Episode 26: Be Like a Pineapple

Welcome to Episode 26 of Dawn of A New Era podcast, The Chronicles of a Serial Entrepreneur, with myself, Dawn McGruer, founder of Business Consort, digital marketing speaker, author, and trainer. 

Now I have multiple businesses, but I’m probably best known for digital marketing, anything to do with digital marketing, online marketing and social media. And really my passion, and it’s all about developing digital skills, bridging the digital skills gap, and training individuals and professionals to accredited standards. Very passionate about this, but when I wrote my book back in 2019, I wrote my book Dynamic Digital Marketing, it was a very proud moment and probably one of the proudest of my life. Just to be able to say that I’ve been recognized in my space, in my arena, for the world of digital marketing and get paid to write a book. Now, the payment really wasn’t the motivation. It was the fact of being recognized in the British Library, having a book, a hard-copy book that was sold around the globe, and that’s really the magic that happened.

But along with that came great fear. And this brings me on to today’s podcast and the weird name that goes with it. Now you will have seen that this podcast episode was maybe a little bit different to my normal ones, and it was all about being a pineapple. Now I have not lost the plot. I am completely as sane as I normally am, and that whole quote really says everything that I feel as a business owner, and it’s probably one of the most important quotes.

Now, if you’ve followed me on social media, @dawnmcgruer, or for Business Consort, you will see that I talk a lot about quotes. I talk a lot about what I stand for, the ethics and the mission and the vision of the Academy. And one of the fundamentals is that we too often doubt ourselves and we too often retreat into a place of safety, and we want to take sometimes the path of least resistance over the one that’s got the obstacles, the trickier one. Now I can honestly say that sometimes I feel like I always take the most difficult path, because sometimes I overcomplicate things, but the quote here is about what you should be as an individual.

Now, you don’t have to be a business owner. This is not about you being a worker or an entrepreneur. This is just about being you. Now, “be a pineapple” means to stand out and to not lose yourself within the crowd. So the whole essence here is to stand tall, wear a crown, but be sweet on the inside. I think so many people will make a judgment when they meet someone of how they look. And there’s just so much emphasis on this, and it really, really disheartens me, because so many times as a public speaker, I go on stage, I do my bit, I come off and I speak to people and they say, “Do you know, you’re not at all how I thought you would be.” And that statement in itself, it really grates on me, because, great, I’ve changed their perception, but basically they’re telling me that maybe they had a negative perception. Maybe they thought that I was going to be harsher than I am, and maybe the sweetness of my inside was not shining through.

But when we talk about being a pineapple, standing tall and wearing a crown and being sweet on this inside, it means be nice in business, but be strong and really be challenged to stand up and get yourself out there. Writing a book, for me, that was going to be 400 pages in a hardback was one thing. But the fact that it was actually going to go global and be sold in multiple countries, and lots of people were going to read it, was another.

So it’s about being recognized and being willing to stand out there and be proud of what you do and stand behind it. You’ll get resistance, you’ll get negativity, you’ll get trolls. You’ll get people who are ultimately jealous of what you do. And the fundamental thing here is that you have to understand that to be successful, to be seen, to increase the visibility, the online presence, the more people you reach, the more people who are not going to like you. And that’s the thing, and it’s quite challenging.

For me for a while in business, probably when I was in my twenties and thirties, I’m 41 now, I really struggled with the concept of people not liking me and being judged. And I really took great disdain to people thinking that I was one thing when I was another. So I’d come from a background of being in programming, and I literally stood out like a sore thumb. I was the only female. But I also apparently didn’t have the look of a programmer, because I like to dress quite glam. I like make-up, and I’ll never apologize for that. And I keep going back to it. People will judge you. People will comment. And lots of people have said to me that maybe I don’t dress as casual or something like that to an event. I think you should be proud to wear what you want. Do not let other people’s perceptions or judgments of what they think is right, be what you stand for.

And this is to do with being a pineapple, standing tall, wear a crown and be sweet on the inside. If you want to wear what you want to wear, be it dress down, dress up, be it glam, not glam, all of those things. I mean, when I was younger, I think probably around about the age of 19, I was really into Gothic makeup and clothing, and there was lots of judgment around that. And then I dyed my hair completely shocking white-blonde. I’ve always been someone who maybe didn’t look or, didn’t follow the norm, and I’m proud of that. I like the way that people can share their flamboyancy and style, or people who don’t want to do that, but I respect both parties. And I think the thing here is that however you want to present yourself, be in business, work, life, family, whatever, it’s up to you, and don’t let anybody’s negativity or anyone’s view change that. And if you don’t look the norm or you don’t conform to what society says you should be, so what? Be a pineapple. Stand tall, wear a crown and be sweet on the inside.

Be nice. Do unto others as have done to yourself. This is an ethos I live by, and I think when you give goodness, you get goodness back. And sometimes you will have a turbulent time in business. I’ve walked into meetings when I was younger… When I was 21, I started my business, and people didn’t shake my hand. People didn’t talk to me. And I think that the sad fact is, and although we’ve moved on a little bit in society now, that will probably still happen in some arenas. And I remember when I was working in tech, tech was heavily a male industry and the same was true. As soon as I opened my mouth and people realized that I actually knew I was talking about and I probably knew far more than many people in the room, then perceptions changed.

So you almost have to ride it out and be a little bit arrogant and a little bit self-protective of yourself and think, well, there will be a time where people are not grateful for the way that you are. There will be a time where people… I remember when I got book reviews, it was the most heart-wrenching thing I had ever experienced. Podcast reviews as well. There’ll be people who love me and people who hate me. And that’s true. I mean, thankfully 99% of the time, it’s positive, but do you know what? That 1% really, really hurts.

I remember going onto Amazon and there’s 40, 50 reviews on there. And there was this one review, one negative review, and it had no substance. It was just literally a personal attack. And you thought, why would someone take the time to do it? And do you know what? It’s sad that someone would, because people will see through that. And at the end of the day, there will always be people who won’t like what you do. There’ll be people who don’t like my podcast. There’ll be people who don’t like my book. There’ll be people who don’t like an event or public speaking I give. But at the end of the day, I’m quite happy with 99%. At the end of the day, our Academy has trained and certified 28,000 people. So I’m confident that we’re doing something right. I totally believe in what we do.

And I think the thing is, if you can stand tall and know that what you are doing and what you’re giving your clients and customers is a hundred percent authentic, is a hundred percent right, then that’s all you can do. And wear that crown proudly. Wear that social proof, share that social proof and tell people about the amazing accolades and achievements, and don’t be ashamed to do so. Sometimes I think we feel that we’re being really overzealous by going out there and just sharing all the great things and the successes we’ve had. You can be true to yourself and talk about both elements.

And this is really what this podcast is about. I want to do a podcast that talks about the positives but also talks about the negatives. Not have I gone a day that something probably hasn’t dented my ego slightly, because that’s life, but you have to be resilient. You have to just get up and think, “Do you know what? What does this mean? Is it true?” And if someone’s written a review, that’s their own judgement. That’s fine. Just move on. Take what they’ve said and move on, and try and then balance it with reading the positives that people have to say.

One of the things that I speak a lot about is attracting the ideal client. And again, this will allow you to be a pineapple, stand tall, wear a crown and be sweet on the inside, because when everything is in harmony and the ideal client is progressing and getting the results that are way exceeding their expectations and everything is working brilliantly, then that is true. But it’s when you attract people that you know from the beginning… And you do know when you speak to these people. Sometimes I’ll have conversations and I just know that they’re not my ideal client. And I will be really frank and honest with that person and say, “I don’t think I’m the right person.” And the reason for that is that not everybody is going to be correct for your business.

At the end of the day, to be successful and to be profitable, you need to have people who you are going to have synergy with and that will get results. There’s no point for me working with someone who’s not going to put the effort in. I don’t want students to come and do, say, a diploma course with me who are not going to graduate. So there has to be emotion on both sides. And do you know what? They’ll have been lots of people who don’t want to work with me as a customer, because the way that I set my stall out is very honest, results I expect, and the way that I want to work. And you have to be true in both senses.

And this is not just about attracting your ideal client, but this is about attracting your ideal supplier, because sometimes the supplier you’ll be disheartened and you’re looking for someone, and we see this a lot in the world of digital agencies when someone’s looking for an agency and then they think, “Oh my goodness, I’ve got the right people. They’ve come in at the right price. And this is going to solve my world.” The next minute, the relationship falls apart, no results are being done, and there was something out of sync.

So make a conscious effort to think about two things. Be a pineapple, stand tall, wear a crown and be sweet on the inside. Yeah? But be conscious and aware of, when you are taking on a client or taking on a supplier or vice versa, of how that synergy works. And will the person, when you put yourself out there as your true, authentic self, standing tall, wearing your crown and being sweet on the inside, is that going to work? Not always am I sweetness and light, and nor is anybody else. But what I’m saying is I am sweet on the inside. I do have care. I have empathy. I have a heart, I have emotions. But sometimes in business, I will be quite blunt in what I’m saying, and I’ll be quite frank and I’ll be honest, but people who know me understand that, and they respect that honesty and the way that I am, and this will work.

But some people will never gel with that. Some people will just hate that approach from the get-go. That is fine. So you’ve got to remember, there’ll be a percentage of people who don’t hate you. They just don’t align to you. They don’t have a synergy to you. And those are the people that you want to let them get on in their own merry world as far away from you as possible. And the thing there is I make jest of this, but each and every day, sometimes I have phone calls and I just come off the phone and think, “That just didn’t gel. That just didn’t work.” And those are the things that, go with your gut instinct, be your true self and stand for what you believe in and wear that crown proudly. So be kind to people, but also be assertive, and if you have a particular way of working, be truthful to people about that and be truthful to yourself.

So I hope you enjoyed this week’s podcast. A little bit different, and maybe the title enticed you to listen maybe for the first time. But what I would love you to do is do me one massive favour. I would love you, first of all, to connect with me on LinkedIn, Dawn McGruer, or Facebook or Instagram, or your favourite social network. And I would also love another favour. If you enjoy this podcast, and if it just brought a little bit of joy or resonated with you in just some way, please, please, please go ahead and go to Apple and iTunes and leave me a review. You can do this on any of the platforms that you’re listening to, but just rate it and review it and just help other people see it, because the more reviews, the easier it is for people to find and also find if it’s the right podcast for them. So I would love it if you would do that for me, and I will see you on next week’s podcast and have an amazing week, and remember one thing, the most important thing of today. Be a pineapple, stand tall, wear a crown and be sweet on the inside. Take care, everybody. Bye.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s episode and don’t forget, I’m going to be with you each and every week. So download and listen on dawnmcgruer.com or on iTunes, and come and join us in our Facebook community too. All the details are on the website and I’ll see you next week.