Pretty Little Liars changed my business.
April 2017 marks the end of Pretty Little Liars as the seventh season returns to make it’s final run.
Like many PLL fans, I tuned in every week as the plot twists surrounding Uber A got more ridiculous and although we all knew it would soon come to an end, the realities smacked us in the face like a burst of bad breath when the Author and Executive Producer, Marlene King, confirmed the final end dates. Ahhhhhh!
But those realities are pale in comparison to the fact that several castmates of the popular show will now be out of work. Judging from Shay Mitchell’s, “Under The Blanket” Interview with Ian Harding, it looks like it’s kind of a big deal and a huge reason to freak the heck out.
Because what happens when you’ve had all this success, made all this money, have a big ol’ house and like NO WORK?!
The uncertainty of the future, what’s next, coping with the fear of losing work and wait for it–the feeling of just wanting to make sure the mortgage gets paid.
Why does this feel so familiar to every Entrepreneur?
Yeah guys, this is heavy stuff.
And just like any SCARE ME SH*TLESS situation, there is a whole bunch we can learn from this entire scenario.
Here are Three Ways Pretty Little Liars Changed My Business.
1. Entrepreneurship is not a destination or an end goal. It’s a Journey.
No matter what height of success you’ve reached — it’s always scary to lose work, and celebs fear it too. With over six years in the Entertainment Industry, I’ve always known that the reality of everyday life for most celebrities is much different that the persona and grandiosity we see in Magazines and on TV.
We see the glitz and glam, we see the designer clothes, we see their extravagant teams, their assistants beckoning at their feet. What we forget is, these people have to pay for it.
And to keep up with their opulent lifestyles so the general public doesn’t assume their career is soaring downhill, they have to keep all of this up. If you’ve never paid for a personal makeup artist, let me tell you–it can cost $200 for one, two hour session. That’s not even a whole day and that’s not even the girl that does hair.
So clearly not all celebrities are twerking on piles of money when they come home, and many can’t afford to retire after one gig.
Every Entrepreneur can relate to the struggle of trying to keep up with branding and their business, while having no solid income to stand on.
Still–it always takes me by surprise when I hear a celebrity or mainstream artist talk about their mortgage or fear of not having work to pay their bills because hellooooo….don’t we all just naturally assume they’re rich forever?
Yeah, no. Entrepreneurship is not an end goal, It’s a journey. And just like the Pretty Little Liars cast mates, your finances will shift up and down, clients and opportunities will come and go, and you will have to figure out what’s next.
2. When The Future Is Uncertain, Use Fear As Your Compass!
Thanks, Marie Forleo!
But seriously you gotta feel the fear and freaking do it anyways!
The best stuff comes out of tears, heartaches, panic attacks, and strange days when you are staring at the ceiling wondering: What did I get myself into? Although Shay Mitchell appears anxious about her future, she acknowledges that her greatest achievements always come during a time when she is at her bottom. Instead of giving into fear, Shay decides she won’t allow her fear to control her.
She is going to look at end of the PLL journey as a birth and discovery of a new one.
3. Diversify Your Passions. Diversify Your Income. Bet on the Future!
If you want to know what the super rich and super successful all have in common? They diversify their income and have multiple passions to fall back on.
It’s estimated that millionaires have at least 7 sources of income. How many do you have?
Want to know what Shay Mitchell did to diversify her passions and her income that no other castmate did?
Shay Mitchell revolutionized her brand with video marketing, and started a Youtube Channel just over a year ago.
Instead of relying on the success of one platform, Shay Mitchell diversified her brand and decided to use Youtube to market her Brand and Business.
This means more brand endorsements, checks from Google Adsense, and an opportunity to solidify herself as someone other than the ultra cool, bad ass swimmer Emily Fields that’s going bye bye at the end of Season 7.
Youtube is the best way to create a body of content using the internet’s most powerful and influential media format. And Shay Mitchell knew that she could connect deeper with her audience through Youtube over Instagram and Facebook. Now she has over 1.5 million subscribers.
Now if you’re rolling your eyes and thinking, Hey Natasha, this works because she was already hugely successful.
Well this is true.
But you shouldn’t be using Youtube solely for Brand Endorsements and Adsense. You should be using this super influential platform to connect and engage with your audience, and build your email list.
So what does Pretty Little Liars really teach us about business?
You must always challenge yourself, be willing to do diversify your brand and create numerous funnels to maintain success.
And like Shay Mitchell, it’s extremely important that you pay attention to market trends so that your business can benefit from the tides of the market.
Currently the market says that approximately 50% of all mobile traffic correlates with video content. By 2019, 80% of all Internet traffic will be video.
Video is the Future. And Successful Brands are using it.
If your current brand strategy doesn’t involve a mix of Youtube, Live videos, Stories and Email Video Marketing, you’re clearly losing out on a huge market.
I have an entire post dedicated to Why Your Brand NEEDS A Youtube Channel.
