The Best Compliment Ever (I'll Be Your Underhills, Solopreneur) ;)
Have you ever gotten one of those great compliments?
You know, one of those compliments that isn't just nice, but makes you feel seen, and like you “fell out of the lucky tree, hit every branch on the way down, and ended up in a pool of cash and sour patch kids”?
A client gave me one recently, and it made me feel like this:
She told me:
“You remind me of Ted Lasso.”
She had even put a Ted Lasso sticker on her folder of coaching-worksheets from me.
She drew the comparison because she knew that for me, it's about more than numbers: “It’s business coaching, but it’s feels very personal and personally uplifting.”
If you've followed me for a while, you know that I LOVE this show.
I love quoting it, I love watching it, and I love spotting Jason Sudeikis' cultural-references in it ("It's just a group of people who care, Roy. Not unlike folks at a hip-hop concert whose hands are NOT in the air.")
And like many fans, I love that the character of Ted Lasso doesn't just care about winning, he cares about who people become in the process of striving toward their goals.
He knows that his job is to see the best in people, to spot the possibilities that they can't even see for themselves.
So yeah. That compliment felt good.
But sharing this isn’t about my ego.
(That would be very un-Ted-lasso-like of me, since his superpower is his lack of ego).
There are some lessons from the show “Ted Lasso” that apply to solo business. Mostly mindset-lessons, but some strategy, too:
He shows up and is fully himself. He doesn't try to change, convince or cajole anyone, or give into cynicism. He doesn't belittle or shame. His lack of ego means he just shows up authentically and consistently. People are drawn to him and impacted by him as they encounter his buoyant presence. That's a great model of marketing.
His lack of shame-drivenness means that he embraces the Walt Whitman quote “Be curious, not judgmental." This helps him care about others, and it's also a great advice for solopreneurs who are tempted to beat up on themselves as they face setbacks (I quote it often to clients).
Even as he's inspiring his team to “Believe”, his sidekick Coach Beard reminds him that he still has the task of striving to win. He holds players accountable to practice, to try new plays, and to learn from mistakes & losses so they can improve their results.
There's a big lesson from how the show itself became popular: For a while it only had a small group of fans (this was after the explosion of streaming services and show-options on TV). Those core fans started tweeting about it and inviting their friends to watch. One of those was Brené Brown, whose shout-out helped the show explode in popularity. The lesson: You’re not going to reach ALL the people. Just focus your marketing on reaching the loyal few who “get it,” and they’ll talk about you. One or two of them may have big influence. Word will spread.
Finally, I'll leave you with one last Lasso quote that relates to running a solo business:
"Taking on a challenge is a lot like riding a horse, isn't it? If you're comfortable while you're doing it, you're probably doing it wrong."
Yup.
What's your favorite Ted Lasso quote?
Or if you haven't seen it*, what's your favorite compliment you've received?
I'd love to hear it.
-Jane
*If you haven’t seen Ted Lasso, shut your computer, go sign up for Apple+ TV, and watch it at least 1-2 times through. You’ll thank me. Season 3 comes out this Spring, so hurry up!