BIRD WILLIAMS: You're listening to Bird Means Business Episode 12. 

Well, hello there. I am going to share a little bit of heart on today's episode. I actually wrote this episode out when I was writing the email for Episode 8.  So if you don't know, I send out a weekly email every week. It coincides with my podcast giving you some business tips that are related. But there's also like goals and accountability. And I just really try to keep it fun and concise because, who has time to read a novel in their inbox, right? 

So, I was all in my feelings when I first wrote this. And I planned on editing it, and then sending it out later in the week to my email list. But I just never really got around to it. And then I thought, I could share this on the podcast. When I sat down, just now, to read it again, I felt like, ooh, maybe I should just edit a bit first because it's a little raw and just really open and vulnerable. But I am going to resist that, and I'm going to just give you all my heart, as it is so. 

Before we get started, I want to share a listener shout out. And it actually comes from one of my course students. If you don't know, I'm currently in the middle of an online course with an amazing group of young women who are launching and growing their businesses. And one of my students hit me up on Instagram, and it's kind of perfect to share this one because it really ties into what I wrote, as this open letter weeks ago. Like I mentioned, what you're going to hear next. So this is what she says. "I am so happy I invested in myself by taking this course. This is exactly what I needed. OMG!!!!! I can honestly say I've learned more in the first couple of videos than I have in my degree." What? I was like whoa. That's amazing. And I tell her how it just made my heart burst to hear that because y'all it's a lot of work to put this course together. And it's exciting and exhilarating, but also just a lot. And a side note, I'm going to be sharing an episode soon of how I laid out my online course for those of you who might want to do the same. So stay tuned. So anyway I thank her and I ask her if I can share her comment anonymously, and this is what she says, and I quote, "Girl, anonymous or not, you can definitely share. I believe people need to understand how crucial this is for their business, newbies like me, and the breakdown is on point." Then she goes on to just share like all that she's doing to kind of take the course a step further for her and her business. And y'all it just made my whole, whole day. So this was everything to me. And when I tell you, I had no idea what I was doing seven years ago when I set out to launch The League with my husband. And that's what I put into this course. All of what's inside of there is stuff that took me so much longer, and so much more money to figure out. So the thought that I could even help just one person on their journey, is really everything to me. 

So this leads me right into my open letter, which again, I wrote weeks ago. But I'm going to just share it here on the podcast. I never sent it out to my email list, but I'm going to share it here right now. So this is what it says. 

You may have heard me say this before, but it's worth repeating. My ultimate goal is to serve you. And I know, that might sound super cheesy. But it actually is honestly why I started Bird Williams in the first place. There are so many other ways I can invest my energy. But I cannot tell you how many times I've heard. I would work with small businesses, but they don't have the budget. Or I choose not to work with small businesses because they don't have any money. And I get it. And there's no shade or hate or anything to anyone who targets their business differently or in that way. I honestly understand. But it's so tough for me because I know that there are so many entrepreneurs or potential entrepreneurs out there who are stuck because there just aren't practical resources out there for them, because it just doesn't work for people's business models to support small businesses. So I'm trying my best to do that and to make it work to serve small businesses. The reality is that my time is extremely limited between all the different entities that I manage or that I'm involved with. And also, with my family. I have two little boys and a loving husband. And you know also just girls trying to have some personal sanity too. So yeah, my time is super-duper limited. So when I work with clients one on one, it's a four-figure investment, so that I'm able to be compensated for my time. However, I don't know that the Ashley in 2013, when I first launched my first business, could have afforded that. So that's what I'm trying to do with online courses. I'm trying to create a space in more of a group format to make the price more reasonable for new entrepreneurs. So that's where my heart is on that. I'd hate the thought of coming across as super salesy when I'm promoting my online course. But I'm just ultimately trying to figure out how to make all of this work and support you and your needs. If next year Bird Williams does not exist. If I never own my own office space or have that small but mighty team I so yearn for, or if I never get to travel and speak or whatever my goals are. If none of that ever happens, but I was able to help people in a tangible real practical way. Y'all, if a single business was created because this motivated them, or if just one business grew and really took off because someone got the practical tip they needed from whatever I'm putting out. It will all be worth it. And I mean that from the deepest parts of me. I hold it very loosely, the structure of my calling. And I hold tightly to the source of my calling. So, if that structure changes, if it looks differently. I'm okay with that. But I'm not okay with not serving the community, I feel called to serve. I say all that to say I truly want to serve you. So when I ask for feedback or what you think or if I ask you to respond to my email with ideas or questions or suggestions. I actually mean that. It is going to be my eyeballs, seeing your responses. It will go straight to my eyes or to my ears and right down to my heart. There's no other person reading your responses as long as I can make that happen. That's my heart. So let me know how best to serve you. I want you to know that I'm here for you. You, who are still reading this email. That's who I'm here to serve. So let me know what you need, what your pain points are, what specific things you need help with. And as I find ways to continue to serve you, it will be all the motivation I need to make my heart just so happy. 

So that was the letter, y'all. As you can see, I was kind of in my feelings a little bit, but it was really from a place of just really wanting to serve. So as an update, you know, that was three weeks ago. Now what I've kind of figured out is that I need to make space and time to really rethink things in my business. That can sound kind of daunting. But it's not scary or bad. What I'm doing is a total immersion weekend. I shared a little bit about this on Instagram last week. But it'll look different for different businesses. But for me, I'm going to just spend a weekend. And I'm going to get really clear on what direction I want my business to go in and I'm doing this because it's only been three months since I launched my business, and it has changed. I have gotten a lot of response and I'm really energized by this. I'm so happy. But I also want to make sure that I'm staying true to what it is I want to do, and really making sure that I'm running in the direction that I ultimately want to go. And I'm not running toward this dead-end or this like facade of what I thought something was supposed to be. I just want to make sure that everything is really tying in. That I am able to just serve my community as best I can. So, this was not easy for me. I mean, I'll be honest, I only actually booked this because I had emailed it to y'all that are on my email list. It was like over 100 people. And I hadn't emailed it out, but it was one of my goals for the week, and I knew that one of y'all would ask and so yeah that's the power of accountability right there. I basically forced myself by the end of the week to book a hotel. I'm getting away, not far. It's more of like a staycation but I'm getting to a quiet place. My mom is gonna have the kids for the weekend. I'm gonna have my phone on Do Not Disturb all weekend. I'm just going to grind it out and I'm excited about it. It's hard for me to spend precious time and precious money here when I know that there are so many other things in my life that need it. But y'all, I know this is going to be good for my business. So, I can't wait to share more about that - my total immersion weekend in one of the upcoming episodes. 

So this is what I'd love for you to do. Please hit me up on Instagram, or shoot me an email. It's Hello@ birdwilliams.com, and let me know what you want to hear. Guys, I have so many episode ideas, like episode ideas galore. There's actually 57, to be exact. I have a Google doc entitled "Episode Topic Ideas", and there are 57 of them. But I don't want to just put out what I think you want to hear. I want to make sure that I'm actually addressing your real concerns and needs. So hit me up and say, "Hey, Ashley, I'd love to know XYZ." And y'all I'm definitely going to consider it for the show. 

Also, just so you know. If you ever need links to anything I mentioned in any of these episodes, all my podcast episodes are at birdwilliams.com, and you just put / podcast, and then slash, the number. So for this one, this episode, Episode 12, it would be birdwilliams.com/podcast/12. Also if you want to join my email list because a few of you have asked like I want to join, I don't know how. You can go to your birdwilliams.com/join and there'll be a pop-up that shows where you can put in your email address, or you can just go to the link in my Instagram bio. But I want you to know, I promise I will not be spamming you over email because I myself do not like getting a million emails a week. It's really annoying. So I send out one email a week, and like I said it's loaded with practical business tips, and then there's also engagement. I want you guys to respond to me with your goals and do heart checks and things like that. So it's really quick and concise and fun and helpful for you. Also, just side note, if you ever need to unsubscribe, there will be no hard feelings. Surprisingly, not a single person has unsubscribed yet, so I guess I'm doing great. I'm gonna keep it up. 

Okay, so thank you so much for following on Spotify, for subscribing on Apple Podcasts, and for telling your entrepreneur friends about Bird Means Business. I say that because y'all when you subscribe it basically just boosts the podcast up in the rankings for business podcasts so that, you know, the word gets out to more entrepreneurs about how to navigate their journey. So that's why I ask you to subscribe, or even just tell your friends about Bird Means Business. I really appreciate it and I really hope you have an awesome rest of your week. Talk to you soon.