The death rate for people who play it safe and for those who live boldly is the same.” 
― Patti Digh, Life Is a Verb: 37 Days to Wake Up, Be Mindful, and Live Intentionally

Entrepreneurs who make it big rarely attribute their success to playing it safe.  By their very definition, entrepreneurs are risk takers, outside the box thinkers, who aren’t afraid to make mistakes.

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway

During a retreat I hosted for my mastermind clients recently, we focused on how fears squelch business growth more than we realize. One client shared that she was afraid to ask for the sale, and another client was afraid of letting go of very structured processes of working with clients.

And many clients tell me that they are afraid to share their personal opinions, to take a stand, and to be more creative with their marketing and blog, because of what people might think.

But good marketing makes people think, and hopefully creates a reaction in some way, hopefully positive. Nice, safe, boring marketing isn’t anything to write home about, and won’t get shared, commented or even worse, remembered!

You Will Be Attacked

I recently wrote a subject line to which one of my readers took offense. She accused me of being insensitive and questioned my values. Yet I also received many texts and emails from people who really enjoyed the article.

A previous coach told me, “you will be attacked. Accept it, deal with it, and don’t worry about it.”

People make their own choices about whether to be offended or not, and we can’t please everyone all the time, nor should we.

Clean Away the Toxins Organically

Push some buttons, take a stand, demonstrate that you have a backbone and thick skin. Let your creativity flow, marketing should be an art, and everyone knows that art is subjective. Some people will love it, and want to hang it in their homes, while some people won’t.

Your ideal clients will love you for it, and the people who are Negative Nellies will take their email addresses away and go home.

We don’t want to damage our brands by being unprofessional, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned in the past 8 years of online marketing, the more real I am, the more money I make.

Considering that only about 3% of our community is in our buying cycle at any given time, trying to please 100% of our readers is counterproductive. Write to the 3% who are thinking of investing in the services you offer.

The bottom line is this, don’t let your sensitivity turn into self-censoring. You have stuff to say, so speak your truth and let your false followers fall away.