Ep.49 Messy Action Beats No Action Every Single Time

Are you avoiding taking action in your business because what you have isn't pretty or "perfect"? 

My guest today is Melissa Lin, chemical engineer turned fitness coach and then business coach.  Building her business alongside her career was messy - and it worked!  

A couple of my favorite segments from this conversation are 

1. Messy action beats no action every single time 
2. Stepping into the next level you 
3. The importance of putting things in place to protect yourself and your work as a creator. 

Click here for full show notes

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:05

There's nothing quite like the brain of the chemical engineer to bring business down to such a pragmatic level. Results make sense. And when you're not getting the results you want, my guest today gives us lots of actionable tips to get better. So stay tuned. Hi, I'm Jamie Renee, and this is the Perfection Not Required podcast, where we talk about building a business from the inside out. I'm joined on the show today by Melissa Lynn, and we're going to get into some really great lessons that Melissa learned on her journey going from chemical engineer to fitness coach to where she is now as a business coach and podcaster. A couple of my favorite segments to look forward to in this conversation are number one, messy action beats no action every single time. Number two, all of the practical advice she gave around stepping into your next level you. And number three, the importance of putting things in place to protect yourself and your work as a creator. There was so much more, and I can't wait to jump into it. Let's go. Melissa, do you want to go ahead and just tell people a little bit about who you are and your background?

SPEAKER_01 1:15

Yes, of course. Well, thank you so much for having me first off. I'm so excited. We're gonna get into some juicy stuff today. We were chatting right before we started, and it's it's gonna be some good stuff. So if you're listening, I hope you enjoy today's episode. My story is such a wild story, and I get so many head turns when I even like share my tagline. So I started out in the corporate world, and I'm sure so many listening can probably relate to this. I grew up in a very traditional household. Go to college, get a great career, you know, marry the husband who's going to support you. And I did all of those things. I checked all the boxes and went to college for chemical engineering. Got a full-time job, was in it for quite a few years. And from the outside looking in, I'm air quoting, but I had made it. I was in my early 20s chemical engineering job, close to six figures, and I was set for life. However, so many didn't see what was like actually happening on the inside, right? I was working weekends, I was working 12-hour days, I barely touched any vacation. I was really frowned upon in the corporate space to even use any of that vacation, especially here in the States. I was just drowning myself in work, work, work. And I felt so unfulfilled and really asked myself, like, is this really it? Like I'm in my early 20s, is this what it's gonna be for the rest of my life? And I can remember this moment that it clicked for me. I was heading out of the office one evening and it's about 6 p.m. And I saw that like my mentor was still there and that the CEO of the company was still there as well. That's where I'm going. That's where I'm heading. It's not gonna get any easier or less work from here on out. So I knew I needed to do something different and also just find something that was a bit more impactful because I want to be able to leave an impact and also my legacy. So this was around 2013, 2014. I was having these feelings feel like so long ago now. And I was really into health and fitness back then. And so I actually started in bodybuilding bikini competitions and started to share some of it in the online space. And then people were reaching out to me asking how I was able to make that transformation and if I could help them too. So, like ding, ding, ding, I had a solution to a problem people had. And so that's where my first business started. And I scaled that business past six figures while still in my full time. And then after, of course, leaving my full time, and we can always get into more of those details and the drama of me not telling my parents for over two months and how terrifying it was. But I did the thing and eventually it made the transition over to business coaching because again, people were asking, Melissa, how did you grow your business? So ding, ding, ding, another problem I could help people solve. And so from there, I've just been full-time in my business since then and continue to grow and scale. I have an incredible team. But that's how I made the wild transition from chemical engineering to business coach. And I absolutely love it and would never ever ever go back. I get to work at home with my cat all day long. Like, how can it get me better?

SPEAKER_00 4:35

Yeah, that was great. So, how long were you kind of in that messy building period of working your full-time job? Like you said, you were putting in a lot of hours there already. And so to add a side hustle and try to build that on the side, in addition to your own like fitness goals and everything like that, because that's part of it, right? It's like you're obviously getting results because you're doing something. How long was that process? Was it a year? Was it three years? Like, how what are we looking at?

SPEAKER_01 5:05

It was a few years. And I would say the first year and a half, the first two years were a struggle. I had no idea what I was doing. I started listening to podcast episodes with other online trainers and also just other business owners in the online space. Once that started to kick off, I mean I was commuting an hour, if not longer, each way every single day. So podcasts saved me and really helped me grow my business. Thankfully, I was so messy. And I was taking every moment I could to work on my business. And if anyone who ever worked with me at my nine to five, like I'm sure they probably heard my podcast episodes from other folks in my own podcast. But I would spend like any moment I could at my desk working on my website, like working on things I probably shouldn't have been working on in my nine to five. Don't tell anyone. But every moment I could when I was walking from one end of the plant to the other end of the plant, I was on my phone, like doing things for my business, supporting clients. Like I was doing it all, and it was so messy and so ugly, but it worked. And I learned really quickly that I didn't need to have everything for my business and able to help to help other people. I didn't need a website, I didn't need like any fancy funnels or anything like special, didn't even need branding or colors to get going. I just needed to be able to support people. And there's just so many ways to do it very simply without needing all the bells and whistles, especially when you get started. I just keep it as easy as possible, but let it be messy. And something I love sharing with my clients is messy action beats no action every single time. So let it be messy. Like one of the biggest secrets out there is most of the time, most of us don't know what we're doing. We're just throwing stuff out there and seeing what works, but messy, messy, messy all the way.

SPEAKER_00 7:06

Yeah. So there are several questions that came up while you were talking about that. I can totally relate of doing all of the things all of the time. I am back at corporate now. And it's almost good for me because, well, one, I have a paycheck, but two, it really lets me kind of have that empathy again of, oh, okay, there is a lot going on. And if you want to make forward progress, you really do have to let go of that perfection because you just don't have the bandwidth whenever like you're burning both ends of the candle, right? But kind of forces you into focusing on those things that actually move the needle forward. I think a lot of people get stuck in that comparison game of, oh my God, she's got it all together. Her Instagram is beautiful, like her colors are like everything is consistent, and there's all these professional photos, and it's just so put together. I know the social media game was a lot different in 2013, but did you have that in the beginning?

SPEAKER_01 8:05

Yeah, I definitely had it in the beginning. And to be honest, it still comes up now. And it's something that I believe never really fully goes away. We're human, like we're going to compare ourselves to everything else out there. And what I would say is there is no timeline except your own timeline. Right. I had someone reach out to me on social media just this week saying that they like feel that they need to either leave their corporate and go full in or just give up on their passion project. And I just don't believe that. Like you can have it however it you want it to look. It doesn't need to be like all in or nothing. Like you can take your time to build your business. And there's no timeline but your own. And so, yes, there's a lot of people in the online space, and it's only going to get bigger and bigger. And there are also so many more people getting into the online space that need you and need your support and need your help. And one of the biggest things I would say that's helped me really remove that comparison to other people is just really staying in my lane. And so my girlfriends even know this. I've got a lot of girlfriends in the online space. They're muted. I don't follow like anyone that gives me that like feeling in my stomach where I'm starting to compare and start to look at their colors and like their graphics and their content, like mute, mute, mute, or unfollow because there's just no need for it. If we're starting to start to spiral and self-sabotage, like why are we doing that to ourselves? This is so much bigger than us. And we're here to make that impact and help other people. So we've just got to get out of our own way however we can. And that's the way that really supports me is like when I help online, I'm not comparing it's only me and like my clients and moving forward.

SPEAKER_00 9:56

You know, one of the things that you had spoken about was detaching from your business outcomes. Can we get into that a little bit? And what does that mean to you? And how did that help you kind of move forward in your own journey?

SPEAKER_01 10:11

This is probably one of the most difficult things that I have seen, like for myself and also clients, is detaching so many of us. Like we're human, so it makes sense. We look for instant gratification. We're wanting those quick wins. We want that six-figure business like overnight. And you and I both know like that doesn't happen. It takes time, lots of time, lots of energy. It does take work. And yet we still look for that instant gratification. So we're disappointed when we hear a no. We're disappointed when you know somebody's payment failed. Like we're disappointed and we let our emotions really attach to what's going on in our business. And so something that I've really been working on and it's gotten so much better over the years, is removing myself from as much of that as I can. And also like finding things outside of business that make me happy. Right. If we're waiting for like that one thing in our business to make us happy, if you're waiting, and if you're only happy when you get a sale that day, or if you like make your sales for the week, then you are so attached to the outcome in your business. And it's such a dangerous cycle because then like you're always going up, down, up, down, up, down in your emotions, it's going to affect your personal life. And so the way that I like to detach as much as possible is finding things outside of business that really fulfill me, make me so happy. But my first few years, I was hustling so much. My life was my business. Yeah. And it caused such a big burnout for me that I almost shut my entire business down because it was all I was doing. It was affecting my personal life, my relationship with my partner. It's all I was doing. I was so consumed. And my moods would would always swing based on how business was doing. And again, it's such a dangerous cycle. So finding things outside of business. And then also if something doesn't feel like it's working in business, I always feel that there's a reason. Results make sense. So zoom out, or maybe have your mentor take a look at what's going on, zoom out and figure out what's actually happening. There's a reason for it. Like they can take a look and see, are you actually showing up on social media? Are you actually selling? Like, how often are you showing up? What does that actually look like? Is there like a gap somewhere in your process? Somebody can see that for you. But I always believe that there's a reason for everything. There's a reason it makes sense. Results make sense. But for detaching, just finding things outside of business that make you so, so, so happy. And just knowing that no's happen, like everything happening in your business right now is normal. Right. Getting a failed payment, like that's normal. You're running a business, right? However, we can't let it affect us. Is Beyonce like worried about the one person who's trying to get their money back for their concert ticket? No. Right. So we get to think bigger and start to be in the mindset of like that next level version of you. So, what would the six figure version of you do? How would she react? How would she show up? So, those are a few of my tips and tricks for really starting to detach.

SPEAKER_00 13:25

I don't think people realize until they're kind of in the middle of starting a business or running a business the mental games that come up and all of the stuff that you really have to overcome and the person you have to become to really kind of shift into that next level business owner. Do you want to talk about shifting into that different version of you?

SPEAKER_01 13:51

Definitely. So so many of us were looking for that quick win, right? That instant gratification, that client within the first day of starting your business, or your launch filling 30 seconds after you open doors. And we get to be here for the long game, right? You're here for the long haul. And so a few ways that I am able to like shift into that and just into that next level version of me is first just really celebrating every single win, like even the small ones. And I think that we tend to forget to celebrate as much as we really can be, right? The smallest wins, the big wins, every single win. Like even if it's just posting a post on social media, like that's a win. You showed up for your audience. Amazing. Let's celebrate. We get to celebrate everything. And then also just really being so proud of everything that we've created so far in your business. I think something that we forget is everything that you're doing right now, like even your podcast. This podcast, for example, is such a huge asset for your business. And it's gonna be here forever. And it's something that you put so much energy into, and it's such an incredible asset for your business. Any sales page you create, like celebrate and be so proud of it, right? When you're proud of it, you're confident, you show up online, it's easier for you to sell as well. And then also just letting yourself kind of feel the feels. So celebrating, but also letting yourself be sad when you're sad and upset when you're upset. I've definitely had my moments of my breakdown crying, I want to shut the business down multiple times. And you get to just feel the feels so that you can really specify and just know like what you're here for the long haul. It's going to happen. Like it's a roller coaster, it's entrepreneurship, it's not going to be easy. However, you can make it easier with certain tools and having mentors by your side and things like that. But like nothing in life is going to be super duper easy with just a snap of our fingers. But asking yourself, okay, how would I like to show up? How do I want my business to look? How can I start to shift into that now? Right. How would the seven-figure, eight-figure version of Melissa show up on social media? How would she react to that email and the support inbox with an unhappy customer or whatever it may be? But like, how would that version show up? Would she give her energy into this? And something that's also helped, and I know I'm kind of like going all over the place with this, but just having tighter boundaries and focusing on the things that make me happy and that I feel are important. Not what other people think are important, like what I feel are important, because that's what's going to help you move forward. Anytime my boundaries like start to get a little leaky and I'm not holding them very tight, that's when chaos just happens and my emotions go wild. And then my emotions are running my business for me. So hopefully all of that put together is helpful.

SPEAKER_00 16:53

Yeah, no, I think all of that is good. And I mean, it is. It's just such a roller coaster. I always say that it's like entrepreneurship is like the best therapy session ever, just because of all of the stuff that comes up. But it is that up, down, sideways tears element.

SPEAKER_01 17:11

Yeah. And like it's not going to go away. It make it easier. You're going to be more aware of it. Like, even to this day, I still get in my head from time to time when that happens. Like we're human. It still happens no matter how far you scale your business, like those things, you're still going to compare yourself from time to time. You are still going to feel these different things, these roller coasters, they just may not happen as often. You'll be more aware, you'll be able to kind of get through it and break through it quicker.

SPEAKER_00 17:42

Yeah. So what is like your for your clients, like your number one piece of advice for like people in that early business stages that they're they may or may not be making money. If they are, it's kind of minimal. Um, what's your number one piece of advice to get to kind of that next like level?

SPEAKER_01 18:06

To keep going, keep going, keep going. That's the biggest piece of advice I can give. I know so many feel like giving up and want to step away, but keep going and show up as if your next client's watching because they are. There are so many that are like me. I'm a lurker. I like to just like silently on. I am not going to engage whatsoever with the next person I want to work with. They will never see a like from me or comments, but I will stalk them like bananas. And just keep going. Show up as if they're watching because they are, and just focus on the things that are actually going to move the needle forward. Right. If you're in the very beginning stages, our camera graphics don't need to be perfect. I don't want you to be spending four hours a day unless you're a social media manager or a graphic designer. Yeah. Like we don't need to be spending four hours a day on our graphics or two hours a day trying to figure out what to post. Be messy and get it out there. I guarantee your audience isn't going to be upset if there's a spelling error or if your color is a little off. They aren't even going to notice. And if they do, and if they're upset, like they're not your people, anyways. Right. They're not going to work with you. It's so much bigger than that. Like you're here to make an impact and help others. So keep going, stay in your lane. Show up as if it's already happening for you and keep going, keep going, keep going. But then focus on, I think the biggest thing is focused on sales activities. That's what's going to drive the needle forward. I would say if you're under 5K months in your business, I would say probably 75 to 80% of your business day gets to be focused on sales activities. Bring in some income, make some sales. That way you can start to reinvest and outsource and delegate so that you could really say in your zone of genius. But I'm saying a lot of sales activities.

SPEAKER_00 19:59

Yeah. Yeah, that was definitely something that I was lacking prior. That's probably why I had to go back to work. But it's one of those things where you do, you get in your own way, and it's okay, well, I'm doing this and I'm focusing here, but it's really what are you doing to actually bring in money? Because that's obviously what runs a business. But I do think that we tend to kind of get in our own way of thinking that, oh, this graphic has to be perfect or this has to be perfect. I'm not a very good C student. I'm like, I I can maybe sometimes get away with a B minus, but it's like C is just pushing it. Um whenever you were talking about social media and all of that, is about your Instagram account getting hacked after a decade of building that.

SPEAKER_01 20:51

And it hurt. Oh, that hurt so bad.

unknown 20:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:56

What kind of lessons did you take from that? Because that's like one of their worst fears of actually just, oh, how do you deal with that?

SPEAKER_01 21:05

So first big lesson, and I think we were not that we ever want to need to be prepared for this, but my team and I were prepared for this to happen, like on any of our platforms. So I think the biggest lesson here is that like regardless, like nothing can burn your business down, even if you lose an entire social media account, you can start over. Like your people are still gonna be there, your audience is there, and also build an email list. I think that's one of the big things that really saved us. We were able to grow back so quickly, too, because our email list was able to, we notified our email list, they hopped to the new account. We spent weeks trying to get the old account back, didn't happen. And so we were able to grow pretty quickly because of that. And then also just making sure that we're saving our assets, right? We spent so much of our energy creating the graphics and the copy that luckily, like we have an entire content bank. So all of my captions I ever created were in this bank. So it's very easy for us to get a new account going and just start repurposing and recycling a lot of our content. Yeah. And so, like, ask yourself like if social media were to shut down tomorrow, because who knows what Marky Mark's gonna do. Like, we don't know if that's going to happen. Would you lose your content? Would you have any email addresses? And if the answer is yes, like everything would disappear. Start working on that now.

SPEAKER_00 22:35

I want to wrap up this episode by saying thank you to Melissa and all of the practical advice she shared with us today. You can get more wisdom for building your business on Melissa's Fierce Business Day podcast and find her on Instagram at the underscore Melissa Lynn. And I've linked those up in the show notes for you as well. Also, if you're not automatically building your content bank from your captions and media, then grab my ultimate automations guide for coaches and podcasters at jamierenee.com forward slash guide, where I walk you through how to set that up to run on autopilot. JamieRenee.com forward slash guide, and it's linked in the show notes as well. Thank you, friend. If you enjoyed this episode, do me a favor and forward it to just one friend. There's nothing more valuable than your recommendation. I hope you have a great week and we'll chat next time. Bye bye.