Even though I like to think of myself as someone who no longer compromises for the money, that’s simply not true and I do not want to lie to myself about it anymore.
Recently, an insidious compromise surfaced and the best way I know of to eradicate it is to call it out right here for all of us to see so that I won’t be tempted to keep it hidden in the shadows pretending it doesn’t exist.
Time and again I have made decisions about my business model and how I show up in the world based on the idea that I must focus my energy on reaching people who have money to pay me “what I’m worth” (i.e., $11,000 consulting day, $25,000 coaching program, $50,000 implementation package, etc.) instead of the more “mass” audience I have always felt I am here to serve.
Yes, this is great business advice — pick a very specific niche to reach (the narrower the better) and serve people with money. I have made a lot of money following that advice and given that advice to many of my clients.
But, I can no longer live my life making my decisions this way.
When I choose the market I serve based on whether they can afford my fees, I am compromising for the money. So I am doing everything I can to revamp my life and businesses to come from a place of sustainability, what Lynne Twist, author of the Soul of Money, calls sufficiency.
From a place of sufficiency, I can serve whoever I damn well please, regardless of how much money they have.
I know I am here to serve a mass audience — the millions of you out there who are under-resourced, creative, and long for something greater than what you are experiencing right now.
I was speaking with one of my business partners about this, and like the great business advisor he is, he reminded me “Alexis, you know that audience doesn’t have a lot of money, right? And that it’s too big to reach effectively without a huge investment of time, energy and effort?”
Yes, I know all those things. That’s why I have been compromising, playing smaller to reach the niche that could afford my services instead of serving at the broadest level the people I know I am here to reach.
I am not going to do it anymore though. I am going to take all the energy and effort I have been putting into massive launches and campaigns designed to reach the narrow group of people who are already making great money and put it into developing programming that can reach and shift the mass audience I really want to serve.
Here’s an example of something we are testing right now … a “radio show” that we are broadcasting in everyway, BUT through the radio. On the phone, via live web stream, and on twitter.
We call it The Whole Truth About Love + Money and sometimes, The Whole Truth Show.
On that page you can watch a clip of the show — it’s totally bootstrap, beta and we had a great time doing it. In this clip, we get real about money and I want you to watch it so you can start to discover the truth.
I hope you love it!
Our team was there, community from Eden Unplugged, and a whole bunch of listeners who messaged us during and after the show with great support and encouragement.
Our ‘Proppa’ Implementation Ninja, iNRiel, thought we were nuts to want to be so transparent about our life, love and money dealings… until he experienced it. He was sincerely moved and now I feel a quickening shift not only in our business model paradigm, but also in the way we get the word out about our offerings. This is a whole new world for me.
I know I have a lot to learn about how to serve a mass audience in this way, so if you have any suggestions, share your comments with me below.
Ali
ps – Be sure to tune in next week live and be one of the people to receive live coaching from me – for free – on your truth about love + money.
5 Comments
Wow, that is really interesting….I serve masses……interestingly I’ve had the thought that I need to reach less hippy earth mommas and more business mamas if I am ever going to get my family out of the subsistant level!
I recently just made 3 of my courses have 3 different pay options (because there is just certain knowledge and wisdom that belongs to the people and I feel it is my responsibility to share what I know) and then the rest of the classes are at market value because they are “the extras”.BUT when it comes to my health coaching packages, for a sick person that is never an extra….we all deserve to have healing wisdom and support, so here it becomes grey for me…..how do you tell the difference when someone says they can’t afford it because they don’t actually value it enough or don’t trust themselves to follow through (so they just say it is too expensive) or when someone truly doesn’t have the resources to pay.
And how do I get my own needs met in the process? These are all the questions that come up for me…..I’ve invested in myself (health, business and personal growth) even when it has been a big stretch and I’ve also at times been incapable of investing in the services that can help me grow because I didn’t have a penny left on my credit card.Essentiallly, I would love to see a co-creative blueprint for how we can serve people at all income levels….mmmm….that would be so amazing….I think we would all be thriving in such a model….I can’t wait to hear what other people are doing in response to your blog post! Maybe if we all put our heads together!!!
Reach the masses? You’re on your way…media baby! I think the radio show is a great start….eventually take it or the video you’ve been shooting and do a reality show. Entertainment ! Get clear on your vision and then make some calls to your network displayed to the right of the screen. Maybe someone knows a producer interested in a reality show, etc. Why not make some calls to all those media organizations you’ve been involved with to the right of their screen?
Another way is to joint venture with organizations that serve “must haves”.Ie Food, power, housing organizations, etc. You might check out http://www.LOHAS.com to get some ideas. And keep me in mind as these new projects unfold, as mentioned, I’m passionate about serving with educational, empowering content through mass media myself.
You say it girl! I love you 🙂
Aho, sistah! You are so supported!
Amen, you go!