SHOW NOTES:

Do you find it hard to separate your personal worth from your business, allowing every little failure to eat you up? I’m going to let you in on a little secret and daily mantra I use: it’s just business.

Over the last few years, I’ve dealt with the pain that comes from someone not loving a product, because I was taking it personally. When I started using this mantra, I found more space to focus on growth.

It's just business. Click To Tweet

About the Phrase: It’s just business. (1:21)

Using “It’s just business.” as a Mindset Hack (2:02)

How Moods Affect Your Day (3:01)

Putting Space Between the Person You are and the Product You’re Creating (6:29)

Removing Ego From Your Work (7:16)

Returning September 5th for Season 2!

Text HYPE to 7042289495

Review the Transcript:

Jess Ekstrom:
Well, guys, I am officially in my dirty ’30s, and it feels so good. Thank you for all the birthday wishes. Just a reminder, before we head into today’s final episode, before we are taking our hiatus for the summer, I am going in the Airstream with Jake and our dog Ali. We’re hitting the Northeast and just want a little bit of a break. I’m actually going to record a separate episode that says why and a little bit more details. But before I forget, make sure you hit subscribe so you know that we’re back on September 5th for Season 2, and I will also still be sending out my hype text every Monday. So, text me the word hype to 704-228-9495 That’s the word hype to 704-228-9495. So, let’s do it.

Jess Ekstrom:
What’s up everybody? It is Jess Ekstrom, and welcome to Business on the Bright Side, the podcast where you can learn how to make a living and make a difference at the same time. Life is short and so is my attention span, so let’s get started. Okay. Have you ever heard someone say, “It’s just business, it’s not personal.” I even looked it up online to see where that phrase derived from. An article told me that it’s something that mobsters used to say to get away with a murdering people. So, there we go, chasing the bright side over here, and there were other countless articles saying that this phrase, it’s just business, needs to be retired, but here’s my hot take that might be a little bit controversial.

Jess Ekstrom:
The phrase, it’s just business is slowly becoming one of my favorite phrases that I say in my head countless times a day. Now, let me get one thing straight before I step up onto my soap box. Using the phrase it’s just business should not be used to screw people over or justify being a bad person. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever said, it’s just business to anyone directly. It’s more of a mindset hack that I use for myself, and here’s why. For so many years, I tightly wove my ego into my business. I think whoever said, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” was probably talking about entrepreneurship. If we made a sale, I was happy. If we didn’t, I was sad.

Jess Ekstrom:
I was riding the highest of highs and the lowest of lows with any of the slightest changes. It was like, I didn’t have my own personal engine, only sales that directed me by external circumstances, not internal belief. Whichever way the wind blew with my work, that was where I was heading. I was just going from side to side, up and down on a moment’s notice. It was exhausting. I would be just going about my day, taking a massive spoonful of almond butter while no one was looking, and then just get absolutely derailed by a negative email. Or while we’re traveling in the Airstream, I’d be about to head out on a hike and then get some unfavorable call and just not be able to relax on this hike that I was taking. Or I’d meet someone at an event who wasn’t chipper and nice and be wondering if they liked me or not.

Jess Ekstrom:
Could you imagine if all of that energy I just spent on the worry was put into something that was real instead of just made up narratives in my head? So, that’s where it’s just business comes into play. It allows me to separate my worth as a human from the ebbs and flows of my work, because you’re going to have good days and you’re going to have bad days, and neither one of them is going to define you. If our entire mood is dependent upon what happens to us that day, then we might as well be driving across all lanes of traffic, swerving all around because we have zero control as to what the world is going to throw at us today. It’s just business. When I started Headbands of Hope, and people would give me feedback on the product, I thought they were evaluating me as a human, but no, they’re evaluating a headband.

Jess Ekstrom:
It’s just business. When I was writing, Chasing the Bright Side, I took any book changes that my editor gave me as personal jabs to who I was, but they’re not editing me. They’re editing my book. It’s just business. Hey, real quick, have you ever felt like you were made for more, but you’re just not sure what it is that you want to create? Or maybe you have a ton of ideas bubbling over like champagne, but you just don’t even know where to begin. A blank page in front of you can feel daunting and overwhelming, so I wanted to create a guided online journal designed to give people the clarity they need to make the world just a little bit brighter. Bright Pages is a guided online journal for people who do.

Jess Ekstrom:
Here’s how it works. You have your own private journal with a designated login, and each day you get a daily prompt inside the platform, but it’s also emailed to you, and you can just reply directly to that email with the prompt and it will save it into your Journal. Technology, am I right? One of my favorite Bright Pages features are the prompt pathways. You can pick a pathway based on a goal that you have, whether it’s writing a book, crafting a talk, or maybe starting a business, or even just getting out of a creative funk. Then you’ll get prompts delivered to you for one week based on that specific pathway that you chose.

Jess Ekstrom:
I mean, sign me up. Business on the Bright Side listeners, get a special discount. So, head to brightpages.com and enter the code pod to get 20% off the annual plan. That’s bright pages.com and enter the code pod. P-O-D. It wasn’t until I started Bright Pages that I started putting space between the human than I am and the product that I’m creating. If someone has a glitch logging into their journal, I know that I’m still a valuable human, the product that I have just needs a little tweak. If you start something and it doesn’t take off immediately, you’re still just as valuable as you were yesterday, because it’s just business. If someone doesn’t select you as a speaker, you’re not any less of a speaker. It’s just business.

Jess Ekstrom:
If a publisher rejects your proposal, it doesn’t mean you as a person are rejected, just your book, because it’s just business and you can freaking handle it. Here’s the thing. When we can remove our ego from our work, we can become more obsessed with the problem we’re trying to solve, and less with the image we feel like we’re projecting. We can be more receptive to feedback. We can develop our own filters. We can receive a train wreck of an email and still enjoy the hike you’re about to take. Speaking of hikes, I’m going to be taking a break in the Airstream this summer, so this will be my last episode until we come back September 5th for Season 2.

Jess Ekstrom:
So, make sure you hit subscribe right now, so you’re alerted when we’re back, and if you’ve enjoyed these episodes so far, would you mind also leaving a review for me? These are super helpful. I’ll also still be sending out my Monday hype text over the summer. So, text me the word hype to 704-228-9495. That’s the word, hype, H-Y-P-E to 704-228-9495, and I promise that’s actually me on the other side, not a robot. I’m also releasing a short episode today as to why I’m taking a break, but let’s just say, given that it is my 30th birthday, I want to enter into this new decade with more intention and a more clear head because, hey, it’s just business. I’ll see you back here September 5th.

Jess Ekstrom:
Thanks for listening to Business on the Bright Side with Jess Ekstrom. I love to send out the episodes every Monday with a quick text and a quote from me. So, text me the word podcast to 704-228-9495.That’s 704-228-9495. If you want to see what the show notes are from this episode, head to businessonthebrightside.com hit subscribe here, write a review, and I’ll see you on Monday.