Full Transcript

Sari 0:00
You started this business because you love your product. You love making it. You love the joy on other people's faces when you sell it to them or give it to them, and so you decided to start a business. And now the business is running over you like a Mack truck, you are wondering, when the heck are you ever actually going to make any money? When do you finally get that freedom and fun, that was the whole reason why you started this business in the first place. When will you stop being in the day to day of the business and running around like everything is on fire? Where the business doesn't work if you're not in it? It is time for that to change. If you have proven your concept and you know, this is a good idea, then it's time for you to start learning how to be the boss, to become the CEO that your business requires of you to actually work, to create money and profit without you being in the day to day. And we do that through Master Your Business. Listen, you could go spend a lot more money on a MBA, and learn the same things that I'm going to teach you in this program. This is all about creating systems and processes and knowing your numbers, we're no longer going to be afraid of our numbers. And we're going to create an intentional path for your business to succeed, to stand the test of time and to work for you. We are starting a new cohort very soon. Go to masteryourbiz.co and get yourself registered. Prove to yourself that this is going to be a business that works and you are going to be the CEO your business needs. Welcome to your Food Business Success. This podcast is for early stage entrepreneurs in the packaged food industry ready to finally turn that delicious idea into reality. I'm your host Sari Kimbell. I have guided hundreds of food brand founders to success as an industry expert and business coach, and it's got to be fun! In this podcast, I share with you mindset tools to become a true entrepreneur and run your business like a boss, interviews with industry experts to help you understand the business you are actually in and food founder journey so you can learn what worked and didn't work and not feel so alone in your own journey. Now let's jump in! Hello, and welcome back to the podcast. All right, so this podcast is inspired by the show Suits. I have been, I won't say binge watching, that's not accurate. But over the last few months, I have been watching the show Suits. It's on Netflix now. And I remember when it was out originally, but I never watched it. So it's totally new to me. And once I got into it, now I'm hooked, right? But the premise and the drama that comes up frequently without spoiling it for anybody is that the main character, one of the main characters, Mike Ross, is posing as an attorney. He has a photographic memory and he always wanted to be a law student. And through some drama and circumstances, he was not able to go to college, but he gets hired anyway by this kind of rogue attorney. And so the whole, much of the drama is centered around getting caught, being called out as a fraud. And that word is used a lot, right? He's constantly like, brooding and they're all these conversations about, they're going to find out I'm a fraud, and I'm a total fraud. So, this word fraud has definitely been in my reticular activating system because I hear it so much on the show. And so I was thinking about how sneaky this is for so many entrepreneurs. This word fraud or imposter. And people sometimes say it outright, like I just feel like a fraud or it comes out like who am I? What do I know? Why should it be me? Like why should I be able to create a bigger business and get on store shelves and make this my living and actually make a profit from my business? And so it can get a little sneaky and I think what happens is when we get really quiet and still, all of us have a little bit of this complex. But if we don't manage it and I want to give you two ways that you are very strategic that you can actually, maybe not totally get rid of it because it's there, it's going to come up, it's your ego trying to keep you safe. When you are an entrepreneur, you are out there risking rejection. You're out there risking failure, right, judgment. And your ego is like, please stop, let me do anything to get you to stop and come back to the cave and just, you know, cuddle and watch Netflix and just keep us safe. Like, can you just go do something safe, self? And so we constantly have to be aware of this and kind of managing your ego and saying, I get it, I hear you. But some of you will probably deal with this fraud complex more than others. I think, we all have our own stuff, right? But it's especially if you've never been in the industry. You've never been an entrepreneur before. You just have this amazing product that you are like compelled. You're like I have to get this out into the world and I think this is good enough. I think that I could be an entrepreneur. I think this could be a bigger business. And so you get over the pain, right? The part of you, that ego, that's trying to keep you safe, right? We call it our prehistoric brain, our lizard brain. I talk about it in a lot of my presentation that we do. There is like this feeling of I have to do it, I am so compelled, I am willing to leave the safety of what I know to go into the unknown. By then we get out there and we're feeling a little naked, a little exposed, a little bit vulnerable. And so I wanted to actually start with the definition of fraud and also imposter. So, fraud is defined as a couple of things, deceit or trickery, so purposeful, intentional perversion of the truth in order to induce another to part with something of value or to surrender something. It's an act of deceiving or misrepresenting. And then a person who is not what he or she pretends to be. And that's probably the main thing that one trips people up. So I looked up the word imposter and it's one that assumes false identity or title for the purpose of deception. And so I just want you to think about for you, do you sometimes feel that? Does that feel like it resonates? Like, who am I? I don't have any business background, I don't know what I'm doing, I just know that I make the most amazing salsa, the most amazing cookies, the most amazing kombucha, fill in the blank for whatever it is for you. So the dangers of indulging in thoughts like this are that you will self sabotage and you'll be sneaky about it. But you will find a way to be found out, to implode your business, to slow it down. And so it's really important that we do kind of grab a hold of this, first we start by becoming aware of it. We tell ourselves the truth of like, yeah, sometimes I do feel a little bit like an imposter. I just make salsa, I just make candy. Like who am I to create this business? You know, sometimes we think I'm taking money. I know people get hung up on that. Like who am I to be taking people's money? I'm like, no, no, you are offering value, you're not stealing from people. They are giving you money in exchange for value, in exchange for what they feel like your product will give them either short term just a pleasurable bite or drink, or in the long term something that's maybe healing them or allowing them to have more inclusion in their diet and be able to enjoy the same things as their friend. The next thing I want you to know, so let's admit it where it is there in ourselves. And then I want you to know that this is so common, you are not the only one, I promise. The beauty of a packaged product business is you don't need a fancy degree. You don't need a specific license or a piece of paper that says you can do this. And when you just start, nobody knows what the heck they're doing and that's a beautiful thing. Just take one foot and put it in front of the other. We're all figuring this out. Yesterday I was on a, I was moderating a panel. And it was about brands that started at a farmers market and went big time. And there was four great brands. And each of them could speak to this feeling of, yeah, who am I? Who am I to take my almond flour pasta and have it in every natural grocery store chain in the entire country? And that was Stacey with Capello's. And then Julie, with Winking Girl Foods, like who am I to be on all these store shelves, and then sell my business at a profit? Who am I to do that? Like, I just started a farmers market. So I promise you, everybody, just about everybody. Unless you're a total narcissist, or have narcissistic tendencies, then oftentimes you don't feel this. But everybody else, I promise you is feeling this. So that's just one good thing to know is, everybody has moments of this. And I just want to offer who are you not to? Or why not you? If they can do it, if Justin can start at a farmers market, just a dude going to law school and grinding up some peanut butter and almond butter. And if he can do it, you can do it! Why not you? So what do we do about it, right? We know that we recognize that it's in us, we know that other people feel it, and they can move through it and get over it. But how do you actually like, if you were to get rid of it, or really tamper it down? What would you do? And so I was thinking about Mike Ross in the show. Like, I don't know that there's any way of getting around it because he got himself so deep into deception. But you know, how about actually going to school and finishing up your education and then taking the bar exam and being accepted into it, right? There's trade offs in the show, of course, but that's what I was like, okay, well, if he actually got his license, lawyer license, then he would be able to practice, maybe not at those high power New York firm, but somewhere he would be able to practice. And so I was thinking about, okay, well, what would that mean? How can we extrapolate that for you guys? So the first thing I'll offer is, go get help. Get out of your fraud complex, and be like, I'm just such a fraud, but I'm going to sit in it and actually go learn, go find resources, go find mentors, and coaches and groups who can teach you. Go get the education. Empower yourself to say, I actually don't know how to run a business, I know I make the most amazing product but let me go actually get the education. Why is adults sometimes we think we could just, we could just sit in it, and just be it but we don't actually think we can go get the education? Like you're not in school anymore but that doesn't mean that the resources don't exist. And that's exactly why I created Master Your Business because you don't need to go get an MBA. It's an option but you don't have to. You can come and I will teach you all of these pieces that you need to know for the next step of your business, to really start growing it and scaling it and making it something that feels more sustainable, that you are not just in it all the time, that you're not just going from fire to fire to fire. And at the end of the year realizing, oh crap, I actually spent way more money, and certainly more time, more resources than I actually made. So we're going to fix all of that. So you need to go seek out education. Take action. And that will help to start quieting those fraud voices, but so many people just decide I can just figure this out myself. And I think that only reinforces it because you're so in your little bubble, and you're so inside your head and you're all alone. And that voice kind of gets louder and louder because you can google your way to a certain point but there is a time where you can't do that anymore. You need to go seek experts in the industry who can teach you and it's blows my mind that I do meet people who are like, no, no, I got it all on my own, I just do not understand that mentality. When I started my business, I sought out coaches. I sought out programs. Now, the flip side of this, the danger is specially if you're all by yourself is that we just keep wanting to learn, learn, learn, like there's just one more thing. We buy too many programs. We read too much. We research, research, research. We think I got to know more, it's not enough. So there has to be some amount of action. We can't just get into the, you know, research part of it, and I got to get more. I got to get more degrees. I mean, there are people out there who have so many degrees because they're trying to say, yeah, but if I just get this one more title, if I just learned this one more thing, if I just get this one more degree, then I'll finally be an expert, then I finally will not be a fraud. And so there is a balance there. But if you have been just telling yourself that you can figure this all out inside a vacuum, you are delusional. I actually met somebody yesterday after the panel. And he was just like, yeah, no, I did this thing and I got it. I'm like, really? Why would you not seek out the amazing resources that are available in our community? I'm not saying you have to come work with me but go get support, go get help. Go seek out resources. So that is kind of dealing with the external, like the more education, the more knowledge you get, then you will feel more comfortable saying I know my margins, I can forecast, I know what my next steps are, I'm confident that my labels are correct, and that I am following food safety, and it's going to make me more confident to go and do the work. To go approach buyers, to hire additional experts and coaches and get to the next level, right? I'm not going to feel as like stuck in the cave like I better not, I'll just sit here and research, research, and read, and learn. Like I will feel more confident to go take action. And then we do have to deal with the inner work. So again, we can't act our way completely out of fraud complex, I think it can help a lot to go get information and build up our knowledge. And then we still need to do the mindset stuff. Because if we don't, like I said at the beginning, we will end up sabotaging ourselves. You will not take chances. You will diminish opportunities. You will diminish yourself as not good enough, as you know not somebody who's capable. And that's just not true. And you will find ways to be found out, right? That you are a fraud. You will not put yourself out there as much. This is a really great place to use what's called the model. And I've talked about this on a podcast specifically about the model, but I do talk about it in general in other podcasts. And the model is that there's just a circumstance, right? And the circumstance is your business, and that your thoughts ultimately create your results. So let's just go through this. So let's just say your business. You make the most amazing cookies, you're at a farmers market, it's working. People love them. And you have a thought, I'm a fraud, or who am I to take this business to the next level? I don't know, maybe I was like, I don't have the skills and the tools. I've never done this before. All right, and so I'm a fraud. So that's in the thought line, you're going to have some thoughts like that. Think about how that makes you feel. What are the emotions that come up when you think something along the lines of I'm a fraud, or I don't know what I'm doing? You might feel feelings like kind of hopeless, if who am, well why am I even doing this? You might feel feelings of discouragement, or frustration or overwhelm because who are you to do this and there's so much and you don't know what you're doing? So when we're feeling feelings like this, because of that thought, then our actions are going to be more about, our actions give me like, I'm just going to keep ruminating on that. And I'm going to prove to myself that I am a fraud and I don't know what I'm doing, hence the self sabotage. And you're also going to take less action outside of yourself, you're going to be less willing to go and approach that buyer, you're going to be less willing to show up on Fuel calls, you're going to be less willing to go post on social media or to actually do your forecast. Because you're thinking like, well, I don't know what I'm doing.

And so your result just proves the thought true, you are a prediction machine. That is what your brain does. It loves to be right. And so when you're thinking, I don't know what I'm doing, your feelings and your actions are all going to line up to prove that result true. See, I don't know what I'm doing. And that is why I offer both. That is why I became a life coach because this is the sneaky stuff that gets in your way, that slows you down. And ultimately, I see people quit all the time because they can't get over this head trash that is stopping them from taking action that you're just proving the story true of I don't know what I'm doing. So we can change this through action. Like I said that we can go take courses and do the work. You can join Master Your Business, we start today and it is not too late to join. I keep it open for an extra week because you might feel a little FOMO right now. You might be like, dang it, you're right, I need to do this, I need to go get myself educated, I need to understand how business in this industry actually works. And I need to go and do that CEO level work for my business. So if you're listening to this on the day it comes out on September 26th then go sign up for Master Your Business. Come on, do this work for yourself and your business. So that you do know what you're doing. You get the tools and the coaching and the education, but I also do the mindset stuff. And so yes, we can take action, but we can also start to change our thought. Now it doesn't go to a thought like, I know exactly what I'm doing. I'm a total expert like that is delusional. And you're actually going to make things worse. But we can go to a thought that's just 1% better. That's like, I don't know what I'm doing yet. Or sometimes I do know what I'm doing. And I can see evidence of where I have figured it out. Let me go look at my past and see how far I've come. There was a time I didn't know how to do the, you know, the food safety. I didn't know how to do the sales, but I figured it out. And so we can shift that thought just a little bit to say, sometimes I don't know what I'm doing. But I'm taking action, I'm getting the knowledge, and I am putting myself out there to possibly be judged. But it's worth it to me to get that information. So imagine if your thought about your business and taking it to the next level was not I don't know what I'm doing or who am I. But why not me? And sometimes I do know what I'm doing and I know enough to go seek help, to go get outside support. Your feeling, your emotion is going to be so much more like confidence, are hopeful and empowered. And then when we take action from that place, it's totally different. And we're going to start reinforcing, I figure it out. But the trick is to find it, where it comes up and where it sneaks in. And that's exactly the benefit of coaching that we both do in Master Your Business. Or if you're new and you haven't started your business, you're still working on it, then get inside Fuel. And we're doing some bonus mindset calls. And we also have our regular Fuel calls where you can just ask me any questions about your product and your business so that you can keep moving forward. That's how we get out of the fraud complex, which keeps us stuck. It does not serve us. We think that we'll motivate ourselves by saying I don't know what I'm doing. But we really don't. Instead, it's to shift just a little bit to I'm figuring it out, and I'm getting support. And here's how I have figured it out. And here's why I am a great person to continue this business. And lastly, I'll just offer that getting outside of yourself. I mentioned this earlier is like you got to get out of your little silo. You got to get out of the head and just work, work, work because you don't know if you're actually working on the right thing. And there is such a benefit to creating a network to giving and getting from a community. And it just accelerates people so much. And to know that you are not alone to see that other people are ahead of you, other people are behind you. And it doesn't matter because you're on your own path. But you have something to give, and other people can support you. And that's just one of the side benefits that comes out of Fuel and Master Your Business is the way people form new bonds and connections. And they become your little posse, the ones that are supporting you that are helping to lift you up when you're having those moments of I am an impostor, and who am I? And we can show you, here's who you are. You are worthy. You can do this, you can figure it out, and other people have done it and so can you. Alright, that's what I have for you today, please go check out Master Your Business. If it's after September 26th, go get on the waitlist. And for when it opens in 2024, I'd love to have you join us then. Or come join us in Fuel. You can just join Fuel on its own for 57 bucks a month. I mean, come on. That's exactly what a CEO minded person and entrepreneur would do. They would make an investment to start growing and learning and getting support. All right, until next time, have an amazing week!

The smartest thing you can do as an entrepreneur is to invest in a who to help you with the how to speed up your journey and help you skip the line. When you are ready for more support and accountability to finally get this thing done, you can work with me in two ways. Get me all to yourself with one on one business coaching, or join Food Business Success, which includes membership inside Fuel, our community of food business founders, that includes monthly live group coaching calls, and so much more. It's one of my favorite places to hang out and I would love to see you there. Go to foodbizsuccess.com to start your journey towards your own Food Business Success.

Maybe you like sitting around in confusion and overwhelm and doubt. But I sure don't. I want to skip the line experience. I want to get inside a community with an expert who knows how to help me and understands my problems, and gets me answers fast so that I can make decisions and keep moving forward. I also want someone to hold me accountable, and keep me focused on my business and moving it forward and limit the life distractions that happen for all of us. And I want to be surrounded by a community of other entrepreneurs who understand what it's like. It helps me to not feel so alone and so overwhelmed in what I need to do to put myself out there and possibly be judged or rejected or laughed at. And all the crazy stories that our brain makes up when we start to do something uncomfortable when we get out of our comfort zone. That is why I am for a limited time opening up the Fuel membership as a standalone product. So you can go and just get the Fuel membership. I've people ask me all the time, I've already have a business, I'm already launched. How can I work with you? How can I get information and feedback and community? Well now is your chance. It starts at $57 a month and you can cancel at any time. So come and take a small risk that has potential for huge payouts to skip the line and get yourself into action and get yourself results so much faster than just spinning out on your own. I see the difference that it makes in entrepreneurs who come to the calls, who get coaching, who connect with community. We have members in there that are constantly reporting I tried this, I did this, I got this advice and I am increasing my sales. It is working. I'm going faster than I ever thought possible. And studies show that you are 95% more likely to actually achieve your goals when you get accountability and support. Don't put this off, go to foodbizsuccess.com/fuel and get inside. I look forward to meeting you in Fuel and we are going to add some rocket fuel to your business.