July Content Achievement Award: Limitless Network Marketing
Before I get to this month’s content experience awardee, bear with me a moment …
Picture it: Fargo, 1988
I’m about to turn nine years old. It’s the end of May and school is wrapping up for the year.
Mom’s promised me I can have a sleepover with all my favorite friends from class and I’ve hand-drawn invitations to give out a week before the big event.
The big plans: Goonies and Top Gun on the VHS, microwave popcorn, Pizza Hut personal pan pizzas, cupcakes and goodie bags filled with candy and all the girly trinkets. Also: a Barbie sesh, because we’re still kids; followed by playing that silly Girl Talk board game, because we’re also old enough now for boys and first crushes. (View unnerving Girl Talk commercial here.)
Ten of 12 of my school gal pals RSVP’d yes to the party (my poor mother). It was the talk of the classroom for days. At home, I even cleaned my room and drew up a chart that diagrammed out where everyone would sleep.
The Pain! The Anguish!
As fate would have it, three days before the big event I started getting a sore throat. Then a fever. Since I was prone to strep throat, Mom took me to the clinic where the doctor administered some tests and who inevitably sent me home with a prescription for Amoxicillin and bed rest.
I spent my 9th birthday in bed, sucking on banana-flavored popsicles and reading The Babysitters Club series. It was my first experience with being so incredibly let down by having to cancel something I was so excited to plan, organize and host.
Of course, there have been countless let-downs since that ill-fated ninth birthday party. But the point is, no matter how old you are, having to postpone or cancel something because of circumstances out of your own control really sucks.
We’ve had to cancel and postpone a lot these past several months, due mostly to the coronavirus pandemic. In fact, I’m certain many nine year olds had to cancel their sleepovers this year because of COVID-19. Kids, I feel for ya.
back to adulting
I’d like to introduce you to Network Marketing expert and Founder of Limitless Conference Michaela Schell, who recently made the tough decision to cancel her event this year due to the risks associated with COVID-19.
When she made the gut-wrenching announcement during a live Facebook video, Michaela spoke from the heart and with complete honesty about the reasons she canceled her big event that so many of us were looking forward to.
In her video, she says, “I’d like to take this time to be completely transparent with you all as to why this decision was made. One - because a huge part of Limitless’ mission is to help all of us connect with other solopreneurs. And me sharing this inside look at the Limitless small business can hopefully help us continue to connect openly and learn from each other and know we are all truly in this together.”
Read that again and please focus on “me sharing this inside look at the Limitless small business can hopefully help us continue to connect openly and learn from each other …”
Learning is limitless when we do it together
From a communications standpoint, Michaela opened herself up to vulnerability, which allowed her audience to empathize with the decision to cancel Limitless Conference. But perhaps another thing it did is this: She welcomed learning how to navigate the situation by opening herself up to feedback and insights from others.
Since then, I’ve watched Michaela transform a devastating decision into a completely new opportunity to reach her audience in fresh, bold and exciting ways. Her communication on social media, specifically, has been nothing short of genius.
Ever since her decision to cancel Limitless Conference, Michaela turned her focus on growing educational materials and online networking opportunities. These efforts have grown her reach and influence exponentially in a short period of time, which is why we’re awarding her with the July 2020 lonna.co Content Experience Award.
Let’s learn more about Michaela’s journey.
Tell me about Limitless Conference and the decision you made to cancel.
MS: First and foremost we wanted to put everyone’s safety first. Second, in keeping our numbers low enough to keep everyone safely distanced it created two problems: the entire vision and purpose for Limitless was to connect people to each other through networking, meeting new friends, and working together. That purpose would be sacrificed due to such social spacing.
And second, and to be completely transparent, keeping the numbers that low and still going forward with the conference would have resulted in a great financial loss. And Limitless is a small business like any other and it would have been too big of a loss to take on.
What has been the most effective communication tool for you during the coronavirus?
MS: Social media has allowed for almost instant communication. Although it requires weeding through a lot of content, it is a place where the people are at and that is where I and Limitless has always encouraged … find the people. Being able to send a message and get such a quick response because others are on the platform so frequently has been awesome. Zoom … I have always loved. In my other company we have been using Zoom for years and it has worked so well for us. It has been a joy to see so many others getting more and more comfortable showing their faces and offices and real life situations through video. I think it has brought us all closer due to the authenticity of working from home and kids running in and our baseball caps on. Real life at its finest!
What is Results Driven Networking?
MS: Results Driven Networking is my new digital course aimed to help teach novice to intermediate business owners and career drivers 4 strategies that will help them better network by developing relationships that lead to clients… and to do it fast. I moved to Fargo just four years ago not knowing a soul and being an introvert to boot.
Learning to network in an authentic way that built real relationships is what I credit most to growing two thriving businesses here in the community. I knew I needed to share the tools that I used to make networking easier and more effective for me with others.
Why is networking among solopreneurs so important?
MS: The only thing that brings opportunity is people. Not facebook. Not your office cubicle. Not your couch. It’s people. So if we want to grow in our businesses and lives we have to meet new people. They will bring so much goodness with them.
Tell me about your digital networking course.
MS: Results Driven Networking is so affordable - just $29 - in order to allow anyone, no matter what financial phase of business or career they are in, to access the content and use it to grow!It is a short series of videos and workbooks designed to people through how to find people, what to say (and not to say), how to build a relationship fast, and how to gain a new customer from that relationship.I am so excited to share my strategy with others and to offer a tool for them to plug into, duplicate, and use to grow their businesses. Everyone can register at limitlessyou.thinkific.com.
What advice would you give other solopreneurs about how to communicate huge, unexpected changes in their businesses?
MS: Be authentic and transparent. I honestly was a little fearful at first to share that part of the reason Limitless was canceled was because we would have lost a lot of money. But when I did so many people were so grateful for that information. They were not only understanding, but since most were business owners themselves, they learned what I went through and new what questions to ask themselves about their own business and how to better navigate their own situation.
Also make sure to share your plan, or as much of you can of it, for going forward. People want to know that you are working hard to navigate the change because what you do affects them. Make sure they know you are going to take care of them. If you always have their best interest at heart along with your own, you will get wonderful support. Finally, ask for help. People want to help! And feel amazing when they do.
Talk to your trusted clients, reach out to colleagues and others in similar situations … the more advice you seek from others, the smarter you will become and the better decisions you will make!
How can people get a hold of you?
Email: michaela@limitlessnetworkmarketing.com
And find Limitless Conference at limitlessnetworkmarketing.com.