A framework for making failure less scary
How to turn failure into evaluation
Happy Sunday, Soothers. Back in 2019 a Twitter account I followed asked, "If you could go back and tell 2009 You one piece of advice that would have REALLY HELPED if it hadn’t taken you this WHOLE DECADE to learn, what would it be?"
This is what I replied:
Failure isn't actually a real thing, life is just a series of trying out different stuff and collecting whatever happens afterwards as evidence and information for next time. Also please meditate like immediately
— Catherine Andrews (@candrews) December 22, 2019
This is a lesson that took me way too long to learn. (Same with the whole meditation thing.) Fear of failure kept me stuck for years, maybe decades, around things I really cared about but was too scared to try.
Once I was really able to shift my thinking to see that everything was just a big experiment, one which you could evaluate to improve upon afterwards to take into the next thing, I was kind of excited. I love discovering efficiencies. I love understanding patterns and why a thing may or may not have worked out. I love testing out those theories in new ways and then seeing concrete proof of how my evaluation improved my next efforts. I'm not necessarily really a data or numbers or math gal, but when it comes to process improvements, I'm your person.
So how do you do this? I use an evaluation method I learned from my biz coach Dielle and that you may have heard around mindfulness: Rose, Bud, Thorn (and she adds a section, Water):
Rose - What worked
Thorn - What didn’t work
Bud - What do you want to do differently
Water - Education/support for next time
Here's how I apply this in my business, using a real-life example. I recently hosted a workshop, How to Heal Your Inner Critic, and I use this process to evaluate all workshops/biz stuff that I can better do next time. This one is a good one for me to do this work on because fewer people signed up than I expected. (Lesson #1: expectations are the death of growth, but I forget this one over and over again. Read my post on beliefs vs expectations here.)
Facts of event:
27 people signed up
One was scholarship, 18 were at early bird price of $77, 9 were at price of $99
Net revenue: 2,117.68
Conversion: The ticket page had 426 views, meaning it converted at about 6%
Rose, what worked:
This is the most revenue I've made off a one-off workshop
I like the early bird method to encourage sales
I continue to figure out my marketing strategies; I'm starting to really understand people love to 1. hear my story behind how the work I'm teaching them tangibly changed my life and 2. a lot of context around exactly the process we'll be using
6% is a pretty good conversion rate, though lower than some of my past efforts
I did a lot of ritual and energy work to prepare for the workshop and I think it was effective, a good reminder for me that my work is more powerful when I don't just plop down and teach, but set the scene
I got feedback like "huge break through" and "life changing" from participants
Thorn, what didn't work:
I was convinced (here come the expectations) that given the topic, which I know is of relevance to my audience, I would get around 50 registrants. Big mistake. HUGE. NO EXPECTATIONS!!! Just focus on service, service, service
I got too focused on numbers and sales and turned away from service
Even though it was the highest revenue workshop I've done, it was the least attended. This isn't necessarily a problem, but data for me to have. It may encourage me to move to a more sliding scale/income-based ticket pricing for future workshops to help more people
I still don't really have an idea of what platform of mine is driving sales. Is it the Soother? Is it my coaching listserv? My podcast? Instagram? I know it's a mix but don't have the data of which is most prevalent; I need tracking links so I can double down on whatever is working the best and not burn myself out trying to market hard on all 4 platforms
Though I think the work I taught in this particular workshop is incredibly powerful, it's a little vague and hard to explain (inner child & parts work). Important for me to remember to list really clear outcomes and transformation in marketing.
I failed to self coach throughout the promotion of this workshop. (Self coaching is when I do journaling and mindset work to see what's going on in my sweet little brain that is helping and not helping and what I need to change.)
I know the time I did it at (7pm on a Sunday night) wasn't necessarily conducive to everybody. Will try out a new time next workshop and compare.
Bud, what I want to do differently next time:
Consider income-based pricing for next time
Create tracking links to better understand where sales are coming from
Create clear outcomes and detail clearly exactly what we do in the workshop and why it works and why it's important
Try out a different time/day
Refocus on gratitude for those who have signed up; perhaps send early thank you/welcome notes with some additional resources or ideas to serve them
Self coach and journal every day next time through the launch/marketing, especially the last week
Water, educate myself for next time:
Read some more about detachment from numbers in business (constant work I do on myself in business. It seems counterintuitive but when you focus only on numbers/sales you drive them away, really. Detachment is not only better for true service to those you're trying to help, it ends up creating more space for more people to come in.)
Watch new videos of an email marketing course I'm in to apply those tactics to future emails for promo
And there you have it! Steps that turn "failure" into evaluation, and instead of spinning you out in a shame spiral for all eternity, give you an action plan for next steps, and help you remember that you're not a passive participant in this ocean of life, just getting hit over and over again the face by unrelenting waves; you are powerful, you are capable, you are worthy and you have agency.
You have so much agency. Now go claim it.