#135: Make Your Own Success as a Solopreneur - with Mel McSherry

Welcome to The Creator's Adventure, where we interview creators from around the world, hearing their stories about growing a business. Today we are interviewing Mel McSherry, an international business & life guide who helps inspired yet overwhelmed entrepreneurs honor their lives and become the architects of their own success.

Mel uses their spiritual gifts, as well as their 14+ years of business building experience, to slash entrepreneurs’ stress and bring their success to life! Using both Human Design in partnership with traditional business development tools, Mel coaches others on how they can connect to what they want, understand how they are designed to create what they want, and implement their strengths and strategies, so every day they are profitable– mentally, emotionally and financially.

As an entrepreneur since 2010, Mel has launched two successful businesses, become a 2x published author, spoken almost 200 times all over the US and overseas, and created a true life by design– all while being the primary caregiver to their 13-year-old son who is autistic.

Today, you’ll learn how to break free from burnout, understand your own definition of success, and craft a business that’s aligned with your true values.

If you’re ready to stop chasing success that doesn’t feel like your own and start building the business and life you actually want, this episode is for you.

Learn more about Mel: https://www.melmcsherry.com/home



Transcript

Bryan McAnulty [00:00:00]:

Do you ever feel like you're chasing somebody else's definition of success? You're not alone, and today's guest Mel McSherry knows exactly how that feels. Mel is a business coach, best selling author, and keynote speaker who used to have everything on paper. Within the 1st year of her business she tripled her income, became a best selling author, and spoke over a 100 times all over the US and overseas, but something didn't feel right and that's when she discovered human design and transformed not only her business but her entire life. Today, mail helps solopreneurs and creators break free from burnout and reconnect with who they really are to craft a business that's aligned with their true design.

Mel McSherry [00:00:39]:

So I went from working, oh, man. I would wake up at 5 in the morning and go straight until sometimes, you know, midnight, 1 in the morning because I thought that's what it meant for me to earn it. Right? To be a true entrepreneur, it's like no sleep. So I went from really burning myself out and forcing myself and pushing myself to honoring that energetic flow. So now I have more of a concise schedule. I have automations that protect my time and energy.

Bryan McAnulty [00:01:08]:

Welcome to the creator's adventure where we interview creators from around the world hearing their stories about growing a business. Hey everyone, I'm Brian McAnulty the founder of Head's Platform. Let's get into it. Hey, Mel. Welcome to the show.

Mel McSherry [00:01:27]:

Hey, Ryan. Thank you so much for having me.

Bryan McAnulty [00:01:29]:

Yeah. So my first question for you is what would you say is the biggest thing either that you did or you are doing that has helped you to achieve the freedom to do what you enjoy?

Mel McSherry [00:01:39]:

I would say probably the biggest thing that has been such a one eighty for myself personally and professionally is understanding and connecting to my human design. Human design is a, quote, unquote, spiritual tool that combines Kabbalah, I Ching, astrology, chakras, and quantum physics, and shows you your operations manual. And the reason why it had it has been so revolutionary for me is because it really helped me understand my why behind my how. A lot of us get caught up in the in the why, which is fantastic. Simon Sinek has coined that beautifully. It's so so so important. But so many of us get so overwhelmed by everything that we think we need to do because we don't trust what we already know to be true. And a lot of us because we don't have the proof.

Mel McSherry [00:02:29]:

We don't have the vernacular. We don't have that confirmation. And understanding and connecting to human design for me has given me that vernacular. So I am able to look at the practices, the processes that I have been indoctrinated in, for lack of a better term, being an entrepreneur. And really looking and and customizing them, looking at them and going, okay, This bit, yes. This works for me. This Bob, no. Not so much.

Mel McSherry [00:02:56]:

So how can I create what I have already, invested time and lots of money in and making it truly profitable for me? And that is what human design has helped me do and continues to support me as I grow as an individual, as I grow as an entrepreneur, as well as how I continue to want to share, this beautiful tool and be a support to to those who are also curious.

Bryan McAnulty [00:03:24]:

Yeah. So on your bio, you mentioned a shift in your business that Yeah. Helped you achieve, your own definition of success. And you mentioned how, and I quote, within the 1st year of my business, I tripled my annual income, became a best selling author, and spoke over a 100 times all over the US and twice overseas. On paper, it was amazing, but I was struggling mentally and emotionally. Yeah. So what kind of business were you running at the time, and, like, what did the day to day look like back then?

Mel McSherry [00:03:54]:

So I was in the coaching industry, and it was actually when, I first started. I I originally in 2010 was in the fitness industry. And when I moved into business coaching in 2016, 2017, I was of the, I guess, I I I loved to find the expert. Right? We're taught a lot to just seek the expert, seek the answers, seek the solution. And I did that. I hired an amazing mentor who taught me a lot of very traditional business development tools. And a lot of it was initiate, follow-up, go for the ask, you know, do your research, all of these things. And though those aren't profitable, I use profitability as a three point.

Mel McSherry [00:04:39]:

So profitability to me is mentally, emotionally, and financially. And what ended up happening for me due to just the the way that, my my mentor was crafting our space was I was putting financial first, and that mental and emotional as, oh, a bonus, or of course, that's gonna come along when I'm, you know, rich and famous. And what ended up happening is, yes, on paper, I was extremely successful. Financially, I was sharing my lifestyle. I was doing all these things. But internally, I was slowly but surely, not only burning out, but also I lost myself. I didn't feel connected to my business. I felt connected to the results.

Mel McSherry [00:05:24]:

I felt connected to the progress, the pats on the head, the gold stars that I was getting from, you know, my mentor and my and my peers. But what I wasn't doing was trusting myself. And the more that I progressed into this kind of set it and forget it lemming style copy and paste business, you know, model, the more I had this inner war with myself every single day to where I almost had decision paralysis. Right? Because I was so used to just, like, Mel, do this. Great. I'm gonna do it. Instead of going, well, why do I wanna do that? Okay. That doesn't feel right.

Mel McSherry [00:06:03]:

I should Mhmm. Shift it. I should look and see how I can craft it to me. And so I'm, like, well, maybe this doesn't feel right because it's outside my comfort zone. No. It just really wasn't right for me. So as we as I continue to move on, the more successful my business got, the more disconnected I got to my business. And I couldn't put my finger on why, because I didn't have that validation and confirmation and awareness until Human Design found me in 2020, and I had my first reading.

Mel McSherry [00:06:36]:

And I sobbed because I I I knew I knew I wasn't lazy. I knew I wasn't weird. I knew I wasn't crazy. This was me. This is my energetic blueprint. This is how I'm designed, not only on how I receive information, but how I react to it, how I can process it, so on and so forth. And it gave me, as I mentioned earlier, that vernacular to be an advocate for myself. Not only that, but it really started building that trust in myself.

Mel McSherry [00:07:03]:

So instead of constantly seeking titles and descriptors and processes that I could mold myself to, I now walk into my space 100% myself. No mask, no coding, no nothing. And with that self trust and confidence of what I know to be true about myself, what I know to be true about how I wanna create, you know, the business, the money, and the life that I want, as well as trust in that process as it continues to evolve. So I went from, you know, working oh, man. I would wake up at 5 in the morning and go straight until sometimes, you know, midnight, 1 in the morning because I thought that's what it meant for me to earn it. Right? To be a true entrepreneur. It's like no sleep. I am a type I am an energetic type in human design that has 2 to 4 hours of concise energy, and that's it.

Mel McSherry [00:07:55]:

So I went from really burning myself out and forcing myself and pushing myself to honoring that energetic flow. So now I have more of a concise schedule. I have automations that protect my time and energy. I now wait to be invited to spaces instead of me initiating conversations because that's another part of my design that reversed itself. I mean, it's like a UNO reverse, right, of initiate initiate initiate, and my strategy is wait to be invited. So that was a whole, like, I'm sorry. What? I have to wait? So it really helped me rearrange my pace and create a sustainable journey because that's I believe is much more important than success. Success comes, but that success can be fleeting, which I have experienced if that sustainability doesn't back it up.

Mel McSherry [00:08:48]:

And to create that sustainability, it is flipping that hierarchy of needs and making your mental and emotional profitability first because you find those glimmers. You find that continued motivation even when things, you know, go by shoot this shit. Right? Just go south. You can go, okay. I now know this to be true. I know how I can still move through this profitably and mentally and emotionally. So then that financial can follow fluidly.

Bryan McAnulty [00:09:16]:

Yeah. Yeah. That sounds great. I think that a lot of people can relate to to that and in different ways regardless of, like, where they're at in business. I I know I can as well. Yeah. But I'm curious, like, everybody has to figure all this out on their own and, like, what's what's important to them. Yeah.

Bryan McAnulty [00:09:34]:

And so there is there is no, like, oh, just look at this this, paper or document on the Internet. This is the the, like, answer to everything. Right?

Mel McSherry [00:09:43]:

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Bryan McAnulty [00:09:44]:

And so the answer that a lot of times, like, we're told or the thing we're told is, like, the financial part. Mhmm. And, so I wonder, like, what's your recommendation to somebody of, like, a step that they can take of, like, how did they begin to more clearly figure that out for themselves? Can they do it on their own? Is it something that they have to be, like, kinda coached on? How would you even start?

Mel McSherry [00:10:07]:

So, you can definitely start with yourself. In fact, I encourage people to because I feel like we don't spend enough time constructively talking to ourselves. We just wanna kind of skip the hard part. Right? And to your point, find that one trick, that one tool. And there is no such thing. Even human design, it is a tool that you can use to strengthen the rest of the tools around you. And so I always love to have people start with going back to themselves with my favorite question, what do I want? What do I want my day to look like? What do I want my business to look? And not from a I wanna make 10 k a month. Money is gonna come.

Mel McSherry [00:10:47]:

Like, that's I love that that is definitely something that you should be aware of for sure. And what are the other elements in it that hit that mental and emotional profitability as well? I know a lot of my clients, you know, when they start off with what do I want, they they say things like, well, I only wanna, you know, do this type of group activity, or I only want to I don't wanna be on social media. I just wanna speak. But that's not possible. Right? Like, I can't do that. So too. Like, there's so many different formulas out there, but we don't trust that we already know what we want. And my favorite quote is you have everything inside of you to answer the call of your soul.

Mel McSherry [00:11:29]:

You just have to find it. And when we give ourselves that permission and that time to check-in on ourselves, that automatically starts aligning us to our design. Every single one of us has a unique design, and every single one of us actually lives inside of it naturally. We just go too far. We don't know our starting and stopping points unless you're already aware of of your human design. And that's what creates true profitability is going, no. No. I know this boundary for sure because of x y zed.

Mel McSherry [00:12:03]:

And so it takes those very traditional, you know, resources, support, advice, what have you, and helps you go, okay. I know what I want. I know for right now what this looks like. What tool helps me get there, and what bits do I love about it, and what bits can I just leave to the side or customize differently? You have full say on how you spend the time and the energy that you have, so trust that, and then see what is that next support or what is that next funnel or step that feels good to you because you're already connected to what you know to be true.

Bryan McAnulty [00:12:42]:

Yeah. Yeah. I think that's really well said because if you decide that, like, you can just do whatever and, you can do all these things. Yeah. That's the path to just expanding into literally everything. That's the path to expanding into, well, I have to do everything, so I guess I can't sleep and, like, just nonstop work. And so I I think the idea of, like, constraints is really important. And me, like, for me thinking of that from the perspective of, like, a software designer, Like, I I realized how I've thought about that in my business of, well, where's somewhere where either there's a constraint because of, like, how the business is or how I want the business to be or constraint because of, like, what I want to be able to do in the business and what I enjoy.

Bryan McAnulty [00:13:34]:

Yeah. And I think, like, finding those things and then not only, like, realizing that they exist or that you you actually kind of want them to exist, but embracing them is really helpful, because like what you said, that is how you kind of get aligned with everything. And that's one of the reasons why I think the, like, info product business of coaching, courses, communities, all of that is so interesting because there isn't like a right way that like, oh, you have to do this or you're not gonna be able to survive. Like Yeah. Any of those kind of business models can all work for somebody. Mhmm. And so you it's it's proof. You really do get to decide, like, well, this is the thing that I enjoy.

Bryan McAnulty [00:14:16]:

And you can change it over time if you realize, okay, I like the idea of, like, having a membership community more than the 1 on 1 coaching one. Like, you can change your business to better fit that.

Mel McSherry [00:14:26]:

Exactly. Because it's honoring not only the knowledge that you have and the resources you have, but also the energy that you have. We all have seasons of energy where, you know, you might be a little bit more overwhelmed by doing a group thing or by doing some kind of larger container. So you just wanna do a one off something or an, you know, an ad hoc something just to build up your, you know, your muscles. I I said I said earlier is in the fitness industry. When you start trading a new muscle, it exhausts quickly because it's not used to being used. Right? And we have noticed that, you know, when people do new things or especially start off as an entrepreneur, you're excited. You wanna do all these things, and so you're just going right at it.

Mel McSherry [00:15:07]:

And you exhaust quicker because you haven't taught yourself your pace. You haven't found that sustainability. So starting with what you know to be true and growing where you're already planted, you already have so much to already get started. You can do a lot without a website. You can do a lot without being consistent in social media. You can do a lot with, you know, without a lot of these expensive or time consuming investments for yourself. And understanding that for yourself of, okay, what, again, just keeps me motivated, keeps me excited, start there. And, yeah, to your point, you're gonna learn more.

Mel McSherry [00:15:45]:

You're gonna expand as a human. Therefore, your services, your, your funnels, your avenues, all those things are gonna grow with you. And you're gonna, you know, you're gonna grow, and then you're also going to, in moments, go, okay. I think I wanna pull back a little bit. For myself, I'm kind of in that slowdown season with social media. I'm I'm wanting to do other things and have social media be just a I like to call them billboards, like places, yes, where people can keep learning from me and where I can keep sharing. But I also am spending more time on my newsletter, more time on podcast interviews, being a little bit more accessible in those areas as well. And I can tell just by how I am approaching this because I'm honoring the energy and the capacity I have right now, I am still receiving clients.

Mel McSherry [00:16:34]:

I am still receiving invitations. I am still, you know, creating opportunities or having opportunities brought to me. So don't be afraid to reevaluate your systems, to reevaluate your why behind the hows of your processes. And if some of them are just not feeling like spaces that are profitable to you mentally, emotionally, and or financially, you have every right to put a pin in them and go move on to something else that creates that excitement and creates that profitability for you.

Bryan McAnulty [00:17:06]:

Yeah. Yeah. I I think it's definitely good to question, like, the things that you're doing, especially you're you're reminding me to think of, like, a newer entrepreneur starting out. It's so easy to think, I need the website, I need this thing. Yeah. And a lot of those things, really, if you sit and think about it, you actually don't need them. And Yeah. Like, there's there's gonna be some things that you may actually never need to do, but you feel like you need to do it.

Bryan McAnulty [00:17:30]:

But if you really sit and question it, you don't. And, like, the, the website made me think about my business started as a web design studio, and we did not have a portfolio page for, like, a year and a half Yeah. On our site. And, like, that should be the only thing that we would need. Right? I think most people would say, like, that's this is all I need, and I'm gonna spend all my time on this because otherwise I won't get clients. And we got clients even though we didn't have that. And so I think that's an example right there. Like, I'm I'm doing okay now.

Bryan McAnulty [00:18:03]:

I made it through that. So, yeah, you there's a lot of things that actually may feel very important, but when you question it, you actually don't need to do it, and you can actually potentially do things that are maybe not only more profitable financially, but you feel better, doing it

Mel McSherry [00:18:19]:

as well. And when you understand your pace and your energetic blueprint, it helps remind you of that permission because the universe loves to give us opportunities. It loves to show us all the resources, all the support, all of the things that we can have. And I think sometimes we take that as, oh, this is in front of me now. That means the universe means I need to do this now. No. No. No.

Mel McSherry [00:18:41]:

It loves to show us what is available and what we you know, what is out there for us. It is up to us to prioritize them. So even inside of that of this, you know, this magical offer came through that I could work with this coach, but I don't have the money. Well, then have a moment with yourself and go, okay. What what about this is so important right now? Is this a do or die? Because this person is always gonna be coaching. They're always going to have opportunities like this. So is this the universe just reminding you when you are ready, mentally, emotionally, and financially, this is one of the people that you can come come back to? Or is it a sit and pause point and go, okay. I actually have been investing money over here and doing nothing with it.

Mel McSherry [00:19:23]:

So maybe I should pause that, put that money into this coaching, and there you go. So it's that pause button that I think we sometimes forget we have as entrepreneurs because we get FOMO. We feel like, you know, we kinda sometimes get guilt tripped into it depending on, you know, the person of do you still wanna be in the same place in 5 years, which nobody is ever in the exact same place in 5 years or 2 years or whatever. And so it's it's not it's it's learning how to not get caught up in that FOMO, in that guilt, and really come back to yourself. What do I want? Is what I'm doing for now honoring what I want? And again, the time, energy, capacity that I have. And if so, I'm gonna make a note and say this person's here. Or this resource is there. And when I'm ready for that next step when I'm in that new hallway or that new transition point, I can go back to my Rolodex that's gonna age me and go, okay.

Mel McSherry [00:20:19]:

I remember this person had this offer. Let's see if this is still something. And it might not even be that right thing anymore because you've already grown past it. Mhmm. So this need to want to invest right away and invest and invest and invest to feel like that's going to create more momentum. I'm not saying that it doesn't, but I'm saying is take your time with it. Do your do your research on yourself first of what do I want. Sleep on it.

Mel McSherry [00:20:46]:

Ask questions and really see how this resonates with you and how you want to create the business, the money, and the life that you want.

Bryan McAnulty [00:20:53]:

Yeah. Yeah. And I think it a lot of it really does come down to what you want, and some people don't take the time to deeply realize what that actually is. Yeah. Because what you want is going to come with some potential trade offs or or things that are required to get there. And I think especially as you you go through building a business, you begin to realize, like, what those things are. Like, if you wanna build a $1,000,000,000 business or a multibillion dollar business Mhmm. The things that you may have to do or is gonna be involved and required of you to do that is gonna probably be different than building a a 6 figure business.

Mel McSherry [00:21:31]:

Mhmm.

Bryan McAnulty [00:21:31]:

And that that may be okay. And you may really say, like, this is my dream. And then, like, that's that's really what you wanna do. And that is completely fine to do that, but you'll realize along the way probably that there there is certain realities of what may be required to do that. And so, like, maybe you're you're really a genius and you you figure something out and you you are the first, like, one person $1,000,000,000, company.

Mel McSherry [00:21:56]:

Right.

Bryan McAnulty [00:21:57]:

But, like, realistically, you're gonna be competing against the other people who are doing that, and maybe they have to go and get investors or build a large team and things like that. And so as you realize those things, it's kind of like a check against what you think you want realizing, okay, well, this is the reality. If this is, do I actually want this if it requires me to do this, this, and this? Mhmm. And yeah. I I don't know. What do you think about that?

Mel McSherry [00:22:23]:

No. I completely agree. It is it's that blind faith, I think, sometimes that we lose ourselves in when it comes to experts or mentors telling us, well, this is what you need. And we don't know what we don't know. Right? And we all make decisions with the information that we have at that time. And as we receive more information, we can make newer decisions. And I think it's that as well that it's okay if you change your mind. It's okay if you start off and go, one of the questions I love to ask my clients is, for right now, do you want a lifestyle, or do you want an empire? Because those are 2 different things.

Mel McSherry [00:22:59]:

The lifestyle, to your point, is like, oh, I'm a solopreneur. I'm gonna make, you know, 6 figures ish and be a, you know, happy camper. Or do you want this to be an agency or a legacy or something that is bigger than yourself? Because that also, to your point, gives you different starting points. And it's okay to go, oh, yeah. I want an empire. I want, you know, everybody to walk, talk, and act like me. And then 2 months, 6 months, 10 years later, go, just kidding. Like, I this doesn't feel good anymore.

Mel McSherry [00:23:29]:

It's okay to go back to a lifestyle, but it it is starting again with what you know to be true and not have such a blind faith. When somebody tells you this is something that you need or something that you want, take a minute and ask yourself, is that true? Like, how does that literally feel inside of your body? You don't even have to be woo woo y to to know when something just doesn't feel right. And we tend to chalk it up to things, like I said earlier, like, oh, it's outside your comfort zone. Is it? Like, is those those are 2 different feelings. That nervousness because it's new is different than that gut feeling of, like, this does not feel right. And if it's really something that feels makes you feel completely uncomfortable, put a pin in it. You don't have enough information yet probably. It may not even be the right time in your business to do this.

Mel McSherry [00:24:19]:

The universe, your body gives you so many natural pings that we don't take the time to listen to or trust because we feel like, as I mentioned earlier, we're gonna miss out or we're just being wimpy or we're just being scared or scarcity. I really would challenge you to go, okay, why doesn't this feel right? I know this is what I want. This person is telling me this is the best way to do it. What you know, one of these things is not like the other. How do we find what's your best path, your most prop profitable path to creating what you want? Yeah.

Bryan McAnulty [00:24:54]:

Yeah. And along those lines, I like the idea of thinking about the decisions that you have to make of, like, how can you actually delay those decisions on purpose, not to, like, procrastinate and not get something done. Yeah. But the the ideal way to make a decision is when you have the perfect information to be able to make that decision. Exactly. So if you can delay when you have to make it to be able to get more information, whether that be learning from someone, learning from your own experience with something, then you can take the actions and gather the information to be able to make the right decision for yourself later on.

Mel McSherry [00:25:27]:

Agree. Yep. Absolutely.

Bryan McAnulty [00:25:30]:

So once you realized in your business that, like, you needed to make a change, what were, like, the first concrete actions that you took to do that? Or, like, now with everything you've just said, I'm curious, is there, like, some kind of, like, monthly or weekly practice you have for yourself to, like, go through things and, like, think about, like, if you wanna do something or not?

Mel McSherry [00:25:51]:

Yeah. So I check-in on myself almost every actually, I do. I check-in myself every morning. I am one of those people where I love to I wake up early. I'm an early morning person. By the way, you don't have to be an early morning person to be successful. Honor your your natural energetic rhythm. But I am a morning person.

Mel McSherry [00:26:10]:

So I wake up, you know, about 5 AM, go walk my dog, and then I look at I check-in on self energetically. How am I feeling? How did I sleep? I look at my schedule. I see, you know, what meetings I have. And then I look at my to do list, and I see how do I wanna fill the time that I have according to the energy that I already have access to. And I arrange my to do list according to that energetic level. I even sometimes reschedule phone calls. If I'm really just not in a space where I could be profitable to the person who scheduled time with me, I will ask for a reschedule. So I am because I'm constantly throughout the day checking in on my energy and going, okay.

Mel McSherry [00:26:52]:

Now this is the energy that I have. What am I to do list if anything matches it? Or am I just done for the day and I need to rest so I can come back tomorrow and, you know, not try again, but do it over and see what my energy is like at that point? To help support that, I've created a lot of automations inside of my business to where I don't fuck it up because I'm human and I can. And as I mentioned earlier, I have very shorts amount short amount of energy. So I only take 2 to 3 meetings a day, and I have to have at least an hour break in between. So I set up my calendar link to automize that for me. So if anybody wants to schedule time with me, they instantly get the link. I don't do a back and forth on email because, again, I will, you know, cock it up somehow. And they can see the days that I take calls, the times that I'm available.

Mel McSherry [00:27:46]:

And that way, I automatically have those boundaries in place. And my clients can also see my pace inside of that, not only inside of how I schedule phone calls, but how often I check my email. I only check my email twice a day. How often I, you know, check-in on my social media. That is actually depending on when I feel like it. As opposed to back the day where I had everything rigorously scheduled. I mean, from sun up to sun down. So it's given me that fluidity back, and it's really helped me give myself the permission of when I wake up and it's I'm just not in the right energy whether that's due to, you know, something that happened to me or something with my kiddo or something with my partner.

Mel McSherry [00:28:31]:

I can go, okay. This is the energy that I have. Here are the things on my to do list. Here are the things that match my energy. I'm gonna do those today, so I'm still profitable. I'm still quote unquote productive, but I'm not forcing myself to go any further than I need to because, again, this is about sustainability. So it's slowed my pace of business, which I love. Did I have a little bit of guilt in the beginning? Absolutely.

Mel McSherry [00:28:58]:

Because that is completely different from what I have been taught and trained to do. But I can say with full confidence that I have never felt more successful in my business. I have never felt more authentic, more connected, and more excited to be inside of my business, because I feel like I have full ownership now because of what I know to be true, and because I am my biggest advocate, because I had that validation and confirmation from understanding and continuing to utilize my human design.

Bryan McAnulty [00:29:31]:

Yeah. Yeah. That's great. So I think many entrepreneurs, though, if you told them, okay, well well, just do this. Don't worry about it. Like, they struggle with comparing their journey and where they're at to others.

Mel McSherry [00:29:44]:

So Absolutely.

Bryan McAnulty [00:29:45]:

What would your advice be for, like, helping to, like, kinda shift that comparison?

Mel McSherry [00:29:51]:

I mean, at the end of the day, is it even worth it? Like, when you think of mental and emotional profitability, and you look at the fact that, you know, every time you go on Instagram or every time you go on this space, you feel worse about yourself. That is a space that you can full on curate. I am a big advocate of don't follow other coaches on social media, or don't follow other people inside of your industry. If there are some people that you just know are different from you in so many ways that you feel like you can walk next to them, beautiful. Because you should you know, networking is is gorgeous, and and knowing more people inside of your category and your space is very profitable. And if you are finding that you're just constantly second guessing yourself or just wanting to you know, if you're if you're constantly comparing yourself, do not be afraid to unfollow that person. You're not gonna miss out on anything because it it brings you back to you. It brings you back to, again, what do you know to be true without these outside influences? Because, again, we have everything inside of us to answer the call of our soul, and we have such unlimited potential when it comes to creating what we want.

Mel McSherry [00:31:08]:

But we get so bogged down by everything that we think we need to do, and that's usually perpetuated by watching other people on social media and trying to be like them, thinking that they have everything figured out, which I bet you a $1,000,000, they probably don't either. They have a great team. They've been doing this longer. Like, nobody has a cookie cutter success. What makes people successful, truly successful, is when they take what they know to be true and they customize it to themselves. So trusting that, no, your journey is not gonna be exactly like Pam over here or Dan over there. They could have new insights that you could use as resources that you could use as inspiration, but bring it back to yourself. Go, okay.

Mel McSherry [00:31:53]:

If they're doing this, how do I feel about this? Looking at my business structure, is that the next step that I've been looking for? Or is this just something that I feel like I have to do or I should do because that's what they did to be successful? So it's taking your time and really evaluating what is around you, and how is it providing that profitability for you mentally, emotionally, and financially.

Bryan McAnulty [00:32:17]:

Yeah. Yeah. That's great. And, it made me think of, like, the the way I, kinda see myself and compare myself to, like, if you think of, like, a video game character, you've got, like, you have these different stats you can pick. You've got, like, the really strong one, but they're a little bit slow. You've got the really quick one, but they're maybe not as strong. And then you've got kind of, like, the one in between, like, I'm like the balanced character that's like the the all around one. And like I'm completely comfortable with that.

Bryan McAnulty [00:32:44]:

So Yeah. I don't care if I'm not the most successful or the strongest or the fastest or whatever. I care about being balanced and and realizing that that's that's my focus and that's what I care about helps me feel better or not compare myself to what somebody else is doing in a way. Yeah. And I I think also if it helps anybody else on, like, social media, like, sometimes the way I look at it with some of the things I see on social media, I feel like that person, like, wow, they're they're spending a lot of time on social media. Like, I would not want that. I don't wanna spend that much time on social media. So, if if they're doing that, if they're getting more followers, if they're successful with that, that's great.

Bryan McAnulty [00:33:23]:

But, like, that's not the kind of game that I wanna play, so I'm I'm gonna do it a different way.

Mel McSherry [00:33:28]:

And you know that because you know what you want. And you you've taken that time and continue to take that time to check-in with yourself. And, again, we're not taught that as entrepreneurs. We're taught to go external. So the more that we can take that step to the side and go, okay, how is this feeling? What do I want? What do I know to be true? And if you know your human design, obviously, you can use that as a resource as well. But just coming from yourself as an individual, you do already have so much knowledge. So trust what you already have. We are all individuals inside of a collective.

Mel McSherry [00:34:01]:

That's why I love that human design is coined as the science of differentiation. It shows you how you are unique and how you are uniquely designed to create what you want. And all of us, we can't all be the same. If we all were the same, nothing would ever be created. Nothing would ever be advanced. We expand and we advance as a society, as humanity, because people see the missing piece and go, oh, that's my strength, not that person's strength. So I'm gonna do that because that's gonna strengthen their strength. Right? So it's helping us understand that this it's not we're all different cogs inside of the machine, and we each have our own individual process, our own individual success, and our own individual pace.

Mel McSherry [00:34:42]:

So not getting caught up in, we all have to be marching in a row in order to be successful. It's no. What do I, again, know to be true? And how can I just honor my pace, my process? Because this is part of a collective force, and therefore, I don't have to do everything because I can't do everything. I can do what I know to what I excuse me. I can do what I know to be true, and I can do what I want, and then continue to check-in on what both of those things are as you continue to evolve and and see what others are doing as well, as well as how things are shifting inside of the environment of entrepreneurship in general.

Bryan McAnulty [00:35:23]:

Yeah. So couple more real quick questions. So if if someone's on board with all this and they say, okay, I I wanna start to figure this out and kind of be more in tune with what I want in my business, what's maybe some red flags that entrepreneurs are kind of working against their design?

Mel McSherry [00:35:40]:

I would say probably the two biggest ones are frustration and bitterness. I I use emotions because, again, we we think that numbers or we think that results are what shows us how we're doing something right or how we're doing something wrong. And I wanna flip that again to bring back to yourself. So if you honestly just feel frustrated that people keep telling you this and you don't wanna do it, or, you know, people giving you advice and you put it into play and it's not working. I would love for you to instead of looking at what is wrong with me, look at what is wrong with this advice. What about this really did I just go against every fiber in my being because I thought this is what I needed to do? And go back to those places where you are comfortable. It's okay to be comfortable for a little bit. As entrepreneurs, I feel like we're always a little bit uncomfortable anyway because we're consistently putting ourselves out there and we're consistently learning.

Mel McSherry [00:36:42]:

So it's okay to have those yummy comfy spots of no. No. I know this to be true, so I'm just gonna keep doing it this way and wait for that more information or wait for that next person that's going to say something just revolutionary and open up that next level for me. So it's really about coming back to yourself, and it's really about trusting again what you know to be true and know that your pace, your process is gonna be different. I'm not gonna coin you. It's gonna be faster. It's gonna be slower. I don't know.

Mel McSherry [00:37:14]:

But it's yours. So understanding that for yourself and trusting that for yourself and know that you will never ever not evolve. You will ever you will never not be successful. Just how you get there may not be figured out yet. So trust where you are now and be profitable where you are now.

Bryan McAnulty [00:37:35]:

Yeah. Sounds great. So one more, question is I like to have every guest ask a question to the audience. So if you could ask our audience anything, whether it's something you're curious about or just wanna kinda get people thinking about, what would that be?

Mel McSherry [00:37:50]:

Now I have so many swirling in my head. You know what? Honestly, I since we've been talking a lot about that self trust, I would actually post 2 questions. Anymore? What is one thing that you want to to shift or put a pin in so you can, continue to create what you want, but not feel so torn?

Bryan McAnulty [00:38:26]:

Yeah. That's great. Alright. Well, Mel, thanks so much. Before we get going, where else can people find you online?

Mel McSherry [00:38:31]:

Yeah. Feel free to find me on Instagram, Mel_ McSherry. Connect with me on LinkedIn, Mel McSherry. Or if you have some questions after you've been listening to this and letting it process, I do offer complimentary 30 minute virtual coffees. No sales, no stress, safe space to just chat with each other, and you can schedule that at virtual coffee with mel.com.

Bryan McAnulty [00:38:52]:

Alright. Awesome. Thanks, Mel.

Mel McSherry [00:38:53]:

Thanks, Brian.

Bryan McAnulty [00:38:55]:

I'd I'd like to take a moment to invite you to join our free community of over 5,000 creators at creatorclimb.com. If you enjoyed this episode and wanna hear more, check out the Heights Platform YouTube channel every Tuesday at 9 AM US Central. To get notified when new episodes release, join our newsletter at thecreatorsadventure.com. Until then, keep learning, and I'll see you in the next episode.

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    About the Host

    Bryan McAnulty is the founder of Heights Platform: all-in-one online course creation software that allows creators to monetize their knowledge.

    His entrepreneurial journey began in 2009, when he founded Velora, a digital product design studio, developing products and websites used by millions worldwide. Stemming from an early obsession with Legos and graphic design programs, Bryan is a designer, developer, musician, and truly a creator at heart. With a passion for discovery, Bryan has traveled to more than 30 countries and 100+ cities meeting creators along the way.

    As the founder of Heights Platform, Bryan is in constant contact with creators from all over the world and has learned to recognize their unique needs and goals.

    Creating a business from scratch as a solopreneur is not an easy task, and it can feel quite lonely without appropriate support and mentorship.

    The show The Creator's Adventure was born to address this need: to build an online community of creative minds and assist new entrepreneurs with strategies to create a successful online business from their passions.

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