Feeling Down About Your Business? Let's Talk.

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"I'm not where I thought I'd be by now."

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You started your business a while ago... and you thought things would look different by now.

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You thought you'd have more followers, more money, more sales, more... everything.

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And let's not even start with how differently 2024 has felt for your business than it did before. (more on that in the PS. below)

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It's so frustrating when you get to a certain point in your life, year, or journey and realize -- dang, this is not how I thought things would go.

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A few weeks ago, I had that same exact feeling about my Hyrox training.

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(In case you missed it, I've been training for a Hyrox fitness race for the past 6 months. The race is this Saturday in Chicago!)

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When I started training for it, I thought by now I'd have Gal Gadot biceps and quads that could crush cans of tomatoes.

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If I'm being honest, I thought I'd be in the absolute best, peak physical shape of my life.

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While I trained the hardest I ever have, life kept life'ing. I...

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• got Covid for the first time ever in August (yeah, I know!) and it took me weeks to breathe normally again
• traveled to Norway and Spain for 3 weeks in October and didn't work out like I thought I would
• ran my biggest launch ever for the past 2 weeks, hunched over my phone and causing a sore, stiff neck/back
• finished my book edits + copy edits + jacket copy + etc; and
• busted my toe big time (I'll spare you the details in case you've eaten anytime in the past 6 hours) in Barcelona, which I thought would knock me out of the race completely

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So with just 4 days to go until my Hyrox race... do I look and feel like Gal Gadot?

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No.

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But you know what I do feel like?

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👏 The strongest version of myself.

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A woman who...

• didn't miss a workout, even when she couldn't breathe after Covid (don't worry, I adapted my workouts big time!)
• squeezed in a "good enough" workout between calls, writing sessions, and live trainings
• said she was going to do something that felt (and feels!) really scary, and stuck to it
• showed up for every workout or run, even if the last one went terribly

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Sure, maybe I didn't turn out to look like some arbitrary version of myself I'd randomly concocted in my mind...

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But I'm the strongest I've ever been.

I'm in the best endurance shape of my life.

And my insanely strong quads have been there to support me every step of the way.

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I had so much fun training for Hyrox AND I've learned so much.

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So while you might not be "where you thought you'd be by now," it's important to realize just how far you've come.

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Maybe you don't have business biceps like Wonder Woman (yet), but your journey has given you something unexpected:

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• internal strength and fortitude
• confidence from showing up when you said you would
• lifelong lessons that will pay dividends for years to come
• a path you wouldn't have taken if you hadn't started somewhere

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And just like training for Hyrox is a humbling experience you can only truly appreciate once you do it, building an online business is also extremely hard.

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I know you've seen a lot of stuff online about how "easy" it is and how "anyone can do it" but frankly, it's not true. It takes a lot of hard work, patience, and dedication... that not everyone is willing to sacrifice.

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So maybe you're not where you thought you'd be -- but you're where you're actually supposed to be, given what a normal business journey actually looks like.

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While I'm pushing and pulling 224 lbs on a sled, throwing 100 weighted wall balls, and lunging knee-to-ground with 22 lb weights on my back this weekend in Chicago, I'll remind myself what you should tell yourself:

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I want to have fun.

I can do hard things.

I'm grateful to be here.

This took a lot of hard work.

I'm proud of how far I've come.

I'm open to learning from this experience.

From every experience, I learn how to make it better the next time.

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Off to start packing for Chicago! Wish me luck. See you on the other side 💪

🎉 PS. Today's my birthday! I celebrated by getting my haircut and starting vocal lessons so I can read my audiobook in January 🤣

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✨ PPS. You're right, the online business landscape has changed this year. What used to work isn't working in 2024. That's why I started a (free) Substack newsletter to share my best marketing tips and strategies with you. Only what's working, none of the BS. Subscribe here→ $0

💬 SUBSCRIBER QUESTION OF THE WEEK

"How do I stop chargeback threats?"

Someone reached out and said, "this has happened to me twice now. Someone buys my course, binges it in a day, and then tells their credit card it's a fraudulent charge so they can get their money back. How do I prevent this from happening again?"

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It's called a chargeback threat. It happens more often than you'd think.

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The way you prevent it is by having your legal ducks in a row:

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1. You need lawyer-drafted contracts (like my DIY Legal Templates→) with chargeback threat language in them, clear payment terms, and a proper refund policy.
2. You then need to properly list your contract at the point of purchase, have people sign it correctly, and send a CYA follow up copy.
3. You should have an SOP in place to submit evidence to the payment processor, which makes your case a slam dunk.

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I have a 100% success rate with chargeback threats. I teach my Ultimate Bundle® members how to do the same. Learn more→ about the Bundle.

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Got a legal question? Submit yours here →​

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🔗 Links You'll Love

🎉 Wish you could learn how I do what I do when it comes to email marketing, funnels, and community building? Subscribe to my Substack→ it's free!

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I started a free new Substack newsletter called The No-BS Business Club where I'll share all of my marketing tips and strategies with you in anticipation of my upcoming book, When I Start My Business, I'll Be Happy: A No-BS Guide to Successful Online Entrepreneurship (coming April 15, 2025).

✔️ Finally, Your Task This Week

Write a list of 5 things you have accomplished this year. They don't have to be metrics-based (ie, "I gained 1,000 subscribers") they can be anything. Dig deep and honor how far you've truly come.

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