#54 - 3 Powerful Takeaways From Podfest That Can Change Your Business Today

Have you ever felt the tug of a dream or an idea you just know you’re meant to pursue—but life, time, or self-doubt keeps pulling you in another direction?

Did you know that 20% of businesses fail within their first year, and nearly half don’t make it past year five?

One big reason for that is inaction

Whether it’s hesitating to take the next step, doubting your ideas, or simply getting stuck in overwhelm.

But I'm not going to let you get stuck - oh no!

In this episode, I’m sharing three game-changing lessons I learned this week that completely recharged my vision and purpose as a creator, coach, and entrepreneur. 

You'll learn about: 

• how to speak directly to the one person you’re meant to help
• embracing the power of generosity in your work, and
• recognizing that your creative spark exists for a reason

The most important thing I hope to leave you with is the fire to get started and take one action today - whatever your dream is, it's waiting for you to bring it to life, so it's right now baby!

LET'S GO!

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Links from the show:
 
Atomic Habits by James Clear - Highly recommend following the steps in this book!

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Mindset to Market is a Luminous Creative Production. If you'd like to learn more about our business coaching program and group coaching container, please visit us online at DeborahcSmith.com.

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Transcript

This weekend, I found myself standing in a crowded room at Podfest. an annual multi-media festival held at the Rennesaince in Orlando. I was sitting in the atrium surrounded by podcasters from all over the world. As I listened to their stories, and learned from their experience, one thing became crystal clear: the magic and power of creativity is something that each and every one of us has access to at anytime. It’s free, it’s our birthright and it can become the fuel to build our business. But to foster a creative dream,and potentially turn your ideas into a viable working business, you have to believe in yourself and you will need to take action.

Have you ever felt the tug of a dream or an idea you just know you’re meant to pursue—but life, time, or self-doubt keeps pulling you in another direction?

Did you know that 20% of businesses fail within their first year, and nearly half don’t make it past year five?

One big reason? Inaction—whether it’s hesitating to take the next step, doubting your ideas, or simply getting stuck in overwhelm.

Maybe you’ve been there: You’ve got a brilliant idea, a spark of inspiration that could be a game-changer for your business, but instead of running with it, you second-guess yourself. Weeks go by, and the excitement fades. Now, it’s just another 'what if' gathering dust in the back of your mind.

In this episode, I’m sharing three game-changing lessons I learned this week that completely recharged my vision and purpose as a creator, coach, and entrepreneur. From learning how to speak directly to the one person you’re meant to help, to embracing the power of generosity in your work, to recognizing that your creative spark exists for a reason—these insights are the kind of inspiration you can carry straight into your own journey.

E-Camm was on-site at the event and I recorded this episode live from their podcast station, so please forgive some of the noise in the background - those other excited creators all over the place… But enjoy these gold nuggets and please use them to fuel whatever you are working on.

_INTRO_

All right, y'all. So before I dive into the deeper  power topic of this morning's episode, I just want to do a tiny bit of housekeeping  and, and I owe you an apology. 

I promised you that this week, actually last Friday, that I was going to drop my interview with Lina Christine.  And the topic that she and I spoke about was how to use  SEO,  in your copy and on your webpages and on your social media 

and that episode is indeed ready to go.  But. Unfortunately, I underestimated my time that I'd have available once I got here to Orlando where I'm recording this podcast from.  So I mentioned, I think, last week that I was coming to a conference called PodFest here in Orlando, and that's where I'm recording this from right now.

I'm actually sitting in the unstuck studios podcast booth, which is a crazy pop up. I'll take some pics and post them on social media. . And it has been an incredibly inspiring three days, literally chock full of incredible speakers, keynote speeches, education sessions.

Forums on how to do any and everything that's related to producing media,  introduction to new technology. I mean, I've, you know, all kinds of classes on marketing and software and AI. And   I got to meet some of the founders of PodFest and some of the people who like literally created  these platforms on which we now just, you know, create , our unique content and publish it. 

 So  it's just been really incredible to be here this weekend, and I just want to share the power and inspiration with you and hopefully there's some gold nuggets that you can take into your day, into your week, and to think about how you want to nurture your own dream. The only other housekeeping thing I want to mention is that I think you guys know, um, I have been on a personal journey of transformation through posting and publishing this podcast. And I learned so much here this weekend about how I want to reshape and reframe  the delivery of my content. So I'm going to be very transparent with you as I do this.

There are going to be subtle changes that I'm going to weave in to this podcast. Over the course of the next couple of months, you're going to see changes in the format,  changes in how I interview my guests, changes in the intentionality with which I show up and how I choose my guests  with the purpose and the goal of really, truly helping you  find the inspiration to go out and  pursue your dream and providing you with the knowledge and the tools to do it.

Like that is my goal. My goal is to help more. people pursue their  life's dream and turn it into a profitable  source of income so they can continue to do it. Taking your ideas to market,  having the right powerful mindset to wake up every day and know it's possible, and just the how to of building a successful  business. 

doing what you are passionate about. That's what I have  pursued with my life and, and continue to pursue. And I want to share that with you, but in a way that it's actually impactful, right? I want you to truly get something from it. So I'm going to be tweaking, intentionally reshaping my content.  And,  



uh, with these podcasts  if you really want to reach your target audience, you should just say exactly what the content inside your podcast is. So  there's a chance I'll change the name again.  And then finally,  I am going to be taking some bold action on the guests that I reach out to.

I just feel really inspired about, you know, how to.  properly set this up for success.   Okay. So a couple of gold nuggets that I want to  share with you  after being here for the last couple of days. 

And yeah, it does relate to marketing your product or service, and it does relate to, you know, kind of being empowered and feeling like you're worthy.  One thing that really has hit home for me is the power of envisioning the one person.  You want to help in this world? So  we talk about niching down all the time,

but this is kind of  broader, if you are  trying to figure out what your dream is and what your calling is, and what your purpose is,  a simple way to get there is to ask yourself, like, if I could only help one person in the whole world. and change their life and make an impact. 

Who is she, who is he? And, and what, how would I help them?  And then from there on out, once you get clear about who that one person is that you can really, truly support and help with your work,  then you just want to speak to that one person, right? So for me, it's a solopreneur. It's a woman who is out there, who's struggling to figure out how to line up all of her marketing messaging and build a funnel.

that attracts your ideal client. That's the one person that I'm speaking to with this podcast. You are a business owner and you have amazing ideas, you have a passion, you have skills that, you know, you're uniquely qualified to share with the world.  You need some help with the technical aspect of your marketing  to help your dream truly come to life and, and reach the people that you're trying to help.

You are my one person,  and I'm gonna  take my own advice and really start to speak to you much more directly. I've been pretty broad, I've had some gray areas, and you, I want you to do the same thing. I want you to think about the one person that you are trying to speak to, and just focus on her, or him, or them, you.

And really speak to them. Every single time you write a sentence, every single piece of content that you produce, that you put out on Instagram or write a blog about, you are talking to that one person that you can help. Every single time you publish anything.  And that is a shift. That's a huge shift.

Because when you're speaking to everybody, you're speaking to nobody. But also, if you do that, you're gonna start to really find those people. And I hope that for myself, I hope that for you.  So, that's sort of gold nugget number one coming out of Podfest is  just speak directly to the one person that you want to help and let that guide every single thing you create. 

Everything you do. Every offer that you craft.  The pricing. the messaging, the packaging, everything.  Combine your special skill and unique power and your dream with the idea of connecting with that one person and you have a pathway to success.  Secondly, another really powerful gold nugget that I have just seen over and over and over again, heard over and over again this week, is just to give freely of yourself to those who you want to support. 

And expect nothing in return.  So when you're creating your product, your service, your content, your offer, your  blog post, your invitation to an event,  you just want to  put it out there in the hopes that it will touch somebody and make an impact  whether or not they ever buy something from you. Don't set up a 15 minute discovery call.

only in the hopes of selling somebody. Do it in the hopes that you will inspire them and change their life. If you can shift into that generosity, that place of giving freely without worrying whether or not it's going to yield sales.  You are going to raise your vibrations so much higher and you're truly going to inspire those people.

And it's that high vibration, inspired, sparky human being who is much more likely to want to work with you anyways. So you want to be attracting people into your life that are like you.  vibrating on that higher plane who are ready to invest in themselves, who are ready to take action.  And the way to create that relationship is to be on that level yourself, to raise your own vibration and give freely and generously of your gift,  that calling, that purpose, that one dream that you have in your life. 

that you want to inspire people with. Like, if you just give freely of that beautiful gift that you have, your vibration will be so much higher. Their vibration will feel, be so much higher because they will feel and receive that gift and it will raise them up and you'll be bringing them along with you.

And then that's the kind of, person that you want in your audience, that's the kind of person that's going to  decide to work with you.  So  that's kind of gold nugget number two is just like, be generous with your content, be generous, be thoughtful, create content that is designed to inspire that one person. 

Do it freely with no expectations, expect nothing in return. Just be the fountain that gives.  And then  , gold nugget number three. ,  if you have  a calling inside of you,  right, if you have some type of spark  of creativity, or a feeling that there's something inside of you that you  meant to do, or meant to share, or meant to say,  and it wants to come out, and it's just kind of nagging at you.

It's calling your name. It's, it's always there in the back of your mind. Whether it's writing a book, or writing a song, or designing a product that could disrupt an industry, Or creating a community where people can get together and share content about like a like minded, you know, desire or topic. Or if it's, you know, inviting people to participate in a game that you're going to facilitate.

Or if you want to provide a service to people, like I do, like I help people build their technology so that they can, you know, truly, honestly, sell a product or service. Like, I love helping people build services. Bespoke funnels and design their content so that it really speaks to their ideal client. It's a passion of mine But whatever your passion is,  whatever it is, that dream that's in you, it's in you for a reason. 

It's your Passion. It's your purpose that is calling you right that inner voice that that's your soul's purpose and that vision is is in you for a reason. It's because you are uniquely meant to be a conduit to give birth to that idea, or that project, or that creative experience, or 

 whatever it is that you want to do, It's in you for a reason. 

It's whispering in the back of your head for a reason. It's truly, I believe, calling you to open yourself and become a conduit to give birth to that thing. So and here's the thing, if you don't do it,  it's not going to go away. It's not going to leave. It's going to keep nagging at you and nagging at you until eventually it's grown so big and so, you know, you know, large inside of your mind that you can't possibly not do it. 

And one day you're going to realize that you have to do it. You have no choice but to show up and take action on this thing because you've lived your life and you haven't still haven't done that thing and you need to do it. Right? So my advice is to get into action now and start building a ladder to reach that dream.

Start taking little baby step actions. Do you just 1 percent right? Like atomic habits by James clear,   show up every day and take one tiny baby step. Even if it's just five minutes of your day,  because this is the path that your soul is calling you to take action on. So you really do need to  show up for yourself in that way.

That inspiration, that little tiny spark inside of you, it's your birthright.   Creativity is your birthright as well. It's a tool for all of us.  And so because you're creative by nature, because creativity is a birthright, all you need to do is  set yourself up for success by taking baby steps and practicing towards that dream.

If you've never written a book before and you really feel called to write a book, well guess what? You need to sit down every day and start writing. So get yourself into a writing program or go start talking to people who have published books and, and, and learn their story. How did they do it?  Go to the library and read about whatever it is that you're passionate about.

 You do not need to have money to start pursuing your creative dream. You don't need to already be good at it. You just need to be willing to take one step.  I think  it's gonna inspire me to keep going on my path and towards my dream. And anything is possible as long as you believe in yourself and then you're willing to put a little bit of elbow grease into taking those baby steps every day.

Because slowly and surely over time you are going to arrive in a place where suddenly you're like, Holy cow, 30 days has gone by and I did one tiny baby step every single day and look where I am.  Right? If you started doing you know, push ups every single day. The first day maybe you can only do, you know, one or two push ups, but by 30 days in you're going to be able to do 10, 15, maybe 20, maybe even 30 push ups and you're going to be so much stronger because you're building the muscle, your actual physical muscles.

It is the same thing with your creative ideas, with your passion,  with your, you know, your goals in life. You have to show up every single day and take action, take baby steps and believe in yourself. And listen, when it gets hard, that's when you need to have the mindset of I can push through the hard part because it's going to get hard.

There's going to be days when you want to quit and you don't want to do that. the thing anymore. And when you feel frustrated and when you feel like you're a failure and when you see other people , doing it better or having, you know, all the followers and all already published.

And those people have been working at this since the beginning. They were once in a place just like you're in, where they don't really know how to do it yet. And they have to learn and they have to start from scratch. They have to believe in themselves and they have to take. One tiny step forward. So taking an action, a minuscule baby step action is doing it.

It is shifting the way that you, yourselves feel about this dream that is, that is inside of you to take away number three from this amazing festival is  that creative spark inside of you that is calling you.  Give it some space to take, to expand. Give it some space to grow.

Open yourself up to the possibility that that thing could transform your whole life, if you allow it to. And don't be afraid. Don't be afraid to step into unknown spaces and meet new people and connect.  Because, listen, nothing grows in our comfort zone. I say that all the time. It's a very common, inspirational, motivational thing to say, but it's true as well.

It is true that nothing grows where you feel comfortable and safe. You have to step outside your comfort zone and take an action  to experience the growth that you desire. And if you have an idea for a business,  a product, a service, and you want to grow that dream,  do not be afraid of that scary unknown that lies before you and success because that's the path that every single successful entrepreneur has taken before you. And so you just be amongst good company of people who have done it scared, done it messy, right?

So you're going to do it scared. You're going to do it messy, but you're going to do it and you're going to do it in baby steps. And you're going to do it every single day because you are worth it and the world truly needs that special sauce, that unique creative spark that lives only inside of you.

Right? And even if a million other people have published a book, think about the book is a great example.  Think about all the authors out there who have written books that have changed people's lives. What if they didn't write their book? So if, if you have a dream inside of you, just think about that one person whose life you could change if you were to allow yourself  to let that dream out. 

And that's it.   Those are my three top takeaways from being here at Podfest. Speak to the one person whose life you want to change. Give generously , expect nothing in return. And if you have a creative spark inside of you, which I know you do, otherwise you wouldn't be listening to this podcast,  allow it to be born.

Give it space to grow. Give it some fuel. Step outside your comfort zone. Be brave. You are absolutely worth it. And we, we actually need you to give birth to that creative business dream,  that  purpose of yours. So you make the world a better place when you do it ,  and you will change not only your own life, but you will change the many countless lives that your beautiful  dream and, and creative vision  touches.

So  don't be scared to take an action and go do something today.  Do something right now when you stop listening to this podcast that is a baby step in the direction of your creative dream. Okay? Okay? And then text me or message me at hello at Deborah C. Smith dot com and tell me what your vision is  and I want to support you. 

So that is a way that you can automatically get accountability. Text me, email me, DM me on Instagram,  you can, you can go to the show notes and get the links there. 

So,  okay, you guys,  this coming Friday, you will absolutely get the Lena Christine interview. And I've got some other great interviews coming after that. So stick with me. Thank you so much for being a listener of this podcast. Thanks for being on this journey for, with me, expect some changes coming, um, in small, subtle waves over the next couple of months to enhance  my service to you  and my support for you as you grow your your one of a kind special beautiful business.

And with that, I look forward to  dropping in with you again on Friday. Until then, may you be vibrant.