139. Procrastibranding and placeholder marketing

Today I want to share with you two concepts I learned from Denise Duffield-Thomas in her book Chill and Prosper, and they address how we can get past convincing ourselves that we aren't ready for the next step.   First is procrastibranding, where we tell ourselves that we can't: buy business cards because we don't have a website yet; or advertise for the next season because we haven't decided on our sales packages. There are so many ways that we can convince ourselves not to move forward! Instead, lean in on her second concept of placeholder marketing that will help you take some action. I actually just went through this procrastibranding - placeholder marketing situation with my Glow Retreat!   I kept feeling like the website had to be more built out, I needed more Instagram posts, I needed a better schedule, etc. but I was just too excited to announce it that I went for it anyway and was so delighted when it sold out on the first day. (Thanks again to everyone who signed up - I'm so incredibly excited to see you there!)   After I saw that happen it opened my eyes to some areas I've been procrastibranding in my balloon business, too. Things like: marketing the new props I get marketing for graduation season moving some things around on my website   And I'll tell you, once you start rolling with your placeholder marketing and discovering that you can succeed with it, those decision-making powers start to trickle out into the rest of your business, too! So, what do you do from here? First, know that everything is temporary. You can change it when the time comes. And your "placeholder" marketing might just do the job! Chances are, nobody will be looking that closely at your logo or your business card, etc.   Force yourself to take some action now so that you have the opportunity to improve them later. You won't make much money in your business if you're stuck in non-action.   What are some other ways we procrastinate in our businesses? Maybe you avoid putting systems like pricing guides or color charts in place, that you know will help your customers, but are afraid will box you in. That was me for so long but once I created these items I couldn't believe the difference in how much more quickly I was able to book my jobs. I'm also certain that the color chart has saved me tons of money because I don't need to chase every new color that comes on the market.   As you're listening and discover something that you've also been avoiding, I hope this episode motivates you to take action on at least one thing… today! Let me know! What are you taking action on next?   RESOURCES MENTIONED: Pricing Guide Menu  Color Chart 50% off your 1st year of 17hats  / 17hats Bootcamp  Balloon Suite  Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% with code BRIGHT)  Balloon Boss Summit & BalloonCoach.com     ____________________________ Support the show / join the book club  50 Ideas for Email Marketing | Join the Bright Balloon email list  planner | courses | templates  @thebrightballoon  The Bright Balloon on YouTube