[00:00:00] Welcome to the If She Did It podcast, I’m your host Becky Feigin, a business coach for beginner online entrepreneurs. Consider this podcast your go-to guide for all things, scaling your business to your first 10K months. Get ready to be inspired through marketing, mindset, spirituality, and the stories of successful entrepreneurs. I’m so excited to have you here. Now let’s dive in.

[00:00:24] Welcome back to the If She Did It podcast. I am so unbelievably excited for this week’s episode. This week I am interviewing Marisa Jo. She is a tiktok educator. She is also building her brand around mindset and just helping people leave their soul-sucking 9 to 5 if it’s soul-sucking for you or inspiring them to, I should say. I came across Marisa on tiktok and I was so inspired by her because she managed to go viral on the app and took full advantage of the opportunity that that gave to her to just run with her dream of leaving her soul-sucking job and starting something. I got to tell you guys, she’s really cool. It was a really, really fun episode to record. I just, like, could not stop asking her questions. And she’s just got a really interesting take on starting a business and tiktok. And I was just really excited to have somebody on that understands tiktok because y’all may or may not know, but I’m on that app, but I’m not too great at it. But we go for it anyway. I’m just really excited about this episode, so I hope you all enjoy it. Let’s get dive. Let’s dive in.

[00:02:02] Welcome to the podcast. Marisa, I am so excited to have you today.

[00:02:05] Thank you. I’m so excited to be here. This is only my second time being interviewed, so it still makes me super nervous. But I’m excited.

[00:02:13] The pressure’s on, no it’s totally casual here. So let’s start this interview by you introducing yourself to my community, who you are, what you do, how you got into entrepreneurship, and then we’ll go from there.

[00:02:28] Yeah. So it’s funny because I’m still working on, like, what my job title is because I am four months into the self-employed world. So it changes pretty much weekly at this point. But essentially I grew a big platform on tiktok and now currently my big focus is helping others do the same. I work with people who are growing their personal brand, who are educational or value-based content creators. Small business owners are honestly just people who want to share their message. I help them cultivate a super aligned community of people to influence and to sell to and to just create that community. And then I’m creating my kind of bigger brand while I’m focusing on helping people grow their tiktok. So it’s evolving every day and I’m just kind of going with the flow so far.

[00:03:20] So, yeah. So I need to know, when you first got on tiktok, because I think I had said to you, like, I don’t know, the first time that I saw a tiktok of yours come up on my for you page, but I don’t think your account was all that big yet. So did you. I really don’t like I can’t fully remember. But like, I remember seeing you a couple of months later and I was like, oh, my God, she’s like, huge. I feel like the last time I saw it wasn’t that big. But so did you want to be like, I don’t know, for lack of a better term, did you want to, like, blow up or go viral on tiktok. When did you set out for that to happen?

[00:03:53] I know it’s weird and it’s funny you say that because most people like I have a couple videos that have several million views. And so usually people know as I found you from the video of you quitting your job, where I found you from the video way back in August. And I didn’t mean to blow up at all. I actually started my account in August of last year because I was miserable in my job and I just needed a creative outlet because that was literally just getting out of bed, walking ten feet to my desk, working all day, and then laying on the couch, doing nothing for my mental health or for my creativity. So I started an account and I was talking about all of the things that I was learning with my life coach. So like self-limiting beliefs and the things we label ourselves and just all of the things. And my eighth video went viral and got me like eleven thousand followers overnight. And I’m like, OK, I guess I’m a tiktoker now. This is interesting. And I just continued to organically grow my account and talk about the things that were prevalent in my life. And I did my best to not make it about me, but to provide value for people. And it really resonated with people and after a while, it became clear that the opportunity was insane, the opportunity that tiktok provides people. So I actually quit my job like six months after I started my account because I knew that now was the time to jump. And I did. And it’s been an adventure.

[00:05:27] Yeah, I bet. Was it ever like a vision or plan of yours to do your own thing, be an entrepreneur at any point, or did it just kind of you saw this opportunity and you took it, but you had no vision of this ever happening?

[00:05:41] Yeah. So growing up, I have always had that entrepreneurial spirit that sounds so dumb. But really, that’s what it is like. I’ve always thought, how can I monetize this hobby and how can I have a side hustle even as a 14-year-old but somewhere along the line, I saw the corporate world as this appealing thing. And I don’t know why. I think it has to do a lot with, like, being invalidated as a young woman and being stepped on by every man I’ve ever known and wanting this like awesome corporate sales position where I can climb the ladder and be in charge of people and like, have a cool job and I accomplished that, but in the back of my mind, I’m like, how long am I going to keep this up before I completely burn out and wake up at age 50 and realize that I never went after my entrepreneurial dreams? And what I would tell myself is like, well, I don’t have an idea, so I can’t do anything about it. I don’t have an idea. I don’t have anything to sell. But just starting on tiktok and having this. Just this group of people who were all there, like waiting for what I had to say next, it was I just knew that that was the time to take advantage because tiktok now, even still, like in 2019-2020, it was even more so. But now, even still, you can get on it early enough to blow up like Instagram used to be. Like the people who have two million followers on Instagram now have been at it for a while and that is the opportunity to tiktok right now. So I just there was something in me that knew that if I don’t take advantage of this right now, I’m going to continue with my corporate career until I’m completely burned out and dreading the fact that I have to start over.

[00:07:37] Yeah, I. I get it. I get it. My entrepreneurial journey started because I had this thought in my mind. I was the same way I like always I was a kid watching HGTV saying I’m going to flip properties one day. I don’t know that seems fun. Yes. But my entrepreneurial journey started because I was a content strategist for a travel brand doing contracted work. And it was supposed to be something that was long-term and it didn’t end up being so. And in my head, it was easier to start a business than to find another job to get hired to do. I don’t know why. That’s what I thought. I had one lucky situation doing freelance work. And I was like, that’s going to be entrepreneurship. Yeah, very funny. But anyway, I completely, hear what you’re saying, I love that you just were like, yeah, I’m not going to let my, like, life just be this way and be miserable. And it’s fine if people aren’t miserable and they’re nine to five. But if you are like do something about it.

[00:08:48] And that’s what I always tell people. Like, I put up a video of me quitting my corporate job like me, make the phone call and being nervous before and relieved after. And that’s the video that really took me from 30,000 to 60,000. That’s the video that really started to get the wheels turning with my followers and I got a lot of comments like, oh, I hope you have something lined up. Oh, hope that you know, I hope you’re not broke and you are now and living in poverty because you don’t have a job. And it’s like, I, I hate that the 9 to 5 is the only path that people see because there are so many people who are totally miserable in their 9 to 5, but they don’t see a way out. And I’m not saying it’s easy and I’m not saying everybody should just quit their jobs right now. But it’s so possible to do your own thing, especially nowadays with the Internet, and you can monetize anything and like for the love of God like you could monetize literally anything like I mean, go buy everything at Trader Joe’s and do a review and you’re going to have an audience like it doesn’t matter what you want to do. And I was just on autopilot, for the whole of my early twenties, when I like through college and getting my first job, I was on autopilot and acting from a place of my conditioning, which is why I wound up in the job I was in. And I just think it is my wish for everybody to just cut through the limiting beliefs and the conditioning and ask themselves, what do I really want to do with my life? Because autopilot is only going to get you so far. And I just I’m glad that I woke up to that when I was only 26.

[00:10:31] Yeah. It’s really crazy how society and definitely like college unless you decide to do the entrepreneur track, which I know my college had, but no one knew about it unless you asked about it. Kind of a thing they make you think that the answer has to be a 9 to 5 and that stability. But what I’ve learned is that honestly, if anything, being an entrepreneur is more stable, because once you are in that and you understand what it takes to make money, no matter what happens, you can figure out another way to make money. Whereas if you lose a job, your life is now applying to job after job after job. And there’s no promise about a job like you don’t know, you can be the best employee and still lose that job. So it’s just so crazy to me that society conditions us to think that entrepreneurship is so unstable when it’s honestly, once you get the hang of it and understand how it works, it’s like the complete opposite.

[00:11:22] Totally. Yeah. And oh, God, I could talk about corporate America and LinkedIn for three hours, but right, when I first quit my job, I was like, OK, I’m going to build my brand slowly and take this tiktok thing is like a part-time job and I’m going to look for a job while I like, you know, a job that I don’t absolutely hate kind of and do it while I’m building my brand and while applying for jobs, I’m like, I’m not even getting a phone call back. And I know that I would be the best hire they’ve ever had. I will be more committed to this role. You know, I have an MBA, I have all this great experience and I’m not even getting looked at. And it’s like it’s just a dig to your ego. And like, I don’t want to have to convince people to hire me for an entry-level position when I have three years of corporate sales experience at a medical device company. Yeah. And so it’s I love the point that you just made that like once you get the hang of making money on your own, like that skill set. Isn’t dependent on anything else, like when you’re applying for jobs, you’re at the mercy of the hiring managers and the bosses and the other software that your resumes are going through, but when you can figure out how to make money on your own it’s all on you, which is scary, I get that, but it’s also there’s something beautiful about that, like, yeah, I don’t know.

[00:12:51] It’s just it’s so cool. It’s cool. I can’t tell you the number of times, like, I have conversations with friends. They tell me something and I’m like like I hold it in because I’m like I know that they don’t want to start their own thing, but I’m like, you can profit that!.

[00:13:08] We’re weirdly the same. If I talk to anyone, it doesn’t even have to be my friend. If I even hear that you have the smallest ounce of desire to be visible online, I’m like, hey, do you want to do you want to get on tiktok. How can I help. Like I shit you not, that it’s just the platform right now is just you don’t even have to have anything figured out if you just put yourself online and show up authentically, it works for people. And I just I’m up people’s butts about it and I annoy the crap out of everyone.

[00:13:46] It’s so true. It’s so true. I have a friend, one of my best friends from college. I just find her hysterical like she basically sometimes will make the equivalent of a tiktok, send it to me over Snapchat and I’m like, you’re hysterical. Open up a tiktok, and she refuses to do it. And I was like, you could be tiktok famous like yes, yes.

[00:14:09] People don’t understand. It’s like the same thing taking tiktok thing out of it. It’s like if you have something that you can monetize or like you’re already making these things and selling them to your friends and family, it’s like people don’t realize how close they are to that post 9 to 5 life. It’s so close for people, especially nowadays.

[00:14:32] It’s so close. OK, so let’s talk about tiktok for a little bit. So I actually had a question. But I’m curious when your first tiktok went viral and you said you started to post more consistently and all that, did you decide when you first got on the platform what kind of content you wanted to create, or did you kind of decide that after you went viral?

[00:15:00] Yeah, lucky for me, I kind of had a niche from the beginning. My username used to be MarisaJoMindset but I wanted to stray away from the mindset community just because I think a lot of it can be toxic and a lot of, “mindset” coaches don’t take into account like privilege and racial bias, and I don’t want to be associated with that word or with that coaching space. So I was really just sharing what I was learning and turning it into my niche in this very nuanced way where I would I wasn’t like schooling people, I wasn’t showing up as a teacher, I was showing up as someone who was passing along the value that I was taking from books and podcasts and my life coach and all of these other people that I was learning from. And I would pass it along, and people really showed up for that because it was coming from a place of, wow, “I just heard this and it just changed my life the moment I heard it, you have to check this out, too.”. And so I started out kind of with that niche and it has kind of morphed into quitting corporate America, doing what you actually want to do. Like saying screw it to being on autopilot and living from your conditioning. I’ve never tried to diagnose my niche, put it in words before, but it’s almost like my whole life story or my whole journey over the past year has been my niche. But I’ve found a way to make it valuable to others, which I think is the key because a lot of people just want to be on tiktok and talk about their lives and go viral and be famous. But if you just talk about yourself without making it educational for others or inspirational for others, people don’t want to hear it. So I think that has been what has benefited me from the beginning is I’ve always made it valuable to others.

[00:17:09] Yeah, I love that. And it’s such a good point. I always tell my clients I’m like, people are selfish. They want is it going to help them? Just like your selfish the general you making you want to talk about yourself. People are also selfish, so they want to know how does this affect them? How can it serve them? So I feel like when you think about it that way, it even makes it easier to think of, like, OK, how can I talk to this person or whatever it is.

[00:17:36] So I also want to know, what was it like for you, like as you saw your account blow up the first time, then it grew again, then it grew again. And I know I saw that like last week or something. You hit 100,000 followers on tiktok. Like, how have all those milestones felt for you?

[00:17:52] It’s so weird. It’s very weird. It’s like I don’t realize that I have that many and I’ll get like even just being invited to be a guest on a podcast. I’m like, wow, really?  I hope they don’t find me out that I’m like really not you know, I’m not really a person on the internet but like yes I am. It’s so it’s been such a hit to my identity, which is what it’s been a great exercise. And to not label myself and to not put myself in a box because everything’s changing so rapidly. But it’s funny because when I hit 11,000 or 10,000, I was like, wow, there’s a K in the number of followers. That’s pretty cool. And then I hit 50,000. I’m like, wow, this is incredible. And you kind of get used to it. So it was almost then, when am I going to hit 100,000. When am I going to hit 150,000? So it’s, it’s just very interesting how as you become more acclimated to the online space, it’s more of a, you warm up to the water and now it’s like, OK, you get in a groove and you know what to do. And so I’ll catch myself being like, oh, awesome I gained 4,000 followers last week. Then I take a step back and look at it from the lens of me last year, not even having an account and being like, woah, you just did that’s awesome. So it’s such a weird balance of like. I don’t even know, it’s just a weird thing.

[00:19:26] It’s crazy and it’s so cool. I have a couple of friends who are also, different kinds of coaches and they have pretty small, comparatively speaking, audiences on Instagram. And they went viral on tiktok and it completely transformed their business. And that’s the biggest thing, I think, that some people think, well, you know, tiktok, it’s not going to necessarily convert the way Instagram does or something like that. But it’s just like literally I have seen friends businesses go from OK to like insane impact, insane income just from going viral on tiktok and then utilizing that platform after that video,

[00:20:07] Like I could talk about this forever, because people who have decent followings on Instagram and like let’s say they have 20,000, that’s not even directly comparable to tiktok because 20K on Instagram is pretty much like having 100K on tiktok, like that’s a feat on Instagram. But if you’re making sales on Instagram and you know how to convert people and so you’re skeptical of tiktok, don’t even think of it as like converting people on tiktok, you’re essentially finding people on tiktok to bring over to your Instagram. Like, granted, I’ve been able to sell on tiktok, but it’s not as easy because there’s really no road map for it. People don’t know how to do it. It’s kind of this new territory. But for the people who know how to sell on Instagram, continue to sell on Instagram, but use tiktok as your platform and your vehicle to find new people because it’s impossible to find new people on Instagram unless you’re pumping out six reels a week. And like, what was it? What are those new numbers?

[00:21:17] Well, the new numbers are insane. I tell all my clients I’m like on all of these tiktoks, don’t listen to these numbers like it’s honestly crazy. I will say, I think tiktok is so much better opportunity to, like, go viral, reach more people, all those things. And I will say that with the right topic on Instagram, especially with reels, it still can be crazy. I have a client who has gained, she was at 3,500 Instagram followers at the beginning of the month. She is about 10,000 followers because she’s had reel after reel go viral, one of which is almost at 2,000,000 views like it’s insane. But definitely, tiktok has so much more access to that. What I think is so cool about tiktok and it’s, I’ve never really put it together into my brain until we’re having this conversation. But if you think about it like Instagram, most people that sell on Instagram, it’s a lot of direct message conversations, building relationships, and that leads to a sale. But on tiktok, yes, there’s a level of relationship building, but it’s a lot more of attraction marketing because you’re just putting out this value and letting them almost into your life because people that really I feel like sell well on tiktok are ones that are super personable and show their life just like you do. And so I think it’s actually really cool because it’s a totally different type of selling. And when you master it, it’s actually in some ways a lot easier as well.

[00:22:46] Yeah, yeah. And I oh my God, I hate sales. I hate trying to convince people to buy my stuff and to hire me. And I have not had to do any of that to get one on one clients because I just put out content that gets them an inch closer every single time. And then I just got an email this morning, like from this woman booking me for a one on one, and I have never even seen her username before. So it’s like it’s just amazing what it can do. And I like to phrase it as on Instagram, you’re scrolling through a feed of people that you already follow. And I never go to the Discover page. I don’t know about you, but and if I do the Discover pages like The Bachelor and Dogs like things that I’ve searched once, that turns into my Discover page. But so from a creator’s perspective, you have to get someone to follow you before you even start showing up on their feed. But on tiktok, you’re scrolling through the first page of people you’ve never seen before. So from a creator’s perspective, you are in front of new eyes every second of the day. And I just don’t see how people can ignore that comparison.

[00:23:58] It’s so true. It’s so true. And I think that honestly, I love Instagram, obviously, like I love Instagram. It’s something that I teach to my clients. And I think it’s really, really valuable. And that being said, I think that tiktok is used almost the way Instagram used to be used because it is a newer platform. Right. So there’s not although I can definitely see that the algorithm on tiktok has shifted since it first came out. It’s still so different and so much more like old school social media platform compared to what Instagram has become. I remember back in college I was a blogger and back then, if you posted hashtags on an Instagram post, even if it was like a week after you posted that post, now became the topmost recent post in that hashtag. Yeah, no, I would do that all the time. I would change the hashtags two weeks after I made a post to get new reach on it. But obviously, it doesn’t do that anymore. So I scroll through tiktok for like hours. Yeah, I really do.

[00:25:06] OK, so I feel like because of my focus on my business and helping a lot of people with Instagram, I am going to assume that a lot of the people that listen to my podcast probably haven’t explored tiktok in terms of their business very much yet. So for somebody that maybe has like, you know, those accounts, they post something and they just kind of like like, oh, I’m going to go viral. I’m done. Yeah. Or the people that are like, not even necessarily nervous to get there because I don’t even know where to begin. What tiktok tips would you have for them?

[00:25:42] Yeah. So the thing that I hear from people is that they’re excited about tiktok and they understand the opportunity and they’re excited and they want to get started, but they almost want that certainty to know that what they’re posting is going to attract people in. But because they’re not seeing the viral video right away, they’re like, oh, screw it, this isn’t working. So what you need to start with from the jump, I talk about content buckets more than anything. And of course, you hear content buckets with Instagram as well, any social platform. But for tiktok specifically, if you’re going over there to sell, even if so, if you have a coaching business or if you have a product shop or if you are let’s say, I mean, honestly, if you sell products or services, it’s easy for people to just want to go over to tiktok and talk about their products and services the whole time, and then they get mad when they don’t go viral. So. You almost have to treat yourself like a personal brand if you’re on tiktok, regardless of if you’re a personal brand or not. So if I wasn’t Marisa Jo and I wasn’t tiktok growth 101, I still would need to make a personal brand on tiktok to grow.

[00:27:03] And that’s where the content buckets come into effect. So I just worked with a client who has a product shop. So she just sells stuff on Etsy. Her name is not in her title like she’s a true product shop where her face is not associated with it. And she’s been frustrated that her product videos are not going viral. And I said, OK, what other areas kind of relate back to your shop? And she’s like, oh, well, you know, mental health and kindness and just like empowerment overall. I’m like, OK, you just named your new three content bucket, so kindness and like how you can go and smile at someone and it can change the course of their day, week life, all the things. So her new content buckets for her tiktok are her shop, her story, kindness, mental health, and empowerment. And she’s not allowed to just post about her shop anymore because people aren’t attracted to product videos. They’re attracted to you. They’re attracted to your story. They’re attracted to your videos about relatable things like mental health and being kind to people and empowerment. And then they show up for the products, I don’t buy things from people just because I’m attracted to those adorable earrings.

[00:28:21] Like usually when I buy from small businesses, it’s because I love the person and I want to support them and that is really how you go viral and how you cultivate an audience who’s ready to buy from you regardless of what you’re selling, is because they love you, what you’re talking about, they see themselves in you. And like storytelling is the most powerful way to connect with people. And if you don’t focus on that connection, no one’s going to buy your stuff over on Instagram. They might because you have a gorgeous feed and your stories are fun and they’re doing the polls. But you’re not going to get those people like you to find those people on tiktok and send them over to your Instagram. But you can’t get those people in tiktok if you’re only showing your products. So regardless of what your business is, you really have to turn it into a personal brand where the products or services are only a piece of it, you know, so that makes sense. It was very nuanced and like lots of layers.

[00:29:18] But it makes sense. So I have another question for you, and I don’t know if you know how to answer it, but I’m very curious. So something that I noticed when I watched your videos and I have a lot of friends and I noticed this as well because I am the opposite of this is. You just talk so casually and easily to the camera when it comes to your tiktok like I’m talking casually and easily to you right now when I go, and even sometimes, like with Instagram stories, I could do the same thing. But I know for myself and I’ve talked to clients and other people that are the same way, when I go to a tiktok, I get into straight face, like serious mode. And I have a really hard time actually putting any personality into, like I’m stiff like I don’t know, I just yeah. It’s almost like I’m trying to remember what the heck is in my brain that I don’t remember how to be a human being. I’m just recording the video. So with that, do you have any tips or anything at all to say about how to be more just like you, I guess, when putting a video for tiktok?

[00:30:26] And I love that question because it is very important. There’s something when I work with people, I can teach them all the strategy and the things to boast about. But you can’t teach someone or, you know, you can’t force someone to show up on camera warmly like that is something that has to be learned. And I don’t want to say that I worked hard at this because I always just have been very comfortable on camera, but some of the things I have people do is be as weird as you can, just be as weird as you possibly can. And because of your natural instinct to still not be as weird as you can, because, you know, there’s a camera there, it’s going to appear very warm and friendly. Even though you think you’re being a weirdo, it’s not going to come off that way. So I always like if I ever film a video and I’m like, whoa, you’re so boring in this and no one’s going to watch this and everyone’s going to hate you. I say to myself, OK, just be a weirdo. And that’s when I find myself making faces and bringing the camera close to my face and like being more personable. And so that works for me. I always tell people to like triple your energy when you’re on camera.

[00:31:42] Like, I don’t normally talk like this to somebody who’s right next to me, but like when I’m in front of a camera, I just know to turn it up because the camera just takes it away. For some reason, it drains you of all the life. So you have to try especially hard at that. So be weird, increase the energy, jump up and down before you start filming like literally anything just to kind of hype yourself up. If you’re in a bad mood, we’re going to be able to see it. Like I’ll look back at some of my old videos and like, why did I film on that day? Like, my eyes are puffy. Like, I can tell that you were crying last night. Why did you film this? And it’s no surprise that those videos don’t do that well. I don’t know, it’s really just a psychological block that you have to get through, and I think practice is the big thing. Seeing putting out a piece of content where you can see that you’re being yourself and you’re warm on camera and then seeing the response from people, it makes it easier to keep doing it. So I think a lot of it is mental, which is like the worst answer.

[00:32:50] There’s just like, yeah, I think it was good. Well, as I said in the beginning because I think that some people are just like you said, naturally really, really good. So I was like, I don’t know if there’s a right answer to this, but I just find like and even sometimes, you know, I find this to be myself and a lot of other people I’ve talked to as well as like it’s not even like a feeling of being like afraid of the camera. It’s like I can do a live on Instagram and I could talk forever. It’s something about them hitting the record button. And I think it’s like my it’s I think it’s almost like a mental thing of like I don’t want to have to film this a thousand times. So then you keep messing up and then end up having a thousand times. But so yeah. I was just curious what you’re like if you had any secrets, which I feel like you shared some because I was in and I’m like, I don’t sound like that.

[00:33:41] Well, and to be fair, I do do a lot of takes like. Yeah, because I do mess up my words a lot, but it’s like I know the outcome that I’m looking for and if I don’t get it, I do it again. But I do it clip by clip like I do very short clips because it is a pain to get a whole 20-second video, high energy, perfect words without stuttering at all, and all the things. So oh yeah, it is work. And I think for those of you listening who are like, I don’t belong on camera and are saying I wanted you to talk but I can’t show up, I think a big part of it, with visibility in general, is like how you identify if you keep telling yourself that you’re not good on camera. How do you think you’re going to show up on camera, like, if that’s what you’re telling yourself? You almost have to, like, give yourself an identity. I’m a content creator. I am a person who’s good on camera. I’m a person who loves the camera and then just keep lying to yourself until it starts to feel true. And then that’s going to be your new identity. Like you really do have to just stop telling yourself that you’re bad on camera because I would be willing to guess that you’re great on camera. You’re just psyching yourself out.

[00:34:51] Well, it’s a good point. Apologies if you can hear my dog in the background. I just have accepted her as like background noise and absolutely, my entire life. So I feel like I can ask you a thousand questions, but I won’t I do always end my episodes with this last question. So I’m going to ask you for anybody listening who’s thinking about wanting to start their own thing, you know, be an entrepreneur or leave the 9 to 5 grind or they’re trying to get started, but they’re scared. They’re holding themselves back. What would you want to say to them?

[00:35:33] Oh, boy, it’s funny because this was me less than a year ago. I know the piece of advice that really changed my life in terms of starting to talk. And then consequently everything after that is just taking massive action. I am the biggest perfectionist you’ve ever met, so this has been the hardest thing to do, starting something without knowing what’s going to happen, but as clarity comes from taking action, you’re not going to be able to think your way into having all the answers, you have to take action to gain clarity. So take the action, the clarity will come. And honestly, I am someone who falls into the trap of comparing myself to people, even people like Oprah. It’s so dumb. Like I don’t even compare myself to people who I like feasibly should be comparing myself to. But I’m like, oh, I’m going to compare myself to people who have two million followers, like, what are you doing? So what I like to do, first of all, don’t compare your start to someone else’s middle or end, but take a look at the starts of those people. Listen to the podcast episodes that they’ve been interviewed on and realize that everybody has to start knowing they don’t know anything. Like everyone starts that way. Everyone starts broke. They don’t know what they’re doing. They have no clients, no one’s liking their posts. But then something happens and it’s because they started. So it’s the most cliche advice on the planet, but really just take massive action and know that it’s going to be messy and just. But that’s OK because you can refine as you go.

[00:37:19] It’s so true. So I don’t think it’s cliche. I think it’s very good advice. And I would not be here today if it wasn’t for messy action. I, I cannot tell you all the things I’ve just thrown out there and we’ll see what happens. So, yeah. Yeah. This podcast wouldn’t be here today actually if it wasn’t for messy action. I accidentally put it live two summers ago. I had no idea what I was doing. I thought I was like saving it as a draft on a platform. And next thing I know, it’s like we’re sending this podcast out to Spotify.

[00:37:51] So good. How do you answer that question? I’m curious.

[00:37:55] Oh, I’ve never been asked my own question. Yeah. Now you’re putting me on the spot. No, I’m just kidding. How would I answer that question? I think that the biggest, most important thing when wanting to start your own business is doing something that you’re passionate about. I have a lot of people say, well, I need to think of something that’s going to make me money. I want to be an entrepreneur, so I need to think of something that’s going to make me money. And you think of the logical thing. But the reality is the logical thing is the thing that makes you excited because we don’t start a business to be miserable as our own boss. We start a business to love what we’re going to do and love our job. And also, it’s really freaking hard to make money as an entrepreneur if you don’t like what you’re doing. Yeah, so that’s what I think my advice would be, is to make sure that you’re doing something that you’re actually passionate about and it’s worth doing. Like if you’ve thought of an idea, it’s probably profitable.

[00:39:00] One hundred percent. Yeah. And I actually have a tip for the people now who are like, OK, great, but I don’t know what I’m passionate about. I’ve made videos on this before. I love talking about this. Whenever you find yourself completely lit up and like ready to talk about a topic for seven hours or totally, completely energized while or after doing something or researching something, even though it’s not your job, make a list. Start a list in your phone of the things that make you feel that way. And there’s there are the things that you’re passionate about. So you should be able to kind of identifying what those things are, even if it’s not something tangible, like making macrame wall art, that even if it’s something intangible, like self-discovery, like that’s one of mine and that is the direction my brand is going. So you just like don’t sleep on the things that light you up, because those are going to be the things that eventually set you free from a life that you are stuck in.

[00:39:55] I love that. That’s amazing. Well, Marisa, thank you so much for being here today. I so loved having you on this podcast.

[00:40:03] Thank you so much.

[00:40:06] Such a good episode. Right. I mean, again, I say this like every week, but seriously, so great. So I am going to link every way that you can connect with Marisa in the show notes. So I just link people’s Instagram. But since she is the Queen of tiktok, I will be sure to link her tiktok for you all. If you enjoy this episode, please, it would mean the world to me if you left a review, subscribe, share this episode, tag us in an Instagram story. I would so appreciate it. The more reviews, the more subscribers. The more shares, the more ears we can get into, the more lives we can impact and change. So that would mean the world to me. And I hope you all have a fabulous week and I will see you next week on the If She Did It Podcast. For anyone listening still, I share a really fun freebie and the show notes. Just a little fun little bonus I’m throwing in there this week. See ya!