Your Fun & Profitable Online Business · Episode 88
People Cannot Buy What They Cannot See
It’s entirely possible to make your business visible while keeping yourself almost completely invisible. Here are five ways to get out from behind your business and let people see the person who actually built it.
Press play, then go post the thing you’ve been sitting on
Having trouble? Open the audio directly.
Part three of the building vs. selling series
Your business is visible. Are you?
You can post faceless tips, send a perfectly formatted newsletter, and have a beautiful website – and someone can consume all of it and still know nothing about you. Service buyers aren’t comparing resumes line by line. They’re deciding whether they like you, trust you, and feel understood by you.
Stop removing your personality
Your credibility doesn’t come from sounding formal. Use the words you actually use. Tell the joke. Have the opinion.
Share the thinking and the process
What problem annoyed you enough to solve it? What are you testing? You already have material everywhere.
Give visibility somewhere to go
Repeat yourself more than feels necessary, and always tell people the next step. Visibility without an invitation is just more productive procrastination.
For the last couple of episodes, we’ve been talking about building instead of selling: why building something new feels so much more exciting, and all the legitimate-looking productive procrastination that suddenly appears when it’s time to put your offer in front of people. So let’s say you’re ready. You’ve stopped tinkering. Maybe you’ve even closed Canva. Now what?
Now people have to know you exist. And this is where a lot of us run into another problem. We know we need to be more visible, but the second we try to show up, we get really weird. We don’t know what to say. We start writing like we’re submitting something for approval. And before you know it, maybe the website does need another update. (Nope. We’re not going back there.)
A visible business with an invisible owner
Here’s something I’ve personally been thinking about: it’s entirely possible to make your business visible while keeping yourself almost completely invisible from it. You can share faceless reels and tips. You can announce a new offer and send a perfectly formatted newsletter. You can have a beautiful website that tells people the five things they’ll get when they buy. Technically, you’re marketing. But someone can consume all of that and still know nothing about you.
That matters even more for service-based businesses, because people aren’t just deciding whether they want the thing you’re selling. They’re deciding whether they want to work with you. There might be a hundred people who can technically provide your service, and your prospective client isn’t comparing everyone’s resume line by line. She’s getting a feel for people. Do I like this person? Does her approach make sense to me? Do I trust her? Does she understand what I’m dealing with?
When we get nervous about visibility, that’s exactly what we do. We edit ourselves out, and then we wonder why showing up feels so exhausting. It’s because you’re performing – trying to figure out how “business owner you” is supposed to sound instead of letting people hear what you actually have to say.
And remember where this series just came from. You’ve already spent all that time building the thing. You’ve thought it through, solved the problems, tested it. There’s so much of you already inside what you built. Visibility is just letting that part be seen.
Five places to start being more visible
None of this requires documenting your entire life or becoming a full-time content creator. Nobody has time for that. Start here instead.
1. Stop trying to sound like a “real business owner”
Notice what happens to your language when you think you’re marketing. I’ve seen it happen to me and to my business friends. They’re hilarious over text and can explain exactly what they do effortlessly. Then their Instagram suddenly says, “Are you ready to elevate your business to the next level?” Like… who is that? Did she steal your phone?
Your credibility doesn’t come from sounding formal, and your authentic brand voice isn’t something you need to invent. It’s probably much closer to how you already talk when you’re not trying so hard. Use the words you actually use. Explain the thing the way you explained it to your client yesterday.
Formal, polished, and interchangeable with a hundred other accounts. Exhausting to write, easy to scroll past.
Your jokes, your opinions, your explanations. Easier to write, and it’s what people actually decide to buy from.
2. Share the thinking behind what you built
This is one of the easiest bridges from building into visibility. If you’ve been buried in building something, you have material everywhere. What problem were you trying to solve? What did you try first? What annoyed you enough that you finally decided there had to be another way? All of that is content – and it’s content that gives people a reason to understand and care about what you’re selling.
Don’t just pop up after three months of silence with a “ta-da, here’s my new offer.” Bring us into the thinking. Show us the problem the way you see it. Bonus: if selling makes you uncomfortable, this means you don’t have to spend every post telling people to buy the thing.
3. Let people see some of the process
You know I love an experiment around here. Trial and error? Let people see it. Take some of that building energy and turn it outward. You don’t have to wait until everything is finished and perfect to talk about it. Show us what you’re testing. Tell us what you’re working on. Talk about something that didn’t work.
You’re already doing the work. The only difference is that instead of doing it behind closed doors, you’re opening the door a crack and letting people see in. And it changes the question from “what should I create today?” to “what’s happening in my business that I can talk about?” That’s a much easier question, especially if you can happily build for 12 hours and then have no idea what to say about it.
4. Repeat yourself way more than feels necessary
This one’s hard, so I’m just going to say it. You talked about your offer last Tuesday, so surely everyone knows now. No, they don’t. Half of them missed it. It feels old to you because you’ve been working on it for weeks or months.
Times you’ve thought about your offer
Your audience hasn’t. Tell the story again, explain the problem from another angle, and invite people again and again.
Repetition isn’t a sign that you’re boring people. It’s part of making your amazing work visible.
5. Give your visibility somewhere to go
This is where visibility connects back to selling. It needs a job. What do you want someone to do next? Buy the offer? Book a call? Come to the workshop? Download the freebie? Reply to the email? Maybe just start a conversation. Give people somewhere to go.
Because otherwise, visibility becomes yet another form of productive procrastination. (Yes, we found another one.) You can absolutely spend hours creating content, tell yourself you’re marketing, and never actually ask anyone to take the next step toward buying. So don’t just be visible. Invite.
If that makes you uncomfortable, good – not because discomfort is the goal, but because you’ve finally reached the part you’ve been building toward. You’re not hiding in the building space anymore. You’re opening the door and saying: hey, I made this. Here’s why. And if you need it, here’s how you can get it.
Why being personal is your advantage
Your business being personal becomes a superpower – not because your life becomes content, but because you become part of the reason your business is recognizable. Your way of explaining things, your stories, your sense of humor, your opinions, your values, your experiments. That’s hard to duplicate.
Someone else can sell a similar service. They cannot bring your exact combination of experience, perspective, and personality.
So stop sanding all of that off before you let anyone see what you’ve built. Show yourself.
What this looks like in real time
I recently created a new web app called Connected that makes staying in touch with people so much easier. And if I’m being fully transparent, I could easily spend the next six months happily hiding behind my computer adding features and tweaking things – the exact thing we’ve been talking about for the last few episodes.
Instead, I’m practicing what I’m talking about here. I’m sharing why I built it, how I’m using it, and what I’m learning as I go. And yes, I’m telling people how they can buy it. Will every post work? No idea. Will some get very little engagement? Probably. Will some people decide Connected isn’t for them? Absolutely. None of that means I should go back into hiding and build another feature. My job right now is to let people see it.
Your action step this week
- Post one thing that connects you to what you sell: why you made it, what you believe about the problem it solves, or something you’ve changed your mind about.
- Keep it unpolished, but make sure it sounds like you.
- Mention the offer. Tell people what you made and who it’s for.
- Give them somewhere to go next.
- One post, one invitation, done.
Questions about online business visibility
Do I need to become an influencer to be more visible?
Nope. You don’t need a visibility persona or a polished brand version of yourself, and you don’t need to document your whole life. You just need to be you, with enough structure to make showing up and selling a little easier.
My business is already visible. Isn’t that enough?
Not if you’re missing from it. Faceless tips, formatted newsletters, and a pretty website can all be technically marketing, and someone can still consume every bit of it without knowing anything about you. Especially with services, people are deciding whether they want to work with you.
What do I post if I don’t know what to say?
Start with what you’ve already done. Share the problem that annoyed you enough to build your offer, what you tried first, what you’re testing now, and what didn’t work. The question becomes “what’s happening in my business?” instead of “what should I create today?”
Won’t people get tired of hearing about my offer?
It feels old to you because you’ve thought about it four million times. Your audience hasn’t, and half of them missed the last post anyway. Repetition isn’t boring people. It’s part of making your work visible.
How does visibility turn into sales?
Give it a job. Every time you show up, tell people where to go next: buy, book a call, join the workshop, download the freebie, or reply. Content without an invitation is just another form of productive procrastination.
Watch me practice this in real time
I could spend the next six months happily adding features to Connected, my new web app for staying in touch with people. Instead, I’m showing up, sharing why I built it, and telling people how to get it. Come follow along, and while you’re there, post the thing you’ve been sitting on too.
One post, one invitation. That’s all.
Read the full episode transcript
Episode 88 transcript: People Cannot Buy What They Cannot See
Getting out from behind your business
Hey there, and welcome to episode 88 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 Wendy Muzzy, and I help women entrepreneurs create fun and profitable businesses by simplifying what feels complicated, designing businesses that fit their lives, and taking action on the things that move their business forward. For the last couple of episodes, we’ve been talking about a common issue for creative business owners, building instead of selling. We talked about why building something new can feel so much more exciting than selling it.
And we talked about productive procrastination, you know, all those legitimate-looking things you can do that suddenly find their way when it’s time to put your offer in front of people. So today, I want to talk about what happens next. You’re ready to stop tinkering and adding things, and maybe you’re ready to even close Canva. So now what? Well, now people have to know you exist. Because at some point, building a business requires being seen. And this is where I think a lot of us run into another problem. We know we need to be more visible, but when we try to show up, suddenly we get really weird.
We don’t know what to say. We start writing like we’re submitting something for approval because we want to sound professional. And before you know it, maybe the website does need another update. Nope, we’re not going back there. Today, I want to talk about how to get out from behind your business and let people actually see the person who built it. Not because you need to become an influencer or because you need some polished brand version of yourself. But if you’re going to sell what you’ve built, people need opportunities to understand how you think, hear what you believe, and learn why this thing you created might matter to them.
You don’t need a visibility persona. You just need to be you with enough structure to make showing up and selling a little easier. All right, let’s get to it.
A visible business with an invisible owner
Here’s something I’ve personally been thinking about. It’s entirely possible to make your business visible while keeping yourself almost completely invisible from it. You can share faceless reels and tips. You can announce a new offer and send a perfectly formatted newsletter. And you can have a beautiful website and tell people five things they’ll get when they buy. Technically, you’re marketing in this space. But someone can consume all of that and still know nothing about you. And I think this matters even more for service-based businesses because so often people aren’t just deciding what they want, like the thing you’re selling.
They’re deciding whether they want to work with you. There might be a hundred people who can technically provide the service you’re offering. Your prospective client isn’t sitting there comparing everyone’s resume line by line. They’re getting a feel for people. They’re understanding the person they’re buying from. They’re thinking, do I like this person? Do I understand what she’s saying? Does her approach make sense to me? Do I trust her? Do I feel like she understands what I’m dealing with?
You already have a personality
And this is where I think we’ve gotten the personal brand a little bit backwards. You don’t necessarily need to build a personality for your brand. You already have one. You just need to stop removing it. Because when we get nervous about visibility, that’s often exactly what we do. We edit ourselves out. Then we wonder why showing up feels so exhausting. It’s because you’re performing in that space. You’re trying to figure out how business owner you is supposed to sound instead of letting people actually hear what you have to say. And remember where we’ve just come from this little series?
You’ve already spent all the time building the thing. You’ve already thought through it. You’ve solved the problems. You’ve tested it. There’s so much of you already inside of what you built. Visibility is just part of letting that part be seen by other people.
Five places to start
So let’s make this practical. How do you start being more visible without feeling like you suddenly need to document your entire life or become a full-time content creator? Because nobody has time for that. I’m going to give you five places I suggest you start.
Stop trying to sound like a real business owner
Number one, stop trying to sound like a real business owner. I want you to notice what happens to your language when you think you’re marketing. I’ve had this personally happen and I’ve seen this happen with my business friends. They’re hilarious in text message, and they can explain exactly what they do effortlessly. But then their Instagram suddenly sounds like, are you ready to elevate your business to the next level? Like, who is that? Did she steal your phone? Your credibility and their credibility does not come from sounding formal. Their authentic brand voice isn’t something they need to invent.
It’s probably much closer to how we already communicate when we’re not trying so hard. Just use the words you actually use. Tell the joke. Have the opinion. Explain the thing the way you wanted to explain it to your client yesterday.
Share the thinking behind what you build
Number two, share the thinking behind what you build. This is one of the easiest bridges from building into visibility. Because if you’ve been buried into building something, you have material everywhere. What problem were you trying to solve? What did you first try? What annoyed you enough that you finally decided there had to be another way? All of that is content. And more importantly, it’s content that gives people a reason to understand and care about what you’re selling. Don’t just pop up after three months of building and say, ta-da, here’s my new offer, go get it.
Bring us into the thinking. Let us know the problem the way you see it. And this is especially useful if selling makes you uncomfortable because you don’t have to spend every post telling people to buy the thing.
Let people see some of the process
Number three, let people see some of the process. Now we know I love an experiment around here. Trial and error, yes, let people see it. This is where I want you to take some of that building energy and turn it outward. We don’t have to wait till everything is finished and perfect to talk about it. Show us what you’re testing. Tell us what you’re working on. Talk about something that didn’t work. Now you’ve already done the work. The difference now is instead of doing all of that behind closed doors, you’re opening the door just a crack and letting people see in.
And this does something really useful. It makes visibility less like wondering what you should create today and more like what’s happening in my business that I can talk about. That’s a much easier question, especially if you’re someone who can happily spend 12 hours building but suddenly have no idea what to say when it’s time to talk about it.
Repeat yourself way more than feels necessary
Number four, repeat yourself way more than feels necessary. This one’s hard. I’m going to just say it. You’ve talked about your offer last Tuesday. Surely everyone knows now. No, they don’t. Half of them missed it. Also, keep in mind, it feels old to you because you’ve been working on it for weeks or months. You’ve thought about it four million times. But your audience hasn’t. So repeat yourself. Tell the story again. Explain the problem from another angle. Invite people again and again. Repetition isn’t a sign that you’re boring people. It’s part of making your amazing work visible.
Give your visibility somewhere to go
And number five, give your visibility somewhere to go. Now, this is where we connect visibility back to selling. It needs a job. What do you want someone to do next? Do you want them to buy the offer? Book a call? Come to the workshop? Download the freebie? Reply to the email? Join for something? Maybe even just start a conversation. Give people somewhere to go. Because otherwise, visibility can become another form of productive procrastination. Yes, we found another one. Now, you can absolutely spend hours creating content and tell yourself you’re marketing while never actually asking anyone to take the next step to buying.
So don’t just be visible, invite. This is the part where visibility turns into selling. And if that makes you uncomfortable, good. Not because discomfort’s the goal here, but because we finally reached the part you’ve been building towards. You’re not hiding into the building space anymore. You’re opening the door and saying, hey, I made this. Here’s why. And if this is something you need, here’s how you can get it. That’s the job.
Being personal is your superpower
And here’s what I want you to see on the other side of this. Your business being personal really becomes a superpower, not because your life becomes content, but because you become part of the reason your business is recognizable. Your way of explaining something, your stories, your sense of humor, your opinions, your values, your experiments, your approach, that’s hard to duplicate. Someone else can have the exact same template or sell a similar service. But they cannot bring your exact combination of experience, perspective, personality, and your way of doing it.
So stop sanding all that off before you let anyone see what you’ve built. Show yourself.
Your action step for this week
All right, let’s get your action step for this week. It’s simple. Post one thing that connects you to what you sell. It could be why you made the offer or what you believe about the problem it solves. Or maybe it’s something you’ve noticed or something you’ve changed your mind about. Doesn’t need to be long or polished, but it does need to sound like you. And then, this is important, mention the offer. Tell people what you made. Tell them who it’s for. Give them somewhere to go next. One post, one invitation, done. That’s it.
Practicing visibility with Connected
And if you’re curious about what this looks like in real time, go follow connected.wendymuzzy on Instagram. I recently created a new web app called Connected that makes staying in touch with people so much easier. And if I’m being fully transparent, I could easily spend the next six months happily hiding behind my computer, making it better, adding more features and tweaking things. You know, the exact thing we’ve been talking about for the last few episodes. Instead, I’m practicing what I’m talking about here. I’m getting out there. I’m talking about why I built it.
I’m showing you how I’m using it. I’m sharing what I’m learning as I go. And yes, I’m telling people how they can buy it. Is every post going to work? I have no idea. Will some of it get very little engagement? Probably. Will some people decide Connected isn’t for them? Absolutely. But none of those things mean I should go back into hiding and build another feature. My job right now is to let people see it. So if you’re working on being visible too, come follow along at connected.wendymuzzy. You can watch me practice this right alongside you. And maybe while you’re there, post the thing you’ve been sitting on too.
One post, one invitation. That’s all.
Wrapping up
All right, that’s it for today. Until next time, happy building your fun and profitable business.