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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2023

Done Is Better Than Perfect

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Done is better than perfect

 

because perfect never gets done.

The first time I got up in front of an audience to speak, I was shaking the piece of paper I was reading from – the one I was reading word-for-word. Sure, I took speech class in college, but it didn’t really prepare me for the real world. I was sweating, terrified, and wanted to sit down. The story written on that paper was about how I learned how to tithe and I was sharing it with my church. There were maybe 30 people – all of whom I knew really well. It was the worst feeling a person could have and I won’t forget it.

Looking back on those three minutes of torture, I can see clearly now that I was taking a first step into the unknown. I was sweaty and shaking hoping I didn’t encounter into something that could eat me alive. It wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it was done. There’s no way I could have know that 10 years later speaking would be my number one source of income.

There was that time I got in my car and ended up driving 7,000 miles in 3 weeks (by myself) around the country on the Live Your Brand Tour interviewing 18 businesses about how they live their brand. This was before podcasting equipment and Siri recording all of your content for you. I wrote down everything they told me in a notebook and then compiled them into a series of stories. They weren’t perfect, but they were done.

Looking back on those three weeks of exhaustion and wishful thinking, I can see clearly now that I was doing epic shit to get noticed as a brand strategist. I was doing the hard work and putting in the time to get the research and knowledge to share with future audiences and clients. There’s no way I could have known that Entrepreneur Magazine would pick up the series, publish it all, and then interview me as a Veteran Brand Strategist.

When I started the Adventures in Branding podcast, I had no idea what I was doing. I hired a podcast producer, carefully mapped out my first 5 episodes, sat down and started talking. It was AWFUL. The humans sitting in the room looked at me sideways asking where I had found the NPR voice I was using. We deleted them immediately.

We re-recorded those first episodes and I shared the story of finding my purpose in life. They’re still the most-listened-to episodes of the podcast after 85 episodes. My 9th anniversary episode ended up as the #1 on a list of entrepreneurial podcast episodes in Inc Magazine. There’s no way I could have known that getting this podcast started would lead to hearing stories of how the episodes have changed people’s lives. They’re never perfect, but you know what, they’re done!

I closed Sisarina 18 months ago and launched a new brand. We launched Branded Confidence as a placeholder business until I figured out what I really wanted to do. It wasn’t perfect, but it was done.

On the same day we launched the new brand, we launched SPEAK With Confidence. (Go big, right?) I trained 12 people to rock their talk on stage. The event wasn’t perfect, but it was done and everyone had a blast. To the point that the audience members asked me if they could do it. So, we kept building it to the point that we built an online course and a workbook and launched it in a new city. It wasn’t even close to perfect but man, it was satisfyingly done.

For the whole time I’ve been an entrepreneur, my Crew has tried to convince me that I am the brand. That MY face has to be the face of the business. That our clients hire us because of my expertise. I refused to believe them and refused to let my face be the brand.

Which leads me to today.

As you’ll see, we ditched the Branded Confidence name and Sisarina is nowhere to be found. Melanie Spring is the brand. Melanie Spring Productions, Inc is the corporation. We create & host unforgettable in-person brand experiences for you and your team to tell your story. We create safe spaces for you to show up as yourself & walk away with everything you need.

SPEAK With Confidence is our 6-week online course + 4-night 3-day in-person retreat to help you craft & deliver your talk – your way. ispeakwithconfidence.com

Rock Your Pitch is our 2-day live training with 4 weeks of pre-work to help you show up & show off in your presentations and at work. letsrockthispitch.com

Bring us to your summit, conference, or office for custom speaking & leadership workshops built for your team on your time.

As one workshop attendee said, “EVERY SINGLE DETAIL was thought of. The thoughtful details throughout the week made me know that I could trust the process.”

My favorite part of all of this: we launched this website (the one you’re viewing right now) because it was done – NOT because it was perfect. I could write SO many lists of everything we need to do to get it to where we want it to be and it will forever be an iterative process. The brand will keep growing. Our services will keep growing. But our focus – our focus will remain the same.

We prepare humans & companies to tell

 

their unforgettable brand story.

Now, I’m going to get back to doing that instead of worrying about everything that’s not done. Like I tell my speakers – THIS ISN’T ABOUT YOU. THIS IS ABOUT THEM.

Get out there and do the thing you’re meant to do. Get it done. Especially if it’s not perfect.

xoxo

Melanie Spring

 

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