84 - How Being an Introverted Entrepreneur Can be Your Superpower and Learning to Rest with Jessica Williamson

Calling all introverts! Jessica shares how entrepreneurship IS for you - even if it doesn’t look the way you thought.

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE HERE:

Jessica is an award-winning Business and Mindset Coach and a serial entrepreneur, who has scaled multiple successful businesses in the last several years. Jess has been featured in several publications Forbes, news.com.au, and was the winner of the 2018 Businesses of Tomorrow award.

In this episode, we talk about how Jessica scaled back and sold one of her businesses and created a more flexible schedule that is so much more in line with the life she wants to live. She talks about how she schedules her days, and how being an Introvert can be your superpower as an entrepreneur. We also talk about how we need to rest and manage our energy as Business Owners.

Connect with Jess:

https://www.jessicawilliamson.com.au/free-resources

Instagram: instagram.com/jess.williamson8

An Introvert’s Journey Into Entrepreneurship

Jessica shares her story - how she studied marketing and management in college and then worked in marketing before starting her own businesses. Her first business was a swimwear brand which she launched in 2016, grew and scaled globally, and eventually sold, making room to build an influencer travel agency, an events and photo shoot venue, and has been coaching for the past four years. 

An Introverted Serial Entrepreneur’s Breaking Point

In 2020, the travel business and events venue were forced to close due to the pandemic, and Jessica realized that running five businesses at once was not sustainable for her health and stress levels. 

So she let go of those businesses and focused on her coaching business which she finds more fulfilling. It was a difficult transition but also a good reset and helped her to realize the importance of having a less stress and more relaxed lifestyle.

Time Management vs Energy Management

Time management is not as important as energy management!

Jessica focuses on managing her energy to get the most out of her time. Instead of allocating a specific amount of time for a task, she focuses on the task at hand and how much she can accomplish in that time. She also emphasizes the importance of focusing on one task at a time instead of trying to multitask, which can lead to less productivity. She also believes that it's important to prioritize what's important and to not be afraid of saying "good enough is enough." You can build a business that allows for a balanced lifestyle rather than just working all the time.

Burnout, Rest, and Rewiring Your Mind

Jessica Williamson explains that it is important to not only schedule time off but also to work on the deeper subconscious mind around rewiring some of the habits and beliefs that keep us in a state of burnout. 

She also mentions that rest is a practice that one has to get good at, as our bodies may feel uncomfortable when not used to it.

• We have to rewire the nervous system and the subconscious mind to adapt to a new state of mind and learn to trust in it. 

• It's also important to understand that rest is not a sign of laziness but rather a sign of taking care of oneself and allowing the body to recover.

Introverts vs Extroverts - A Matter of Energy

Introverts and extroverts are different in the way they get energy. 

Introverts

• Introverts get energy from being by themselves. 

Being an introvert in business can actually be a superpower because introverts tend to be more introspective and quiet, which can lead to better decision making and strategic planning. Additionally, introverts often excel at deep work and can be more productive when they have time to focus and work independently. 

Extroverts

• Extroverts get energy from being around people

It's important to note that people can fall anywhere on the scale and may have traits of both introversion and extroversion.

Jessica Williamson is an entrepreneur and business coach who is passionate about helping introverted entrepreneurs create successful businesses that align with their values and strengths. In the conversation, she emphasizes the importance of rest and self-care for entrepreneurs and how it can lead to more productivity, creativity and quality in their work. She also talks about the mindset shift that is necessary for entrepreneurs to take time off and have flexibility in their schedule. Moreover, she highlights the importance of being true to oneself and not compromising on values for the sake of pleasing others.

Our Top Business Resources to Support Female Entrepreneurs:

• Free Masterclass “How to Scale a Profitable Business without working around the clock”

• Action Takers Club: Our Signature Business Course + Community to Support you in Scaling a Profitable Business

• Ready to Take Your Business to the Next Level in an Intimate Group of other Successful Entrepreneurs? Learn about our Mastermind

• One on One Business Coaching and Strategy Consulting with Danielle Wiebe

TRANSCRIPT

[00:00:00] Danielle Wiebe: Today on the podcast, we have an amazing guest Jessica Williamson, who is an award winning business and mindset coach and serial entrepreneur who has scaled multiple successful businesses in the past several years. Jessica has been featured in several publications, including Forbes, News.com.au, and it was the winner of the 2018 business of tomorrow award.

[00:00:25] In this episode, we actually talk about how Jessica, after scaling multiple businesses, Scaled back, sold one of her businesses and now has a extremely flexible schedule that is more in line with the type of lifestyle that she wants to live. I love our conversation cuz we dive into so many different topics, one of them being how being an introverted entrepreneur is actually a super power that you can use to your advantage.

[00:00:51] We talk about learning to rest and also managing your energy as you scale your business. I am so excited for you to tune in and I would [00:01:00] love to hear what you think. So if you love this episode, let us know and leave us a review and let us know what stood out to you from this episode. Before we dive in, a quick reminder that applications are officially closing for our mastermind tomorrow.

[00:01:15] So if you have not applied yet, and you've been meaning to send in your application today and tomorrow are your absolute last chances to apply for this round. So go to businessbabescollective.com/mastermind if you wanna get your application in. This is for you if you have been making consistent income in your business and you know, your business has incredible potential for growth, you would love to start freeing up more of your time and you wanna start billing in passive income, but you have no idea what the next steps are.

[00:01:44] And you crave an intimate group of entrepreneurs who can support you, challenge you, and ones who you can brainstorm with and collaborate with and just do life and business with. Go to businessbabescollective.com/mastermind. [00:02:00] After tomorrow, after our deadline, still get your application in because you are gonna be the first to know when we open up our applications next.

[00:02:08] I can't wait to see your application come through. I can't wait to meet you and hopefully welcome you into our incredible community. All right. Well, now let's go ahead and get started with our episode today.

[00:02:20] Welcome to the business babes collective podcast. I'm your host, Danielle Wiebe. In this podcast, you'll learn tangible business tips and strategies on how to grow successfully and sustainably. We'll also interview season entrepreneurs so you can listen in on their stories and see behind the scenes of what it took to grow and scale their businesses. Let's dive in, as we discussed the wild, exciting, challenging, rollercoaster ride of entrepreneurship.

[00:02:50] Hi, welcome Jessica. So excited to have you on the podcast today. Thanks for joining me.

[00:02:55] Jessica Williamson: Hey, danielle, I'm so excited to chat.

[00:02:58] Danielle Wiebe: Awesome. Well, let's get [00:03:00] started and I would love for you to tell our listeners a little bit more about yourself. I know that you have run a few different businesses. So tell us a little bit about your backstory. How did you become an entrepreneur? What inspired you to do so, and tell us a little bit about your business.

[00:03:14] Jessica Williamson: Yeah. So it's interesting because I feel like I was born, I feel like I was born to, to do this. And when I was choosing what to study at university, I would've been like 17 years old and I went to, you know, the fairs where you learn what all the courses are about.

[00:03:29] And I literally remember saying to my mom, I probably should do management studies because if I'm gonna be a CEO one day, that's probably the logical choice and like, this is just how my brain was working. So I ended up studying marketing and management and worked in marketing for a while. I have now been working for myself in business for like seven years, which is kind of crazy, like time flies.

[00:03:54] And so my very first business was a swimwear brand and I launched that back in [00:04:00] 2016, grew and scaled that globally and have warehouses in the US and Hong Kong and recently sold that last year. But that was amazing. And then, after that I built out a, an influencer travel agency, which was all based on collaborations, basically.

[00:04:17] So we would get trips and holidays, and we went to Fiji and the Whitsundays, and I would bring influencers with millions of followers from all over the world together on these trips to promote certain brands. And then I also had like an events and photo shoot venue here in Perth, in Australia. And now I've been doing my coaching.

[00:04:36] So now I've kind of exited or finished up those businesses. They just, they were amazing at the time, but they weren't what I feel like I was meant to be doing. You know, they were really fun, but it wasn't my purpose. And so I've been coaching now for about four years. So back in 2019, I was doing all five at once.

[00:04:54] And then obviously,

[00:04:55] Danielle Wiebe: wow.

[00:04:55] Jessica Williamson: 2020 happened, the travel ones just stopped the events [00:05:00] venue. I still ran for a bit, but then exited that and then exited the swimmer brand last year. And just really coming back to what does success mean to me? And that just really gets to feel like the flow and ease and less stress and not having to run five businesses at once, including global brands and everything. And while I could do it, it doesn't mean my nervous system and my stress levels are happy about that, so.

[00:05:26] Danielle Wiebe: Well, congratulations for growing those businesses to successful businesses, but then also realizing that you wanted to step back and. That could be like a very difficult decision because it's something that you built from the ground up.

[00:05:42] You maybe have that attachment to it and like not wanting to let it go. So I'm just curious, like, how is that transition phase for you of letting go of the other things? And I know that like with the travel, it kind of was like, you were forced to let go of it. Similar with us with events. It's like, well, I didn't really have a choice, I couldn't do [00:06:00] it. Yeah. So would love to know like, how was that transition? Was it hard at the beginning. And, and how did that kind of go for you?

[00:06:06] Jessica Williamson: Yes. So to be honest, when 2020 hit, it was a good reset to just realize, oh, I can feel relaxed. Like I was running on adrenaline the previous three, four years, which is not good for anyone's health and anything.

[00:06:22] So that was a great reset, firstly, but also I started to lose the passion and the momentum for the swimwear brand. So I had been running that for probably four years by then, and I started to just lose the passion. I was also already doing coaching, so I've been coaching full time for four years. So I was already had that.

[00:06:42] It wasn't like, oh, I don't wanna do that. And I'm not sure where's next. I

[00:06:45] Danielle Wiebe: right.

[00:06:46] Jessica Williamson: Kind of it just happened. And the coaching business, I was always already working more than full time on that. And then, the swimwear brand was extra on the day, which wasn't much cuz I'd systemized, automated, you know, built it [00:07:00] out.

[00:07:00] But I started to lose the passion and uh, what I knew to be true in business is when you start to lose a passion, you not only start to plateau, but if you plateau for long enough, it starts to go downhill.

[00:07:11] Danielle Wiebe: Right.

[00:07:11] Jessica Williamson: And so I knew that I could either hold onto it, have it there. But what I also knew was it may not take much time outta my day, maybe two hours out of the day, just overseeing, managing things. But the energy and the capacity in my brain that I had to hold to just continue with that was, was another, you know, weight that I had to carry around. So, I knew that I could either hold onto it, hold that energetic weight. And also, um, let it start to go downhill or I could decide. Cool. I've done amazing with where I've gotten it to.

[00:07:48] I am so proud of myself with what I've built and it was such a fun ride. I still have those memories. Like I still have that and it almost felt. I guess, you know, in the movies, like about a breakup, it's [00:08:00] like, oh, just get me out, get me out when you are in it. And then you get out and you're like, oh, all the nice memories. So

[00:08:05] Danielle Wiebe: yes,

[00:08:06] Jessica Williamson: that's kinda what it was like when the deal was finalized. And I sold it to someone in the us because a lot of our audience were over there. And when the deal was finalized, I was like, oh, all the nice memories, but I was like, but I still have those nice memories. And now I can build out new memories in the other work that I'm getting to do and really lean into having more balance, but also still, you know, building out a coaching business and all of the things involved in that as well.

[00:08:32] Danielle Wiebe: Oh, I love that. That's so great. I love that you shared that because I think often it actually made me think of when we look at other people's businesses and we always think the grass is always greener and we think, oh, it must be so easy for them. And, but we don't recognize all like the hard work and the, the grind and the grit that like it took to get that business to where it is.

[00:08:55] And similar kind of with how you were looking at the business after you sold it, like, [00:09:00] oh, like, but all the memories, but then you're like, oh yeah, but then it was a lot of work when I was in it.

[00:09:04] Jessica Williamson: Yeah.

[00:09:05] Danielle Wiebe: Now you're in this season where things are more aligned and you're able to act, do what you love and serve people in that capacity. And then you probably have more flexibility and freedom than you did with your other jobs too. Right?

[00:09:19] Jessica Williamson: Yeah. And just more focus as well.

[00:09:21] Danielle Wiebe: Yeah, I love that. I love that. So tell us a little bit about how you schedule your time, because I know like a lot of entrepreneurs, that's a huge thing of, they really struggle with that because whether they are part-time or full-time in their business, People always feel like they don't have enough time, right?

[00:09:42] Jessica Williamson: Yes.

[00:09:43] Danielle Wiebe: Like it always feels like, okay, when you're parttime, you're like, oh man, if I could just be full time in my business,

[00:09:48] Jessica Williamson: mm-hmm

[00:09:48] Danielle Wiebe: and then people go full time and they're like, wait, how do I still not have enough time?

[00:09:52] Jessica Williamson: Yeah.

[00:09:52] Danielle Wiebe: Like this doesn't make any sense. So I would love to know, what is your schedule? How do you plan your schedule? What does that look like? [00:10:00]

[00:10:00] Jessica Williamson: Yeah. So I guess that was a huge thing that I realized when I was stripping back and building out more balance. And I know that's something you are super passionate about as well is not building a business to just work all the time, but to build a business, to allow ourselves to have this lifestyle.

[00:10:17] And one of the biggest things is, if we have more time or if we have less time, time is still an issue. So therefore. I don't think it's time. I think it is priorities. And also managing our energy more than we manage our time. So we could say, okay, cool. I will allow two hours for this task or two hours for whatever the project is.

[00:10:41] But if our energy isn't being focused in that two hours, that two hours gets blown out or we don't achieve as much in that time. And so I like to talk about it in terms of energy management, not so much time management. And if we were had our kid, I don't have kids, but let's, it's always a good [00:11:00] example.

[00:11:00] You know, if we had kids and we were trying to do a bit of kids' time, but we're also on our phone a little bit. And we're also like trying to reply to emails at the same time. We're giving each area 25%. And even though we spent one hour with the kids and one hour on emails, we've actually barely even got 20% of the same output that we would've had otherwise.

[00:11:22] And so for me having that focus or that energy management is really key and saying, okay, for this one hour, I'm going to focus on this and see how much I can get done. And if it doesn't get done in that hour, sometimes good enough is done. You know, sometimes good enough is enough. And if we allow ourselves five hours to do something, it will take five hours.

[00:11:43] If we allow ourselves one hour.

[00:11:45] Danielle Wiebe: Yeah.

[00:11:45] Jessica Williamson: It will take one hour. So we fill the time. Because we allocate it, but when we look at energy, it's different. So that's the one, the first thing. And then something that I used to do in terms of my schedule was, and I say used to, and I was [00:12:00] like a few months ago is I scheduled everything I put in shower. I put in breakfast cuz, when I used to be super severely burned out years ago, I didn't eat or shower or anything until 3:00 PM. And I'd be like, oh my God, it's three o'clock because I got on the computer and then forgot, forgot everything else. And so

[00:12:19] Danielle Wiebe: yeah. I've they've done that.

[00:12:21] Jessica Williamson: Yeah. And for me to create that balance to start with, I had to have the control. So I had to schedule a shower because otherwise I would say, okay, work, this task will take this long. And then I forgot - what about lunch? like, what about the time that you might need to go to the bathroom or these things that we don't allocate when we start to schedule our work? We look at our to-do list and say, yeah, I could get that done.

[00:12:45] But we don't think about rest. We don't think about eating. We don't think about the rest that we actually need. So that was really helpful for me initially, to work that out. And what I also implemented was feel good Fridays. And so my [00:13:00] feel good Fridays was just a day to do whatever made me feel good. And sometimes that meant catching up on work.

[00:13:07] If that meant that it removed some stress from other days. But I tried not to do that cuz the point of it was to do other things. I also used it to rest if I needed to rest go and just have fun if I needed to. And that was a really great stepping stone from where I was in burnout to then creating this balance and more flow was by having the rigidity of my schedule.

[00:13:31] But actually now I've gotten to a point where I have so much flow in my calendars where I don't really need to book much. Last week, I had two hours of client mastermind, two hours only. That was it. This week I have five cuz I ran a free masterclass and a couple of my mastermind calls and then next week, two hours again, and then the rest is complete flow and that doesn't mean I only work two hours.

[00:13:57] Danielle Wiebe: Right.

[00:13:57] Jessica Williamson: But, it means I can choose if [00:14:00] I wanna spend the afternoon watching the Kardashians, I can. Cause if I need that then I can, if I feel super lit up super motivated on a role with my energy, then I can lean into the projects, the work, the things that I really want to do to move my business forward. So I've kind of gone through the phases where I needed that rigidity in my schedule to get into the habit to create that.

[00:14:24] And then now it's having the business system structures and all of that to allow that flow to allow me to only need two hours in the week with client touchpoint time. And then the rest gets to be working on my business, learning connections, whatever it gets to look like. And so that has been super powerful in just seeing my own journey with what that had to look like.

[00:14:48] Danielle Wiebe: Mm. I love that so much. And I think it's so good to be able to have that flow. And do you feel like, cuz you said like you had to start with that rigid [00:15:00] schedule to kind of get you going and then now you feel like you're in the flow.

[00:15:03] Do you feel like that had to be just like a mindset shift in, because I know a lot of entrepreneurs myself included and I know that I'm getting better at this, but it's always that like, am I doing enough? Like if I'm not working, you know, I'm missing out on something or I should be doing this, I should be doing that.

[00:15:21] So for you, was it that mindset shift that you had to make in order to allow yourself to take that time off, to have that flexibility, to be able to have more flow in your schedule instead of like,

[00:15:34] Jessica Williamson: yeah,

[00:15:34] Danielle Wiebe: I need to be creating all this content or I need to do this. I need to do that.

[00:15:38] Jessica Williamson: Definitely. So it comes from a deep, inner trust and knowing, and there is so much, like, I do a lot of deep in a mindset work with my clients.

[00:15:47] Danielle Wiebe: Yeah.

[00:15:47] Jessica Williamson: And one of the biggest reasons why I feel like people never have enough time or don't have freedom or, you know, feeling burned out is because our body gains benefits from predictability. [00:16:00] And if our body is always in a state of adrenaline and stress and burnout, Then our body knows how to keep us alive, right?

[00:16:10] It knows how much stress and, and adrenaline, it needs to survive. That is our brain's job, basically to keep us alive. And if we then try and rest, guess what our heart rate goes down, our hormones change and our body says I don't know what this new territory looks like. So what's safer for me is to take you back to that state of mind.

[00:16:35] And so what that looks like is you tell yourself, Hmm, I'm gonna finish work at 12:00 PM today. Treat myself and then magically you're still on your computer at five o'clock. Because, even though nothing was urgent, even though the stuff you did to fill in that extra time didn't need to be done. Your brain says it does need to be done to keep us alive.

[00:16:56] Like this is what our subconscious mind is telling us. So in the [00:17:00] background, it does take a lot of rewiring of not just saying, okay, great. I'm gonna schedule half the week off and go from this to that. And sometimes it's it's time, but sometimes we can work on the deeper subconscious mind around rewiring some of this.

[00:17:16] So scheduling things is great for external boundaries, external structure, but then the internal world still says hey, you're lazy or Hey, you should be working. And so it needs that predictability. So it's like rewiring the nervous system, the subconscious mind and all of that definitely helps.

[00:17:37] Danielle Wiebe: Yeah. Yeah. Oh, thank you for diving into that because I think it's helpful to recognize how our bodies are reacting and how this is, how it becomes a habit almost to get into that burnout mode of

[00:17:52] Jessica Williamson: mm-hmm

[00:17:52] Danielle Wiebe: just working around the clock and, you know, never taking time to rest and all of that, because I know that's definitely the first [00:18:00] several years of entrepreneurship for me was just that

[00:18:03] Jessica Williamson: mm-hmm ,

[00:18:03] Danielle Wiebe: as, as I've heard that it, it was for you as well. And so do you feel like rest is a practice that you have to almost get good at resting because your body, if you're not used to it, then it's almost like, it feels really uncomfortable. Like I remember just sitting and doing nothing, even if it was like drinking a cup of coffee and just staring out the window. To me, that was so uncomfortable to do.

[00:18:27] Jessica Williamson: Yes.

[00:18:27] Danielle Wiebe: Like it was like, like I can't just sit here and do nothing. I have to be doing something.

[00:18:32] Jessica Williamson: Yeah. We felt like we have to always be productive. So the first time I realized that was a thing, I was on this retreat and I was a speaker at the retreat and it was a wellness retreat and there was no wifi. There was no phone service. And I don't know if you have that, where you live, but a lot of places in Australia, there was like no phone service. You were completely off the grid.

[00:18:52] And my body went into a bit of anxiety because I was like, oh, I can't check my Instagram. I can't check my phone. [00:19:00] And my phone was absolutely useless. And so on this retreat, it was very wellness- vibey. And I was, and you know, they, yoga is at 6:00 AM. So I was there at 5:55 and I was like, where is everyone?

[00:19:11] And everyone would rock up like 15 minutes past six. And it was like such a flowy thing. And that I was like, what is going on? This is so outrageous. But there was a lot of break time and people would just be off like having a stroll or. So I thought, okay. I'll try and have a relaxing walk. It's beautiful nature.

[00:19:29] And so I started to go for a walk and I was like, nah, not that way. And then I went in a different way. And then the lady who was catering the event, she said jess are you okay? Because you look like someone's just died. And I thought to myself, if I look like this, when I'm trying to have a relaxing walk, then something's wrong.

[00:19:47] Danielle Wiebe: Me too!

[00:19:49] Jessica Williamson: Cause I didn't know. It was so uncomfortable to just be. And what happens in that is again, it's our body and our mind saying this is unsafe, we don't know what's going on. [00:20:00] But, at the same time, when we stop emotions, come through. When we stop, be thoughts, come through around what is hard, what we are fearful of, you know, all of these limiting beliefs or fears or self talk, whatever it is, come through.

[00:20:15] and it sounds very, very loud. And so it's almost like just building up that muscle of, okay. Maybe I'll give myself 30 seconds and I'll just do some deep breathing. 30 seconds, no music, no podcasts, no nothing. And try that and then, okay. That felt okay, next time I'll do two minutes and then next time I'll do 15 minutes, but I honestly tell my clients all the time, when they're feeling overwhelmed or they've got big goals or stressed, or even just like mind blank, you know, that can happen. Like you're like, oh, I know I should post something on social media, but my brain is empty. And that usually comes because they haven't given their brain space.

[00:20:56] And so it's really powerful when we can just [00:21:00] go in nature, don't take a phone, don't take anything or just go for a walk with, by yourself and just like, thoughts come through. That's why we always have our best ideas in the shower, or, you know, when we're brushing our teeth because our brain has space. So I actually think that's one of the most productive things we can do is to not do anything and not try and do anything.

[00:21:21] Danielle Wiebe: Oh, I love that so much because, I agree and I feel that like, even over the past couple of years, I've shifted so much in like my business and what my focus has been. And I have recognized that I have spent so much less time on social media, whereas like social media was like, Basically the entire way that we grew our business back when we started and all of that kind of stuff. And I find that I've, I'm so much more creative. I have way better ideas when I have very limited time than I'm spending on social media.

[00:21:56] Jessica Williamson: Yes.

[00:21:57] Danielle Wiebe: It's like, it's, I'm able to actually [00:22:00] think of, like think creatively, I'm able to actually, if I'm thinking of podcast episodes or all of those kind of things, I can like open up my Google docs and just start writing when I'm not like checking my Instagram all the time. And so,

[00:22:13] Jessica Williamson: yeah,

[00:22:13] Danielle Wiebe: I love that. You said that because I think it's such a good point and a lot of entrepreneurs, you know, they don't allow themselves to take that time and space away from it, cause I think they have to be on it all the time, but I think, you know, I'm sure this is something too, that, that you've recognized from either people you've coached for yourself is, you know, if you're just sort of like creating content to create content and just regurgitating or whatever, it's not gonna necessarily be quality, right?

[00:22:39] Jessica Williamson: Mm-hmm

[00:22:40] Danielle Wiebe: so if it's coming from a place of, oh, I quickly have to post this, then it's not gonna be necessarily valuable. So like you said, it's probably more productive to actually rest. Like go for a walk, get out in nature, do something like that so that you can come back refreshed. So I love that it took you going to a retreat where you had [00:23:00] no access to internet to be like, oh, this is not okay that I'm not able to rest.

[00:23:06] Jessica Williamson: Yeah. And we just like, it becomes our new normal, and we don't even know. We're not even aware of that it's not normal.

[00:23:13] Danielle Wiebe: yeah. So, so good. I love it. Okay. I would love to transition a little bit and talk about being an entrepreneur who is introverted, because I know that's something that you're passionate about sharing.

[00:23:26] And I would love, because I know that a lot of people who listen to this podcast would define themselves as you know, they're not an extrovert, they're an introvert. And then I think some people also don't really know. So I guess like to start, can you maybe describe what you would consider an introvert and then why do you think that introverts actually have a superpower when it comes to business? Cause I think a lot of people think I have to be extroverted in order to grow my business. So yeah. What would you have to say to that?

[00:23:55] Jessica Williamson: So technically the technical definition of an introvert is you get [00:24:00] energy from being by yourself. Whereas extroverts get super energized being around people, which I can't even fathom the idea of that. Like doesn't so if you can't fathom the idea, then you're probably an introvert, but if you hate alone time, then possibly you're an extrovert.

[00:24:15] But what tends to be grouped with that is introverts often are quieter or me more introspective because they are looking inwards quite often. And so what would you say you are? And obviously people can be anywhere on the scale as well.

[00:24:31] Danielle Wiebe: I think I'm an extrovert. However, I do need to rest, like, for example, when we host events after I'm just like so incredibly exhausted

[00:24:41] Jessica Williamson: mm-hmm

[00:24:41] Danielle Wiebe: so I'm super energized in the moment. Like I'm just like loving every second of it. And then I'm like, I go home. Like I need to sleep for like the next day and like, not be around people for the, for like the next week kind of thing.

[00:24:55] Jessica Williamson: Yeah. Yeah.

[00:24:56] Danielle Wiebe: So I don't know if like maybe a little bit of both. I'm not sure, but yeah.

[00:24:59] Jessica Williamson: [00:25:00] So oftentimes I mean, people think extrovert equals loud. Introvert equals quiet, but introvert is literally just how you get your energy. So there are people who are introvert. Who I know are super loud. super loud people, but they really need their alone time and people can be in the middle as well. But yeah, typically that's kind of what it is.

[00:25:19] And for so long, I'm definitely on the quieter, you know, I always used to fly under the radar and all of that as well, which also comes with a bit of confidence, but I don't get out there and like scream and dance. You know, if I'm doing a speaking event, I'm not the crazy like screaming kind of person on stage, but I still have an impact. And so for so long, I thought I had to like almost before a speaking event or even a podcast, I would like try and channel this extrovert.

[00:25:47] How can I be louder? How can I be more impactful? Cuz people don't listen to me if I'm not loud and all of these stories, we can tell ourselves. But what I actually realized is that there's so much power in being an [00:26:00] introvert because we have like this superpower around listening. And so while if it's at an event, I don't talk, I don't talk much. On one-on-one, I'll talk, but at an event, networking, whatever it is, I observe, I observe and like, listen and, and do all of that.

[00:26:19] And so that's pretty powerful because we get all of this extra information and that's been really cool for me in my coaching, because I can really listen on a deeper level and it's not to say extroverts can't listen, but you know, those are typically some characteristics and that gets to be really powerful in business.

[00:26:38] And it also comes through in terms of, I may not speak lots in group environments, but when I do speak, there's power to it because I've introspectively processed it. And then when I do speak, it has a purpose and really intentional about the words that I do use when I do use them. So there's so many different things and I just think that so often people [00:27:00] say I'm an introvert, so I don't have to show up on social media.

[00:27:03] I'm just an introvert. So I don't have to show my face or do speaking events, you know, that's for the extroverts, but that's just a limiting belief. Really? No, you don't have to be super loud and yes, you probably will get super drained from being around a lot of people, but it's also knowing how to manage that energy.

[00:27:18] So, like you said, after events, I was the same. I used to do back to back events. Like I would fly to Sydney, do an event, two days later, fly to Melbourne, do another event and have a million meetings in between. Whereas now I would fly somewhere, have an event, have like a week rest

[00:27:34] Danielle Wiebe: yeah.

[00:27:34] Jessica Williamson: And then do something else and that's like deep rest. So managing of the energy when you are around people and also, yeah, just understanding that, sorry, but being an introvert is not an excuse to, to play small and to hide away because you have so much to share as well.

[00:27:53] Danielle Wiebe: Oh, that's so good. And I think that no matter if people are introverted or extroverted, I think there's [00:28:00] just so much value in recognizing the strengths in your personality type

[00:28:06] Jessica Williamson: mm-hmm

[00:28:06] Danielle Wiebe: and also some of the weaknesses. And again, like so hard for me to know if I'm an introvert or extrovert. Cause I'm like, I love being around people, but then like you said, like I could, if I were to do have to do back to back events, I'd be like crazy exhausted. So I'm like, I think I'm a little bit of both.

[00:28:20] As someone who always thought of themselves as an extrovert, I think one of the things that I have loved in being in relationships with people that are more introverted and also just like learning how to really listen and learning like that, introspective listening and understanding before you speak. And so I think, as entrepreneurs, I love that entrepreneurship, I feel like is just like a personal development journey and we're always learning more about ourselves and what our strengths are, what our weaknesses are, what are things that we can work on.

[00:28:56] And so, yeah, I love that you shared that and that's so encouraging for [00:29:00] people who are introverted and maybe, like you said, think that they can't do certain things or they, they're not gonna be as successful in business if they're one way or the other. And that's just simply not true because, clearly, there's people on both sides that have been able to be successful because they have been able to hone in their strengths and also potentially work on the weaknesses. So I love that.

[00:29:23] Jessica Williamson: Yeah. And that's where the light bulb clicked for me, because the challenge is there's a lot of people online saying, be your authentic self, be loud, be bold, swear if you want to. And I was like,

[00:29:34] Danielle Wiebe: yeah.

[00:29:35] Jessica Williamson: Maybe I need to start swearing. Maybe that's the answer to being yourself, but I just don't swear. So why am I gonna start swearing? But that is the message we get be yourself. Be bold, be loud. Be vibrant. Dance like a maniac, you know, all of these things. And I was like, is that the answer to being yourself? And there's no one online saying, be yourself, be quiet.

[00:29:56] Danielle Wiebe: yeah.

[00:29:56] Jessica Williamson: Be yourself. Now there is, like there's people and I'm speaking [00:30:00] about it as well, but that's why I was passionate about like sharing hey, I am an introvert and we don't have to hide behind the scenes and say, we can't do certain things because everyone says to be yourself, you have to be loud because

[00:30:12] Danielle Wiebe: mm-hmm.

[00:30:13] Jessica Williamson: That's true to them. That's amazing. That's amazing that they can now be super loud and be themselves, but there wasn't really anyone showing the opposite. Yes. Yeah.

[00:30:22] Danielle Wiebe: It's really interesting. Oh, I love that. You said that because when we see those things about like, be yourself and whatever. But sometimes we don't even really know necessarily who we are. We don't really know am I being this because I feel pressure to be this way or

[00:30:37] Jessica Williamson: mm-hmm

[00:30:37] Danielle Wiebe: and, and I am so passionate about people staying true to their own values as well. And like, not like compromising on certain things because they think that someone else is gonna like them because of this or whatever. And so I love that you spoke to that. I think that's so, so powerful. So thank you.

[00:30:53] I would love to ask you, because you've had a lot of experience in entrepreneurship. I would love to know what you are most [00:31:00] proud of, of your entrepreneurial journey so far.

[00:31:03] Jessica Williamson: Yeah. There are so many things that come to mind in that, but I think the main thing is my ability to just not take no for an answer and to just say I can aim high. Like I was invited to New York fashion week after one week in business, in my swimwear brand. And I could have said, well, who am I to go here? But I said, yes. And figured out the rest.

[00:31:25] So many times, I think people are held back by what you're allowed to do, but I'm like, what do you mean? You're allowed to do anything you want and no one can tell you what is possible for you. It's only up to you to say I'm capable of way more than anyone even thinks I am. And I'm going to also persevere until I make it happen if that's what I really wanna be doing. So that's something that's just got me through all of my businesses and creating the, the levels of success that I have today.

[00:31:54] Danielle Wiebe: Oh, that's awesome. I love that so much. So good. So where can everyone connect [00:32:00] with you? Where can people find you and tell us yeah, all the things on social media, on your website and your podcast as well.

[00:32:07] Jessica Williamson: Yes, okay, So we just had an amazing chat on my podcast as well. So you can find us over on Jess Williamson, the podcast recently changed the name by the way. So go,

[00:32:20] Danielle Wiebe: Oh fun!

[00:32:20] Jessica Williamson: Jess Williamson, the podcast, and that is such a fun episode to make sure you go and listen to that one. You can also find me on my Instagram, which is where I hang out the most at @jess.williamson8.

[00:32:32] And then also I have a few freebies. I'm always like updating free lessons, free resources. And I recently did a lesson on the deeper mindset blocks on why you keep saying, Hey, I want more freedom, but you're actually not having it. And I go into more detail around the things that I shared earlier around your body and the subconscious mind and all how that plays a part. So if you're interested as well, those will be on my website.

[00:32:58] Danielle Wiebe: Amazing. Amazing. [00:33:00] Well, thank you so much for joining us, Jess. I'm super grateful that we got to connect and yeah. Looking forward to seeing you and everything that you're doing and, and following your podcast and all of the things. So thanks for joining me.

[00:33:11] Jessica Williamson: Yay. Thanks so much. And thanks for having me.

[00:33:13] Danielle Wiebe: If you loved this episode, make sure you screenshot, post and tag us on Instagram @businessbabesco. Want to know when the next episode goes live? Subscribe on your podcast app, and while you're there, leave us a review. Until next time, keep dreaming big, setting goals and taking action.