My Costliest Regret in Business

It was 2017 and I was sitting in my favorite coffee shop, Cafe Boite, in Lyon, France, where I lived for a short time. It was official: I was going to start a YouTube channel.

I went back to our little French apartment and filmed this video about how to find clients for your online business…

….and then I didn’t post a YouTube video again for 2 years.

I’ve flirted with my YouTube channel on/off a few times since then, but I’ve never dated it long enough to actually bud a romance.

It’s normal to try certain marketing strategies here and there. And not every platform is going to be the right fit for you. Plus, what works for you, might not work for me – and vice versa.

​But looking back on my costliest business mistakes — which I did in this week’s On Your Terms episode — I realized that my biggest ‘flop’ or regret wasn’t a bunch of money I blew on something that didn’t work out..

It was how much it cost me for flip flopping my focus on what I call the Big 3: Podcasts, YouTube, and (optimized) blog posts.

I’d tried YouTube, but didn’t stick with it long enough to see it through.

I posted SEO-optimized posts on my website, but I wouldn’t post consistently enough to get traction.

And I’d wanted to start a podcast for years… but didn’t until 2021 (and thankfully, have been VERY consistent on that for 2.5 years!).

If I could go back, this is how I’d do it differently:

1️⃣ I would do some research before, to figure out which platform would be best for me based on where my customers are looking for someone like me (ie, for me, it makes sense that people Google their legal questions about starting a business. So a blog is a natural fit.)

2️⃣ Once I picked the platform, I’d create a marketing plan first. In it, I’d layout who the channel/platform is for, what they can expect there, and the types of content I’m going to post.

I’d answer two things in my marketing plan:

(a) where am I going to get the viewers/listeners/readers from? (aka, how am I going to drive traffic to the blog, YouTube channel, podcast); and

(b) where am I taking them next, to take them deeper into my community? (answer: my email list)

3️⃣ I’d commit to sticking to consistently posting for at least 90 days, ideally 6 months. I’d see what things needed to be in place, or what needs to be removed in my schedule/biz, in order for me to accomplish that.

4️⃣ I’d setup a tracking spreadsheet to track the data that matters (which isn’t always followers, subscribers, or likes). That way, I can adjust my strategy as I go, know where to press the gas, and know what’s not working (& analyze why).

^ Is that helpful? I’d love for you to let me know.

I’m not cured of flip flopping yet, but I’m getting a heck of a lot better. I’ve been super consistent with my podcast, On Your Terms, for 2.5 years now. It’s not easy to post 2 new podcast episodes every single week — but I think it’s easy for me because I love it so much.

Trust me, if I can do it – you can, too. It’s really important to find the medium that you enjoy doing — and that’s what’s going to make you be really consistent with it. Consistency, plus strategic action, will lead to success.

I’m curious if the little marketing game plan I outlined above will help you with it, too. Let me know 🙂

If you want to hear more of the costliest mistakes I’ve ever made in my business (& how you can avoid them), listen to this week’s episode of On Your Terms here ⤵️

​Listen on my website, Spotify, or Apple now.