May 22, 2025 • 31 mins
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Celi Arias knows what it means to struggle as a creative entrepreneur. From sleeping on an air mattress on her factory floor to building and selling multi-seven-figure businesses, her journey has been anything but linear. Now, as the founder of Grown Ass Business, she's on a mission to help other creative entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses without burning out.
The truth about turning passion into profit isn't what most business coaches want you to hear. As Arias reveals, passion alone is a "finicky lover" that can't sustain you through the challenges of entrepreneurship. What truly matters is recognizing that business itself is an art form with its own set of rules—rules you need to understand before you can successfully break them.
At the heart of entrepreneurial burnout lies a fundamental problem: working without clear direction. When you're "just working to work" without a defined end goal, exhaustion inevitably follows. Whether your vision involves a specific revenue target, lifestyle freedom, or building a legacy brand, knowing what you're working toward transforms how you approach each day's challenges.
The most successful creative entrepreneurs resist "shiny object syndrome" by building proper business systems. They think in terms of departments and metrics even when working solo. They understand that delegation isn't just about offloading tasks—it's about creating a business that can eventually run without them constantly "pulling all the levers."
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Erin Manning (00:02):
Welcome to the Dead Pixel Society podcast, the
photo imaging industry's leadingnews source.
Here's your host, Gary Pageau.
The Dead Pixels Society podcastis brought to you by Mediaclip,
Advertek Printing andIndependent Photo Imagers.
Gary Pageau (00:18):
Hello again and welcome to the Dead Pixels
Society podcast.
I'm your host, Gary Pageau, andtoday we're joined by Celi
Arias.
She's coming to us from LongIsland, New York, and she's the
CEO and founder of the Grown AssBusiness and she's going to be
giving us great advice,practical advice, on running
your business.
Hey, Celi, how are you today?
Celi Arias (00:40):
I'm great Thanks for having me.
Gary Pageau (00:43):
So, Celi, how did you get into this business?
What's your story leading up totoday in the business world?
Celi Arias (00:51):
Well, it's a long story.
Usually when I tell people myvarious career paths, they're
like you don't look that old.
I'm like.
I promise, I am that old, amthat old?
I'm actually excited to be onyour show because I am a
creative and my husband a whileago was saying you're not
creative.
You're not a creative, you'relike a systems operations person
and I would say yes, I got hereby way of being a creative and
(01:17):
having creative businesses andrealizing some of the pitfalls
and downfalls that come withbeing a creative and also
running your business as acreative.
So I actually have a degree inmodern dance.
I was a professional dancer inhigh school and college and
right out of college and then Iwent and got a second degree in
fashion design and started afashion label and ran a fashion
(01:42):
label in South America for 10years and I made all the
businesses mistakes that youcould imagine, all those
mistakes that you're like, ohGod, why did I?
I've probably done it too, andI have been in times in my life
where I had no home and wassleeping on an air mattress in
my factory floor.
(02:03):
So, I always say I have beenthere with you, I have been in
the lows of the lows and I'vealso been in the highs of the
highs.
It's possible in business.
So I started to get verycurious Once I got over the ego
bruising and the pain and thehurt of it all.
I went and got an MBA and Ifound that the MBA didn't answer
my questions and didn'tactually help fill some of the
(02:24):
gaps that felt like gaps to mewhen I was a business owner.
So I got more and more curiousabout what that was and how to
address those things that Ifound so hard in my 20s when I
had my first business.
So I worked my way intocorporate experiences in high
luxury sales and brandpartnerships, and then I've
(02:45):
discovered in that journey thatwhat I really liked was fixing
the systems and makingeveryone's lives easier.
I'm a little bit as a fashiondesigner, I'm a little bit of an
engineer anyway.
So fashion designers really, ifyou like, to make the things
you like, to take things apartfrom the very beginning and
build them Right, deconstructand then reconstruct you
(03:05):
deconstruct, or you know how toconstruct from nothing, right?
You take a piece of paper andyou can turn that into a 3D
wearable piece of art.
So I think I just gotinterested in understanding
business and I discovered thisthing called operations and I
worked my way into operations ata few startups.
I became a COO and I helpedsell a few multi-seven figure
(03:28):
businesses and then, once I didthat, I started getting asked to
coach and I coached for acompany and discovered there
were gaps in that system that Iwas a part of.
So I created my own companycalled the Grown Ass Business.
So it's called the Grown AssBusiness because I teach a lot
of creatives and visionaries andfounders how to turn their
(03:49):
passion and their business intoa grown-ass business that's
running like a business.
Gary Pageau (03:53):
so that's how we got here okay, well, that makes
sense and you know, and thatwill resonate with some of the
folks, I think, in my audience,because there are folks who got
into this business, whetherphotography, whether they're a
photographer, whether theythey're a printer, they make
pictures or things because theylike the category, they like it
Right.
Or they got into sellingcameras because they like
cameras Right.
(04:13):
And then at some point yourealize that it needs more than
that.
Celi Arias (04:18):
Yeah, like I.
Ok, I need this to pay thebills regularly.
I need it to be predictable.
I need to not feel exhaustedand burned out all the time.
I need to start feeling likethe business isn't running me.
Yeah, all those things.
Gary Pageau (04:31):
Because you always hear like from the startup
community and theentrepreneurship ecosystem and
industrial complexes, I like tocall it where it's all about
workshops and seminars and allthese things, and they talk a
lot about passion.
You got to have passion.
That's the sole thing you need.
And I'm thinking I mean I'msure it helps, but if you can't
(04:53):
do the thing you say you'regoing to do, when you're going
to do it, the price to sayyou're going to do it.
You don't have a business,you've got a hobby.
Celi Arias (05:00):
Yeah, and I think that actually, if you run your
business from passion, you havemore of a hobby than a business.
Right.
Okay, because the thing aboutpassion is what keeps you going
on those days where you'rereally tired or you're
discouraged or you're beat down.
Right?
Probably not passion.
Right, because passion is afinicky lover.
(05:23):
So I think eventuallyentrepreneurs either get tired
and quit and burn out or they go.
Okay.
Now it's time for me to stopattracting myself to the shiny
object things that keeppromising me the quick fix.
It's time for me to get real.
It's time for me to really makethis thing work.
(05:44):
I really want it to work so Ican go home at night and I can
have dinner with my family or bymyself, or.
Gary Pageau (05:50):
I can even have a family or even have a family.
Celi Arias (05:53):
My God, yeah, I mean , I'm in my forties and I only
just now have a family.
Gary Pageau (05:58):
So and a lot of that is due to my just a history
as an entrepreneur, so sureyou've had an interesting
evolution from, like said,creative and then you, kind of,
which actually mirrors a lot ofthe people that I know in the
industry.
Right, a lot of the peoplerunning some of the biggest
photo labs in the country, youknow, started as photographers,
right, and they got intoprinting because, gosh, they,
(06:21):
you know, wanted, they wanted tobe such control, not control
freaks, but they want to havecontrol over how the prints
looked.
So they started their own labsand then eventually, rather, and
then they stopped actuallydoing a lot of photography,
right, they kind of fell in lovewith the process of being a
business.
Do you think that's typical?
And if so, why don't more uhworkshoppers and uh people like
(06:46):
that talk about that?
It seems like that part's nottalked about very much I
actually don't think that'stypical okay I don't think it's
super typical.
Celi Arias (06:55):
I, I, you know now my, my nerdy data brain is like
oh, gary, let's do a study.
I'd love to know.
That's a great question.
I'm gonna guess it's 50 50.
I know a lot of creatives whogo.
You know what?
you taught me all the things andI hate the things and I just
want to feel like painting andthen they don't turn it into a
(07:15):
business, and I always say goodfor you exactly for knowing
yourself exactly that is thebest move and decision you can
make for yourself, because thelast thing you need to do is
turn your passion into abusiness if you don't actually
enjoy the process of making itinto a business Right, because
business in itself is its owncraft.
Gary Pageau (07:36):
Sure.
Celi Arias (07:37):
So if you're only into your craft of photography
or developing or whatever it is,and you'd find that you don't
like the things about business,well, you're going to have a
very frustrating journey as abusiness owner.
Right.
But business is its own art form.
It really is its own art formand as an artist, as a former
(07:57):
dance teacher, I always jokewith people that I'm a very,
very good business coach and I'malso a certified mindset coach.
But I always say everything Iever needed to learn about
coaching somebody throughsomething difficult I learned
from teaching tango, becausebusiness, like all art forms and
sports, has its own set ofrules and it has a language and
(08:19):
it has an understanding and it'sa game and you need to
understand the positions and howthe positions play, what the
rules are.
You need to understand thosethings and, like all good art,
you need to understand the rulesbefore you can break the rules,
because the best artists breakthe rules and you can break the
rules in business, but you kindof have to understand what rule
you're breaking.
(08:39):
So it is an art form in itself,and I think sometimes what
happens is there's probably 50%of the people that fall in love
with the sport of business andthere's probably 50% of the
people that go nah, I just wantto keep doing some photography
when I feel like it.
Right, and that's great, that'scool too.
Gary Pageau (08:59):
Yeah, because I think part of it is.
You know, people get into thisidea that, hey, I see the art
right, I see the art right, Isee the thing you make, I see
you dance, I see your pictures,I hear your music.
You should go pro.
Celi Arias (09:13):
Right, right.
Gary Pageau (09:15):
Maybe not right.
Celi Arias (09:17):
Yeah, I think it's interesting if you pay attention
to.
I like to look at athletesbecause they're a great example.
They're a very externalizedexample of what it looks like to
take the passion to pro, butwith the you know the Netflix
series that show some of theselike world famous soccer players
and kind of shows behind thescenes.
They have no life.
They train and eat grilledchicken and veggies for nine or
(09:41):
10 months out of the year.
You see pictures of them likespending their money on the one
month of the year that they haveoff, but you know what I mean.
The rest of the year they'restill in very intense like boot
camp level training and I thinkthat we forget that when
somebody says oh, no, andfrankly, all creatives have that
(10:03):
.
Gary Pageau (10:03):
How many hours does it take for someone to prepare
a dance piece for performance?
You know you're talking hoursupon that when you talk about.
You know if you're painting.
Celi Arias (10:13):
Or like two minutes on stage.
How many hours does it takeHours and hours and hours and
months and months and months fortwo or three minutes on stage?
Gary Pageau (10:19):
Exactly.
And then same thing withpaintings, same thing with
photography where you know youmay, if you're doing the old
school chemical stuff, right,you're spending hours in a dark
room trying to dodge and burn tomake that picture just right,
and all these other things.
So I think that's sort of thething that happens with the
passion piece.
Right is, they see the outcome,but not what's below the
surface, right, it's like aniceberg.
In that sense, I think businessis a lot of that way too.
(10:42):
When, in that sense I thinkbusiness is a lot of that way
too when you see people who aresuccessful in business, who've,
you know, quote, unquote, madeit whatever that means, you
didn't see them the time theywere sleeping on the factory
floor or they were, you know,struggling to make payroll and
they had to, you know, beg theirwife for a second mortgage so
they could, you know, buy thatpiece of equipment and have them
(11:02):
turn the corner or whateverthose things are.
You just don't see that.
Celi Arias (11:07):
Yeah, and now it's more trendy to talk about it.
So you starting to hear thosestories, but every successful
entrepreneur has many of thosestories that they often don't
share.
Gary Pageau (11:20):
So let's talk a little bit about sort of the
challenges that these businessowners have about avoiding,
because that is one of thethings you talk about.
I know there's not a checklist,there's no quick fix because
we've talked there is no quickfixes to this.
So how can somebody identifywhen burnout is starting to be a
problem?
(11:40):
Can they self-diagnose it?
Or is that the way someone ontheir team to slap them upside
the head and said you need totake a break?
Celi Arias (11:47):
Well, hopefully both .
I think it depends on how yourpersonality is.
I mean, I am basically a proathlete, so I'm probably the
worst judge if I'm getting closeto that place.
But I do have people on my teamwho go no Like, I was on my
third flight in the past threeweeks to my third event and I
(12:08):
was telling my assistant oh,I'll do that thing for you from
the plane and she said, no, youwill not, you will sleep on that
plane.
And I said oh, yeah, good call,good call, Good call, I see you,
I got you, thank you, thank you.
So I'm not the best at judgingit myself.
I think some of the symptomsare it's actually in the actions
(12:30):
that we find ourselves doing,when you are already like doing,
when you are already like okay,I'm exhausted, I feel my brain
feels fried, my eyes hurt, Ican't remember things.
If you're having conversationsand you can't remember important
names or things that you talkabout all the time, those are
really obvious extremes.
But I think the beginnings ofburnout are more interesting,
(12:53):
which is, are you spending yourtime and focus and energy
obsessing on the little things?
Because I did this thing lastyear.
I asked on threads, I askedpeople hey, I'd love to know
your thoughts.
What do you think causesburnout?
Because I find, especially inthe female entrepreneur space,
(13:14):
women are always talking aboutburnout, and that's also
probably because a lot of femaleentrepreneurs who have children
are also probably balancing alot of things Sure.
So I asked the audience.
I said what do you think thedefinition of burnout is?
The really cool thing was I gotbrilliant answers back from
people who complain aboutburnout and say they're
(13:34):
struggling with burnout, butthey knew what the cause of
burnout was right which wasoften not having a clear sense
of direction, not knowing howI'm going to get to the next
goal, not even having a clearvision and clear goal post.
So I'm just working to work.
That's like classic.
When you find yourself andyou're just working to work and
(13:57):
you're going through the motionsand you're kind of just going
through your to-do list everyday and you know you're just
kind of showing up, that's asure sign that you're headed to
burnout.
Because what I found in thiscommunity everybody answered
when you really don't have aclear map, so you're working but
you don't see an end in sight,you don't see the honeypot at
(14:19):
the end of the rainbow Right.
Gary Pageau (14:21):
So actually the old Stephen Covey thing, right,
begin with the end in mind,right?
Celi Arias (14:25):
Which is what I do with my clients all the time.
So I found it fascinating thatthese people who struggle, or
say they're struggling, withburnout had a clear definition,
just didn't really have apractical way of turning that
around.
So I always say, in yourbusiness, what's the goal?
Is it a specific number?
Is it a lifestyle?
Is it that you?
(14:46):
Is it a legacy business thatyou want to hand down in your
family and you want it to be abrand that outlives you?
Is it something you'd like todo for a few years and put aside
good money for retirement?
Is it something that you'd liketo grow and scale and you want
to sell?
But you need to know what thatend in sight is.
What is that goal for you thatyou're trying to?
And the goal can move, but youneed to know what it is, because
(15:09):
if you have a clear goal, youcan work backwards from the goal
.
So today, when I'm feeling alittle tired, I may look at my
whole to-do list and go I'm alittle too tired for that to-do
list today.
But if this is my goal, I knowthat I need to do one thing
today.
What is that?
And I stay focused and I canstay fresh and I'm not just
(15:32):
showing up and going through themotions and getting a bunch of
tasks done and kind of wonderingwhat does it all mean and
what's it all for and part of?
Gary Pageau (15:38):
that could be even delegating some of those tasks
right Knowing what is okay todelegate, because, as you and I
know from a lot of businessowners that tend to be very
possessive or control or can bepossessive and control freaks in
a lot of ways, in an unhealthyway.
Celi Arias (15:54):
Yeah, absolutely.
And I think again, I think thatwhen you have a clear big goal
in mind, it actually helps youbecome a better delegator,
because now you go okay, well, Ican't possibly spend an hour a
day in my emails.
If I'm going to change theworld with my business, I got to
start delegating some of thatstuff, right, right.
Gary Pageau (16:15):
So it helps you also prioritize where you're
spending your time so when youuse the phrase like a true
business right when that thatwas sort of and some stuff I
read about you talk about youknow what a true what is your
definition of that?
What do you mean when you'resaying you want to operate as a
true business?
Is that where you're talkingabout like the hobby thing, or
is it the change the world thing, or what do you think that is?
Celi Arias (16:39):
I think a true business is a business that runs
like a machine, a business thatknows how to play the game of
business.
So what I mean by that is, evenif you have a very small team,
if you're a solopreneur or youhave, you know, a two to three
person team you, under you,build a business that runs like
a machine and that machine lookslike having clear departments
(17:04):
for for lack of a better way ofsaying it we understand, like I
have a small team, but Iunderstand what my role is as
the CEO and founder, what Ireally need to own, and I
understand what metrics andtasks and projects and
departments other people in mybusiness need to own.
So what happens is I'm notbuilding a business around me
(17:26):
and around me doing all thethings and me getting exhausted,
but I'm actually building overtime.
I'm building a business basedon systems.
So, for example, I haveintellectual property.
I have a methodology that I onsystems.
So, for example, I haveintellectual property.
I have a methodology that I'vecreated.
I have a way that I've.
I have created a way that Ideliver that methodology.
It happens the same everysingle time that I sell it.
I have a marketing machine.
(17:48):
I know which of my channelswork for me in terms of
marketing and I know how to makecontent for those marketing
channels.
Gary Pageau (17:57):
And.
Celi Arias (17:57):
I'm looking at my marketing in a systematic,
metric based way andunderstanding what worked, what
didn't work, what can I tweak,what can I learn, where can I
grow, where can I expand.
I'm not just creating contentand kind of spraying it on the
wall and hoping for the best,but I'm approaching my marketing
department as a marketingdepartment, even though I don't
(18:18):
have a marketing assistant or ahead of marketing.
I approach my marketing in theway that I teach, which is, if I
did have a CMO, if I had achief marketing officer in my
business, what would they do?
What are the questions theywould ask themselves and what
are the answers that they wouldhave to report to me?
What are the metrics?
that they would ask themselves.
And what are the answers thatthey would have to report to me?
What are?
The metrics that they wouldlook at, and so what that does
(18:39):
is then I don't feel like I haveto be on every social media
platform.
I have to also have a podcastand I have to all like.
People tell me all the timelike, oh my gosh, it's so great,
you have such a great voice,and we talked about this earlier
.
You and I right when people say, oh, you should turn that
passion and go pro.
Well, people tell me all thetime, oh my gosh, you should
have a podcast.
(18:59):
No, I should not.
Gary Pageau (19:02):
I know how much work it is.
Celi Arias (19:05):
I know how much work it is.
I know that I would be adding awhole other channel with its
costs of production editingAbsolutely not.
That is not the channel that mybusiness needs right now.
I'm happy to come on people'sshows and talk about all this
stuff that I love talking about,but I have podcast clients and,
(19:26):
nope, it's not for me.
So, when you run your businesslike a business, you start to go
.
I know what works for me I canrun my marketing campaign and at
night I can eat dinner with myhusband and play with my seven
month old and maybe watch amovie and have a life.
Right.
But if I'm not running, if I'mnot building that real business
(19:48):
that starts to run on its own,and ultimately, the goal is that
you build a business that runswithout you needing to pull all
the levers and turn the knobs,and you know fix.
Gary Pageau (19:56):
Right, it's the loose screws so you touch on
something that I want to comeback to is kind of or you've got
a creative person right.
Creative, pretty people like tocreate.
How do they resist thetemptation?
Celi Arias (20:10):
I felt your deep side, it was like how do we talk
about this Right?
How do we resist the temptationto what'd chase say
Gary Pageau (20:20):
the shiny right.
I mean to, to, to, to find theshiny object right.
Hey, listen, this works for meand you know I got to do this on
TikTok and things, because I'vebeen to conferences like that
in the industry where they talkabout you know you need to be on
TikTok, you need to be on thisstuff, and it's like do you
really?
You know, do you really?
(20:40):
Just because you know, myadvice to people has always been
just pick two, just pick two,just start with two.
I love that advice Figure it outmake that work and then maybe
play with another one, but justdon't spread yourself too thin.
You don't need to be everywhere.
Celi Arias (20:55):
I agree with that.
I was told by many peopleyou're so great on video, you
have to be on TikTok and I tried.
But the problem is when you geton a new platform, each
platform has its culture.
So it's not just oh yeah, Ihappen to be great on video and
I can make videos and I can postthem.
No, I also have to understandthe ecosystem and the culture of
(21:16):
that world and that platformand I have to get into it and I
have to be involved, and so itdoesn't work for me because I
don't really.
I'm not a scroller and I don'treally enjoy being on TikTok.
So, it's not going to work forme as a platform.
In terms of the question aboutcreatives and how do you get
around that, I think there'sseveral ways to get around it.
One it's we go back to what wesaid earlier, where you just
accept that you're a creativeand this is a hobby business.
(21:37):
I think if you accept that,it's a way of self-love, it's a
way of loving yourself,accepting who you are, accepting
where you're at and going.
Oh yeah, I'm always going to bea creative and a passion person
when it comes to my creationsand I'm not going to turn it
into a business.
I just don't like to.
That's option one Own it.
(21:58):
Option two is you hire somepeople around you who are more
systems-based, who go okay,we're going to let you have that
one shiny object thing that youwant to do this quarter or this
six months.
You can't do five of them, butyou can do one them, but you can
(22:24):
do one Right.
So, for example, I used to be aCOO to a very creative young
influencer entrepreneur and shewas literally that person that
every day would come into themorning.
We were all.
I was there from 8am on.
My team would come in aroundnine and she was that person
that would like barge in at 11amand go I have an idea we have
to do.
And she'd start spitting out toall my team like you do this,
(22:46):
and I'd be like Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Okay, right now we're workingon this partnership, this thing,
this thing right, the dev teamis doing this Like so, is this a
must do right now?
Can we just make a deal that wedo one?
Of your special projects perquarter.
But so if you can't do that foryourself, you've put somebody in
(23:08):
your world who goes not rightnow.
You made a deal and thisquarter your special shiny
object project is X Y.
Z.
And then you go to that personand say do you want to give up X
, y, z for this new idea?
So something you need to thatperson and say do you want to
give up X Y Z for this new idea?
Right, so you need to knowyourself.
Right, right.
I think I'm pretty good atstaying super focused because I
(23:29):
teach this stuff all the time.
Gary Pageau (23:31):
Do you think that comes from the dance?
Celi Arias (23:33):
Yeah, I definitely think that I have a very, very
disciplined background of dance.
Gary Pageau (23:40):
Because I think people don't understand like
dance is very mentallychallenging.
Celi Arias (23:46):
Very.
I mean, dancers are some of thesmartest people I know in the
world.
It's very mentally taxing.
It's a very difficult sport,and I call it a sport because
you are as much, if not more, ofan athlete than many athletes.
But even so, I have somebody onmy team who sometimes will go
Celi, stop it.
And that's my keyword.
That's what I say to my clients.
(24:07):
So I always tell people on myteam.
I give my personal assistantpermission to say stop it Right?
And she's like, are you sure?
And I'm like yes, if you eversee me trying to do too much or
go off the rails, you have 100%permission to tell your boss
stop it.
Now, that's me I don't.
I like when people talk back tome.
I like when people aren'tscared of me.
I like when people are likeyou're doing that thing you tell
(24:30):
your clients not to do, stop it.
And I'm go, oh, thank you.
I really appreciate that.
I almost went off the rails,didn't I?
Because I'm a creative too, andso I can go down that road too.
And the other problem is some,some visionaries, some
entrepreneurs are really, reallysmart and we're capable of a
lot.
So you put a lot on your plate.
(24:50):
This is the beginning ofburnout, too, when you put more
and more and more on your platebecause you know you can.
But just because you candoesn't mean you have to.
It doesn't mean that's the pacethat you necessarily want to
keep up every day of your life.
Right doesn't mean you have to.
It doesn't mean that's the pacethat you necessarily want to
keep up every day of your lifedoesn't mean you should right.
Gary Pageau (25:06):
Just because you can't just mean you should.
Celi Arias (25:08):
That's the old saying yeah, and so even me, who
is like the queen of stop itand getting people focused on
the right strategy, becausethat's what I do.
I let everyone around me tellme to stop it if I'm trying to
do too much.
Gary Pageau (25:24):
But for someone to be able to do that, to have the
mental fortitude to do that, youhave to agree that if someone
tells you that, that you have todo what they say, right, if
your assistant says you know,Celi, we need to stop this,
you're, you know, we're notdoing a TikTok promo and you say
, but I really want to and I'mgoing to override you, right, I
(25:46):
mean, you want to do for 30 days, does it actually measurably
get you closer to that goal?
Right.
Celi Arias (26:12):
And is the goal still juicy and exciting enough
that you can go?
Oh yeah, I probably don't needto do that.
If I'm actually going for thisgoal, I probably need to put
that thing down.
Right.
And and yes, it takes mentalfortitude.
This is what I coach people onall the time.
It's why people hire coaches.
Honestly, I used to think, youknow, once people have all the
(26:34):
skills that I give them and allthe trainings that I give them,
they don't need me anymore as acoach.
Now I realized that was verynaive thinking, because we all
need somebody to kind of keepguiding us towards the thing.
I think there's a lot of reasonswhy we even avoid our goals
sometimes, but that's more of amindset thing.
But the way around that is waita minute is the thing I'm
(26:55):
working towards so sexy andexciting that I can put down
this short-term dopamine hitRight.
Keep my eyes on the prize.
Maybe it's that new home, maybeit's early retirement, maybe
it's retiring somebody in yourfamily, maybe it's spending more
time with your kids, maybe it'srevolutionizing a part of your
(27:17):
industry and how things are done.
But is it super juicy andexciting enough that you can put
this shiny thing down and gojust like a dog, like, ooh right
, bigger ball.
Bigger, more colorful, moreexciting ball.
I want that one.
Gary Pageau (27:30):
And also you may not realize that your goal,
whatever it is, may havemultiple stages.
Celi Arias (27:35):
Yes.
Gary Pageau (27:36):
You know, I mean, that's part of the recognition
too.
You're not gonna get to the.
In five years I'm going toretire because I'm going to make
$30 million.
It's like there's a whole lotof mini goals that lead up to
that.
Celi Arias (27:47):
Yeah, absolutely yeah, but you're going to get
there a lot faster if you dropthe TikTok challenge and you
drop the things along the wayright, because what happens is
when burnout is also this thingthat happens to us when it's
like, but I'm doing all thethings and I'm working so hard
and I don't really feel.
My revenue this year was thesame as last year, but I feel
(28:08):
like I did so much more and Iworked so much harder and yet
I'm still kind of in the sameplace.
That's also why you start tofeel burnout, because you're
actually it's not just the levelof exhaustion and doing too
much, it's when you're doing somuch but you feel like you
haven't actually made anyprogress.
That's exhausting.
Gary Pageau (28:26):
Is that maybe a sign as well that it may be time
to exit the business?
Celi Arias (28:31):
If you haven't made any progress.
Gary Pageau (28:33):
Yeah, or just you're feeling that way.
Right, you've been at it fortwo years and you're kind of
leveled off and you're like youknow.
Celi Arias (28:46):
I've given this all I can and maybe that's all there
is for me.
Yeah, I think that's a that's asweet spot to be in, where you
get to ask yourself thatquestion Right, because usually
when you get into this placewhere it's like, wait a minute,
I've been working really hardand I'm kind of in the same
place, that is actually a signof the way you're doing.
Things has to shift and change.
The question is actually am Iwilling to change?
Am I willing to take feedback?
(29:07):
Am I willing to look at thingsdifferently?
Am I willing to maybe show updifferently in my business to
get to the next milestone?
So that's really the question,not should I quit, but something
probably needs to change here.
Am.
I open and willing to changinghow I'm doing things.
Gary Pageau (29:24):
With that question where can people go to find out
more about your business andmaybe ask you that question?
Celi Arias (29:33):
The easiest way to find me.
Your audience is probablyvisual and they're on Instagram,
I'm guessing, and all myhandles everywhere are Celi
Grows Business, c-e-l-i.
Grows Business, and I'm veryeasy to find on all, not all,
platforms.
I'm not really active on TikTokanymore for the very reasons we
talked about, but on Instagramand LinkedIn and YouTube you can
(29:57):
find me there.
Gary Pageau (29:58):
Awesome.
Well, thank you, selly, somegreat talking to you.
I know a lot of people aregoing to get a lot out of what
we just talked about because Ithink it resonates, and we'll
speak to them because a lot ofthem are going through that.
So thank you so much for yourtime and best wishes.
Erin Manning (30:12):
Thank you so much.
Thank you for listening to theDead Pixel Society podcast.
Read more great stories andsign up for the newsletter at
wwwthedeadpixelssocietycom.
Welcome to the Dead Pixel Society podcast, the
photo imaging industry's leadingnews source.
Here's your host, Gary Pageau.
The Dead Pixels Society podcastis brought to you by Mediaclip,
Advertek Printing andIndependent Photo Imagers.
Gary Pageau (00:18):
Hello again and welcome to the Dead Pixels
Society podcast.
I'm your host, Gary Pageau, andtoday we're joined by Celi
Arias.
She's coming to us from LongIsland, New York, and she's the
CEO and founder of the Grown AssBusiness and she's going to be
giving us great advice,practical advice, on running
your business.
Hey, Celi, how are you today?
Celi Arias (00:40):
I'm great Thanks for having me.
Gary Pageau (00:43):
So, Celi, how did you get into this business?
What's your story leading up totoday in the business world?
Celi Arias (00:51):
Well, it's a long story.
Usually when I tell people myvarious career paths, they're
like you don't look that old.
I'm like.
I promise, I am that old, amthat old?
I'm actually excited to be onyour show because I am a
creative and my husband a whileago was saying you're not
creative.
You're not a creative, you'relike a systems operations person
and I would say yes, I got hereby way of being a creative and
(01:17):
having creative businesses andrealizing some of the pitfalls
and downfalls that come withbeing a creative and also
running your business as acreative.
So I actually have a degree inmodern dance.
I was a professional dancer inhigh school and college and
right out of college and then Iwent and got a second degree in
fashion design and started afashion label and ran a fashion
(01:42):
label in South America for 10years and I made all the
businesses mistakes that youcould imagine, all those
mistakes that you're like, ohGod, why did I?
I've probably done it too, andI have been in times in my life
where I had no home and wassleeping on an air mattress in
my factory floor.
(02:03):
So, I always say I have beenthere with you, I have been in
the lows of the lows and I'vealso been in the highs of the
highs.
It's possible in business.
So I started to get verycurious Once I got over the ego
bruising and the pain and thehurt of it all.
I went and got an MBA and Ifound that the MBA didn't answer
my questions and didn'tactually help fill some of the
(02:24):
gaps that felt like gaps to mewhen I was a business owner.
So I got more and more curiousabout what that was and how to
address those things that Ifound so hard in my 20s when I
had my first business.
So I worked my way intocorporate experiences in high
luxury sales and brandpartnerships, and then I've
(02:45):
discovered in that journey thatwhat I really liked was fixing
the systems and makingeveryone's lives easier.
I'm a little bit as a fashiondesigner, I'm a little bit of an
engineer anyway.
So fashion designers really, ifyou like, to make the things
you like, to take things apartfrom the very beginning and
build them Right, deconstructand then reconstruct you
(03:05):
deconstruct, or you know how toconstruct from nothing, right?
You take a piece of paper andyou can turn that into a 3D
wearable piece of art.
So I think I just gotinterested in understanding
business and I discovered thisthing called operations and I
worked my way into operations ata few startups.
I became a COO and I helpedsell a few multi-seven figure
(03:28):
businesses and then, once I didthat, I started getting asked to
coach and I coached for acompany and discovered there
were gaps in that system that Iwas a part of.
So I created my own companycalled the Grown Ass Business.
So it's called the Grown AssBusiness because I teach a lot
of creatives and visionaries andfounders how to turn their
(03:49):
passion and their business intoa grown-ass business that's
running like a business.
Gary Pageau (03:53):
so that's how we got here okay, well, that makes
sense and you know, and thatwill resonate with some of the
folks, I think, in my audience,because there are folks who got
into this business, whetherphotography, whether they're a
photographer, whether theythey're a printer, they make
pictures or things because theylike the category, they like it
Right.
Or they got into sellingcameras because they like
cameras Right.
(04:13):
And then at some point yourealize that it needs more than
that.
Celi Arias (04:18):
Yeah, like I.
Ok, I need this to pay thebills regularly.
I need it to be predictable.
I need to not feel exhaustedand burned out all the time.
I need to start feeling likethe business isn't running me.
Yeah, all those things.
Gary Pageau (04:31):
Because you always hear like from the startup
community and theentrepreneurship ecosystem and
industrial complexes, I like tocall it where it's all about
workshops and seminars and allthese things, and they talk a
lot about passion.
You got to have passion.
That's the sole thing you need.
And I'm thinking I mean I'msure it helps, but if you can't
(04:53):
do the thing you say you'regoing to do, when you're going
to do it, the price to sayyou're going to do it.
You don't have a business,you've got a hobby.
Celi Arias (05:00):
Yeah, and I think that actually, if you run your
business from passion, you havemore of a hobby than a business.
Right.
Okay, because the thing aboutpassion is what keeps you going
on those days where you'rereally tired or you're
discouraged or you're beat down.
Right?
Probably not passion.
Right, because passion is afinicky lover.
(05:23):
So I think eventuallyentrepreneurs either get tired
and quit and burn out or they go.
Okay.
Now it's time for me to stopattracting myself to the shiny
object things that keeppromising me the quick fix.
It's time for me to get real.
It's time for me to really makethis thing work.
(05:44):
I really want it to work so Ican go home at night and I can
have dinner with my family or bymyself, or.
Gary Pageau (05:50):
I can even have a family or even have a family.
Celi Arias (05:53):
My God, yeah, I mean , I'm in my forties and I only
just now have a family.
Gary Pageau (05:58):
So and a lot of that is due to my just a history
as an entrepreneur, so sureyou've had an interesting
evolution from, like said,creative and then you, kind of,
which actually mirrors a lot ofthe people that I know in the
industry.
Right, a lot of the peoplerunning some of the biggest
photo labs in the country, youknow, started as photographers,
right, and they got intoprinting because, gosh, they,
(06:21):
you know, wanted, they wanted tobe such control, not control
freaks, but they want to havecontrol over how the prints
looked.
So they started their own labsand then eventually, rather, and
then they stopped actuallydoing a lot of photography,
right, they kind of fell in lovewith the process of being a
business.
Do you think that's typical?
And if so, why don't more uhworkshoppers and uh people like
(06:46):
that talk about that?
It seems like that part's nottalked about very much I
actually don't think that'stypical okay I don't think it's
super typical.
Celi Arias (06:55):
I, I, you know now my, my nerdy data brain is like
oh, gary, let's do a study.
I'd love to know.
That's a great question.
I'm gonna guess it's 50 50.
I know a lot of creatives whogo.
You know what?
you taught me all the things andI hate the things and I just
want to feel like painting andthen they don't turn it into a
(07:15):
business, and I always say goodfor you exactly for knowing
yourself exactly that is thebest move and decision you can
make for yourself, because thelast thing you need to do is
turn your passion into abusiness if you don't actually
enjoy the process of making itinto a business Right, because
business in itself is its owncraft.
Gary Pageau (07:36):
Sure.
Celi Arias (07:37):
So if you're only into your craft of photography
or developing or whatever it is,and you'd find that you don't
like the things about business,well, you're going to have a
very frustrating journey as abusiness owner.
Right.
But business is its own art form.
It really is its own art formand as an artist, as a former
(07:57):
dance teacher, I always jokewith people that I'm a very,
very good business coach and I'malso a certified mindset coach.
But I always say everything Iever needed to learn about
coaching somebody throughsomething difficult I learned
from teaching tango, becausebusiness, like all art forms and
sports, has its own set ofrules and it has a language and
(08:19):
it has an understanding and it'sa game and you need to
understand the positions and howthe positions play, what the
rules are.
You need to understand thosethings and, like all good art,
you need to understand the rulesbefore you can break the rules,
because the best artists breakthe rules and you can break the
rules in business, but you kindof have to understand what rule
you're breaking.
(08:39):
So it is an art form in itself,and I think sometimes what
happens is there's probably 50%of the people that fall in love
with the sport of business andthere's probably 50% of the
people that go nah, I just wantto keep doing some photography
when I feel like it.
Right, and that's great, that'scool too.
Gary Pageau (08:59):
Yeah, because I think part of it is.
You know, people get into thisidea that, hey, I see the art
right, I see the art right, Isee the thing you make, I see
you dance, I see your pictures,I hear your music.
You should go pro.
Celi Arias (09:13):
Right, right.
Gary Pageau (09:15):
Maybe not right.
Celi Arias (09:17):
Yeah, I think it's interesting if you pay attention
to.
I like to look at athletesbecause they're a great example.
They're a very externalizedexample of what it looks like to
take the passion to pro, butwith the you know the Netflix
series that show some of theselike world famous soccer players
and kind of shows behind thescenes.
They have no life.
They train and eat grilledchicken and veggies for nine or
(09:41):
10 months out of the year.
You see pictures of them likespending their money on the one
month of the year that they haveoff, but you know what I mean.
The rest of the year they'restill in very intense like boot
camp level training and I thinkthat we forget that when
somebody says oh, no, andfrankly, all creatives have that
(10:03):
.
Gary Pageau (10:03):
How many hours does it take for someone to prepare
a dance piece for performance?
You know you're talking hoursupon that when you talk about.
You know if you're painting.
Celi Arias (10:13):
Or like two minutes on stage.
How many hours does it takeHours and hours and hours and
months and months and months fortwo or three minutes on stage?
Gary Pageau (10:19):
Exactly.
And then same thing withpaintings, same thing with
photography where you know youmay, if you're doing the old
school chemical stuff, right,you're spending hours in a dark
room trying to dodge and burn tomake that picture just right,
and all these other things.
So I think that's sort of thething that happens with the
passion piece.
Right is, they see the outcome,but not what's below the
surface, right, it's like aniceberg.
In that sense, I think businessis a lot of that way too.
(10:42):
When, in that sense I thinkbusiness is a lot of that way
too when you see people who aresuccessful in business, who've,
you know, quote, unquote, madeit whatever that means, you
didn't see them the time theywere sleeping on the factory
floor or they were, you know,struggling to make payroll and
they had to, you know, beg theirwife for a second mortgage so
they could, you know, buy thatpiece of equipment and have them
(11:02):
turn the corner or whateverthose things are.
You just don't see that.
Celi Arias (11:07):
Yeah, and now it's more trendy to talk about it.
So you starting to hear thosestories, but every successful
entrepreneur has many of thosestories that they often don't
share.
Gary Pageau (11:20):
So let's talk a little bit about sort of the
challenges that these businessowners have about avoiding,
because that is one of thethings you talk about.
I know there's not a checklist,there's no quick fix because
we've talked there is no quickfixes to this.
So how can somebody identifywhen burnout is starting to be a
problem?
(11:40):
Can they self-diagnose it?
Or is that the way someone ontheir team to slap them upside
the head and said you need totake a break?
Celi Arias (11:47):
Well, hopefully both .
I think it depends on how yourpersonality is.
I mean, I am basically a proathlete, so I'm probably the
worst judge if I'm getting closeto that place.
But I do have people on my teamwho go no Like, I was on my
third flight in the past threeweeks to my third event and I
(12:08):
was telling my assistant oh,I'll do that thing for you from
the plane and she said, no, youwill not, you will sleep on that
plane.
And I said oh, yeah, good call,good call, Good call, I see you,
I got you, thank you, thank you.
So I'm not the best at judgingit myself.
I think some of the symptomsare it's actually in the actions
(12:30):
that we find ourselves doing,when you are already like doing,
when you are already like okay,I'm exhausted, I feel my brain
feels fried, my eyes hurt, Ican't remember things.
If you're having conversationsand you can't remember important
names or things that you talkabout all the time, those are
really obvious extremes.
But I think the beginnings ofburnout are more interesting,
(12:53):
which is, are you spending yourtime and focus and energy
obsessing on the little things?
Because I did this thing lastyear.
I asked on threads, I askedpeople hey, I'd love to know
your thoughts.
What do you think causesburnout?
Because I find, especially inthe female entrepreneur space,
(13:14):
women are always talking aboutburnout, and that's also
probably because a lot of femaleentrepreneurs who have children
are also probably balancing alot of things Sure.
So I asked the audience.
I said what do you think thedefinition of burnout is?
The really cool thing was I gotbrilliant answers back from
people who complain aboutburnout and say they're
(13:34):
struggling with burnout, butthey knew what the cause of
burnout was right which wasoften not having a clear sense
of direction, not knowing howI'm going to get to the next
goal, not even having a clearvision and clear goal post.
So I'm just working to work.
That's like classic.
When you find yourself andyou're just working to work and
(13:57):
you're going through the motionsand you're kind of just going
through your to-do list everyday and you know you're just
kind of showing up, that's asure sign that you're headed to
burnout.
Because what I found in thiscommunity everybody answered
when you really don't have aclear map, so you're working but
you don't see an end in sight,you don't see the honeypot at
(14:19):
the end of the rainbow Right.
Gary Pageau (14:21):
So actually the old Stephen Covey thing, right,
begin with the end in mind,right?
Celi Arias (14:25):
Which is what I do with my clients all the time.
So I found it fascinating thatthese people who struggle, or
say they're struggling, withburnout had a clear definition,
just didn't really have apractical way of turning that
around.
So I always say, in yourbusiness, what's the goal?
Is it a specific number?
Is it a lifestyle?
Is it that you?
(14:46):
Is it a legacy business thatyou want to hand down in your
family and you want it to be abrand that outlives you?
Is it something you'd like todo for a few years and put aside
good money for retirement?
Is it something that you'd liketo grow and scale and you want
to sell?
But you need to know what thatend in sight is.
What is that goal for you thatyou're trying to?
And the goal can move, but youneed to know what it is, because
(15:09):
if you have a clear goal, youcan work backwards from the goal
.
So today, when I'm feeling alittle tired, I may look at my
whole to-do list and go I'm alittle too tired for that to-do
list today.
But if this is my goal, I knowthat I need to do one thing
today.
What is that?
And I stay focused and I canstay fresh and I'm not just
(15:32):
showing up and going through themotions and getting a bunch of
tasks done and kind of wonderingwhat does it all mean and
what's it all for and part of?
Gary Pageau (15:38):
that could be even delegating some of those tasks
right Knowing what is okay todelegate, because, as you and I
know from a lot of businessowners that tend to be very
possessive or control or can bepossessive and control freaks in
a lot of ways, in an unhealthyway.
Celi Arias (15:54):
Yeah, absolutely.
And I think again, I think thatwhen you have a clear big goal
in mind, it actually helps youbecome a better delegator,
because now you go okay, well, Ican't possibly spend an hour a
day in my emails.
If I'm going to change theworld with my business, I got to
start delegating some of thatstuff, right, right.
Gary Pageau (16:15):
So it helps you also prioritize where you're
spending your time so when youuse the phrase like a true
business right when that thatwas sort of and some stuff I
read about you talk about youknow what a true what is your
definition of that?
What do you mean when you'resaying you want to operate as a
true business?
Is that where you're talkingabout like the hobby thing, or
is it the change the world thing, or what do you think that is?
Celi Arias (16:39):
I think a true business is a business that runs
like a machine, a business thatknows how to play the game of
business.
So what I mean by that is, evenif you have a very small team,
if you're a solopreneur or youhave, you know, a two to three
person team you, under you,build a business that runs like
a machine and that machine lookslike having clear departments
(17:04):
for for lack of a better way ofsaying it we understand, like I
have a small team, but Iunderstand what my role is as
the CEO and founder, what Ireally need to own, and I
understand what metrics andtasks and projects and
departments other people in mybusiness need to own.
So what happens is I'm notbuilding a business around me
(17:26):
and around me doing all thethings and me getting exhausted,
but I'm actually building overtime.
I'm building a business basedon systems.
So, for example, I haveintellectual property.
I have a methodology that I onsystems.
So, for example, I haveintellectual property.
I have a methodology that I'vecreated.
I have a way that I've.
I have created a way that Ideliver that methodology.
It happens the same everysingle time that I sell it.
I have a marketing machine.
(17:48):
I know which of my channelswork for me in terms of
marketing and I know how to makecontent for those marketing
channels.
Gary Pageau (17:57):
And.
Celi Arias (17:57):
I'm looking at my marketing in a systematic,
metric based way andunderstanding what worked, what
didn't work, what can I tweak,what can I learn, where can I
grow, where can I expand.
I'm not just creating contentand kind of spraying it on the
wall and hoping for the best,but I'm approaching my marketing
department as a marketingdepartment, even though I don't
(18:18):
have a marketing assistant or ahead of marketing.
I approach my marketing in theway that I teach, which is, if I
did have a CMO, if I had achief marketing officer in my
business, what would they do?
What are the questions theywould ask themselves and what
are the answers that they wouldhave to report to me?
What are the metrics?
that they would ask themselves.
And what are the answers thatthey would have to report to me?
What are?
The metrics that they wouldlook at, and so what that does
(18:39):
is then I don't feel like I haveto be on every social media
platform.
I have to also have a podcastand I have to all like.
People tell me all the timelike, oh my gosh, it's so great,
you have such a great voice,and we talked about this earlier
.
You and I right when people say, oh, you should turn that
passion and go pro.
Well, people tell me all thetime, oh my gosh, you should
have a podcast.
(18:59):
No, I should not.
Gary Pageau (19:02):
I know how much work it is.
Celi Arias (19:05):
I know how much work it is.
I know that I would be adding awhole other channel with its
costs of production editingAbsolutely not.
That is not the channel that mybusiness needs right now.
I'm happy to come on people'sshows and talk about all this
stuff that I love talking about,but I have podcast clients and,
(19:26):
nope, it's not for me.
So, when you run your businesslike a business, you start to go
.
I know what works for me I canrun my marketing campaign and at
night I can eat dinner with myhusband and play with my seven
month old and maybe watch amovie and have a life.
Right.
But if I'm not running, if I'mnot building that real business
(19:48):
that starts to run on its own,and ultimately, the goal is that
you build a business that runswithout you needing to pull all
the levers and turn the knobs,and you know fix.
Gary Pageau (19:56):
Right, it's the loose screws so you touch on
something that I want to comeback to is kind of or you've got
a creative person right.
Creative, pretty people like tocreate.
How do they resist thetemptation?
Celi Arias (20:10):
I felt your deep side, it was like how do we talk
about this Right?
How do we resist the temptationto what'd chase say
Gary Pageau (20:20):
the shiny right.
I mean to, to, to, to find theshiny object right.
Hey, listen, this works for meand you know I got to do this on
TikTok and things, because I'vebeen to conferences like that
in the industry where they talkabout you know you need to be on
TikTok, you need to be on thisstuff, and it's like do you
really?
You know, do you really?
(20:40):
Just because you know, myadvice to people has always been
just pick two, just pick two,just start with two.
I love that advice Figure it outmake that work and then maybe
play with another one, but justdon't spread yourself too thin.
You don't need to be everywhere.
Celi Arias (20:55):
I agree with that.
I was told by many peopleyou're so great on video, you
have to be on TikTok and I tried.
But the problem is when you geton a new platform, each
platform has its culture.
So it's not just oh yeah, Ihappen to be great on video and
I can make videos and I can postthem.
No, I also have to understandthe ecosystem and the culture of
(21:16):
that world and that platformand I have to get into it and I
have to be involved, and so itdoesn't work for me because I
don't really.
I'm not a scroller and I don'treally enjoy being on TikTok.
So, it's not going to work forme as a platform.
In terms of the question aboutcreatives and how do you get
around that, I think there'sseveral ways to get around it.
One it's we go back to what wesaid earlier, where you just
accept that you're a creativeand this is a hobby business.
(21:37):
I think if you accept that,it's a way of self-love, it's a
way of loving yourself,accepting who you are, accepting
where you're at and going.
Oh yeah, I'm always going to bea creative and a passion person
when it comes to my creationsand I'm not going to turn it
into a business.
I just don't like to.
That's option one Own it.
(21:58):
Option two is you hire somepeople around you who are more
systems-based, who go okay,we're going to let you have that
one shiny object thing that youwant to do this quarter or this
six months.
You can't do five of them, butyou can do one them, but you can
(22:24):
do one Right.
So, for example, I used to be aCOO to a very creative young
influencer entrepreneur and shewas literally that person that
every day would come into themorning.
We were all.
I was there from 8am on.
My team would come in aroundnine and she was that person
that would like barge in at 11amand go I have an idea we have
to do.
And she'd start spitting out toall my team like you do this,
(22:46):
and I'd be like Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Okay, right now we're workingon this partnership, this thing,
this thing right, the dev teamis doing this Like so, is this a
must do right now?
Can we just make a deal that wedo one?
Of your special projects perquarter.
But so if you can't do that foryourself, you've put somebody in
(23:08):
your world who goes not rightnow.
You made a deal and thisquarter your special shiny
object project is X Y.
Z.
And then you go to that personand say do you want to give up X
, y, z for this new idea?
So something you need to thatperson and say do you want to
give up X Y Z for this new idea?
Right, so you need to knowyourself.
Right, right.
I think I'm pretty good atstaying super focused because I
(23:29):
teach this stuff all the time.
Gary Pageau (23:31):
Do you think that comes from the dance?
Celi Arias (23:33):
Yeah, I definitely think that I have a very, very
disciplined background of dance.
Gary Pageau (23:40):
Because I think people don't understand like
dance is very mentallychallenging.
Celi Arias (23:46):
Very.
I mean, dancers are some of thesmartest people I know in the
world.
It's very mentally taxing.
It's a very difficult sport,and I call it a sport because
you are as much, if not more, ofan athlete than many athletes.
But even so, I have somebody onmy team who sometimes will go
Celi, stop it.
And that's my keyword.
That's what I say to my clients.
(24:07):
So I always tell people on myteam.
I give my personal assistantpermission to say stop it Right?
And she's like, are you sure?
And I'm like yes, if you eversee me trying to do too much or
go off the rails, you have 100%permission to tell your boss
stop it.
Now, that's me I don't.
I like when people talk back tome.
I like when people aren'tscared of me.
I like when people are likeyou're doing that thing you tell
(24:30):
your clients not to do, stop it.
And I'm go, oh, thank you.
I really appreciate that.
I almost went off the rails,didn't I?
Because I'm a creative too, andso I can go down that road too.
And the other problem is some,some visionaries, some
entrepreneurs are really, reallysmart and we're capable of a
lot.
So you put a lot on your plate.
(24:50):
This is the beginning ofburnout, too, when you put more
and more and more on your platebecause you know you can.
But just because you candoesn't mean you have to.
It doesn't mean that's the pacethat you necessarily want to
keep up every day of your life.
Right doesn't mean you have to.
It doesn't mean that's the pacethat you necessarily want to
keep up every day of your lifedoesn't mean you should right.
Gary Pageau (25:06):
Just because you can't just mean you should.
Celi Arias (25:08):
That's the old saying yeah, and so even me, who
is like the queen of stop itand getting people focused on
the right strategy, becausethat's what I do.
I let everyone around me tellme to stop it if I'm trying to
do too much.
Gary Pageau (25:24):
But for someone to be able to do that, to have the
mental fortitude to do that, youhave to agree that if someone
tells you that, that you have todo what they say, right, if
your assistant says you know,Celi, we need to stop this,
you're, you know, we're notdoing a TikTok promo and you say
, but I really want to and I'mgoing to override you, right, I
(25:46):
mean, you want to do for 30 days, does it actually measurably
get you closer to that goal?
Right.
Celi Arias (26:12):
And is the goal still juicy and exciting enough
that you can go?
Oh yeah, I probably don't needto do that.
If I'm actually going for thisgoal, I probably need to put
that thing down.
Right.
And and yes, it takes mentalfortitude.
This is what I coach people onall the time.
It's why people hire coaches.
Honestly, I used to think, youknow, once people have all the
(26:34):
skills that I give them and allthe trainings that I give them,
they don't need me anymore as acoach.
Now I realized that was verynaive thinking, because we all
need somebody to kind of keepguiding us towards the thing.
I think there's a lot of reasonswhy we even avoid our goals
sometimes, but that's more of amindset thing.
But the way around that is waita minute is the thing I'm
(26:55):
working towards so sexy andexciting that I can put down
this short-term dopamine hitRight.
Keep my eyes on the prize.
Maybe it's that new home, maybeit's early retirement, maybe
it's retiring somebody in yourfamily, maybe it's spending more
time with your kids, maybe it'srevolutionizing a part of your
(27:17):
industry and how things are done.
But is it super juicy andexciting enough that you can put
this shiny thing down and gojust like a dog, like, ooh right
, bigger ball.
Bigger, more colorful, moreexciting ball.
I want that one.
Gary Pageau (27:30):
And also you may not realize that your goal,
whatever it is, may havemultiple stages.
Celi Arias (27:35):
Yes.
Gary Pageau (27:36):
You know, I mean, that's part of the recognition
too.
You're not gonna get to the.
In five years I'm going toretire because I'm going to make
$30 million.
It's like there's a whole lotof mini goals that lead up to
that.
Celi Arias (27:47):
Yeah, absolutely yeah, but you're going to get
there a lot faster if you dropthe TikTok challenge and you
drop the things along the wayright, because what happens is
when burnout is also this thingthat happens to us when it's
like, but I'm doing all thethings and I'm working so hard
and I don't really feel.
My revenue this year was thesame as last year, but I feel
(28:08):
like I did so much more and Iworked so much harder and yet
I'm still kind of in the sameplace.
That's also why you start tofeel burnout, because you're
actually it's not just the levelof exhaustion and doing too
much, it's when you're doing somuch but you feel like you
haven't actually made anyprogress.
That's exhausting.
Gary Pageau (28:26):
Is that maybe a sign as well that it may be time
to exit the business?
Celi Arias (28:31):
If you haven't made any progress.
Gary Pageau (28:33):
Yeah, or just you're feeling that way.
Right, you've been at it fortwo years and you're kind of
leveled off and you're like youknow.
Celi Arias (28:46):
I've given this all I can and maybe that's all there
is for me.
Yeah, I think that's a that's asweet spot to be in, where you
get to ask yourself thatquestion Right, because usually
when you get into this placewhere it's like, wait a minute,
I've been working really hardand I'm kind of in the same
place, that is actually a signof the way you're doing.
Things has to shift and change.
The question is actually am Iwilling to change?
Am I willing to take feedback?
(29:07):
Am I willing to look at thingsdifferently?
Am I willing to maybe show updifferently in my business to
get to the next milestone?
So that's really the question,not should I quit, but something
probably needs to change here.
Am.
I open and willing to changinghow I'm doing things.
Gary Pageau (29:24):
With that question where can people go to find out
more about your business andmaybe ask you that question?
Celi Arias (29:33):
The easiest way to find me.
Your audience is probablyvisual and they're on Instagram,
I'm guessing, and all myhandles everywhere are Celi
Grows Business, c-e-l-i.
Grows Business, and I'm veryeasy to find on all, not all,
platforms.
I'm not really active on TikTokanymore for the very reasons we
talked about, but on Instagramand LinkedIn and YouTube you can
(29:57):
find me there.
Gary Pageau (29:58):
Awesome.
Well, thank you, selly, somegreat talking to you.
I know a lot of people aregoing to get a lot out of what
we just talked about because Ithink it resonates, and we'll
speak to them because a lot ofthem are going through that.
So thank you so much for yourtime and best wishes.
Erin Manning (30:12):
Thank you so much.
Thank you for listening to theDead Pixel Society podcast.
Read more great stories andsign up for the newsletter at
wwwthedeadpixelssocietycom.
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