You Aren’t For Everyone…And That’s Okay

I'll never forget it. About a year ago, I met with a prospective coaching client who was interested in hiring me to help them with their finances. The consultation went fine, but the real fireworks happened the following week. I sent the couple an e-mail outlining pricing options. I had a lengthy waiting list, but if they are interested in proceeding, I'd be happy to add them to the queue.

The husband responded via e-mail: "Your pricing might be the biggest bunch of horses*** I've ever seen. There's no way I'd ever pay that. I'm surprised anyone does."

Turns out I wasn't for him....and that's okay. I wasn't offended. I didn't get upset. The truth is, I need some people to look at what I offer, what it costs, and to respond with disgust. After all, I already had a waiting list. If we're for everyone, we're actually for no one.

That's the beautiful part about business. We don't need everyone to value us, which is a good thing, because many won't. We can choose to get upset by that, or we can double down on our efforts to pour into those who do value us. There are an estimated 133 million households in the United States. Of that, I only need about 30 to value my coaching services.

Northern Vessel is the same way. I recently spoke with a fellow business owner. He pointed out that, in his opinion, we might be nearing the top end of our growth. He's nervous about our future and believes we've already saturated our exposure (in part because of our recent growth trajectory and in part because of our high prices). The truth? In a metro of 750,000 people, we serve approximately 3,000-4,000 different people each month. That's 1/2 of 1% of the population. Think about that! Having the privilege of serving 1 out of every 200 people in our city makes us an overwhelming success. Northern Vessel isn't for everyone....and that's okay. But when we look at it through a different lens, we realize the upside is practically unlimited.

The same applies to you. You aren't for everyone. Did you recently get rejected by a potential love interest? You weren't for them. Did you recently get turned down for a job? You weren't for them. Did you recently strike out in a pitch at work? You weren't for them. Did someone insult your business? You weren't for them. Did you get turned away by a prospective college? You weren't for them.

It's so easy to get bogged down by all the "no's" and forget about the "yes's." When we do that, we inadvertently focus more of our attention on the people who aren't for us than the people who are.

Whoever you are and whatever you're about to do today, you aren't for everyone. Some people will roll their eyes at you or disregard what you have to offer. It sucks, but you aren't for everyone.....and that's okay.

____

Did someone forward you this post? We're glad you're here! If you'd like to subscribe to The Daily Meaning to receive these posts directly in your inbox (for free!), just CLICK THIS LINK. It only takes 10 seconds.