My 13-year-old Mansplained how “You wasted ALL that time, Mom.”

Jack sidled up next to me yesterday at the picnic table & checked out my screen so he could comment on what I was up to.

You need to know that my kiddo is 13, precocious, opinionated, and likes to sometimes Mansplain stuff to me.

My screen portrayed a slide deck in its infancy – and said USP - Unique Selling Proposition.

“What’s it mean?”

I told him, “It’s your super power. The way you uniquely bring something to the marketplace.

Kind of like a recipe of several things that make people want to buy FROM YOU specifically.”

I’ll tell you - his insights are often brilliantly (and shockingly) spot on,

and he also misses the mark sometimes.

He said, “MOM! Your superpower is pulling ideas out of people’s brains! You know that right?”

Mmmmmhmmmm…

“And you WASTED it all those years working in a gym!”

SCREEEECH! Hold up, Kid.

Here’s the thing about your Unique Value – your Unique Selling Proposition…

There’s a LOT that goes into finding out what makes you special in the marketplace.

All the things that help a customer decide why to buy from YOU rather than someone else in the same industry.

But – your time…experiences…experiments –

ARE NOT WASTED>

They mesh together to make you DISTINCTIVE.

The best thing you can do for yourself – and your business – no matter where you are in your entrepreneurial journey –

Is to see that all the experiences you’ve had –

All the trainings & certificates & degrees –

All the jobs – the shitty ones and the great ones –

Have woven together to create a version of you that lets you bring YOUR BRILLIANCE to the world in…

In your exclusively particular-to-you way.

That’s why it’s called a USP: UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION>

Not, a “Check the box & do it the same way everyone else did Proposition.”

Without having been an office assistant for YEARS…

And then having become a teacher…then a college professor…

Making the terrifying from education to a brick & mortar fitness studio…

Learning the business from the inside, making every single mistake….

HOW COULD I BE HERE NOW, teaching this to my audience & clients, in the way that I do?

Set yourself free from thinking that you’ve somehow wasted a moment of time.

Even if you haven’t gotten as far as you want – yet.
Even if you’re unsure how it all weaves together…

It’s all been serving you.

What’s next for you?
What are you cooking up to bring to the world?

Commit to growing your business –

Know that your particular audience needs you in your EXACTLY kind of way.

Comment below & tell me what varied parts you’ve woven together to create the CURRENT version of you –

I’d love to hear your story.

Xo, Jen

You’ve got to read THIS PS: Then – the Mansplaining continued with advice on how to NOT make my training BORING. That I needed to add in some good stuff so that everyone in the room would be interested.

I reminded him I’ve got 2 Master’s degrees in teaching & education and about 21 years of experience, so I think I’ll be ok.

Sheesh! 🙄