OMG! This week I created a YouTube channel! You can subscribe here. Creating this YouTube channel has been a long time coming. You know those ideas that creep around the back of your mind and the voices say ‘Who, me?’. It’s really taken some time to get used to seeing and hearing myself on camera! Two whole years ago, in May 2017 I actually cried when my business coach suggested I start video marketing. I couldn’t believe how much I was getting in the way of myself!

SAY WHAT NOW?

Me, someone who was known for being so confident, a seasoned public speaker, would be found out to be an imposter because I had such low self esteem about how I looked and how I spoke. I was *so* worried about what others thought of me. Looking back, I can’t believe how much time I spent, waiting for permission. From who?! I don’t know.

FIVE REASONS I STARTED A YOUTUBE CHANNEL

1. When I was a child, I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. I had zero clue. My job now didn’t exist after all! But that feeling of not knowing didn’t go away for quite some time, well into my 20s. I didn’t know what was possible. If I had seen videos like the ones I’m going to share on Gin & Magic, perhaps I would have found the inspiration and the confidence to start a little sooner and to stop getting in the way of myself quite so much 😉
2. In May 2017, just after it was suggested I start using video marketing, I was asked to do something that required me to be online in front of 120,000+ people. I did it and the confidence to go for what I wanted took a major step up. A year later I started my Facebook group “So Exciting Obviously SEO for Creative Women” and started sharing much more of my personality on Instagram Stories (yes, including dance breaks!) I basically stopped letting fear stand in my way, because not only did I feel happier about my business but I could reap the rewards of doing so.
3. I love watching interviews on YouTube – chat shows like Ellen, and interviews like Marie Forleo and Oprah. I find them fascinating and inspiring but not immediately relatable to me and my business. I enjoy watching interviews of famous businesswomen interview other famous businesswomen and I find them hugely inspiring. But I want to know more about the women who have started businesses and designed their lives that are somewhere between having started and earning millions. When I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life there was no SEO expert on the career aptitude tests. I am fascinated with all these women doing the same, creating careers for themselves and telling fascinating stories.
4. I’ve considered for a while that I wanted to champion the women I enjoy watching online who are running successful business women who aren’t running multimillion empires, but have nonetheless designed their own lives. They love what they do and they help a lot of people doing what they love. And what’s more exciting than that?
5. I know I’m not alone. I realised that I’m not the only one I know with a lot to share and I wanted to show support to those I admire who are doing great things. I am known for being confident and happy and I wanted to share that with a wider community.

A NEW WAY OF CELEBRATING WOMEN

I want to celebrate all the ways that we can make our life our own, free of anyone else’s expectations of us but also with a key focus on self care, and supporting ourselves to be the very best we can be. We are all wonderfully unique human beings and those who are open and willing to learn from others are those who will go far. You see, I realised that once I stopped letting fear get in the way, every time I found myself comparing myself to someone on screen, I could use that energy to see what I could learn from them, to give me insights into my own lifestyle, the way I run my business.

Here, I wanted a place where I could shout about the fabulous businesswomen I admire. I wanted to go one step further than the Instagram shoutouts and to have a good old natter where I find out more about them and you all get to watch. I want to support women to see that we can design our lives any way we wish to and enjoy it. If you don’t know what success means to you yet, watch and listen as these women share. This is the YouTube channel that I wanted to watch and the more I talked about it with others the more I saw that I wasn’t the only one.

AM I QUITTING OFFERING WEDDING SEO OR CREATIVE SEO?

So does this mean I’m quitting Making Your Business Shine or that I’ll stop offering SEO services? Not at all! I LOVE helping creative ambitious business owners get found online.

So sit back and enjoy the videos I share. Hit subscribe so you don’t miss out on any juicy goodness as I want you to be encouraged, be inspired and enjoy.

Maddy Shine x