Building Authentic Relationships in Business

Gio and I had a conversation yesterday about my the growth of my business, and to be honest, I believe social media expedited it.

When Facebook and Instagram were down yesterday we talked about, “Okay if social media wasn’t a thing, what would we really be doing?”

I don’t know about you, yesterday gave me some clarity around my values and where I’m spending my time.

Here’s some of what I reflected on yesterday:

I love community, it’s one of my core values.

I noticed I’m weary of coaches and service providers who hyper focus on their individual success without bringing their community along with them - unless it’s a paid container.

I understand having boundaries. I notice that many coaches and service providers keep you at an arm’s length if you’re not paying. Something I struggled with over the past year.

Is this person my friend after working with them? Am I part of their community? Do they even have a community I can be a part of?

Earlier this year, it left me questioning where I belong. Transitioning from higher ed and student affairs — I learned that belonging is an important thing we all need for our health to survive and thrive.

One thing that allowed my business to continually survive and thrive despite anything going on in the world were my relationships.

It wasn’t my email list.

It wasn’t my social media feed.

It was real people who I cared about, and who cared about me.

I pride myself on authentic connections and the community I’ve built. 

The biggest challenge posed this year was not having enough time to connect with people I want to stay connected to. Am I languishing? Energetically exhausted? Mental health? It was hard to work and balance the collective trauma we were experiencing and witnessing. I realize that I need a system or process to reconnect with folks who I really care about in a way that feels good despite what's going on in the world. 

I believe every coach and service provider has the skill to create deep connections. I often see folks hop on the social media train first without building communities. And I get it, social media is attractive. Many new business owners are concerned with likes, comments, and it’s not how you will build a loyal customer base and sustainable business.

I built my first community on Twitter and via my first blog called Authentically Kayley in 2011. I was lucky to have mentors from my alma mater Bridgewater State University, who taught me the value of networking and building relationships over time. This skill of creating deep personal connections, listening and noticing if I have shared values with a person is a skill. I believe most people who work in higher ed have this interpersonal skill, yet they don't embody the confidence around it where I see folks fall short in raising their prices, and asking clients to work with them. 

For these reasons, I see a lot of coaches and service providers struggle to onboard clients consistently, confidently, and predictably. As I mentioned, I believe confidence is the biggest thing that holds folks back. Specifically women, folks with marginalized identities, and caretakers (see the entitlement gap). 

You can have a successful business with a small engaged community on any platform, really. You just have to know your values, reflect on, and be aware of where your values may not match that platform.

Building a successful online business requires:

Following your joy and pleasure unapologetically.

Showing up and speaking your truth.

Building relationships, not relevant to a specific platform.

Having boundaries that respect your body, business, and bank account. 

I know my community will decide to come with me despite the platform I’m on. Do I love Instagram Stories? Yes, it’s so fun for me. However, I know that authentic blog posts like these will always stand the test of time, no matter what popular social media platform is currently trending.

I feel lucky that when I am looking for new ideas, fresh inspiration, or authentic conversations to iterate and grow my business, I can turn to you - the person reading this blog post.

I look forward to your thoughts, comments, and creating a deeper relationship with you. 

In love and community,

Kayley

Ways to Work Together in 2021 + 2022:

The Liberate Program - Life and Success Coaching, NLP, Hypnotherapy  Trauma Sensitive Certification. Application and curriculum here. For new and seasoned coaches, consultants, and healers looking to build a sustainable business and work with the subconscious mind.

The Visionary Mastermind - Hop on the waitlist. Begins February 2022 for 11 months.

SA Pro to CEO Waitlist and The Higher Ed Entrepreneur Business - Business building program for student affairs and higher ed professionals. Begins February 2022. 

If you'd like to book me for an online training or workshop for your clients, email [email protected] and my team will get back to you.