice as soon as you know.
Kris: mm-hmm.
Don: They can’t complain if you’ve told them, if you’ve communicated so, yeah, and I mean, that extended to our business just recently, I was unable, I had the wheels fall off in my family.
I was able to hand the reins over to Kris and not show up for an academy, uh, q and a session. Normally that would be dire, but it was totally fine.
Kris: Yep.
Don: Kris communicated to the, to everybody inside the academy what was happening, and that was that, yeah, nobody would think that any less of me for not being able to be there that day.
And I think that’s the thing that we have to take on board. Nobody is going to think any less of you. If you’ve got a child to take care of, if you have to take after your own mental health, own physical health, nobody’s going to think less of you. Allow yourself that breathing space to be a human. Things are got to happen, wheels are got to fall off. It’s okay. Just communicate.
Kris: Yeah, absolutely. It’s really interesting too that whenever we’ve had to cancel something, and it might be a bit last minute, you know, we would obviously try not to do that, but sometimes it has been, yeah. You know, five minutes beforehand and we’ve had to cancel.
Usually you hear the relief on the other side. It’s like somehow it all aligns. Like, it’s like it was meant to be. We were meant to cancel because it really wasn’t sitting there, me either. And it’s amazing how many times that’s happened.
Don: yeah, yeah,
Kris: Yeah. So rarely.
Don: trust in that. I love that, Kris. Trust in that you are right on time. We say that a lot. I know. I love it. Um, but trust that and trust that it don’t resist.
If you need to step out or step away, trust that that’s absolutely the right thing and that’s the right. You are right on time because high chances are, like Kris just explained, there’s relief on the other end of the phone. Thank goodness I don’t have to get that copy to you until tomorrow. Now I wasn’t ready. I was rushing, whatever. Um, so yeah, just full permission to be human designers. Yeah. Yeah.
Kris: All right. So that brings us to the end of the questions for today.
And don’t forget, submit your questions, head over to our website, to the podcast page. We will love, love, love to hear them. Just know that you’re not alone, because we know that if you’ve got a question, other people have got it too. Absolutely.
Don: All right. Until next time. Bye bye.
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