Hey Greenblasters.

Sorry for the sombre “period” there instead of my usual exclamation mark lol.

But today I share with you the news that Nicky - my co-founder and partner of 7.5 years at OutLoud Speakers School - and I are parting ways to do our own thing.

It’s kinda sad, mostly exciting, but a large chapter of my life is ending, and that always makes me feel emotions I can’t quite name.

So I wanna tell you about it, cause there’s an important lesson, and let you know what’s next for me so you can decide if you wanna stay on this crazy ride a little longer!

Now: if you’ve found me on LinkedIn or met me at a networking event, you might not even know I ran a company called OutLoud.

That’s because, for the past few years I’ve been struggling with a common entrepreneur’s dilemma:

“Do I try and build my company’s brand, or my personal brand?

And how much time (and money) do I spend on each?”

What I found, after years of trying to build OutLoud was, despite:

• bootstrapping to over $250K in annual revenue

• adding a roster of 8 fully trained and working coaches

• working with clients like Google, Wayfair, Ericsson and Boston Dynamics

• and hiring 2 full time employees besides ourselves

Nobody seemed to care about our brand.

All of our clients came through:

• referrals

• word of mouth

• speaking engagements

• in-person networking events

• and my social media activities

And nobody seemed to care WHAT the name of the company was; its story; or what we stood for.

They only wanted to learn about one thing:

Me. Or Nicky. Or the coach we hired who would be working with their team.

And after a year or so of blank looks, low sales, and difficulty growing an online presence, my social media manager said to me:

“Nobody follows a company online. They follow people.”

And from there, a switch was flipped:

• I started telling MY story on sales calls, and getting more and bigger contracts.

• I grew a modest following on Instagram and LinkedIn, talking about my work, story, and tips and tricks, and a lot of new clients started to come from social.

• I started working with entrepreneurs, which was how I thought of myself, and having more personal conversations about the fears and pressures of that role.

And then, in 2023 when the entire corporate training industry seemed to tank overnight, and I had to let our 2 full-time employees go (which sucked for me, but especially them) I had a realization:

I’m trying to be a CEO, running a growing agency. But that’s not who I am.

I’m a coach. And a speaker. And a content creator.

A “solopreneur”, if you will.

So, Nicky and I scaled back, and after a year and a bit of reflection, realized we were both better served being our own bosses.

Now what?

Nicky is going to continue her amazing work as a coach, specifically working with female executives on Voice Work.

She taught me so much about being a coach, and took a chance on me when I was still a naive wannabe entrepreneur, and I’m forever grateful.

As for me:

I’m betting on myself, and starting a new business around my personal brand.

My thesis is: all of my success has come from telling my story, working with clients, speaking onstage, and creating content, so that’s what I’m gonna do.

Like Chris Do, John C Maxwell, Eric Thomas, and Vanessa Van Edwards:

“Coach/creator-as-business-model.”

I’ll focus on:

• speaking

• my LinkedIn

• this newsletter

• adding YouTube vids

• and driving all of that traffic to Speaking Heroes

And this newsletter, The Greenblast, will be MUCH more focused on solving problems for other solopreneurs like me, specifically:

“How can I use speaking and storytelling to grow my business online and onstage?”

If that’s for you, I’m so glad to have you. I promise to give you the good stuff, every week.

If not, feel free to stay for the journey, but I totally get it if you want off the ride.

THAT’S IT for this one! Onwards and upwards. I’ll see ya next week.

Greenblast… out 🚀

P.S. We have our first SPONSOR!! Read more below:

Ready to level up your career with increased powers of persuasion? Subscribe to the monthly Captivate newsletter and get practical tips that will make you a more effective communicator right away.

 https://captivatenewsletter.substack.com/