How Shiny Things Tell Us We’re On The Right Path
I have this theory. After many years in business, not to mention the general behind-kicking doled out by life, a trend has revealed itself. I would argue it is more ‘truism’ than a fluke. This ‘truism,’ while tantalizing most of the time is, in fact, a remarkable barometer for forward motion. Easily overlooked, but generally deadly.
I’ve been consulting for the loveliest of women, who, by self-definition are pure hippies. These women sincerely want to change the vibrational frequency of the world for the better, and they work hard to spread their message.
Prior to the ‘Rona, we laid down a marketing strategy that focused on bringing people into their physical space, this allowed them to act as practitioners, teachers, and healers on an intimate level. We set up events, charity opportunities, and a number of other community outreach happenings. The locals were just starting to respond and their studio was seeing an uptick in traffic.
Cue March 2020.
All of a sudden, the world stopped. Fear and canceled events became normal. This change required pivoting away from in-person execution and presented an opportunity to retarget, rethink and retool. We went back to the drawing board and began working on a digital strategy. Rather than working one on one with individuals; the message became broader and geared toward large swaths of people at once.
This also presented a new hurdle to overcome: before we could deliver the message en masse we had to have people to whom it could be delivered. So we began building the digital footprint on multiple platforms. The end goal: subscriptions to the site and a thriving audience to serve. The work was tedious and moved them somewhat out of their comfort zone.
My request was simple on its surface: 1. post on all the chosen social platforms multiple times a day, 2. nurture the relationship you have with your audience, respond to every comment, and 3. establish yourselves and your brand as the authority in the space. This seems obvious and doable, but it’s easy to get discouraged when the daily mundane tasks appear to move the needle only slightly.
At this point in any endeavor the idea of “slogging through” can become overwhelming, but this is just when it starts to get good and when dangerously “shiny things” become the most appealing.
Fast forward to June – out of quarantine, and the plan was working, spectacularly! The momentum was picking up and it was enthralling. On a scheduled Zoom call I immediately noticed their energy was something akin to giddy, like twelve-year-old girls on the front row of a boy band concert. They chattered happily and informed me that they had big news to share. I had hoped that it had something to do with the metrics I was holding in my hands, that maybe I’d missed something in my analytics.
Nope.
Them: “A business acquaintance has asked us to collaborate with her and change our physical space into a Salt Cave. Have you ever been in a Salt Cave? It’s such a healing experience, and it will let us work through another modality.”
Me: “Huh? A what? Sounds dumb,” I thought to myself.
Them: “I think we’re going to do it, we’ve already spoken to the landlord and our Lawyer. She’s going to pay for everything and we’ll just work the desk. It’ll allow us to bring more people into the studio.”
Me: “Um, so you’re going to work for her? How do you anticipate this will benefit your desired outcome?”
Them: “It will potentially draw more people into the studio.”
Me: “What happened to building a global audience and serving more people digitally?”
Them: “We can still do it, we’ll just rotate working the front desk at the same time and we can share contacts. We can multi-task!”
Me: “Do you notice how limited this makes your vision, how it changes your direction and energy away from building your own brand to working as free receptionists?”
Silence, followed by: “have you ever been to a Salt Cave, Jess? They’re amazing!”
Me: “Nope, I’m sure they’re great. How long have you guys been considering this?” I glance at my analytics, noting a slight dip in the past five days.
Them: “She came to us last weekend and showed us the whole game plan, the projected numbers, and everything. She’s even going to pay for the rent on the space and take over the lease.”
Me: Why can they not see this? “It sounds like you’re considering it because she’ll pay your rent? Why not just find out if you can break the lease or relocate to a less expensive space in the building? What are you truly trying to accomplish with this?”
The excitement waned. Now they were the moms picking their girls up after the boy band had gone home.
Them: “Maybe we should give this more thought,”
I felt like I’d just killed a baby dream. The tension was palpable, even through the digital medium.
Shiny Object: The thing that jumps in your path when you’re gathering momentum. Its intent is to distract, delay and potentially derail. OR, you can recognize it for what it is – a glorious guidepost.
I immediately suggested they think seriously. Yes, it’s true, they weren’t as far along as they had hoped; but momentum, with all its magic, was picking up and quickly. I explained my ‘shiny thing’ theory to them and met resistance.
Them: “This is not a ‘shiny thing’ this is a chance to better serve.”
Several weeks later, after talking about the Salt Cave, ad nauseam. They passed.
What happened in those weeks was a distraction. Momentum left the building taking all its accruing speed with it. Prior to the “salt cave interrupter,” we were already seeing exponential growth. EXPONENTIAL! Their numbers were doubling roughly every week. The four weeks of distraction and failure to “slog through” cost them; the machine we’d painstakingly built, ground to a halt.
It took some months to gather that energy again, but they refocused and did so. I’m happy to report that after this hiccup and following recommitment, they have held two in-person retreats. A goal they anticipated would be years away, not mere months.
The Moral: Salt Caves aka shiny things, show themselves just as the good stuff is on the periphery. Hold the line, continue slogging. Pop your head up and notice the small signs around you. You’ll likely find you’re on the right path and poised to break through.
Jessica Coroles was born and raised in the Mountain West; a serial entrepreneur by trade; avoider of all things boring and fish (blech); she is the mother of two lovely humans, one fluffy sheepadoodle, and has been married to the world’s greatest man for 17 years.
