In this episode, we’re talking to Christine Innes from the Corporate Escapists about her journey from the corporate world to entrepreneurship. Christine shares insights on the importance of storytelling, mindset, and authenticity in business. We also chat about the power of having a supportive community, adapting to change, and networking opportunities for entrepreneurs. Tune into this fantastic conversation and hear how to design a life you love.
In today’s episode, you’ll learn:
- The power of storytelling in business
- The importance of mindset
- Building community and connection
- Free vs paid stories in advertising
- Content repurposing
- The Moment Theory
- Importance of authenticity in eCommerce
- Embracing the ever-evolving business journey.
Links from the show:
- The Corporate Escapists Podcast
- The Corporate Escapist Website, Instagram, and Facebook
- Podcast Recommendation: Online Marketing Made Easy, Manifestation Babe
- Book Recommendation: Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty
Transcript
[0:00]I think mindset is like 90% of business because I always say to people, if you want to go on a personal development journey, start a business because you’re going to learn so much more about yourself. And there are highs and lows. And a lot of the times there’s more lows than what there are highs when doing a business.
[0:19]Hi, and welcome to the Bright Minds of Ecommerce podcast. I’m Dahna, founder of Bright Red Marketing, and I created this podcast because I wanted to bring you the best advice from Australian experts in e-commerce and e-commerce store owners. If you’re wanting relatable stories and actionable advice and the latest Facebook advertising strategies, you’re in the right place. So let’s get into today’s episode.
Meet Christine from the Corporate Escapists
[0:42]Hi, and welcome to the Bright Minds of E-commerce podcast. Today, we’re here with Christine from the Corporate Escapists. Welcome, Christine. Thank you, beautiful, for having me. So excited. It’s so lovely to have you on the show. So give us a little bit of a rundown. Tell us about the Corporate Escapists. Well, the Corporate Escapists started from me sharing my own personal story of how I had what I call a not so gracious exit from corporate. And I’ve turned the power of my story to be able to help other people find and follow their passion, but also use it as a platform to help business owners to be able to share their why for them to attract their ideal clients.
[1:17]Yeah, I love that. So what does that actually look like in the day-to-day? In the day-to-day there’s multi-different facets with it as well so I have a YouTube channel and a podcast I run an online magazine and also self-publish books co-authored books as well and it really is about having these beautiful connections with people from all around the world and getting to know them on a really deep and meaningful sort of basis and finding out do they need to uncover who they are? Do they want to potentially start a business or are they already have a business and they actually wanting to scale and get promotion as well? So there’s so many different elements to it. And that’s what I love about it. So you’re just not tied down to one particular thing. I get to work with so many different people in all different aspects. Yeah, I love that. I mean, so much of what you do is based on storytelling. So why do you think stories are so important and what place do they have in business?
The Power of Storytelling in Business
[2:17]It is the most important thing every business owner needs to be sharing because, I mean, there’s billions of businesses out there, but what sets you apart is yourself and your why. Like, why did you start your business? Why are you so passionate about the product or the service that you’re doing? And nobody else can do that for you. So when you get the opportunity to share that, then what happens is in, not that I’m a marketing expert but it’s the no trust factor like people want to like you they want to get to know you and once they trust you then they go ahead and they want to buy you and your story adds that element all three of them in such a sped up process that people can really connect to you on a personal level and that’s why it’s so important for every single business owner whether you do it in a post you do it in a video you pay for marketing if you’re not sharing your why you’re you’re missing out on clients. Yeah. I know so many people struggle with that storytelling element in terms of how much is too much to share, what’s relevant, what’s not. Do you have any tips on that?
[3:26]Yeah, absolutely. I think if you can think about why you started your business and it doesn’t have to be like people go, oh, it wasn’t a doom and gloom type sort of scenario. It was just a light bulb moment I had in the shower. Share it because that’s fun and interesting. But one of the things that I really do say to people is if you think of all the different stories or the the different moments that have happened in your life, but also in business, really sort of maybe dot point them out and think of what a healthy boundary is of what you’re prepared to share and what you’re not prepared to share. And once you know that, I think the storytelling happens so much more easy because you know that you’re okay to skip over certain things and there’s a reason for it because you’ve got that healthy boundary in place.
Importance of Mindset in Business
[4:07]Yeah, I love that. I know something else that’s really important to you is mindset. Why is mindset so important and what does that look like? Oh, I think mindset is like 90% of business because I always say to people, if you want to go on a personal development journey, start a business because you’re going to learn so much more about yourself. And there are highs and lows. And a lot of the times there’s more lows than what there are highs when doing a business.
[4:34]So having a right mindset. And for me, what that looks like is I have a daily practice of all the different things that I have. So I meditate, I journal, to write I do gratitude and that sets me up for success but also to the mindset part is also me surrounding myself with people who are going to help elevate me but are also going to help call me on my truth as well so that if I’m not being in full alignment of who I am or not saying not doing things I said that I’m going to do but they’re happy to sort of like call you out so they’re like your true friends that are going to do that but having that tribe I think really helps elevate everything and to know that you’re not alone in the journey that you’re going through and I think that’s why what you’re doing is so powerful right that you’re sharing all these stories it’s inspirational you’ve got other people going through similar journeys to kind of look up to yeah absolutely I mean if you think about it we sometimes we feel alone and we don’t think that anybody else is going through either the same thing or something similar and I don’t think we we ever go through exactly the same as anybody else because our journeys are all different but to read somebody’s story or to even listen to it and to get an understanding that you’re not alone and that it’s okay to.
[5:50]Feel the way that you’re feeling right now and just to give you that bit of encouragement that inspiration I guess that light at the end of the tunnel that’s not a train coming towards you that there is a light at the end of the tunnel as well yeah for anyone that’s listening that is struggling a little bit at the moment they may be not their mindset’s not in the best of places do you have any tips recommendations on how to sort of flip that I think the best thing is you need to change perspective so let’s just say that you’re not in the best place and like I’ve had my moments so find a place that makes you happy and for me that’s going to the beach so I will get out of the house and I will go to the beach and instantly you start to feel different and if you get stuck on something there’s a story where you need to literally get up and move to a different seat at the table and just that change of perspective allows you to see things different but also to find your tribe and sometimes that’s not your family sometimes that is other business owners that can be really you know real and honest with you that to let you know that that it’s okay how you’re feeling right now and they can give you that bit of encouragement or even sometimes you just need to ask for help. And I think as business owners, we struggle with that a lot.
Building Community and Connection in Business
[7:10]Yeah. I mean, you sort of touched on it, but –, why is that community and connection so important and how do you go about finding that.
[7:20]Like I I’ve struggled with it myself I work from home like how do you find those people yeah look how to find it like it can be so different for everybody there are so many different Facebook groups that are out there if you feel like you just still want to be at home there are meetups that you can go to and sometimes you’ve got to go to different ones like to sort of find who your tribe is and see when you gel and you connect with people but when you start putting yourself out there and you start to sort of you feel really uncomfortable with it because you will do because you’re like I’m going to an event by myself like you don’t have somebody there supporting you but when you find that tribe you instantly feel that connection there’s no way to sort of like describe it or to give you a roadmap for it but I always say to people go and just do the different experiences go to different meetups join different facebook groups and then you will get that instant feel of whether or not you’re supported whether or not you can ask the questions with it and that’s why it is important because the the different elements of running the business it’s everyone goes oh it’s just business it’s just marketing it’s just sales it’s numbers but there’s the human element to it there’s so many it’s you you are the business so if you’re not looking after yourself and you’re not being supported how can you support your business.
[8:44]Yeah, I love that. I think we forget that we are talking to humans and that is business. I think like even in the ad space, it’s very much, oh, I’m making this ad. This is the best ad. And it’s, well, does the human beings on the other end of it reading it think it’s the best ad or just the marketing gurus all patting each other on the back think it’s the best ad?
[9:08]There’s so much of that human, which is really interesting.
Free vs Paid Stories in Advertising
[9:12]Talking about stories and things and going a little bit back to what the core of your business is in the sharing of the stories, there’s obviously a big difference between the free stories that you might get through PR and then paid stories. Can you tell us a little bit more about that? We were talking about it before we started recording. Yeah, I love this. It’s a hot topic at the moment with it. And it was interesting because the other day I was featured in the Courier Mail as one of 30 Southeast Queensland women who had defied the odds. It’s really interesting. there’s a snippet like I provided the information but they just take what they need that’s actually going to fit the story and it’s really their agenda of what they’re running and that’s what free advertising is all about whereas paid marketing and when you choose the right person to do your paid marketing and I think this is one of the biggest element is that you need to make sure that you’re in alignment with the person that you’re paying to market your business because just because they’re saying they can do all of these things for it, if they don’t understand the core of your business or maybe they don’t even have the right clients that are going to match your business, you’re not going to get the return that you need. Whereas what we do is that we talk to you when we find out.
[10:28]Not only about your why, we talk about you, where you’re at in your business, what do you need right now? Is it more exposure? Is it to gain credibility? Is it for you to get the right clients and see if we can actually help and support you? And then we find the right story that’s actually going to help you do that. But we also use three different elements, not just in a magazine. You also get featured on YouTube and you get featured on a podcast because as human beings, we all like to consume information differently yeah and having those three different elements allows us to get you in front of obviously more people but you to really be targeted to those people that are searching for that information on the right platforms as well amazing just out of curiosity do you find that one of those platforms people respond to better or is a real mixed bag if we have these ebbs and flows it’s really interesting like sometimes the magazine just goes through the roof and then other times like youtube youtube’s actually been probably one of our most constant growth areas for it but podcast at the moment i’ve found in the last six to twelve months has actually really taken off because we are such busy human beings.
[11:48]And the best way for you to easily consume content is to listen to it in the car or listen to it while you’re on the train, you’re commuting, all that sort of stuff or even while you’re cooking dinner, you’ve got a podcast going.
[12:02]Fascinating because everyone’s talking about TikTok and Instagram and they’re being like the main sources of content like blogging’s kind of drifted off which is kind of like your magazine but I still like reading things I’m a reader that’s my preference so it’s interesting to see how people are consuming content differently as time goes yes yeah definitely and I find the The age difference. Like the younger generation is liking to read things. My generation, like we’re quick to consume information now. We just want it
Content Repurposing for Marketing Success
[12:35]quick, done, give it to us. I mean, we just had a guest on the podcast who’s using an app called Repurpose.io, and I don’t know whether you’ve heard of it, but it does exactly what you’re talking about in that it takes the one piece of content and puts it everywhere so that everyone who is wanting their content in their own little way still gets it without too much work because if we can save time, we will. Oh, absolutely. I’m all about saving time.
The Ever-Evolving Moment Theory
[12:59]Aren’t we all? Can you tell us about your moment theory?
[13:04]Oh, I love this so much because people look at me and they’re like going, oh, they might remember me back from my corporate days. And I kind of, you’re so different. And I always say to people that we as human beings are ever evolving. So with every moment, with every conversation, with every experience, you change. So you are never going to be the the same person who you were maybe five minutes ago, yesterday, the week before, because you’ve had those moments happen in life. So I think so many of us, like we beat ourselves up going, oh my God, I may have made this mistake or this, I made this decision that was incorrect. But you probably were only armed with that information at that moment. And today you’ve got different information. So you may not make the same decision. Yeah, I love that. Just like a different perspective on looking at life really that’s not even just business it’s just life yeah yeah i love that do you have any top tips for those running e-commerce businesses.
Importance of Authenticity in E-commerce
[14:07]You need to be authentic. I think this is the biggest hot topic. I don’t know, it’s a word that’s just thrown around so much. Because you are online, you still need a face, you still need that presence. And it could be you still showing up online or you talking about your business, those sorts of things. But being authentic, not only in yourself, but in your brand and making making sure it’s all in alignment. I think that’s key for long-term success because we can have short-term, but if you want something long-term being authentic, like I always say to people, oh my God, I’ve stuffed this up or I’ve made this mistake, my bad, those sorts of things. But then I will share a lot about my life. I’m not saying everybody needs to, but how you see me online is exactly how you’ll see me out in the public as well.
[15:00]What does that look like for an e-commerce business? Is that just jumping on stories and reels and just sharing things? What does that actually look like? I’m loving the behind the scenes at the moment, like showing the process. Sustainability is really big as well. So how has your business been meeting the needs at the moment and making sure that we’re not creating excess waste, like all that sort of stuff. Show the behind the scenes, show how things are made. Show the team that’s working in the business as well, because everybody is part of that business. And I had an amazing coach the other year, and he talked about you don’t hire staff, you hire talent. So showcase their talent, showcase what they’re all about. And I think that’s how an e-commerce brand can really separate themselves from others. Yeah, I really love that.
[15:54]It’s just, it’s one of those things we were talking about it before too, like it’s so hard to get in front of the camera and do the content but if you’re just being yourself it becomes infinitely easier than if you’re trying to pretend to be someone that you’re not oh absolutely I mean look I will fumble through certain words sometimes or I’ll be on live and I’m like oh my god my hair’s like sticking up here and I haven’t even realized halfway through but that’s that’s what like true authenticity is all about is it’s not actually about you it’s about the people that are receiving the content.
[16:28]And if you can get over that part of it, you really truly shine and you know that it’s not about you, how you are showing up and I’m not saying like you have to look unpolished or all that sort of stuff because I still love getting glammed up, like all that sort of stuff.
[16:46]But for me, it’s about the message that I want to get out there and I think every business owner can do that. And if you still have a fear of showing up, do the behind the scenes. Show how a product is packed show how you select your products maybe you’re doing a hamper business show how you select the products and who you work with to showcase in that to send out show the delivery process there’s so much more that you can do if you don’t want to show up online yourself yeah i love that before we wrap up is there anything you think we’ve missed that’s worth sharing oh you talk about this for hours but I know there’s so many different things I guess the key thing is
Embracing the Ever-Evolving Business Journey
[17:28]just to remember that as a business owner your business.
[17:31]Journey is ever evolving as well and sometimes it’s actually good to share that how the business first started to how it is now maybe why changes happen because either we’ve changed or we’ve realized that our clients have changed and we’ve needed to adapt to that so just keep being mindful that the business is an ever-evolving journey as well and that you sometimes may need to adapt to that yeah I love that so much we’ll get into the last couple questions we have everyone do you have a favorite podcast other than yours but we will find out what yours is soon I don’t have a favorite one there’s a couple that I sort of like have on repeat I love Amy Porterfield and love listening to her podcast and i did a special drop one that i was in with the manifestation babe she did some amazing stuff because i love all the spirituality things and then yours as well so thank you so much do you have a favorite business book.
[18:30]I don’t have a favorite because I consume so many of them. So I don’t think there’s an actual favorite. The one you read recently that was good. I’m reading Jay Shetty at the moment, Think Like a Monk. And that’s really good because I think for every business owner, you need to also remember self because we can get carried away in business. So we’ll go with that one. Love it. And then what are your strategies and habits that you follow each day to help you stay on track in business? this? So my mornings are myself. So it’s very rare that I will start my morning before nine o’clock and that’s because I have a full morning routine that I do. It’s take the dog for a walk. I will meditate for an hour. I do general writing, gratitude writing, take the dog for another walk, have probably about three to four cups of coffee in between. But if I don’t do those key things, I actually find my morning is out of whack as well so I need to have that sort of structure I mean there are mornings where like tomorrow I’ve got to get up and I’ve got to be in the Gold Coast by seven o’clock so I will do my morning routine when I come home yeah I love that and if people want to visit you they want to talk about being featured in your magazine what’s the best way for people to reach you drop us a dm either on instagram or on facebook at the corporate foot escapers and we can reach out to you.
[19:51]Amazing. Well, thank you so much for joining us. It’s been a pleasure and very inspirational for me. So thank you for joining us. Thank you, beautiful.
[20:00]Thank you for listening to the Bright Minds of E-commerce podcast. As always, you’ll find the show notes at brightredmarketing.com.au forward slash podcast. Thanks for listening.
