Yes, It’s Okay to Sell Your Work Even Though This Timeline Sucks

Remember in 2020, when George Floyd was murdered and we were all extremely online?

It suddenly felt gauche to show up on Instagram and talk about anything else. All the hoops we jump through to market, sell, and deliver our services seemed so pointless, so small in comparison to the pain and injustice happening in real life.

I felt this way recently, during the worst of Hurricane Helene. Who cares about learning the craft of copywriting when half of Asheville is gutted, bodies are literally buried in mud, and there isn’t even water to drink?

And yet. During those weeks, I bullishly insisted on meeting my client deadlines, even though my clients (one of whom lives two blocks away from where George Floyd was killed, incidentally) were like… why?

They kept insisting I take time “to grieve,” but I didn’t want to grieve. I wanted to work.

It’s already been a hell of a year, and my little business has been going through a real bitch of an identity crisis. I feel like I’ve been clawing my way through a briar patch, choked in vines and underbrush, and I finally forged a clear path forward. It took me so long to get here, to make the changes I’ve needed to make, to give my work the attention and effort it deserves. Fuck a hurricane.

I’ve got momentum, baby, and I’ll be damned if I’m gonna let some blowhard get in my way now.

As a business owner, thought leader, coach, creative—however you show up on these internet streets—you do not owe anyone your hot take on what’s going on in the world.‍ ‍

Have you ever noticed that I rarely post about politics or world affairs on my social media? It’s not because I don’t care; it’s because THAT’S NOT WHAT INSTAGRAM IS FOR.

I could post about it all day long, but the only thing that would accomplish is letting my followers (who mostly already agree with me) know that I have the “correct” position on the issue.

And I’m sorry, but I just don’t care about that.

In the weeks following the George Floyd murder, we all watched as Marie Forleo got called to the carpet for the unchecked privilege and microaggressions going on in the B-School Facebook group. We saw publishing houses crumble. We watched the NXIVM documentary and realized how similar it felt to the Online Industrial Business Complex. All the big names in internet marketing suddenly had a lot to answer for. (And man, it was great. What a time to be alive.)

I think now, anyone who uses Instagram or other social media as a primary marketing channel has this fear of getting “Forleo’d” if we fail to perform the necessary digital activism (aka “slacktivism”) to reassure whoever’s paying attention that we’re on the right side of history.

It’s pretty scary, the thought of publicly fucking up and having to answer for it. People are MEAN out here! And nobody wants to be misunderstood, or accidentally retraumatize one of our followers, or harm another human in any way.

But you know what? I hate to be the one to point this out, but Marie Forleo is fine. I’m sure the public drama wasn’t fun for her, but I doubt it made any real, lasting impact on her bottom line. Same for the Amys, the Jennas, the Russells, and the Tonys.

But those businesses are not our businesses.

On the one hand, a public scandal could do wayyy more damage to a brand with 500 followers and a tiny email list than it would to a multi-million dollar company like, say, Amy’s. *IF* you somehow became embroiled in a public scandal, that is, and if we’re just talking about staying consistent with your regularly scheduled marketing materials during a fraught time in world history… then yeah. I think you’re okay. 🤷🏻‍♀️

On the other hand, pausing your marketing efforts will definitely hurt your business, and I just can’t come up with a good argument for back-burnering your livelihood.

Especially now.

If you feel some type of way this week, and you need to step away from your work to take care of yourself, then you should absolutely do that, and I hope you have the resources and support system in place to do so safely.

But if you’re hesitating to put some work out there because it feels like a weird time…

You hereby have my permission to lean into the weirdness and just keep moving forward.

I’m trying to build something here. We ALL are. And I don’t see any reason to stop.

Yours in resistance,

Sam-a-lam-a-ding-dong