Business Tao with George Kao

Why is it hard to sell art... or anything you passionately create?When we create something, we're hugely biased toward it. We took a long journey to get there, to make that vision a reality.Yet we’re surprised when the thing doesn't sell well. Others just “don’t get it!”, we think.Here’s what happened – your experience of the "aha!" moments, during the long journey of creating, all happened within your own experience… nobody saw it. Therefore, you’re the only one who finds the end result, the “pay off”, super valuable.If only you can find a way to bring your audience along on the journey of discovery and creation, then they might share moments of realization with you. The resulting creation will be deeply valuable to them, because they feel they also had some part to play.**Watch video or add comment here:https://youtu.be/agkKrQxIWr8 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit georgekao.substack.com

I've got to tell you that one of the most common things I see, that is preventing people from making progress in their business, is that they're always preparing.They're always getting ready to get out there...One more training.One more month of working on their website.This is a dangerous pattern...**Watch video or add comment here:https://youtu.be/D97HVXGz_bA This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit georgekao.substack.com

Solopreneurs sometimes wish that they didn’t have to do marketing, and people would just discover them and inquire about their services.For a lucky few, that *non-strategy* might work. For the rest of us? We have to learn how to do good marketing… In this episode I talk about how to post about your business on social media, and not sound salesy... **Watch video or add comment here:https://youtu.be/eKpzgyCLGY4 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit georgekao.substack.com

Watch video or add comment here:https://youtu.be/C1n3rbiWIa4 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit georgekao.substack.com

If you study “how to build an email list” you’ll almost certainly come across the strategy of hosting a telesummit. It is one of the fastest ways to build an email list. But it's often a terrible way to do it, because you’ll end up with an unresponsive list of subscribers, after spending incredible amounts of effort and time in creating the telesummit...Watch video or add comment here:https://youtu.be/g2k2eyfb6OQ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit georgekao.substack.com

I see a lot of you (aspiring business owners) doing this:You’re waiting until you’re “ready” before you take the next leap.A dear client asked me about the “thin line between readiness and procrastination.”Based on my experience personally coaching hundreds of business owners, I can almost certainly tell you this: ​You are being fooled by your own brilliant mind. Your feeling of “lack of readiness” is actually procrastination.I never feel “ready” --When I started writing this article, I was scared that I wouldn’t have enough to say.When making my videos, by the time I click “record” I feel like I could’ve spent another hour (at least) thinking about the topic.When I launch a course, I never quite feel ready… but I remind myself that whatever I already know will be at least somewhat helpful to the students. We are usually much harsher on ourselves than our students / clients are.The founder of Linkedin, Reid Hoffman, famously said this:If you're not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you've launched too late.This article explains his thoughts:https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/arent-any-typos-essay-we-launched-too-late-reid-hoffman/I feel embarrassed often... because I create often.Every book that I publish, I feel at least slightly embarrassed by… but the reality is that if I waited until a book was “ready” I might never publish. Thankfully I do publish, because book after book, each one is getting better. I can always re-publish and re-launch a 2nd edition later… and I will!Every course that I teach, I’m embarrassed by, but I also get feedback that year after year, each version gets better.The creative process, the reality of building an authentic business, requires this continual practice: Transforming Fear into Love.We are being called to recognize when we are feeling afraid in the creative process, and instead, reinterpret that emotion. Turn “fear” or “lack of readiness” into one or more of these…ExcitementPassionServiceCurious self-explorationAdventureTransform Hesitation into Action.If I am creating something, and I feel hesitation, I now interpret it as a signal to take action, to just do. To take the next step. To write the next sentence. To click “record” on the video. To press “publish”.It is a daily creative practice: transmuting fearful hesitation into loving action. Bit by bit, piece by piece, we are becoming more courageous, and wiser through experience.But the doubt, the “lack of readiness” never goes away. We simply get better at recognizing it, and transmuting it into creative action.I encourage you to start today.Bias yourself toward action, doing what you are “afraid” of, knowing that it is actually excitement, passion, service… and just write, speak, publish, launch, etc… do the thing that puts your work into the marketplace.Even though our lack of “readiness” in a creative project is procrastination, there is a real conversation to be had about “readiness” is in regards to the marketplace:It’s Not About Your Readiness, but Your Audience’s…Building an authentic business happens in stages:1. You build (and further nurture) your ideal audience through authentic, consistent content -- for example, through articles you write or videos that you make.2. You then notice what topics your ideal audience most resonates with, and you make more content on those topics.3. Based on one of the resonant topics, you then create -- lightly, with as little work as... This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit georgekao.substack.com

Watch video or add comment here:https://youtu.be/k469ALv_6gc This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit georgekao.substack.com

"There are only TWO spots left in the program. Sign up now!"This is the kind of email we might receive from a conventional marketer.They have not taken the care to consider how this makes the audience feel. They're doing this because it "works" to get those openings filled.When they say there are 2 spots left, and yet the campaign is being sent to thousands of people, what are the rest of the people supposed to do? "Feel left out" is the unfortunate answer.This is the biggest problem in marketing today -- doing things that are expedient, that "work" to achieve a short-term result for profits, without caring how the audience feels (i.e. the majority who can’t buy at the moment), and therefore how this affects the marketer's own brand (i.e. reputation and relationship with audience) in the long-term.Sometimes, this is even consciously done by the marketer. Maybe they want the audience to feel like they must do what the marketer says ASAP, or otherwise feel left out… I, too, have to become more aware of how my own promotions might make you feel. If it ever feels less than good, please do let me know.Conventional marketing works to exacerbate:* Anxiety / scarcity / limitation* Fear of missing out / being excluded* Guru-ship (believe their authority more than your own inner authority)When I have only a few spots left for something, I don't email my list. I don't post it on social media. I reach out specifically to a few people that I believe would be grateful to know about those few spots. (I will ask them to kindly respond by tomorrow if they are interested, because otherwise I need to share the opportunity with others.)If you have something that is timely, e.g. a course or workshop, or the start of a program, then let people know the start date, and if they can't do it this time, when you might be doing it again. Respect people enough to make the choice. The ones who are excited about the offer will want to do it sooner rather than later. They won't want to wait.Recently, I decided not to post a "Last Chance" type of ad on Facebook, because I felt my audience already saw it enough. I had sent 2 emails to my list, and had already done a Facebook ad. I noticed the sales was initially good, but had trickled to a halt.I could "squeeze" out a few more sales by doing more promotions. Or, I could prioritize the feeling of connection and friendship with my audience.When an offer is right for the audience, the sales come in strong at the beginning, and then, kind of like cooking popcorn, the sales slow down, and then, if most of the audience has seen it enough times, one or two more might sign up.When cooking popcorn, you need to pay attention. It's not worth popping 2 more kernels, yet burning 20 of them. Stop promoting your offer to try to get 2 more sales, at the risk of burning 20 people. Don't annoy your list by sending too many promotional emails.This is how so many email lists become useless over time… they were not conscious of how their messages made the audience feel.I limit promotions to 2-3 emails about any one offer -- and this is only to my promotions email list (those who specifically want to hear about my promotions.) For example, to promote an upcoming course, 1 email is sent announcing that it is now available for registration, and the 2nd email is sent one day before the course starts. If it is a unique or new type of course that my audience isn’t used to seeing from me, I might send a 3rd email in between the 1st and 2nd, to give them more information about it. You can see my actual promotional emails here. (As always, I continue to learn, so feel free to give me your honest feedback and... This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit georgekao.substack.com

Organic food is better for your health and the well-being of the environment, but usually costs more money. Similarly, organic marketing is better for your brand and the well-being of your audience, but usually costs more time and effort in the beginning...Watch video or add comment here:https://youtu.be/U9eOa0VSbeA This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit georgekao.substack.com

This is a segment from the Create Your Framework course: https://www.GeorgeKao.com/frameworkWatch video or add comment here:https://youtu.be/6mryAd2AUjQ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit georgekao.substack.com