3 Tips for More Business Confidence
Branding with Friends | Episode 30
Featuring Expert Guest, Manifesting Abundance Coach, Adele Michal!
Watch or listen to the video interview below or scroll down to read the transcription.
Meet Adele Michal, Manifesting Abundance Coach
Annie: Hi there, welcome to a new episode of Branding with Friends, the show where branding needs key business topics. Here you're going to learn tips straight from the experts on everything from TV publicity to SEO to LinkedIn, we focus on what you can do right now to use these topics plus the power of branding to attract your ideal clients. I'm your host branding expert Annie Franceschi of Greatest Story Creative. I help service business owners tell their story and show their value through clear messaging and consistent branding. I'm also a former Disney storyteller, professional speaker and the author of two best selling books, “Establish Yourself” and “Permission to Try,” and today I am so excited to introduce you to one of my longtime friends from the business world. If you struggle with confidence if you are always wondering, how can I put myself out there and feel good about that? You're going to love today's episode. My guest today is the amazing Adele Michal, Adele believes in women and their worth. For more than 15 years Adele has been a Manifesting Abundance Coach for women coaches, consultants and service business owners. She helps those who want to move past fears of being judged, rejected, and pushy in their sales and marketing. Adele helps women develop the mindset, the confidence and habits to embrace their own versions of visibility, proudly market their work and free their business's ability to grow. Adele, welcome. I'm so happy you're here.
Adele: Thank you so much, Annie. I'm thrilled to be here too.
Annie: I was just saying this is probably the most you are the most overdue guest. In the two plus years I've been doing Branding with Friends, because there wouldn't be Branding with Friends without Adele Michal, because you have been this well of confidence for me – granted me so much permission through our work together. Not that you are a “magic genie” granting permission. To some respects you are you got the candle burning in the background. But when I was thinking about what I like to bring on and guests that talked about different kinds of things, and sometimes unexpected topics, so the expected ones are LinkedIn and SEO and things like that, but now, bringing someone on to talk about confidence. It's sort of this squishy thing, but it's so critically important to our success as business owners and embrace being able to enjoy that success. So, you have been the light for me, in the dark times of when I didn't feel confident. As full disclosure to those who don't know, in my new book, “Establish Yourself” the entire introduction is a love letter to Adele and why I reached out to her because I hated selling. I hated sleazy selling and I was terrified. And it was about to kill my business. As I like telling in the book, Adele really helped me with that confidence key and unlock all this possibility. That is my business that I love today. So, there is a lot more to our story than that, of course, but you are the first person and the only person I wanted to have on today about confidence. Adele, how did you get into this work of doing so much work around business mindset, visibility, and really this core of working on confidence, especially as a woman in business?
Adele: Well, I've been in business for a while and I've had my own challenges with confidence. But I've also seen so many others, such capable women, just not offering their gifts to the world in a way that that benefits them and the people that they work with. And I just think that's it's just a shame. I have a Master's in Counseling Psychology, and I have a lot of understanding about how the subconscious works. The subconscious is where a lot of our limits to confidence lives. Helping people get that lifted up and the confidence in and moving out is has been my pleasure for so many years. I just think that, you know, what women do is just amazing. And I don't think it's valued enough. And so I think it's up to us to value ourselves and then value what we do.
Annie: Yeah, it's critically important and that's such an intersection with branding as we're going to explore today. For those of you who've never seen an episode, we do three tips that you can actually put into action right after the episode. I bring on experts like Adele who are going to share things you can use and today Adele has brought along three tips if you are struggling with confidence or you want to grow a little bit if you're really honest with yourself in terms of promoting yourself, Adele is going to share those with us. We're going to do the first two and then we're going to save that third tip for the end. That way you get all the value out of today's episode and know how to connect with Adele at the end. With that being said Adele, for those of us who are coaches and consultants and especially those of us who are women, and struggle with these kinds of things, what is the first thing we should keep in mind if we want to increase our confidence?
#1 Action TIP
Get help creating your branding - Stretch to the level that your budget can handle.
Adele: Well, I truly believe that a great first step is getting help with your brand. I know that that sounds like a lot, but I noticed a lot of women don't really have the language to they can make a pretty website, but it's not very compelling. So, I think to stretch to the level that your budget allows, and actually allow yourself to have that kind of support is the first step. I know you have different levels that people can work with you. And doing so just turned so many things around. Because now, my website looks great, I know how to talk about what I do, and my bio is ready. Not to mention, you know, if you get a speaking engagement invitation, you have to send them a picture and a bio, you just have to. So not knowing what to say it's kind of can jam you up. I always like to tell you, I just feel I'm just dressed and ready for the ball.
Annie: Yeah, you're always like, “I'm ready for the ball.” And I think that that's something I see so much. You know, certainly something I experienced that so many of my clients do. In particular, women come to me and they start they're really realizing that branding is the bottleneck, or more specifically, how they tell their story is the bottleneck. And that's I think, because as women, we struggle with value, we struggle with giving ourselves credit, we struggle with seeing our genius. I will say full disclosure, I just confirmed with Adele before this episode, she wanted to make this the first tip, I didn't put her up to it. And not everybody comes on and says you know, first thing you should do is invest in branding. And I think the really the lesson there is to invest in your bottleneck. Therefore, if the thing holding you back, you know, is affecting your behavior, that's one of the things that would make it into the book today, if I were still working on it. So much of your business growth or lack thereof is about your behavior. Right? So what how do you see that?
Adele: I would say that my number one mistake, I was just looking at my own business history, and what I feel like I've achieved and I realized, my number one mistake was not taking more action. You are so good at that, and you're such a beacon for that. I think again, we're afraid of making mistakes or, you know, feeling rejected. But, you know, that really is the number one thing - to take action. Even if it is a really small action. I want to just circle back to about, about what I gained from working with you is really seeing myself through a lens of competence, because I did not. I mean, you know, you live inside your own experience, you don't know until somebody says, “you're a really good listener.” I thought, I am. You've told me that you've had people cry when you read them their brand story guide. Right, right. Because being seen like that, and then being able to say, “this is how I am,” “this is how I see,” “I am seeing” is so valuable.
Annie: A key is understanding if that's the thing holding you back. That's when I when I get on free consultations with people, it's so hard to know what's what. The right next thing to do in your business, there's so many things you can invest in, ways you can ask for help. I'll tell people, if it's holding you back, not having a perfect message, you know, there is no such thing, there is no such thing as perfect message and I write them for a living. The best message is the one that gives you confidence that feels like you're going to go out and use it and that you're going to get more and more confidence the more you use it, and the more you take action. So, there's definitely this relationship between getting enough under your belt, you know, whatever tool you need, whatever kind of language you need, but then you need to use it. I'm using this analogy all the time, which is, “what good is the best hammer in the world if you leave it in the shed?” There are two steps to that - there's an investing in the branding, but then then going out and using the branding, and that's what's going to bring it's a little bit of belief. I've heard the phrase “fake it till you make it” and I much prefer “believe it till you become it.”
Adele: Yes. I think when we take action, we do prove to ourselves, “I'm moving. I'm moving forward. I may not be where I want to be yet, but I'm moving. I'm getting closer.”
Annie: I read an article once that talked about the difference between being an action and being in motion. I think that there are two real differences there - I see people getting stuck on the being in motion is the being fixated on something like good example is having that perfect elevator pitch. Oh, I've written 20 of them or I keep rewriting words on my website - that's being in motion, not taking action. Taking action, say I'm going to, I'm going to work on this, I'm going to do it, and I'm going to set it and I'm going to not touch it for 90 days, or, you know, 20 days or whatever is, and I'm going to go use it, I'm going to do something with it and move the ball forward versus that spinning ball that we're used to seeing. On our computers.
Adele: Well, I think that a whole new subject we could talk about hours on is that we all have to market. Most of us must market our business. There might be a unicorn or two that can stay in the closet, and people come to them, but I haven't met many. We have to have feedback from the market. So if your elevator pitch doesn't land for 90 days, then you know, okay, I need to change it up.
Annie: If you're always changing it, you have no idea what's working, and what's next. That's the case. I love that. So, our first thing that we really want to focus on is getting help if branding is our bottleneck. Second tip, what's the second thing we want to keep in mind about confidence, though?
#2 ACTION TIP
Dn't be afraid to let your audience know that you are great at what you do.
Adele: I think it's to claim your expertise. Don’t be afraid to really own how great you are. You’ve talked about this, a lot of other people talk about this. It's like, “well, do I have enough certificates?” “Do I have enough letters after my name?” “I think I need to go get some more training.” But really, the training was in your life up until now. Right? I mean, somebody who's a mother, and has had success with raising children. She could be a great parenting coach, she could! I could not. I don't have children, right? Somebody who has a successful relationship could be a great relationship coach. Well, I did go to graduate school in psychology, I did not learn those skills in graduate school. So, you think, “oh, I have a master's or I have a PhD or whatever.” You think that's going to give you the skills. So, you know, when I think about people who face really serious illnesses and come back, I mean, they know a lot about how to heal, and about strength and courage. And to think that you must have letters after your name to share that with people. I just, I don't agree with.
Annie: You had said to me as we were talking about this idea that it's really about letting your audience know about what you are great at. Worrying less about if it is the perfect expertise, but owning what your expertise is.
Adele: Yeah, because your life experience will give you the passion that you have for your business, the fuel you have for your business. I think, again, for women to say, “Yeah, I have this luxury experience. And I this is what I'm really good at.” Then, “how can I how can I help you? Do you need my help?”
Annie: Yeah, I think that those were some of the limiting beliefs that really held me back for a long time. When I hired you as a sales coach at the time, it was your, you know, back in 2016. I didn't even believe in coaching when I hired you, but I was that desperate. And, it totally transformed my outlook. But it was a lot of me realizing that I wasn't owning my expertise. I wasn't claiming my story, because it didn't to me look like what a person who does graphic design. I didn't go to art school versus logo design. I didn't go to school for that. A person who does, you know, professional writing, I guess I had that experience, but in different ways. I didn't go to branding school, I worked at Disney. But I did learn branding there. I didn't know what I was doing running a business. It was my first business. But I came from a whole line of entrepreneurs. So it was a lot of permission around owning what I was great at, regardless of whether it had the perfect, tidy story behind it. That was just such an eye opener for me, because I think I was very much hiding that expertise because it didn't seem like it fit in what I thought the resume behind my position needed.
Adele: Right.. I mean, we all know, when you go to college, you learn a lot, but you don't necessarily learn life skills.
Annie: Isn't that the joke of it?
Adele: I mean, learn how to party but maybe not how to earn a living.
Annie: I'll never forget, I went to my boss, John, when I worked at Disney. He was a VP of our department, I really respect him and was debating thinking about going to grad school. I asked him, “should I get an MBA?” and one of the things he said to me that always stuck with me, was about Bob Iger. Bob Iger was the CEO of at the time. John said, “Bob Iger doesn’t I have a graduate degree.” And that just kind of hit me like a ton of bricks. I thought, “Oh, yeah. Okay.” You know that some of these people that we admire that are the highest levels of leadership. I mean, many of them are college dropouts, or didn't maybe start college, and instead did other things to start businesses. So they don't have the perfect resume either. I think not letting that hold you back, and just recognizing the solidarity in it. I think confidence sometimes eludes us when we feel like it's just us experiencing something. So count me among the odd resumes, doing what I do. But I love that. So far, we've talked about getting help, if branding is your bottleneck, claiming that expertise and letting your audience know you're great at what you do, even if you came to it from an unorthodox path. We're going to have one more tip about confidence. But I know you brought something along that you wanted to mention if folks are interested in getting in touch with you. So what is that you wanted to share with Branding with Friends, folks?
Adele: I would if you're interested in in knowing how to manifest more abundance in your business and claim your expertise and feel more confident about promoting what you do, I would love to offer you a complimentary 30 minute consultation. And you can find that on my website, which Annie will be sharing linked on the blog. What we would talk about is where you are now, where you want to go and where you where you see the bottleneck is, and, of course, there's no obligation. I don't hard sell. But if I can help you, I would love to. Even that 30 minute conversation can be very clarifying.
Annie: I am your biggest fan. So I will say that, my free consultation with you was absolutely life changing. And every way I can say it, I say that now. It's true. I'm like a pretty skeptical bird over here, with coaches, especially coaches that are more about your mindset. But I continuing to learn even almost nine years into business, how much the way that I feel about things is affecting how I behave, and therefore how my business runs or doesn't run. I can't just say enough for people like Adele, who are experts in this world where you struggle with this. Anytime somebody comes to me with a real mindset challenge, you are like the first person I think of. So, if you're a little apprehensive, and this is I think one of those it's tricky things, like mental health - what you do isn't mental health. But I think it's one of those things where it is difficult to raise your hand and say you're having a challenge with it. So maybe if today gives you some permission to feel like, “Oh, it's okay, that I'm struggling with confidence. Like even Annie went through that and still goes through that”. That's really common, and the best thing you can do in those cases is ask professionals to help you and to trust that you can be vulnerable with people who do this all the time.
Adele: Yes, and it's not as if, you know, we haven't heard it before. I think that's another thing I just wanted to say, for all of us women who are in business is it's okay to ask for help. In fact, oh my God, you're going to go further faster when you do.
Annie: Yeah, and I heard that all the time. I thought, “I can do it all” like a Jane of all trades. And that held me back for a number of years until I realized, “Oh, my business can feel lighter, I can do more if I'm willing to trust experts to help me get better at what I do willing to delegate to a virtual assistant,” those sorts of things. But I was very, I was very nervous for a very long time. I had to take baby steps to it. And everybody does. I write a lot about that in the book, if you if you guys are curious, read more and “Establish Yourself” under shape your business, which is all about operations and my sort of journey from using my VA for two hours, up to 20 hours plus a month… which has been also business and life changing for me. So, I'm glad you brought that. We've talked about two great things. Now, we're going to get to that third tips. We talked about this idea of, you know, “invest in branding, if it's your bottleneck, please ask for help.” There's lots of different ways that people can help you clarify your branding, myself included. I will say if you want to have a conversation with me, I do offer free consultations at Greatest Story Creative.com Just look at the red button and we can have private chat. The second thing she said was “claim and own your expertise.” Don't be afraid to tell your audience what you are great at what is that third and final thing that you think is most important for increasing confidence in business?
#3 Action Tip
Focus on the value you are providing to your clients rather than on how awkward you feel promoting yourself.
Adele: It is to focus on the value that you can provide, rather than the awkwardness you feel in promoting your services. I had this experience myself today promoting a workshop. I needed to make some phone calls to tell people on my list to tell them that it was happening and personally invite them. It's like “Oh no, I'm going to be bothering them.” Well, I made the calls and I did talk to everybody, and the people I did talk to - we had the best conversations, it was so fun. So again, I just blew that out of the water. If you think about how you might be able to help somebody, may be the answer to someone's prayer. If you don't let them know about it, either through email, social media, phone calls, videos, whatever, however you talk about what you do, you are withholding something of value from someone who could use it. I don't know about you, Annie. But there have been moments in my life where I would send up a prayer and say, “please help me do this.” And somebody would show up. And it would be the right somebody, and I would be able to move through that issue. So, I think that's the thing… It's really important. Not just focus on yourself, and how awkward you feel, but focus on what you can offer to others.
Annie: So, focus on the value, not the awkwardness, because you may be the answer to someone's prayer. I don't think I could say that any better myself. I'm constantly coaching clients on that idea, because I think, in particular, my clients who are women struggle with the self-promotion - something I used to as well. I think you put it really eloquently - that like seeing sales as service and having awareness, like so many amazing women, business owners, I know almost never talk about what they do. They are best kept secrets because they keep the secret. So, that's a challenge that I think Adele and I can issue to you, if you're watching this, whether you are women or not. If you struggle with confidence, tell more people about what you do and what you are great at. Make it a dare, if you have to just kind of close your eyes and send the email, - do it because it's contagious, and it will help you get over the hump. But it is really truly that idea of remembering that it's not about you. It's not about self-promoting. It's about making sure that someone who really needs you knows that your solution exists, like knows that you are there to add value to them. That's something where you can change your life and your life can be changed too. There's nothing better than if you're in the transformational space, whether business or life, whatever it is. But I am so glad you came Adele, to teach us to invest in branding, if it's our bottleneck, claim our expertise and to focus on our value and not the awkwardness of promoting ourselves. What a masterclass, you could listen to on your lunch hour on confidence. Thank you so much for joining me today.
Adele: Thank you, Annie. And thanks for all you do appreciate being here.
Annie: Absolutely. Well, if you want to learn more about Adele, you can definitely check out all of her connection points that we're going to have here in the show notes anywhere you are watching or listening to Branding with Friends. If you want to know more about our story together, it is the introduction to “Establish Yourself”, which is now available on amazon.com or at how to “Establish Yourself”.com My special guests to one of my favorites. The incredible Adele Michal, please tune in next time when we're going to tackle yet another topic where branding and business meet. Until then I'm Annie Franceschi of greatest story created you can find all our past episodes, branding resources and so much more on our website. Greatest Story Creative.com Stay awesome
Don’t miss this special opportunity for “Branding with Friends” fans…
Schedule Your Free Consultation With Adele here.
“Branding with Friends” Episode 30
Show Notes + Resources
Here are 3 key tips for manifesting confidence in business:
Get help creating your branding - stretch to the level that your budget can handle.
Don't be afraid to let your audience know that you are great at what you do.
Focus on the value you are providing to your clients rather than on how awkward you feel promoting yourself.
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