Episode Transcript
Nina Huchthausen (00:03.362)
Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Makers Business Tribe podcast. My name is Nina. I'm the founder of the Makers Business Tribe. We work with impact-driven, health-conscious, product-based businesses and get them to the masses by retail and online. And I am just super stoked in this episode to really unpack the word impact.
why it is important, and most importantly, why you want to start your business, dream your idea with impact. Thinking, defining, and really creating the strongest fire that you can possibly can about the impact that you are dying to make on this planet in this lifetime.
Because yes, business ultimately is there to create flexibility, to create possibility for us to change our lives, hopefully for the better, to, to realize a dream, maybe to, supplement your income or to replace your income, to get you out of your corporate job or your current career or industry, maybe to give you a bit of a change.
Nina Huchthausen (01:32.11)
However, if you look at these statistics, 80 % of all businesses closed down within the first two years, and then there's another 10 % after three years, meaning 90 % of all businesses fail within the first three years.
And that is a crazy high number, right? And of course, do you want to be part of the 90 % or part of the 10 %? That's the question, right? And how do you avoid being part of the 90 %? And I truly believe, and this is not a new concept, I think it's very much derived from and carried forth of Simon Sinek's favorite
favorite talk and this whole viewpoint, you want to start with the why. But for us in the tribe, the why is carried further when it comes to impact. Because if the strongest why that we have is why is because I want more time for myself. At some point, you might realize when you are building your business,
At the start, there is no time. At the start, there might be a lot of hard work and what I often lovingly call shoveling the shit, yeah, because you're trying to launch a rocket. You're trying to do something that you have never done before that doesn't have a straightforward path most of the time. That requires a lot of figuring out. That requires
falling into potholes that requires leaning a lot against the outside world and seeing and testing and figuring out what works, where's my niche, how do I fit in, what is my product, my service offering, what is my pricing, where do I find my people, and then really creating and perfecting your dance. Because no business is the same and everybody operates under completely different circumstances.
Nina Huchthausen (03:53.11)
So, there will be hard and struggling times at the start and sometimes for years until you get your formula right. So, if you don't have the strongest flame ever burning inside of you coming from the heart, from your soul.
is very likely that at some point you will deem it as too hard, not worth your time anymore and give it up.
And to me, my friends, that feels really sad because if you...
If you're one of the few percentage of people that actually really dare to jump and not just dream and talk one day, but you have made the someday a today and you committed and you're going all in, then you deserve to get your business off the ground. You deserve to get your product to the masses. You deserve to create and live the life that you're dreaming about.
Nina Huchthausen (05:19.106)
But how do you really set yourself up to not give up? How do you set yourself up to keep the fuck going even when it's hard?
Nina Huchthausen (05:37.944)
How do you keep writing that story and turn your dream into absolute reality and see it through? See it prosper, see that little plant, that little seed that you have been planting into the earth. See it grow and prosper into a really strong, blooming, nourishing tree.
How do you do that?
How do you that?
For me, you know, I've been in business now over, it's almost 15 years, and I've seen many businesses try and fail, seen for myself how at some point in my first business, I was really struggling to continue. In fact, I decided to put it aside and start again. So I know, and I can testify,
from my own heart what made me.
Nina Huchthausen (06:49.12)
say goodbye to my business.
Not because it wasn't working. It was a seven-figure business. And from a money perspective, it was great. But it didn't fuel my fire.
And that is the most important thing for any business owner to have that in a flame. Because we as business owners, we are here to inspire the people around us, our customers. We are here to create real magnetism, whether that is the partners that we work with, the stockists, retailers, wholesalers, distributors, manufacturers. We need to be
the fire, the attraction that people want to work with us, want to collaborate with us, want to solve problems. We have to be the person that people gravitate to. Because if we want to serve from a highest level, we need to be it. But if our business, if the business idea was just built on, want to make more money,
or I want more time, or I want a bigger house, whatever that is, at some point, very likely that might not be enough anymore to get you through the hard parts. And there will always be hard parts and then there will be easy parts because it's like a constant wandering through the valleys, up the mountains, another valley and yet another mountain. There'll be back and forth, back and forth.
Nina Huchthausen (08:33.803)
So for you to start with, or you might have already built your business in year two, year three, but now that we are in the new year and we're still setting ourselves up for success.
I strongly invite you to step back and get really, really, really clear either again or for the first time on what is the absolute impact that you are dying to make on this planet.
Nina Huchthausen (09:10.367)
That is probably the biggest why that you could ever ask yourself. What is the impact, the change that you want to drive, that you want to create?
Maybe what's the problem that you want to solve?
You could also be thinking about and get really clear on like, is the shit that really frustrates you, that really gets you fired up, that you can't stop talking about or reading about or don't even want to know about because it irks you so much that this problem exists. Because you strongly believe there should be a solution for it. They strongly believe it should be different.
Nina Huchthausen (10:02.273)
Yes, I give you an example. I had a podcast interview with one of my clients, Olivia, founder of Aloe Wellness, I think in November. she, her and I both had tears in our eyes during the podcast conversation because she was talking so passionately about her having gone through
a huge hormonal disruption in her life that caused her weight gain, caused her to break out, that caused her to be into all sorts of things that were not healthful. Because she had accumulated so many toxins and so many things that were disruptive for her being, that she ended up going down a spiral that was not funny.
So if you listen to that podcast, I'll link it in a show notes, you'll feel that. And that was the fire and the anger and the frustration, the big, big no for her to research everything she could to learn and study about skin and skin health and what she could use on her skin instead and in her body to truly fuel herself, to nourish her skin.
without constantly adding toxins and hormone disruptors and cancer-causing elements onto our skin. And that's how she came up, ultimately, with Aloe Wellness and two of her first products. And that is the fire that is fueling her every single day. The impact that she's dying to make is not just to make money, it's not just
to create more flexibility for herself through selling product online and offline. But the biggest impact that she wants to make way beyond money, way beyond selling skincare, is to nourish moms, bums, families with really health-promoting skincare, so we can age gracefully.
Nina Huchthausen (12:26.487)
that we can be in the sun, that we can be out, when we have dry skin, when we have sun damaged skin, whatever we have, we can put something on.
that nourishes our skin from the inside out without any of the hugely damaging impacts. And if you look at the studies as to how much regular sunscreen or skin care can damage our bodies constantly and taxes our body, you'll be surprised and probably be as fired up as Olivia got on the call, including myself.
I used to have huge skin problems and I know how hard it was to go through everyday life when your skin is not well and you feel it everywhere.
Nina Huchthausen (13:22.647)
And that's a big impact, right?
Because she's gone through it. She moved through it from one end to the other. So she lived it. And now she's turning around and saying, fuck that. I do not want anyone else to go through this anymore. And I'm going to drive a change. I'm going to make a change.
Nina Huchthausen (13:47.531)
Now the second thing.
After you want to have really felt into what creates fire, frustration, anger, know in you and what is the dream, the outlook that you want to create instead, there's the first thing. What is your impact? That I'd really invite you maybe pause this podcast and write that out. No apologies. No.
playing small. No, or maybe this will be nice. No. What do you want? That is the language you want to apply. Do not play it small. Really write down what is the impact you want to make.
Nina Huchthausen (14:34.807)
What is the impact you want to make? And I even go further because I always think about what impact do I want to have made when I come to my last day on earth?
What is the story that I maybe want to write down so it doesn't get forgotten? Well, what is the story that I want to replay on my last day? Because when I come to my last day, when we all come to our last day, I want to know I have life well lived. And I've at least tried. I've given it my all. Maybe I don't make the full impact yet. Maybe somebody else, maybe my son, my future daughter. I don't have a daughter yet. Maybe I will have one.
and will carry forth. Maybe my sister will carry, I don't know. But what is it that I want to be known and remembered for? What is it that you want to be known and remembered for? It's probably not she had more time flexibility or she had a bigger car. Cool. But what's the story? What do want to have written in your book?
That's the first part. Maybe you want to pause here right now and write that out. Voice record it. Do whatever. Yeah? But be clear. You want to be clear because the business that you eventually create or maybe have created is a vehicle to realize that impact. The business might even change, but if you're really stubborn on the impact,
You choose wisely and you keep choosing wisely the vehicle that you keep investing your time into, in Olivia's case, the HD fine skincare with SPF, some protection, or something completely different. In my case, I've joined and am now co-owner of an amazing
Nina Huchthausen (16:37.121)
health-promoting protein that is full of vitamins and minerals, probiotics and fibers, and really nourishes busy people like myself from the inside out so we don't go hangry, so we don't have energy crashes and all sorts of other hormone issues. It's women when we don't eat, when we should eat.
Nina Huchthausen (17:00.535)
Because that's really important for me. Because health creates an absolute baseline, right? So I joined that. That's very much aligned for me with leaving the planet better than I found it, which is the biggest mission of the Makers Business Tribe. And I'm actively contributing through that, through my own product. Is it hard? Absolutely damn hard. But I know the impact that I want to make, so I'm doing it for the impact. I'm shoveling the shit for the impact.
Okay. Now the second thing that you want to be really clear about, again, you might already have this, but
If you want to fuel your fire, the second thing to be clear about is who do you want to make this impact for? You can't make it for everybody. As much as it's so easy to say, I just want to change the world for everybody. I want to fuel everybody. want to nourish everybody. It's impossible. Why is that impossible? Everybody has different tastes, different awareness, different problems and challenges.
We are all attracted to different things. So the more we can be clear on who is the exact human that we want to serve and change life for in a positive way or solve a problem or an inspiring way and a nourishing way and whatever way that is.
the more we can really crystallize who in this lifetime we want to attract to our brand, to our products. Because brand and product sell the best. We're really crystal clear and can walk down the street and say, my product is for her. For him, for her, but not for her, not for this one, not for that one. You can clearly identify who the human is that you have dedicated
Nina Huchthausen (18:57.439)
your time and energy to that you want to make the impact for. And questions you really want to ask yourself there is some demographics questions. So where does he she live? What does she do? What's the income bracket? But then the psychographics key questions. What are the things that they are really struggling with? What's the what are their problems? One of their challenges? What do they believe in?
that could be limiting them to live their best life. What do they want? What do they dream about? What are they looking out for? What are they hungry for? What do they need? Where do they hang out? What podcasts do they listen to? What magazines? Which shops do they go to? How do they live their life? What does their home look like? The clearer you are on that, the more you can then design
The product, which is the solution. The product is always a solution to a problem. The product is a vehicle to help people live a better life. The product is there to create something as either alleviation from pain, from struggle, from anxiety, from fear in some shape or form, or it's moving towards.
Feeling good, being more, having more, feeling stronger, feeling more focused, being more clear.
whatever that is, the product should only be and should be 100 % aligned to the person that you're looking to serve and to the impact that you want to make. Because if that is the case, first of all, you get less attached to the product because the product can change. Classic example, Conica or Nokia. Yeah. If those companies
Nina Huchthausen (21:08.375)
were truly driven by their mission and impact. And the people they wanted to serve, they would have let go of the phones and the cameras, and they would have moved with time so much faster. Because what these companies did, they were married to the product, and they were married to the profit that it was giving them in the moment versus moving and dancing with the impact.
and where those humans are and what they need and want and the problems and struggles that happen, the trends that surrounds these humans that they're moving with.
Nina Huchthausen (21:48.695)
So.
It comes back to what is the impact, as Simon Sinek says. What's your why? Your impact story, why? And then you want to be really clear who do you want to make this impact for? Who specifically? And you want to be able to see that person. You want to be able to hug it in real life. Say, this is the person. And a really good test is, once you have figured this out, is
Have you walked in their shoes? So can you really empathize? And if this was the only person that you will ever serve in this lifetime, do you feel like life well lived? And you surrounding yourself with the energy of those people, will that fuel you? That is very important, the third question. Because sometimes if you are very much a helper person,
You might say, yes, I really want to help those that are struggling. And it would make me feel really good if I could help those that are struggling. But if by you being in their world and them coming to you, if that empties your tank and empties your tank and you're constantly trying to serve from an empty tank, you will not go anywhere, my friend. Because as I said at the start, you need to shine the
brightest, your energy needs to be so banger that people keep being attracted to you. And that only happens if those people fuel you from the inside and gift you energy versus take energy from you. So you want to ask yourself those three questions. And once you have impact and the who, it'll easily come to you which
Nina Huchthausen (23:46.349)
Product is now your jam your vehicle that you would love to create for them To help them move through their struggle to help to help them live a better life and for you Personally to make that impact and write that banger story that you will be so proud of If you read that back at the end of your lifetime and say man
Life well lived.
Nina Huchthausen (24:17.003)
And as a result, if those three things line up, impact, human, and product as a vehicle to serve those humans, you will inadvertently find a way to not just make the product, but market and sell it. That's very important.
Because you'll be able to speak freely about the product. You'll be speaking passionately. You'll be wanting to express it. You will want to market it. You will want to sell it. You will be talking to anyone and everyone confidently about the product. Because if you truly want to serve a certain group of humans and truly want to make that impact, you don't care about rejections. You care about the impact.
You stay focused on what you truly want to create in this lifetime. That's what will fuel you, and that's what will, every single day, build your confidence from the inside. That's what creates that inner drive, that inner flame.
That's what will get you through the shit, through the struggles, and up your mountain so much faster, then all you have is, want to create more flexibility in my life. OK? Because at some point, it gives, at the start, it might not. It might take time. It might take resources. It might take risks. It might take step back, so many things. If the impact's strong,
you will keep going. The Impact Week.
Nina Huchthausen (26:01.003)
You might as well just take a job. Yeah.
Nina Huchthausen (26:08.141)
So, the key question is...
What do you want your life story to read?
If your last day, fast forward, hopefully very long fast forward, was tomorrow, what do you want that story to read? What's that impact that you want to have made by then? But you're like, man, I could do that.
Nina Huchthausen (26:43.191)
High five, high five to me.
And then work backwards. Identify the people, sack people that you want to serve during that time. Or maybe it could also be pets, animals. And then think about what will be a product that I love, a product that I want to have in my life, that they need in their life, that is a direct response to their struggles, to their needs and wants. And how can I bring that to life?
And then you think profit, then you think margin, then you think scalability, then you think, OK, how can I best sell it and get it to the masses? And then you want to think, well, what is a product that a majority of those humans want? And that just wants, but ideally on a regular basis. Because then you want to think subscriptions, then you want to think regularity, then you want to think
How can I create the biggest turnover so that I can ultimately make myself a living, pay myself, pay a team, and have a freaking awesome ride?
Nina Huchthausen (27:56.269)
Okay. That was a big one. It was a fiery one, but man guys, impacts everything. Impacts everything. I, you know, I often wake up tired when I remind myself, why am I doing this for? Because I certainly want to leave the planet much better than I found it. And I do it through two vehicles, building and driving my own product.
I've that to people. And I'm working with impact-driven product businesses. And I want to touch at least 10,000 impact-driven business owners' lives, help them get their product to the masses. Because I truly believe I can do that. Impact-driven health and life-promoting products will become absolute more mainstream, way more than they are today.
We don't have to read labels anymore. We don't have to educate ourselves. We don't have to go to specialty stores in order to get access to something that doesn't damage our health. It will just be there, mainstream, everywhere, and replace companies that are connected to other companies that just want us to be sick. Because I think it's freaking lame. Why are we doing that? I don't have time for that. I don't want it in my life. So I want to change it.
You know, don't like hanging out at the doctors and taking medicine. It stupid. So that's why I'm dedicating my life to and everybody out of my way. I'm making it happen. And I really hope you guys get inspired by this and really put pen to paper now. Write down the impact you want to make, who you want to make that impact for, and then ideate your product. If you already have a product, work backwards.
and make sure your story is strong, strong as it can be. It should be so fired up. If you hear that story in the middle of the night, you want to get up and you want to do something about it. Same for that human, because that's what will drive you to get your to get to find a way to get your product to the masses no matter what and to not give up and to be one of those 10 % that do make it and truly create a life-changing experience for themselves.
Nina Huchthausen (30:24.161)
Have a wonderful day and week, my friends. And if you want to learn a little bit more as to how you could create a Launchpad for your product, once you have it, I put the link to my Launchpad book in the show notes. It might be helpful to you. Check it out. You could also join, if you like, our private Facebook group.
in which we put in more more tips to help you guys out on your journey to getting your product to the masses. Or you just keep following the podcast and keep listening and pulling in all the resources and knowledge that you need in order to get your product to the masses and make that impact. But until then, have a really great day, and I see you next week.
