[Transcript starts at 0:40]
Hello, hello, hello. My podcast people and thank you for joining me for Yday, another episode of my favorite online business podcast. If you're listening, tuning in watching on the day that it drops. It is Monday, November 17th. Happy mid-November. Be flying. Everything's flying. It's the longest fucking year, but also we blinked and it's the the end of the year.
So today we're talking about something that may or may not affect. You, uh, which is always the case, right? But this one perhaps you haven't thought about it at all, or perhaps it's all you've been thinking about recently, um, which I think is a bit more polarized than other topics I bring up. Uh, and that is selling on, is selling on Black Friday, selling out, right?
We are in such a time, y'all. I'm gonna just say a time and I'm gonna let you use whatever adjective that you want. Alright? Whatever, whatever you want. Part of me wants to pretend that this isn't historically bad, like this time that we're in right now. Um, because bad shit has always happened. Really fucking bad shit has always happened, alright?
Always. But they haven't happened in my lifetime. And not at a time when we've had this, or rather when I've had this much awareness and understanding and knowledge about things and the fact that I'm 40, right? And I say that because what you care about changes as you get older. And I think a lot of that's due to the fact that you've already done and accomplished certain things and so then you don't care about those things as much.
So like certain things like traveling for work, like I really wanted to travel for work and then I fucking did it, and I'm like, I don't fucking need to do that again. So like that's not something that I'm just not as worried about. Yes. Am I concerned about the F-A-F-F-A-A and FTA, whatever it is, and, and the, I'm like thinking the MTA and F.
Am I concerned about transportation and people getting paid and planes not crashing? Fuck, yes, I am. I, but I'm also concerned about just the quality of life of people and their work environments more so than, you know, then I go on this trip, right? It's just different times in life. Uh, also, we objectively have not had.
A president behaved this way before, fuck that guy. Every episode, fuck Trump. Fuck that fucking guy. We haven't had a president behave like this as a dictator. And also technology, right? Social media, ai, it is objectively more advanced than ever before. So all that to say, these are both unprecedented and unprecedented times.
Uh, and I feel like because of that, or I'll say because of that, we are at both a crossroads. While also being aboard a ship that feels far too big to turn and that some might claim is far too big to sink. And yes, I'm talking about the United States and the United States economy here. To that, I say I don't know that we will radically, that we will see radical change in our lifetime.
Like we want it to feel. It feels like it's gonna happen right now, but like it's not because it's so big. But it doesn't mean that radical change is not possible, right? Namely, to keep with the Titanic reference about being too, too big to sink, right? In the US economy, in the United States being too big to fail.
A little quote from Titanic, who remembers this part when he says she's made of iron? Sir, I assure you she can, and she will. It's a mathematical certainty. Remember when he says that she's made of iron, sir? Yeah, at some point it will fail. If we keep going in this way. It won't happen tomorrow, but it will.
But we're also the crossroads 'cause we feel like, oh, we we're like at this crossroads, we realize like shit's bad and we should do it differently. But we're like, this thing feels too big to ever change. And then it's like we're just kind of band-aiding it and patchworking it and it's just like that's, that's not it.
Extractive capitalism. AKA modern corporate capitalism does not work. Right? I will die on that hill and we will all probably die because of that hill. Uh, because at some point it cannibalizes itself, right? As the means of production that are necessary for it. They burn out, they die out, they rebel, whatever, right?
It, it doesn't work. Capitalism, right? Let's loosely define it. It's an economic system in which the means of production are privately owned and operated for profit. One more time. It's an economic system with a means of production are privately owned and operated for profit. It's really that last part for profit that becomes problematic when left unchecked.
Unchecked by what our own fucking moral compasses, but also the government. Um, profit in and of itself is not the problem. It's when it's the main goal, when it's the only goal, right? And the focus is to maximize it. That is modern corporate capitalism, privately owning the me the means of production, like how shit gets done, how shit gets built and created is what allows you to set how much it costs to produce whatever you produce, right?
And then from there, you set the price and you have this, the space in between. Get a profit, extractive, extractive capitalism, or, you know, modern corporate capitalism relies on exploiting this labor so that it's really fucking cheap to manufacture goods and services, which keeps the costs low and allows for more profit.
Simple math here. In a best case scenario, if we, if we take this extractive capitalism model, best case scenario, this is the solopreneur, which is maybe you watching this or listening to this, who doesn't pay themselves? What are we doing? You're exploiting yourself. Why? Because you're trying to keep the costs low and you know, usually you're doing this just to try and break even.
You're not like, I'm turning a million dollar profit now. You're like, fuck it. Like I'm just trying to keep the lights on at scale. And the worst case scenario, this is fucking Amazon underpay, the workers generate more profit, increase shareholder value. We see this with global capitalism and in general, the global south is where the labor gets exploited.
And you make a shirt for like 5 cents, right in a sweatshop. Alright, so let's take a breath here because perhaps you're like, what the fuck does this lesson in economics have to do with Black Friday selling though? My guess is that if you're listening to this podcast, you're watching it, you are understanding the connection here.
I of note, I am not here to absolve you of any guilt you may have, uh, or give you my blessing for any actions that you may take, right? I'm not Jesus, I am not. Whatever, higher power. You know, you may or may not believe in, I've just, I've been asked my thoughts, um, about selling on Black Friday. Every year I get asked them, but specifically, especially this year, um, by a few of my, the people in my, in my, my ecosystem, call them, um, by the, you know, some of the big thinkers and the big feelers.
So I figured I'd use this episode to, uh, break down and share my thoughts, which is really just fun for me as well. 'cause I'm like, all right, I get to see, sit and articulate this stuff and really, you know, like put pen to paper and by pen to paper, I mean my fingers to keyboard, uh, and organize what I think about it.
So my thought here, my thoughts here is selling out. Is it to, is it selling out? No. Can I speak? Is it selling out to sell on Black Friday? My answer only if you're selling out the rest of the fucking year. Meaning how do you run your business? Right? Again, wanting to make a profit is not the problem. How are you going about it?
Are you paying your people, including yourself? Fairly, are you paying them well? Are you delivering a product or service that is actually worth whatever you're charging for it? Do you have your customer's best interest at heart or are you just trying to make a fucking sale? Right? Commerce, my friends, is not the enemy.
Not at all. Right? In sitting to, I'm standing actually bud in standing to record this, uh, and getting ready to record it and outlining it. I, and in thinking about it, I was well aware that in all likelihood it is the folks that don't need to worry about this, that. Are asking themselves, am I selling out?
Meanwhile, shit, companies like Amazon are just like, how do we make more sales? MORE, not our, not the fun way. We spelled more MORE. How do we make more sales on Black Friday? Right? They ain't questioning shit. Right. I'm also a realist here and I know that we need money to survive, right? I have many life bills to pay, namely rent and student loans and food.
I have to make money. You have bills to pay, you gotta make money. I am never here to say that making money is bad or that if you want to make money, you're a bad person. No, I'm not saying that. There's absolutely nuance to the discussion. But I also don't think it needs to be so complex or made out to be so complex that we use that complexity to avoid challenging things and changing things.
To me, all of this in the discussion and the thoughts comes down to, do you have people's best interest at heart all year long, right? All of the time. When you are running your business, do you have people's best interest at heart? Not, do you have just your own best interest at heart? Do you have everybody's.
Yours, theirs, everybody collectively, and yes friends. I know that morality is subjective, and I'm fully aware that wack fucking people will do literal mental gymnastics at a skill level that, you know, Simone Biles would be jealous of. And they'll convince themselves that what they're doing is good for people and that they have their best interests at heart.
Like, fuck those people, number one. Um. Two. If that's you, I don't think it is you, because you wouldn't be listening to this podcast. You would be too. I'd be too fucking annoying. You'd be like, ah, I hate this person. So I don't think that's you. But yes, I know what those people exist. I'm not talking to them and I can't do anything.
I can't do anything about them. I can't control them. I don't. I don't. I don't care. Right. A more legitimate, well in a more legitimate concern. And my by legitimate, I mean that I can actually do something about it. And it's kind of more worthwhile thinking about is that the golden rule isn't so golden.
And I was first made way to, wow. Today is the day I just like stroke out there. Wow. I was first made aware of this, uh, by, uh, Nick str. Um, I brought them on the podcast. Um, I first introduced them by, uh, James Olivia Truman. During 2020, I think I took a, the Revelational fuckery workshop with them and, um, just talking about the golden rule and this idea of do unto others as you would have done unto you.
And it's like, eh, actually a better approach is do unto others as they would have done onto them. Right? Treat people how they wanna be treated. How do we know what people want done unto them? Well, of course we can ask. Wow, shocker. But also as it relates to what we're doing in this online business, that's what this podcast is about.
It's something I talk about all the time, right? We attract what we are, not what we want. We can lead with our values, right? We can lead with what we want done onto ourselves and, and really share that and show up that way, and speak about it clearly and do things in that way, and then look to attract others who want the same.
And then, yes, of course we're listening for feedback and things like that. Right. But honestly, overall, I just don't think it needs to be, am I by when I say this or I say it rather, I don't think that online business or business at all needs to be as difficult or complicated as anyone makes it out to be.
And honestly, I think, and I think, I mean, I know part of the complexity is there because it was created by folks who stood to profit from making things complex, namely these online business coaches and just fucking. Shaming and guilting and doing gross things to get people to buy their services and then teaching them to do that same shit to somebody else.
It's fucking terrible. Like as a way to justify it. It's fucking terrible. Don't do that. Right. Online business and business in general isn't that fucking complex. I'm not saying it's not hard. I'm not saying that it's easy to get customers. I'm not saying it's easy to make money. I'm saying that it's not that complex to not be a piece of shit.
Like I know that you're sitting here listening and being like, yeah, no, it's not that complex, man. Do right by people. Don't be fucking shady. Have fair prices, have good wages for yourself. And if you have employees and you can't afford to pay them, you can't afford to have them. Can't afford to grow that thing.
Transparency in all areas. All things. List your fucking prices. Like how is this even a question? It's 2025. How is this question? Put your shit on your fucking website. It's crazy to me. There's literally $29 million houses. Where I live. I live, I live in a very high cost of living place. I don't live in that $29 million place, but three miles away.
If I walk to the strand, there are houses that cost $29 million. And you know how I know, 'cause I can just go on Zillow and it says it. And meanwhile people are like scared to put their fucking $150 a session for pelvic floor PT a hundred. Fucking post your prices. What, what? Give people autonomy. Let them decide if it's worth it for them.
I gotta get 'em on a call first. What? That is techy. Lemme take a breath. Lemme take a breath. Let's, let's too, lemme take a breath. 'cause I realize. It feels good when I'm getting it out, but also I know it's difficult to be received when I'm getting it out like that. So, lemme take a breath. My last part of this with, with online business, and it doesn't, it doesn't have to be that complex, like deliver a high quality service product.
Simple, right? Extractive capitalism focuses on maximizing profit. I am going to encourage you to focus on optimizing value. I know I have said it a zillion times, and I'll say it again 'cause it's always true. We set the price, the customer determines the value. That will always be true, but as the leader, because that's what you are, right?
As a leader, it is our job to try and understand what customers are more likely and most likely to value. Not so that you can get them to buy more shit or just buy in general, but so that we're actually putting their best interests at heart. Right? Putting that, excuse me. Putting their best interest first and having their best interest at heart.
For me, when I'm considering what I believe my people want, first and foremost, they want the fucking outcome. What is the outcome you're promising them? And it's not about being the cheapest. If I set the price so low that I don't wanna show up or deliver the service and support them, then they won't get the outcome.
So it's not about the being a race to the bottom. Alright? So number one, they wanna, they want the fucking outcome. Second thing, I think it's really only two things. They wanna know that I have their best interest at heart, right? And I want this as well when I'm working with someone. Uh, the main thing here when I say best interest at heart is knowing that I'm not getting duped.
I'm not getting swindled, but that fucking guy, I said it a while ago when I went to, he came to fix the, the wine cooler wine fridge thing, and he was like, $500. And I was like, immediately, no. And then I fixed it for $45 and I was like, why? What? What? This is crazy. And it can't be like, oh, it's gonna be his hourly rate, because he came out for $75 to try to figure out what was wrong.
So I'm like, this is your what? What's going on here? Because I fixed it and it took me, I don't know, four, five minutes and I don't know shit about shit. So why do you take him way less? I literally swipe out, swap out the board, all I'm getting swindled, duped. Fuck that.
I don't need to know that that person like cares about me in terms of like sending me a card on my birthday. Like, I actually don't want a card. I, I actually never want a card. 'cause I'm like, what the fuck, what am I do with this? It's like very nice gesture and I let people, some people like to do that, but like, I actually, because I'm like, what do I, what do I do with this thing?
So, you know, if, if you wanna send it, 'cause you're like, whatever. But like I don't need a card to know that someone cares about me, is what I'm saying. Um, what I care about most there is that I know I'm not getting duped or swindled. Damaging admissions, take me underneath the hood. Right? Show me what's going on.
Tell me what the pricing is. They have it all, you know, lie whatever, line item, and, and, and displayed, like, I don't wanna get swindled. Right? So the action item here is obviously to have your customer's best interest at heart, but more tactically, you know, what does that look like? It's transparency. List your prices.
I know I keep saying it, but it's like the simplest thing and I'm like, how are we still even discussing this? Don't have manufactured urgency or scarcity doors. Closing is real. Actual limited spaces is real. That's enough to get people to buy in order to like make others shit up. Say no when it's not for someone, or when you cannot help them.
Recommend other providers if they'd be a better fit. And of course, have a really good fucking service. Don't have 50 people in something that needs one-on-one support with you in order for people to succeed and that you've also advertised as having one-on-one support. Like this shit is so simple. It's so simple.
It's so simple, right? So is selling out? Is selling on Black Friday selling out? Only if you've been selling out for the rest of the fucking year and you're just continuing with your bullshit. Yes. I do think it's prudent to think about how these potential sales tie into how you act interacted with customers in the past as well.
Right. AKA offering, a super disc super deep discount on like a live service. Right. Like, I'm gonna have one-on-one calls and I'm gonna discount 'em by like a zillion percent. This is, this is different, uh, than if we compare this to an on-demand recording, right? So a super discount on a live service is different than offering a discount on like an on-demand recording.
Why? Because when it was live, the folks. They got more value. 'cause they'd ask, they could ask you questions in real time, right? The on demand folks can't ask you anything. So I feel less, I feel less of a way about discounting a, a recorded offering or self-paced something, right? Or, you know, changing the price on recurring payments.
So dropping the price of a membership, right? If you're trying, dropping the price of a membership just to get to get new people in. Meanwhile, you have OGs that have been there and they're paying more, and then those are the ones that have been supporting you. That's fucking whack. That's fucking whack.
But all of this, obviously, this ties into doing right by your people and having their best interests at heart.
So those are my two pennies and then some, uh, on the matter. I am honestly just grateful that you're thinking about this stuff at all, because to tie it back into the intro, yes, the US economy is massive. Global capitalism is global, and we're not gonna just, you know, dismantle it, destroy it in five seconds, right?
But I think one of the things that we can do in, perhaps the best thing we can do that will actually and could actually make a difference, is look at how we are perpetuating the system. And then do something different. Yes, I will be running sales, but likely on Cyber Monday because I don't like to be worrying about all the shit and like, oh, it's, they like messed up on the coupon code or some shit.
Uh, during Thanksgiving, right, it's my favorite holiday. I go home, I spend it with Lex, I spend it with my family, and it is literally my favorite. Um, so no, probably the next week, what am I selling? I'm not even sure yet. I'm not a hundred percent sure yet, but I'm thinking self-paced Instagram course. Um, and I'm also thinking about redoing my, my self-paced podcast course.
'cause it's currently not even available for sale. It was only for people that attended the, um, the live version of it. I did a, a live, uh, workshop, so thinking about redoing it and then offering that, I don't know. We'll see. We'll see, thinking about possibly introducing a new one-on-one offer for folks that are just starting out in the online space and want some like structure guidance.
Not sure. I'm not a hundred, a hundred percent sure yet. Again, this is me thinking about what do people actually need? What would be helpful? How does this play into people, you know, the, the, how does this tie into things that I've sold in the past and am I offering it to the people that are supporting me the most?
Like, and, and being fair to them and, and just having everyone's best interest at heart. So. We'll see. Obviously stay tuned, uh, and get on the emails, email list if you're already on it, because that's why I share all the things. It's easier for my brain and also I just prefer it. So thank you for linking that, Courtney.
Lastly, for those of you wondering, as I'm saying this, maybe you're like, wait, I'm starting to feel something in my body. If you're wondering if selling on Black Friday or Cyber Monday perpetuates the bullshit, the bullshit of, of selling in this case, um, and the bullshit of of consumerism. Because, you know, perhaps you're like, I get it, I'm, I'm not selling out.
But you know, and it feels aligned. But am I promoting this consumer culture? It's a very fair question, and I love that you're thinking like this. To me, it is very extremely worth fighting consumer culture. But you don't do that by pretending it doesn't exist. Right? So the Buckminster Fuller quote, I have a TA literally tattooed on my side.
And it, it goes, you never change things by fighting the existing reality to change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete. Commerce isn't going anywhere and nor do I really want it to, right? So to me it is not about just fighting it and then, and trying to fight it by like pretending that it's not a thing to me.
Build a new model. And so that's show people what it means to buy shit that's actually worth it, that they actually may need. From someone who actually gives a shit about them. Right? And as you reflect on this, you may be like, maybe my services aren't as necessary. That's okay. Right? Because what does necessary mean?
And I'm not trying to get like philosophical with this in order to justify consumerism. I'm saying my services is an online business coach, are not life or death. But I will also happily pay my, uh, volleyball coach and his services are not life or death. And I, I pay him all, every six weeks. Happily and I, I wish that I could do more.
Right. I love that so much. So I get it. You may sit with this and be like, wow, I'm learning that. Like my services are nice to have, not need to have, I think that's like all services, like how many things are I actually need to have at groceries? Right. But how many things are like truly need to have? And I've said it with online business coaching.
I make all these things as I'm like, fuck, don't sign up with me. Go ahead and listen to the podcast. Go ahead and read my other shit that I have. Like, that's fine. You don't. I like that phrase. Coaches need coaches. They fucking hate it. Like the phrase I think was invented so that coaches could justify their high fucking prices and, and selling business coaching.
They're like, coaches need coaches. I'm like, do they? I don't know if they do, like maybe could it benefit them? Sure. But like, also it's fine. So you might realize that, and that's okay. I, I don't want you to be like, I shouldn't sell anything then. No. It's just like, make peace with that. I don't think that very many things are, need to have.
Many are nice to have and that can be reflected when things get tough and times get tough. It's like people stop buying because it's a, it's a nicety, not a, not a necessity for sure. But to. Change things to change consumer's culture, consumer culture to get rid of it if you want to. To me, it's about showing people what it means to buy shit that's worth it from someone who actually gives a shit.
Uh, on the flip side here, if to you fighting against or getting rid of consumer culture, replacing consumer culture means not selling anything. I love that for you as well. But again, pretending something doesn't exist isn't the best way to build something new. So soft suggestion here to share with your people what you're doing instead, right?
This is REI. Perfect example with their get outside campaign. Love that for them. Love that for you. Lastly, lastly, because I said lastly before I'm saying it again. Uh. If you have feels because people are struggling right now and you're selling your wares, go and do something about their struggle. Go do something to help their struggle, right?
Spoiling you, struggle you struggling, does nothing to help them, right? So go donate your time or your money or whatever speaks to you and actually, you know, addresses the thing that you're concerned about. Okay? So there, I'm gonna officially wrap it up. This one got a little long. Uh. And also I don't have anything else to say presently.
Uh, but I did enjoy recording. I enjoyed writing this one out. I enjoyed thinking about it and I enjoyed, enjoyed recording it. So hopefully you found it helpful. If you did, perhaps consider sharing it with somebody who you've been chatting with about Black Friday. 'cause I know y'all in this audience are thinkers and you'll be yapping with your friends about good things like this.
And I love that. I love that for all of us. So that's all. As always, endlessly, endlessly. One more time, endlessly appreciative for every single one of you. Until next time, friends maestro out.
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