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Social Media Decoded
Build a Feel-Good Business: Ditch Hustle Culture, Align Your Brand, and Grow with Authentic Marketing w/ Tahnee Hipel
00:18:26
In this Social Media Decoded episode, entrepreneur, professor, and coffee shop owner Tahnee Hipel shares how to build a feel-good business that balances profit with purpose—without buying into hustle culture. We dig into aligning your brand with your values, telling authentic stories on social, avoiding burnout, and turning clarity + consistency into cash (even if you’re pivoting or re-igniting your spark at 40+).
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- [00:00]
Wix Studio Narrator
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- [00:48]
Asana Narrator
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- [01:05]
Michelle Thames
To the Social Media Decoded podcast. The number one podcast to help you understand social media better so that you grow your business, get more clients and monetize. And you already know. This podcast helps you get seen and build a business that actually work for you. And we're getting real about something that so many entrepreneurs are struggling with. It might be YouTube hustle culture and burnout, right? And the pressure to look successful online instead of actually feeling successful. And if you're feeling stuck and overwhelmed or just tired, and I mean tired of chasing the version of success that doesn't even feel good, then my friend, this episode is for you. So you already know, grab your pens and your notepads because it's going to be a great episode. And I couldn't think of a better guest for this conversation than Tani. And she's an entrepreneur, professor, author, coffee shop owner, which we have to talk about because I love coffee and I've been thinking about opening a coffee business, honey. So she's an all around powerhouse, all about building a feel good business that aligns with your values and that makes you the money. Because that's what we talk about here, right? You want to make money from your business. So I want to just tell you a little bit more about this, my amazing guest, because she's awesome, right? She walked away from her corporate life and has built multiple businesses from scratch. And so I think she knows a few things about how to navigate the messy, unfiltered side of entrepreneurship. And she is here to help you, my friend, ditch the pressure, embrace your own path and build a successful business that actually fits Your life. Tani, welcome to the show. I'm super excited to chat today.
- [02:43]
Tawny Hipel
I'm so happy to be here. That was an amazing introduction. Honestly, couldn't have said it better myself. There's so much to it than, you know, everything just being amazing. There's so much that goes into it. But, yeah, you summed it up. Yes.
- [02:57]
Michelle Thames
No. We're gonna get into the real conversation today. So the truth. Let's start there. Let's dive right in about this hustle culture. Why do you think so many entrepreneurs are obsessed with hustle culture? And even when it's burning them out.
- [03:10]
Tawny Hipel
Clearly, I think we're just sold the idea that if you work harder, things will happen. And I think that, you know, it's in our face all the time. We think people are just go, go, go. We don't see what's behind the curtain. I think now we're starting to see it a little bit more, and authenticpreneurship is becoming more in our faces, which is really important. But I think people burn out because I think the harder their work, the better things are gonna turn out. And it's just not the case. That's just not the case. So I don't know about just being sold that idea and running with it. I know a decade ago is when I really started my freelance business, and I did that burnout thing for, like, half of it. And I still find I do it sometimes, but you have to pause and think, like, what is it all for?
- [03:52]
Michelle Thames
And the burnout culture is big on social media. It's like, work, work, work, work, work. Do all these things. Do all these things. And it's like, no, we don't have to do all of that. And I know that you have built multiple businesses, and this is amazing, both online, so those who are listening, who have online businesses, and brick and mortar, open it up your ears. Listen up, right? Let's talk about what's a moment when you realize that hustling harder wasn't actually getting you ahead?
- [04:18]
Tawny Hipel
I think the biggest wake up call for me was taking projects that I didn't like and even working with people that I didn't like and doing it just for the dollars. And I was like, what this all for? And that really woke me up. I actually ended up taking a break after that, a little bit of a break to. To align what I really wanted out of life, like, what I wanted my legacy to be. And I kept thinking, and this is kind of morbid but kind of funny, but if I died, like, my tombstone might Only read like, she worked really hard, and I didn't love that. And I wanted to, like, I wanted to see my life shift in a way that felt good. So I just started thinking about what would actually feel good to me. And that changed my entire life. Because now everything that I do, I approach it with, does this feel good? Does this align with my values? Is it something that I can see myself doing long term? And then that's when I pull the trigger and do the thing. Otherwise I'm like, no, I don't want to work with that person. I don't want to do that project. And if, you know what, sometimes you need money, then if you really have to take that project, price it properly, right? Make it worth your time and effort. So. So that's kind of when I realized that that burnout thing wasn't for me and I had to totally change my life. You know, like, I was in my 30s, I was getting older. Like, I didn't want to do that up until retirement, right? So nobody does. No. Yeah. So that was a big part. And, and then I think from that, you start to meet people who are on similar journeys and you start to tune into spaces where people are doing similar things. So then you're like, okay, let's create systems. Let's. Let's get this working for me instead of against me. And, you know, that's really what I would want anyone to take away is if you're feeling like, I cannot do this anymore, take a beat, think about what you actually want, and start aligning your career with what feels good and what works with your life. Like, you almost have to reverse engineer it. So, yeah, that's, that's where I'm coming from, always.
- [06:14]
Michelle Thames
No, that was good. And you guys, this is a masterclass all the time. We bring on these experts who just give us so much value. So I want to talk about something that has been just constant, right? We're always, you know, the pressure to look successful, even if you're struggling behind the scenes. One thing I know about me, like, yeah, success looks different for every single person, right? For me, success is really this time freedom that we get being entrepreneurs, being able to, you know, wake up at 9 o' clock if I want to go to the gym at 8 o' clock and not be pressured.
- [06:46]
Tawny Hipel
So.
- [06:46]
Michelle Thames
But I know that so many people do feel pressured to show up online. Like, you know, we're successful and even if it's, if it's hard. But what's your take on the way social media fuels this because it's like fuel to the fire.
- [07:00]
Tawny Hipel
Honestly, comparison is a killer. And I think like you said, you said it like, not everybody's success looks the same because we all have different family dynamics, we all have different responsibilities, different situations. So I cannot measure my success to your success. And I think that when you have that everybody can win mentality and you're not trying to, you're not in competition with everyone, like your people are your people, my people are my people, someone else's people are their people. And they don't have to be all of our people. It's okay. And I think that that honestly is just about growth, like as a human being, like if you don't do that internal work to say, you know, I don't need to compare myself to you to be successful, then you're always going to be trying to run after something that might not even be meant for you. So if you stop running after someone else is meant for them, you actually allow like what's meant for you to come into your life. And the more you do that, the more it happens. And it might sound woo woo, but it's so true. And I'm like a woman of faith, you know? Like, I think that you have to be really open to receiving what is meant for you. And that means not comparing yourself. And it doesn't mean not taking lessons from others or looking for systems that might benefit you or things that work for someone else might work for you too. But it's the comparison, the thinking I'm so behind or I'm not doing enough or I need to be doing more that not only kills your spirit, but it kills your creativity. So you might be blocking your next big career move or product idea or whatever by having those thoughts where if you just kept an open mind and thought about what really aligns with you, you might see success faster.
- [08:40]
Michelle Thames
So yeah, no, that was so good. My goodness, y', all, we are not out here hustling, okay? We are out here being align with what we want to do and not being pressured to just look successful online. That is not right. So I want to talk about next, the feel good business, the blueprint. Okay. Because a lot of people definitely confused with, you know, doing what you love with never working hard, which obviously is not the case. So how do you balance passions? Because we have multiple passions, a lot of us listening, right. With profit in a way that actually makes same.
- [09:16]
Tawny Hipel
Yeah. And I think there's something to be said about, yes, I preach feel good business, but passion doesn't equal profit. You can't just, you know, hope for the best. You actually have to put the work in. But it's about putting the work in to what matters, and you can't do everything at once. Like, I have a million things on the go from, you know, if I'm teaching and I have to mark assignments or I have catering orders, I have to manage employees, I have ordering to do. I have clients to tend to. I can't do it all in one day, right? So I have to focus on the things that I can focus on right now. And if you're trying to build, say, a social strategy in a podcast, you probably want to put your focus into your podcast right now and try to build that. If you want to focus on your YouTube, you try to focus on that, right? So you can't do all the things. And I think that you can have multiple passions, but you need to make time for everything and stop trying to do everything all at once. When I stopped trying to do everything all at once is when I started to see that all of the things that I do were increasing, improving, my systems were getting better because I put the time into what needed my attention. And then everything else, I would just kind of balance out. And you don't really know what works unless you try. But I can tell you, my partner, he always says, like, you're the busiest person I know. I don't know how you do it. I can never do what you do. And I'm like, yes, you could. Right? You just have to prioritize. And I'm, like, hella efficient. So I work backwards all the time from what I want my end goal to be, and then I work backwards from there. So I say, okay, this week, I have this many things to do. Okay, let's time block. Let's. Let's put it into my calendar. I feel like if you don't have that organization and if you don't hold yourself accountable, none of that stuff is getting done, right? So there are things about what I do that are, like, really fun and that, you know, are. I'm super passionate about. And then there's. There are things that I hate to do and I don't really like to do that I might, you know, either put at the top of the priority list to knock them off real quick and get it done so I can focus on the things that are actually, you know, in my zone of genius that I totally love to do. But you have to balance the passion with, like, the hard work and the things that need to get done. For you to succeed.
- [11:28]
Michelle Thames
Well, this is getting so juicy. This is good. This is good stuff.
- [11:33]
Tawny Hipel
Because the gems.
- [11:34]
Michelle Thames
Yes, you delivering. You are delivering the gems. Absolutely. And I want to talk about your background for a minute, because, girl, you can do everything. And those of you listening, you can do everything too, because I'm one of these people, and I feel like maybe we're, like, connected because you've been so diverse. Marketing, coffee, teaching, podcasting. I wanted to be a professor, actually. So that is, like, super cool. Every time I talk to someone who is a professor and teaches, that is so cool to me. But I guess I get to do it in a different way, right? I love teaching. But let's talk about your diverse background and this coffee because I am definitely interested in opening a coffee business. There's so many listening right now who struggle to bring everything together under one brand.
- [12:15]
Tawny Hipel
So I started my career in marketing, right? And I developed a full stack of marketing skills. So I can do everything from website design to photography, graphic design, SEO, like, you name it, I can do it. And when I was doing it for someone else all the time and multiple clients, I'm like, I'm out here building everybody else's dreams, and I need to focus on what I to do for myself. So having skills, I think it's really important to build a skill set, right? Like, become an expert in something. If you want to become a thought leader, an expert, an educator, you need to. You need to put the time in to learn those skills and stay relevant. And then I saw this coffee shop opportunity open up. I'm like, now I can bring everything that I know into one space, and I don't have to hire externally because I can do all the things within that store. So it was really my opportunity to show, like, I can do this. Like, give me. Give me a brick and mortar. And I'm going to do that too, because I taught business for not just online entrepreneurs, but brick and mortar entrepreneurs. When opportunities present themselves, if it calls to you and it's something that you feel like you can do, reach it, go get it, go try it. You live one time, right? We only get to do this once, and we don't know how long we're here for. But if you have that opportunity, run with it. See if it works, try it. If it fails, it fails. But if it doesn't, at least you tried. So I always say, I'm going to try it, and if it fails, okay, well, I know that I'm smart, I'm capable, I love to learn. I'm a forever learner. I will go find something else to do. So that's my approach to it. So you have to take opportunity from where you are right now. And that's how I think you can do anything is if you're open to the opportunities that present themselves and they align with your life at this moment. And even if you can't go open a coffee shop, right, maybe you can learn about coffee and get prepared so that if the opportunity comes back around when you can afford a coffee shop or you can get the lease, then you already have the knowledge and you can jump in and you're not starting from zero.
- [14:13]
Michelle Thames
I have one daughter, and nothing is going to stop me from doing all the things I want to do. So look at how someone with kids and someone without kids can still do everything they want to. I don't care if they tell you you can't do it, they're lying. You can do it, right? That was so good. I hope you all are taking notes because this has been such a great show. And, you know, we give you all this jam packed in like, under 30 minutes, which is amazing. Okay, so if you're loving this episode, make sure you tag me on Instagram, Michelle lthaymes and ocialmedia Decoded Pod and let us know what you're really loving. Okay? And if you're watching this on YouTube, you can also head on over to my YouTube Michelle Thames and check out the social media decoded podcast in our YouTube playlist. Okay, so let's talk about how so many entrepreneurs don't show up because they feel like they're not ready. Okay. This is a lot of people listening. They feel like they're not ready. They don't have the perfect brand yet. What is your message to them?
- [15:12]
Tawny Hipel
I don't think you're ever ready. I don't think you're ever ready until you. You're in it. I think you can come with confidence and you can be somewhat prepared because you've done things like watch videos like this, right? Like, you have the tools to gain some knowledge. So you're not starting from scratch. But I think you're never going to be fully ready because you don't know what works and what doesn't work unless you try. Like, my business model is not the same that it was 10 years ago. I've grown not only as a person, but in my career. And with that growth comes changes to my business as well. My values have changed and evolved. I hope that everybody's values change and evolve as they grow. And I think that that's the meat of it. Don't get stuck with where you used to be. Just start where you are right now and be open to evolving. As you grow in your role, as you grow as a person, all of that, that's all a part of it. And don't be afraid to pivot. So if you start a business, like, say, a digital marketing business, and you're like, I'm not finding clients, maybe this isn't the thing, then you need to be open to maybe changing direction a little bit. Whether it's becoming an expert and focusing on one social media app. Maybe you become the LinkedIn expert, maybe you become the Instagram expert or the Pinterest expert, right? Like, if that's. Maybe that's something that you need to do, focus in on what you're really good at and let go of the rest. Or maybe you need to reevaluate who your target is. And if your target is not serving you well, then change your messaging, right? There's little things that you can do. So don't think you have to have it all figured out right now, because even with my coffee shop, I opened it two years ago, many things have changed since I opened it, and many things will continue to change based on what I learned from actually going through it. I always say, like, I don't want to be sold an idea from someone, right? I want to be sold the process, the systems from someone who's actually been through it and come out the other side. So the only way that you can really become an expert is if you go through it, do the work, you know, go through the hardships and the lessons and all of that, and then be able to offer up a story for someone else who's going through the same thing. So don't put so much pressure on yourself to have it all figured out right now, because I promise you, nobody does.
- [17:22]
Michelle Thames
This has been a really good conversation, you all, Such a refreshing conversation. I don't know if you all are feeling the same way, but I am feeling really good. This is what we all needed to hear. Okay? And I know so many people listening are definitely rethinking what they thought that they had to do in their business to be successful and realizing that they can build something that actually works for them. I think that's very important. Important. There is no blueprint or anything like that. When you want to build a business, you can do it your way. I have so many people that come to me and probably are listening to this podcast who think that it has to be so cookie cutter. And you just told us here today that you can have a coffee shop, you can do marketing. Hey, you can have a hair salon if you want to. You can freelance and do all the things and still be successful. But before we wrap up today, please let us know where can we connect with you, learn from you and maybe grab a coffee too at your coffee bar.
- [18:19]
Tawny Hipel
Love that. So my website is tawny hyp.com last name h I p e l dot com. I've got all of my tools and resources there. I'm on Instagram at Tawny Unlimited. My movement is Entrepreneur Unlimited. I think today's episode kind of speaks to that. I do feel like you can do whatever you set your heart and mind to. So it very much is an unlimited mindset. And my coffee shop is in a little town in Ontario called Chesley. It is in Bruce County. It's called Brewed Coffee Bar. B R U Coffee Bar. And yeah, I look forward to connecting and honestly reach out with any questions because I'm one of those people who loves to help. And if you have any questions, I'm happy to provide whatever guidance I can.
- [19:02]
Michelle Thames
Yes, we love this and we will leave all of the information down below in the show notes so you can connect with Tani and learn more about everything that she's doing. And don't forget to take a screenshot and tag me in your Instagram stories, Ichelle lthames and the social media Decoded podcast and let us know what is the one thing that you're changing in your business. After hearing today's conversation, I will talk to y' all in the next one.
- [19:28]
Tawny Hipel
Peace.
- [19:29]
Wix Studio Narrator
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- [20:00]
Asana Narrator
Work bogs you down, Asana helps you handle it. AI makes it easy to hand off routine tasks and stay focused on important work. That's how work gets handled. Visit us@asana.com Morning. One sausage McMuffin with egg, please.
- [20:17]
McDonald's Cashier
Okay, your total is.
- [20:19]
Asana Narrator
Wait. Let's negotiate. How's about you throw in hash browns for a dollar?
- [20:24]
McDonald's Cashier
Well, yes sir. That price is already a dollar.
- [20:26]
Asana Narrator
Take it or leave it.
- [20:28]
McDonald's Cashier
Take it, I guess. Buy one, add one for a dollar on sausage McMuffin with egg hash browns and more with McValue. Most locations open 5am or earlier. Price and participation may vary. Limited time only. Valid for item the of equal or lesser value. Ba da ba ba ba.
- [20:46]
Michelle Thames
Are you ready to get spicy?
- [20:49]
Tawny Hipel
These Doritos Golden Sriracha aren't that spicy.
- [20:53]
Michelle Thames
Sriracha sounds pretty spicy to me.
- [20:56]
Geico Narrator
Um, a little spicy, but also tangy and sweet.
- [21:00]
Michelle Thames
Maybe it's time to turn up the heat.
- [21:03]
Asana Narrator
Or turn it down.
- [21:05]
Tawny Hipel
It's time for something that's not too spicy.
- [21:07]
Asana Narrator
Try Doritos Golden Sriracha.
- [21:09]
Geico Narrator
Spicy but not too spicy. Hello, I'm here during the lunch rush with Janice, who owns her own food truck.
- [21:18]
Michelle Thames
Best cheesesteaks in town.
- [21:20]
Geico Narrator
Janice traded up to Geico Commercial Auto Insurance for her food truck business. We're here where she needs us most.
- [21:25]
Michelle Thames
They sure are.
- [21:26]
Geico Narrator
We make it so easy for her to save with customized coverage that grows with her business. Sorry, I'll just get some emotional talking about saving folks money.
- [21:35]
Michelle Thames
Not this onion I'm chopping.
- [21:36]
Geico Narrator
It's just so beautiful. Oh yeah. Nice. The onion.
- [21:39]
Asana Narrator
Get a commercial auto insurance quote today@geico.com and see how much you could save. Get more with Geico.