75. From Photographer to Confidence Coach: Building Your Confidence Muscle with Megan Holly

In this episode of Soulpreneur Scaling Stories, I sit down with Megan Holly, a brand photographer and confidence coach who helps entrepreneurs step into their authentic power both in front of the camera and in their businesses. Megan shares how her journey evolved from offering general photography services to specializing in brand photography and eventually incorporating confidence coaching for her clients.

During our conversation, Megan reveals why confidence is like a muscle that needs consistent exercise and attention, and how this understanding can transform your approach to business visibility. We explore the natural evolution of her business as she listened to both her clients' needs and her own intuition, creating a powerful combination of visual branding and inner confidence work.

Megan also opens up about her biggest business hurdle—the illusion of control—and offers practical advice on scaling your business by letting go, getting support, and embracing the power of saying "I don't know." Whether you struggle with showing up visually in your business or need help flexing your confidence muscle, this conversation offers valuable insights on building a business that honors all aspects of who you are.

Key Topics Covered:

✨ Why confidence is a muscle that needs consistent exercise

✨ How brand photography can serve as a healing experience

✨ The natural evolution from service provider to coach

✨ Letting go of control as a scaling strategy

✨ The power of admitting when you don't know something

✨ How to listen to both your audience and your intuition when expanding your business

Connect with Megan:

Website

Instagram

Facebook

All the links!

Thank you for being a part of the Soulpreneur Scaling Stories community!

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Transcript

[00:00:00] Speaker: Andrea here, your host and passionate business coach and scaling strategist for soulful service providers and coaches. Welcome to another episode of Solepreneur Scaling Stories. Have you ever wanted to look behind the curtain of your fellow entrepreneur's business to see what actually went into scaling it?

[00:00:22] Well, you are in for a treat 'cause that's exactly what we are doing here. In each episode, we will be uncovering the truth of the lessons and the stories behind what it truly takes for sold entrepreneurs to scale their businesses intentionally. I'm hoping that their stories will help you to unlock the true potential of your business so you can create your own soulful, abundant, and aligned laptop lifestyle through intentional scaling.

[00:00:46] So whether you're just starting out on your scaling journey or you're a seasoned entrepreneur seeking inspiration, this episode has something incredible in store for you. Are you ready to rise, grow, and create a business that fully supports your dream life? Well, let's [00:01:00] dive in. Before we begin, make sure to hit that subscribe buttons.

[00:01:03] You never miss an empowering episode filled with real stories and soulful insights.

[00:01:10] Andrea Elibero: Okay. Hello everybody. Welcome to Soulpreneur Scaling Stories. I am really excited to introduce you to Megan Holly, who is a brand photographer and confidence coach. Hello Megan. How are you?

[00:01:23] Megan Holly: Hey, I am so good. Thank you for having me.

[00:01:26] Andrea Elibero: Yeah. So, okay. So I love to start out with something juicy. So, and then we'll get into like the actual introductions and whatnot. So I would love to know, so a confidence coach, if you could just choose like one thing that That you were like, Oh, this is like the one thing that I want to tell everybody always about confidence.

[00:01:46] What would that thing be?

[00:01:48] Megan Holly: It is like a muscle. I don't have to think too hard about that one because it's something at the forefront of my mind always. confidence is like a muscle. It's not just something that is [00:02:00] always at the same level. It is something that needs to be kind of honed in on and worked on just like, you know, your biceps or, you know, having more stamina and cardio or whatnot. It is the same idea. Um, I believe that we are all born with kind of an innate kind of The same level, if you will, we're just born into kind of And then as we go through it, we have experiences and, um, personalities and things all around us that kind of can either help it or hinder it. And once we're more conscious of it, obviously as we get older and do more work, that's where the work can come into play to help support it.

[00:02:43] So yeah, it's a, it's a muscle.

[00:02:45] Andrea Elibero: Yeah, I love that. And from my own experience, I completely agree with that. So we'll dive into that more deeply in a little bit, but now let's introduce you. So can you tell us Who you are, what you do, and all of [00:03:00] that. What does your business look like today?

[00:03:02] Megan Holly: Yeah. Awesome. Well, I am a branding photographer and confidence coach. So I, where I am now looks vastly different, which is why I love this conversation because it looks so different than it did 2018 when it first started. And, um, but now what I do is I work with individuals to help them a step into their confidence as a coach.

[00:03:26] I am here to help you in figuring out who you are, you kind of operate in this world and how you can do that in a way that supports your vision. Um, and I think that's just something that is so beautiful. And that kind of came along with my work in the branding world because I was working with so many, especially, you know, um, vulnerable individuals, a lot of creatives and makers and healers I work with, and they're just so vulnerable because they care so much.

[00:03:54] Andrea Elibero: Yeah,

[00:03:55] Megan Holly: so the coaching kind of came as like a kind of an extra. Layer [00:04:00] of what I was already doing with the photography and helping people build their brands from a visual standpoint Which kind of they go hand in hand, right because we can't feel confident in ourselves if we're shying away from know being in front of our business and doesn't mean you have to be the face of your business like flashing everywhere But there's still an essence of you and no matter what business you are What industry you're in, all of that stuff. And so, yeah, those are kind of my two spaces and places that I love to create and work with people in. Um, I love being behind the camera and seeing people kind of rise up and shine into their own selves. And then the coaching is just the cherry on top. And I love, um, being able, I always say I work with a human spirit and seeing the human spirit kind of flourish and just grow is such a beautiful thing.

[00:04:46] So

[00:04:47] Andrea Elibero: so cool.

[00:04:48] Megan Holly: nutshell what I do and, and

[00:04:49] Andrea Elibero: Yeah, so really cool. So here's my question with that. Was it always both of those things? Or did you start out with one and add in one [00:05:00] later? One and then two. Are they always combined now? Or do you? Or you can do, like, how does the, how does it work currently? I guess maybe the first question, how does it work now first and then how did we start?

[00:05:12] Megan Holly: Well, so that's a really good question because. in my business of what it looks like now look like in 2018. when I started out, so I have a, um, a design, a degree in design and I have a degree in human development, which is where my coaching and all of that love for human growth comes from. But when I first started out in my business portion of my career, I like to call it, I was like many photographers. I did a little bit of everything I was doing, you know, weddings and You know, senior sessions and family portraits, all the things. And I found my way by going to some different like empowerment, women's conferences and things like that into the branding world, because I was meeting so many other women in, you know, just different industries.

[00:05:57] And they were looking for photos and [00:06:00] headshots. And I was like, I kind of love this.

[00:06:02] Andrea Elibero: Oh, cool. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:06:06] Megan Holly: taking, it's mirroring my creative eye for photography with. the growth that I've always loved, right? And so that back then, that's what it looks like. And so it's slowly kind of my call to doing the branding work, the coaching work got stronger and stronger as I built my community of people in that world. And although I still love portrait work and there's a little space for it in my, in my life, I found where I'm supposed to be. And I think that we all do that, right. In our businesses, we find these kind of like tumbleweeds of, of ways to kind of fall into the next version of ourselves. Um, and so, yeah, it does, it looks completely different the way I structure it, the way I work. Um, and then the second question is, do they work together separately, all the things, and so they can work in tandem. I have many clients who. Are in front of my camera and we work on getting them visuals and beautiful [00:07:00] things to, um, you know, for their socials and websites and all that. And they're also one of my coaching clients and we work on, you know, unearthing what it is that they're working on and where they're going. But I also have a lot of clients who are separate. They are maybe just branding clients. Um, and I don't mean just, but they. Solely work on, work with me in the branding world as far as the visuals go. And they're not really looking for coaching or they're not ready for coaching or whatever it is. Um, and then on the other side of things, I also only coach people.

[00:07:31] I have people who are not local. So basically to be able to do photography for them would be a little tricky. Although I have traveled and done different things and retreats and stuff like that. It's not as tangible regularly to work with. People that are not local, of course. So, so yeah, they can work together in tandem and then they can absolutely exist separately depending on people's needs.

[00:07:53] Andrea Elibero: So something that came to my mind was that I could imagine that somebody may be [00:08:00] taking photos with you prior to starting coaching and then afterwards, I bet their photos look completely different.

[00:08:08] Megan Holly: Yes,

[00:08:08] Andrea Elibero: And this could be a research study.

[00:08:10] Megan Holly: yeah, it's very true. And it's funny that you say that because I literally just put a real up, um, on my socials, I think it was last night that was talking about how I firmly believe that photography can be healing and it can be, why I think that is because. We have a mind's eye of what we are to the world, what we look like in the world, what people perceive us in the world, and then we have what everybody else in the world actually sees and experiences. And I think photography is like this, this kind of beautiful

[00:08:47] space in between it, where people can see themselves in a different way. I've had a client one time in tears and middle of our session because she saw a photo from the back of the camera. And she's like, that's [00:09:00] how I think the world sees me, but that's not what I see in my head. And she was just in tears because what she sees in her head was totally not what the world sees. And I'm like, well, this is what we, this is what I see, what I'm seeing with my own two eyes, what everybody else is. And it was just a beautiful moment. So that in itself, when people have those micro shifts, Or is so beautiful and then you add on yes people who a either work with me multiple times over You know, whether it's months or years or whatever there you can see the photography get more Like they're more comfortable.

[00:09:39] They may be, they express differently and that's always my goal is to help people do that better no matter what. But then if they also add in the coaching, oh my gosh, it's, it happens a little more rapidly first and foremost. And second, there's just a lot more layers that are happening or being uncovered and it's just, yeah, you're right.

[00:09:56] It's a, it is, you see the difference for sure.

[00:09:59] Andrea Elibero: [00:10:00] Yeah, yeah. Completely. So, okay. So let's get back into this confidence situation because I'm sure you've experienced, I've experienced everybody who has started a business, especially women, I want to say, like, Has experienced this. Oh, I have this business. There are certain things you feel confident about and there are other things that you feel completely Uncomfortable that even sometimes can stop people completely From bringing their business forward from growing from trying that new thing that they really want to do and I'd love to talk through maybe some of the Why behind it some of the I love that you said okay confidence is a muscle and I feel like that gives people a lot Of hope so I'd love to kind of dig into that a little bit more especially as it pertains to female business owners Hmm.

[00:10:48] Megan Holly: uh, you hit the nail on the head that not everything can always feel right, like you have a grasp on it. When we go into business, there's things that we go into it for because we are [00:11:00] more comfortable with it, or we feel called to doing it more, or working in some capacity within that. that's all great and dandy, but when we get into it, we find so many other layers and hats that we have to go through and or wear that we aren't as comfortable in, you know, I mean, it's, it's a big running joke out there in the world, but it's like, I went into X, or Z business to do this, but now I have to do social media and be this, then da, da, da, da, da.

[00:11:27] And we all laugh about it, but it's, there's so much truth to it. And there can be a lot of confidence that can be shaken because of it. Because you're like, well, I can't be the person that's on video and live to people or doing this or doing that. And we create this kind of story or this cloud around these parts that we don't feel so safe in. grounded or comfortable in and then Then we just do a couple of different things. We might just completely self sabotage because Well, i'm not so good at these two or [00:12:00] three things or whatever it is So everything else must be just trash i'm not gonna be able to succeed because of that So that's a really not safe space to be in because you're not going to continue Opening up that vision that you have because you're going to kind of hunker down. The other thing that can happen is we try to do too much. We try to do it all. And a lot of times there's in those beginning stages, it's kind of a reality too, because maybe budget wise, we don't have all these little spaces and pockets that we can invest in, but what can we do in our budget? In like the support realm of things to build that confidence muscle, right?

[00:12:40] Whether it's just even giving yourself the right people around you for accountability and support in that those beginning stages or any stage that you're feeling a little bit strapped. Right. Um, that's really important because again, our confidence muscle doesn't only have to come from within. can come from our community. It can come from other support. [00:13:00] Resources tools. Um, but we have to be aware of it enough to figure out what those are for us. And sometimes it's a learning curve, right? We don't always know exactly what we need to kind of get over that hump, which I think can be kind of add to that. But it's a beautiful experience when you find the other side. Um, and so, yeah, I think, you know, back to that confidence muscle thing. It is something we have to kind of unearth for ourselves. And, and I always say you have to, the only way to it is through it for pretty much anything in life and business. Right. But we have to intrinsically take on some of those responsibilities, but we, I guess what I want to say is we don't have to do all of it alone and we can get support and we can get accountability and other, other ways of building that muscle, right.

[00:13:47] You know, just like a personal trainer or an actual muscle. There's other support systems out there for us.

[00:13:53] Andrea Elibero: Yeah, I love that you talk about the external support because I tend to focus a lot on in a lot of people that I've talked to [00:14:00] on this podcast and to focus a lot on the internal things that we do in the mindset and this and that, which is really, really important. And oftentimes we tend to gloss over the fact that it's okay to ask for help.

[00:14:11] And in fact, you should, right? Like you should ask for help when you need it. And Like it's okay and please do and find the safe people who are going to support you in that and are going to pump you up and are going to know that like, right, like you're here and they have you and they're going to celebrate with you when you finally do do that thing.

[00:14:30] So I love that you brought up that as a, one of the primary things to do to build up your confidence.

[00:14:37] Megan Holly: Yeah, so important. And it's those little things like the little cherry picked things that we learn along the way when doing that, that can really, I know for myself anyways, when I think about my journey, some things I've learned, I'm like, I would have never thought about that for myself or that in this way that I have now kind of adopted for my [00:15:00] own journey. uses and understand whether it's a program or it's a tool for your business. Like there's so many beautiful things that can come of hearing different perspectives, which I think, right. Is why, you know, a pod, a podcast like yours is so beautiful because we get, we can get different perspectives and it might seem nominal or on descript, but like one little thing can make somebody go, wait, I really liked that.

[00:15:27] Let me extract it and then build my own thoughts, experiences and confidence around it, which is. Amazing.

[00:15:38] Andrea Elibero: Yeah. And I will say talking about just confidence in general and using myself and my journey as an example, before I started, you know, Doing any of this business things and whatever. Um, I would say like I was definitely a more of a shy meek person And I'm still an introvert I'm still not like gonna go out there and like go like tap dancing in the middle of the street but like [00:16:00] through all of through my business it has really been the catalyst to Build that muscle right to build the confidence muscle and even then doing things that are that I'm, you know, doing new things.

[00:16:13] There's always new things. Like doing new things that I'm still like, maybe I'm not confident in that thing. I know that I'm going to get through it because I've built up the, this muscle of, okay, like I can see, like I've done enough new things and have become better at them, become more confident at them that I know now that when I do other new things that it's fine.

[00:16:31] Like, we're good.

[00:16:33] Megan Holly: Yeah. Well, and even in my own journey, I am extremely, like excruciatingly shy. Um, worked through that, so I don't identify as shy as I used to, but I still get so nervous in situations. I am, you know, I always joke that I'm like, I'm like just the sweaty, like nervous thought, like person sitting there in the networking group because I know I have to talk soon and, and it's, it, but you have to realize that. Some of these things [00:17:00] are worth stretching a little bit, you know, stretching yourself bit and seeing what you can do to like be a different kind of, or not be different, but be in a different of bubble of your own self.

[00:17:15] Andrea Elibero: Yeah. Right?

[00:17:16] Megan Holly: I would spoke on stages in front of 400 people, but I have Literally if you would have told me that six years ago when I started my business, I'd be like absolutely Not you are insane I don't know what you're saying right now, you know, it wouldn't even have registered but here I am because of these little Things that I've picked up along the way, and I've said, Oh, actually, it's because I have this story that I can't do it, that I feel fearful of it, and also other little things, you know, that go along with it, but that's holding me back from even trying. Can I at least try? I can. So let's do that. You know, what's the worst that happens? It flops, you know, you know, doesn't turn out the way

[00:17:57] Andrea Elibero: Mm-hmm

[00:17:58] Megan Holly: it to. And then you [00:18:00] know, okay, and even if you do flop, Right? I have a lot of people in my world tell me, well, you're always just so natural. Like you're always talking on your videos and I love connecting with you in that way, but I can't do that.

[00:18:11] And I'm thinking my, my answer to them is always, always, always, neither can I. I always tell them when I look back at my old, like when I first started talking on stories or doing a live or, Doing anything like that they're perceiving as me being able to do naturally, I'm like, go back and look at those old ones.

[00:18:32] It was just me trying something doing it in the best way that I could do. And it's only gotten better because again, the only way to it is through it. I would never gotten to the point where I feel more natural or people feel like I'm natural within it. If I didn't do it, I just, I wouldn't, you know, I just didn't.

[00:18:51] Andrea Elibero: Yeah. No, a hundred percent. And, and I can use this podcast as an example. I was like, I wanna start a podcast. I don't know how to podcast. I'm just going to [00:19:00] start and do it, and then worry about how to do it better later on. And. And now this is episode, I think 75 or something like that. And it is 100 percent different than if you go back to episode one, you know what I mean?

[00:19:14] So, and that's fine. I'm not going to delete those episodes, you know, like, I think that's part of the confidence is that you don't care, you know, like, you're just like, it is like, it's fine. Like, those episodes are not great. I'm actually no, I think they are good. But

[00:19:28] Megan Holly: they are. You just become, I think what it is is we become, we're so hypercritical of

[00:19:33] Andrea Elibero: yeah, yeah,

[00:19:34] Megan Holly: going back, you're going to kind of pick apart things like, Oh, it didn't

[00:19:36] Andrea Elibero: right.

[00:19:37] Megan Holly: good. Or I was the way I spoke wasn't as, as natural as it is now.

[00:19:41] Andrea Elibero: Right.

[00:19:42] Megan Holly: we're going to pick those apart, but we're, we always are going to do that.

[00:19:46] That's the part of the human condition that is. Always going to be true, no matter what we're doing, no matter how much we've changed, no matter how much we've grown, all the things. We're always going to be more critical of where we were, [00:20:00] and we're always going to have something that we're critical about where we are now. And so, I think, for me anyways, looking back at those times when you're thinking, oh, you're kind of cringing at it. It's just like, there's almost a strength in allowing it to still exist

[00:20:15] Andrea Elibero: Hmm.

[00:20:16] Megan Holly: deleting, deleting, deleting,

[00:20:17] Andrea Elibero: Hmm.

[00:20:18] Megan Holly: it is, like, hypothetically deleting that opportunity, that podcast, that that didn't only had one like on it instead of being like, Oh, that, that doesn't look like a very good thing. No, I'm going to embrace it. And I'm doing, I'm out here doing it, you know, and that's all that matters really at the end of the day.

[00:20:38] Andrea Elibero: Yeah. And it reminds me, I always think of when I, this example, when I think of these things is there's a podcast that I, like a, it's a, it's a comedy murder podcast. Okay. So called my favorite murder and they've been around for years and years and it's super popular and whatever. And then if you go back to the first episode, it's atrocious.

[00:20:59] It is [00:21:00] terrible. And they still have it up. It's still there.

[00:21:03] Megan Holly: Right? Cause somebody will find them on that episode and

[00:21:06] Andrea Elibero: Yeah.

[00:21:06] Megan Holly: that pulls them in, oddly enough, even though, you know, whatever, but it's still there because why not? They did it and that's where they were. That's what they

[00:21:16] Andrea Elibero: Yeah.

[00:21:17] Megan Holly: to them and where they were mentally, physically, just all of the things, like it just literally where they were. And I think if we gave all of ourselves more credit for like the journey of of it all, instead of thinking we always need to be the, like, I don't even know what the word is because there's no, I don't know what to call it because there's no end,

[00:21:39] Andrea Elibero: There's literally no end point. Yeah, it's such a good point though. I do want to highlight that there's people say, Oh, once I get there, there is no, there, there is no end. So, uh, and it's also inspirational for people to see like, Oh, she started here and now look at her, you know? So I think it, it's such a nice thing to, to have.

[00:21:57] Megan Holly: yes, it is. And yeah, there [00:22:00] is no end as like maybe a little overwhelming as that could sound to some people, you know, but there, there, it's a beautiful thing in most regards. That there isn't. Because it's like, if we could take that deep breath and remember that at the end of the day, this, everything around us is kind of just made up also.

[00:22:20] Nothing real. Um, but, but no, in all seriousness, anybody who's telling you that there's something to get to, we have to be leery of, right? Yes, there are checkmarks and there's things that we can attain and get to, but it's not like an end game result, right? There is always more growth. There is always more, um, Things, goals, whatever it is to be had.

[00:22:51] And that's, I think it's a beautiful thing, you know, when you really break it down.

[00:22:56] Andrea Elibero: So, and speaking of journeys, I would love to hear a bit more about [00:23:00] your journey and about how you went from doing the physical thing, being the photographer and incorporating, incorporating coaching and confidence coaching into what you're doing and making that leap. Because I am sure You know, I've done the same thing of being somebody who's a service provider who then transitions into coaching, which is a totally different area.

[00:23:22] And I'm sure there are other service providers who are listening or watching who are thinking of the same thing, like, Oh, I'm doing this, but I really like have this pull to also do this thing. And they're seemingly so opposite. So I'd love to hear more about how you did that, like your actual journey and incorporating coaching into your services.

[00:23:40] Megan Holly: Yeah, that's a really great question. And, and it really stems from listening for one, to what. People around me, AKA a lot of my clients and people in my community were saying, I really love your approach to what you do in your photography sessions. Do you do any more supportive. [00:24:00] Work with people. And so just hearing what people were thinking and wanting from me was really helpful. Right? And I think sometimes we don't always listen because we're just in our own minds. We're doing our own things. We're moving along the way of just like. Getting through whatever it is in our business. And so listening was a huge thing because I thought, okay, well, they're asking for this.

[00:24:24] And, and I have been a lifelong teacher and educator in some way, shape, or form. And having that human, you know, development background, it's never went away. So I was like, Oh, that makes a lot of sense while they're, they're wanting more of that because it's like a natural thing for me.

[00:24:40] Andrea Elibero: And

[00:24:41] Megan Holly: Oh, go

[00:24:41] Andrea Elibero: I want to add, yeah, I wanted to add to that, that I love the listening to, like, oh, these people are asking this, and the thing I want to add is also listening to yourself, because for you, it's like, oh, yeah, well, that feels really good, right? So, because a lot of times people are like, oh, can I do this?

[00:24:55] Like, you know, do you do this and this? And it might not feel good for you. So just because they're asking [00:25:00] doesn't mean you should do it.

[00:25:01] Megan Holly: Yes.

[00:25:02] Andrea Elibero: if it's like, Oh, these seeds are being planted. Oh, I'm feeling called for this. And this kind of feels interesting. The actual being silent and taking a breath and, and listening to yourself alongside that is also super important for you to go down the road that is actually meant for you.

[00:25:18] Megan Holly: And that's a really, thank you for like, You know, kind of putting a little pin in that moment because I think it's important because yes, because you will have people asking you of all different things. Can you do this? Can you do that? Can you do it when I want it to and not, you know, when you're offering it.

[00:25:33] And those are things that we need to taper and really make sure we create boundaries around. But also from, you know, the flip side of like listening of What are, what is, what are people perceiving of you and seeing of you and then getting quiet, like you said, and saying, okay, what does, what does feel like my calling in here? And for me, I'm, I'm always evolving, you know, in a way that I kind of see kind of The next version, version of [00:26:00] myself coming to life as I'm moving through. So when I get these little downloads or have a conversation that makes me go, okay, this feels like the next kind of layer of who I am. Um, it's a beautiful thing.

[00:26:14] You have to get internal with it and internalize the thoughts that you're having so that you can make sure that you're doing it in a way that is true to who you are and your capabilities and what you actually can strive for. Do and help people with not just doing something to do it. Right. Like I would be absolutely if all of a sudden tomorrow, I was like, you know, I'm going to be a personal trainer.

[00:26:34] Just, you know what I mean?

[00:26:36] Andrea Elibero: Because people are like, oh, you keep talking about building this muscle. So yeah,

[00:26:42] Megan Holly: if somebody was like, well, I'm putting these things together, but will you also do that? And then I said, sure. I would be doing a big disservice because I have no background in that. The closest I have is a dance educator, but that's not the same. There's. There is not, it's not the same world, but, [00:27:00] but that would be a really great example of just doing something because somebody asked you or said something and not listening to yourself.

[00:27:06] I have no want for it. I have no just desire for it. And I have no knowledge, expertise or background to support it. So from both sides, we're looking pretty, you know, pretty shabby. So it's really important to, you know, obviously weed out. Yup. The things that are not helpful and take on and take in and work through and get clear. Our big thing in our household is clear as kind, and this is no different being clear with yourself, your expectations, what you really see yourself doing, how you can actually serve people best. That is what's most important. And the more like clarity to me is the route to success whatever industry you're in, whatever you're doing. Clarity is key.

[00:27:52] Andrea Elibero: that's a huge foundation that that I use as well. So I'm like, yes, yes, yes. Great. Yes, please. [00:28:00] And I want to like also talk about the practical. So you're like, okay, I'm going to start bringing this coaching in. So when you're marketing your services, especially online, how did you do that? How did you actually incorporate this?

[00:28:13] Evolution of your business. Yeah.

[00:28:16] Megan Holly: and, and that can be so multi layered, but kind of in like a know, one note kind of thought of it was really just starting to like expand the language that I used, right? Um, because people already knew me as somebody who understood branding and had an eye for that side of things. and they also, a lot of my language was already based around like and yourself. of the language was already there. It was just kind Like finding ways to kind of taper it in to the coaching side more than just the photography side or just from like an inspirational side, right?

[00:28:56] Andrea Elibero: So I love that you didn't, you didn't like, Oh, I'm going to scrap this and make a whole [00:29:00] different Instagram. And this is not just for coaching. I like that you wove it all. You found a way to weave it all together.

[00:29:05] Megan Holly: yeah, I did. I

[00:29:06] Andrea Elibero: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:29:12] Megan Holly: highlighting, obviously, my photography and work with that, highlighting some coaching things. And then like the thing that meshes them all together is some of my inspirational, just like lifty uppy.

[00:29:22] Type of content that makes sense for any population, um, coming across my way and the people that I work with. And so I think it can be more simple like that. Like, we always think, okay, I have to scrap everything whenever we're pivoting or even having a slight, you know, detour, we think we have to scrap everything, start a whole new thing.

[00:29:42] And sometimes. Maybe that is the case for some things. If you're really, you know, changing completely, um, then sure, that's a whole other conversation. But if you're pivoting, pivoting in a way that makes sense to your current population, or you're inviting in maybe a slightly larger, um, community [00:30:00] and population, then you have more wiggle room. So I just started like, like elaborating that conversation more. I started, Um, putting a little bit more emphasis on that, those offerings and also talking about how they went together, how they supported each other. So it didn't, for somebody who might still feel like it's. two separate worlds, they could see, oh, oh, that makes total sense.

[00:30:26] Like she was already kind of doing it, but just in like a physical way, like literally like in front of the camera. And now it's more from this type of a, uh, world and a lens. Um, and so, yeah, and then really being, making sure from like my newsletter standpoint and, and different communication points for people, letting people know what's up, you

[00:30:48] Andrea Elibero: Yeah. Yeah. Bringing them along for the journey. Cause that's people love that. Yeah.

[00:30:53] Megan Holly: and letting them know, like, I made sure that people knew, like, hey, this, these services are still here, you know, that was another worry. Well, [00:31:00] oh, I had a couple of people say, oh, I was like, are you getting rid of the photography? Are you not doing that portion anymore? And I was like, oh, no, no, no, this is like, you know, together in conjunction, I have space every month for X amount of photography clients and X amount of, You know, coaching clients.

[00:31:14] And so they're, they're, okay, good. So using the language in all of the different places and spaces that made people know and understand, um, that they're, that it's evolving. But these are the things you'll still expect from me. These are the things I can still support you in. So any way that you can figure out how to do that for anybody who's in a season of maybe a slight shape shift or a pivot, then just making sure that people kind of understand. you've been,

[00:31:42] Andrea Elibero: yeah,

[00:31:43] Megan Holly: and

[00:31:43] Andrea Elibero: yeah,

[00:31:44] Megan Holly: affects them as well.

[00:31:45] Andrea Elibero: yeah. So I'm going to answer my own question as well, because I loved how you framed it for somebody who serves a very similar audience, right? Because anybody can, can, everybody benefits from branding, everybody, sorry, branding photography, everybody, [00:32:00] um, benefits from confidence coaching. For me, I had two distinct audiences when I.

[00:32:07] I had my latest business evolution and it took me like a year to figure out how to do this. And I wish that I had me to talk to you at that time, but I should have invested at that time to figure this out. It would have been a lot faster. So in my case, I was able to figure out how to do this with the language on my website and how to both say, okay, everybody I'm helping people to say, so I'm talking about OBM and Um, and coaching, right?

[00:32:33] So as an OBM, I'm working with six, seven figure businesses doing the operations and all of that stuff. And then as a coach, I'm working with the VAs, VAs and OBMs helping them to grow their business in, in an aligned way. So everybody is growing their businesses, right? Okay, great. So we figured out like, like on the website, like I can weave everything together and that makes sense.

[00:32:53] But I was speaking to two totally different audiences. So for me, what I decided what worked best for me was that [00:33:00] I was going to market them differently. Like, completely differently. So everybody goes, you know, the website is where you can see everything that I do, but my coaching is what, what you'll see when you go on social media, what you see in all of these places, except for LinkedIn.

[00:33:14] I have them both there because that's so people can know that I do, you know, all of that. And my OBM stuff, because I don't need, like, I only have like a OBM client because that's what I want, you know, at the moment. So it's not like, it doesn't require so much marketing and whatnot. So that's more.

[00:33:31] Referrals, that's more things that request for proposals that are in my certified OBM group. It's not, it doesn't require that much marketing, you know, so I'm on some like website, like there's different places. So it was, now it's very clear, but when you have two totally different audiences, it's a different story than when you have a very similar audience.

[00:33:50] So I wanted to make that distinction in case somebody is listening, like, oh, but I get that. But now for me, this doesn't, you know, that doesn't feel right for me. It doesn't work for me. So,

[00:33:59] Megan Holly: absolutely. And it's a [00:34:00] really good distinction because sometimes we're not like, we're kind of somewhere where you can either be on one extreme or the other, where they're like kind of a mishy mishy mashy

[00:34:09] Andrea Elibero: yeah.

[00:34:10] Megan Holly: they're completely different. And then maybe you're somewhere in the middle and you have

[00:34:12] Andrea Elibero: Yeah.

[00:34:13] Megan Holly: what that means for you.

[00:34:14] Andrea Elibero: Right.

[00:34:15] Megan Holly: you brought that to the table because don't, you know, we don't really always fit into a box.

[00:34:21] Andrea Elibero: Right.

[00:34:22] Megan Holly: we have to figure out, What makes the most sense and where are you more on your side of things my side of things or maybe you're somewhere in the middle where you've got to kind of okay we got

[00:34:30] Andrea Elibero: Yeah.

[00:34:31] Megan Holly: what makes the most sense

[00:34:32] Andrea Elibero: And what feels good for you, you know, so like, I'm sure there was a way where I could do both in one plot, like I'm sure there was, but that didn't, it didn't quite fit for me, you know? So, so yeah. So it's like what feels really aligned for you as well. So I would love. Okay. So I have two last questions.

[00:34:48] One is for you personally, what has been the biggest hurdle in growing your business?

[00:34:55] Megan Holly: oh my goodness biggest hurdle well i'm gonna use [00:35:00] like one thing that i know that has been just always in the back of my mind and that is and i think a lot of people deal with it too so hopefully it's helpful is that illusion of control

[00:35:14] Andrea Elibero: Oh. Oh, elaborate.

[00:35:17] Megan Holly: The sense of having control.

[00:35:19] Andrea Elibero: Hmm.

[00:35:20] Megan Holly: Because so often, right, and I'll speak for myself, but I feel as though a lot of people, at least in my conversations with them, feel very similar that they don't want to give up control of things,

[00:35:31] Andrea Elibero: Hmm.

[00:35:32] Megan Holly: They want to do all the things on their own. Maybe they don't want to, but they feel like they have to,

[00:35:37] Andrea Elibero: Yeah.

[00:35:37] Megan Holly: there's a lot of different things that maybe float into this thought process, but there's such a beauty in allowing things to be slightly just out of your control

[00:35:49] Andrea Elibero: Mm

[00:35:50] Megan Holly: being able to somebody to support you in that. Or the other side of control is thinking exactly, [00:36:00] know exactly what it's going to look like

[00:36:02] Andrea Elibero: hmm.

[00:36:02] Megan Holly: or how it should look like, right? So

[00:36:04] Andrea Elibero: Yeah.

[00:36:04] Megan Holly: out there struggling with the idea that my business has to look exactly like this, or I need to be here by then. The idea of letting up that control and kind of like that law of detachment sort of

[00:36:15] Andrea Elibero: Mm hmm.

[00:36:16] Megan Holly: we don't exactly know where it's going to land.

[00:36:19] We know what we want it to feel like and look like and be like essentially, but we don't know exactly what that means for us. if we can, if we can allow that to just not take over every single thing that we do and all the thoughts we have, we're so much better off. But that would be one thing that for me comes to mind immediately because for a long time it was like, no, it's going to look like this.

[00:36:41] It's going to be like that. I'm going to do this by this date. I'm going to do it all on my own. And the troll was eating away at me and it

[00:36:50] Andrea Elibero: Mm hmm.

[00:36:51] Megan Holly: until I. Got a VA that could help me with, you know, I wasn't in a space when I first had her and I could get a ton of [00:37:00] hours out of her and pay for, you know, a lot, but I

[00:37:03] Andrea Elibero: Yeah.

[00:37:05] Megan Holly: and even if it's two hours of time that I can have somebody else support me in it, letting a little bit of that control out was beautiful.

[00:37:13] Andrea Elibero: Mm

[00:37:14] Megan Holly: So if anybody's listening, they're like, yeah, I'm kind of just like the anvil is crushing down on me

[00:37:20] Andrea Elibero: hmm.

[00:37:20] Megan Holly: know what my own worst enemy right now. Um, What can you do? What small thing can you do to just release either the expectation that you feel like you have by controlling the outcome or what can you do to get support and letting some of that control out?

[00:37:37] Andrea Elibero: I love that. Yeah, I love that. The, um, it's funny because everybody here, most of them are people who serve people, right? So there are VAs and whatnot. And when I see my clients, so like, They're like, I could, I could like see people like listening to that and rolling their eyes because they picture their clients who don't want to give up control of their businesses or those types of things.

[00:37:57] But at the same time, when I see my [00:38:00] clients who maybe they bring on their own support, they go through the same thing oftentimes. So it's really funny that even though like you do it, it's still a struggle for a lot of people. It's a learning curve to get over. So,

[00:38:11] Megan Holly: really is.

[00:38:12] Andrea Elibero: yeah. Okay. And then the last question is the top scaling tip that you have learned on your journey that you would love to share.

[00:38:22] Megan Holly: Oh, goodness. You know, it kind of goes in tandem with that, right? Like the, the control side of things of, right, if we are controlling things too much and we aren't finding ways to be able to actually realistically scale, getting support from a VA, taking on, you know, um, you know, different versions of what you think, what the business can look like. We're going to stay stuck, right? And so finding the things that you can invest in monetarily, energetically, that can actually help you to scale is so important, right?

[00:38:55] Andrea Elibero: Yeah. Yeah.

[00:38:59] Megan Holly: what's going to [00:39:00] actually take them to the next level.

[00:39:01] Maybe for somebody that's getting an employee, maybe it's You know, maybe for somebody it's totally different, but think it's really being like carefully calculating what can help you get there, but also being open to what can get you there. Right? I think it's like this weird mesh of that because sometimes if we get too pigeonholed in like, This is the only way that I can scale.

[00:39:22] Then maybe we're missing a couple opportunities that could help us. So doing your research is going to be super helpful because then, you know, different ways that like you in particular and or your industry or type of services that you offer can actually scale and having somebody that can do that. And, and walk them through it like a coach, right?

[00:39:43] You know, someone like you, but that can really kind of say what is the actual goal and what is realistic for us to do now to get you moving towards that scale, right? That scaling up. And so I think that's really important doing, you know, doing that research to really [00:40:00] understand what, what do I actually want out of this business? Right. You know, some people sell their businesses, some people, you know, there's totally different versions of, you know, Kind of moving up or up and out of where you are currently. And so, what is your ultimate goal? And I think also for me, it's getting real with, kind of more from like the personal side of things, what do I really want out of life, business, and, you know. Myself, Because scaling might look and feel different if I'm saying, well, I just want to like, you know, I want to retire in five years, you know, whatever. Like if you have these big lofty goals, you're going to have to match that with the choices that you're making to scale versus if

[00:40:42] Andrea Elibero: Yes. It's

[00:40:44] Megan Holly: goal that maybe feels a little bit more lengthy or stretchy or, you know, whatever, you're might invest differently. And you, you may just need to be coached differently too, I feel, because, you know, you're going to need somebody who's going to be able to [00:41:00] understand whatever layer you're at. So, um, researching, understanding and articulating exactly what it is that you need and want to do within your

[00:41:08] Andrea Elibero: all that clarity, right? Getting all that clarity. Yeah.

[00:41:11] Megan Holly: you're not even, you don't even know, cause sometimes I've been there where I'm like, I don't really even know. what it is to do next to scale or get to where I want to go.

[00:41:20] Andrea Elibero: Yep.

[00:41:20] Megan Holly: when you need somebody to support you and give you kind of that guidance. Cause you're like What does that mean? I don't

[00:41:26] Andrea Elibero: Right. Right. What do I even want? What does life even look?

[00:41:30] Megan Holly: Right. You definitely need an

[00:41:31] Andrea Elibero: Yes.

[00:41:33] Megan Holly: You know, here's some things to consider, here's something they want you to work on to see exactly what this means, you know, and that's a beautiful thing.

[00:41:43] And again, it ties into that, you know, kind of that control, but also building that confidence to have those conversations that you can't just have on your own, you know, you could talk to yourself all day long about your goals and your dreams and your wishes and your wants out of your life and business, but sometimes you just need to [00:42:00] flex in a different way and say, Hey. I need some support and I need to get a fresh perspective because I don't know where to go next. And there's something really powerful. If I can leave anybody with anything, there's something beautifully powerful about saying, I don't know. don't know. Because we want to just feel like we're always in the know, you know, we want to want to be the expert in what we do and all these things.

[00:42:24] But what if you weren't always, what if it was okay to just go, I don't actually know. I want or what to do.

[00:42:31] Andrea Elibero: And you know what? That I think also is a external exhibition of confidence because you're confident enough to say that you don't know.

[00:42:39] Megan Holly: Yeah. Yeah. And I always say like, when I do content and things like that, I will say, I'm blue in the face, this is just telling you like their experience and their thoughts and what they know, but I'm not the end all be all and no, neither is the other people that you're listening to or seeing

[00:42:58] Andrea Elibero: Yeah.

[00:42:58] Megan Holly: acting with, [00:43:00] and it is there, but there was a time for me that I was like, well, I don't want them to think that I don't know what I'm

[00:43:04] Andrea Elibero: Right. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:43:06] Megan Holly: That's a scary feeling. It's vulnerable to say that,

[00:43:09] Andrea Elibero: Yeah.

[00:43:10] Megan Holly: even if somebody has, you know, something like say they're, let's just use like a product based. And they're like, I don't know the price of that. Some people would be like, I don't want to say that to somebody because I don't, I don't want to look like I don't know what I'm doing.

[00:43:23] Andrea Elibero: Mm hmm. Mm hmm.

[00:43:25] Megan Holly: team and you just did a sale and you don't know what the price is and you just need to go check it? All you're doing is just double checking before you give them the answer. It's the same for us, right? And in the service base and the coaching base is to know that. It's okay to say, I'm, I'm understanding where I'm going and I'm not sure where it is right now, but I'm getting support within it so that I can, can, I can do better. I can be better. I can get to that scaling or those goals to more efficiently, essentially.

[00:43:56] Andrea Elibero: Amazing. Yeah. I love all of that. Thank you for sharing that. [00:44:00] Um, and so how can everybody stay in touch with you and learn how to flex their confidence muscles? No problem.

[00:44:06] Megan Holly: Yeah, well, I love, love, love hanging out with people, getting to know them. I feel very blessed to have a growing community and just loving to connect with people in any way, shape or form. Um, where I do that is, um, Instagram, Facebook, um, are kind of the two places I hang out the most. I'm always on my stories, just, just chatting and have the best conversations there. My handle on all of them are is Megan Holly creates. And so jump on in. I would love to see new faces there and just be able to love on everybody. Um, and I am, yeah, my links are all in my bios on all my socials. So any additional support that people would like to have, like my blog and all that are all just really attainable right in those little hubs of social media.

[00:44:56] So yeah,

[00:44:57] Andrea Elibero: Awesome. And it'll all be obviously linked in the show notes and all of [00:45:00] that as well. So thank you so much, Megan, for being here today. I really love this conversation and appreciate you for sharing all of your wisdom.

[00:45:08] Megan Holly: thank you. 

[00:45:09] Andrea Elibero: Thank you so much for joining us today. I really hope you found inspiration and insights from today's episode. You know, scaling your business intentionally and from the inside out is a transformational process, but I'm here to support you every step of the way. Head on over to dancing leaf solutions.com/resources for free tools to help you do just that.

[00:45:34] And thank you again for being a part of the Solepreneur Scaling Stories community. Your presence and dedication to growth inspiring me every day.