Hey everyone, welcome back to Buzzworthy. I'm
your host, Lacey Harris. I dive into the rare
stories entrepreneurs tell about building their
businesses, but most importantly, themselves.
Let's get into it. Good morning, Buzzworthy.
It is Shalicia Harris, your host, back with a
new entrepreneur today, Misha Watson, who is
an entrepreneur but has had a winding career
journey from television to having her own podcast
as well. But it's really been an intentional
journey for Misha, where some of us get a little
bit stuck in checking boxes and doing the right
things. She's really been choiceful about...
what she's doing and what her next steps are.
And she's going to take us through how she's
made those decisions over the year. That's landed
her in this position now as entrepreneur, building
her business, helping nonprofits build their
visibility online. So Misha, so glad to have
you here to talk about your life journey and
crafting your life. Thank you so much. I'm so
excited to get started and chat about everything.
It's been. as you said, quite an adventure. Yeah.
So Misha, what is it that you think looking back
really prepared you for this moment of becoming
an entrepreneur? Well, I think ultimately being
an entrepreneur is about riding the wave, you
know, and saying what entrepreneurial, what entrepreneurship
looks like is, it's quite an adventure, but it's
unpredictable. And so I think starting off my
career as a... like my life, I should say, and
jumping in and out of different kinds of schools
and jumping, jumping into like moving from England
to Canada and like, you know, school to school
and that sort of thing. Having a lot of like,
I guess you would say upheaval, but positive
upheaval in my life has taught me throughout
the years that like nothing needs to stay the
same. I don't want anything to stay the same.
If you're not growing, you're dying in my mind.
And so I just, I think that's all prepared me
for the opportunity now where I'm like, well,
now what do we do? This isn't working. Let's
switch to this or this is working. How do we
grow it? Do we want it to grow? Like having all
those questions answered is something I've been
doing my whole life in various different ways.
I love that you took it all the way back then
because people don't really, you know, think
about how impactful the. The unrelated stories
are, you know, and that's something I can relate
to. I lived in different countries as, you know,
a child and moving around and changing schools
and. all of this stuff, it's all about like adaptability.
Can you adapt to the new environment? Can you
craft your own space within that environment
and still be yourself and be authentic to yourself?
And I think that's one thing that really shines
through for you is, you know, really stick into
like who Misha is. But first, like, how did you
define who Misha was through that journey? I
love that. It's almost like on a dating app when
they ask you, like, you know, how would your
friends describe you? I'm like, well, she's fun.
She's joyful. She's direct. You know, I think
ultimately the way I describe myself is you,
there's not a whole lot that I'm hiding. when
you meet me, you know what I mean? Like I think
the London, London there in me makes me incredibly
direct when it comes to sharing about what I
do, what my dreams are, what I don't like to
do and stuff like that. And so what's that expression?
You get what you get or what you see is what
you get. There it is. I feel that way, you know,
like even over on my podcast, I'm always saying
like, you know, they're all my friends because
I'm like, when you meet me, it's the same girl.
Like it's the same girl, you know? So. Um, yeah,
I would describe myself as, you know, hopefully,
um, honest and transparent. And, and in fact,
the things that you don't know about me, I will
tell you, you're never going to know about me.
Like I know what to keep to myself and I'd be
like, nope, not for you. Sorry. And that's kind
of always been, um, my way. But there's so much
confidence around that, right? Because especially
in the day of social media and, you know, that's
a big space that you and your business play in
as well, too. There are these constant masks
that people wear all the time. And as humans,
we sort of see through those different masks
that everyone decides to put on on a day to day.
And we all sort of have like these very base
masks, like this is our professional self. This
is, you know, our at -home self and all these
different spaces and places that we belong to
in the world. And sometimes I think people find
it hard to weave themselves through those areas.
And so there is this level of confidence, I think,
that comes with the ability to be like authentically
yourself in every scenario, but knowing what
to give the situation. And I think that itself
also adds to, you know, what really prepared
you to be an entrepreneur, because this is a
wild journey. Oh, girl. Girl, I was even thinking
one of my first jobs in film and TV, I guess
big job, a big break kind of thing, was at YTV.
And when I was on that show, I was a children's
host. So there's a version of you that you put
on TV. You know, you are hyper. You are always
happy. You are always hypercharged every time
the kids see you, every time the parents who
are sitting beside the kids see you. And that's
not me, right? I have nuance. I'm a human being.
And in fact, At that point, I think I started
there at 26 years old. So it wasn't even like
I was 19, 20 years old. I had experienced a lot
of life by then. And so I think the primary reason
I find myself being incredibly authentic and
honest and transparent now is because I did so
many jobs where I really couldn't show all the
facets of my personality. So getting the opportunity
now to be on Instagram and talking about whatever
I want all day. on whatever platform I choose,
and as frequently as I choose as well, is liberating.
Yeah, it absolutely has to be liberating. I've
never really, you know, considered the thought
of, you know, being an actor and being someone
that's on TV as, you know, suppressing yourself
on a daily basis. And that's kind of what it
is. And to also distinguish those two things,
it's... is quite a feat, you know? Yeah. Yeah,
for sure. Yeah. So you started your career. Let's
go back to like your early career. What was that
kind of move for you? Because, you know, the
end of high school is like, OK, go to college,
go to university, do something, become an actress.
Yeah. Yeah, literally, literally. So I went to
I, you know, had a lot of bumps in the road because
I was that kid in school who I knew I was really
good at certain things. And I knew school really
wasn't one of those things. And so weirdly enough,
my parents never made me feel like I should say
weirdly enough, gratefully enough. They never
made me feel like the my lack of great grades
made me any less bright or intelligent. You know,
when we had our family dinner conversations,
I was always a part of the conversation, but
I just couldn't, you know. put it on paper, couldn't
do the essays and stuff like that. And so when
I left school, I just always knew I wasn't going
to go to like, you know, get a bachelor of something.
I was going to go and be an actor. So I left
school and I went to acting school. I did that
for a couple of years. And while I was there,
even that program didn't feel quite right for
me. And I think even within the program, there
were so many barriers around at that time, specifically
within film and TV, there was a lot of race.
I mean, there's still a lot of it now, but much
less. 15, 20 years later. But originally back
then it was all about, you couldn't play certain
roles if you were the black woman. So if you
wanted to play Queen Elizabeth, that doesn't
happen. The black girl doesn't play Queen Elizabeth.
She plays, you know, a lower character. And so
I, you know, didn't want to be a part of that.
So I left that whole world. I got a job traveling
across Canada, doing tours and things like that.
I was like, oh, I'm just going to be a tour guide.
And so I like traveled across Canada to a ton
of different provinces and did that for ages.
um while I was doing that I'm honing my skills
right and so um eventually my mom was like what
are you doing you have no education and she literally
signed me up for travel and tourism school in
Seneca and so I got like a hospitality diploma
because I was she was like you're traveling around
why not get this school uh diploma I did that
and after that program I kind of was like am
I good mom am I good she was like yes you're
good do whatever you want and I decided to try
university and hated it as well, left again.
And it wasn't for a couple of years after that,
that I was like, wait, let me give acting another
try. And that began the road I'm on currently
in film and TV and media and all that sort of
stuff. But it was a lot of different bumps along
the way. And they're kind of like the bumps of
when you're riding on like a really cool side
of the highway. And then you get that feeling
in your stomach and you're like, like it was
more of that than it was thrashing burns. They
were, I'm grateful for every single one of them.
It was, you know, that thing that says I'm going
in the right direction. Is that the bump you're
talking about? Yeah. Like it was, I'm, well,
I'm going my own direction. I think that was,
that was it. It was, I might not be, I might
not end up where I thought, but I'm going to
do what I believe in this moment is right for
me. And a lot of people, most people were confused
by my decision -making at the time and I get
it. It was very, you know. all over the place,
but it was what I wanted. And as long as I was
doing what I believed was best for me, I was
a happy bunny. So what would you say to somebody
who is sort of in that space where their parents
might not be happy with the decisions they're
making with their lives right now, but they're
still intentionally doing something, but something
they love? That doesn't seem like, okay, my child
is going to thrive in the world. So you're sort
of pushing them in that direction of like academia
or something that they're not comfortable in.
But it's not that they're not sitting and they're
sitting and doing nothing every day. They're
actually pursuing something. What do you say
to that person and help them, you know, really
understand that, you know, maybe what you are
doing is right for you. But how do you help bridge
that gap? I love that because. first of all two
things first thing generationally we are always
going to be at odds with our parents and certain
things and I think in career choices and things
like that that's the case primarily because they
entered a different workforce than we did and
so when I was trying to explain even to this
day I try to explain to my parents what I do
and they have not a clue what social media management
social media consulting is at all um but uh they
just want to know that I'm going to be okay right
yes and so my second point is that parents just
kind of want to know and parents and even just
family members, people who truly love you and
are concerned, they kind of want to know you've
thought it through. So think it through. You
know what I mean? I think when I left acting
school, I had this plan. I had a job. I was already
going to book why I was going to do it. They
could see the website. They could see what I
was up to. Like there was almost like a proposal
I had to fulfill. I have Jamaican parents. They
were not like, you're going to go gallivanting
around the world. They were like, where are you
going? And so I have to submit like this, almost
like a proposal of what I was going to do. And
that put them at ease. And again, like, it's
not to say that throughout your life, you're
always going to have to do that. Eventually you
live your life. You do what you got to do. They
can follow behind. Or follow the story, I suppose.
But yeah, when you're younger and your parents
are still quite involved in your life, I think
it's helpful to them to just kind of get an idea
of the full picture. Even if they disagree and
you just got to go out on your own. I think them
having a tangible explanation of what you're
up to is really important because I know my parents
are praying parents and they need to understand
what I'm doing to be able to pray about it. and
so we need that kind of like okay what is misha
doing again and i give them the words you know
social media you know artificial intelligence
which scares them as well but little things like
that you know and helping them to kind of understand
it and then eventually you just got to go your
own way anyways and make sure you're surrounded
by friends and mentors who do get it because
i will say this as well just because you want
to do it it actually might not be best for you,
you know? And having people who are in your life
who can actually say, girl, what are you doing?
If you want this, why are you going for this?
Having that in your life is really important
too. And maybe your parents aren't that, but
having others in your life is like, it's like
paramount to have other voices as well. Absolutely.
But being able to also distinguish your voice
from others' voices as well too. Yes. Super,
super important. So you, you know, tour guide,
acting, all of this. But what was that one hump
that said, oh, into entrepreneurship now, Misha?
Like, was there a problem that you saw? What
were you experiencing? Tell us the story around
the discovery of what you now do. So cool. Cause
it's been eight months now, officially of entrepreneurship.
And I tried this once before, right? Like when
I was in my twenties, I said, I'm going to be
an actor. And when I started doing that, I look
at that as entrepreneurship because you are really
running your own business. Especially the tax
man definitely believes you're running your own
business. And so this is my second time around.
So I had a lot of time to kind of plan out how
I wanted to do entrepreneurship. But the reason.
that I took that jump was I was working for organization
that is been around for a really long time and
they treated me so well. Like I was like a kid,
like they were so supportive of my dreams and
ideas. There were times I was like, I'm going
to do this now. I'm going to do this. They'd
be like, yep, cool. Go for it. Where's the proposal?
How's it going? You know, it was that sort of
thing. I got a lot of help, but there was a certain
moment where I realized that I had finished the
assignment, so to speak. I went there to start
my show, Hey Misha. We did two seasons, seven
like stage plays, two magazines. We did all these
things, traveled Canada with the show. Like it
was huge, amazing stuff. We did it through pandemic.
We did like online summer camps for kids. You
know, we did conferences. And like, I look back
and go like, yeah, we did it all. Like we could
have just kept on doing it. But we had accomplished
all these things. And this is the weirdest reference
ever. But I forget his name now. He's a late
night host. Jon Stewart? No, maybe Jon Stewart.
Anyways, he left and came back. But he said he
needed to leave his seat when he realized that
someone else wanted that seat more than he wanted
it. because for years he was like I love this
job ain't nobody gonna do it better than me like
he was just gunning for it and then he said for
a few years he started coming into work and it
was such a drag for him and he said this was
the pinnacle of his career getting his own late
night show and yet it had become a drag and he
was like I've gotta go and for me that's similar
to how it happened I lost some of the joy around
doing the job and I started I wasn't phoning
it in by any means but I started realizing that
if someone wanted to do a part of the show I'd
be like great come on in and I was walking people
in up but I realized Misha are you like slowly
like delegating your job yeah are you delegating
away the job like what's going on And that's
kind of like what was happening. You know, the
first season looks very different from the second
season because the second season, I really wanted
kids to be a huge part of it. And they were more
actors in the show, whereas originally we had
professional actors and I was acting. So it was
like a lot of shifting happening over the years.
And eventually I was like, OK, the only way I'm
going to be able to build the life that I truly
desire and can grow with me for a lot longer
than five years is if I work for myself. And
so it took a good like year of journal entries
to leave and to make the decision to resign.
And then it took months for me to actually resign.
And then I ended up giving like three months
notice because I was just like, so, I don't know,
it felt guilty. I felt like I was letting everyone
down. I felt like people would maybe lose their
jobs because they were working for me. And so.
It was all this panic and I'm so glad I did it.
But looking back, like, man, the amount of stress
leading up to leaving, like I wish I had lost
weight during that time, like at least around
the waist. But instead I was just snacking like
nuts because I was so like stressed out about
leaving over those last months. But yeah, that's
what it was. I'd finished the assignment. I knew
it was time to go. And I knew that I was sitting
in someone else's seat. That's... That is such
a good analogy and I'm definitely going to use
it moving forward because I think it also sort
of positions you in this place when, you know.
If this is the path you're supposed to stay on
for yourself and the path that you truly want,
then that feeling isn't necessarily going to
change. It might change in a different way, but
it's not going to veer you off to the next thing.
And I think not everybody is built for that,
right? And that's why entrepreneurship isn't
necessarily. created for everyone. So you being
able to identify this no longer excites me, this
no longer drives me, it's no longer my why in
this moment is a really, really pinnacle place
to be. So when you found yourself there, what
was it that, did you just start? identify new
opportunities for yourself, or there was like
a problem area that you said, hmm, I think my
skills and everything I love could be sunk into
this next thing that I can fix and grow and make
a difference. Wow, that's a good one. I think
for the last year, while I was working full time,
I really wanted to help smaller organizations
create content that was not horrible. Like I
felt like I was seeing so much online and I was
like, I know the work you do and I know the lives
you're changing, but that post honey is ugly.
Right. And I know the budgets because we come,
we were at a big organization and we didn't have
the greatest budgets over there. So knowing that.
Coming to an even smaller organization, I was
like, I know it's tight. So I thought, how can
I create a business where I can help smaller
organizations, help entrepreneurs, people who
have a purpose as a part of their business, really
bridge the gap between quality content and something
that they can manage. I felt like... I didn't,
I felt like a lot of the consultants that I had,
you know, come across over the years were like,
here's the thing. It's eight grand. What, how
do you, and I'm like, girl, most businesses,
so I should say most, I don't know statistically.
Small businesses, yeah. Small businesses, $8
,000 might be what they make. You know what I'm
trying to say? They might be making money at
another job and their business makes $8 ,000
that year. So realistically, although it's an
important investment, I just thought, is there
a way that I can do it? where I can help them
and they don't have to, they can invest, but
it doesn't have to be something where it's like,
do I eat or don't I eat, you know? And I'm still
a hundred percent figuring out how to, well,
no, I'm not really. I was figuring out how to
run a business and take care of my own finances
while lowering the cost because the cost of cost
connected to helping people. It's still high,
you know, and it's still a lot of time and stuff
like that. But I didn't want to change my like
proposition. I want to help small businesses,
entrepreneurs and small organizations, you know,
create high quality content that reaches people.
Yeah. How can I do that at that low cost and
still get my nails done and still, you know,
live my life and pay my rent? How can I do that?
And so I've been basically over the last eight
months, constantly changing almost month by month,
the way that I do business to help those people
at the same time, grow my business as well. And
I think especially in, you know, the first year,
which you're still in. So congratulations, you've
made it this far. Thank you. Yeah. Being in,
being in this time is where you're really figuring
out like, what works and how you can find like
synergies and rhythms and how different businesses
work and how you can leverage, you know, what's
like, how are they making decisions in this company
and this company? And then eventually you'll
get into your own rhythm where you can start
to start standardizing things and making it.
easier to do business with. And then your costs
will start to come down because now it's not
as time intensive. So even for you in your first
year, it's, it's a big investment as well, right?
The huge successes don't necessarily happen overnight,
but it's the tiny things that you're willing
to change on a day to day. And you have practiced
doing that your whole life. Absolutely. Like
I actually would love to share with you about
like, this past February so yeah um we so I started
building all of my clients up from September
to December client client client it was like
Misha's working on her own we can work with her
because I was with this big organization but
now I'm available and so I got all these calls
all these leads and I was building up my client
list and it was going decent I would not say
well but decent off the first couple of months
and then Christmas came around and everyone was
like just wrapping up the year kind of thing
so there wasn't like a need for it for them to
sign on during that time. But I kept hold of
those clients. When January hit, client after
client was like, I can no longer afford this.
I can no longer afford this. Wow. And I'd be
like. No problem. What about this? Right. Because
one of the first rules of sales is like, you
know, it ain't over until it's over. Right. So
I don't have that. Okay. What about this? So
I did that kind of thing. And some stick around,
some have to go kind of thing. But by February,
I had like a handful of clients left. I was like,
how am I going to like live? Yeah. And so girl,
I went on chat GPT and I went, is my business
sustainable? And I got six questions. Yep. Six
questions. And I went through each question and
I discovered that the way I was running my business,
the system of my business was not sustainable
because I realized in order for me to make enough
money to, to fulfill like the lifestyle I've
become accustomed to and to then grow the business,
I would not be able to sleep. And I would probably
hate coaching eventually. And something that
came out of passion and a desire to help would
feel like a drag on my life. And so I had to
change it. And so by the end of March, I had
changed the entire business and I ended up having
my highest profit month the next month. So it
was like a decision in February. I was like,
what? My business is not sustainable? Switch
gears immediately. and immediately had one of
my highest profit months um following wow so
just taking a look in the mirror which a lot
of people are scared to do because a lot of people
are tied to oh my business is just so great because
my idea is great and i'm great all of that stuff
but looking in the mirror and having like a critical
view of what it looks like and what's actually
happening is It's so critical. And I love that
you turned to AI to do that. Of course, every
day. I mean, of course, AI is a great place to
talk to. I mean, ChatGPT and I are basically
friends at this point. But how did you design
your six questions? Like, are you willing to
share them? You don't have to share them right
now. Okay, you have them handy. Girl, let's go.
Okay. So these questions came directly from AI.
So I didn't even like create this question. I
literally said, I need six questions to be able
to answer and go, is it sustainable or is it,
or not? Is it, or isn't it? So question one,
does your business solve a real problem? Does
two, does it have a defined market? Three, are
people actively looking for your service? Cause
it might be cute. But does anyone actually need
it? Does anyone go like, you know, I really need
this kind of thing? Four, do you have potential
customers? Five, does your business have a UVT,
so a unique value proposition? So what is the
sweet spot? What do you do that no one else does,
right? And then six, is it scalable? For me,
so many of those answers were yes. Is it, does
it solve a problem? Yes. I'm helping people.
Is there a defined market? Yes. Entrepreneurs,
small businesses, organizations. Yes. Are people
looking for it? Absolutely. Do I have potential
customers? Yes. Does it have a business UVP?
Yeah. What makes it unique? It's that I come
from behind in front of the camera to behind
the camera. And now I'm helping you do the same.
Is it scalable? No. And that specifically was
why I realized. I did not quit my job just so
I could start a business. I quit my job because
I wanted my life to be fantastic. I wanted it
to be big. I wanted it to be a life of my dreams.
And it wasn't just about building a career. It
was about building a life. And if I... had to
scale this in order to scale this business, I
would have to be working constantly every day,
weekends. I would have to put everything about
my business online. And I had to, instead of
being the jovial person that I am on Instagram
and talking about dating every now and again
and my lunch the other day or whatever, and just
really being my own personable self online, I
had to switch gears and just be this business
person because I needed every opportunity to
build this thing. I was like, that's not the
life I want either. And in order to scale up,
I had to do that. So that was my primary reason
why I changed everything up. Wow. Wow. Yeah.
So what was it, you know, that really allowed
you to say, okay, this is the one thing. Obviously,
ChatGPT helped with that. But then really taking
that in, right? I guess it's your drive to, like
you said, build the life that you want is what
really kept you going to say, how can I find
a solution that becomes scalable? What exactly
changed in your business to move you from having
a handful of clients to now having a record month
right after the record low? Yeah. Well, I realized
that my unique value proposition, which I believed
was my experience, was actually me. It was my
experience is separate from me and my ability
to perform. And so I said, I actually need to
do what I know no one else can do but me. And
that is the way I perform. So I went from just
coaching, which is more of a behind the scenes
position to creating content for those businesses
on camera. That's something that when I get up
in the morning, I could do what others might
take a week to do in half a day. And not only
that, I realized that. When I was doing coaching,
I had to do it in the evenings because a lot
of my clients were working during the day and
they had time in the evening. But when I created
content in this way for those clients, I then
started realizing I could shoot tons of content
in two, three days, send it off. And then I was
off for two days and started building my business
in other ways. So it wasn't always about how
do I work, work, work, work, work, work, work
to build this thing? Because eventually if you
work, work, work to build this thing, at some
point it's got to give. And you've got to say,
well, when do I get to have rest? When do I get
to live? And I just, I'm not willing to give
up any like living. You know, I was like, I'm
going to be like, you know, for the next year,
I'm just going to grind. I'm just going to give
it everything I got. And I'm like, I hear you.
And I know that my way of doing things is counterintuitive
to how people think about business and entrepreneurship.
But I actually believe that living an actual
life and going on my patio and hanging out in
the sun in the middle of the day is why I am
an entrepreneur in the first place. So the idea
that like, no, no, no, I'm not going upstairs
or I'm not going for a walk or I'm not going
to hang out in the park. I've got to work, work,
work was like, well. Why in the heck am I doing
this? If that's where I'm going to end up, you
know, I finally am running my life. So I'm going
to do it the way I want to do it. So that's kind
of like the mindset that this thing, that this
opportunity has given me. And yeah, I'm never
looking back, girl. Oh, I love that. I love that.
Amisha, I just realized we haven't actually used
the name of your business yet. In this whole
podcast. See, this is the thing. This is the
thing. So it's eight months in and I'm, I don't
have a name because I've just always used my
name, Misha Watson, you know? So everything that
I use, even though my invoice is whatever, it's
just MishaWatson .com because it was changing
so much what the business was that, you know,
I was like, okay, I'll call it purpose -driven
media. And then I was like, media, Misha coaching.
And I was like, I, it's not all about this. It's
not all about that. And so maybe I believe one
day, maybe after my year, I'll be like, this
is the name. But as of right now, I just tell
people like, you want to work with Misha Watson.
Here's what I can offer you. And so head to MishaWatson
.com. That's like the whole thing for now, for
now, for now. I think that's kind of perfect
for who you are and your whole journey though,
because I'm sure you bought Misha Watson a long
time ago. Yeah, I did. That's like, you are your
brand, you know, and you, and that's what it
meant to be an actor back then. And maybe, you
know, what would be really cool is to see like
an evolution of your website over the years.
Um, that would be really cool. Give me my bio.
You can see the bio, but there is no way I'm
going to let people see the horrible alignment,
the strange colors, you know, the copy and paste
it. Oh my gosh. So ugly. Now it's nice and neat.
And even now I'm like, oh, I can see some changes
over here and over here, but we leave it for
now. there will always there will always be that
we're always striving to like improve and i think
that's really the mindset of every entrepreneur
is how can i make what the status quo is a little
better in this very unique way and when you found
your unique value proposition you saw that um
and You knew it innately. I'm pretty sure you
knew it innately because that's what you've been
doing your whole life is finding that unique
proposition, which is you and your ability to
adapt, which is coming through in every single
story that you've seen and the confidence that
you have has really like shined through. So everyone
needs to visit MishaWatson .com if you need help
with like. Your content and you need to boost
your business online. You know, Misha's got her
unique value proposition for you. And so, Misha,
now that you've found like this is a solution
for your customers and yourself, right? Because
like you said, it can't just work for one. It
has to work for both. And as someone, you know,
as an entrepreneur myself, I kind of hit that
wall that you were talking about at one point
in time where I was just working day in, day
out, day in, day out, thinking, you know, I'll
put in the time now and I'm going to live later.
No, no, you hit that wall. And I definitely hit
that wall. And now I live every day for my kitchen.
And so whipping something up in there. So I'm
glad that you mentioned that because it's a real
thing. Like life can pass you by if you're just
stuck in just doing one thing as an entrepreneur.
And we love what we do as entrepreneurs. It's
something that could, you know, slow our creativity
as well. Oh, yeah. Because you're now just running
around a black box with no real new light coming
in. Oh, for sure. I even felt like in the first
part, like the first four months of my business
were the biggest learning moments. Just because
there were so many all at once. Like, okay, what
am I doing today? And like, I kept on feeling
like I needed someone to check in on me. hey
is that thing done or is deadlines coming up
like I felt like there needed to be some kind
of supervisor you know and I at a moment was
like whoa it's me you know um but what I was
doing was every morning I was up at like 7 a
.m and I usually like they take a time to like
devote to God in the mornings and I just stopped
doing that I was like nope gotta work and at
seven o 'clock I was like work work work work
work work work and for a good like month and
a half I was doing that and I just said you know
what like I need I'm not actually any good at
what I'm doing because I'm exhausted and I don't
have like anxiety, but I get paranoia and it's
been something it's been in and out of my life
forever. And I started realizing that that was
creeping back in again. And I said, Oh, it's
being spurred on by my lack of like time to myself
and time to things that fill me. And so it was
really quick shift in September to go into to
continue to do things that were filling me up
again at that time. Financially, I was worried
about losing all my money. Right. I was like,
I've saved for this season. I don't want to lose
all this stuff so that that panic was setting
in as well. And I said, OK, well, I still need
to find things I'm going to be able to enjoy
and fill me up that aren't going to break the
bank. And so for those, those, those couple of
months too, I was like, okay, let's find some
things that fill my life up. And I have like,
you know, and it was honestly people, you know,
I realized I can just leave town. So I would
just pick up all my stuff and move to my family's
house for a couple of days or like hang out with
my friends in a different city. I still went
on trips weirdly enough. Like I was so ballsy,
man. I was like, I'm going to Texas. And I went
to Texas for a conference and I was like, I was
like, how do you explain it? Like. the future
of ministry. Like I'm going to go out and you're
going to do volunteer work and you're going to
do like all this stuff. And I disappeared for
a couple of days and I didn't tell anyone that
I took some photos and they were like, oh my
gosh, her business is booming. Meanwhile, I'm
like, um, is this milk free? You know, I was
like out there, like, do not spend all your money,
but it was important to me. I needed to, you
know, be around other people who are entrepreneurs
and trying new things and, you know, breaking
ceilings and all that kind of stuff. So it was
important. Yeah, that community keeps you strong,
keeps you going. Like this community. Yes. That's
exactly, exactly, exactly why we created Buzzworthy
is because, you know, especially coming out of
the pandemic, people moved around. Like I changed
cities as well, too. So like, how can you now?
find people within the same community as you
and and know a little bit of their story because
people always like mask like going back to the
mass we talked about with their business and
always being a business owner but at the end
of the day you you're just human first and you
know and two humans can connect the same way
two entrepreneurs can connect and without that
human connection um do you have a real relationship
in any capacity at the end of it um So that's
what I really hope for this podcast is for people
to be inspired and for us to create a community
where we know business owners from a different
angle, you know, than just their businesses and
their logos and what they do. Because the journey
of what you do is so, it's difficult and it's
also similar, you know. So many capacities, but
those unique areas of your life and how you view
it and how you get over those hurdles, I think
is what makes us all incredible and what makes
all of our businesses different and, you know,
unique in that way as well. Yeah, agreed. So
Misha, as we're winding down, I have three questions
for you. Okay. We've recently started asking
this of our entrepreneurs on this season. So
we want you to reflect back. I know you haven't
been a year in the business yet and you have
done a lot of reflections today, but what is
one thing you are going to leave in the last
eight months as you look forward to the next?
steps within your business? Oh, that is so hard.
Every other question I've been like, boom, boom,
boom. Oh boy. You know what? I would say this.
When you get an idea, sometimes you just think
I've got a, I've got this idea. I'm going to
run with it. I'm going to finish it. I'm going
to make sure it happens. I'm going to follow
it all the way to the end. But I actually think
it's okay to have this idea. And if, it you know
fizzles away or it becomes something else or
it transforms or it's a horrible idea to just
let it go like that's what I'm gonna I'm gonna
go with because I think I get in my head that
sometimes that I've got this idea it's gonna
be really good and then you just hold it so tight
and it's like a kid holding a hamster I love
it so much and then you kill that hamster right
And it's like, let the hamster go. And so that's
what I want to leave in the first half of my,
you know, or the first eight months is I've got
an idea and it's not quite working out. It might
be okay to just let it go and move on to the
next. I love that. And so what is one thing that,
you know, yes, you're leaving that control behind,
but what is one thing you're absolutely taking
forward with you on a daily basis? Oh, girl.
The next year. It is to do what I love, girl.
I need to do what I love because I felt like
I had to do the thing that made the most money,
that made the most sense, that most people agreed
with. But in fact, doing the thing I actually
love to do has garnered me the most financial
freedom. But on top of that, like I really love
what I'm doing. Like I recently got an age, a
talent agent as well, because I realized that
I really missed doing commercials and it's such
a niche acting portion of like my whole business.
But now it's like a weird thing because I'm working
with these businesses over here coaching, but
I'm over here, you know, doing a commercial for
like toothpaste. And it's like, people are like,
wait, was you? that toothpaste commercial? I'm
like, yeah, that was me. And you know what? I
just really love it because it's three days of
work. You get a really great amount of money
for it. And then you move on to the rest of your
business. And I actually really love doing it,
but it's so niche. And I'm just deciding that
it's okay to niche out, you know, and just like
be as weird as you want to be because it has
really benefited me in this last, I would say
in the last four months, really benefited me.
And so let's keep on, on that path. I absolutely
love that. I think people are scared of niches
because they're like, oh, it's too small. You
can't do anything with it. But what the theme
of this season is seeming to be like on the podcast
with other entrepreneurs is selecting a niche
is so critical because it allows you to. really
hone in and know and understand who you serve.
And that's where you deliver the best value possible.
Yeah. And can I just also say within the niche
thing that the best advertisement is going to
be word of mouth, right? And if they know exactly
what you do, it's that much easier for them to
sell you to someone else. Correct. If you're
like, I bake the best gluten -free cupcakes,
I bake other things, but I bake the best gluten
-free cupcakes. The very moment they meet someone
who's gluten -free and is bragging about it,
they'll be like, well, have you tried her cupcakes?
If you're like the baker who bakes everything
and is doing all these kinds of things, but you
haven't honed in on what your thing is. It's
harder for people to sell you, right? They're
like bakery. I guess everybody likes bakeries.
So should I say it to everybody? Probably not.
When you niche out, it's that much easy to sell
you. Nailed it. Nailed it. You're going to have
so many like hot takes for this episode. Our
editor, James, is going to have a really hard
time. Hi, James. So then our final question is,
what is one thing that you wish for your future
self and your future business? Future self, husband
and babies. That's my future self. That's my
wish because I'm so ready for love. And for my
business, my hope is that it continues to grow
with my life. You know, I have humongous dreams
and I have no problem saying it to the world
because people often say the quickest way to
tank a dream is by telling someone who has small
vision. Yes. My voice is loud enough that I'm
not even listening, girl. I'm not even listening.
So I will shout to the rooftops, all of my dreams
as big as possible. So that's my, my hope is
that my business will continue to grow and it
will change. It will transform, but I will always
be able to be at the helm of my life. And that
is Misha Watson crafting her life at every step
of the way. And I hope this episode has been
so inspirational. And, you know, I hope you enjoyed
it as much as I did, because Misha, what a breath
of fresh air you are. Your energy is electrifying.
That's the word that I use. And so it has been
such a pleasure. Hearing your story, I can't
wait to see, you know, even what your one -year
mark brings you because your ability to adapt
and change and willing to learn and, you know,
bring things in like AI into your world is so
critical as an entrepreneur. And you've made
magic before in every other thing that you do,
you've done, and you're going to do it again.
Thanks, girl. Yeah. Thank you so much and have
a great one, everyone. We'll see you next week.
Thanks for tuning in, everyone. We're so glad
to have you as part of our Buzzworthy community
as we grow our network of Buzzworthy businesses.
Continue to follow us on all the social media
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and executive producer, Shalaisi Harris. We'll
see you next week.