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In today’s episode, I’m talking about trusting the vision you have for your business and focusing on the impact you want to make. I’m going to share two different scenarios; two very different examples but both with the same overall message and lesson of seeing the vision even if others don’t.
In this episode about seeing the vision even if others don’t, we cover:
- The story and journey of naming my podcast
- How to mentally overcome naysayers
- Creating content that supports what you want to be known for and what impact you want to make
- Leaning into the evolution of yourself and your business
Todays episode was going to be all about naming my podcast and the journey it was but I realized that another recent scenario that happened plays so well into the overall message I want to share with you
This episode is all about trusting the vision that you have for your business even if other people don’t understand or see the vision that you see so keep that at the top of your mind as we into scenario 1– naming my podcast
& before you tune out I just want to say that this isn’t going to be an episode where I share tips on how to name your podcast so make sure to stick around because this is a deeper conversation
last night I was outlining this episode and gabe, my husband, asked what topics I have coming up on the podcast and I said “well the one I’m currently working on is about my podcast journey” and immediately said “oooo the naming of your podcast?” which made me laugh because he immediately knew what I was going to share about
honestly it’s taken me quite some time to muster up the courage to talk about this because it was kind of a scaring moment for me in my business journey (and you’ll understand why in a minute) but i believe this is something that’s super important to share about
I always knew that I wanted to start a podcast even since before I started my business because listening to podcasts played such a big role in my journey getting to where I am today
rob dials podcast episode on the $500 million dollar question is one that specifically stands out because that one was the moment I realized that I needed to drop out of nursing school
but back to the story, because podcasts have played such a big role in my journey I wanted to create my own to kinda “give back “ in a way as a thank you for what I’ve learned from others but also to have a platform where i could share more about entrepreneurship and in more depth
all along I thought that I was going to name my podcast the honestpreneur podcast or something like honesty hour because I wanted my podcast to be a place of honest conversations around entrepreneurship but once I started my business and as my brand started to really evolve around october of last year the title just didn’t quite seem to fit my deep purpose and the impact I want to make
So I started playing around with other names and word combos — hundreds of them actually.
I asked for feedback on stories. I asked for ideas on stories. I gave my top name list once I had narrowed things down.
I asked for opinions MANY times before coming to the final name — radical disruption
I felt soooo good about the name
And just so you get the full picture. There’s a lot of thought behind the name, a whole vision actually.
Radical – I chose this word for a few different reasons. I. Because it means going against the traditional ways of thinking and creating a life of purpose. 2. Rad is an abbreviation of radical and rad means different and interesting and cool 3. Radical innovation is innovation beyond our imagination and that’s exactly what I want this community to be all about. Doing the unimaginable. Also because there is a cool math symbol for radical that I will for sure be using on the clothing
Disruption- I chose this word because holy wow it is POWERFUL. I loved a definition I found on google that said that a disrupter is someone who isn’t afraid to make waves, someone who is constantly pushing the envelope to do things better without worrying about how things have always been done. LOVE LOVE LOVE. Also, I like to think of companies that have been disruptive: Apple, Tesla, Netflix, Uber, Airbnb. This companies are impactful.
& I had a deadline to decide on the name so once it was decided it was decided because I had to record my intro and outro and trailer all of which I said radical disruption
Okay now that you know all the background, let’s get to the hard lesson.
A few weeks before my podcast launch I posted on stories what people thought when they heard “radical disruption” (a title I had asked for opinions on multiple times before) and I was NOT prepared for the responses AT ALL.
Let me read a few — Responses in the Q box-
-extremism
-a protest
-makes me think of something negative
-chaos
-I would not move forward with these words!
That was in a question box but I received a few DMs saying the same thing. Wish I had those screenshotted so I could quote them exactly but all of them were basically “DO NOT NAME YOUR PODCAST THAT”
Those are just a few of the negative responses too. There were many others and some so bad I won’t even mention them on the podcast
I was taken aback. Shocked. Crying. Totally not okay what so ever.
My initial thoughts — Do I go back and change it all? Do I listen to everyone’s opinions?
then the next wave of thoughts were— Or do I trust the vision I have and take on the meaning myself of radical disruption and redefine the term and pave my own path with it?
I was in a spiral for a whole 24 hours — literally couldn’t sleep that night. But the next day I woke up and didn’t have all the answers but decided to stand behind and stand for the vision I saw all along for the podcast. To be a change maker. Someone who makes waves.
So I kept the name
There were many people (honestly about 50% of people who responded to my question box) who didn’t see the vision like I did and didn’t understand the deeper meaning I was trying to convey.
Scenario 2–
I recently had someone reach out with a series of “I liked your content better when…” messages — the jist, “I liked your content better when you didn’t share about your revenue”
My immediate gut response? Getting super defensive. I didn’t ask for feedback. I didn’t ask for opinions.
The response I gave after some thought — “you’re more than welcome to hit the unfollow button🫶🏻”
In which a few very defensive DMs came through and the person unfollowed me. I didn’t respond back.
This is someone who had followed me for a long time. This is someone who had supported me for a long time
Part of me was sad but part of me recognized that not everyone will understand the moves i am making, the bigger impact i want to make, or the vision i have for my brand and business (a vision that is much much much bigger than just me).
hearing a common theme hear between the two scenarios??
anyways — This person said they missed my instagram tips (literally 80% of my content is still this so confused on that part😂) & the focus of my journey being that I’m a college dropout???
But here’s the thing. A coach asked me 8 months ago what I want to be known for. What I want people to think about when they think of me and my answer wasn’t “I want to be known as the cute instagram reels girl who is good at transitions & shares fun hacks”.
My answer was “I want to be known as someone who is disruptive, someone who paves the way for others and shows them what’s possible & that it is possible, and someone who takes people under her wing and brings them up with her because success isn’t a solo deal — we rise together”
& because of my response to that question, I knew that things had to change with my content. I couldn’t make the impact I wanted to make sharing the content I was sharing at that time. I needed more honesty in my content. I needed to share my opinions and thoughts. I needed to share revenue numbers because they’re not normalized enough (don’t believe me? Go see the comment section of my reel recapping my income from 2022 lol). I needed to step out of the “trending audio alerts” and create content that would ACTUALLY make an impact. I needed to talk about things about money and entrepreneurship that aren’t talked about enough.
Another thing that ties into all of this is association — when you think of a “reels expert”, there’s a bunch of accounts that probably come to your mind. When you think of “instagram experts”, there’s a bunch of accounts that probably come to your mind. When you think of “business coach” there’s a bunch of accounts that probably come to your mind.
Truth be told, I want to be SO unique and valuable that there’s no other accounts that come to your mind when I ask you about my niche. I want to be THEE ONE. Not just the go-to but the only one. And the way I do that is by NOT being like everyone else. I say this all the time but anyone can post educational content but no one can be YOU.
I will probably always share Instagram tips and tricks and help you with growth because I genuinely love it and it fascinates me but if you’re looking for the trending audios and the quick hacks for success and transition tutorials, I’m not your gal. There are thousands of other accounts out there sharing those things that you can follow.
What you’ll find on my Instagram account and podcast is different because the impact I want to make is different, and lasting.
I don’t share either of these scenarios for validation — I am so confident in what I’m doing and how I’m doing it and the vision I have for my business but both scenarios made me question my vision and who I am and what I’m trying to accomplish.
I’m sharing all this to ask you if you are that certain in what YOU are doing and the vision that you have for your business
What do you want to be known for? What impact do you want to make? & are you doing the things that will get you there?
& lastly — this is your permission slip to trust in what you are building. Not everyone will understand. & as you evolve there will be people who want the old you back because that’s the version of you that made them feel most comfortable. As you evolve, people will doubt you and not see the vision that you do
I want to end with a quote from Jenna Kutcher that I feel fits this conversation so well. She says “But here’s the thing about visions and callings: it’s not anyone else’s job to understand yours. It’s no one else’s responsibility to know it before you do, give it to you, or figure it out for you.
Others can and will help. But the source must be you.”
Alright, that’s all — thanks for coming to Mya’s ted talk🫶🏻😂
Resources & Links:
- The Mindset Mentor podcast with Rob Dial
- IG University
- 100 Hook Ideas – FREE GUIDE
Connect with Mya:
- Follow on Instagram @myanichol
- Join my email list
- Check out my website
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More about the Radical Disruption podcast:
Are you wanting to make waves in your industry, push the envelope, and change the way things are done in a radical way? Are you looking for tangible, tactical, and actionable steps that will help you build a sustainable business that stands out? You’re in the right place!
Radical Disruption is home to the disrupters. Here you’ll learn how to take your business to the next level, break the status quo, and build a disruptive business.
Nursing student turned business and social media expert, host Mya Nichol (hey that’s me!) shares the real and raw of the crazy journey of entrepreneurship and building a multi-six figure business.
Through solo episodes and special guest interviews, you can expect honest conversations around throwing out the traditional way of business, scaling in a sustainable way, and becoming the go to expert in your industry. It’s time to build a disruptive business. See you on Tuesdays!
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