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Pippa Goulden (00:43)
Hello and welcome back to PR Made Simple. Now today I'm doing something slightly different. I posted on Instagram earlier this week about the traits that I see in the wildly successful women that I surround myself with. And I wanted to deep dive into this because I think a lot of what I see with people doing their own PR and putting themselves out there,

and achieving their mission to get known for what they do, a lot of it comes back to the work that we do on ourselves from a mindset perspective and from a positioning perspective and it's actually not the pitching and the actions that get the results, although obviously you need to be doing that, it's almost those steps that you need to take before you start doing that.

And I want to talk about these things that I see within these brilliantly successful women that I have surrounded myself with because I think they're really inspiring to help us on our own journeys when we're running our business. Now I talk about these wildly successful women. I want to give you a little bit of context. probably about 18 months ago now, I made a decision that I was done letting fear rule my business.

and I was done overthinking. I still do that but I wasn't going to let the overthinking and the worrying dictate what I do within my business and I did a lot of work, I got a coach and then I joined a mastermind that I absolutely love and I have deliberately taken myself into spaces where

I am surrounded by brilliant women doing brilliant things. I'm also in some networks, some online networking groups. go to in-person networking. I also have friends who have always been doing brilliantly successful, wildly successful things. And so I just want to give you that context of where I am seeing these women. And I also...

want to explain a little bit about the wildly successful because I think I'll talk about this in a bit more detail, but I think it is also about understanding what success looks like from their own individual perspective. And wildly successful to me is a bit of a term that I use to maybe allow myself to look at people's businesses in different ways.

because I think we are spoon-fed this idea of what success should be. And I think we are also given this idea of what an entrepreneur should look like from the media growing up. I've always thought I couldn't really be an entrepreneur because I didn't really look like that Richard Branson type figure. Or even more recently, know, Stephen Bartlett who shows that he works 24 seven, you know, that idea.

was really misaligned with me and it wasn't until I stepped into these spaces where these brilliantly wildly successful women are that I saw that it could be a different way. So I just wanted to give you that context and I'm gonna jump in now to talk about some of the things that I think help them to be wildly successful. The first thing is that they take action.

they actually do the things. And I know that sounds really obvious, but stick with me here. While many people get stuck in that kind of paralysis of research and overthinking and wondering if it'll work and not doing things because they're worrying that it won't work, these women are just doing the do. They are trying new things. And even if it doesn't work out for them, that is okay because they are

moving forward, they're taking those steps forwards, they know that not every action has to lead to success and they've kind of made peace with that and I think that for me has been so eye-opening. You know, I will be thinking about doing things within my business and people who I'm surrounded with will have just gone out, gone ahead and done them and I find that so inspiring from my own perspective when I am sitting there going should I do this, should I not do that? Actually

Just do it, see what happens. And because you're losing so much time to the overthinking, you know, they're not worrying whether a pitch to a journalist is absolutely perfect. They're sending the pitch to the journalist and they are then improving, changing, tweaking if they need to. I see it in PR all the time. The founders who actually get the results are the ones who are taking the action, who are consistently putting themselves out there.

who pitch themselves for a podcast, even when they're nervous or they apply for an award even if they're not sure if they're gonna win, that action creates momentum and the momentum creates opportunities for them and their business. The next thing, and I think this is really important, is that they are doing this for more than the money.

Obviously money is really important, it's why we are working, it's why we're running businesses, we're not running charities, it's why we need to step up as female founders to make sure that our prices are reflective of our services and our brilliance and our products. But what I've noticed is the women who focus solely on the financial returns on getting the dollar in

are the ones who burn out fastest. And that's something that I have really seen over the last few years since I've entered this entrepreneurial space. The wildly successful women that I know, they have something else at the center of their why. Often it's the impact that they're making. Their business is more than themselves. The problem they're solving or the legacy they're building or the purpose that they started their business out with. And that is what really helps them.

to keep focused when things do get tough because they know that it's more than themselves and you have to remember who you're serving with your business

that deeper why is so compelling to us within our businesses and it's something that is really important to not forget. The next thing that I see is that they get the right support. these wildly successful women are really very rarely doing this alone. And I'm not just talking about having a big team with, you know, 15 employees or

however many, I'm talking about surrounding themselves with support in all the different ways that that works for their business. So it might be employee team members, yes, absolutely, but it could be freelance support for specific projects. It might be coaches who challenge their masterminds where they surround themselves with other ambitious women or programs that help them level up specific skills.

or it might be VAs or that support system that allows them to run their business and focus on what they are really good at. They're not trying to be the only one running the whole show because they know that that's not possible. Number four is that they are doing this their own way. I think that this is so important. Contrary to what the online space tells us, know, there is not...

one way of doing anything. The women that I see who are thriving have found a way that works for them and the way that they work and the way that they want to run their business, whatever business that might be. So that might be early morning starts before the kids wake up or a late night working in front of the TV when the house is quiet. It might be making the most of those hours that they do actually have at their desk and making that absolutely count.

Their work often goes in peaks and troughs or ebbs and flows. It's not that they are working 24-7 every weekend at all, but they do work hard for it. And I think there's a bit of a myth out there that you can just rely on some passive income and not work very hard at all. But honestly, every woman that I know who I've seen in this space who is doing well is working hard.

They might hustle, they might not, but there's absolutely no doubt that they are working hard at what they do. They've rejected though, that one size fits all, that this is the way to do it. And they've created a business that fits around their life and not the other way around. And I think that's really important. And that is where I get my inspiration from. The next thing is that they get it wrong. And this is so refreshing. Even the most brilliant business owners don't have all the answers all of the time.

they don't let that stop them, they pick themselves up, they keep going and that is the difference. I think one of the things that I've really found when I've been surrounded by these amazing business owners is how refreshing it is that obviously you know Instagram doesn't always tell us you know everything but actually behind the scenes we all don't really know what we're doing you know there's no one who has absolutely nailed what

level of business they are working in. You I've worked with so many clients where they are you know million-pound turnover businesses, they have huge teams but you know they don't get things right every time. The leaders at the top don't know everything, they are also often winging it to a certain degree so it's really refreshing to know that you know there isn't anyone out there that has all the answers.

And I also see this in PR all the time as well. you know, a pitch that gets ignored, an interview that doesn't go exactly how you want it to. You know, I've worked on campaigns that haven't worked out as well as we had hoped they would, but it's not about letting that setback define you. It's using it as data points, looking at the strategy, revising things, tweaking, changing, and often,

That's when you get even better results and you keep it moving forward and you keep that momentum going. So know that it's okay to make mistakes. The next thing I see, which I found really interesting when I kind of sat back and analyzed this, is that they're not defined by their work, know, contrary to what we see out there in terms of entrepreneurs with big profiles, kind of giving that impression that, you know, their work is everything in their whole world.

These women are not defined by their business. It's not the sole center of who they are. It's one part of their many parts. And actually that has been really freeing for me in that, you know, I'll go out with girlfriends who have their own businesses. We don't talk about their businesses. We talk about life and what is going on in our lives.

it's one of their many parts and that's what I absolutely love because your business doesn't have to define who you are. And actually, when you're building your personal brand, obviously you can talk about who you are and what you do within the boundaries of what you want to do. But you know, bringing in elements of your life allows you to connect with people, creates vulnerability, connects real genuine

connection and that can be really great for helping your potential clients, your potential customers to really understand who you are and get to the bones of you and what makes you unique.

And that leads on to my next thing, which is that they are real messy people. They have real lives. They have dogs that need to go to the vet, kids that forget their pee kit, parents who need support. They're often juggling. They are normal people like you and me. And that's really enlightening because actually there's no reason why you can't be one of them too. And in fact, if you're listening to this podcast, you are probably one of them or you have that potential within you.

It's messy, it's real, it's not something to hide from, it's your secret weapon. It allows you to tell authentic stories. It's not about being polished and perfect, it's about being real. And I think the more that we can be real and talk about things within our businesses, within our lives, remember those boundaries, I'm not saying that you have to talk about things that you don't want to talk about, but I think it's really important to remember that.

these people who are wildly successful also have things going on behind the scenes as well like you do. The thing that I've seen as well is that they define success for themselves. So these women are successful but they know what their success looks like. The success comes from within them. So it might be a 5K month, it might be a 40K month.

but equally it might be that they can take afternoons off to go to a midweek kids football match or being able to wild swim every Friday or hit the gym three times a week or whatever it is that makes them feel fulfilled They are not chasing other people's definition of success, they've created their own and I think that that...

is something that really stands out with these women who are defining success on their own terms they're not being dictated to by everyone else and what everyone else thinks success should look like.

The next thing that I see with these women, and this is really important for the PR side of things, is that they know what they want to be known for. They've worked out their positioning, they are not afraid of going out and making it happen. Actually, sometimes they are afraid, but they think, this and they do it anyway. And it's that clarity that makes it easier for them to go after the right opportunities for their business, to pitch themselves. It's what makes them.

genuine and different, you know, they know how to get their messaging across because it's kind of innate in what they do. They know their lane, they don't look too much at what everyone else is doing and they really own it. So thinking about what you want to get known for and this is work that I do in the PR set all the time with my clients. We've got my Get Known course which is coming back in the autumn. We do it in the membership, we do it in my one-to-one accelerator.

It's really about understanding what you want to get known for and then going out and taking the action to make that happen. And that is what I am seeing these women do time and time again. Something else which I've seen is that they use data and systems. So to a greater or lesser degree, they have built systems into their business that makes them run efficiently. It allows them to make informed decisions.

It frees their time to focus on what they're actually good at. They track what's working. They systemize their processes. They measure their results. Like I said, to a greater and lesser degree, there are some people out there who analyze every little bit of detail and data. There are others that don't really do that, but they are using the things that are happening within their business to make informed decisions. They will have systems. They will have some processes.

They're not just throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping that something sticks most of the time.

And this one was something that somebody said on my Instagram post that I posted this week and I can't believe that I didn't actually think of this one myself because it's something that I talk about a lot is that they don't worry what other people think and that is so important. In fact this might actually be the most important one of all of them because they've learned to tune out the noise, they've stopped comparing themselves to others.

They trust those instincts which are so powerful for us when we're running our own businesses. And that freedom allows them to be bold in every move that they make within their business, whether it's launching something new, whether it's creating new product ranges, whether it's being bold in their PR, in their social media, in their emails, whether it's them being controversial or it's them having opinions that might be different and going against the grain.

It allows them to stand for something meaningful and that is what helps them to get noticed, to get out there, to build their business, to get known for what they do. So yeah, we need to really work on that. Stop worrying about what other people think because actually one of the lessons that I learned so early on in my business, which has been so freeing, is that nobody cares about your business as much as you do.

And it sounds a bit harsh, doesn't it, when you say it out loud, but actually if you think about it, nobody cares about your business as much as you do. It is so freeing, because that worrying that you're doing, thinking that somebody's gonna think X, Y, Z about you, they are not, trust me, they don't have time to be thinking about your business in that way. And also, most people are genuinely good, positive humans. Actually, people just want you to succeed and to,

create the business that you want to create and do it in a way that works for you. So let's stop overthinking, let's stop worrying about what other people think and let's just get on and make those moves that are going to get us out there, to get our business out there, to get us known for what we do and to help us grow our business. So there you have it, that's my little insight into the habits, the traits.

the practices of the wildly successful women that I am surrounded by and none of these requires a big budget, none of them require years of experience or some special talent, they are all choices, choices about how you show up, choices about how you work, about how you define success

which one of these could you start implementing this week? For me it's the stopping the overthinking and just getting on and doing it, there's been four things on my to-do list that I've been procrastinating on, I just need to get on and do them and I absolutely am motivated by seeing other women doing that, that is going to change the game for me.

So let me know what you think, DM me on Instagram or on LinkedIn if you have any more to add to the list. You can find me at Pippa the The PR Set on Instagram or Pippa Gordon on LinkedIn, or you can go onto theprset.com and find out all about all the different ways that I work. Don't forget the code POD50 gets you 50 % off your first month in my DOIPR membership.

and have my accelerator which is full for the summer but will be opening again up in September and I have Get Known which is my six week group sprint and we are going to be kicking that off again in the autumn so sign up for the waiting list to find out more about that and I will see you again very soon for another episode of PR Made Simple.