36. Social Media Myths: What REALLY Drives Business Growth
Have you ever felt guilty for not posting enough on social media or stressed about keeping up with the latest trends? What if I told you that you can build a thriving business without being glued to your phone or crafting the perfect Instagram post?
In my first year of business, I signed a mind-boggling $30,000 contract over wine with one of my best friends. No curated feed, no viral Reels - just authentic conversation. The truth is, the most successful entrepreneurs aren't the ones with the biggest following, but those who've mastered genuine connection.
In this episode, I'll show you exactly how to build a sustainable business on your own terms. You'll learn the three critical steps I used early on to connect with dream clients more naturally, plus the surprising truth about what really drives business growth (spoiler alert: it's not your follower count).
Ready to start your networking journey? Join us every 2nd Thursday for my free Mom Entrepreneurs Circle. Sign up below for support, advice sharing, and the tools you need for both you and your business to thrive.
What You’ll Learn from this Episode:
Why trying to build your business solely on social media is like building a house on rented land.
How to create a minimum viable presence that makes it easy for interested people to take the next step with you.
The power of genuine conversations and how one conversation can be worth more than a thousand Instagram likes.
How to use social media intentionally and on your own terms without letting it hold you back.
Why your worth isn't measured in likes or followers, but in the lives you touch and the difference you make.
Listen to the Full Episode:
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21. Is Perfectionism Stopping You From Launching Your Business Website?
34. Build Your Board of Directors: Strategic Support for Busy Moms
Full Episode Transcript:
In the first year of my business, I signed my first big client contract, which was a mind-boggling $30,000 contract. And it was over wine with one of my best friends. No perfectly curated feed, no viral reels, just authentic conversation.
This episode is for the mom who spent two hours staring at an unfinished post today, who's wondering if she's doing it wrong because she isn't showing up daily online. If you've ever felt guilty about not posting enough or stressed about keeping up with trends, this episode is especially for you.
I had a friend who built her entire business on Instagram, bringing in consistent five-figure months until the algorithm changed, right? Suddenly, her beautiful feed reached nobody. Her revenue dropped and she nearly quit.
Today, I'm showing you exactly how to avoid that trap and build a sustainable business without being glued to your phone. In the next 15 minutes, you'll learn the most critical three steps and the ones I used early on in my business to connect with those dream clients more naturally. Plus the surprising truth about what really drives business growth. And let me tell you, it's not your follower count.
Welcome to How to Quit Your Job: A Mom’s Guide to Creating a Life and Business You Love. It’s a podcast that helps working moms just like you, optimize your time, manage your mind, and start a business that helps you create more freedom, flexibility, and, yes, fun. I’m business and mindset coach Jenna Rykiel. And I offer practical tips to help you ditch the nine-to-five. I have been exactly where you are and I know what it takes to make the transition without trading one form of burnout for another. So, let’s get started.
Hey there mom friends, we are well into January now and if you're feeling behind on your business goals, I want you to take a deep breath. The path to entrepreneurship isn't about keeping up with anyone else's timeline or pressuring your own timeline, right? It's about taking aligned action that works for you and your family. That's what it's all about, okay? You're exactly where you need to be at this moment and use this episode as a catalyst to take that next step forward, whatever that next step is. And that next step does not have to be social media, right? Which is what this episode is all about.
The most successful entrepreneurs I know aren't the ones with the biggest following. They're the ones who've mastered genuine connection. So I want you to take a moment to think about your own buying habits. Are you more likely to hire someone because of their Instagram aesthetic or because someone you trust recommended them? Are you likely to hire someone because they are constantly showing up on your newsfeed or because you had a meaningful conversation with them at an event and really got to know and trust them? Trying to build your business solely on social media is like building a house on rented land.
The landlord, aka the algorithm, can change the rules anytime they want. Instead, I'm going to show you how to build on solid ground where you're in control at all times. Social media is just one tool in your business toolkit and it's optional. Yes, I said that right, optional. You can build a thriving business without posting daily, weekly, or even monthly on social media.
I guarantee that a lot of the businesses you might be comparing yourself to on social media either aren't signing clients on there or are at a point in their business where someone else is responsible for their social media. So what should you do instead of stressing about social media? Let's break it down into three practical steps.
Okay, step one and I've talked about this before, is create your minimum viable presence. Maybe you've heard of the term minimal viable product which is a way that potential clients can get a feel for you and your business, maybe for free, but definitely with less barriers to entry. This is similar to that. It is the same principle I discussed in episode 21 when we talked about websites. So that same principle applies here.
All you really need in order to start your business is a scheduling link. Calendly is free and popular. I just switched from Acuity to Ontraport and I'm still working out the kinks, but use whatever scheduling tool works for you. I believe there's even a feature in Google Calendar that does it.
As long as you have a way for people to schedule time with you, you need a simple way for people to learn about your services. Think about a one-page PDF or a well-crafted email. I would even say that spending time thinking about how you talk about yourself in your business counts. This is for the situations where someone hears what you do and they say, can you send me more information? It doesn't have to be a lengthy brochure and you can even throw something together on Canva pretty easily.
You also need a clear way for people to contact you. So an email address is your best bet here. You probably already have one, but you can also set up a free Zoom account, a free Google voice number, something like that. Okay, so that's it for your minimum viable presence. Just a way for people to schedule with you, a way for people to learn simply about your business, what you do, and a way for people to contact you. No fancy graphics needed, no daily posts required, just three elements that make it easy for interested people to take the next step with you.
Step two, you get out there and you talk to real people. Okay, I know as an introvert myself, this used to terrify me, but here's the thing. One genuine conversation is worth more than a thousand likes on Instagram. So start by talking to people who aren't new and scary. Sometimes your own family and friends hold the keys to your first clients. Like I said before, that's what happened to me when I had a girls night with my best friend. She asked about my business. I went into more detail about the clients I was working with and wanted to work with and she put me in touch with a leader at her company who had a budget for the exact type of coaching I was doing at the time which was coaching to help leaders prevent burnout in corporate.
I want you to also think about finding networking events with people who are like you. Start with low-hanging fruit and find people who can relate to you personally and professionally at first. Of course, I always talk about it. You can always join the Mom Entrepreneur Circle. It's free and I promise we're not scary. Two months ago, we had a member join and when she introduced herself I knew I had to put her in touch with another mom from the group who wasn't in attendance that day and I just learned that the two of them are going to be working together. Right? So anything can happen in those group settings and with the people that you're meeting.
Okay, still in step two in ideas to get out there and talk to real people, go anywhere that strangers exist. It doesn't have to be an official networking event. Just meet new people, be curious about them and genuinely learn about them and then share what you do. If it's aligned that they could be a good fit as a client, make an offer to help them. When you're at these events, lead with curiosity, ask questions, listen, the opportunities will naturally flow.
So step three, use social media on your terms. Notice I didn't say avoid it completely. Okay?
Yes, you can build a business without social media. You can focus on getting those elements of the minimum viable presence so that people can schedule time with you and talk to you about what you do and you can go meet people and tell them what you do, make offers to help them and leave social media behind entirely, right? But like I said, it is a tool and there's a lot that you can learn about yourself within social media.
So step three, we are going to say, use social media on your terms. If you want to post occasionally, go for it. But shift your mindset from, I need to get clients from this, to I'm building my brand presence. This takes so much of the pressure off of you.
In this entire conversation, there's an important piece that I want us to address about mindset because there's a quote I've talked about before on this podcast and it's a powerful one to consider. It's from Patrice Washington. She's an amazing coach so if you want to learn more about her, a link to her page will be in the show notes. But she said, sometimes you don't need another marketing strategy. You need to know why you keep hiding.
There's so much value in understanding why it's hard for you to post. Is it perfectionism and not wanting to post something that isn't perfect? Is it a fear of being seen? Is it a fear of saying something that will upset people or rub people the wrong way? Are you worried that you won't be able to set boundaries around the time commitment and you'll be on social media instead of being present with your kids and family?
For any of these reasons it's important to address what's hiding underneath the surface of I don't like social media. For me it was the perfectionism and not wanting to rub anyone the wrong way. I didn't want to offend anyone. I didn't want to say anything that people would take the wrong way, right? I was so worried about what other people would think that I preferred to just stay quiet on my social media in terms of my business.
Posting on social media has always been challenging for me but it's something I do regularly now and have seen the growth within myself that I honestly do care a little less about what other people think, which is huge.
For so many of my clients, if they just cared less about what people think, they could do amazing things so much faster. When I'm posting, I know that not everyone will agree with me or what I'm doing, but that's none of my business. Right? That's about them, not me.
So I encourage you to explore and reflect on whether or not you're hiding. If it truly is about time, I get that too, and nothing is worse than being at an event with someone who seems to only be there to craft how they'll share it on social media. But just because you post on social media for your business doesn't mean you have to be that person either. There are boundaries and ways you can do it that feel good to you. I promise.
You get to decide what all of this looks like in your own business. And just like I talked about in episode 34 with creating your board of directors, there are lots and lots of businesses that would be glad to own your social media presence for you. So you can always hire people who can save you a ton of time and energy and mental load, and they be in charge and do that part for you.
Now, if you do decide to include social media in your marketing plan down the road, be intentional about the platform you choose. If you are engaged in B2B services and working with professionals, LinkedIn is a great choice. Many of my clients are on LinkedIn because they are in corporate but looking to transition. So it's a lot of people who are on there job searching and thinking about what's next.
Instagram is great for visual businesses and personal brands. This is also still a place where many millennials hang out. So if your potential client is a millennial, that might be a space for you.
And Facebook is ideal for local services, community-based businesses. It's also just a great place to host groups still. It's not a platform that I use personally, but it's still recommended for public and private groups. So if you're doing a membership, this might be a great place to build it.
I want you to think about really mastering one platform before adding another. It's better to show up consistently on one platform than to spread yourself thin across many. Once you get really good at showing up, getting over your own mental drama on just one platform, then it becomes so much easier to expand. And if I'm being honest with you, I've never created a client through social media, at least not directly. It's always been through client referrals, networking events, workshops, friend referrals, and of course through this podcast.
I do post regularly because I'm always posting about the podcast content each week. But that means that half of the work is done for me, knowing what I'll be posting about each week. I don't have to come up with special content for LinkedIn or Instagram because it's going to be based on the podcast episode that I've chosen. And this doesn't mean that clients can't come from social media, right? It's just to say that you can build a successful business without it. Don't let it hold you back from moving forward.
One of my own coaches built a multi-million dollar coaching business with no social media. Of course, once her business got to a certain point, she hired a team to do the social media marketing, but she never personally posted on social media. So if you need it, here is your permission slip. You don't need to be everywhere. You don't need to post every day. You don't need to dance on TikTok unless you really want to.
What you need is a clear way for people to book a time with you so that they can get to know you more and that you can expand your network. You need a genuine desire to help people and you need to get out there and meet people and have the courage to have real conversations and to talk about what you do and to get to know people who will put you in touch with people who could be your potential clients, right? That's it. That's the secret sauce.
Before we wrap up today, I want you to know something about this process and journey that you're on. It's not about becoming an influencer, right? It's about creating a business that serves others while giving you the freedom to be present for the moments that matter most to you. If one day you become an influencer, fantastic. But that's not the goal.
The goal is to share your unique talents to bring real value into the world. Social media can be a tool to do that. If it's not your cup of tea, that's absolutely okay. Don't let the fear of social media hold you back from building a life and business you love.
We have a lot of really great interviews coming up in the next few months that I want you to stay tuned for. And of course, I want you to join us next week as we continue to talk about ways that you can take the next step and start building your business.
Okay, so until then, remember, your worth isn't measured in likes or followers. It's measured in the lives you touch and the difference you make. And even if those lives are simply your kids and being more present and the best version of yourself for your kids, that is a huge win.
Okay, I'm cheering you on and hope that we will see each other again next week. Bye-bye for now.
Thanks for listening to this week’s episode of How to Quit Your Job: A Mom’s Guide to Creating a Life and Business You Love. If you want to learn more about how I can help you stop making excuses and start making moves, head on over to www.jenna.coach. I’ll see you next week.
This episode is for the mom who spent two hours staring at an unfinished post today, who's wondering if she's doing it wrong because she isn't showing up daily online. If you've ever felt guilty about not posting enough or stressed about keeping up with trends, this episode is especially for you.
I had a friend who built her entire business on Instagram, bringing in consistent five-figure months until the algorithm changed, right? Suddenly, her beautiful feed reached nobody. Her revenue dropped and she nearly quit.
Today, I'm showing you exactly how to avoid that trap and build a sustainable business without being glued to your phone. In the next 15 minutes, you'll learn the most critical three steps and the ones I used early on in my business to connect with those dream clients more naturally. Plus the surprising truth about what really drives business growth. And let me tell you, it's not your follower count.
Welcome to How to Quit Your Job: A Mom’s Guide to Creating a Life and Business You Love. It’s a podcast that helps working moms just like you, optimize your time, manage your mind, and start a business that helps you create more freedom, flexibility, and, yes, fun. I’m business and mindset coach Jenna Rykiel. And I offer practical tips to help you ditch the nine-to-five. I have been exactly where you are and I know what it takes to make the transition without trading one form of burnout for another. So, let’s get started.
Hey there mom friends, we are well into January now and if you're feeling behind on your business goals, I want you to take a deep breath. The path to entrepreneurship isn't about keeping up with anyone else's timeline or pressuring your own timeline, right? It's about taking aligned action that works for you and your family. That's what it's all about, okay? You're exactly where you need to be at this moment and use this episode as a catalyst to take that next step forward, whatever that next step is. And that next step does not have to be social media, right? Which is what this episode is all about.
The most successful entrepreneurs I know aren't the ones with the biggest following. They're the ones who've mastered genuine connection. So I want you to take a moment to think about your own buying habits. Are you more likely to hire someone because of their Instagram aesthetic or because someone you trust recommended them? Are you likely to hire someone because they are constantly showing up on your newsfeed or because you had a meaningful conversation with them at an event and really got to know and trust them? Trying to build your business solely on social media is like building a house on rented land.
The landlord, aka the algorithm, can change the rules anytime they want. Instead, I'm going to show you how to build on solid ground where you're in control at all times. Social media is just one tool in your business toolkit and it's optional. Yes, I said that right, optional. You can build a thriving business without posting daily, weekly, or even monthly on social media.
I guarantee that a lot of the businesses you might be comparing yourself to on social media either aren't signing clients on there or are at a point in their business where someone else is responsible for their social media. So what should you do instead of stressing about social media? Let's break it down into three practical steps.
Okay, step one and I've talked about this before, is create your minimum viable presence. Maybe you've heard of the term minimal viable product which is a way that potential clients can get a feel for you and your business, maybe for free, but definitely with less barriers to entry. This is similar to that. It is the same principle I discussed in episode 21 when we talked about websites. So that same principle applies here.
All you really need in order to start your business is a scheduling link. Calendly is free and popular. I just switched from Acuity to Ontraport and I'm still working out the kinks, but use whatever scheduling tool works for you. I believe there's even a feature in Google Calendar that does it.
As long as you have a way for people to schedule time with you, you need a simple way for people to learn about your services. Think about a one-page PDF or a well-crafted email. I would even say that spending time thinking about how you talk about yourself in your business counts. This is for the situations where someone hears what you do and they say, can you send me more information? It doesn't have to be a lengthy brochure and you can even throw something together on Canva pretty easily.
You also need a clear way for people to contact you. So an email address is your best bet here. You probably already have one, but you can also set up a free Zoom account, a free Google voice number, something like that. Okay, so that's it for your minimum viable presence. Just a way for people to schedule with you, a way for people to learn simply about your business, what you do, and a way for people to contact you. No fancy graphics needed, no daily posts required, just three elements that make it easy for interested people to take the next step with you.
Step two, you get out there and you talk to real people. Okay, I know as an introvert myself, this used to terrify me, but here's the thing. One genuine conversation is worth more than a thousand likes on Instagram. So start by talking to people who aren't new and scary. Sometimes your own family and friends hold the keys to your first clients. Like I said before, that's what happened to me when I had a girls night with my best friend. She asked about my business. I went into more detail about the clients I was working with and wanted to work with and she put me in touch with a leader at her company who had a budget for the exact type of coaching I was doing at the time which was coaching to help leaders prevent burnout in corporate.
I want you to also think about finding networking events with people who are like you. Start with low-hanging fruit and find people who can relate to you personally and professionally at first. Of course, I always talk about it. You can always join the Mom Entrepreneur Circle. It's free and I promise we're not scary. Two months ago, we had a member join and when she introduced herself I knew I had to put her in touch with another mom from the group who wasn't in attendance that day and I just learned that the two of them are going to be working together. Right? So anything can happen in those group settings and with the people that you're meeting.
Okay, still in step two in ideas to get out there and talk to real people, go anywhere that strangers exist. It doesn't have to be an official networking event. Just meet new people, be curious about them and genuinely learn about them and then share what you do. If it's aligned that they could be a good fit as a client, make an offer to help them. When you're at these events, lead with curiosity, ask questions, listen, the opportunities will naturally flow.
So step three, use social media on your terms. Notice I didn't say avoid it completely. Okay?
Yes, you can build a business without social media. You can focus on getting those elements of the minimum viable presence so that people can schedule time with you and talk to you about what you do and you can go meet people and tell them what you do, make offers to help them and leave social media behind entirely, right? But like I said, it is a tool and there's a lot that you can learn about yourself within social media.
So step three, we are going to say, use social media on your terms. If you want to post occasionally, go for it. But shift your mindset from, I need to get clients from this, to I'm building my brand presence. This takes so much of the pressure off of you.
In this entire conversation, there's an important piece that I want us to address about mindset because there's a quote I've talked about before on this podcast and it's a powerful one to consider. It's from Patrice Washington. She's an amazing coach so if you want to learn more about her, a link to her page will be in the show notes. But she said, sometimes you don't need another marketing strategy. You need to know why you keep hiding.
There's so much value in understanding why it's hard for you to post. Is it perfectionism and not wanting to post something that isn't perfect? Is it a fear of being seen? Is it a fear of saying something that will upset people or rub people the wrong way? Are you worried that you won't be able to set boundaries around the time commitment and you'll be on social media instead of being present with your kids and family?
For any of these reasons it's important to address what's hiding underneath the surface of I don't like social media. For me it was the perfectionism and not wanting to rub anyone the wrong way. I didn't want to offend anyone. I didn't want to say anything that people would take the wrong way, right? I was so worried about what other people would think that I preferred to just stay quiet on my social media in terms of my business.
Posting on social media has always been challenging for me but it's something I do regularly now and have seen the growth within myself that I honestly do care a little less about what other people think, which is huge.
For so many of my clients, if they just cared less about what people think, they could do amazing things so much faster. When I'm posting, I know that not everyone will agree with me or what I'm doing, but that's none of my business. Right? That's about them, not me.
So I encourage you to explore and reflect on whether or not you're hiding. If it truly is about time, I get that too, and nothing is worse than being at an event with someone who seems to only be there to craft how they'll share it on social media. But just because you post on social media for your business doesn't mean you have to be that person either. There are boundaries and ways you can do it that feel good to you. I promise.
You get to decide what all of this looks like in your own business. And just like I talked about in episode 34 with creating your board of directors, there are lots and lots of businesses that would be glad to own your social media presence for you. So you can always hire people who can save you a ton of time and energy and mental load, and they be in charge and do that part for you.
Now, if you do decide to include social media in your marketing plan down the road, be intentional about the platform you choose. If you are engaged in B2B services and working with professionals, LinkedIn is a great choice. Many of my clients are on LinkedIn because they are in corporate but looking to transition. So it's a lot of people who are on there job searching and thinking about what's next.
Instagram is great for visual businesses and personal brands. This is also still a place where many millennials hang out. So if your potential client is a millennial, that might be a space for you.
And Facebook is ideal for local services, community-based businesses. It's also just a great place to host groups still. It's not a platform that I use personally, but it's still recommended for public and private groups. So if you're doing a membership, this might be a great place to build it.
I want you to think about really mastering one platform before adding another. It's better to show up consistently on one platform than to spread yourself thin across many. Once you get really good at showing up, getting over your own mental drama on just one platform, then it becomes so much easier to expand. And if I'm being honest with you, I've never created a client through social media, at least not directly. It's always been through client referrals, networking events, workshops, friend referrals, and of course through this podcast.
I do post regularly because I'm always posting about the podcast content each week. But that means that half of the work is done for me, knowing what I'll be posting about each week. I don't have to come up with special content for LinkedIn or Instagram because it's going to be based on the podcast episode that I've chosen. And this doesn't mean that clients can't come from social media, right? It's just to say that you can build a successful business without it. Don't let it hold you back from moving forward.
One of my own coaches built a multi-million dollar coaching business with no social media. Of course, once her business got to a certain point, she hired a team to do the social media marketing, but she never personally posted on social media. So if you need it, here is your permission slip. You don't need to be everywhere. You don't need to post every day. You don't need to dance on TikTok unless you really want to.
What you need is a clear way for people to book a time with you so that they can get to know you more and that you can expand your network. You need a genuine desire to help people and you need to get out there and meet people and have the courage to have real conversations and to talk about what you do and to get to know people who will put you in touch with people who could be your potential clients, right? That's it. That's the secret sauce.
Before we wrap up today, I want you to know something about this process and journey that you're on. It's not about becoming an influencer, right? It's about creating a business that serves others while giving you the freedom to be present for the moments that matter most to you. If one day you become an influencer, fantastic. But that's not the goal.
The goal is to share your unique talents to bring real value into the world. Social media can be a tool to do that. If it's not your cup of tea, that's absolutely okay. Don't let the fear of social media hold you back from building a life and business you love.
We have a lot of really great interviews coming up in the next few months that I want you to stay tuned for. And of course, I want you to join us next week as we continue to talk about ways that you can take the next step and start building your business.
Okay, so until then, remember, your worth isn't measured in likes or followers. It's measured in the lives you touch and the difference you make. And even if those lives are simply your kids and being more present and the best version of yourself for your kids, that is a huge win.
Okay, I'm cheering you on and hope that we will see each other again next week. Bye-bye for now.
Thanks for listening to this week’s episode of How to Quit Your Job: A Mom’s Guide to Creating a Life and Business You Love. If you want to learn more about how I can help you stop making excuses and start making moves, head on over to www.jenna.coach. I’ll see you next week.
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