It's Vinyl, Not Marble: Follow Your Inspiration and Create Something Great Today

I'm not sure where I got the idea that we can never change what we write or say in our business. As if we're creating a permanent record out of marble like the great Renaissance artists. Their work will stand for all time and never change.

That kind of thinking slowed my innovation and stopped me from trying new things. I wanted to be consistent but ideas kept coming to me as new information arrived.

If you're stuck with a sculptor's mindset, you'll end up frustrated and outdated. You'll find your products and your point of view failing to connect with your ideal clients as their needs evolve.

A few months ago, I realized we're not sculpting marble…we're pressing vinyl. As thought leaders, content creators, coaches, consultants, artists, and service providers, our creative life is more like a musician's. Every few months or years, it's time to release another "album": a fresh collection of our thoughts and expertise that serves the people who need what we offer right now.

Thinking about my work as an album frees me creatively. We can adopt the artist’s mindset of creating for our own curiosity and tapping into what we’re feeling and observing. This is where the GREAT work resides. We're using our special perspective to address the current situation, and by sharing genuine insights or programs, we can best help our ideal clients. Products that were successful four years ago might not resonate today, as new technologies, situations, pricing, and client desires emerge. Capturing the moment through a new product, event, blog, or podcast is much easier when it's just your latest album—not a permanent statue.

I'm finishing my next album, which we'll release here in the Small Business Summary next week. It took a few months to clearly express what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it. Now that it's ready, stepping back and looking at it, it feels like an album…this is what needs to be said right now and how my ideal clients need to be led.

Yes, in a few years, this album might feel outdated, and that's okay. Right now, this is my best creative work, and I can't wait to share it with you.

If you're stuck in a rut and wondering why you can't create something great today, consider redefining success from a long-term, permanent project to an album that matches your current season in life and business. It could unlock the door to your greatest work yet—and I bet it would rock. 🤘 

Community Guest Blog:
Networking is Dead, and We Killed It

SBOC Member Kyle Mack - Vokol Branding

You enter a room, or a Zoom room, full of strangers, and you connect with some people on LinkedIn. After leaving your corporate job behind, you step out from behind the desk. You need to sell, but here's the problem: everyone here is trying to sell. No one takes an interest in teaching you to sell, not that you would want to ask, showing yourself as an impostor, someone merely “playing business owner.” You can look for advice, but only followed by a pitch, and then a proposal in your inbox the next day. READ THE FULL BLOG HERE

Tweet of the Week

TOMORROW I’m going to interview Jesse Cole from the Savannah Bananas on the Miles Away Preferred Card Virtual Stage for an exclusive one-on-one interview to talk about the meteoric rise of the team! This is your LAST CHANCE to get a ticket and join us for this legendary conversation.

(Spoiler - I’m going to ask him all about the business of the Bananas and how he has handled all of this - we need to learn from him so we can replicate his success!)

BUILD YOUR RECORD YEAR AT #SBOC25
Presented by Horicon Bank
September 16-19, 2025
Brookfield, WI

See the full lineup and get your ticket here: https://event.smallbusinesscommunity.com/25conference

A HUGE thank you to our major sponsors: Horicon Bank, Money Masters, Athena Legal Solutions, Magnolia Tax, and Common Ground Healthcare Cooperative

Last bit: You know what’s great? We get to do THIS for a living. Think of all of the ways you could be working to put a roof over your head and we get to do THIS.

Yes, it’s hard.

Yes, it’s unpredictable.

Yes, it sometimes feels like we’ll never “make it.”

But, you know what…we get TO DO THIS FOR A LIVING! I know I could never go back to working for someone else and working together we are able to figure this out and build our small business dreams. We are fortunate. We are living the dream whether the FULL DREAM has revealed itself yet, or not.

I appreciate you being a part of this and I hope you are able to lock down the next step in YOUR journey very soon. Talk to you next week.

NOW GO SELL SOMETHING!

Pat

The Small Business Summary is sponsored by Enji . Enji is the confidence-boosting system solopreneurs and small business owners need to finally take control of their marketing. Create your marketing plan, do the plan, and track your results all within Enji.

(I’ve been using Enji for about a month now…GAME CHANGER for my organic social media management. Love it - Pat)