March 17, 2025 • 31 mins
Navigating entrepreneurship requires more than hustle – it demands a CEO's compass to guide you past blind spots and toward true success. Deb Coviello shares critical insights on finding your direction while building a sustainable business.
• Understanding your leadership style and unique value before diving into business activities
• Building a network early rather than waiting until you need clients
• Standing out through differentiation instead of competing on the same terms as others
• Developing a relationship-based approach to sales that doesn't feel pushy
• Creating systems to maintain connections and nurture relationships over time
• Investing in yourself through coaching and personal development
• Learning from "failures" by seeing them as valuable redirections
• Identifying your true strengths through the entrepreneurial journey
• Focusing on peace of mind rather than solely pursuing financial results
• Approaching business with patience, persistence, and genuine care for connections
Connect with Deb Coviello on LinkedIn or visit dropinceo.com to subscribe to her newsletter. Her book "The CEO's Compass" is available on Amazon and now as an audiobook.
This episode is NOT sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links, meaning we'll receive a small commission if you buy something.
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This episode is NOT sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links, meaning we'll receive a small commission if you buy something.
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⚡️For Support inquires or Business inquiries, please email us at ➡︎ support@elevate-media-group.com
Our mission here at Elevate Media is to help purpose-driven entrepreneurs elevate their brands and make an impact through the power of video podcasting.
Disclaimer: Please see the link for our disclaimer policy for all our episodes or videos on the Elevate Media and Elevate Media Podcast YouTube channels. https://elevatemediastudios.com/disclaimer
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to the Elevate Media Podcast with your
host, chris Anderson.
In this show, chris and hisguests will share their
knowledge and experience on howto go from zero to successful
entrepreneur.
They have built theirbusinesses from scratch and are
now ready to give back to thosewho are just starting.
Let's get ready to learn, growand elevate our businesses.
And now your host, chrisAnderson.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Welcome back to another recording of the Elevate
Media Podcast.
I'm Chris Anderson, your host,and today, for those listening,
you know your journey hasn'tbeen easy.
You're starting out, trying tobuild a business, become
successful even replace yournine to five most likely and
sometimes there are things wejust miss.
As we start out, we don'trealize there are things we're
(00:47):
going to have to deal with orovercome those blind spots
within our journey, and so webrought on a guest to talk about
just that how we can have aCEO's compass with us on our
journey to avoid some of thoseblind spots, to figure some of
that out as we're growing andlearning.
And Deb Coviello, welcome tothe Elevate Media Podcast today.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Oh, chris, I'm so excited to be here and hopefully
provide some valuable insightsfor your audience, because
entrepreneurship is not easy,but it is passion work that I
love doing.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Yeah, absolutely, Entrepreneurship definitely is
not easy.
I tell people it's simple.
We overcomplicate it a lot ofthe times but it's simple, but
it's not easy.
It's definitely a road that youneed to have a good connection
with people and community andthings like that.
So excited to dive into thistopic of having our own CEO's
(01:38):
compass I know it's the title ofyour book as well and what that
looks like.
What does having a CEO'scompass kind of mean for those
listening?
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Great question and again, thank you for that.
You know, I wrote the CEO'scompass back in 2021 with the
mindset that it was for the CEOleader that has been amazingly
successful in their career andthat, all of a sudden, something
changes for which they're nolonger a rock star and what do
they need to do differently interms of their leadership.
(02:10):
But here's the hidden secret Iactually wanted the book to also
be for those people that aremoving up in their career or
perhaps getting stuck at a newway of thinking.
The same thing goes forentrepreneurship.
So the first chapter isprobably where you and I are
looking at the entrepreneur, butthe first thing I say in the
book is I see you looking outthe window.
You're stuck, you're doubtingyourself because you're now in a
(02:34):
different landscape and youdon't know what to do
differently.
So, basically, the principle isI want you to stop and think
about who are you as a person.
What is your leadership style?
Are you open for maybe doingthings a little bit differently?
And, by the way, if you're notput the book down, I don't want
you to continue.
But a compass.
The main principle is that sooften we just want to hustle.
(02:56):
We want to get the sale.
It's all about those results.
That's what a lot of the gurussay.
Hopefully, chris, you don't saythat, but really I try to
change.
The mindset is, you're reallytrying to navigate towards peace
of mind, which is really agreater outcome, and so this is
where the entrepreneur probablyneeds to pause a little bit, not
just dive in and start doingnetworking and such, but really
(03:18):
think about their why, theirpurpose and why are they doing
this and really big picturestuff.
And then along the way, youhave to think about what are
your different points on thecompass that you need to kind of
move in one way or the other toget to true north or peace of
mind.
So you may have some thingsabout you know your people and
your process and your differenttools and platforms.
(03:39):
But from an entrepreneur'sperspective, there's an
interesting nuance here.
I talk about the West and Eastcompass point of past and pride.
Now, in the context of a CEO, Itell them you should be looking
at your people and understandthe rich culture that they've
brought with them.
That's the past.
And on the pride, what is that?
Intellectual property or thoseunique gifts of your people on
(04:00):
your team?
Celebrate those and make sureyou pull that forward, because
nobody likes change, but theyalso like to be respected.
Same thing goes for theentrepreneur.
Think about what you wereabsolutely amazing at in the
past.
You're not broken.
You don't have to change.
Think about those gifts thatyou have and bring them forward.
Into who are you becoming asyou try to serve others?
(04:20):
And then the pride part.
Well, you might have to swallowyour pride a little bit.
It's going to be a little bittough, but at the same time,
look at those gifts, thoseunique talents.
You are special.
Nobody else has had your exactexperience.
And package that bundle thathold on to it because you're
going to be in pursuit of thosepeople that really value your
(04:41):
intellectual property.
So the CEO's compass againchart your own adventure.
It's focusing on peace of mindor true north, and it's a guide.
It's not cookie cutter, but aguide for you to pick your
adventure and your course toentrepreneurship and realizing
great success.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Yeah, I love that and I think it is a compass, that
kind of guide us, because no twopaths on entrepreneurship is
going to be the same.
There might be similarities,you might, you know, have some
of the same steps, butultimately your end goal and
where you're headed and how youget there is going to be
different.
And so like having that compass, cause it still keeps you on
where you want to go, but youmight have to keep, you might
(05:18):
have to meander around things,but you know again that true
north, like you mentioned, isalways the same thing.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
Yeah, and it's one of those things.
It's not just okay, let me getmy read all these books and
figure it out.
It's not cookie cutter, it'syou can get a coach and a coach
can tell you what to do, but atthe same time, if you haven't
taken that time to reflect on,well, why am I even doing this?
Why am I ready to dive in andspend a lot of time investing in
(05:45):
myself and people?
It's really actually one of themost beautiful times of your
life is a point ofself-discovery, Like what am I
made of?
Like you know, stop doing what Iwas doing in the past.
I'm not made of that stuff.
But yeah, I may have earnedmoney at it, but was I really
passionate about it and did Ireally serve people in the best
possible way?
So take the time as you moveinto entrepreneurship to really
(06:07):
appreciate the time to reflecttowards true north.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Yeah, I like that.
And so, as we're, you know,talking about headed on our path
towards true north, like wetalk about our why, you know
figuring out the why we'vetalked about that, a lot of that
.
And so once we find that whyand understand that we're
heading on the journey right,we're, we're going down the path
, we're following the compass.
(06:32):
I want to kind of dive into theblind spots, things that we
might or people might not bethinking about.
That come up, come up quiteoften with entrepreneurship,
being your own CEO, even if youdon't have employees or maybe a
few, that that kind of canhinder or slow us down.
Where are some of these blindspots?
Let's dive into that.
What are those those blindspots kind of look like?
(06:53):
Or how could they, or I mean,are they, you know?
What are those?
I guess is where I'm going withit.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Yeah, it's, I appreciate that and you know.
Talk to me in a year from nowand I'll tell you a few more
blind spots.
You know, one thing that can bea blind spot that I quickly
discovered was you know, in thebeginning, if you are saying,
okay, I'm going to hang myshingle, I'm going to get my
business cards, I'm going tocreate these beautiful 20 page
PowerPoints that explain all thevalue that I can bring.
(07:24):
And I was sitting one day and Irealized, wait a second, I
don't have any clients.
So I don't have any clients.
The first thing I need to do isgo out and start connecting
with people.
And the other blind spot ifyou're still in corporate or
doing contract work that networkoh my goodness, they never talk
to you about building a network.
Build a network now of peopleoutside.
(07:46):
Start talking to them, let themknow what you're thinking,
because the worst time to have anetwork or build a network is
when you're at a luck or maybeyou've been kicked out of the
nest.
So a blind spot is likecultivate your first degree and
your second degree connectionsfast, because those are the ones
that you're going to bepracticing your elevator pitch
and getting feedback on whatyour offers look like.
(08:08):
So blind spot number one it'snot about the PowerPoint, it's
about who can you connect withand who can they connect you
with?
Are you ready for next blindspot?
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Okay, I discovered this early on.
If you're thinking about againbeing a consultant or a
fractional leader, or you've gotsome really cool product, just
know it's extremely noisy outthere and you're going to get
very frustrated saying how am Igoing to compete with the
competition?
Well, that's the wrong mindset.
What I found it was about whatis it that differentiates you?
(08:41):
What makes you unique?
What is some really cool thingthat somebody has called you or
what did you say by accident?
So the drop-in CEO?
Is there anybody else that'sbranded the drop-in CEO?
No, and, by the way, I'vetrademarked that.
Take the time to reflect on whatmakes you different and
differentiate, because, ratherthan trying to keep up with the
Joneses and what do I need to doslightly better and improve on
(09:04):
the next consultant to fight forthat business out there, stand
out, stand out, come up withsomething really cool and be
able to articulate your valuevery crisply in a plate, and
your outcome is to just beinteresting for people to say,
oh my God, that's cool.
I've never heard of that before.
Tell me more.
So building a brand is anotherblind spot.
(09:26):
It's not about your service,it's about standing out.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Yeah, how do people do that Like?
How do they like?
That's a loaded question andlet me kind of rephrase that If
people are trying to stand out,what are the best ways for them
to show that value and stand out, you know, in a sea of other
individuals trying to do thesame thing?
Are there some good techniquesto do it besides being yourself?
Obviously, we hear that, but isthere any other way?
Speaker 3 (09:50):
There's so many things.
I'm giving away the farm here,but honestly there's so many
things.
First of all is listen to whatyou say about yourself and, like
I said, the drop-in CEO has abackstory that fell out of my
mouth and somebody all of asudden said oh my goodness, that
is brilliant, tell me more.
Another place to help buildyour personal brand is think
(10:11):
back about.
Where did you do some rockstarstuff in your corporate life
where somebody either a customeror colleagues said, oh my God,
you are the Superman ofconstruction or something like
that and it was so cool.
But like you say, oh gee,shucks, and you let it roll off
your shoulder, but like, writethose nuggets down.
And then lastly and I tellpeople a lot is just keep
(10:32):
post-it notes or keep a journalof things that you're thinking,
your unique insights.
People might say, forget it,that's not going to work here at
the company.
But save your intellectualproperty, write those thoughts
down and tuck them away, becauseI sincerely believe that when
you pull that thing out, thatjournal or those post-it notes,
and start looking at it, it'sgoing to start speaking to you
(10:54):
and say, oh my God, I've beentalking about this and I've had
a few people say that's exactlythe kind of leadership we need.
And that's exactly whatsomebody said to me once when I
stood out and just said what Iwas thinking.
It may not resonate witheverybody, but maybe they're not
for you.
Now, think about the peoplethat what you say resonates with
and take note, because thatalso, too, becomes part of your
(11:17):
personal brand.
It's not your cameras, it's notnecessarily a great PowerPoint
or business card, but it's howyou make people feel what people
remember you by a greatPowerPoint or business card, but
it's how you make people feelwhat people remember you by
those two three, five talkingpoints about what you stand for
is going to make you stand out.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Yeah, that's very true, and I think going back to
that, just knowing your valuesand knowing what's important to
you, with it, with the businessand on this journey, and that
kind of ties into your why right?
Speaker 3 (11:44):
It absolutely does.
And, again, it is just a goodjourney to go on.
Think about your why isn't?
By the way, it can changemultiple times.
We're entrepreneurs.
We change our minds a lot.
Again, it's not a straight path, it's back and forth, and just
start trying these differentthings.
Hey, I'm the drop-in CEO.
I partner with C-suite leadersand this is the kinds of
problems I solve.
Test it out on a friend, testit out on a partner and even at
(12:08):
a networking, and just see whatworks.
Don't worry about being perfect, don't worry about flubbing
your words, just try it out andover time it could take you a
year or so You're going to saythat's it, that's my brand,
that's what I stand for, that'show I stand out.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
Yeah, very true, and I think, yeah, and I like that,
you don't have to have it rightaway, like you don't have to
have it figured out right thissecond.
If you're starting a business,like that's something that you
can have an idea on and it canmorph and change and kind of
become more specific as you go,so I don't think you have to
have it set in stone right thisinstant.
Said, things change, your ideaschange, and to finally kind of
(12:48):
get to that this is it kind ofmoment and you can really dig in
.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
And it's a beautiful thing when you say I've arrived.
I have my message I stand out,I'm pretty cool and people
recognize me for it.
Right?
Do I have time for anotherblind spot?
One more?
Speaker 2 (13:05):
Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
Yeah, sales, ooh, ooh , that dirty word sales.
That has been really, reallychallenging.
The interesting blind spot thatI had early on was through
networking with my first degreeconnections.
They wanted to support me, sothey introduced me to second
degree connections and, oh my, Igot a few gigs out of the gate.
I felt like I got this thingand the warm referrals are going
(13:28):
to come in.
And then things dried up and Ihad to say to myself you can be
victim to oh, it was COVID or oh, it was the economy.
You have to control our ownpart of it.
And I just didn't understandbusiness development, that it
was an ongoing process.
And how can I do it in a waythat didn't feel salesy?
So I have read, I have listenedand I have employed coaches
(13:52):
myself to realize that itdoesn't have to be feel grungy
or anything like that, but it'sreally about building
relationships and as much as thegurus say, you got to hustle,
hustle, hustle, build thatfunnel.
Yes, you have to continually beprospecting, but really focus on
the relationships, because Ihave found that the
relationships from three, five,10 years ago are what were
(14:15):
feeding my pipeline now, and soit means you have to continually
be planting those seeds of likehey, I care about you, hey, can
I introduce you to somebody,and not always be looking for
something in return.
It is a long game, it ispatient, but even if it's not a
transaction, people will begenerous.
Because you cared about them,they will introduce you to other
(14:35):
people.
The network will grow, maybe aspeaking opportunity, maybe an
opportunity to write a blog postfor somebody.
But it's finding relationshipsof people that care about you
and you care about them, andseeing how you could support
each other.
The transaction or the resultcomes later.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
Yeah, and that's a good point.
It's about relationships.
So any tips on how to nurturethose relationships?
I mean you mentioned you're inthe making.
What have you found works foryou?
At least that builds that kindof bridge and connection.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Well, so I knew for a few years I was broken.
I would try and say, well, whoare the people that I want to
network with?
I wasn't really ubercomfortable in going to large
networking events.
That's just not my thing.
And then what happens isthere's a mindset thing like, oh
(15:41):
, I'm not good at networking.
We've got to shift our mindsetand find what is comfortable for
you.
And so I realized I needed abetter system.
Gone are the days of Googlespreadsheets, post-it notes and
all those things kind ofdatabase that was really good at
capturing the information aboutpeople not only who are
prospects but also greatadvocates and referral partners,
and then having a system tokeep me accountable, to
continually check in with thosepeople, because ultimately,
consultants, service providers,come and go, but it's those that
(16:04):
are top of mind, are the onesthat'll stick, because you never
know when somebody in yournetwork says, oh, I know
somebody, you want to be thatperson that they think about.
So number one was having a salessystem that keeps me
accountable for all thosecontacts that I really care
about.
The second tip was having themindset of like oh, I've got to
sell versus I've got to createrelationships for which I can
(16:26):
share my value and ultimatelyit's up to them.
I can share my value andultimately it's up to them.
I can share my value, share myoffer, but at the end of the day
, yes, you're going to feel alittle upset if you don't
convert, but it's not yourdecision, it's their decision
and all you can do is put thebest value forward and say I'm
good, I have been able to serveso many people.
(16:47):
And just because one persondoesn't convert, don't take it
to heart.
Continue to network and nurture.
Those are some of the thingsthat I've learned about sales,
and you know what I don't feelso edgy, I don't feel worried as
much by putting forth my offer.
I do have to continue to bringup my prices.
That's still a challenge.
I'm evolving, but find a way, aprocess, process, a method that
(17:11):
it's about relationshipbuilding and just providing
value.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Yeah, I agree on that .
And um, and you could do itdifferent ways.
I mean, I've heard you get somepeople articles in a podcast,
episodes, like just saying, hey,we're thinking about you, I
thought you might find thisinteresting, things like that.
Just, you know, what I dopersonally is, um, I'm a little
old and I've just always beenthat way.
I'll handwrite letters and sealthem with a wax seal and then
mail them off, just because youdon't see things like that
(17:35):
anymore.
I've always enjoyed doing that.
It's like, well, that's kind ofunique.
I can do that and just letpeople know I'm thinking of them
or thank them for somethingthey did in that way.
I think that goes so muchfarther than just trying to do
there's a place for, like thequote unquote hard sell, but I
think there's so much more tojust adding value because you
(17:56):
bring the right people in andyou you get the people who are
ready and willing to kind ofcommit and take that step and
and and trust you by you doingthat.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
Yeah, and again to your point, it's about standing
out and being memorable.
Now I have a challenge.
I have terrible handwriting, soI do write notes, uh, when
maybe sending my book tosomebody, um, but there are
services and I was introduced toit and I'm going to start using
it real soon where you can goonline and create a note for
somebody and the service doessend them a very nice card and
(18:33):
kind of inserts your signaturein there and kind of cuts
through my bad handwriting andto your point.
It makes you memorable.
So, anything you can do, youdon't have to listen exactly to
what Chris says, what I do.
But what are you known for?
Whether it's a gift or a noteor an article, find out what it
is to stay top of mind and thesales will come.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Yeah, and I think the more you can do and you
mentioned something too I thinkit's important is, like the
systems, having that salessystem, that process at CRM,
because we, you know, we riseand fall to the level of our
systems and so having that isimportant.
Is there a CRM or a prospectlead CRM system you use, that
you really like, or one that youfound has worked well?
Speaker 3 (19:17):
It was recommended to me but it is called Engage Pro
and really the purpose of it isto help you remain engaged with
people that matter.
Engaged with people that matter.
So anybody that I bring on tothe podcast, they're in there
because I want to nurture thoserelationships.
Any introductions that I haveor prospects, they all go in
there, and it was just before wecame in here while I was at the
(19:40):
curling.
I was actually going through andcorresponding and asking
permission to reconnect or sharesomething with people and you
stand out and they come back andthose that come back and
respond you say OK, they reallyalso care about the relationship
.
One other blind spot I learnedis that not everybody has time
(20:00):
to communicate back and afterone or two touch points, if they
didn't respond back, I'd writethem off.
It's like, ok, I'm just goingto drop them.
You know, drop them.
And I learned that that is notthe right mindset.
Understand that some peoplelife happens, they have no time
to communicate with you, so youcan't expect them to be equal in
communication.
But be persistent, not in apesky way, but say you know, hey
(20:24):
, you must be busy, I understand, but you know I still was
thinking about you.
I want to share something and Ihave found that there are
buyers or prospects or people inyour network that maybe by the
sixth time that you connect withthem, they'll say thank you,
they'll apologize, but thenthey'll say let's talk, let's
jump on a call.
Be patient with people.
(20:45):
Life is complex.
It's not on your timeline, it'sreally theirs.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
Yeah, I think that's so true and lots of stories with
just the delay of messages orthe length of the you know quote
unquote sales pipeline andthings like that.
And yeah, I think be quick tostart the relationship and slow
to build it kind of thing, likedon't be in a haste and try to
force the relationship to build,but uh, be quick to try to meet
new people is kind of.
(21:11):
My thought is because you neverknow anyone's story and where
they're at, and as soon as youcan maybe meet them, um, then
the relationship can start.
And so, uh, it's funny, likeexample, like I had messaged
someone on linkedin a while back.
We both went to the same school,I was doing stuff for our
alumni program, so I wasconnecting with them and this
was like two or three years ago.
No, no reply or anything likethat.
(21:33):
After a couple messages, kindof like, just kind of let it be
um, which again you know, I readdown, and then, um, I forget
who messaged back just this year, but we started conversation
again and they ended up becomingour new director of marketing
and content strategy.
It's like and so like, not evenclient, but like ended up
becoming part of our team nowand and just um, yeah, just a
(21:58):
crazy delay and timeline andjust, you know, I think it all
works out.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
All happens for a reason and so um, that that, I
would say, is probably a majorblind spot is you need to be
patient with the process and andthe word is care and I just
interviewed yesterday aboutSelling with Love.
He was a wonderful person.
Think about do you really careabout the people in your network
?
Because if you don't, you'rejust hustling.
And I got to make X amount ofmoney.
(22:22):
You might make those short-termresults.
Term results again.
Uh, this is actually my secondbook that I have to write, but
it's a.
It's about uh, stop chasingresults, start pursuing peace of
mind.
If you're in it for the hustle,I gotta make a certain.
I gotta get to seven fig, Igotta get to six figures.
You'll get that, but you'regonna just kind of wear yourself
out, never be happy.
I, I know it's it's about youknow, the greater opportunity is
(22:44):
peace of mind.
I, my theme this year isconnecting with humanity.
It used to be go big, but thenI started thinking well, go big,
for what reason?
So go big, okay, get goodcamera, get good audio, we'll
talk about that as well, allthose things.
So if I needed to scale, Icould, but what was the ultimate
purpose was to connect withhumanity.
I don't want them to struggleas much.
(23:05):
So just think about you.
Know again, we talked aboutyour why Don't think about the
quick hustle.
Be patient and invest inyourself.
That's another thing that Ithought is don't it's important
to invest in coaches, peoplethat can see you for what you
need and may fill you in withthose blind spots.
Definitely, definitely getcoaches in this journey, but
also think about investing inyourself.
(23:26):
So often when people are outthere, they say, hey, join my
community, come to my networkinggroup, and you start spending a
lot of money on other people'splatforms.
And you may find valuableconnections, but one thing that
I found for me that wasimportant is you know I'm going
to invest in myself.
Invest in myself, invite peopleonto my platform.
(23:50):
I started a podcast, just likeyou, to build the relationships
that I want to have versus beingthrown into a sea of Barracuda
and trying to swim and figureout who should I be connecting
with?
So find ways to connect withpeople you want to in a way
that's comfortable for youversus going into others Again.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Just a quick plug there and also coaching.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
Coaching is very valuable to this journey.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Oh, yeah, I agree, and it's like there's so much
time.
You can speed up the process ifyou listen, someone else's got
the life you want, or at thespot, you want to be at um and
just seeing what they did andhow they did it and not you're
basically getting your ego,getting yourself out of the way,
(24:31):
thinking you can do it on yourown, or if you I don't know,
maybe you feel ashamed ofgetting a coach because it makes
you seem weak or something.
I don't know.
But once you can move that egoand pride out of the way and say
, like I don't know it all, evenlike owning Elevate, like even
if I love my team, they have askill or talent in different
areas of knowledge, I'm like Idon't, I'm going to just go to
(24:54):
you on this because this is yourstrength, like I don't know so
much, and try to keep an openmind and learn from anyone.
I think, yeah, it's soimportant to have those mentors,
those coaches that can guideyou, so, hopefully.
So you missed some of theseblind spots, right?
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (25:10):
And again you know, I appreciate you bringing me on
to the show here and sharingsome of the blind spots or best
practices that I've been able torealize, but I wouldn't have
been able to be where I'm at now.
Practices that I've been ableto realize but I wouldn't have
been able to be where I'm at now.
And again I'm still I would sayI'm successful because I have to
find happiness and where I amin the process I'm far better
off than when I was in acorporate role I had.
My creative self is out rightnow.
(25:31):
But just know it doesn't comewithout maybe some not damage
along the way.
But just realize that you'regoing to see things where you
may have made an investment thatwasn't correct or maybe the
timing of an investment wasn'tright.
Don't feel bad and say, oh, I'mgoing to take down the shingle,
I'm going to go back tocorporate, unless it's something
that you really, really love.
(25:52):
Just be ready to reflect and say, well, that didn't work.
I've learned something.
I'm going to go in a differentdirection.
I'm a little bit smarter thistime in terms of my work.
Just be happy to realize thosethings that you know.
Like I ran out of money, I hadto take out some loans, I was
(26:13):
betting on myself, et cetera,but what was the missing piece
was I didn't have a really goodsales process to continually
fill that you know pipeline, aswell as investing and expending
on myself.
So just be ready to learn somethings.
They're not failures.
But what have you learned aboutyou, your business, your
clients, et cetera, to continueto avoid them.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
have less risk and make smarter decisions.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
So it's a wonderful journey, but be careful about
running out of money.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
Yeah for sure.
Yeah, you definitely have tomitigate that risk.
Pretty well, it reminds me of asong I don't know if you've
heard the Greatest by KennyRogers.
Basically, it's a song aboutthis little boy who's playing
baseball by himself.
He's throwing the ball up andhe's swinging, he's trying to
hit the ball, hit a home run andstuff, and it's a ghosted old
song.
And his ghosted old song uh,basically he gets the third time
(27:01):
trying, it's time to go in fordinner, so you're gonna try
again.
And he throws the ball up,swings at it and misses the ball
.
So you're like, oh, he neveractually hit.
It won the world, uh, and itended up him.
He's like man, I knew it wasgood but I didn't know I could
pitch like that.
So, like shifted, like it's notabout him, he's like he.
He's like, yeah, I missed, butokay, I'm good pitcher.
So like it shifted, like thatfailure, like, as you're hearing
, it shifts it to like, oh, butI'm good at this, like where I
(27:25):
learned this and that.
In those moments of like failure, like on entrepreneurship, like
, so we're gonna mess up, we'regonna not do something right,
we're gonna, you know, invest inthe wrong thing or learn, you
know, but the what's the lessonlearned?
Like, maybe you see a strengthout of that.
It's a great song, uh, again,the greatest by kenny rogers.
Um, just that visualizationwatching the boy trying to hit
this ball.
(27:45):
It's like, oh man, okay, maybehe shouldn't play baseball.
He's like, no man, I'm a reallygood pitcher, like, and so it's
cool.
That's what I was saying.
When you're saying that, likewe can learn from any moment, um
, and it's only a failure if youjust fully, fully, give up
completely, because anything youcan learn from or improve from,
so I so support what you say.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
And again, that's the discovery and being reflective,
because, on a similar note, Icame into this journey thinking
I'll be a consultant, coach,drop into businesses, solve
business issues, and I still dothat.
But in the process I was, youknow, during my discovery time,
guesting on podcasts, didn'thave my own, and then I said, oh
(28:27):
, I want to do this.
And once I started doing it, Ihave had so many people say, deb
, you got this great voice Okay.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
I'll keep using that.
Speaker 3 (28:38):
And then you know, I thought, oh, speaking.
Well, the interesting thing isI'm not really getting speaking
gigs, but I'm getting asked tobe a master of ceremony or
moderator for panel discussionsbecause I've launched a new
website it's coming soon Media3L.
Because I love the media, Ilove being able to communicate
(29:04):
and have people hear me and alsohearing the voices of others.
So in the discovery process Irealized I'm a creative, I'm a
content creation engine andactually that's the work I
really, really love to do.
It's not about failures, it'salso some subtle successes that
you find along the way.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
Yeah, absolutely.
Very well said.
And so this is, deb.
This has been a greatconversation.
I love digging into the blindspots because I think it's more
practical, like people they hearyou know.
Here's the things you should doto succeed, but very seldom do
we talk about.
Here are the things where we'vestruggled or here are the
things that might catch you upand here's kind of things to
look out for.
(29:43):
So I appreciate you being onand sharing all this.
I would love you know if peoplewant to get connected with you.
Obviously, let them know aboutyour book a little bit too.
Where can people connect withyou, learn more from you and
even get your book?
Speaker 3 (29:56):
So, chris, I just want to say thank you for having
me on the show.
It's been a pleasure sharingthe mic with you.
But, yeah, I would love to talkto people or just connect with
me.
Two ways you can find me onLinkedIn that's my playground,
deborah A Coviello or theDrop-In CEO Direct.
Message me, let's have aconversation, or maybe even
(30:25):
subscribe to my newsletter bygoing to my website dropinceocom
D-R-O-P-I-N-C-E-Ocom.
There's a contact page.
You can sign up for mynewsletter but also the book,
the CEO's Compass.
Just go to my products.
You'll find the book.
It's on Amazon or other outletsand quick shout out.
I have just released the audiobook if you prefer to listen.
So again, thank you so much forthe opportunity.
Hopefully I provided somevaluable insights to you and
your audience.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
Absolutely, yeah, so everyone listening make sure you
check out, get connected withDeb, check out her books and get
a copy or hear it on Audible.
And, yeah, just make sure youcontinue to learn and dig into
those blind spots that we talkedabout today.
Again, deb, thanks so much forbeing on the LV Media Podcast.
Thank you so much, absolutely.
(31:04):
And if you're listening to thisand you know someone who is
starting on their journeyentrepreneurship, share this
with them.
Help them realize there aresome obstacles that they need to
try to avoid or learn fromalong their journey, and make
sure you go like, subscribe andleave us a review.
It helps us get this in frontof more ears so we can make a
bigger impact in the worldtogether, and we appreciate
(31:27):
everyone who does tune in andfollows the show.
Couldn't do it without you.
But until next time, go outthere, continue to elevate your
life, elevate your brand, andwe'll talk to you again soon.
Speaker 1 (31:38):
Thank you for listening to the Elevate Media
podcast.
Don't forget to subscribe andleave a review.
See you in the next episode.
Welcome to the Elevate Media Podcast with your
host, chris Anderson.
In this show, chris and hisguests will share their
knowledge and experience on howto go from zero to successful
entrepreneur.
They have built theirbusinesses from scratch and are
now ready to give back to thosewho are just starting.
Let's get ready to learn, growand elevate our businesses.
And now your host, chrisAnderson.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Welcome back to another recording of the Elevate
Media Podcast.
I'm Chris Anderson, your host,and today, for those listening,
you know your journey hasn'tbeen easy.
You're starting out, trying tobuild a business, become
successful even replace yournine to five most likely and
sometimes there are things wejust miss.
As we start out, we don'trealize there are things we're
(00:47):
going to have to deal with orovercome those blind spots
within our journey, and so webrought on a guest to talk about
just that how we can have aCEO's compass with us on our
journey to avoid some of thoseblind spots, to figure some of
that out as we're growing andlearning.
And Deb Coviello, welcome tothe Elevate Media Podcast today.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Oh, chris, I'm so excited to be here and hopefully
provide some valuable insightsfor your audience, because
entrepreneurship is not easy,but it is passion work that I
love doing.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Yeah, absolutely, Entrepreneurship definitely is
not easy.
I tell people it's simple.
We overcomplicate it a lot ofthe times but it's simple, but
it's not easy.
It's definitely a road that youneed to have a good connection
with people and community andthings like that.
So excited to dive into thistopic of having our own CEO's
(01:38):
compass I know it's the title ofyour book as well and what that
looks like.
What does having a CEO'scompass kind of mean for those
listening?
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Great question and again, thank you for that.
You know, I wrote the CEO'scompass back in 2021 with the
mindset that it was for the CEOleader that has been amazingly
successful in their career andthat, all of a sudden, something
changes for which they're nolonger a rock star and what do
they need to do differently interms of their leadership.
(02:10):
But here's the hidden secret Iactually wanted the book to also
be for those people that aremoving up in their career or
perhaps getting stuck at a newway of thinking.
The same thing goes forentrepreneurship.
So the first chapter isprobably where you and I are
looking at the entrepreneur, butthe first thing I say in the
book is I see you looking outthe window.
You're stuck, you're doubtingyourself because you're now in a
(02:34):
different landscape and youdon't know what to do
differently.
So, basically, the principle isI want you to stop and think
about who are you as a person.
What is your leadership style?
Are you open for maybe doingthings a little bit differently?
And, by the way, if you're notput the book down, I don't want
you to continue.
But a compass.
The main principle is that sooften we just want to hustle.
(02:56):
We want to get the sale.
It's all about those results.
That's what a lot of the gurussay.
Hopefully, chris, you don't saythat, but really I try to
change.
The mindset is, you're reallytrying to navigate towards peace
of mind, which is really agreater outcome, and so this is
where the entrepreneur probablyneeds to pause a little bit, not
just dive in and start doingnetworking and such, but really
(03:18):
think about their why, theirpurpose and why are they doing
this and really big picturestuff.
And then along the way, youhave to think about what are
your different points on thecompass that you need to kind of
move in one way or the other toget to true north or peace of
mind.
So you may have some thingsabout you know your people and
your process and your differenttools and platforms.
(03:39):
But from an entrepreneur'sperspective, there's an
interesting nuance here.
I talk about the West and Eastcompass point of past and pride.
Now, in the context of a CEO, Itell them you should be looking
at your people and understandthe rich culture that they've
brought with them.
That's the past.
And on the pride, what is that?
Intellectual property or thoseunique gifts of your people on
(04:00):
your team?
Celebrate those and make sureyou pull that forward, because
nobody likes change, but theyalso like to be respected.
Same thing goes for theentrepreneur.
Think about what you wereabsolutely amazing at in the
past.
You're not broken.
You don't have to change.
Think about those gifts thatyou have and bring them forward.
Into who are you becoming asyou try to serve others?
(04:20):
And then the pride part.
Well, you might have to swallowyour pride a little bit.
It's going to be a little bittough, but at the same time,
look at those gifts, thoseunique talents.
You are special.
Nobody else has had your exactexperience.
And package that bundle thathold on to it because you're
going to be in pursuit of thosepeople that really value your
(04:41):
intellectual property.
So the CEO's compass againchart your own adventure.
It's focusing on peace of mindor true north, and it's a guide.
It's not cookie cutter, but aguide for you to pick your
adventure and your course toentrepreneurship and realizing
great success.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Yeah, I love that and I think it is a compass, that
kind of guide us, because no twopaths on entrepreneurship is
going to be the same.
There might be similarities,you might, you know, have some
of the same steps, butultimately your end goal and
where you're headed and how youget there is going to be
different.
And so like having that compass, cause it still keeps you on
where you want to go, but youmight have to keep, you might
(05:18):
have to meander around things,but you know again that true
north, like you mentioned, isalways the same thing.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
Yeah, and it's one of those things.
It's not just okay, let me getmy read all these books and
figure it out.
It's not cookie cutter, it'syou can get a coach and a coach
can tell you what to do, but atthe same time, if you haven't
taken that time to reflect on,well, why am I even doing this?
Why am I ready to dive in andspend a lot of time investing in
(05:45):
myself and people?
It's really actually one of themost beautiful times of your
life is a point ofself-discovery, Like what am I
made of?
Like you know, stop doing what Iwas doing in the past.
I'm not made of that stuff.
But yeah, I may have earnedmoney at it, but was I really
passionate about it and did Ireally serve people in the best
possible way?
So take the time as you moveinto entrepreneurship to really
(06:07):
appreciate the time to reflecttowards true north.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Yeah, I like that.
And so, as we're, you know,talking about headed on our path
towards true north, like wetalk about our why, you know
figuring out the why we'vetalked about that, a lot of that
.
And so once we find that whyand understand that we're
heading on the journey right,we're, we're going down the path
, we're following the compass.
(06:32):
I want to kind of dive into theblind spots, things that we
might or people might not bethinking about.
That come up, come up quiteoften with entrepreneurship,
being your own CEO, even if youdon't have employees or maybe a
few, that that kind of canhinder or slow us down.
Where are some of these blindspots?
Let's dive into that.
What are those those blindspots kind of look like?
(06:53):
Or how could they, or I mean,are they, you know?
What are those?
I guess is where I'm going withit.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Yeah, it's, I appreciate that and you know.
Talk to me in a year from nowand I'll tell you a few more
blind spots.
You know, one thing that can bea blind spot that I quickly
discovered was you know, in thebeginning, if you are saying,
okay, I'm going to hang myshingle, I'm going to get my
business cards, I'm going tocreate these beautiful 20 page
PowerPoints that explain all thevalue that I can bring.
(07:24):
And I was sitting one day and Irealized, wait a second, I
don't have any clients.
So I don't have any clients.
The first thing I need to do isgo out and start connecting
with people.
And the other blind spot ifyou're still in corporate or
doing contract work that networkoh my goodness, they never talk
to you about building a network.
Build a network now of peopleoutside.
(07:46):
Start talking to them, let themknow what you're thinking,
because the worst time to have anetwork or build a network is
when you're at a luck or maybeyou've been kicked out of the
nest.
So a blind spot is likecultivate your first degree and
your second degree connectionsfast, because those are the ones
that you're going to bepracticing your elevator pitch
and getting feedback on whatyour offers look like.
(08:08):
So blind spot number one it'snot about the PowerPoint, it's
about who can you connect withand who can they connect you
with?
Are you ready for next blindspot?
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Okay, I discovered this early on.
If you're thinking about againbeing a consultant or a
fractional leader, or you've gotsome really cool product, just
know it's extremely noisy outthere and you're going to get
very frustrated saying how am Igoing to compete with the
competition?
Well, that's the wrong mindset.
What I found it was about whatis it that differentiates you?
(08:41):
What makes you unique?
What is some really cool thingthat somebody has called you or
what did you say by accident?
So the drop-in CEO?
Is there anybody else that'sbranded the drop-in CEO?
No, and, by the way, I'vetrademarked that.
Take the time to reflect on whatmakes you different and
differentiate, because, ratherthan trying to keep up with the
Joneses and what do I need to doslightly better and improve on
(09:04):
the next consultant to fight forthat business out there, stand
out, stand out, come up withsomething really cool and be
able to articulate your valuevery crisply in a plate, and
your outcome is to just beinteresting for people to say,
oh my God, that's cool.
I've never heard of that before.
Tell me more.
So building a brand is anotherblind spot.
(09:26):
It's not about your service,it's about standing out.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Yeah, how do people do that Like?
How do they like?
That's a loaded question andlet me kind of rephrase that If
people are trying to stand out,what are the best ways for them
to show that value and stand out, you know, in a sea of other
individuals trying to do thesame thing?
Are there some good techniquesto do it besides being yourself?
Obviously, we hear that, but isthere any other way?
Speaker 3 (09:50):
There's so many things.
I'm giving away the farm here,but honestly there's so many
things.
First of all is listen to whatyou say about yourself and, like
I said, the drop-in CEO has abackstory that fell out of my
mouth and somebody all of asudden said oh my goodness, that
is brilliant, tell me more.
Another place to help buildyour personal brand is think
(10:11):
back about.
Where did you do some rockstarstuff in your corporate life
where somebody either a customeror colleagues said, oh my God,
you are the Superman ofconstruction or something like
that and it was so cool.
But like you say, oh gee,shucks, and you let it roll off
your shoulder, but like, writethose nuggets down.
And then lastly and I tellpeople a lot is just keep
(10:32):
post-it notes or keep a journalof things that you're thinking,
your unique insights.
People might say, forget it,that's not going to work here at
the company.
But save your intellectualproperty, write those thoughts
down and tuck them away, becauseI sincerely believe that when
you pull that thing out, thatjournal or those post-it notes,
and start looking at it, it'sgoing to start speaking to you
(10:54):
and say, oh my God, I've beentalking about this and I've had
a few people say that's exactlythe kind of leadership we need.
And that's exactly whatsomebody said to me once when I
stood out and just said what Iwas thinking.
It may not resonate witheverybody, but maybe they're not
for you.
Now, think about the peoplethat what you say resonates with
and take note, because thatalso, too, becomes part of your
(11:17):
personal brand.
It's not your cameras, it's notnecessarily a great PowerPoint
or business card, but it's howyou make people feel what people
remember you by a greatPowerPoint or business card, but
it's how you make people feelwhat people remember you by
those two three, five talkingpoints about what you stand for
is going to make you stand out.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Yeah, that's very true, and I think going back to
that, just knowing your valuesand knowing what's important to
you, with it, with the businessand on this journey, and that
kind of ties into your why right?
Speaker 3 (11:44):
It absolutely does.
And, again, it is just a goodjourney to go on.
Think about your why isn't?
By the way, it can changemultiple times.
We're entrepreneurs.
We change our minds a lot.
Again, it's not a straight path, it's back and forth, and just
start trying these differentthings.
Hey, I'm the drop-in CEO.
I partner with C-suite leadersand this is the kinds of
problems I solve.
Test it out on a friend, testit out on a partner and even at
(12:08):
a networking, and just see whatworks.
Don't worry about being perfect, don't worry about flubbing
your words, just try it out andover time it could take you a
year or so You're going to saythat's it, that's my brand,
that's what I stand for, that'show I stand out.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
Yeah, very true, and I think, yeah, and I like that,
you don't have to have it rightaway, like you don't have to
have it figured out right thissecond.
If you're starting a business,like that's something that you
can have an idea on and it canmorph and change and kind of
become more specific as you go,so I don't think you have to
have it set in stone right thisinstant.
Said, things change, your ideaschange, and to finally kind of
(12:48):
get to that this is it kind ofmoment and you can really dig in
.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
And it's a beautiful thing when you say I've arrived.
I have my message I stand out,I'm pretty cool and people
recognize me for it.
Right?
Do I have time for anotherblind spot?
One more?
Speaker 2 (13:05):
Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
Yeah, sales, ooh, ooh , that dirty word sales.
That has been really, reallychallenging.
The interesting blind spot thatI had early on was through
networking with my first degreeconnections.
They wanted to support me, sothey introduced me to second
degree connections and, oh my, Igot a few gigs out of the gate.
I felt like I got this thingand the warm referrals are going
(13:28):
to come in.
And then things dried up and Ihad to say to myself you can be
victim to oh, it was COVID or oh, it was the economy.
You have to control our ownpart of it.
And I just didn't understandbusiness development, that it
was an ongoing process.
And how can I do it in a waythat didn't feel salesy?
So I have read, I have listenedand I have employed coaches
(13:52):
myself to realize that itdoesn't have to be feel grungy
or anything like that, but it'sreally about building
relationships and as much as thegurus say, you got to hustle,
hustle, hustle, build thatfunnel.
Yes, you have to continually beprospecting, but really focus on
the relationships, because Ihave found that the
relationships from three, five,10 years ago are what were
(14:15):
feeding my pipeline now, and soit means you have to continually
be planting those seeds of likehey, I care about you, hey, can
I introduce you to somebody,and not always be looking for
something in return.
It is a long game, it ispatient, but even if it's not a
transaction, people will begenerous.
Because you cared about them,they will introduce you to other
(14:35):
people.
The network will grow, maybe aspeaking opportunity, maybe an
opportunity to write a blog postfor somebody.
But it's finding relationshipsof people that care about you
and you care about them, andseeing how you could support
each other.
The transaction or the resultcomes later.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
Yeah, and that's a good point.
It's about relationships.
So any tips on how to nurturethose relationships?
I mean you mentioned you're inthe making.
What have you found works foryou?
At least that builds that kindof bridge and connection.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Well, so I knew for a few years I was broken.
I would try and say, well, whoare the people that I want to
network with?
I wasn't really ubercomfortable in going to large
networking events.
That's just not my thing.
And then what happens isthere's a mindset thing like, oh
(15:41):
, I'm not good at networking.
We've got to shift our mindsetand find what is comfortable for
you.
And so I realized I needed abetter system.
Gone are the days of Googlespreadsheets, post-it notes and
all those things kind ofdatabase that was really good at
capturing the information aboutpeople not only who are
prospects but also greatadvocates and referral partners,
and then having a system tokeep me accountable, to
continually check in with thosepeople, because ultimately,
consultants, service providers,come and go, but it's those that
(16:04):
are top of mind, are the onesthat'll stick, because you never
know when somebody in yournetwork says, oh, I know
somebody, you want to be thatperson that they think about.
So number one was having a salessystem that keeps me
accountable for all thosecontacts that I really care
about.
The second tip was having themindset of like oh, I've got to
sell versus I've got to createrelationships for which I can
(16:26):
share my value and ultimatelyit's up to them.
I can share my value andultimately it's up to them.
I can share my value, share myoffer, but at the end of the day
, yes, you're going to feel alittle upset if you don't
convert, but it's not yourdecision, it's their decision
and all you can do is put thebest value forward and say I'm
good, I have been able to serveso many people.
(16:47):
And just because one persondoesn't convert, don't take it
to heart.
Continue to network and nurture.
Those are some of the thingsthat I've learned about sales,
and you know what I don't feelso edgy, I don't feel worried as
much by putting forth my offer.
I do have to continue to bringup my prices.
That's still a challenge.
I'm evolving, but find a way, aprocess, process, a method that
(17:11):
it's about relationshipbuilding and just providing
value.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Yeah, I agree on that .
And um, and you could do itdifferent ways.
I mean, I've heard you get somepeople articles in a podcast,
episodes, like just saying, hey,we're thinking about you, I
thought you might find thisinteresting, things like that.
Just, you know, what I dopersonally is, um, I'm a little
old and I've just always beenthat way.
I'll handwrite letters and sealthem with a wax seal and then
mail them off, just because youdon't see things like that
(17:35):
anymore.
I've always enjoyed doing that.
It's like, well, that's kind ofunique.
I can do that and just letpeople know I'm thinking of them
or thank them for somethingthey did in that way.
I think that goes so muchfarther than just trying to do
there's a place for, like thequote unquote hard sell, but I
think there's so much more tojust adding value because you
(17:56):
bring the right people in andyou you get the people who are
ready and willing to kind ofcommit and take that step and
and and trust you by you doingthat.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
Yeah, and again to your point, it's about standing
out and being memorable.
Now I have a challenge.
I have terrible handwriting, soI do write notes, uh, when
maybe sending my book tosomebody, um, but there are
services and I was introduced toit and I'm going to start using
it real soon where you can goonline and create a note for
somebody and the service doessend them a very nice card and
(18:33):
kind of inserts your signaturein there and kind of cuts
through my bad handwriting andto your point.
It makes you memorable.
So, anything you can do, youdon't have to listen exactly to
what Chris says, what I do.
But what are you known for?
Whether it's a gift or a noteor an article, find out what it
is to stay top of mind and thesales will come.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Yeah, and I think the more you can do and you
mentioned something too I thinkit's important is, like the
systems, having that salessystem, that process at CRM,
because we, you know, we riseand fall to the level of our
systems and so having that isimportant.
Is there a CRM or a prospectlead CRM system you use, that
you really like, or one that youfound has worked well?
Speaker 3 (19:17):
It was recommended to me but it is called Engage Pro
and really the purpose of it isto help you remain engaged with
people that matter.
Engaged with people that matter.
So anybody that I bring on tothe podcast, they're in there
because I want to nurture thoserelationships.
Any introductions that I haveor prospects, they all go in
there, and it was just before wecame in here while I was at the
(19:40):
curling.
I was actually going through andcorresponding and asking
permission to reconnect or sharesomething with people and you
stand out and they come back andthose that come back and
respond you say OK, they reallyalso care about the relationship
.
One other blind spot I learnedis that not everybody has time
(20:00):
to communicate back and afterone or two touch points, if they
didn't respond back, I'd writethem off.
It's like, ok, I'm just goingto drop them.
You know, drop them.
And I learned that that is notthe right mindset.
Understand that some peoplelife happens, they have no time
to communicate with you, so youcan't expect them to be equal in
communication.
But be persistent, not in apesky way, but say you know, hey
(20:24):
, you must be busy, I understand, but you know I still was
thinking about you.
I want to share something and Ihave found that there are
buyers or prospects or people inyour network that maybe by the
sixth time that you connect withthem, they'll say thank you,
they'll apologize, but thenthey'll say let's talk, let's
jump on a call.
Be patient with people.
(20:45):
Life is complex.
It's not on your timeline, it'sreally theirs.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
Yeah, I think that's so true and lots of stories with
just the delay of messages orthe length of the you know quote
unquote sales pipeline andthings like that.
And yeah, I think be quick tostart the relationship and slow
to build it kind of thing, likedon't be in a haste and try to
force the relationship to build,but uh, be quick to try to meet
new people is kind of.
(21:11):
My thought is because you neverknow anyone's story and where
they're at, and as soon as youcan maybe meet them, um, then
the relationship can start.
And so, uh, it's funny, likeexample, like I had messaged
someone on linkedin a while back.
We both went to the same school,I was doing stuff for our
alumni program, so I wasconnecting with them and this
was like two or three years ago.
No, no reply or anything likethat.
(21:33):
After a couple messages, kindof like, just kind of let it be
um, which again you know, I readdown, and then, um, I forget
who messaged back just this year, but we started conversation
again and they ended up becomingour new director of marketing
and content strategy.
It's like and so like, not evenclient, but like ended up
becoming part of our team nowand and just um, yeah, just a
(21:58):
crazy delay and timeline andjust, you know, I think it all
works out.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
All happens for a reason and so um, that that, I
would say, is probably a majorblind spot is you need to be
patient with the process and andthe word is care and I just
interviewed yesterday aboutSelling with Love.
He was a wonderful person.
Think about do you really careabout the people in your network
?
Because if you don't, you'rejust hustling.
And I got to make X amount ofmoney.
(22:22):
You might make those short-termresults.
Term results again.
Uh, this is actually my secondbook that I have to write, but
it's a.
It's about uh, stop chasingresults, start pursuing peace of
mind.
If you're in it for the hustle,I gotta make a certain.
I gotta get to seven fig, Igotta get to six figures.
You'll get that, but you'regonna just kind of wear yourself
out, never be happy.
I, I know it's it's about youknow, the greater opportunity is
(22:44):
peace of mind.
I, my theme this year isconnecting with humanity.
It used to be go big, but thenI started thinking well, go big,
for what reason?
So go big, okay, get goodcamera, get good audio, we'll
talk about that as well, allthose things.
So if I needed to scale, Icould, but what was the ultimate
purpose was to connect withhumanity.
I don't want them to struggleas much.
(23:05):
So just think about you.
Know again, we talked aboutyour why Don't think about the
quick hustle.
Be patient and invest inyourself.
That's another thing that Ithought is don't it's important
to invest in coaches, peoplethat can see you for what you
need and may fill you in withthose blind spots.
Definitely, definitely getcoaches in this journey, but
also think about investing inyourself.
(23:26):
So often when people are outthere, they say, hey, join my
community, come to my networkinggroup, and you start spending a
lot of money on other people'splatforms.
And you may find valuableconnections, but one thing that
I found for me that wasimportant is you know I'm going
to invest in myself.
Invest in myself, invite peopleonto my platform.
(23:50):
I started a podcast, just likeyou, to build the relationships
that I want to have versus beingthrown into a sea of Barracuda
and trying to swim and figureout who should I be connecting
with?
So find ways to connect withpeople you want to in a way
that's comfortable for youversus going into others Again.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Just a quick plug there and also coaching.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
Coaching is very valuable to this journey.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Oh, yeah, I agree, and it's like there's so much
time.
You can speed up the process ifyou listen, someone else's got
the life you want, or at thespot, you want to be at um and
just seeing what they did andhow they did it and not you're
basically getting your ego,getting yourself out of the way,
(24:31):
thinking you can do it on yourown, or if you I don't know,
maybe you feel ashamed ofgetting a coach because it makes
you seem weak or something.
I don't know.
But once you can move that egoand pride out of the way and say
, like I don't know it all, evenlike owning Elevate, like even
if I love my team, they have askill or talent in different
areas of knowledge, I'm like Idon't, I'm going to just go to
(24:54):
you on this because this is yourstrength, like I don't know so
much, and try to keep an openmind and learn from anyone.
I think, yeah, it's soimportant to have those mentors,
those coaches that can guideyou, so, hopefully.
So you missed some of theseblind spots, right?
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (25:10):
And again you know, I appreciate you bringing me on
to the show here and sharingsome of the blind spots or best
practices that I've been able torealize, but I wouldn't have
been able to be where I'm at now.
Practices that I've been ableto realize but I wouldn't have
been able to be where I'm at now.
And again I'm still I would sayI'm successful because I have to
find happiness and where I amin the process I'm far better
off than when I was in acorporate role I had.
My creative self is out rightnow.
(25:31):
But just know it doesn't comewithout maybe some not damage
along the way.
But just realize that you'regoing to see things where you
may have made an investment thatwasn't correct or maybe the
timing of an investment wasn'tright.
Don't feel bad and say, oh, I'mgoing to take down the shingle,
I'm going to go back tocorporate, unless it's something
that you really, really love.
(25:52):
Just be ready to reflect and say, well, that didn't work.
I've learned something.
I'm going to go in a differentdirection.
I'm a little bit smarter thistime in terms of my work.
Just be happy to realize thosethings that you know.
Like I ran out of money, I hadto take out some loans, I was
(26:13):
betting on myself, et cetera,but what was the missing piece
was I didn't have a really goodsales process to continually
fill that you know pipeline, aswell as investing and expending
on myself.
So just be ready to learn somethings.
They're not failures.
But what have you learned aboutyou, your business, your
clients, et cetera, to continueto avoid them.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
have less risk and make smarter decisions.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
So it's a wonderful journey, but be careful about
running out of money.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
Yeah for sure.
Yeah, you definitely have tomitigate that risk.
Pretty well, it reminds me of asong I don't know if you've
heard the Greatest by KennyRogers.
Basically, it's a song aboutthis little boy who's playing
baseball by himself.
He's throwing the ball up andhe's swinging, he's trying to
hit the ball, hit a home run andstuff, and it's a ghosted old
song.
And his ghosted old song uh,basically he gets the third time
(27:01):
trying, it's time to go in fordinner, so you're gonna try
again.
And he throws the ball up,swings at it and misses the ball
.
So you're like, oh, he neveractually hit.
It won the world, uh, and itended up him.
He's like man, I knew it wasgood but I didn't know I could
pitch like that.
So, like shifted, like it's notabout him, he's like he.
He's like, yeah, I missed, butokay, I'm good pitcher.
So like it shifted, like thatfailure, like, as you're hearing
, it shifts it to like, oh, butI'm good at this, like where I
(27:25):
learned this and that.
In those moments of like failure, like on entrepreneurship, like
, so we're gonna mess up, we'regonna not do something right,
we're gonna, you know, invest inthe wrong thing or learn, you
know, but the what's the lessonlearned?
Like, maybe you see a strengthout of that.
It's a great song, uh, again,the greatest by kenny rogers.
Um, just that visualizationwatching the boy trying to hit
this ball.
(27:45):
It's like, oh man, okay, maybehe shouldn't play baseball.
He's like, no man, I'm a reallygood pitcher, like, and so it's
cool.
That's what I was saying.
When you're saying that, likewe can learn from any moment, um
, and it's only a failure if youjust fully, fully, give up
completely, because anything youcan learn from or improve from,
so I so support what you say.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
And again, that's the discovery and being reflective,
because, on a similar note, Icame into this journey thinking
I'll be a consultant, coach,drop into businesses, solve
business issues, and I still dothat.
But in the process I was, youknow, during my discovery time,
guesting on podcasts, didn'thave my own, and then I said, oh
(28:27):
, I want to do this.
And once I started doing it, Ihave had so many people say, deb
, you got this great voice Okay.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
I'll keep using that.
Speaker 3 (28:38):
And then you know, I thought, oh, speaking.
Well, the interesting thing isI'm not really getting speaking
gigs, but I'm getting asked tobe a master of ceremony or
moderator for panel discussionsbecause I've launched a new
website it's coming soon Media3L.
Because I love the media, Ilove being able to communicate
(29:04):
and have people hear me and alsohearing the voices of others.
So in the discovery process Irealized I'm a creative, I'm a
content creation engine andactually that's the work I
really, really love to do.
It's not about failures, it'salso some subtle successes that
you find along the way.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
Yeah, absolutely.
Very well said.
And so this is, deb.
This has been a greatconversation.
I love digging into the blindspots because I think it's more
practical, like people they hearyou know.
Here's the things you should doto succeed, but very seldom do
we talk about.
Here are the things where we'vestruggled or here are the
things that might catch you upand here's kind of things to
look out for.
(29:43):
So I appreciate you being onand sharing all this.
I would love you know if peoplewant to get connected with you.
Obviously, let them know aboutyour book a little bit too.
Where can people connect withyou, learn more from you and
even get your book?
Speaker 3 (29:56):
So, chris, I just want to say thank you for having
me on the show.
It's been a pleasure sharingthe mic with you.
But, yeah, I would love to talkto people or just connect with
me.
Two ways you can find me onLinkedIn that's my playground,
deborah A Coviello or theDrop-In CEO Direct.
Message me, let's have aconversation, or maybe even
(30:25):
subscribe to my newsletter bygoing to my website dropinceocom
D-R-O-P-I-N-C-E-Ocom.
There's a contact page.
You can sign up for mynewsletter but also the book,
the CEO's Compass.
Just go to my products.
You'll find the book.
It's on Amazon or other outletsand quick shout out.
I have just released the audiobook if you prefer to listen.
So again, thank you so much forthe opportunity.
Hopefully I provided somevaluable insights to you and
your audience.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
Absolutely, yeah, so everyone listening make sure you
check out, get connected withDeb, check out her books and get
a copy or hear it on Audible.
And, yeah, just make sure youcontinue to learn and dig into
those blind spots that we talkedabout today.
Again, deb, thanks so much forbeing on the LV Media Podcast.
Thank you so much, absolutely.
(31:04):
And if you're listening to thisand you know someone who is
starting on their journeyentrepreneurship, share this
with them.
Help them realize there aresome obstacles that they need to
try to avoid or learn fromalong their journey, and make
sure you go like, subscribe andleave us a review.
It helps us get this in frontof more ears so we can make a
bigger impact in the worldtogether, and we appreciate
(31:27):
everyone who does tune in andfollows the show.
Couldn't do it without you.
But until next time, go outthere, continue to elevate your
life, elevate your brand, andwe'll talk to you again soon.
Speaker 1 (31:38):
Thank you for listening to the Elevate Media
podcast.
Don't forget to subscribe andleave a review.
See you in the next episode.
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