Speaker 1

[inaudible]

Speaker 2

friends .

Speaker 1

Welcome back to the Jasmine star show. I have a very important question for you today. Have ever wished you could make your business an expression of yourself and get paid for it? Yeah, I thought so. Now I know what you might be thinking Jasmine. I'm not sure that's possible or that's more for interesting Instagrammable people that don't really live my life. If this is you, I want you to stay with me for a second because by the end of this episode I have a feeling my guests tonight are going to change ill mind with some tangible tips on how anyone can do this. Yes. Even those who aren't necessarily building a personal brand. Your teacher today is somebody who is just brilliant and kind and funny. You are going to be laughing. Her name is Laura Belgray. She's the founder of talking shrimp. A self identified a writer of the only emails anyone wants to read anymore. Yeah, she's basically a copywriting expert who helps entrepreneurs find the perfect words to express and sell what they do. All right, and here's the thing as if that isn't enough, if you watch TV and you don't skip the commercials, you probably have seen her words on air because she's written for Bravo, Fandango, NBC, HBO, Nick at night, Nickelodeon. I mean I can literally go on. If there is like a network, there is a really good chance that Laura has written for the commercials because she's that talented and she's sharing with you what makes you so special and what makes her so special. Everybody has their own little secret sauce and she's going to talk about leveraging that. In this conversation we talk about how to put you into your copy to get people to love you, share your ideas, happily, click your buy button, get them to engage and build trust. I know it's a lot, but we cover so much in this episode to I am going to stop the introductions, play the interview because I know Laura is about to drop the mic in three, two, one.

Speaker 3

Laura, we know this conversation has been, it's been brewing like a good cup of coffee. I'm so happy you're here. I am so excited to be here and sit that coffee with you. I'm , Oh yes. I like how you drink girl. I like how you drink coffee before five something else after. Okay . So I'm super, you know , uh , anticipate . I'm anticipating a great conversation because when you and I first met, goodness, it's about two years. It's two years now. So we met about two years ago. Yes, yes. And so we met, we had a great conversation and I was smitten because I was like, who is this really interesting, witty person who I just want to get to know? And then a few months ago our paths crossed again at a different event. And I was just like, Laura, I need you to share your message on how to get paid to be you. Cause we started talking, you're like, I'm unapologetically me. I've made three big shifts in my life. This is what I'm doing. And I'm like, Oh , I need to have, I need to have you on the podcast and I need you to share your secrets. Now, I know that you had said that you had made three big shifts that transformed your business to a hundred percent expression of your personality. It pulled you out of the shadows and into the spotlight. And as if that wasn't enough, it got you booked for $1,450 an hour allowing you to retire even though you're way too. Let's be real. You're way too young to retire. I mean, girl, get out of here. Um , you have said, you told me Jasmine, I have perfected the art of being very, very me in my business and girl, can you explain that and break it down?

Speaker 4

I can't. Okay. First of all, I want to backtrack to the second event we met at, because I just want to know for your audience that that time I stood in line to see you. I literally cut that part out. Laura, come on. Come on girl. I just want to tell them that I was happy to do it. I mean would I have liked to cut the line? But it was, it was kind of a joy to see all those people lined up for you and then it was another line to meet your husband. I'm dying right now , living model of getting paid to be you, because if that is any indication and I, I definitely think it is good, then let's break it down. Let's have a conversation around that. Yeah, let's, I mean, well that's what we're going to talk about, right. Um, and then we, I want to cover a couple of things. Retire. I'm not entirely retired. I'm retired from client work very happily. [inaudible] gangster girl. So this, cause I have, I've already, so I've been known for copywriting and as a copywriter for years and years, I worked in TV and then I started working for entrepreneurs in the online world and wrote with Marie Forleo. And so like, I don't have that sob story where, you know, I was homeless and penny lists and aimless and living. Can I cut in?

Speaker 3

Because this is, you're not, you're not being braggadocious enough like you, you wrote for NBC, Bravo, HBO, TBS, Fandango. And like basically if people watch TV and then they don't skip the commercials, you , they probably would have seen your work on the air. So no , you're not necessarily on the struggle bus. You're just so fabulous.

Speaker 4

So help me be like you, but I , I have to say that there was something like in recent years that was kind of sticking in my craw. I'm not sure where the crop is located, but it was sticking in there and um, that was that it was always like, this is Laura. She writes for SpongeBob or this is Laura. She writes for Bravo and Fandango or this is Laura. She writes from Marie Forleo, or she's Marie Forleo's copywriter. And at a certain point, I didn't want to be Marie Forleo's, which isn't even that accurate. Um , she writes her own copy. We've partnered and created a course together. But, and I didn't want to be, I didn't want to be so-and-so's copywriter. I didn't want to be anybody's anything. I want it to be known as me. I wanted people to just say, this is Laura Belgray or do we curse on your show? I don't remember. I know . Here's the thing. I want you to be 100% you what we do on the backend girl. Exactly. I want it to be known as Laura Belgray there. Drop the mic. Now drop the mic , walk off stage to exit stage. Right. I just think that that is the key to everything, especially in the online world or if you have, if you're a solo preneur have your own business or if you're a , um , if you are the face of your business to create a business that gets you known for, you know, F for who you are and not just who you serve. That gets you known as first name, last name. Okay, so this is, I'm so happy that we went into the origin story because what happens is that there are people who are listening and maybe they didn't write for SpongeBob and maybe they're not even introduced with like a fancy title. Like she's so and so's person and they're kind of like, well I don't even have that, but I really want to be me. How did you move from being known for one thing and to being known just for you being you? Yeah. Okay. So that's the three shifts that I mentioned. Um, but maybe we should dive a little bit into the one thing that I had already learned how to nail. Um, which I think is, is the key to all of it, which is putting your personality into your business, truly making your business in expression of yourself. I've always been pretty good at putting my personality into my business, into my writing so that people got to know me through my writing. It wasn't necessarily, there was a little bit of a split between what I did for money and the stuff that I did that was personal, that was for me and I've learned to merge those. So I'll get into that. But I think it's really important that people get comfortable with being themselves in their business. And in that, I mean not just not just how they conduct business with like their clients or whoever they serve, but social media, everything that they put out there, their copywriting, their videos, whatever, however they communicate for their business. I'm putting that. So the putting themselves into those words because words are how we communicate, right? Like we don't come , you know, how do you communicate in general? It's not through interpretive dance and it's not just like pictures say a lot, but pictures with copy say a lot more. So, okay. Okay. So before we go on, I know people listening right now, they're going to be at a point where I need you to to , to debunk two myths. Number one is, well, what if I'm not really building a personality brand? What if I'm not building a personal, would this

Speaker 3

work for my business? And then number two, but Laura, what if I'm not all that interesting,

Speaker 4

right? Okay. So well first of all, give me an example of not a personal brand.

Speaker 3

Well, girl, you're talking to the wrong person. I believe everybody's building a personal brand. I believe that my mailman is building a personal brand, but we got people out there who say, Oh no, I'm not building a personal brand. Instead they will use a logo and they'll use like blank studios or ex copywriting inc . Right? So they're saying what I'm trying to do is to build a team. I'm trying to build something that's sellable. I'm trying to build something beyond me to somebody who talks in that way. Because you and I, we already drank from the same jug of Koolaid, right? Like I believe everybody's out there building a personal brand . Even if you ain't got a business, like that's just life, right? Because what is a brand? A brand is what somebody says about you when you're not in the room. So for those people who we got to walk for those people, we got to convince to get on our team. What do you say? Like somebody says, listen, I am indirect sales. I don't sell me, I sell haircare or I'm building out a team of videographers. I don't want to sell me cause the only people want to book me. What if I want to build my team? What do you say?

Speaker 4

But like that [inaudible] to that I say say, okay, let's take the example of a videographer. No , let's take the first example. What was it? Direct sales. I sell haircare. Okay . Haircare . Okay. Are you going to be the only person who sells haircare? No. No. Are there other people who sell haircare, even the same haircare products? Yes. And yes. Haircare products that might even be better than yours or cheaper? Yes and yes. Well, I would say that you are never going to have a monopoly on selling hair care products. The only thing that you're going to have a monopoly on is you.

Speaker 3

Mmm . Do not pass. Go. Do not collect $200. There you go. We just dropped the mic. Thank you very much. Now that we've set up our case, and for people who don't believe it , they'll probably gonna stop listening now. But for anybody who's on the train, choo, choo, let's keep on going.

Speaker 4

[inaudible] yes, so that's I , that is what I say to that. Like putting your personality into your business. It does many things. For one thing, it's going to make you feel, you know, that magic word alignment. People love the word alignment right now. They want to feel aligned with their business. How are you gonna feel aligned with your business and what you're doing if it's not an expression of you, if it's different, if you're like, okay, over here on the left is me, and then over here on the right is my business and never the Twain shall meet, you're going to feel icky every time you get into business mode and you're going to want to say to your friends, Oh, don't look at me. Don't look at me over here in my business. That's not really me. It's going to feel awful and you're never going to feel right and you're going to get burned out. So there's the personal reason for doing it. And the other is that that is the only way to stand out, to have a monopoly , um , on what you do. And then also when you put yourself into your business, when it is a personal brand and an expression of you and people love your business because they love you, then you have the possibility to sell something new or to, if you get tired of what you sell, say you sell like you're , you're tired of selling hair care products and you're like, you know what? Now I want to be a coach. I've worked with coaches and I love the life they have. I want to be a coach. People who are along for the ride. When you were selling hair care products are now gonna stay in the car with you as you take them on a journey over to your new thing, which is coach. Maybe not everyone will. Some people will be like, well, I like the haircare stuff. I'm not really into this coach stuff, but the people who love you are just going to stick with you and come along for whatever you're doing. I awesome.

Speaker 3

I love that because what we just spoke to do in those two examples was the person who was indirect sales selling hair care . Well I would like to do is take a pause and take a step back. For the person who says that they're building out a team that they, they're like, well if I, if I put up too much of my personal brand, no one's going to want to hire the team. And I would actually argue quite the opposite because I know that the, that the team that I am building, they think like me and they smell like me and they work like me and they drink like me and they dance like me. And so it's a really good chance that by osmosis if you like me, you're really going to like my team because they've been around the thing and the ideology and the brand. If you want to experience that and do not have the funds to experience it with me directly or if I even have the time going with the team is going to be basically the only option for you to do that. So the more you build out your personality, the more that you showcase that online like attracts like. And so you can say that your team is going to be a division of what people are experiencing online.

Speaker 4

100% people are going to want some, some kind of piece of you. And if your team is that piece of you, they will go along with your team. I love that. Okay, so talk to me. So that for point of clarification, have we gone through shift number one or are you just saying this is the foundation. Oh dang girl foundation . Right? You want to get to the shifts. Okay. I'm going to , and we can come back to more about like how to put your personality into things. Um, and this, this first shift will help. Okay . The first ship , these are shifts that I made that shifted my business from being known as so-and-so's whatever to being Laura Belgray. Okay. So the first is volume. I'm going to give you three V's . Okay . So the first V is volume. As in being prolific, I have found more than anything it pays to be prolific. Okay . I'm totally intimidated. Prolific girl . You're talking to a pro, you're talking to a couple of the hood. Tell me what prolific means. Creating lots and lots and lots. So if you hear someone's, a prolific writer, a prolific painter or a prolific utuber, they do lots and lots and lots. They create in volume. Hey , okay, I can get behind that. Good cop call me, put a crown on me and call me prolific. I like this. Okay. And it pays off. I mean, it pays off. Literally. I will say this, that like I tested this out this year. Um, I have a coach Ron, and he told me, you want to sell more of your mini products in emails. I think that you should go from writing one email a week, which was what I was doing. And that was already very prolific for me because I had been very irregular. So I was very proud of myself. He said, go from once a week to three times a week. Mondays and Wednesdays you'll , you'll write , um , what I would call pure value emails. Just giving them something or just being you. And then on Fridays you will do a sell . And so I went from once a week to three times a week, doubled the revenue from, with what I was selling and those emails within a month. Um, so that's just a literal, literal proof that it pays off. But in just general evidence, I would say that my, my audience, well my audience has grown in size and they've grown in rabid nests . Um, they love hearing from me all the time and they really feel like they know me and they trust me and they are loyal and they're spending more and sharing more. And it's really , it's become more gratifying. So there's that, but there's also the fact that the more you create, the more you create. Like if you are a writer, the more you write, the more you write. So waiting for inspiration does not, waiting for inspiration to strike never works. Actually, I would say you want to write or create before you're inspired. Yeah, I believe that creates more inspiration . I believe the only time I've ever been inspired when I was actually in the work inspiration happens when you're in motion. Inspiration isn't the catalyst for the emotion . So say that again for the people in the back. Exactly. Inspiration is not here to create writing. Writing creates inspiration. That's, I mean when I made email . So you want to just, the more you create, the more you create and the better ideas you create. And you also don't know which of your ideas is going to stick. You don't know. Like you might write , write or say the thing you think is so genius and you put it out there and you're like, really nothing. Why is this not like if my route are not working, like [inaudible] getting many likes for this, something must be wrong. Or the algorithm you just don't know. And then the thing that you dash off and you think is kind of stupid and you're like, ah, I probably shouldn't put this up . It's not going to get any attention. But Oh well, here it goes. That one goes bananas. You don't know which it's going to be. So you've just got to throw , keep throwing stuff at the wall. And , um, it gets people into a rhythm of hearing from you and it'll also gets you into a rhythm of creating and it keeps you top of mind and people just feel like they are in your life and they're excited when you show up. So , so let's , let's break this down. You give an example of you emailing once a week and you turn that into three times a week. Yeah. For um , and you are a writer that might feel really heavy for somebody else. Like do you have like a rule of thumb when it comes to say

Speaker 1

in like short form copy, like social media or short form or short form? Like V like what, what is volume? Like what's a general rule of thumb? Well it depends cause I've heard you talk about like at Amy Porterfield's event, I heard you talk about how often you should post and how the algorithm now might punish you if you post too much. So, well not punish you. So exactly. So, I mean here I'm basically feeding you rhetorical questions because I feel like sometimes if I continue to say it , people are like, well clearly this girl has a horse in the race, but I'm like I want other people to hear it differently because what Laura just said was that she went from one to three and I think that's like a really great rule of thumb. If you aren't going, if you're posting once a week on Instagram, you should at minimum be posting three times a week. If you're posting three times a week, you should at minimum be posting six to nine times on Instagram and I didn't mean that the more you post you get punished, what will the algorithm will measure his engagement. Now if you post three times in one day and you have amazing engagement, we'll keep on doing that. But if you're just posting on the like on Instagram just to be seen and people are not engaging, it's not going to your , your posts aren't going to be seen by more people because the numbers don't lie. And so this goes back to Laura's big push in like when you throw mud on the wall, you get to see what sticks. And once you see what sticks, like Wednesdays he resonated people. Then you double down on that when it comes to volume. Yeah. And you know what I would say as a rule of thumb, I would say think like yourself as an audience member. If somebody else's, how much do you like to hear from your favorite person? I love that advice. And you have to take the leap of faith that, and it's true that you are somebody's favorite person. Oh, I like that. Take the leap of faith that you are somebody's favorite person. Yeah . Oh , okay. So we have the foundation of inserting your personality and what it is you do. And we believe that we are all building a personal brand. Even if it's a strong personal brand or like the hints and smells of a personal brand. Shift number one came back to you saying volume. Yes. Volume around personality shift number two, shift number two, visibility. Another V word. I love alliteration. Go on with your bad self.

Speaker 3

I love, I love three V's. You know, I felt like everybody uses CS. So I use CS. Laura , I use C , but see you're being 100%. You look at you, you're independent. I'm already jealous. I'm going to go and change my season to Zs. Watch me watch zipper. You got to shift. Number two is visibility, visibility, visibility. Um , so

Speaker 1

this is a tough one for a lot of people because they feel like, Oh, I don't want to be all, look at me, look at me, but I want to , I want you to think like this. Think again about your favorite

Speaker 4

person. And wouldn't you be sad like the person that you've discovered who you want to stock to the ends of the earth and you want to like wear them like a skin suit. Wouldn't you be sad if that person had decided, Oh, I don't want to be all. Look at me, look at me. It's not about me. You know, it's about the people I serve. I don't want the spotlight on me. And so they hid from you and you never discovered them. Wouldn't that be sad? Yeah. So you are that again, you are that person for somebody. You got to put yourself out there. Um, so whether that means showing up on Instagram and Facebook, et cetera, or I , I really recommend supplementing that with getting on podcasts. I mean this is a dream podcast to get on. I'm not going to say that everybody here is going to get on your podcast .

Speaker 3

Oh stop . [inaudible]

Speaker 4

yeah , and nor is it necessarily the podcast for everybody in your audience. But , but podcasts are a great way to be found and guest posting in media is a great way to be found. Also, you want to make it really easy for people to find you. You're doing them a service when you are visible and you're also doing them a service when you are willing to be a star.

Speaker 3

Okay. So Laura, can I ask you a question? Do you think you can get visibility without volume?

Speaker 4

I think it's tougher.

Speaker 3

Aye . You know what? I'm out here asking rhetorical questions. Begging, begging. Sweet baby. Jesus. Can she please agree? Can we just make sure, cause right now, right now we're like four, four, four. Like we've , we've all, like, we keep on taking sips of our, like, of , of , of our Koolaid. I just think like that the volume defines your message and the minute you nail down your message because nobody's, nobody's bringing somebody onto a podcast and say, I know everything about all things. No. People want to find follow people that are professionals and specific and authorities and the thing that they're very passionate about. And the minute you find out what that is, this is taking the mud on the wall, drilling in your message, and then getting visibility for being that thing. But I believe it , it is so hard to get visibility without volume. Yes. And I think that volume creates visibility. Oh yeah . When you think about it,

Speaker 4

go of somebody that you discover and then you realize or somebody that you know and you're like, Oh my gosh, she's everywhere. Well, first of all, that makes it, you know, makes it exciting. Um, it makes you appear famous because you are, fame creates fame. So, Oh my gosh, she's everywhere. And they'll say like, she is killing it. Like you're everywhere, you're killing it. And that gives you a halo of credibility, of authority, of believability. It's like people want to hear what you have to say. It makes your message stick a little more when you're everywhere and when they perceive you as killing it. Right.

Speaker 3

I love, love. Love this. Okay, let's bring out the third V and let's see how like I'm waiting on bated breath.

Speaker 4

I am waiting. I am waiting right now. We're going to bring it out. I'm , I'm bringing it out on like a wheelie. Okay. I'm pulling it out onto the Sage, the thread , and I'm doing it really fast because the third one is a velocity. Ooh, okay . This is the thing that I struggle with because I'm not a fast person. I am like, I'm just kinda slow Sally. Um , from like the time I get up in the morning and things take me a long time and when I have an idea, I like to think about it for like two years and I like to float it past everyone I know have them say, Oh my gosh, that's an amazing idea. You've got to do it like you two . What do you think of it? Oh yeah, it's amazing idea. You got to do it until I hit somebody who's like, nah , you know, I think I saw somebody do that and I'm like, damn it , I should've done it sooner. Nevermind. So that's, that's one way to go. The other way to go is have an idea, get it done now do it. Put it out there. Don't wait for it to be perfect. I'm like, the other day I just, I was like, I, you know, I'm not necessarily known for my list size, my list, my email list is pretty damn small, especially for this industry. But like it's growing and people keep asking me how to build my email. It had to build their email list and like, fine, I'm going to make a list of the things that I have done that have been working for me. And then I'll make a little list of things that I could be doing better and I should probably make this into a PDF, but I'm not going to, I put it in a Google doc and I sent the link to my list and like, and now and today I just offered it on , um , on Instagram. Like you don't even have to opt in for this. It's ugly, but it's free. And I can see all the people are in there. You know, at the top of the Google doc you can see like anonymous antelope or whatever, but them in there at any given time.

Speaker 3

Oh , people are you waiting ? Well, did you create a vanity URL? Um , I did. What is the , you have to share it now because Oh yeah. I mean my people want to see the ugly PDF in here. I mean, not even the PDF. They want to see the ugly Google doc . This is power, Lord. Like this is power. This is like no B S get it done. We don't need to be fancy. I'm going to send you to Google. Okay, so tell me, tell me all this. It should be talking shrimp.com/ugly Google doc, but shrimp.com/list

Speaker 4

building list.

Speaker 3

No, I like it. I like it. Okay. We'll make sure we'll make sure to add it to the show notes. So because I'm actually gonna get off this call and go see this ugly Google doc, even though I actually secretly think Google docs are my love language, I probably have 847,000 just open to open docs in a given day because I love them. They're my love language. So you and I are basically BFS on, I can't wait to see your ugly. I can't wait to see you in there as like anonymous Buffalo or what? No, no, no. We're going back. I'm going to own the Z . It's going to be anonymous zebra. Get it right. Get it right. Laura, did you like that loop around? Did you like the loop around ? I did the call back . That's going to be synonymous. Z . See I hate when I talk to you cause you're just so much Whittier and smarter. I'm totally outmatched here or you know what ? See , well that's Zabeel plus . Okay. So now that we, now that we go back and now that we have this, I want people to be able to say, okay, I know that infusing my personality is important and I know that volume is important and visibility and velocity. The like, if people are listening now, they're all about this. They're like rooting you on and saying, okay, but now let's reverse engineer cause people are gonna get off the treadmill, they're gonna stop making dinner, they're gonna stop folding laundry and they're gonna be like, okay, but how, like what are the first three steps for, you know, slow Sally and she's like, I saw what Laura did. I want to see if this actually works for me. What do you tell slow Sally to do as her first three things?

Speaker 4

Oh, her first three things I would say. Okay. Wherever you are comfortable. Like whatever's your medium, where you like to post stuff. And if you don't, you gotta find one. Um , okay, so we're going to find Instagram, Facebook, YouTube. We're going to pick one. Just pick one. Yeah. Okay. One. And write something that you feel like talking about that you would talk about to your best friend. If you were going to text your best friend right now. Um , if they said like, Hey, what's going on? Tell us what's going on. And don't write it to the world. Don't write it to, Hey everybody out there. You know, here's my first post. Um, write it to your best friends. Like when I write an email or when someone writes an email, I tell them to make it an EFAB email from a bestie cause . That's cute. That's cute. That's my little thing. You always want to sit down and picture one person and remember that you are a person talking to a person, not a business talking to a business or a business person talking to a business. You're person talking to a person. So make it an EFAB or a whatever. Fab. Um, and I fab Instagram from a best day. Cute . Whatever you want to make it. Huet um, so and then hit publish, hit post. Ooh , that's good. And then [inaudible]

Speaker 3

do it again. Oh my God. God, Lord, you just break it down like I am on. I'm literally here on bated breath be like what is she going to say next? What does she not snakes and did was so

Speaker 4

simple. And sometimes

Speaker 3

we find ourselves getting caught up with step number two, publish it. And then even more of us get so caught up because if we didn't get the results that we want from the EFAB or the [inaudible] or the F fab in Facebook . Do you see how I see, I'm like really? I'm on my toes here, girl. I'm on my toes. Like trying to shake fab XE . Fab . That's right. We, because we didn't get the results the first time around. We're afraid or leery to do it again. But this goes back to Laura's first V and that's volume and you have to get your EFAB [inaudible] fabs all in a row and do it again and again and again. And that will lead it to visibility. Okay. So Laura as we're here and we've gone through the three shifts, like has there ever been a point where you're like, cause we came in and we presented like get paid to be, you get paid to be 100% you and that sounds like really slick and like sexy and fun. But has there ever been a time where you put something out and you're like, man, maybe that wasn't like the best decision. I feel like

Speaker 4

all the time [inaudible] I put, you know what I the other day I will, I will say like instead of telling you about it all the time, said I was afraid to put something out and then it went awesome. I will tell you about something I put out the other day that I knew was going to get a lot of engagement. It was just a question and I knew it might be a little bit polarizing and I was like, that's good. Polarizing is good. And then once I posted it and all and everybody started making comments and fighting with each other in the comments, I was like, I felt so I felt really crappy. And I was like, I realized something about myself and that is I don't like to be disagreed with. And so maybe I shouldn't invite it. I'm like, why? You know, why be polarizing for the sake of being polarizing? I know it gets a lot of engagement, but um, if you don't like the feeling of being disagreed, don't put out stuff that's disagreeable. So, but I do, I do get stave all these questions

Speaker 3

I have, I have all the questions right now cause I'm totally like , this is the juicy stuff. So number one, so my list , my questions. Number one, did you leave the post up? Number two, are you willing to talk about what it was polarizing on the condition that face that, that, that podcast listeners don't like harangue you

Speaker 4

on Instagram like later. Okay. Okay. Okay. So, so the post was, I'm not okay with okay. Boomer you because you know that, you know the expression. Okay. Boomer, yes, I do build people in , fill people in real quick. So there's like a meme and expression that's come up that millennials use is kind of a clap back , um , at, at people who are always saying millennials, this millennials that are , who are condescending about millennials. And it is okay . Boomer and boomer boomers are a generation, right? Like baby boomers, baby boomers. And my feeling is, although I get the sentiment and I get that it's playful, I also feel that it is a , just at its core. And I think that, and I ageism anti ageism is a Hill that I will die on. I'm willing , I'm willing to climb that Hill and die on it. So that's what I felt when I put up that post. I knew that it was a little bit shrill and that people are going to be like, Oh, you gotta have a sense of humor about it or don't take it post. So personally or, you know, I feel like I'm , I'm fine with it when people say it in Congress. Um, and then people started arguing with each other and people started saying like, people should respect their elders. I'm like, Oh, no, no. Oh no. There are people a bad name. Um, and then other people were saying like, boomers ruined the world for us millennials and you know , boomers have ruined the planet and it's impossible for me to afford to live anywhere, even though it was like boomers were buying houses with $30,000, and I'm stuck eating like that . This whole living with three roommates and I can't make ends meet and it's because of the boomers and um, and it just like, and all that conversation, it was like among themselves mostly it wasn't against me, but it made me feel like, it made me feel shrill for saying it. Like, which is a feeling I don't like. And it's like I don't consider myself a strident person. Um, and, and it felt like earnest and I was like, I was so, did you leave it up? I left it up. I think it's, I think it's, first of all, it's wrong to take those things down. It's wrong to take down something just because it didn't get engagement. And it's wrong to take down something that everybody, that people spent their time writing stuff on and like , um , unless it got really nasty, which it didn't.

Speaker 3

Totally agree. I totally agree. I don't remove posts. Even if I look back and I'm embarrassed that I wrote it or maybe it came across a certain way, I leave it up because I feel like this is history and there have been too many people ahead of me that have erased really important history to change the narrative. I would rather have somebody look back and say, that was the day that she made a really stupid mistake owned up for it and then left it out there to serve as a reminder. So I am all about that. And I think like the takeaway here is like Laura's lot saying like, Oh, there was something like terrible that happened. But what she realized was that if you aren't okay with the potential outcome could be, and you're cognizant of it going into it. Oh , you'll live by the sword and you die by this. The word aye . Aye . Okay, so now we know. Now I'm like , it looks like a really important takeaway for like being 100% of ourselves and getting paid to do that. What's one of the best things that has happened as you , well hold on, let me answer this for you. Okay. Because you basically gave the internet a gift when you set up your phone and recorded yourself taking a hip hop class and doing, Oh it's house. It's house. It's house. Okay. Sorry. See I'm not even that cool. I'm not even that cool and I , there is, there is Laura, I think you're in the front row. I'm always on the front row. I'm front row mafia and there are all these people who are like sneaking and rolling like they have 387 vertebrae and I have like eight and there and you are just like owning your trash like you are. I would like when I saw that I was like this, this human being is the raddest human being to be on my podcast talking about being 100% yourself? No. Would you classify yourself as a house dancer? Oh no, I love house

Speaker 4

dance. But you know, if we're going to say that, that's a , that makes me sound like I'm a professional. Like I go into like I do battles. Hell no.

Speaker 3

Okay. I should set this video up. I mean, there are people, it looks like Laura has background dancers, right? So there's the instructor who's maybe two inches in front of her and he counts them down. But before the countdown, Laura's already in her moves. Like she's like the pre-party, right? So she's already moving. He counts them down in four, three, two, one. And then they go and she's just like the person you can't help but look at, because she's just so her like, Hey world, look at me. I don't care what you think of me, but this is me dancing. And I was like, this right here is the best thing to happen, basically on Instagram that I had seen all week. So thank you for blessing the gram with that. Besides that, besides your Epic dance, in the spirit of all honesty, I don't put up every house dance . Sometimes I'm like, Oh my God, I look so stiff and awful in that I look old. Um , so sometimes it's just like, Oh God, my head was cut off. This isn't a really good one. I want them to see me now. Lori , are you, where are you based in New York, New York. Okay. So this is the thing I knew and I just think it just takes an extra level of chutzpah to go to New York. Basically the city of dancers and dreamers and aspiring rappers and stick in front rule with the people who like get paid to do it and there she is. So I just stinking was obsessed with it. Outside of that, what do you think is one of the best things like you being you and showing up unapologetically? What was one of the best things that happened as a result of that?

Speaker 4

Hm . I think the best thing that happens as a result of that is people writing to me and saying, thank you so much. And this wasn't even my intent. I don't set out for this. Like my , what gets me up in the morning is making money for sure. I'm getting by . I love getting paid, getting paid to be you. The getting paid part is my favorite thing, but when people write to me and say , um, that article that just came out , um, where you talk about your age and being, cause I just turned 50 and being a late bloomer, that is a game changer for me. Thank you so much. I really thought that I was so behind and um, I felt like such a loser and now I feel really inspired that I still have time to figure out what I want to do with my life. Like that is, that's one of the most rewarding things that has happened for me.

Speaker 3

You know, Laura, I feel like from an outsider and I'm feel very fortunate that we had the opportunity to get to know each other even better this year. But you know, I think what we see on the outside is sure, a very talented copywriter, a very talented creative. We see all of those things. And I think that from my personal perspective, the thing that has really differentiated you is that you're really not talking to people about copy. Like sure you sell courses on copywriting and you give away free ugly, you know, docs on Google. Okay? But you're really just saying, yeah , it's okay to be you booboo. Like so just be you. And then I'll show you how to write about yourself better. Like that's pretty powerful. And I think that when we, when we talk to a lot of business owners, a lot of people, all of them know what they literally sell. And in your case, somebody might say, Laura literally sells online copywriting courses, but what is Laura sell from an emotional perspective? Self-acceptance , inclusion, and competence . And that makes you unlike everybody else. And I feel like as people are listening, it's so important that what we see, what we're drawn to is somebody who's both talented, literally, but also selling from an emotional perspective. So I want to highlight that and I want people to listen. When it comes to being 100% you as a synthesis of everything we've spoken about, it is literally the foundation infusing your personality. It then goes back to creating content with volume being unattached to the results. It then goes back to visibility, making sure that you're seen and known in other outlets so people can understand your magnitude and the message that you share and the velocity, how quickly you are to deploy on your ideas and strategies. And the three steps immediately after this podcast is number one, right ? Your EFAB [inaudible] number two , post the dang thing. And number three, rinse and repeat. Do it all over again. Laura Belgrave , you are a gift and you are amazing. And New York city doesn't know what it hit the dancing because you are one fantastic 50 year old dancer who's okay with her house routines. Um, I don't know how to say thank you a thousand times over, but I hope that this audience connects with you on Instagram at talking shrimp. But how else can they find you on the internet? Oh, okay. Oh, so on Instagram it's talking shrimp, NYC NYC. Dang it. I messed it up. Proud New York. Some shit snags

Speaker 4

at talking shrimp and would not give it to me or did you pay her? No , I offer to and she was like no, it's my favorite character in some obscure cartoon and she had like 50 followers and not a single post. I was like you .

Speaker 3

Oh, okay. So y'all talking shrimp NYC. Dang it. Okay.

Speaker 4

And uh, online it's talking shrimp.com and we already gave you that ugly Google doc. You could also, if you are, let's see if you're into emails, you should go to talking shrimp.com/subject lines because I'm going to give you a whole of this is a , this is a way prettier PDF, non of non sucky subject lines that will get your emails opened in the sea of sameness in, in somebody's inbox. Oh,

Speaker 1

I'm all about that life. And I really, I really do appreciate you. You. Um , you say what you mean and you mean what you say? Because when you talk about being 100%, you, I will say that your branding is gorgeous and you show up for your people. You are very active on Instagram. You do long form copy on Instagram, which I freaking love because it seems like it's not what people are doing, which I'm like all about. I love it. So thank you for being you. Y'all. Please, please, please connect. Laura, if you liked this episode and she gave you just a tiny bit of a push to be more of you and show up online, I would love for you to drop her a line at talking shrimp NYC. Be sure to subscribe to grow your email list. Go and check out her ugliness.

Speaker 3

No her ugliness, her onco Cod . You know what? I need an editor. I need an editor. Oh God. Please check out and I'm getting a leg cramp. I'm getting a leg cramp. I'm so awkward. Whoever wants to be interviewed by me, who's ever listening to me . Yes , I have no idea. I do. I'll call my God. [inaudible] Jesus. We're like a hot mess and I love it. Um , you already

Speaker 1

amazing. Thank you for giving your time and your energy and I know that you're changing people's lives. I appreciate you.

Speaker 4

Thank you so much. I appreciate you back. This is so much fun.

Speaker 1

Okay friend, being authentically you is one of the simplest and simultaneously harness things you could do in your marketing. It requires so much bravery because often, especially on the internet, we are attempted to tuck away the parts of ourselves that we don't really think will be accepted. And it's so easy to do. It is easy to only post your flawlessly contoured. I will go like this, said, no one ever face on Instagram. It's easy to only go live when you have detailed notes and a good hair day. It's easy to only show up on stories when you've just cleaned one corner of your house and stand in it like the rest of your houses ain't gonna look in the same, you know, that's easy. What you know and isn't being relatable, engaging, profitable, and all of that comes by way of you showing up consistently. As I challenge you today, to follow Laura's advice and write a piece of content, like you're texting your B , F , F , and then I want you to hit post. And then I want you to tag Laura and myself on Instagram. Laura can be found at, at talking shrimp, NYC and myself at Jasmine star so we can share on your vulnerable self. I am so proud of your dedication to building the business of your dreams, specifically by being, you know, one cooler, prettier, smarter, taller, skinnier. Nope. Nope. Just you. Because that is exactly who will move mountains and change the world.

Speaker 2

[inaudible] .