Sometimes, You Just Have to Go Rogue

Hi, it's Rachel Klaver here, host of MAP Marketing, and today, I'm going rogue. I have a bit of a history of going rogue, to be honest. This episode hasn't been anywhere near my podcast editor—he's doing a great job with all the official Friday episodes. But sometimes, I just feel like mixing things up.

So, here's the thing: we're relaunching MAP Marketing. My editor will handle the proper Friday episodes, but this week, I wanted to try something different. I thought about doing a bunch of episodes—then I remembered I just did that on my other podcast, which I decided not to continue. I've been a bit all over the place—up, down, and a little bit confused—which I think is something we don’t talk about enough.

So, I thought we’d chat a bit about that today. Every day this week, I’ll share a little marketing thought—just short episodes to warm you up, remind you I exist, and, honestly, because I like going rogue sometimes. Also, my energy levels are a bit low this week. For those of you over 40 and female, I’m going through perimenopause, so things are a bit up and down. I thought I’d just sit here and chat with you for a bit.

On Friday, we’ll get a proper episode out, and hopefully, you’ll still remember I exist by then.

So, what I wanted to talk about today is that whole up-and-down thing. I’ve had to learn—sometimes the hard way—how to manage failure, because failure is actually a really important part of business success. If we’re not trying things, adapting, and figuring stuff out, we can’t move forward.

Now, I call myself a “lazy perfectionist.” I’ve realized it’s part of my ADHD—if I can’t nail something right the first time, I just don’t want to do it at all. Learning to cope with failure has been a huge part of my business journey. And I wonder—how many of you relate to that?

Even the fact that I just said, “how much of you relate to that”—like, do I want to just scramble this whole thing again? But I can’t because there’s no editor here to fix it! It’s hard when you want everything to be perfect all the time. I think one of the reasons I’m so big on sharing things, imperfections and all, is that I’ve learned perfectionism is one of the biggest things that stops us from succeeding—not just in marketing, but in business full stop.

My whole podcasting journey has been a bit like that. I had a podcast for over a hundred episodes, and I needed a break. What I should have done was take a proper break. But instead, I relaunched with something new when I was burnt out. It never felt quite right, and I even thought about giving up podcasting completely. But the truth is, I really love podcasting. I love how it gives structure to my week, how it leads into new content ideas, and, honestly, it’s a great excuse to talk to people I find fascinating. Plus, it actually works for my business.

One of the things I’ve struggled with, though, is this whole idea of not getting it right. I’ve launched, and then relaunched, and then launched again, and it’s never quite clicked. Part of what I’m doing today is just taking back a bit of control and saying, “Hey, I’m here, I want to do this,” even though it’s a bit terrifying.

It feels a bit like trying to lose that last five kilos—you get close, slip up, and then it feels harder every time. Most women who’ve ever dieted will get this. Or when you make a big decision and back out, and then every time you go back to it, it feels harder. That’s what business ownership is like, and that’s what marketing is like too.

We have to make peace with trying things and failing, and instead of just burning everything to the ground, we need to get better at figuring out why it didn’t work. Was it the wrong time? The wrong audience? The wrong format? We need to get good at asking ourselves, “What’s really going on here?”

It’s a bit like parenting. Every stage is new, and you’re figuring it out as you go. You can read all the books, but living it is different—just like business. You can listen to all the podcasts and read all the books, but unless you’re actually doing the stuff and learning from your mistakes, it doesn’t stick.

So, that’s my Monday thought for you: are you being kind to yourself today? Are you picking yourself up after you’ve stumbled? Are you giving things another go, even when they don’t work out the first time?

If not, let’s work on that. I’ll be back tomorrow with another short episode. In the meantime, be kind to yourself and keep going.

Have a great week!
It's Rachel Klaver from the MAP Marketing Podcast.