GOAL DIGGER

6 Unpopular Opinions and Business Practices That I Hold

Jenna Kutcher 

posted by:

Previous Post

«

NEXT POST

»

February 8, 2023

•  

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher

 I was recently reading a post online about Barbara Walters, who is arguably one of the best interviewers in all history, and one of her favorite questions to ask people was “what is an unpopular opinion that you hold?” 

I think it’s a really fascinating opportunity for people to share about maybe a countercultural or a counterintuitive belief that they hold, that they believe enough to proclaim, and it kind of got me thinking about where in my business do I hold unpopular opinions or do I have maybe not so normal business practices that other people might judge?

I started creating a list, and the list started to grow. In this episode, I’m gonna break down the six unpopular opinions or business practices that I hold with confidence. Things that I often get teased about or I talk about with others who kind of scoff or maybe look at me with disbelief. I’ll break down why I stand behind the methods of my madness. 

Not trying to be on ALL of the platforms or the next new thing

It’s funny, but I’ve been around in the internet world long enough to watch things like Vine, Clubhouse, and other social platforms come and go. In fact, my book publisher is quite annoyed that I am not on Tiktok and I’m not prioritizing Youtube. 

I want to be REALLY good at a few things and I know where my people are at and I also know what my bandwidth is. It’s easy to want to go really wide but I’d rather go deep. People often try to be in all of the places but usually end up burning out or doing work that isn’t actually tied to a direct result. 

I don’t want to be on a platform just to be there. And I don’t have to be… Neither do you.

I don’t create a million new products every year

At a recent mastermind with my peers I told them that this year I really want to go DEEP and not wide.

In fact, I want to simplify even more – which is saying a lot because I’m narrowing my offers even more and getting crystal clear on what I want to be known for and how I want to impact. I haven’t created a new course in 3 years, instead focusing on keeping my current courses up to date and fresh. I don’t want to always be on the hamster wheel of making more, I want to make less but with more intent. 

Entrepreneurs often create, launch and then start creating the next thing instead of really looking at optimization and impact. Is that true for you? How could you go deep and not wide this year?

Limited production value  

The other day I was recording a podcast with a guest and in the email we send out, we tell them that it’s audio only, but they missed that part and they were shocked that I don’t do video podcasts. Now let me say it here first, I REALLY want to start doing video and it’s something I’d love to do now that I have a quiet office space, but in the six years since I started my show, I’ve never done video interviews and my show has always been an audio first show. I love the simplicity around it. 

It’s the same with my courses. I use audio and slides only. It makes it easy to update and change the content if we need to. I don’t need to worry about reshooting any video or redoing an entire module… I can simply replace the slides that need edits.

Remember this: It’s not about the method, it’s about the message. I’m not overthinking backgrounds or having extreme editing needs. I’m not worried about what I look like when I deliver the content. It’s just me, my voice, and my words. I’m all about keeping things simple and not overly making things complex because I know it’ll only cause me to procrastinate. 

I’m not striving for more, more, more 

Last year, I didn’t set these massive targets for myself or the business to hit. In fact, when the year started, I was on maternity leave so I kind of missed the whole “annual planning” energy and we moved through the year in a way that FELT good. 

At the end of the year, I was blown away to see what we had accomplished, especially since I worked pretty part-time and had a lot of time off last year. I’m not someone who is never satisfied, I’m not always on the journey of more, I’m not constantly competing with myself or others. I am GOOD and it feels good. 

If we talk about the rat race for “more”, I want more peace and ease and presence and that’s what I’m after. It’s not more things, more money, etc. and I’ve intentionally built my life in a way that allows me to not always have to be chasing. 

I don’t have an enormous team of full-time employees

It’s funny because a lot of peers in the industry tout that they are leading teams of 60 or 200 employees and they are proud of that and I love that for THEM but it’s not for me. 

My team is small but mighty. We have 4 employees on payroll and about 5-6 contractors that work on or in the business on a weekly basis. I honestly don’t have a desire to have a massive team and the crazy thing about my small team is that everyone has been with me for years, literally years, and we are incredible executors, like our implementation skills are bar-none. 

The other crazy thing is, I haven’t gotten to BE with my team in person since 2020, so it’s been forever since we’ve actually been in the same space together. We all work remote, spread out all over the country, and the fact that we get so much done and the way we do it still astonishes me. 

I don’t keep $$ a secret from my team when we launch or sell something

I am an open book. In fact, probably too much of an open book. I was on the plane the other day sitting next to a random guy and we got to talking and pretty soon I’m telling him the story of how we drained our bank accounts at the age of 25 to buy a condo in Hawaii and I’m telling him all of these things about my life and even finances.

I love sharing details and what’s possible and how things really are going and that definitely includes doing that with my team internally. I do not hide just about anything from our goals to our expenses and I think it’s important as a leader to do that. I want my team to buy into our goals and the vision. I also want them to know what’s possible and the role they play in helping us reach those goals and I love to make my team a part of it whether it’s a commission, a revenue share, a spontaneous bonus, or something else.

The Big Picture

So Barbara Walters, if you asked me my unpopular opinions, those would be it. I love those things about myself. I love that this is how I move through life and business and it works for me and it might not work for you. 

I challenge you to think about how you can march to the beat of your own drum and listen to that rhythm of your own heartbeat and follow it, because so much of true alignment and excitement when it comes to business is based on you doing things in a way that doesn’t just look good to the world, but in a way that feels good for you. 


Thank you to our Goal Digger Sponsors

Learn how your business can grow better with HubSpot

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

BINGE THE LATEST POSTS

The Latest From the Goal Digger Podcast

BINGE listens

MUST-READS

Before you get any further... Hi! I'm Jenna Kutcher!

A small town Minnesota photographer, podcaster, educator and puppy rescuer, my happiest days are spent behind my computer screen sharing my secrets with the world. I'm glad you're here.

I’m an expert at online marketing, a nerd when it comes to the numbers, and my obsession is teaching others how to make a living doing what they love (without it taking over their life). 

hey there!

SEARCH

What do you want to read today?

Except instead of a video game, this is you IRL. Let’s get laser focused on setting your goals for this month, year, and beyond so I can hand over resources specific to how YOU want to grow!

Take The Quiz!

ARE YOU READY TO LEVEL UP? 

FREE WORKSHEET

free downloads show

FREEBIES

Free downloads to elevate your game.

FREE challenge

FREE DOWNLoAD

PEN PALS PEN PALS

Screw the junk mail, I'm bringing "real" right to your inbox. Deep encouragement, tough questions, needle-moving challenges, and smart strategies to help you make your dream work. You in?

great idea alert!

Hey, Let's Be Pen Pals!

    © JENNA KUTCHER 2024

    |   ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

    |    SITE CREDIT

    |    GET IN TOUCH

    |    Legal