You hear this statement all the time in the business world, ‘Take it to the next level.’
When you take it to the next level, it’s assumed you’ll be blowing up. Stepping up. Expanding. Going global.
But how?
What does ‘taking it to the next level’ really mean?
For a lot of people? It’s more money.
It’s thinking about taking that $47 product and putting a $247 price tag on it.
Or dreaming up a $10,000 package of some kind, and having 50 people buy it––just like that––without doing any extra work.
I’m the last person to argue with money aspirations. I LOVE money. But I don’t think the price tag is what ‘taking it to the next level’ should be about.
‘Taking it to the next level,’ should be about raising the stakes on yourself.
Because the truth is––anything you love to do, you can do better. A lot better!
– So what do you want to do better?
– What will challenge you?
– What have you been putting on the back burner until it feels safe to pursue?
You’ll get to them when you have enough time. Or enough money. Or enough clients.
But really, you’re waiting until you have enough guts.
‘Taking it to the next level’ means taking risks.
And that can be very scary. And also super fun!!
But here’s the other thing about risks––they represent exactly what you think you’re capable of.
So when you take a risk to push your business ‘to the next level,’ it’s not about switching up your price tags. It’s about taking what you LOVE to do––and doing it even better than you ever thought possible.
When I first saw that famed-shoe designer Christian Louboutin, created a nail polish in his signature red, with a SEVEN-inch cap that looks more like a dagger than a nail polish cap and a $50 price tag (That’s right. Fifty smackaroos for a tiny bottle of red lacquer.), I just about fell off my stilettos.
Now, before you also fall off your stilettos thinking about paying fifty bucks for a teeny, tiny bottle of nail polish – take a moment to think about what Christian Louboutin did.
Like all great designers, he created a fantasy.
Something that removes you from the everyday, and transports you to the world of Paris Fashion Week, where you’re sitting in a front row seat next to Anna Wintour and Kim Kardashian while waves of chiffon strut by.
Side Note: Did you know that Kim Kardashian had ‘attend Paris fashion week’ on her vision board for years? INTENTIONALITY MAGIC.
Just like Christian Louboutin shoes, and their $1000 plus price tags, his nail polish embodies feeling special. Rich and luxurious.
Whether you’re rich or not, paying $50 for a nail polish will make you feel that way. You’ll apply the polish more carefully. You’ll admire the bottle more completely. You may avoid chipping your nails for just a little bit longer.
It’s a totally different feeling from that $2.99 bottle of Sally Hansen Heavy Metal nail polish from the drugstore.
Christian Louboutin understands the incredible value of what he’s created.
Which has nothing to do with an incredible value like buying bulk panties from Walmart.
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Don’t get me started on the time I went on vacation in a small town and I forgot to pack my undies.
And while I’m into a lot of things, going commando isn’t one of them. So I had to buy what was available – a Victoria’s Secret knock-off version of my favorite underwear Hanky Panky.
Let’s just say that even at $11.00 a pair they were itchy, scratchy, and the cheap lace tore on the first day I wore them. As soon as I got home, off came the imitations and on came my $25.00-a-pair of Hanky Panky. Worth. Every. Penny.
Christian Louboutin wants you to feel exclusive, expensive, and lavish. Even when it’s just a bottle of nail polish. So he went one step further than the price. And launched his nail polish line as a limited edition. With just ONE color.
RED.
You might think that launching a product line with a single product at a premium price would lead to a spectacular failure.
But guess what? The first run sold out. And there was a wait list for the next production.
Here’s what Mr. Louboutin said when questioned about the price by The New York Times’ Style reporter Ruth La Ferla:
‘There is no need to add an ordinary product to the beauty category. This is extraordinary.’ – Christian Louboutin
I never knew I wanted a stiletto with a red sole, or a $50 bottle of nail polish with a seven inch cap that could double as a weapon. Did you?
His vision, his voice, his viewpoints. Crystal clear.
Think about this … when you go to Walmart, the shelves are filled with the ordinary. It’s what Walmart does. It offers you all the ordinary stuff you have to get, in one convenient location.
But you’re not an entrepreneur because you want to be Walmart.
You’re an entrepreneur because you want to create something unique & special.
And Christian Louboutin is a great example of not just doing something special, but pushing the boundaries of an industry.
He made people – lots and lots of people – want $50 luxury nail polish.
So scrawl it in lipstick on your mirror: No One Craves The Ordinary.
Oh, and while you’re at it? Scrawl it in Louboutin Red Lipstick.
That’s right. After making a splash with his $50 nail polish, Louboutin came back with a $90 lipstick – that you can turn into a necklace. With a single beautifully crafted jump ring, Louboutin changed a product into a statement piece.
And that isn’t just good design, that’s genius marketing.
In less than one year after putting out his $50 nail lacquer, the reception of his lipstick was completely different.
BAZAAR.COM: “Get ready to make room on your vanity … at $90 they don’t come cheap, but the best things rarely do.”
REFINERY29.COM: “Listen, we’ll try to find a way to justify this purchase by any means necessary, okay?”
ESSENCE.COM: “. . . it looks like we’ll be pinching pennies the rest of August in preparation for the collection. Are you with us?”
Do you know what this all means?
Christian Louboutin actually changed the beauty marketplace.
Yeah, the press may have jumped on the Louboutin bandwagon, because everyone loves success. But the real story is that Christian Louboutin made people want to spend money on his products. His objects.
He didn’t look at what’s going on in the marketplace – and figure out how to fit in with customer avatars and demographics.
Which is what mediocre companies do.
Christian Louboutin made what he wanted to make
Priced it how he wanted to price it
Let buyers decide if they wanted it
And buy they did. Because we crave beauty. We crave individuality. We crave unique experiences.
Christian Louboutin never pretended he was creating anything but a luxury object. The same with his shoes. Even when he was only selling 200 pairs a year and in danger of going bankrupt. He sold exclusivity from the very beginning.
Christian Louboutin shapes the market according to what he wants to see in the world.
Don’t you want to do that too? People lining up to buy THE WORLD ACCORDING TO YOU?
The peer pressure to be average is intense. But when you develop strong viewpoints, you know what you believe. You know what you stand for. And you have the courage to do things your way.
The world doesn’t need any more ordinary products & services. NO ONE CRAVES THE ORDINARY.
Lil Nas X releasing a custom Satan themed shoe in tandem with his Montero video? The limited edition of 666 pairs at $1018 a pop sold out in less than a minute. Baller!
Allure magazine opening an experiential store (that’s IRL shopping, baby), just as big business is saying online is the only way to go? With high end beauty products curated by trusted editors, you know they opened their doors to a line around the block. Baller!
Stella McCartney partnering with Bolt Threads to make a sustainable leather substitute from…mushrooms? You can practically hear the fashion world shaking its head, “Oh, Stella.” But with sustainability being THE hot topic, along with the mushroom-leather Falabella tote selling like a 1700 dollar hot cake, guess who gets the last laugh? That total bad-ass baller, Stella.
You know who else is making a seriously bold move?
Kim Kardashian.
You don’t have to like Kim––she doesn’t care if you do. You don’t have to like anything about her. But to ignore her is to miss out on some serious business smarts.
Serious Business Smarts. #SBS. The woman is worth a billion dollars. Just ask Forbes.
And what is Kim doing even as we speak?
She’s shutting down her KKW Beauty business.
That’s right. Kim’s putting all her products on sale, then shuttering her site in order to, according to her IG post:
“come back to you under an entirely new brand with new formulas that are more modern, innovative, and packaged under a sustainable new look.
“I’m excited to continue to develop and expand my product range and for you to finally be able to experience it the way that I have always envisioned,”
Okay – who knows what’s really going on behind the scenes at KKW Beauty. People speculate…
She’s selling more shares to Coty
She’s dropping the ‘West’ from her brand
She’s changing the company that creates her formulas
Or she’s getting sued.
But really, who cares? Because she’s doing something So Baller on a business level that it almost makes me scream. I’m actually screaming right now, can you tell?
Let’s break it down.
Kim’s closing KKW Beauty. No apologies. She wants to do something new and different, and she’s not afraid to just cut the old, insanely successful brand out of her life. Boom, end of story.
She’s not pussyfooting around, asking her customer base what they want or what they’d like to see next. She’s got a vision, and she’s going to execute it. She’s going to tell her customer base what they want, just like she always has.
She’s creating excitement. Every loyal fan is going to be hyperventilating and hitting their refresh button the day she rolls out her new brand. Even the haters are going to be there, because they can’t help themselves.
She’s creating a feeding frenzy. All her old products are going away, and her customers only have until August 1st to stock up on their favorites. You bet she’s going to sell out of everything.
And most important…
She’s controlling her own narrative. Again, who knows what’s going on behind the scenes. What we’re seeing is a powerful entrepreneur unapologetically making the choices that serve her creative vision best.
You can do all these things too.
Change your branding on a dime. Your products. Your offerings. Anything you want, all it takes is making the decision and doing the thing.
Make the bold move––it’ll look good on you!
XXXO
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