My friend, client and mentor Jeanna Gabellini once told me that the reason she loves orchestrating big, 6-figure launches – other than the thrill of making a yummy amount of money – is each launch allows her to leap to a new level of confidence, fearlessness and profitability in her entire business.
She would also tell me how her launches not only elevated her business, they created a shift, an expansion, within herself. They changed her, from the inside out. She was able to rise above old fears and beliefs and become more of the person and business owner she wanted to be.
Okay. This made perfect sense to me. After all, anytime you take on a new project, aim for a big goal, or challenge the status quo, you’re going to grow, right?
Simple. I get it.
But I didn’t really get it.
Not until I launched my Love Letter program last month.
I had no idea, not the slightest inkling, of how much this launch would impact not only my business but me personally.
At the end of this article, I’m going to share a small laundry list of lessons I learned from my launch in the hope they will be helpful to you when you launch a product or program.
But before I do, I want to share the 3 greatest and completely surprising gifts I received from my launch… the gifts that changed who I am, what I believe, and what I expect.
I Believe More
The process of launching requires a constant stream of sharing, serving and selling. You need to show up, be real, be generous, and share what you know with a genuine desire to delight and serve your ideal clients.
And you need to do it again and again and again. Through blog posts, videos, webinars, social media posts, and whatever comes to mind.
As a result, you will be forced to come face to face to face with your own level of confidence in your message, in your value, and what you’re offering. Because it’s incredibly hard to keep telling people you’ve got something that’s going to rock their world if you don’t truly believe it yourself.
With every email I wrote, every video I made, every webinar I led, I accessed a deeper level of belief and conviction in the value of what I offer. I had to ask and answer the question, “Do I really believe it, beyond a shadow of a doubt, when I say this program will do this, this, and this for my clients? Am I just blowing smoke… or am I completely connected and committed to what I’m saying and what I’m selling?”
These questions could have thrown me into self-doubt, but they didn’t. I realized just how strongly I believe in the power of my work. And the more I expressed that confidence, the more excited, passionate and turned on I became by what I have to give and the transformation I provide.
I Became More
In the last heat of my launch, as I was riding the edge of my comfort zone and experiencing a daily adrenaline rush that was both unnerving and exciting, I would have these moments where I could feel myself shedding an old skin and taking on a new internal shape. It was as if the activities of the launch were molding me, from the inside out, into some new version of me.
I could feel myself embodying and owning my authority, my expertise, and my ability to lead in a bold, new way. And I could see, from this newly morphed state, what I wanted my business to become and who I needed to be to make it happen.
I realize this may sound vague and hard to grasp. But that’s because this shift happened at an energetic level, inside of my body and soul. It was a shift from “small fry to big guy,” but not in blustery, arrogant way. In a quiet, profound way.
Launching asks you to step fully into your authority, become visible, and lead. The wonderful thing is that in fulfilling that requirement, you realize you’ve always been an authority. You’ve always been a leader. You just hadn’t yet fully embodied it, owned it, loved it and felt ready to become known for it.
Here’s a little warning: once you do become more of who you’re meant to be, there’s no turning back. It’s a change that happens inside of your skin.
I Expect More
Do you know what happens when you deepen your belief in yourself and you own your value with more conviction, knowing and passion?
You stop settling for less than what you want and deserve.
And that, my loves, can royally rock the boat of your life.
During my launch and after, as I felt my feet dancing unsteadily on this strange but wonderful new ground of knowing and believing, I could see clearly how I’d cheated and undermined myself. How, out of fear and doubt and a compromised self-image, I’d settled for less than what I wanted and less than I deserved. Not just in my business, but in my relationships, in my creativity, in my life choices, in my expectations and even in my possibilities.
My past rolled out before me and I was blinded by this pattern I saw of playing small, deferring to please others, lowering my expectations, and putting up with people and situations that were “good” and “loving” but were also stifling, belittling and less than ideal.
As a result of my launch, what once was acceptable to me was no longer tolerable. My standards and expectations for everything in my life – my friendships, my romantic relationships, my daily routine, my dreams, my desires – shot up to meet who I am and what I really want.
And now… some of the more practical things I learned from my launch:
1. You will feel pressured… no matter how well prepared you are.
I must say, I did a phenomenal job of planning my launch. I created realistic timelines, got my team on board, and felt pretty darned sure of myself.
But you know what? No matter how well you plan, the unexpected happens and you have to shift gears, let some things go, and do the best you can.
Warning! You can also be lulled by too much lead time and a great launch plan. Because you fool yourself by thinking, “Hey! I’ve got plenty of time. I can push this off into next week and still be fine!”
And that’s true. Until you realize you’ve pushed a bit too much into next week so even more things need to be pushed into the following week and then… there you are. Panicked, pressured and going a bit crazy.
Plan. Give yourself plenty of lead time. But don’t be lulled by that lead time. And know you’re always going to feel pressured and pushed. And that’s okay.
2. Your Sales Page is your best friend
Write your sales page first and give it all you’ve got! Make it a friggin’ masterpiece. Because if you do, it will become your savior, your panic-button resource and your launch lifesaver.
The last week of my launch, I was writing and sending one, sometimes two, emails a day. The first few were some of the best emails I’ve ever written. But as I kept on, day after day, I ran out of steam. I got creatively cramped up. What more could I share or say that I hadn’t already?
Sales page to the rescue!
I went back and reread my sales page, and there it was! The copy I needed for my emails. I’d already written it! It was on my sales page! All I needed to do was a bit of copy, paste and tweaking.
Such a relief!
Use your sales page as your number one resource for your copy when writing emails, ads, social media blurbs, or video scripts.
3. You will experience Launch Fatigue
Launching is a rush. An adrenaline rush. As I mentioned above, there were days – a lot of days – when I felt slightly dizzy and even nauseated by the adrenaline pulsing through my body.
I was riding my edge, and my system was screaming, “Alert! Alert! We’re entering new territory! Possible danger ahead!”
And you know what happens when you operate at such a fevered pitch, right? You crash. Usually about 2-3 days before cart close.
If you can, anticipate this crash and make sure you’ve got your emails ready to go ahead of time… so you’re not having to be a creative genius while you’re also feeling flat out exhausted.
4. You will need help. Lots of it.
Do not attempt to launch all by yourself! Gather a great team of assistants because you’re going to need them!
5 people assisted me in pulling off my launch.
My VA Lesley Raymond who managed my Facebook ads and kept the rest of my social media flowing.
My beloved friend and Girl Friday Kristy Schnabel who helped me set up the audience for my Facebook ads and made sure everything ran smoothly during my 2 live webinars.
Jacki Operman, who set up my affiliate program and did so at a moment’s notice.
Creative genius Rachel Vane, who revamped my opt-in page, my sales page, and made sure all my backend shopping cart stuff was in working order.
And then, there was Jeanna Gabellini, launch expert and business whiz, who advised and supported me all along the way. If I had a question, she had the answer. And she cheered me on when the going got tough.
I would never have been able to pull off my launch without these amazing people.
5. You will learn soooo much.
As I went through my launch, I was so aware of all the little things I wanted to do differently next time.
But I also learned a lot about who I am, what I want, what I’m good at, and what I want to create in my business. I learned from messing up and I learned from the feedback I got. I learned what works for me and what doesn’t, what appeals to my clients and what turns them off, what I love to do and what I’d rather give to someone else.
One of the biggest and best things I learned was… I love launching! It really is so much fun! It’s creative and expressive and thrilling. It invites you to break out of your routine, show up in a big way, and interact with your potential clients as much as possible.
Yes, it feels lovely when people buy your program or product and you see another sale come in. But honestly, the rewards of launching are so much richer, deeper and more multifaceted than making a bunch of buckaroos.
Launching has the power to catapult you into a whole new reality and sense of self. It can show you where you’ve held back, how you may have cheated yourself, and how to take a stand for who you are and what you deserve. It will give you a new perspective on what’s possible. And inspire you to create what you really want, rather than settle for what you think you can have.
If you’ve been thinking about launching… or if you’ve had a bad experience with launching… or if you’ve had a fabulous experience, share your view in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you.