105 | Six Steps to Lead your Team back to Growth and Renewal
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[00:00:00] Hey friends, welcome back to the Called to Lead Podcast. So in the last episode, I did a bit of a deep dive into my numbers from 2023 and shared a little bit more about how I am choosing to focus on renewal. For my business. And if you were listening to that episode, or maybe you're, you clicked on this episode because you are feeling like your team. It is not experiencing gross or renewal. Or maybe you feel like you're going backwards. Or maybe you don't yet have a team, but you maybe see leaders in your company switching to other companies, or you might be feeling a little bit nervous about the future of where you are right now and what that looks like.
And if it's worth it for you to stay the course and dive in and work harder to towards your goals. Well, this episode is going to be for you friends because I'm going to be introducing an acronym. That was introduced to me by one of my mentors, Brett Blake, who wrote an [00:01:00] incredible book, literally called renewal for field leaders. And I'm going to couple that with a couple of other resources that I have been reading lately. And I'm going to share with you the six steps that you can take in your business.
And some questions that you can ask yourself about those six steps to really kind of get real about where you are in your business. So that you can be where you want to be by the time this year wraps up. And in the years to come in your business, so buckle up and let's dive into today's episode.
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Okay, so a little bit of backstory for how I found this book. It's actually pretty cool. I did a pack test interview with a gal named Jody with a great network marketing company, Rhodan and fields. Gosh, it was probably two years ago, maybe even longer than that. And as we were chatting after we stopped recording. She told me about this amazing book called renewal for field leaders by Brett Blake.
And if you're familiar with Rhodan and fields, you may know that they of course exploded right out the gate. In their business experiences. Hyper-growth phase, they kind of pioneered [00:03:00] the, I guess, Hey girl, messaging on Facebook. And unfortunately I think kind of burned a lot of people out with that type of messaging.
Scared a lot of people off from the network marketing industry in general. And started to kind of level off and then decline and their business. Well, here's the crazy part is Jody. My friend, she actually joined around the time, not in the hyper-growth phase, but she joined around that time and really had a feeling like this was a calling from the Lord for her to step into leadership.
So she's a perfect example of someone who felt called to lead. Right? And so she kind of had the conundrum of not necessarily building her business and pursuing these big goals and dreams, the Lord put on her heart and I'll link to an episode interview with her so that you can kind of hear her story. And her journey with it, but long story short. I think she joined like eight years after Rhodan and fields started as a company.
So that would be like, for me in Seint we are about to celebrate our seventh birthday tomorrow, which is also my seventh Seint [00:04:00] aversary myself. So that will have been what, by the time this episode gets goes up, it will have been a couple of days in the past, but it's kind of crazy to think that what Jodie was able to do with her business. Would be the same with someone joining in. In my business or joining insane a year from now. So a lot of times wherever you are in your company or in your journey, or maybe you're just considering network marketing in general.
And you're kind of like wondering the nitty gritty truth and the good, the bad, the ugly, all that good stuff. Well, it's true that with any business model, there are going to be ups and downs in a life cycle. And what I love about this book from Brett Blake is he says, it's essentially a fact, not a, maybe the effect that every business, but specifically every direct sales business or network marketing business, whatever you want to call it is going to go through the launch phase.
Obviously getting off the ground, the hypergrowth associated with that ground floor opportunity, the growth. By promotion phase, [00:05:00] which is really when things only feel like they're growing, if there's an incentive or a promotion or a sale of some kind. And then there's, what's called the shakeout because people get a little bit frustrated. Some leaders leave for, you know, they kind of get shiny object syndrome or they feel like the grass is greener somewhere else.
And so they go to start the whole process over again somewhere else, because they don't realize that they're going to experience the same journey here that someone else has experienced. But what's really cool. Is there are a lot of lessons learned from companies who've gotten past this shakeout phase and entered into what is called renewal.
So that's after the little hump they grow in their business sometimes. You know, double, triple, or even exponentially higher than the sales at the peak. And so, you know, there are tons of companies. I know I've been kind of chatting about this for the last few episodes, so you're probably like Heather, go ahead and get into, get into the six steps. But my point with, with this is, as I've said on a couple of episodes, I do believe that we, that St [00:06:00] the company I'm a part of is in that phase because we're in year seven where we are in the shakeout.
And I believe we are going to be entering into a season of renewal here, coming up soon. Meaning we as top leaders have followed the steps that are in this book, and then I'm going to share with you today and we're starting to see the fruit and the growth from them. And it's something that I'm going to be sharing throughout this entire year. Along with my actual numbers like I did on the last episode.
So if you want the inside scoop on what a girl's business looks like as a top leader, I am going to share all of the tea spill, spill the tea. So what it is, share all the goodness with you guys. Okay. But I love that Jodie shared this book with me. ~Um, ~I think it was about two years ago. And then I shared it with, you know, with a couple of other leaders and just now, because I think we just have been in the shakeout here. Lately are people really taking it seriously and really kind of drilling back down over it.
But I believe in it because I did implement a lot of these things and I think that's one of the reasons why. My business was somewhat insulated and it [00:07:00] did grow last year when many others did not. So you guys ready for the six steps and guess what? It's an acronym. Cause you know, I love an acronym and clearly Brett does as well.
And as he says himself, it's not necessarily the, you know, the sexiest or sleekest acronym, but it's chisel C H I S E L. And I love that he kind of, ~uh, ~uses the analogy or the description of like a carving a statue or like, you know, basically chiseling out your business in a way that is, you know, a beautiful form and, and. Really getting strategic and smart.
And he says it's more of an art than a science. And then that reminded me of another book. I'm reading called 10 X is easier than two X by Dan Sullivan. And I'm Dr. Benjamin Hardy. And in that book, there's a whole intro segment about Michelangelo creating the David and going 10 X in his business. And so I have been really inspired by. Reading both of these books. And what's really cool is they compliment each other.
And [00:08:00] I'm also going to be throwing in some of my kind of call to lead biblical. ~Uh, ~basis spin on it if you will, because truly any strong, solid biblical principle is found in scripture. One of my favorite places to go, to find that wisdom is in Proverbs, which I'm so excited because my Bible recap is just now getting into Proverbs this week, which is my second favorite book of the Bible, but I digress.
Okay. James is my first favorite. If you haven't, if you didn't know that about me. But. Let's get into this chisel Akon acronym. Cause this is, they're not, there's something that you can kind of work on. Not necessarily in order. So it's not like six steps that you have to do in order, but they are designed especially the first couple to be the most important or ~the, the, ~the two things that you should really focus on up first. So again, I'm going to share the chisel what each one means.
And then I'm going to give you a question that you can ask yourself to really hyper analyze or focus on where you are in your business and where you want it to be. So the C in chisel stands for cash. Cash [00:09:00] because. If we were in business, and if you are a network marketer, you are, you. I can't imagine anybody doing this as a hobby though.
Sometimes it really does feel fun and I'm like, oh yeah, I probably would pay to do this. Or, I mean, if you think about it, like we pay tens of thousands of dollars or thousands of dollars for our kids to do like travel sports and all this stuff. And this is an opportunity for you to make thousands of dollars. For your family. And business, but of course it takes hard work, investment and time and travel and all the things, but because it is a business. Because it is a business, you need to make sure that you have cash. In your pocket because cash is king cash is the reason that you do this and you want to make sure that you are always providing an income for your family. So my question for you is how well are you stewarding the cash that you've been given in your business so far? Because in conjunction with reading these two books. The sermon from my church this past weekend, which I will [00:10:00] share in the show notes, really ask some of these really tough questions. That, you know, if you are a believer, the Lord is not just some genie that if you just say, Lord, please make me a millionaire or please, you know, Like help my business, 10 X this year. It's not that he can't.
Of course he can, he can equip you to do the work, but if you're not stewarding, what's already been given to you, or if you aren't yet acknowledging that he is the source of every dollar that you've made in your business, every TIMI that's joined your team, every customer, every connection that you might even be too scared to take to the next level or that you're not following up with because you're too busy going to try to find more customers or more followers or. So on and so forth. So that's my question to you when it comes to the cash in your business is how well are you currently stewarding?
What has been given to you because to whom much is given much is required. That is biblical. And ~it's, ~it's just a fact that you likely aren't going to be given [00:11:00] more responsibility, more leadership opportunity. And specifically the income that can come along with that. If you're not already being a good steward or a good manager of what you've already been given. So the reason that Brett says it, this is the first step cash. And so, because you want to take this time, just like my pastor said this week to really get clear. ~Um, ~where your money is coming in from your business. And where you're spending your money. So it's really easy, especially if you listen to podcasts like mine, where I might recommend a tech tool that you're paying monthly for, or, you know, you hear of somebody else, that's using some shiny thing and you want to invest in it yourself, or maybe you got a little distracted in your business.
Like I did last year and tried to focus on monetizing outside of the best monetization model that I can think of, which is my network marketing business. And I tried to develop coaching or. Not coaching courses and programs to monetize, which meant I had to invest [00:12:00] in a very high level platform that costs me hundreds of dollars a month.
You guys, hundreds of dollars, no network marketers should be paying hundreds of dollars a month. Maybe, maybe if you're like a tippy tippy to be top leader with tens of thousands of people on your team. But I should not be spending hundreds of dollars a month on. Trying to make an income outside of the biggest blessing that has been given to my family, which is my network marketing business. And so this is the time of year where I encourage you to do what I'm doing, which is analyzing every dollar that I spend in my business.
Is it bringing you value? Is it truly an investment in your business and is it bringing you a return? Because if you are truly in the shakeout. It may be that your business may go backwards this year a little bit. Okay. So there are certain aspects that you can control with that by focusing on things like your personal sales, but before you even focus on that, I encourage you to get really clear on your cash that you have right now and on how well you're stewarding that.
[00:13:00] So create a budget. And ask yourself those tough questions and that my friends is the C. And don't worry. We are going to be doing a deeper dive episode on each of these different principles and I'll be updating you on exactly what I'm doing. Along the way. So we'll go deeper. This is a brief overview.
Brief is, you know, And Heather terms brief. So that's the C cash. So H is hope. Hope. And the question I want you to ask yourself is where's your belief and your hope in your business or your company or your team right now. Whereas it is it, is it high? Are you optimistic? Are you nervous? Are you feeling like. Unsure.
What, what is your belief in where you are right now? Do you really believe that you can follow the proven paths and take control of your business in a way that you can not only experience renewal for yourself, but you can align with [00:14:00] others maybe in your company to help create renewal for the entire company, because. Rising tides raise all ships.
And if you love your product, Then it's definitely worse, you know, kind of doing a gut check to see how are you showing up to your team? Is it with an energy that's inspiring and optimistic and excited, or is it maybe an energy that might feel a little bit desperate? Are you trying to make it about you?
Are you saying things like, I need you to do this for me because I can tell you those are not things that are ever going to inspire someone to have hope in their business. But if you like, I do genuinely believe and can look into you. Read the book, if you need to. ~Uh, ~you know, and ~I'll,~ I'll link to it.
Unfortunately there's not an audible. Can't listen to it, but you can definitely order it. And I'll make sure that it's linked in the show notes for you guys to check out, but essentially. I do believe that we will experience renewal because I love this brand. I love this product. I knew a lot of women.
I had a lot of happy customers and still have people reaching out to [00:15:00] me every day. Despite not building a following on social media at the moment. And I know they love this makeup as much as I do. And so, as long as people are buying your product, whatever that is, and as long as people are enrolling in your business, then you can do anything that you want in your company.
And it doesn't matter if it's in the shakeout. It doesn't matter if it's been around for two years. 10 years, 20 years, anybody with any good solid compensation plan that's based around a product can do big things in your business. So my question to you is do you believe that, do you really believe that and even further, are you, what kind of energy are you bringing into your team around that?
And I will tell you that you will not experience renewal without instilling that hope and inspiration for what's possible for your team and encouraging them and inviting them to get across,~ uh, ~you know, Get on board with the journey with you, which is exactly what I'm doing on this podcast. And hopefully you guys can feel my energy and excitement, my optimism, my hope. Because [00:16:00] first of all, Going back to the Bible on this one, our hope is not in our company, right?
Your hope is not in your job. Your hope is not in the things of this world. Your hope is in the Lord. And if you feel like your business is as much of a blessing as I feel like mine is, and that you feel like you've been called to that place and he continues to show up and ask him, just, just pray.
I can't tell you how many times I hear from somebody that says, you know, I was feeling really down and discouraged about my business. And then I just went to the Lord in prayer. And dang. If two people didn't reach out to me about the product or the makeup or whatever. And it happens all the time. So when you can acknowledge again, going back to the, see that he's the source and don't put your hope in whether your company makes it or not.
Okay. Because guess what? Worst case scenario. And like I said, I don't believe this, but if our company or any company were to change tomorrow, my hope is not in the company. My hope is in the Lord. I know he gave me this opportunity. I know that he has called me to stand [00:17:00] from here and to help, you know, inspire all of you guys, hopefully in that journey as well. But I know that if for some reason it's in his, well, for it to not experience renewal, I'm okay with that too, because I know he'll have a plan that's far bigger and far better than anything I could imagine.
So where is your hope? What are you placing your hope in? That's another good question. You can ask yourself. So the H stands for hope. So next step is so I. I have to spell it real quick. The, I stands for innovation. So one of the things, and I'm just going to call it like it is cause why not? ~Um, ~when I read this book, there was a glaring. ~Um, ~obvious issue that I think. Kind of led to some of the growth by promotion and the shakeout within our company.
And that was we as a company, tried to launch a new product that was very confusing. Very, in fact, there, it was so confusing that you had to be certified to sell it. And then even multiple leaders, myself included. Like failed the first go round, which [00:18:00] created definitely. The opposite of hope. And a lot of people and we didn't have the systems to support that product.
And quite frankly, still don't. And yeah, a lot of us were kind of distracted by it as what happens a lot of times when companies try to expand too quickly. And so innovation is one of those things that is a good thing, and can really be a good thing for your business or for your company. But a lot of times people are craving a new product when that's not necessarily what they need or they're, they're waiting for corporate to provide something for them, some sort of innovation.
Well, I'm here to tell you, especially with the growth of the tech world out there, there are so. Many ways that you can incorporate innovation into your business that has nothing to do with your corporate company or team creating some brand new shiny product for you to sell. And so that's my question for you is what types of innovations outside of your company's product, can you implement into your business?
Or what innovations have you been [00:19:00] implementing things like automations to really streamline the process and really making sure that things, those automations are the steps that someone without the automations could be able to do because a brand new distributor isn't going to be able to set up. The systems for automation. Or, you know, it's never meant to be something where it's just running on autopilot.
As I've talked about in the past, automations are really the trigger to create the deeper connection. And it can be that layer of a reminder if you will, to check in on your customers or to follow up, but it shouldn't be doing the work for you if that makes sense. But automations. By using something like project broadcast is a great way or boards.
I literally could not run my business without the free boards app. It's amazing. So what are some ways that you can innovate the everyday aspects of your business? AI as another example. And I know that could be controversial. I, I think it's pretty cool. I've been able to use it for some really neat things.
So, you know, look into the innovation that AI can bring to your business. So [00:20:00] that's my question to you is what ways can you bring innovation and excitement that comes along with doing something new or introducing something new to your team? What ways can you incorporate that into your business? Okay, next is the S and this is my favorite because this word stands for simplicity. Which the name of my team is keep it simple.
Sister, totally stole it from one of my top leaders, Tammy. I've interviewed her on this podcast as well. But she, and I linked arms skosh probably five years ago, something like that. And I stole her team now. She let me and it's keep it simple sister, because I really believe that when you do keep your systems simple, when you keep the communication places.
So one clear place with a communication, rhythm, things like recognition that your team can come to expect from you. How can you simplify those and how are you? Over-complicating it. Or if you say, or a top seller or, you know, a top earner, or maybe you have a really big team is what you're doing in your business.
Something that [00:21:00] you would tell, maybe not a brand new customer or distributor, but maybe someone who's not yet experienced a lot, a lot of growth in her business, or even like, is it something that you would want everyone on your team to do? And if the, or. Can they do it? Did you invent some kind of complicated something that no one can duplicate because you know, it's cool for you or maybe you have somebody like a hubby in the tech world that can, that can do something like that. You know, if it, if it works for you, but it doesn't work for your team, it's not simple enough to scale.
And so the simplicity that is required to really take your business to the next level is one of the most important facets that you can implement as a leader. ~Um, ~and if you aren't yet a leader, now's the time to really streamline those systems so that you can clearly show somebody else how to do what it is that you do in your business.
So S stands for simplicity. And I think that goes without saying, keep it simple sister. So the E is another one of my favorites from this acronym and that is expansion. And that's because I, you know, hope and pray. One of my, my [00:22:00] big hopes, if you will, is that in the coming years that our company will expand internationally because there's certainly demand.
And I think Brett Blake even says in the book that there aren't very many network marketing companies that get to that billion dollar goal. Or, you know, revenue without expanding globally. And so, you know, it's, that is certainly a way that you can double or triple your company's revenue. And so, you know, that's awesome if your company is able to expand internationally, but I kind of go back to the other, the other four letters so far is if your systems aren't simple enough to scale to another country, or again, you haven't been a good steward of everything that you've been given, or you don't have the hope that number one that could even happen for your company. Or what was the ad innovation, or if you're not leveraging things that are becoming a global, something that people can recognize and use in any language in any con. You know, country. Then how are you even going to be ready to expand internationally in your business?
So ask yourself that, like, do you feel like you [00:23:00] could take your, your business as the way you run it and use those same systems in another language or in another. ~Um,~ geographical region. And then outside of the global expansion piece, because obviously that's kind of going back to the things we can't control, right?
Like we can't control whether or not our company decides to expand globally. What we can control are other opportunities for expansion such as. Like different areas of the country. So look at maybe some different regions or states or even cities near you that maybe don't have a really big presence of your brand.
Like even right here in my little town now about 30 minutes, the. ~Um, ~just outside Savannah, there are a lot of artists in Savannah. There's not very many, you know, kind of in this, in this region here or just the next state over in Charleston, not a lot of artists there and my mom lives there. So what are some other geographical areas that you might can look into expanding? Or even different cultures, things like the Hispanic speaking community maybe, or,~ uh,~ you know, women of color.
How can [00:24:00] you, I did an entire podcast episode with Dr. Ramona Lawrence on how you can grow your team by becoming more diverse. So how are some ways that even without global expansion, you can expand your team. In a way that is reaching new places and new people. And how can you serve them even better?
Because just like opening another store. Like if you're franchising say, or if you're trying to scale like a retail shop. Opening another location or another business is what can help you grow opening up to other markets or demographics is another way that you can focus on expansion within what's in your power.
So that's the E. And then finally the L stands for leadership. So this podcast is called, Called to Lead. And if you're listening to it, it's because you either are a leader and that doesn't mean you even necessarily have a team. Cause I. I know that sometimes you can put that feeling if you will, or put it on the reality of, of who has enrolled with you now, or the [00:25:00] success of those who enrolled with you.
But a leader is just somebody who can inspire others to take action. And so if you have a desire to do that now is the perfect time to not shy away from that leadership opportunity and look for ways that you can step up and lead and lead from the front. So I actually can't remember if I shared this on this podcast.
I know I've shared it with a. Couple of my leaders. ~Um, ~in, in different groups, but as I was reading through the Bible and doing an advent study, Over the holidays. I was really inspired by the story of David. And I think I did talk about this on here. Maybe. I can't remember if I did it. I'll I'll talk about it again. But specifically the story of David who, when he stayed home from battle. And the time that other Kings went to war and we're right on the front lines of leadership within the people who were protecting their country.
Right. You know, or, or their nations. That's when he got complacent and comfortable and [00:26:00] shied back, stayed at home, sat up on his rooftop. And that's when he slipped into sin. That's when he saw Bathsheba on the rooftop. That's when he started to spiral into some really, really bad decisions that cost him a lot of heartbreak and heartache in his life because the Lord, while he gave him every bit of grace and mercy and praise God for that. He still allowed him to suffer the consequences of those actions.
And there were some really, really bad, sad things that happened to him that if he had just done what he was called to do, which is step up and lead. So what he was meant to do. What would that have looked like? And so what does that look like for you right now? Have you. You know, shied away from that leadership opportunity. Have you stepped back or maybe even stepped away from your clear vision for what you want for your business?
I know I have and I regret it and I was honest with my team, with my leaders. But that's another reason why I'm going all in here at Seint, and yes, I'm going to keep doing this podcast, but I'm going to be unapologetic about [00:27:00] the reason that I'm doing it, which is because I've got a big enough team that this is kind of my team.
This is my team training, my weekly team training that I'm inviting all of you, whether you're on my team or in St or not. To kind of join it because I believe in it, not just for my team, but I believe in it for our company. And I believe in it for the industry overall. And that is what I, why I feel called to lead in such a big way.
And that is my 10 X vision for doing everything that I do is it's not just about me. It's not just about my business. It's about you and how I can help inspire hope. And equipped you with the strategies to be able to lead your team to renewal whenever you get there. Because if you're not there yet, trust me one day, you will be.
So I hope that this episode was helpful for you. And I hope that the chisel analogy focusing on your cash hope. Innovation simplicity. Expansion and leadership. Can help give you some clear steps and then the questions that go along with them [00:28:00] to guide you and your team to renewal this year. So stay tuned for much more on this topic and thank you guys for watching and listening, and don't forget to subscribe if you want to. Let's watch or listen to more just like this.
So thank you guys. Love you. Bye.
