I hated my business and my content.

   "I feel bored with my business doing the same repetitive things over and over again, and more often than not, my business is starting to feel like a job. I wish that with all the money I made, I would be able to travel more and experience more things with my loved ones, but I have yet to do that because I have to run the business and create content that I don’t even like. I lack a strong sense of why, and my true desires don’t line up with my actions, so this makes me feel incongruent and makes me feel like a fraud. I feel disconnected from my business because I don’t feel challenged nor do I feel like I’m making the impact I want to make."   ^ This is what I wrote in my workbook when I went to a Tony Robbins event last month in December. The question I had to answer was: "What’s an area of life you’re not happy/pleased with, and why does this area of your life give you pain?" If you read [this blog post]( you would know that I had a challenging year mentally. I also expand on my experience in my [latest Youtube video here]( that I posted yesterday: Here I was, 3 years into my business, with my entire vision board ticked off - yet I was miserable. Let me expand on why I hated the things that I hated: #1: I hated the content that I was posting on my platforms. At some point last year, I hated everything that I posted. I felt in order to stay relevant on Youtube, I had to always post videos about Instagram. The Youtube algorithm had pegged me as the Instagram girl, and so, the Instagram content had to continue - anything else was just a flop. But here’s the thing: I never asked to be the Instagram girl. Back in 2019, I decided to do one video about Instagram, and to my luck, it went viral. Today it still remains one of the [top viewed video about Instagram](. I credit a lot of my success to that video, because it put me on the map (And yes - I change the title and thumbnail every year so I keep getting views #contenthack 😉 ): I also credit Vanessa of 2019, who saw an opportunity and seized it: She niched down, continued to post more Instagram videos, gained hundreds of thousands of subscribers, and even launched a program about Instagram to monetize. And guess what? I am not the only "successful" creator that has done this - and it’s a formula that undoubtedly works. - Think Sunny Lenarduzzi and Cathrin Manning, who had videos about Youtube take off, and suddenly pivoted their entire channels to talk about that topic in order to fuel growth. - Think Jade Darmawangsa who used to post about social media, and when she stopped, her views started declining - something she’s mentioned many times on her channel. - Think Nick Nimmin  who has literally been talking about Youtube for the last SEVEN years. While this is a great short term strategy to accelerate your growth and financial position, it’s also a strategy that crushes your creativity and happiness in the long term as a content creator. So what’s the fine line? That’s what I asked myself near the end of 2021 when I was at my witt’s end. "When can I stop being the Instagram girl!?" Here’s what one of my mentors, Veronica Romney, said: "Any time. If you don’t want to be known as the Instagram girl, then stop doing things that make you the Instagram girl." "What do you WANT to be known for?" This leads me to the second point: #2: My paid program was not a reflection of my true mission. [The BOSSGRAM Academy]( was created in 2019 - 3 years ago - and it was my first ever online program, teaching new coaches how to launch their coaching business and sign paid clients using Instagram. Again, kudos to Vanessa from 2019 because she was smart AF. She kept developing the program year over year, niched it down, cleaned it up, and built an entire operation around it. Without the smart thinking of Vanessa from 2019, we would not be here today with a multi million dollar company and over 6,000 customers. But here’s what I now realize, 3 years later: One of my biggest epiphanies was the honest realization that I do not want to help coaches exclusively. "Heck - I don’t even call myself a coach! I call myself a creator!", I thought. At the heart of it, my company started because I was a content creator who simply wanted to serve, and leverage social media (not just Instagram) to help more people on a mass level. But like most content creators, I was a starving artist and I struggled to monetize. When 1:1 coaching fell onto my lap, I realized this was an incredible (and easy!) way to continue to help others but also get paid for it. It was finally income I felt I could control, unlike brand sponsorships or affiliate links. Once I became confident and developed social proof through 1:1 client work, I then packaged my knowledge into a course so I could 1) Free up my time, and 2) Help more people without a cap. I productized my genius, created a company from it, and got it to a place where we’ve now helped thousands of people at scale. This is where I had a lightbulb moment that the way I positioned my program and WHO I'm trying to serve needed to change. The BOSSGRAM Academy - is JUST 50% of my mission: We help content creators (NOT just coaches) enter the 1:1 coaching/consulting business model so they can earn more, validate their offers, and serve people outside of just free content. The remaining 50% is about these same content creators (who now have a validated offer thanks to BGA) productize their genius into a product they can scale. The only problem was that my company was not operationally strong enough to have two programs, and[if you read my blog post]( you would know that headed into 2022... I’m cleaning HOUSE on my org so I can launch the next big thing and further my mission. As you can see from[a recent Instagram Livestream]( I did where I went OFF, you can clearly tell that now that I have a crystal clear mission, I’m PUMPED to be creating again!   👀 So what’s the key takeaway for you, friend? - As business owners AND content creators - we have our own unique set of struggles. When we’re not busy behind the scenes being a damn BOSS, we’re showing up publicly and catering to algorithms, trolls, people — all the things. We work hard to stay relevant (buying the latest gear, learning the new features, writing content, getting audience feedback, dressing up to show up even though we don't feel like it, etc) This makes running a business AND maintaining our mental health even harder than most people can even imagine. That’s why it’s important for you to acknowledge this whenever you feel down. You’re juggling A LOT - so be gracious on yourself, and DON'T let someone else who doesn’t understand your unique business model tell you that you’re not doing "enough", because FRIEND! You are doing A LOT! - Niching down works in the short term, but remember that the plant you water will only keep growing 🌱 . If you don’t want to be known for something in the long term, then start taking action TODAY to create things that are more in alignment with your vision. Because remember: It doesn’t matter if your post goes viral, because you also have to ask yourself: "If this piece of content went viral, would I be willing to pivot my entire business to capitalize on the virality?" - That said, it’s also not a bad thing if you decide to double down on what is working. Looking back, I have ZERO regrets on the path I’ve taken. Thanks to my decisions, I’m now in your inbox. Thanks to my decisions, I’m putting food on other people’s table as an employer. Thanks to my decisions, I’ve helped thousands of clients start their own businesses and earn income they can control. What’s most important is knowing WHEN to evolve and not being AFRAID to. Which leads me to my next point: - It’s okay to evolve and it’s okay to outgrow things. Outgrowing platforms, content, clients, pricing structures, team members, environments... everything... is OKAY and SHOULD be encouraged! If my journey has taught you anything, it’s that you have to let go of what’s working to actually grow and get to the next level. I elaborate more on this [in yesterday’s Youtube video]( and I highly recommend you watch if you haven’t already :) Inside I talk about how my business plateau led into a decline - and how my financial plateau is also a reflection of my creative plateau. SO {NAME}, as you reflect on your own journey, whether you are just starting or have been in the game for quite some time, I challenge you to ask yourself the same things I asked myself: - What do I want to be known for? - Is what I'm doing today leading up to that vision I have? - If no, why not? - If yes, what can I change, add, or remove in order to accelerate this vision even more? As you think about this, I want to say that I'm sooo excited to continue to write about my experiences and lessons on how I'm navigating growing a business while also being a mission-driven content creator. My goal with these newsletters is to inspire you to take action on your biggest dreams AND give you the tips to help make that journey easier. If you got to the bottom of this email, take a pic, post it on Instagram stories, and tag me @vanessalau.co so I know! ❤️️ I'd love to see it. Until next week, Vanessa - your content creator to CEO mentor 😊 PS: If you want to learn how I monetized my content through 1:1 coaching, simply [click here]( where I share everything in my training. Free of charge and accessible whenever you're ready! [Click here]( if you do not want to receive further emails about the 'Confessions of a Content Creator to CEO' newsletter Sent to: {EMAIL} [Unsubscribe]( Vanessa Lau International Inc., PO BOX 27371 Garden City PO, Richmond, British Columbia V6Y0E9, Canada