EP96: Investing Differently in 2025: No More Bullshit, Just Bold Leadership

In this first episode of season 4 of Business Blasphemy, we call out tired tactics and reactive investments that leave entrepreneurs spinning their wheels. Sarah shares hard truths about why most investments fail and how to approach them strategically this year. Learn how to find the right coach or advisor, prioritize self-leadership, and stop falling for templated tactics disguised as bespoke strategies. It's time to align your actions with your vision and invest in what truly ignites your success.

Key Takeaways:

• Why most investments fail (hint: it’s not just the coach).
• The difference between cookie-cutter frameworks and personalized methodologies.
• What to look for in a coach or advisor in 2025.
• Why self-leadership is the foundation of every success.
• The role of accountability in creating real results.

Episode Structure:

1. The problem with reactive investments.
2. What you don’t need in 2025.
3. What to look for when investing in support.
4. How self-leadership drives success.
5. The season focus: leadership pillars that actually get results.

Chapters

• 0:30 Investing Differently in 2025
• 10:58 Personal Accountability and Strategic Investing
• 16:50 Elevating Leadership in 2025

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:30

Welcome to the Business Blasphemy Podcast, where we question the sacred truths of the online business space and the reverence with which they're held. I'm your host, sarah Khan speaker, strategic consultant and BS busting badass. Join me each week as we challenge the norms, trends and overall bullshit status quo of entrepreneurship to uncover what it really takes to build the business that you want to build in a way that honors you, your life and your vision for what's possible, and maybe piss off a few gurus along the way. So if you're ready to commit business blasphemy, let's do it. Hello, hello blasphemers, welcome back to Business Blasphemy 2025, the space where we call out the nonsense in the business world and talk about what really matters Reconnecting with your identity, owning your vision, leading boldly. No fluff, no gimmicks, just the truth about what it takes to create a life and a business that actually reflect who you are and what you want.

Speaker 1: 1:28

Today I have a whole list of things that I want to talk about this season, but today I want to talk about investing differently in 2025. I have seen so many people hitting the ground running with buy this, buy this, buy me, buy me. So I want to talk about this because I really feel like we need to have this conversation. We are two weeks into 2025. I'm seeing the same tired conversations that kept us stuck last year popping up all over social media. There was so much hope at the end of 2024 about we're going to do things differently. This is not how the year is going to pan out next year and I'm already seeing the same shit, just a different year.

Speaker 1: 2:16

People are frustrated. I get that, goodness knows. I'm frustrated. I was frustrated. 2024 was a shit show, but people are tired of working harder and not seeing progress right, tired of chasing strategies that don't align align. Tired of investing in solutions that promise the world but never actually deliver anything. And look, it's not just you. Even the quote-unquote big names are. You know, who have endless resources and are flush with capital to invest, are pivoting left and right now. For the rest of us, who don't have a massive team or a vault of money, what worked before is not going to cut it anymore. We need a different game plan, like an actual different game plan. You know you can't keep doing the same shit, just dress differently and think you're going to get a different result. Now here's a really, really hard truth that may hurt your feelings. It certainly hurt mine when I acknowledged it for myself.

Speaker 1: 3:17

Most investments fail because they come from the wrong mindset. We like to blame the fact that the program was shit or the coach was shit or whatever, but the reality is we got to take some of the blame too. Most people invest out of frustration or fear and Lord knows there was no shortage of either of those emotions last year. They see something promising more money, more clients, more visibility and they think, oh, this will fix everything. But it doesn't. Why? Because those investments are reactive. They're not strategic. They're built on hope. They're built on FOMO. They're built on fancy marketing, right, the hope that someone else's framework or playbook is going to magically solve their problems and I'm not shitting on anyone's framework or playbook right, there are some real, honest, to goodness, valid, really good resources out there and really strong, expert coaches out there.

Speaker 1: 4:14

But if you don't have clarity on your goals or a strategy on how to get there, no investment, no price point is going to give you the results that you're after. Sorry, but that's the truth. So let's just dive right in and get really clear on what you don't need this year. You don't need another coach whose only expertise is pulling out of you what you already know and then taking the credit for your progress. Again, I'm not shitting on that particular tactic because I know what coaches do and I know the definitions between coaches and consultants and blah, blah, blah. It doesn't even really matter because, at the end of the day, a lot of people are using these titles willy-nilly with no actual intention behind them. They just sound fancy. But you don't need people telling you the shit you already know. Okay, you've got to stop investing in people to validate what you already fucking know and that you have invested in for the last X number of years. And you already know. Maybe you just don't know how to execute on it or you're afraid to stand in that particular vision or power because it feels scary and overwhelming. You don't need another certification or training or credential or one more piece of paper that is going to make you feel worthy or ready, and you sure as shit do not need another content, calendar or quote unquote proven sales process that promises to be the golden ticket. I am not bashing coaches or certifications or templates or tools. They all have their place. But if you are using them as a crutch, hoping they're going to magically create clarity or momentum, then you are wasting both your time and your money, and 2025 is going to be a repeat of 2024.

Speaker 1: 6:03

So let's talk about what you do need and what to look for when you're investing in a coach or an advisor. This year, you want to focus on finding someone who focuses on your vision. A good coach, a good advisor, is not going to hand you a cookie cutter framework and then try to fit you into what their version of success looks like. Okay, they're going to work with you to uncover what you want, how you work best and what aligns with your goals, your capacity, your time, your energy, your resources and so forth. Now you may be sitting there going well, what's the difference between a cookie cutter framework and a proven methodology? Because that's what everybody is being told to peddle. Right, fuck, I have my own methodology, my own framework. We're going to drive you to one specific, very narrow outcome, because then what's happening is that coach has a specific deliverable and they're going to make you contort and fit and shrink to meet that particular deliverable. They're not going to help you uncover the deliverable that actually makes a difference for your business and for you.

Speaker 1: 7:26

Now it's very nuanced what I'm saying and there are only a handful of people who can really and truly deliver that you need someone, yes, with a proven methodology, to help people get from A to Z. But too often, too many people out there have only ever been able to do one thing, or they've only learned from another coach. Right, that coach's 90-day course taught them a specific outcome or whatever. So they take you out of who you are and put you into a box through which they can make sense of your big, bold vision. They don't have the capacity to hold or understand the vision that you have. It doesn't fit into their five steps or their 10 tactics or whatever makes up their cookie cutter methodology. So, yes, you do need a methodology, but it cannot drive you towards a specific, fixed and inflexible outcome just because that's all. The coach knows how to deliver, unless that is very specifically what you're looking for. This is why so many coaches require us to shrink in order to help you meet their deliverable, and that's why you come out on the other side, if you finish the program at all, feeling like a copy of someone else, a facsimile of who you should be right Sometimes, if you're unlucky enough, someone completely at odds with who you truly are and, honestly, it's happened to me in the past.

Speaker 1: 8:51

I'm not going to stand here and say I'm immune to it, but that's not what you need this year. The other thing to look for is someone who provides clarity and direction. I know those words are overused, but you have to start asking questions. It's not about tactics or trends. It's about someone who's able to create a strategy that fits your unique circumstances. Look for someone who helps you focus on what actually matters and cuts out the noise and all the other shit.

Speaker 1: 9:24

Now, this third thing that you need to look for. This is the hardest one, and this is the one most people think they don't need, but you need someone who's going to hold you accountable, and accountability has become a really watered down version of itself in the online coaching and business space. Accountability is not about micromanagement. It's not about how many calls you have or how you have access to a particular coach. That's not what accountability is. It's not about passive support either, like I'm going to hold office hours and you can come if you want to. It's about having someone in your corner who expects you to show the fuck up. It's someone who is going to hold your feet to the fire. It's someone who's going to ensure that you follow through and that you stay aligned with what you've committed to do.

Speaker 1: 10:11

Now, I'm not saying that a coach or an advisor or a mentor whatever title you want to give them is responsible for your success. You are 100% responsible for your success. But you want to start surrounding yourself with people who expect more of you. There has been such a drive over the last few years to couch people's feelings right, to softly, softly their way through. No, you need someone who is going to hold your feet to the fire and remind you of why you committed to do a thing and if you didn't do the thing, they're not going to just gloss over because they expect more from you. You have to be willing to be pushed and you have to be willing to commit.

Speaker 1: 10:59

Nine out of 10 times the reason people fail at programs and yes, I'm using the word fail or they don't finish programs, is because they're focused on well, how many hours of support do I get? And can I do it through Slack, or can I do it through Voxer? Can I do it through Telegram, or I prefer email, or you know whatever? And they're not actually doing the work and the coach is letting it slide. And again, I have been guilty of that in the past and, as much as I have loved everyone that I have worked with, a lot of the time those clients are the ones who don't see results. And you know what? Yes, it is their fault, but also you have to, as a coach, as an advisor, as a consultant, know when to cut the cord.

Speaker 1: 11:47

If a client is not willing to show up and commit to what they're paying you to help them commit to, that relationship is not working. They are not ready, and if you're not ready, that's okay. That is something you should know. But don't keep throwing money at a problem thinking that it's going to solve it. If I just work with somebody different, like I, will hold your fucking feet to the fire, because if you want a thing, I'm going to make sure that we get you to that thing. But if you are not showing up, if you are not doing the work, if you are not committing to do the things you promise every two weeks you're going to do, then I can't work with you, because I cannot want it more than you do. Accountable in that way If you're looking for someone just to make you feel better about things. If you're looking for someone who's going to say, oh poor you, they're there and pat you on the head as you work through stuff, then find someone who does that, but understand that it's probably not going to result in the success that you're looking for. Does that sound harsh? Yes, it probably does, but guess what? That's the fucking truth.

Speaker 1: 12:49

2025 is not about softly softly, and it is not about telling yourself the same lies over and over again, hoping that the results will be different next year. Here is the shift we all need this year. Stop investing in things that promise to quote, unquote fix your business or fix you. Start investing in things that align with your strategy and enhance the journey. The right investment will not define your success. It will amplify it. It will enhance it. It'll help you move forward with more ease and more clarity and more purpose. Not because it's some magic bullet. Because it aligns with who you are and where you're going. That's what you need Now.

Speaker 1: 13:38

At the core of all of this, the absolute foundation of all of this, is self-leadership. Self-leadership is the thing that has been missing from so many businesses. We look at leadership through a very narrow lens. We look at it through. Leadership means I have a team? No, I mean it can, but maybe that's not your business model. That doesn't mean you're not a leader. You still have to lead yourself, and that's what 2025 has got to be about Trusting yourself, aligning your actions with your vision and taking consistent, intentional steps forward. You do not need another program that leaves you overwhelmed or stuck. You need a partnership that respects your time, your goals and your way of doing things.

Speaker 1: 14:25

This year, you've got to stop chasing shiny objects. Let's pause, let's renew, let's reinvent and let's build something that actually feels powerful, because it's rooted in who you truly are. So here's my challenge to you as we move into 2025 in earnest Get clear on what your goals are and what your strategy is before you invest, and if you don't have a clear strategy, then find someone who can help you devise one. Not tactics, not post three times a day on LinkedIn. Engage with 17 people on Instagram.

Speaker 1: 15:06

No, what is the overall strategy? Yes, tactics are important, because that's the execution part. You do need tactics are important because that's the execution part. You do need tactics, but what are those tactics based in? Is your strategy? I need to grow my LinkedIn this year because I want more speaking engagements. Okay, here are the tactics to do that. But why that strategy? Is it because you want more speaking engagements, because that's your goal? You want more visibility, because you want to be offered keynotes with corporations, or is your goal? I want to make enough money this year to help us go on vacations, to help my kids get through school. I want to be able to work as little as possible. Okay, cool, let's understand what that strategy looks like. It's a longer game. You're going to have to really dial down and look at your expertise and your bigger vision and price yourself accordingly. Then we develop the tactics.

Speaker 1: 15:59

So get clear on your goals and your strategy and then invest in someone to help keep you accountable to that. Look for a coach or advisor who's going to help you create clarity, not more confusion. And, for goodness sake, if you don't want to point and dance on TikTok, don't. There's no one social media platform that's actually more powerful than another. It's all about intention and action. And the other thing is you know what? Trust yourself. You already know what you want.

Speaker 1: 16:26

My guess is there's just been so much messaging around. Don't do it this way. You actually want this. This is what the most powerful people are doing Blah, blah. Nobody gives a shit. You know what you want. There's nothing wrong with what you want. Just find the right support to make it happen. This is your year to lead with boldness and clarity and unapologetic confidence. So let's do that.

Speaker 1: 16:50

This season, on the podcast, we're going to actually be focusing on leadership, self-leadership, relational leadership, visionary leadership all of the pillars of leadership that actually get shit done and we're going to talk to people who are on that journey. So if you are ready for this year to actually be different, so that in December you can say, holy crap, look how far I've come, and not huh, I can't wait for this year to be over because I need a fresh start, because, aren't you sick of that? I'm fucking sick of it. So let's do this thing. Welcome to 2025. The gloves are off. Let's fucking go. I'll talk to you next week. That's it for this week. Thanks for listening to the Business Blasphemy Podcast. We'll be back next week with a new episode, but in the meantime, help a sister out by subscribing and if you're feeling extra sassy rating this podcast, and don't forget to share the podcast with others Head over to businessblasphemypodcastcom to connect with us and learn more. Thanks for listening and remember you can have success without the BS.