The Money Story You’re Reinforcing Every Day

Episode 76 transcript: The Money Story You’re Reinforcing Every Day

Why business decisions are emotional first

Hey there, and welcome to episode 76 of your fun and profitable online business. This is the podcast that helps you build a business that feels as good as it looks. I'm Whitty Muzzy, and I help women entrepreneurs create fun and profitable businesses by simplifying the decisions that move them forward. Now, we like to think our business decisions are always logical, but so many of them aren't. They're emotional first and logical second. Let me start by asking you a question. Have you ever typed a price into your sales page, looked at it, and then immediately deleted it to make it lower? Nothing changed about your offer. Nothing changed about the transformation you provide. The only thing that changed was how you felt after seeing the number. That moment has almost nothing to do with pricing. It has everything to do with the money story your brain is telling you. And those stories don't just affect your prices. They affect your marketing, your launches, your confidence, and at the end of the day, your income. And that's what we're talking about today. All right, let's get to it.

When money stories sound like practical facts

Now, here's what makes this really tricky. Most of these stories don't sound like stories at all. They sound responsible, practical, even logical. It's, I just need a little more experience, or I don't want to bother anyone, Or, I want to make sure this is really good first. Those all sound reasonable. And sometimes they're really true. But sometimes they're simply stories your brain has repeated so many times that they've started to feel like facts. That's what I mean by a money story. It's not necessarily anything to do with money. It's about the beliefs that influence your decisions that ultimately impact your income. Because every business decision has a financial ripple effect. If you delay launching, your revenue gets delayed. If you underprice, your revenue gets reduced. If you avoid promoting a product, people won't know it exists. If you don't follow up, sales will quietly disappear. Now, none of these decisions happen because you don't want a profitable business. I've talked to enough business owners. I know we all want profitable businesses. These happen because a story is quietly in the driver's seat.

How one story follows you through the business

Now, one thing that I noticed is these stories rarely sit in any one area of your business. If you have a story that says people won't pay that, you'll probably see it show up when you set your prices. But you might also see it show up when you write your sales page or your sales emails or when someone asks you how much you charge. The story follows you from decision to decision, and because it feels familiar, it starts to feel true. The challenge is we often blame the strategy. We think we need a better offer or better marketing or a prettier website. And yes, sometimes that's true. Sometimes those things need work. Sometimes they need to be created. But sometimes the strategy is perfectly fine. What's actually getting in the way is the story that's influencing how you use the strategy. That's why two people can have almost identical offers and completely different results. It's not because one has a better funnel. Sometimes one person is simply making decisions from confidence rather than making them from fear.

Your brain is trying to protect you

And the fascinating thing is, your brain thinks it's protecting you. It's trying to help you avoid rejection or embarrassment or disappointment or even criticism. The problem is, it also keeps you from growth. Now here's the good news. You don't have to eliminate every fear before you can make better decisions. You simply have to notice what's driving them because awareness always comes before change every single time.

Predictions are working theories, not facts

Now, one thing I've learned over the years is this. Our brains are constantly making predictions based on past experiences. Those predictions are not facts. They're just working theories. But if we never test them, they begin to feel like absolute truth.

Five common stories that shape business decisions

Let me give you a few examples that I often hear. Number one, I'm not ready yet. Now, maybe you're not. But maybe I'm not ready is actually, I'm afraid people will judge me. That's a totally different problem at that point. Number two, I need more certifications or more trainings. Sometimes that's true, but sometimes you're trying to earn permission to finally feel confident. The irony is that confidence doesn't arrive with another piece of paper. It comes from doing the work. Number three, I need to lower my prices. Wait a minute here. Why? What's the story underneath that decision? People won't buy? I'm asking too much? Someone else is better than me? Notice how quickly pricing becomes a story about your worth instead of the value of what you bring to the table. Number four, I don't want to bother people, which sounds kind actually, but it often becomes not following up, not inviting people to work with you, not talking about your offer. And suddenly your potential clients aren't saying no to your offer. They simply don't know how you can help them. Here's the last one. I need more followers first. Maybe, but maybe not. Sometimes what the reality is, if more people follow me, then I'll finally feel qualified to sell. The funny thing is, more followers don't automatically create confidence. I've seen people with tiny audiences build incredibly profitable businesses. And I've seen people with ginormous audiences still hesitate to promote their offers. Because confidence isn't determined by your audience size. It's determined by the stories you're practicing every single day.

The question that creates space

Again, your brain isn't trying to sabotage you here. It's trying to keep you safe. But safe and growth are rarely the same things. So instead of asking, what should I do? Try asking, what story is making this decision feel difficult? That one question creates space. It helps you separate the story from the decision. Some other common stories I hear, if you need some more things to think through, are, people won't pay that. I can't take time off. If I want to be successful, I have to work all the time. If I raise my prices, all my clients will leave. Or if someone says no, I did something wrong. None of these are true. They're simply possibilities, stories, and stories can be rewritten, not overnight, but through observation and intentional action.

Use curiosity to collect new evidence

Now here's the shift I'd love for you to make. Instead of trying to replace every negative thought with a positive one, just become curious. When your brain offers you a story, notice it. Interesting. That's the story my brain offered. Curiosity feels much safer than trying to force yourself to believe the opposite, and once you can start to get curious go out there and collect some evidence, every time you send a follow-up email you collect evidence every time you list a price that's uncomfortable you collect evidence, every time you launch before you feel completely ready you collect evidence, and over time something really interesting starts to happen You stop believing every thought your brain offers you. Instead of whatever it is, you pause. And that tiny pause creates something incredibly valuable. A choice. Because once you can separate the story from the decision, you get to decide which one deserves to drive your business. And that's where lasting confidence comes from. Not because the stories disappear, but because they stop making the decisions for you.

Notice the story underneath one hesitation

Let's get to your action step for this week. I want you to notice one moment where you hesitate in your business. Maybe it's before you send a sales email. Maybe it's before you post on social media. Maybe it's before deciding what to charge. Just pause there and ask yourself, what am I telling myself right now? Then ask why. And ask again. And keep asking why until you can't anymore. Eventually, you'll uncover the story underneath the decision. And don't judge it. Don't try to fix it immediately. Simply notice it. Because awareness is the first step towards changing it.

Keep exploring how thoughts shape the business

And if you enjoy these conversations about the way our thoughts influence our business or the practical strategies for building a business that's both fun and profitable, make sure you're subscribed to my weekly emails. You can sign up at wendymuzzy.com/join. All right, that's it for today. Until next time, happy building your fun, profitable business.