How instant feedback grows your biz 🌱

How was your weekend?

Mine was busy working, but it wasn’t on brand strategy.

I was busy playing the clarinet in an orchestra to a full house in Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco.

You may have heard me mention that I play the classical clarinet professionally, I freelance in SF’s best orchestras and tour with a chamber ensemble. I’ve been playing since the 6th grade, have 2 degrees in music performance, one of which from an elite conservatory that at the time was considered one of the 3 best music schools in the US.

Making a living as a professional musician, despite life long training, education and commitment is a competitive and grueling life with relatively low pay.

I’m one of the lucky ones, I get paid well to play the clarinet AND I get to choose which gigs I want to do vs taking every single gig in order to pay the bills.

In fact, the main reason I started my business back in 2004, was to make enough money to support my lifestyle while having the freedom to do as many music gigs as I wanted. Gratefully now I love my business as much as the clarinet.

When I started playing in the 6th grade (coincidentally, the same year I discovered astrology) I had the privilege to start off with private lessons. A weekly 60-minute one on one with my clarinet teacher who gave me assignments to help my skills grow and provided instant feedback on my playing.

Instant feedback was integral to my success.

During those lessons, every little detail of my playing was scrutinized by my teacher who would point out my playing and technique issues from an outside perspective.

This relationship between student and teacher is one that every accomplished musician has. My teachers were completely involved in my life. In fact, I am still very good friends with my teacher from high school!

And over the years, I’ve gotten really good at my own self-assessment but when it’s time to crank something up to performance level, you bet I’ve scheduled a lesson with a music colleague who I respect.

If you’ve done sports, dancing, or anything athletic, you must be familiar with instant feedback from your coach.

Or if you’ve ever been serious preparing for an intense exam, you might have spent time with a tutor giving you instant feedback.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi says in his book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, that three conditions must be in place to achieve optimal engagement in any activity: clear goals; a balance between the perceived challenge and the perception of one’s own skills; and an immediate feedback loop that allows the person to make adjustments.

Now, what about business?

Guess what, I have a coach there too! Not only do I have business coaches but I also have other consultants with their own expertise that I request feedback for many things like ads and copywriting.

I only started working with business coaches a year ago and I’ve gone SO far in the last 12 months. I SMH 🤦🏽‍♀️ when I think about all the time I wasted not having a biz coach for guidance.

If I could do it all over again, knowing what I know now, I would have hired a business coach when I was first starting out even if I couldn’t afford it. I would have figured it out because what I’ve gained in the last year was worth every single dollar I’ve spent x10.

And I love coaching people with their businesses. I love getting into people’s business!

Unlike DIY courses or programs from the big gurus where you are 1 of 2000 students, and you get zero 1-1 attention, with my branding program you’re going to personalized feedback. I like to keep my programs intimate so I can spend personalized time getting into your business.

During coaching calls or strategy sessions I’ll be giving you instant feedback, reviewing your social media posts, freebies and email sequences, brand story, new designs… all of it.

I’m absorbing every last bit of your brand and letting you know what works, what doesn’t work and how you might fix it.

I want to get in your business and help you present your business in the best way possible.

I want to get in your business to help you package up your brand to be irresistible.

I want to get in your business and support you through your unique challenges so you can grow more quickly than if you did it on your own.

In my flagship branding program Crystallize, over the months we work together, not only will you get serious 1-1 strategy time with me but you will get personalized feedback on your brand’s vision, voice and style!

How valuable is 1-1 feedback so you can brand who you are!?

PS: Want me to get in your biz? Now taking applications for Crystallize. Let’s chat!