I live in this place called reality. 

It’s not some spin-off of corporate civility that poses as a step away from the patriarchal perfection of cubicle life while emulating those same qualities you claim to be “over.” 

Real people living real lives, running real businesses getting real results. 

That’s authenticity.

Reality isn’t just what you see on an influencer’s main feed - their followers and curated posts, edited videos and branded footwear. No matter how ‘authentic’ they are, there’s more to that story - you know it just as well as I do. 

Reality includes hard conversations, confrontational boundaries, big vision goals and, yes, analytics! (Did you expect something else?) 

I told you, I live in this place called reality.

You need to know how to use your back-end statistics to effectively market your business. Does that affect your authenticity? It doesn't have to. 

Being strategic about when to post certain content is smart and as the intelligent entrepreneur I know you are, it’s also authentic. Using the analytic information from your profiles will help you to gain the reach, brand loyalty, and large-scale impact you’re hoping for while marketing your business. 

“So, I have to be an authentic and relatable front person AND a knowledgeable, data-driven marketer to get dream clients who are ready to invest in my services?” 

Well, yes - I’m not going to sugarcoat it for you; that’s not what I’m here for… 

but that’s not the whole story. 

You want to hang out with your partner, play with your kids and actually find time to figure out how to make that business-life boundary you’ve been ‘working on’ for months actually work, right?

You need to do way more than “just show up” to make that happen and it’s not as easy as some people like to make you believe - although simplifying it all helps a lot. 

As you can imagine, tracking your marketing, being your business front person and completing other business and client projects can take up more time than the day has to offer. It’s easy to find yourself thinking about business during times when you wanted to be intentionally focused on your friends and family. That’s why offers that claim something to the effect of: “a month of content in less than an hour” are so appealing to you. 

I get it. Really, I do. 

But I’ll say it again, I live in this place called reality.

• Nowhere in these promotions does it say anything about details such as content repurposing, strategy, graphics, hashtags, keywords, scheduling, & other vital elements of effective content marketing.
• Nowhere in these promotions does it say the caliber of content you will be able to create in such a short period of time.
• Nowhere in these promotions does it say whether this content will be industry-specific, unique to you and your brand let alone appeal to the needs of your dream clients.

All of these things matter so don’t let anyone tell you that “just showing up” is enough. 

In today’s saturated online world, it’s not. 

Here in the real world, you need a solid brand messaging foundation and a comprehensive content marketing strategy in order to get your content done efficiently and effectively within a day (if that’s your chosen timeframe - there are many strategies for content creation so please don’t buy into this one-size-fits-all, quick batching nonsense). 

If you want to feel empowered as you simplify your own marketing process then lead with authenticity and honesty. Don’t bite off more than you can chew just to satisfy some idealist notion that spilled over from corporate America. If it’s true to you to show up posh and polished, awesome - but if it’s not then don’t. Authentic you doesn’t have to look a certain way and will evolve as you carry on your journey in business ownership.