Episode 207: Low on inspiration? What inspires me
Where are you finding your inspiration & who's inspiring you? In today's episode, Fiona talks about how to get your message out there through your brand and where she seeks inspiration as a business owner. Tune in!
Topics discussed in this episode:
Introduction
Passion Purpose Profit
On house renovation
Details in your marketing
Conclusion
Get in touch with My Daily Business Coach
Resources and Recommendations mentioned in this episode:
Tim and Flick
John Stamos
Emily Bode
Aaron Aujla
Hello and welcome to episode 207 of the My Daily Business Coach podcast. My name's Fiona Killackey, and I am your host here, and I'm also an award-winning, I should say, well I'm gonna celebrate that award-winning author. So if you listen to this podcast and you think, I would do just love to get more of that good information. You can find my book, Passion Purpose Profit had a sidestep, the hustle, and build a business you love at all good bookstores, all online places around the world. So if you haven't gotten into it, check it out. We'll link to it in the show notes as well, but it's simply called Passion Purpose Profit. Now, before we get stuck into today's tip episode, I wanted to acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians on the beautiful, beautiful land on which I am lucky enough to live and record this podcast and work and play. That is the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. And I pay my respects to their elders, past, present, and emerging, and acknowledge that sovereignty has never been ceded. And as a small business owner, I also pledge to work in ways that aid in true equality for our first nations people in Australia and for all people around the world. All right, let's get stuck into today's quick tip episode.
So as you may well know, I'm a business coach. It kind of goes with the name and I work predominantly with creative, small business owners. Now they can be all sorts of industries. So from furniture makers through to death doers, through to lawyers who only work with, you know, creative business, gosh, through to, oh my goodness. So many people, yoga instructors, interior designers, stylists, graphic designers, website agencies, a whole lot of interesting, really creative people. And so often those creative people are giving away so much creativity and inspiration all the time, whether it's through a free medium, such as their social media, or maybe an email or a podcast or something else that they're doing, or whether it's through their paid products. And so often I will ask them, how are your kind of values being aligned internally? And maybe quite often we will have values like inspiration or integrity or creativity, and I'll ask them how are you doing that for yourself?
Because it's one thing to give and give and be this source of inspiration for other people. But sometimes we forget to look for that ourselves. We can get so bogged down and okay, this needs to be done here, and this needs to be done then. Especially if you've also got family or elderly parents or something else in your life that is taking up a lot of your time. And so today I wanted to mention a couple of things that I do when I'm seeking inspiration. And when I feel as if, I'm sort of running on empty a little bit in terms of creativity or just thinking about things and maybe also these things I do from home. So it's not something where I have to go into the city or go into an art gallery or spend money or that sort of thing.
I mean, yes, I'm spending my time, but I actually have to say that when I do these things, I feel really inspired and really motivated and also quite calm. I find it very calming to do this. So what is it? Well, it's watching YouTube. I know that's not like rocket science, but I actually just wanted to focus on three channels that I watch in particular that I think will be relevant for a lot of people that are listening to this. And when I've talked to some clients about these or mentioned them before they have sort of said, I don't do anything like that, which is interesting because they're more so in this field of channels that I watch than myself, but I think that's what we can do. We can often just get sort of stuck in the day-to-day runnings of a business.
And we forget to sit back and be like, okay, where am I finding my inspiration? And who's inspiring me because maybe I'm not me personally, but you know, somebody listening might be like, well, all day long, I'm inspiring others through my artwork or through my designs or through my interior styling or whatever it is. And so it's really bringing it back and being like, okay, how am I getting inspired? And so on YouTube, which I love YouTube, I have to say. And I know it's another thing. Lots of business owners are like, I need to be on YouTube. And today it's not about getting you onto YouTube, but it's about getting you on there as an audience. So there are three channels. Actually, I mean, there are so many channels that I watch on YouTube, but there are three accounts that I regularly watch when I'm wanting to feel inspired.
And I have to say that probably lately I've been spending a bit more time on these particular channels in the last, probably 6 to 12 months. And that is because in our personal life, myself and my husband, my two kids, and two dogs, we are getting a renovation done on our home here in North Warrandyte. And we are working with the fabulous Tim and Flick the architects behind Tim Spicer Architects. And they are just lovely. And honestly, just working with them has just cemented my idea of good experiences through business, like watching the way that they almost like not date, but sort of really qualify who they're working with. And I love that they came over numerous times, they had lots of chats and they sort of said like, we have to, like you, like, we have to kind of get on with you because we are gonna work through some really emotional stuff.
I mean, building a house is very stressful, a renovation, and you really have to have that level of trust on both sides and they just do incredible work. So if you're in Melbourne and looking for amazing residential architects, definitely check out Tim Spicer Architects and know they, I'm not getting any kind of discount by saying that, I think they're just really good. Anyway. So I have been watching a lot of interior design videos on YouTube, and I've always done that. I've done that for years and years, even though I am not an interior designer, not an architect, not in that space, but I work with a lot of people in that space, but I'm also just really interested in it. I used to head up the home category of Amazon. 12 years ago, I worked at various different brands consulting to them in that space.
So I just find it really fascinating. And what I love is actually the way that people show their personality through their house. And what I love most is the houses that are just not another cookie-cutter with all the same lamps and all the same carpets and all the same, whatever. I just love these houses that are really kind of eccentric or a bit different. And so I have been really focusing on a couple of channels that I find really, really inspiring. Now, the first one is Nowness. They can do no wrong, but they have a particular series in video series called Nowness: In Residence and will link to this all in the show notes as well. But I love their in-residence videos because they really focus on one person telling the story of their home.
And some of them are just these epic, beautiful-like mansions, the level of taste in some of them is just out of this world. And you just think, I would love to just go there. It's like a gallery. And then other ones are maybe not my cup of tea, I wouldn't wanna live in them, but the stories that people tell and the way that they have crafted this sanctuary around them is so inspiring. And the way that Nowness, I mean, Nowness, honestly, like they are just absolutely amazing at what they do. All of their videos are emotional and beautiful, but I absolutely love the Nowness: In Residence ones. So regardless of what industry you work in, I don't think there would be somebody who watches them, who doesn't get some sort of inspiration from it.
Another one that I love to look at is actually, it's hard to choose, but between, let's say three, so architectural digest home tours with celebrities. I mean, I just find that fascinating one because sometimes it's just a huge reminder that money doesn't buy taste. And also that there's no, sometimes you watch them and you think, there's no, none of your personalities in that, you've literally just hired somebody and it's just cookie-cutter, even though you've got so much money and you could find the most incredible antiques and vintage pieces and go to all lengths of the world, looking for amazing stuff. And yet you've kind of just cloned what everyone else has there's that, but then there are also the people who just nail it and get it. So right. I love that.
I love sort of seeing people's lives and actually my husband and I often watch these together and John Stamos, if you people remember him from full house and a whole lot of other things, he has a good one. And it's really interesting to watch him in his own environment, in a place that most people feel their most comfortable is in their homes. And to watch him talk about different things that he's got, what he's interested in, what his house looks like. And it's just, I love that. So I love architectural digest their home tours. I also love in that kind of same category vogue do these home tours. And there is one in particular that I just love, which is with the designers, Emily Bode and Aaron Aujla. And they go through their kind of Cape Cod Modern Chinatown apartment.
And it's just beautiful, it's the details that I think make things beautiful and human. And even in saying that, it's the details in your marketing, it's the details in your branding that are gonna make you stand out. And in this, I think what comes across really well is just the way they have chosen everything for them. And it's so beautiful and it's so meaningful. And I just love that. And then on that sort of area as well with the AD home tours and the vogue sort of living and objects of affection series, there is also the series from Elle UK, which is called My Style My Space. Now they don't actually have it. It's like a, I think maybe they started this series, and then they didn't really follow through with it. But there is one with Laura Jackson who again just brings her own humanity to her space and it is such a beautiful one.
So there are those kinds of home tours. And then there is what I started off with, which is the nowness in residence, which are also home tours, but just in a different sort of portrayal. And then also closer to home. I really like local projects and doing some really good videos on YouTube. And some of them are a little, I don't know sometimes, I mean, I could get on a whole rant here, but some of them are definitely in that space of like, these people have so much money and no personality. And it just looks exactly the same as the next house along. And it's really like sometimes you just find a total mismatch between the people who own it. And then the people like it just feel like somebody told them to do this. And so that's exactly what they're doing, but there are some beautiful gems between that, where especially when you see architects who design their own home because they have been able to see all these different things for years and years and then they create their own space.
And I think that is really interesting as well. So all of those videos and we'll link to those on the show notes as well if you'd like to check them out, they just really bring to the fore, what is a home? And yes, these people have millions of dollars and their houses are beautiful. Not all of them actually, but their houses are on the whole, very beautiful. And it's a very small percentage of the world who is able to do that. And I totally understand the privilege, everything else involved in that, but there is this level of aspiration when you're watching them. But I think more so with me, I just love seeing the personality and how it comes through in a home. And I think that's also something that I love about business. I love with small business owners hearing about their origin story hearing, how do they bring these things through?
I was coaching a group the other day, and we were talking about humanizing your business and getting on social media. And one of them was sort of like, I don't really know how to do that. And then she brought up, the origin story of her business and it was so beautiful. And I was like, there is so much in that that could easily be shared without necessarily her having to be in front of the camera, which is something that she's sort of struggling with through her own words. And so I think with these videos, the level of inspiration that it brings not just to, we are working on our home, these are cool things, but just to life in general, and to showing that this is my space and this is what I'm trying to achieve. And I think the same could be said with business, this is my business.
This is the brand. This is what I'm trying to get out there. This is the way I wanna connect with people. And so today's tip is really about where do you find that inspiration for me? I find it through all sorts of ways. And one of them, as I've said today is about getting on YouTube and watching some of these series. They are just beautifully shot and emotional and all the things, but you can find inspiration from all sorts of ways. But the point is that we don't often sit down and really think about, okay, I'm not feeling so inspired right now. Let me seek some inspiration. Of course, inspiration can just happen as well. And that's beautiful, but sometimes we do need to kind of fill that cup up a little bit. So I hope that it's helped. Of course, we'll link to all of those in the show notes, which you'll find at mydailybusinesscoach.com/podcast/207.
And this is episode 207. And I'd love to know what inspires you when you're feeling a bit lackluster or you're feeling like, your motivation's gone down or your mojo is nowhere to be found. I'd love to know what inspires you. And it can be all sorts of things for me. I'm also super inspired by just going for a walk through nature, just sitting outside. I live in a beautiful area. I'm so lucky to live near beautiful nature in bushland. But yeah, what inspires you? What gets you back? So please don't be a stranger. You can send me a DM I'm @mydailybusinesscoach, or you can email us at hello@mydailybusinesscoach.com. As I said before, all the links to those YouTube channels and all sorts of things will be available in the show notes, which are at mydailybusinesscoach.com/podcast/207. Thank you so much for listening. If you found this useful, I would love it if you could share it with a friend, share it on social media, or just simply leave us some reviews like hitting the five stars or whatever you think it's worth. And you can leave a review now on Apple and also on Spotify. Thank you so much for listening. I'll see you next time. Bye.
Thanks for listening to the My Daily Business Coach podcast. If you wanna get in touch, you can do that at mydailybusinesscoach.com or hit me up on Instagram @mydailybusinesscoach.
