Why Hard Work Alone Won't Grow Your Business (Ep 18)

Everyone talks about becoming an entrepreneur. Nobody talks about what happens after.

In this episode of the Thriving Loudly Podcast, we pull back the curtain on entrepreneurship, content creation, AI, networking, business systems, and the realities of turning your passion into a profession.

We discuss:

-What happens when your hobby becomes your job
-Content creator burnout and social media pressure
-Why creators feel like they always have to be "on"
-The importance of business systems and structure
-How AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude are changing entrepreneurship
-Automation, workflows, and staying organized
-Why networking and relationships matter more than people realize
-The role of associations, conferences, and the Black Chamber
-Lessons we've learned from years of entrepreneurship
-Common mistakes new entrepreneurs make
-Business advice we wish we had earlier

Whether you're a creator, entrepreneur, freelancer, small business owner, or someone thinking about starting a business, this episode is packed with honest conversations and practical insights.

Topics Covered:
✔ Entrepreneurship
✔ Content Creation
✔ Creator Burnout
✔ Business Systems
✔ AI for Business
✔ Networking
✔ Small Business Growth
✔ Personal Branding
✔ Productivity
✔ Business Mindset

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Don't forget to like, comment, subscribe, and share this episode with an entrepreneur or creator in your life.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:06

Welcome back to Thriving Loudly. I'm your host, Aisha.

SPEAKER_02 0:09

And I'm your host, Tranice. Today's episode is all about entrepreneurship, content creation, business, and the reality of building something behind the scenes.

SPEAKER_01 0:20

Because social media makes business look glamorous, but there's so much people don't see. Yes. We're talking about what happens when your hobby becomes your job, burnout, networking, systems, AI, business structure, and lessons we've learned over the years building brands.

SPEAKER_02 0:40

Absolutely. I think a lot of people dream about, you know, turning their hobby into a business, but nobody really talks about how much that changes your relationship with it. Let's talk about it. Yeah. When did content creation stop feeling feeling like just fun for you?

SPEAKER_01 1:01

Um, I would have to say about I quit my job in 2023 to go full-time with content creation. And I would say the first year being solo, working for myself, it was just like, woo, freedom. It was just a fun time, right? You know, you're not tied to working with a boss, you're not tied to any of that. And so having my own schedule was really interesting, you know, it was a and it was an adjustment because ever since I was 16 and I had a job, I just worked for somebody else. So being in my early 30s and just quitting was like an adjustment. And I would say after that first year and we hit 2024, I was like, okay. I I mean, I love it. It's still fun for me, but I was like, okay, like this is a business if I wanna, I have to get serious if I if I want to sustain this, right? Because um, a lot of people don't realize that, like, you know, content creation, it's fun, but you know, you have to still put in the work to sustain it. It's not, it's not easy all the time. So um, and a lot of creators do struggle with making sustainable income. And so I think when you're in it, you really realize like, okay, I have to like prioritize how I'm gonna make money. Yeah. So I would say for sure that it was like a year in. Yeah. Yeah. It was like it got real.

SPEAKER_02 2:23

It got real.

SPEAKER_01 2:23

Like, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_02 2:25

Okay, yeah. If I want to continue to make money, I have to create some type of systems or yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:30

What about you? I know you're in a different space um with your business, but did it feel like fun in the beginning or was it a little bit different because you kind of came into it as like, I'm gonna start a business, I'm an entrepreneur.

SPEAKER_02 2:44

Well, I came into it as really a passion. Um I started it because I'll give you guys the backstory. So I was working for Vanguard um to be a financial advisor, and with that, you have to pass series tests.

SPEAKER_01 2:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:58

So I didn't pass the test. Um, and if you don't pass the test and you don't get licensed, you get fired. So I got fired and I already knew that, you know, when I prior to taking the job, they said, you know, if you don't pass it, we will fire you. So I had already um knew about that. So I got fired and I was looking for another job, couldn't find a job. And so I just decided, hmm, well, I have all this experience. I was a branch manager, you know, I've been working in retail forever, I have sales, marketing background, operations background. Why not just, you know, start at first? I thought it was gonna be like a consultant business. And then I was like, I started to do research on virtual assistant. And I was like, I could do this, I could find clients tomorrow, and I can create packages and I can get right into this. And so it started off as like passionate, like, oh, this is fun. You know, I get to um work with small business owners and you know, solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, and help them with their operations, their admin, like, oh, it's good to, you know, get an email, set up all these systems until you start seeing all the emails, until you start seeing all the calendars and stuff like that. And it's like, okay, yeah, this is really, you know, this is a real business, and I have to get, you know, serious about it. So I would say for me, um, it's something that I still enjoy, but just like with any job, work, you know, it comes to a point where it becomes so um repetitive, right, that you start to get a little burnt out because you're doing the same stuff, you know, on a regular basis. Um, so I would say I've been doing it now for four years. Love it still, but I realized that, I'm like, what was the question? Like, it was just I would say after um maybe about two years in, I realized that it wasn't just fun. It's like, okay, this has to be a sustainable business. I have to really get serious about systems, I have to get really serious about the packages, I have to get really serious about setting boundaries with my clients if I want this to continue to be sustainable, because otherwise it won't be if I'm just letting everybody run the show, you know, because it's it's fun, because it's yes, because I got a new client. Yeah, this is exciting, but that's not gonna help you to grow or scale or sustain a business if you're saying yes to everybody and you don't have any boundaries.

SPEAKER_01 5:16

That's a good point. So would you say that's something that you would warn entrepreneurs getting into business? Because it's like, I think a lot of people see the freedom that comes with starting your own business, but not the actual reality on like, okay, this is a dream, but I also have to like make money. And, you know, I have to be professional. Like for your example, if you're, you know, doing virtual assistance, you're dealing with people's businesses, their operations, their own livelihood too. So there has to be a level of professionalism involved as well in making sure you're keeping on track because that's again their business too. So you're representing them in some shape, form, or fashion. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. So, what would be what's something nobody warns you about entrepreneurship, given everything that you've talked about?

SPEAKER_02 6:05

Um, the like kind of going back to like what you said, it's a business, you know, it's not just fun, it's just not glamorized. Um, you know, for instance, if I'm working with a client, you know, and if I'm even just working on the back end, I may not be in the forefront working with their clients, but if I'm sending out emails on their behalf, or, you know, if I'm um creating, you know, standard operated procedures for them, you know, you want to make sure that you are being professional, that you are being accurate with those procedures, that you understand that business owner or that entrepreneur's business so that you're able to write accurate things for them that they're gonna, you know, be able to use. But then also managing your time and, you know, really executing on the task because, you know, business still has to run. And so you want to make sure that you're always um, like for me, I like to time time block to manage my time just to make sure, okay, this is what I'm working on, this is what I'm doing. And that's why I always go back to that nine to five schedule, Monday through Friday, because that's what works best for me in order for me to stay on track to be able to manage, you know, multiple clients at a time. Yeah. So that's what I would say. Yeah. Okay. Okay. I like that. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Um, what's something nobody warns you about entrepreneurship?

SPEAKER_01 7:23

Oh, yeah. In my case, oh yeah. Um, that you can't really, I would say in my case as a creator, you can't really rely on one stream of income for so long. You have to diversify, you have to um make sure you're not just putting your eggs in one basket, especially with all these platforms. Yeah. Um, you know, I know last year there was that whole TikTok disappeared, you know. If I was only a TikToker, oh no, that's my entire business gone.

SPEAKER_02 7:52

It's always so scary to be. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:54

These platforms, you don't own them. They can be taken away at any second. You know, that's just the reality. And so you have to be prepared to diversify where you're at, you know, whether that is, you know, diversifying onto Instagram, YouTube, um, starting a podcast, you know, in my in my sense, having a Substack. I have a Substack, I have a website. Um, I have all these other ways people can find me. So if one platform decided just to shut down tomorrow, I still can continue to sustain being a creator. Um, so I would say that, and then just only relying on like brand deals. I think a lot of people, you know, the goal in the dream is to work with amazing brands and I love it, but also you don't want to be tied down to waiting on when a brand approaches you or when they have a campaign going on and then just relying on that income. So I really think it's important to have other streams of income. Um, for my, you know, for my take, you know, I'm, you know, starting my mentorship program again. Um, you know, I'm diversifying with like, you know, the the podcast and um just other things to where I can kind of maybe step in and even help local businesses with, you know, social media strategy or or even UGC content. So I just try to wear a lot of hats and um try to sustain my business that way as well. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:17

Yeah. I think that's so important. And even on the entrepreneur side, I would tell anybody as well, if you're an expert in your field, you know, you should think about having some division of consultant or coaching. I just think that that can like monetize it, you know, especially if you have a lot of experience in it because you don't want to just be focused on one thing. So, like, for instance, for me, I'm a fractional, you know, executive virtual assistant, but I still do coaching, I still do consultant on the side, I still do systems buildups, you know, for some of my clients as well. So I have three different buckets that you know, I'm taking clients in, and that's what you want because you may not have you know retainer clients. You know, you may be struggling one month, and if you have some projects going on over here, you know, you're still able to sustain. So I would encourage anyone that's in entrepreneurship is to have those several streams of income, you know, have a few clients. You don't want to just rely on one client because this is your livelihood. And, you know, God forbid, you know, it doesn't work out. Now you're up a creek looking for a job, you know, and not saying that a job is a bad thing, but now you have to put yourself back out there, you know, brush up your resume and all the things, you know. So I would recommend that for sure. Do you feel pressure to always like create now or just even like stand in demand, right?

SPEAKER_01 10:38

Yeah, absolutely. I think that's natural to feel that way as a creator. Um, I would say that, you know, especially if you decide to be um solely a short form creator, um, I feel like the short form platforms are just this endless hands hamster wheel of just like constant, constant output, you know, because those algorithms reward that, right? And so you have to stay relevant, um, especially if you're doing this full time. Um and I think that to your point, going back to having multiple streams of income, you won't have to feel that constant pressure to be like, I have to continuously put out content and you know, hopefully brands will notice me and hopefully I'll get a brand deal and hopefully I'll be okay next month. If you're relying on relying on that, it can get really stressful.

SPEAKER_00 11:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:25

Um, but yeah, you know, there is a lot of pressure to create. I think that is, you know, part of the game. It's part of content creation, right? You know, um, because you can be booked and busy one month and then the next month you're not. And then you have to still continue to pump out the videos and content if you want to get consistent work, right? So um I think one way that what we're seeing in the industry right now is even brands and you know, creators are demanding longer contracts, you know, so where they have a retainer or they're working exclusively with one brand for a year, right? Right. Because then that's guaranteed yearly income. Yeah, which when you're doing these one-off brand deals, you're not gonna necessarily have. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:09

Do you feel like content creators are burning out more now?

SPEAKER_01 12:13

Oh, absolutely. It's the algorithms, it's all the stuff you're being hit with, the new, the new features, the platform changes.

unknown 12:22

Everything.

SPEAKER_02 12:22

How does someone keep up with all of that? Yeah. The industry, how are you keeping up with that on a regular basis? Staying up, you know, abreast on everything.

SPEAKER_01 12:31

It can be hard. And I think what we're seeing a shift in like a lot of creators, um, especially when you get to a certain level, they are building teams. Like, if you're looking at some of the biggest creators like Mr. Beast and some of these other large creators that have millions of followers, they have teams, they have a strategist, they have someone who's supporting them with content, they they have an assistant who's helping them answer emails, they have a management team. It's like there comes a point where like you're running your own media company instead of just being a solo creator, because there sometimes can be a cap, right? And so I think it's, you know, it's important to kind of decide what lane you want to go into. Um, I think also there are a lot of creators who are going back to their nine to fives. I've been seeing that a lot, or there's been a lot of conversation online about that. Yeah. Because it it can get hard to keep up with that hamster wheel. You know, and they're like, I just want a stable income and have content creation just be for fun. Right. Right. You know, um, and that can get and that can get tough because I think, you know, a lot of people dream of wanting to be a full-time creator. But, you know, I feel like sometimes a sweet spot can be maybe being a creator than having an another type of side hustle gig or having a job. I also feel like a lot of, you know, the masses now, they kind of respect that a little bit more. They I feel like a lot of people, once you go full-time and you're just doing the brand trips and you're doing just all the influencer stuff, a lot of fans, they try to they turn cold and we're seeing that, you know, because it's not-something about that. Yeah, it's yeah, it's been in the media because it's not relatable anymore. You know, they followed you because you were working your nine to five and they related to your job, and you're talking about the ins and the outs and the highs and the lows with that, and you just talking about your unboxings, and you know, you went on this brand trip to Dubai. Yeah, is like it's aspirational to some. I love that content. I eat that up. I think it's cool because it's aspirational to me, but a lot of people they can't relate to that. And so I feel like a lot of people are like, should I quit my job or should this be a funsie thing, make some good money having social media as a side hustle and then still have that nine to five for stability. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:47

Yeah. I know for myself. I think that's kind of more of my lane. I'm like, I'm always gonna keep my business, love my business. Yeah, you know, if content creation, I can make a couple bucks off that, sure. Yeah, you know, but I personally feel good having some type of stability that I can rely on. And then if this turns into something, great, wonderful, you know, and not having the pressure of always, you know, having to spit out videos and things like that, and just even creatively, you know, coming up with all these concepts and things like that. It's like, yeah, you can be creative, but you can also burn out as well.

SPEAKER_01 15:23

Yeah, it's it's tough. And you know, I think that's why, like I, like I mentioned, a lot of creators have teams of people behind them, um, especially when you get to that one percentile uh type of creator, like it's just hard to turn out videos on your own and you know, have all these ideas and it's just gets to a point. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:43

So well, I think it's definitely smart to go in the direction of a media company.

SPEAKER_01 15:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:48

I think that that is like if somebody is like, yeah, really like using everything to their full advantage, it's like, why not create a small production? You know, you're already doing it, and if you know how to edit videos and you know how to do all these things, why not create a media company and start producing, you know, for other people and see where that goes. Turn it into a business, you know, it goes back to using your skills that you already have and turning it into something.

SPEAKER_01 16:12

Exactly. And I think that is really smart, and that's something I've even kind of started to like think about as far as like my my big vision for what I'm doing because it does take a village to an extent. And I've been the lone villager for for quite some time, trying to do wear so many hats, you know. Um, and yeah, I feel like you, you know, we're also seeing creators turning, you know, what they're doing into businesses. And I think that is the sweet spot we're finding for sure.

SPEAKER_02 16:41

Yes. One thing I've learned is that structure and systems matter way more than people realize. Um, why do you think so many entrepreneurs struggle with organization?

SPEAKER_01 16:53

I feel like because they don't have a foundation. I think, you know, we all have goals and dreams, but like how to get there in like the step-by-step process can be can be kind of difficult. So I think, you know, personally, um, I think you have to have a foundation. And I think to your point, your services are a great starting point with that. Um, but what's your opinion coming from an entrepreneur who kind of started a business from scratch?

SPEAKER_02 17:22

I think a lot of people struggle with not having organization because they don't have, they don't have that foundation, they don't have the skill sets. Um, it depends on the background that you come from.

SPEAKER_01 17:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:34

So if you come from an operational systems, you know, admin background, then more likely if you were to go into entrepreneurship, you're gonna be much more organized, right? Because that's what you're used to doing. If you come from a creative background, probably not so much because you're so used to just being in a vision, created. It's like systems later, you know. And so I think it just depends on what your experiences are and also the type of person that you are. If you're a type B person versus a type A person, that type B person is probably gonna be all over the place and not gonna have organization versus a type A person, you know.

SPEAKER_01 18:12

Yeah. So for you, what systems have helped you in your business? Like, how did you get going with having a solid system?

SPEAKER_02 18:21

Uh well, I live by Asana.

unknown 18:24

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:25

She put me on. I love Asana. Um, I think it's important to have some type of, first of all, some type of email management um system. So I love Gmail. You know, some people like Microsoft, Outlook, but I love Gmail, you know, um Microsoft, or not Microsoft, um, Gmail workspace is what I'm trying to say. So I think that it starts with having the foundation of your email, your calendar. Yeah. You need to have your calendar together. We were just talking about this today. You need to have your calendar together, you need to have your email together. It starts there. But also, what doesn't matter what business that you are doing, you need to have some way to be able to track the task that you're doing. You need to be able to have some type of software that you're using to put all of this in, to track it, to write processes if you want to have a sustainable business. And so I love Asana because I can create a task for myself, create a whole to-do list, I can put projects in there. It's just any and everything that I need to do. I can add it into Asana. It's intuitive. Um, you can set up automations in there. It just does so many great things for you to keep you on task. So you're not writing things down on a piece of paper and then forgetting where you put that notebook. And it's like, what did I what did I do with that? So I recommend um Asana, but there are a lot of project management softwares out there. Um I love Basecamp too. Basecamp is really good.

SPEAKER_01 19:51

Basecamp's been great. Yeah. For me, um, my management team uses Basecamp. Um, myself and Tranice, we use Asana. Um, I love Gmail. I live on my Google Calendar. I'm very like we color corded, color coordinated with what's what. Highly recommend that. Yeah. Very highly recommend it. And like, you know, from like, okay, this is an event, this is uh a filming, this is a brand deal, you know, this is an appointment, you know, having it very clear and color-coded in my calendar is has been a game changer. Yeah. And so um, you know, Notion's great. I used to Notion is good. Yeah, I used to use Notion a lot. Um, so yeah, I think you need to have some sort of system for scheduling to rely on to build out tasks to get things done. Um, I think that's super important.

SPEAKER_02 20:40

And even to plan, put your strategies in there. Yeah. You know, you're a big picture because you can always go back in there a year later and look at what your goals. One of the things that I like to do um, like in the beginning of the year, is just kind of write out for the whole year all the different goals that I have each month. I'll put that in a sauna, you know, January from December. And even if it's just one word or one sentence, but at least I know, you know, what my goals are are, or if I actually, you know, wrote down my goals and got very specific on what I want to do. But it's just good to have to be able to know that it's there. You have a paper trail of it, and you can always go back to it, you know, when you need to. I agree. How important are workflows and automation in your business? Very important.

SPEAKER_01 21:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:22

Um, because kind of going back to your point of being, you know, the lone wolf or the solopreneur, you know, the more that you can automate in your business and take some things off of your plate, the easier. And so it can be as simple as um like a quick automation. Um like I love to use Zapier. So you can connect Zapier from your Gmail, you can connect it to Flowdesk, which is like an email marketing platform. And um so, like whenever you want to send out an email to whenever you want to send out, like let's say you're sending out newsletters, and if you want um that person to be added to Newsletter, you know, you can set up automation so that it's automatically anytime you have a new person that comes in, it's automatically being set up. We're gonna have to edit this out a little bit, but um what's another trying to think of a good example of automation? Just automations even in Asana.

SPEAKER_00 22:17

There we go. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 22:18

So, like, so for instance, in your Asana, I set up some automations. So whenever we're done with the task, it'll automatically go to complete. You know, just small things like that. You can also connect it to your Gmail as well. And you could create tasks from your emails and then automatically sweep into Asana. So just being able to create, you know, small um systems and automations like that to make it easier for you. You know, you can plug up Zapier and Gmail so that things can come on your calendar easier. You know, there's just a variety, just different things that you can do.

SPEAKER_01 22:52

I like that. That's really that's really cool. I think that's so important, especially when you're doing it alone. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. So important because I know I for be forgetting stuff and I'm like, I need something to keep keep it going, keep me on track.

SPEAKER_02 23:05

Yeah, reminders, everything. I mean, we can talk about automations all day. All day, all day, every day.

SPEAKER_01 23:11

So AI has completely changed businesses. So with AI, how are entrepreneurs using AI right now in your experience? You know, I know you work with a lot of business owners. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:24

Um, well, we're using it to work smarter, not harder. I would not recommend relying 100% on AI, but it can help you like with strategy. Um, it can help you craft an email, you know, but you still want to reread the email, maybe add your own twist to it. Um, it can help you read contracts, it can help you create a contract, it can help you create a proposal, um, it can help you create your packages for your business. But again, you know, you want to make sure that you're reviewing everything so that it's true to you. So you can really use it to your full advantage. But it's nothing like the the human touch, you know. So I that's what I always highly recommend is do not rely 100% on it because it's not always accurate. And it's not you, you know. So you still have to put your own twist on it.

SPEAKER_01 24:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:15

How have you been using it?

SPEAKER_01 24:17

Um, yeah, so I use it a little bit for, you know, if I have to review a contract, you know, I typically before I was using like Chat GBT or anything like that, I was reviewing those manually. I still do for, you know, just so I can call out certain things. Cause I will be like to chat, I'm like, I'm already looking at this contract. It says it's there's exclusivity, they want usage, you know, based off of what I'm calling out in this contract. Can you give me some tangible like responses back that I can, you know, challenge the brand on if I'm like, I, you know, if I'm like, this is crazy on the contract because I'll be seeing some stuff. I'm like, that's crazy. Um so I will, I will like have chat like kind of help kind of help me work through it. Yeah. Um, and you know, and again, it's not you, it's not your touch. So I like to use it as a tool, but I don't like to use it as an end-all be-all to everything because especially with what I do in the creative world, I still need you need to use my creativity because you just don't want it to be like bland copy and paste response. You know, you want it to have that Aisha, Aisha touch to it. And so um, I always like to tell my chat, like, okay, if we're gonna draft this response, like this is everything I want in it, but I need you to make sure it's Aisha coded. So I'll say like Aisha coded, and then I'll give it kind of like some things I would say. And I'm like, I need you to put this in, but formalize it for me, you know, so I'm not wasting time writing like a long email. So I'll say stuff like that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:51

And that's what I do like about like Chat GBT, um, is that you can personalize it, you know, you can create like your own Aisha spin so that it knows every time it writes an email for you, you know, how you would typically say it. So I appreciate that. Yeah. Do you think AI is happening is helping creators or making content feel less authentic? Because I know a lot of people are using it. Yeah, a lot of people. I mean, I'll be guilty for some of our captches, you know, I use it.

SPEAKER_01 26:19

Yeah. I feel like it's a yes and a no. I do feel like it can help creators with like systems, admin. I think definitely use it for like admin stuff, um, contract reviews, stuff like that. But as far as like using AI for like your creative stuff, I mean, I go back and forth with this. I think again, it's a tool, but make sure it's like kind of unique to you, or make sure like you're taking this with a grain of salt and still trying to add more of your touch to it. Because I do feel like some content, especially with AI, especially in AI right now, it's a lot of like the same generic stuff being spit out. Yeah. Because, you know, Chat GBT is just taking stuff from what they're seeing from Google or, you know, search engines and whatever. They're giving that back to you. And so it's gonna spit out like generic concepts, generic, you know, oh, this is how you could like write this script for your video, but it's like very generic. Um, so use it as a tool. Like what I like to do with um like Chat GBT to be like, hey, this is the brand that I'm working with, this is the concept, or this is like kind of the creative brief. This is what the brand wants, this is what I'm thinking. And I would tell chat exactly my vision. Like, I'll be like, this is exactly how I want it, but can you formalize it into like a script for me based on everything I'm telling you about how I want it? And then I'll review that and then I'll take that and be like, okay, I don't like this. Like, can we change this? Because I'm actually thinking that. And like I'll kind of use it as like a coworker versus like just taking what chat is saying and then just running with it, you know. Um, that's kind of how I utilize it because I just feel like this responses can get a little generic, it can sound a little robotic, you know, which it is, it's a robot. Yeah. So um, but yeah, that's how I feel uh feel about it for sure.

SPEAKER_02 28:17

And I feel like it can stifle your creativity as well.

SPEAKER_01 28:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:20

That's why I don't like to rely on it either, is because it's like if you're in a creative field, you want to continue to have those creative juices flowing, right? If you're always relying on um AI, you start to kind of diminish that, you know? Yeah, you're starting to dilute, yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 28:38

Exactly. And you're not really using your thinking skills because again, if you're just relying on AI for everything, if you don't use it, you lose it. So, you know, we kind of touched on this on a an on an earlier episode with, you know, just AI usage and you know, like, you know, there's early studies about how it's affecting your brain, you know, because you're not typing anymore. You're not, you know, utilizing that brain power that you did probably 10 years ago because it's so easy just to like ask chat or have chat just do it instead of actually, you know, having it as a tool, but also still using your brain in your critical thinking. Um, you don't want to lose your critical thinking. So so yeah.

SPEAKER_02 29:21

Yeah, I agree.

SPEAKER_01 29:23

Um, what are some ways AI can actually save entrepreneurs' time? I like clots.

SPEAKER_02 29:29

I want to talk a little bit about like clot versus chat GPT. So I've been using it. Um for me, it's more of like analytical. So it's really good for like long form content, um, research, like we had talked about before, reading contracts, reading um documents, um, editing long form, long form content as well, strategy, like really getting into the meat and potatoes of strategy, um even even coding and also um excel. Yeah, I've been using it to like create spreadsheets for me. Claude, it's really good.

SPEAKER_01 30:05

Yeah, I just started using Claude as well. Um I I had like a speaking engagement a few weeks ago and I had it assist me. I used the cowork section of Claude. I I helped it assist me writing my presentation and putting it all in PowerPoint while I was giving it and feeding it information like okay, I need this section to look like this. This is everything I want. And like it just laying out instead of me having to like build the presentation together, which takes time, right? I'm feeding it everything I need it to do, and it's like making this 20-slide presentation for me. So um, so great. Yes, yeah, so good.

SPEAKER_02 30:43

Yeah, I mean, it built out an extensive spurcy for me. I'm like, break this down, do this, and put the formulas in. And I was like, wow, what it had spit out. And I was like, this just saved me so much time. I don't have to fiddle with Excel anymore or Google Sheet or um Google Smartsheets. Yeah, I don't have to do that anymore because now I can rely on this. So I mean, AI is it truly is it is a game changer. It is. Um, and then with Chat GBT, Chat GBT is more of like an all-around um partner that you can utilize. So great for brainstorming. I love to use chat GBT for any type of strategy, any type of brainstorming, um, content creation. It can create visuals and things for you as well. I don't really like the visuals that it creates. It looks generic to me.

SPEAKER_01 31:33

Yeah, it looks generic. I don't want to. And you can tell it's not there yet.

SPEAKER_02 31:37

Yeah. Um social media planning. Yeah, I love to use for it as well. Yeah. Um, and then some other ones, still love Canva. Canva is great. Still recommend that for graphic design. Just a couple more systems that I just wanted to just throw out there for anybody. Um, for social media management, if you want to schedule posts, I recommend later. Um love mini chat for my content creators, especially like large content creators or small business owners that want to be able to reply to comments, you know, fast, um, especially if you're selling things, even if you're like a fashion content creator and you want to get those links out fast, like with LTK. Yep. Highly recommend mini chat, um setting that up for your followers.

SPEAKER_01 32:23

Yeah, that's so good. And then a quick shout-out with Opius AI, which is great for clipping um videos. Um, I know for the podcast, um, we're utilizing that a little bit for our short form clips. Um obviously I could try to edit those all day, but you know, when I when I run my own thing and plus having to edit additional short form, that can be tricky, right? That can add up to 10, 15 videos a week for me. So opius has definitely been a game changer in that as well. That was a huge game changer. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Saves us so much time. Yes. So much time. Oh my gosh. Awesome. Okay, so we've both learned so much over the years building our business. What's one lesson you learned the hard way on?

SPEAKER_02 33:08

One lesson that I learned the hard way on. Um I would say always have contracts in place. Highly recommend that. Don't go off handshakes. Um, I don't care if you're going into business with your friend, uh, family member, you know, Joe Mo off the street, you know, you want to always have contracts in hand, or not in hand, but you always want to have contracts, you know. Highly, highly recommend that because um things happen, right? And you want to protect both parties at all times. So that's one thing that I would just recommend is just protect yourself. You know, you may not always need to use it, but it's just good to have it in place and it's good to have that structure. Not just that you may not need to use it, it's good to have the structure. It's good to have some type of baseline, some type of outline of here is what this is all about. This is the scope of work, this is what the services is, this is my policy and everything. You have that documented, signed, and you know, we're good to go. What would you say?

SPEAKER_01 34:13

I would say for me is building a foundation before scaling. Um, you know, I think for myself, I, you know, when I like right after I quit my job, um I was working with an another manager at the time who suggested she's like, oh, you should just get an assistant now. And I'm like, okay, you know, I was busy enough to have one, but I didn't have a system in place. I didn't know what to, you know, have her to do. So I was having her do everything. It just was super unorganized. And, you know, I think like, you know, yes, you want to scale, you know, you want to scale your business, you want to grow it, you want to get the hands and the help. But I think also making sure you have a foundation and systems in place when you're gonna bring somebody on. And then if you don't know how to do that, maybe have someone like you who does operations and that can help guide you to put systems in place. Um, I think that's definitely something I learned. And, you know, now and you know, as I'm, you know, trying to grow and and build again, you know, I I have a foundation, so it's just really good. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 35:17

Because it's all in your mind, you know. And so you have to get it out on paper, you have to get it out there. You have to let people know this is your vision for your business, these are your goals, this is what you, you know, this is how you see it, this is what you need help with. And so the more that you have SOPs, the more that you have your processes, the easier it is for someone to come into your business and be able to help you to take things off your plate. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 35:39

Yeah, that was hard because it's a game changer for sure. Um what mindset shifted the most for you?

SPEAKER_02 35:48

I would say staying optimistic because with entrepreneurship, it does ebb and flow, you know, um, and you can lose clients, right? You can have a great year and then you can have a bad year or a great month and then a bad month. Um, so I would say always stay in pot, always stay in positive and um just continue to put yourself out there, right? Continue to hustle, continue to keep the pipeline full, you know, because you just never know.

SPEAKER_01 36:16

Exactly. I would have to agree with that. I think, you know, when you're an entrepreneur, there's ebbs and flows, you're killing it one month or you're killing it, you have a strong year. And then the next year, it could things can change, you're right. You know, to you, you can lose clients. To me, it could be like, wow, I booked 30 campaigns this year. This year it's looking like half of that. I mean, it happens, you know, and um just understanding that's the territory you're entering when you're an entrepreneur. There's going to be a lot of ebbs and flows. And if that makes you nervous, you know, then I would highly suggest making sure you have other streams of income for yourself for stability, or you know, you know, some people are, you know, and it's okay. Some people are not all meant to be entrepreneurs, some people feel comfort in having a nine to five. And I think that's okay to want comfort and to want stability, to want to know exactly, hey, every two weeks I know exactly how much I'm making. I have my health insurance, I have, you know, this, I have that. Like, that's okay, you know. Um, sometimes it's not meant for everyone, and some people don't like the uncertainty in being an entrepreneur, and it comes with that.

SPEAKER_02 37:18

Yeah, it does. Yeah, it's really real.

SPEAKER_01 37:22

All right. So we are going to close this episode out. We want you to shout out in the comments down below. Do you want a part two to this episode? I feel like there's so much we want to cover with friendship, networking, building a business, you know, with friends, you know, all of that. So we would love to hear your thoughts. What is one thing you want entrepreneurs or creators listening to take away from this episode?

SPEAKER_02 37:45

I think I would have to say systems. If you want to start a business, if you want to be an entrepreneur, if you want to be a sustainable, successful entrepreneur, build the foundation. Yeah. You know, when you're thinking about the business, think about the foundation. Oftentimes we focus so much on marketing. We want the business to look pretty. I want the pretty website. I want everything to be beautiful. But you need to focus on the foundation first. Get the get the clients, get the foundation, and then you can worry about marketing, branding, all that, you know, once you have some funds and things coming in. So I would say, yeah, get your back at a house together.

SPEAKER_01 38:22

Yeah, I think you say yeah, I think for myself, it's just, you know, if you um are looking into transitioning and being a uh full-time creator, um, definitely, you know, don't put don't have all your eggs in one basket. Make sure you have you're on multiple platforms, make sure you have a good stream of consistent money coming in. I think, you know, look at your last six months. Are you hitting or exceeding what you're making at your full-time job? You know, um, are you, you know, just little side money isn't going to be enough because it's like at the end of the day, it's like you have to make sure that's fully replacing your current income. And then you also want extra coming in or a savings to where if there are some slow months in between, you can still survive because not every month is going to be a 10K month, you know, with brand deals. There might be a there might be a 10K, there might be a 2K, and then there might be a 20K four months down the line. So you don't know. So um just make sure you have a lot of that prepared. Um, I also will say, you know, multiple streams of income, you know, when it comes to being a creator, you know, you can't just rely just solely on brand deals. If you have a very strong team and a management team that you know can guarantee you work every single month and the work is consistent, then you might be okay. But still, what's the long game with that as well? Because, you know, things change, platforms change. One minute you're hot, the next minute it fizzles out a little bit. And so you don't want to just rely on the fact that you'll always be the flavor of the flavor of the month, right? You have to think like long term and like how can I sustain this business long term for myself to where I can continuously make money um long term with being a creator. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 40:08

And I'll just leave with and stay consistent. Stay consistent when it ebbs and flows, stay consistent. Absolutely. Don't give up.

SPEAKER_01 40:15

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02 40:16

So if this episode resonated with you, share this with another entrepreneur, a creator, or business owner.

SPEAKER_01 40:24

And uh make sure to follow us and stay tapped into Thriving Loudly Podcast. As always, keep Thriving Loudly.