Tracy’s story
Tracy Johnson is a facilitator and messaging strategist who helps her clients use empathy to craft messages of change that spark action.
Tracy joined Vision 20/20 because she wanted to take a brave new step with her business and sought clarity about what that could be. This is her story.
I was looking for deeper clarity
When I learned about Vision 20/20 and The Happy Startup School lots of little boxes got ticked in a way that I felt was very unique.
I’d done programs in the past that offered very helpful and practical support. Their standard message was “Find a skill, find a need, create a business online. You can do it!”
But I'm a copywriter. That’s obvious to me. I've already done that.
“I needed help discovering clarity about what I wanted to do next.”
It has always been my lack of clarity that has kept me from moving forward in the right direction.
This was one of the few programs, if not the only one, that addressed that specifically to the depth that I needed it to.
I needed help discovering the brave business that would inspire me to take a leap of faith. One that would help me find my excite Strategy because I knew once I’d found that I could easily do the rest.
Tracy reflecting on her journey at Happy Startup Summercamp
I needed to work with likeminded people
In a past program that I’d taken part in I hadn’t clicked with the majority of the group. This affected my energy, enthusiasm and engagement. I wanted to be part of a tribe of like minded people. I needed to be around people who looked at business in the same way as me.
I also wanted to be part of a group that were not just coaches or copywriters. I wanted to be supported by people from a broad variety of businesses because I didn't want to be pushed into one style or one result.
“I wanted a group that had diverse perspectives and experiences. ”
That is why I appreciated Laurence and Carlos’s backgrounds. One of their core values is play and I wanted to be allowed to play with my ideas.
I want to work for purpose + profits
A message about the program that was particularly strong and important to me was that it's OK to earn money – that if good people earn money, doing good things, there's nothing wrong with that. And actually, that's a necessity for wider change.
I am very passionate about connecting purpose and profit and am very wary of people who feel that they need to be separate.
It was a significant investment for me
The program was significantly more expensive than any of the other programs I had been looking at and I had already invested a lot of money trying to build a business that still didn’t exist.
However, I believed that this was the program for me. This would be the last program I’d do until the business had been created. I was very invested in making it work.
I figured that I’m a resourceful person, I have savings and this would be one month’s earnings. I can make it back.
I needed a program that went deep
Another thing that held me back was the prospect of being on a program for 20 weeks. At first it felt really long. However, upon reflection I began to see the value of having more time to reflect on the work. I found it to be a selling point as opposed to a discouraging factor. Deep work takes time. And I was looking to do some deep work.
“A million other programs can teach you how to start a business in 6 weeks. But this is not about that. It’s deeper.”
This is about your excite strategy: setting yourself and your whole life on a different trajectory. You need to make sure it’s properly in alignment.
And that takes real time and proper planning. Not just 6 weeks.
Ultimately my decision to sign up to the program was a gut feeling. I knew that this was my tribe, that I would make valuable connections and ultimately, since I’m a copywriter, I may even find a client. Money could come in indirect ways.
In the end I found the clarity I sought
I had signed up to the program because I wanted to create a brave business that inspired me to take the leap… any which way.
Through the program the seeds of that business have now been planted.
The clarity hit right at the end. By putting all the pieces together, reflecting on the work that I’d done and taking space to reflect I now feel confident that I have a business idea that I want to keep moving forward with.
