How I Went From Faking It to Making It 💸
This week has been a lightening blitz of action-packed business building, client work, and education… but it's only Wednesday (yet somehow it feels like Friday in the best way possible) 🎉
Did I mention I've had squirrel brain this week? I'm just really happy (cheesy enough), and it kind of just comes out all over the place 😃 Are you happy too?
If you didn't hear, yesterday I partnered with Dubsado for their birthday sale week (click here if you didn't already see all the details on the celebrations ending tomorrow) and hosted a How-To webinar. I gave a 35 minute (pre-recorded) talk on How to Use Dubsado as a Photographer.
I showed up live in the chat to answer Q&A for 35 minutes straight. It was 🔥🥵
You should have heard my nails clickety-clacking 🤣
It was a HOT time. (If you missed it, I think you might still be able to register and watch the recording here 👀)
Tomorrow, in true DJ Khalid fashion, I'm doing ANOTHA ONE.
If you haven't already heard, I'm hosting a Free Masterclass: Creating Your Polished & Profitable Proposal Process. It's going down tomorrow (2/23) @ 12pm CST.
You can get all the details + save you free seat right here… there are only 17 spots left!!
If you've ever been to any free training/class I've hosted, you know I go HARD in the paint. I don't hold back on knowledge, tricks, tips for success, Q&A, and free goodies 😉
But the purpose of this email isn't to convince you to show up live tomorrow to the insanely, impactful masterclass where I will give you the * literal * tools to create a stupid good proposal process…
The purpose of this email is to share with you the five major tips I've learned that have helped me scale as an educator & secure paid and pro-bono partnerships.
I still remember my top goal at the beginning of 2020 (wee baby entrepreneur Tay) was to step into the education space. Even before starting Chanel & Lee, I've always been called to be a “leader:"
Class president ✅
Dance Captain ✅
Voted best leader on my HS cheer team ✅
Camp Counselor for 7 years straight (including my yearly stint where I did a dance off competition with a random camper while in a Hot Dog suit… this is very real and there is proof 🤣) ✅
Not to mention the countless positions that put me in positions of leadership; teaching, speaking to, and leading large groups has always been something I've been passionate about and felt has been a calling of mine since childhood.
When I realized I could teach other business owners all the shit I was learning in my own business, it was like lightbulb moments went off. 💡
Side Note: I know a lot of business owners feel like they have to become educators (there is a pressure to become a coach, launch a course, etc.), but don't feel bad if it's not right for you. You can make millions of dollars doing what you love; whether you're teaching it to others or not.
So fast forward through 2020 ➡️ I started securing small speaking opportunities and different collaboration offers. But 2021-22 were the years I pushed past every “uncomfortable” moment and put myself out there (physically & literally) to pitch myself to the ends of the earth.
Surprise!! It worked. 😏 Click here to see the current state of affairs.
Now that I've been featured as a guest educator/speaker at countless events and podcasts, there are the 5 things that have helped me go from faking it to actually making it:
Nail your positioning
People want to collaborate with experts who bring a solution to a problem. Whether we're talking about workflows or breastfeeding, the person speaking/leading/educating/etc. needs to knows wtf they're doing. And (not to be a debbie-downer but) this takes TIME. It's take time to nail your positioning and figure out who you're speaking to, what value you provide, how to deliver your expertise, and all of the ins and outs of your speciality. You want to get paid hundreds of dollars an hour to teach others? Bottom line is: you need to get really damn good at what you do.
Learn how to pitch
You've heard me say it before and I'm saying it again: learning how to pitch yourself will be a GAMECHANGER for you and the opportunities you receive–especially if you are wanting to secure education opportunities paid or free. I'm going to keep this short because I break down pitching in this newsletter here and on this podcast episode here. You're welcome 😉
Spend the time researching
Another hard pill to swallow: you're not the right expert for every gig. 😬 While I encourage you to practice pitching (even if you're not always sure you're going to get it), let's make sure you're throwing your name in a hat that's actually a good fit. Start researching events, masterclasses, courses, programs, etc. Figure out what your industry needs, how they learn, what educators already exist, etc. You need to “survey the landscape," so to speak. A large part of becoming an educator (and a respected one at that) is doing your homework + market research from every angle.
Start with your network
I can bet you already have peers, clients, and a network/community of people you can start tapping into. Who do you know that you could collaborate with? Do any of your clients have a course you could provide value to? Does anyone you know have a podcast you could pitch to? Start with your trusted people first, especially if you're getting comfortable with pitching. You'll never know what opportunity is already around you unless you ask.
P.S. Your trusted peers/network are the ones who will give you honest feedback. Like, “Hey did that training I give suck,” “How could I improve,” “Would you mind giving me some feedback on this pitch?” Those are the kinds of questions you can ask your circle that will help you grow.
Practice public speaking
In order to become a speaker or educator, you need get so good at talking about that thing you're an expert in that you could do it in your sleep. I know I'm just beating the same drum here, but it takes practice. If you're wanting to start doing virtual trainings or collabroate as a guest educator with other businesses, practice your slides! Train your mom, or your partner, or your kids. I've done over 30 virtual trainings within C&L now, and I'm still learning and finetuning. Practice makes perfect, First name / sis.
LISTEN
From Catholic School to Tinder Queen ft. Eva Couto
Last week on the pod, I was joined by brand designer & strategist, Eva Couto. It was honestly the most fun girl talk. We talk all things TINDER 👉 worst date, most disgusting moment, boldest hookup, and hot tent sex!! Eva shares her #nofilter experiences on catholic school, dating, and narcissistic boyfriends.
LEARN
Free Masterclass Live TOMORROW!
On a scale of 1-10, how confident are you with your proposal and booking process? Save the date, sis, because tomorrow (2/23) I’m going LIVE to take you all the way to a 10 at my FREE Masterclass: Creating Your Polished & Profitable Proposal Process. (P.S. There's a huge giveaway going down too)!
EXPERT SPOTLIGHT
The Pitch Club
The Pitch Club by Rebecca Cafiero is a community to help female entrepreneurs build profitable businesses through PR and business strategy. I came across Rebecca on Pinterest when I first started pitching myself a few years ago, and her free resources were invaluable to me! I can only imagine her paid resources and events are even BETTER!
RECENTLY ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB 👀
Would I be lying if I said I'm behind on my book goal for the year? 😔 If you are too, hopefully this list of the 67 most anticipated books of 2023 will spark your inner book worm.
Hands-raised for all you Amzy-whores (i.e. disgustingly-Amazon obsessed like me) 🙋♀ Go ahead and click “add to cart” on these viral Amazon hidden beauty gems!!
If Rihanna wasn't already perfect enough in her Super Bowl half time performance, this Vogue cover has die-hard RiRi fans (like myself) swooning 🥰
Show yourself some love today,
YOU'VE EARNED IT.
As always,
Taylor