The gist: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is a HUGE inspiration for this blog and brand and has been from the start. But all entrepreneurs can learn a lot from the show, starting with these lessons.
Today is a special, special day, my lovely unicorns.
And not just because I’m wearing light-up sneakers from the toddlers department. (They’re…*ahem*…lit. I’M SORRY I HAD TO.)
It’s more than that. I’m wearing light-up sneakers because I’m wearing my “Unbreakable outfit.”
And I’m wearing my Unbreakable outfit because the new season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is coming.
So, I’m celebrating like I celebrate every pseudo-holiday from pop culture – excessively. 🙂
I’m donning my brightest colors, grabbing my metal hero friend, and heading to Times Square, “where New Yorkers shop!”
(I go all-out with my Halloween photo shoots. Including going to the armpit that is Times Square on a Saturday – ugh! – and paying an off-brand superhero to take a picture with me so I could recreate the season 1 promo photos 😂)
Plus, I’ve always felt like the show has had a big impact on this blog. So I’m not just celebrating alone, I’m bringing you into the fun, too.
Why I’m Writing This
Out of all the posts I’ve written and plan to write in this series of pop culture business lessons I seem to have going on, this one’s a bit special.
The other places I’ve taken advice from – Parks and Rec, Friends, Gilmore Girls, Hamilton – all inspire me in general. But Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt specifically inspires this blog and brand.
I mean, even our brand colors are the same. Well, almost (check out this pic for comparison). I didn’t even realize this right away.
The show uses a lot of bright pink, purple, and yellow, and blue/teal as an occasional accent. This site uses bright pink, purple, and teal, and yellow for calls-to-action (but now I feel like I need to switch it up!).
Now, it might have had something to do with the fact that I was probably watching the show while redesigning my blog – since I’m always watching it.
But more likely, it’s just plain on-brand. Kimmy and I have similar personalities (although I’m also VERRRRY Titus), so it makes sense our visual brands would be similar, too. 🙂 Especially after my blog identity crisis and realizing I need to “be more me” here.
And overall, my goals for this blog feel a lot like Kimmy’s goals in life: do things, see stuff, keep it positive, and keep it bright. 🙂
So I want you all to be as inspired by her as I was!
Sit back with a glass of pinooooot nooooir and see what you can learn from the show.
What Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
SMILE TIL YOU FEEL BETTER
“It’s called outside-in living, Kimmy.” 😎
So maybe you can’t march into your prospective client’s office and make power poses until they close the deal. (Especially since you’re an online business. Badum chhh!)
But you can fake it til you make it.
I mean, don’t tell a client you’ve been coding for years when you’ve just done 2 Code Academy lessons very, very far apart.
Don’t lie to anyone else, but sometimes it helps to lie a little to yourself. Tell yourself you’re a successful entrepreneur, and you’ll adopt the right mindset to become one.
JUST TAKE IT 10 SECONDS AT A TIME (WHOA-A-A)
Worry on the now as much as possible.
You can think about the future, plan for the future, but you probably shouldn’t let it stress you out yet.
Take it one step at a time, don’t put the cart before the horse, and all those other clichés.
Deal with the problems messing with you now instead of letting them continue while you come up with solutions to hypotheticals.
Confession: I can be awful with this sometimes. 😬
YOU CAN’T BUBBREEZE YOUR PROBLEMS
Ignoring a problem doesn’t mean it’s not there. And the longer you let it sit, the worse it can become.
Puhleaaase don’t just slap band-aids on broken processes and systems all the time. It’s one thing to find a temporary solution for one thing while you work on a permanent fix for another.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE POPU-LARRR, FIND OUT WHO YOUR TRUE FRIENDS ARE 👯
Thank God I found something I could use from Peenot Noir! I was determined to make something work, and I didn’t even need to “reach” for this. 😛
You don’t necessarily need to have the most pageviews, followers, or subscribers to be successful. If you find your true community – your tiny circles, a smaller audience may still be more valuable and profitable than the big guys.
SHOW YOURSELF IN HASHBROWN NO FILTER
You do you, boo. 💁🏻
Show your whole self in your brand. Post unedited pictures of yourself. Take a picture of your actual workspace instead of a perfectly arranged flatlay. Think of the staging time you’ll save by being more authentic!
Don’t be afraid to show the bad, or be publicly proud of the good!
CELEBRATE THE SMALL WINS 🏆
Solopreneurship isn’t always awesome. Like any job, it has its ups and downs.
FEMALES ARE STRONG AS HELL 💪
‘Nuff said. They alive, dammit. 💁🏻
How Do You Stay Unbreakable?
Can you think of any other lessons from Kimbecile and the gang? I wrote this post spur of the moment on the only day this week I didn’t rewatch the entire series again, so I’m sure I missed some stuff!
And until we meet again, Imma go bingewatch. 😉