table of funtents

1. 👋🏼 it’s me, hi

2. 🤬 if it’s not a f* yes, it’s a no

3. 💩 no bs good to knows

4. 🎁 from my ops toolbox

5. 👑 misfit wisdom nuggets

👋🏼 it’s me, hi

HI MISFITS!!!!

I’m back in London and battling a spectacular case of jetlag. Let it be known I was wearing shorts and a tank top 48 hours ago, and now I’m wearing thermals from head to toe. London, you deceitful little charmer.

A few of you emailed asking for Thanksgiving pics. Y’all, I’m sorry to disappoint but Thanksgiving on a plate is tremendously brown. Don’t say I didn’t warn you:

Since starting the minority misfit, a question I’ve received multiples times is how to decide between those we say “yes” vs. “no” to working with.

In this episode, I’ll take you on a deep dive to the most important “yes” a business needs to succeed - the f* yes - and how you can go about building systems that consistently lead you to them.

So get those thermals out and let’s dive into freezing (but who’s keeping track) waters.

🤬 if it’s not a f* yes, it’s a no

Years ago, a wise direct report told me “everything you say yes to is something else you’re saying no to.”

I can’t underscore how much this simple line did for me. Beyond decisions as a leader, I went down a rabbit hole thinking of all the things I ever reluctantly said yes to and what I missed out on as a result.

When I went solo, I knew saying no would need to be a finessed art; a habit of second nature. After all, the only person who has to live with the decision of yes vs. no is me.

When new opportunities come knocking, this is the kind of process flow I take. In practice it’s obvs a bit more sophisticated and situation-dependant, but in summary:

TLDR: if it’s not a f* yes, it’s a no. Because as long as we’re saying yes to “no” and “soft yes,” we’re actively dismissing the possibility of f* yes.

And it’s f* yes that makes work worthwhile.

1. the clear f* no

When I started keshty, one of the first referrals to hit my desk was a promising, minority-led MediaTech trying to get its house in order before exit. It felt like the ideal project after weeks of what I can only describe as selling into an echo chamber.

I found both co-founders passionate and inspiring. While I set clear parameters - one of them being I’m not an expert in exits themselves - we felt mutual alignment in the specific pain points they wanted to solve and were excited to get going.

As part of discussions, I was put in touch with one of their lead investors, and this is where the story gets juicy.

I could write a whoooole book about how women still have a long way to go in being taken seriously. This also isn’t my first rodeo dealing with male investors (first one bold enough to call me a “busy Iranian woman” though!).

I could’ve continued with this promising, and honestly, lucrative project. The f* yes in my head said “it’s not the founders’ fault” and “I know I can add so much value here” and “the best way to beat the system is from within.”

It also SCREAMED “sup babe-in-deficit, can you really say no to revenue right now?”

But the f* no in me said no project is worth whatever the f* this is. This investor, despite ignoring then outright declining their invites, is behaving this way before we’ve even signed on the dotted line. Imagine if I enter into a set of terms and he attempts to make my life a living hell?

When it comes to values, it’s a clear case of f* no for me.

2. the soft yes aka no

I did a lot of work for free / at a discounted rate when starting out (ICYMI: we covered this journey in depth in episodes 4 + 6!). I don’t have regrets: doing so helped iron my offer, build use cases and position me for referrals.

But it’s not how I operate my business anymore. Today, any project I’d like to do but am choosing not to do falls into a “soft yes.”

Two of my early test clients were lovely people, and their businesses could clearly benefit from support. With that said, both projected their own feast and famine cycles (which I was also in the thick of at the start), and I let this direct how I built keshty.

I ignored what the market pushed me towards and listened to those who were paying me. And while I 1000% wouldn’t advise against listening to your customers, it’s important to question whether your current customers are f* yes customers.

I knew I wanted to make a name for fractional execs and get stuck into extremely strategic, meaty problems one only experiences at scale. I wanted to work with ambitious founders building hyper-growth startups working with 6+ figures.

Instead, I was building low-touch, low-cost group coaching sessions. I justified it as giving everyone a barrier to entry, as access to information is so central to keshty’s mission. But group coaching with scaling founders wasn’t what I wanted to do.

It wasn’t what I left a stable, full-time role to achieve. And down in my core, it wasn’t how I personally imagined adding value.

3. the f* yes

You: “Sheesh Neds, aren’t you hard to please? So if a soft yes is a no, a no is a no, and a f* no is a no - do we ever see a yes?”

When I parted ways with my test clients (and the only cash flow I had at the time), I gave myself the challenge of radically prioritising all new business meetings, coffees and networking events into f* yes only.

I decided f* yeses will know other f* yeses above anyone else, and dedicated my energy ruthlessly to finding and speaking to them.

FYI: I want to be incredibly transparent that just because I believed someone was a f* yes didn’t mean they:

• ended up being a f* yes

• needed a fractional COO

• were ready to immediately work with me

But I’ll tell you this: my conversations became more relevant, my pitches landed better, and at month 6, the snowball moment came where I was faced with more demand than I could supply.

So given what I know now, what would I suggest to another misfit starting out?

💩 no bs good to knows

✅ ruthlessly decide your f* yes

Be ruthless about what you’ll consider a f* yes and stick to it. Put thoughts into a flow chart, stick a post-it on your monitor, ask a friend to keep you accountable - whatever works for you.

It’s okay to go through the journey of f* yes changing, but if I could do it again, I would’ve established my bar for a yes before going out to market and battling with cash flow. Both easily influenced me and meant I operated without focus or clarity in keshty’s first few months.

❌ if you build something for everyone, it works for no one

I wish I could tattoo this on my face, and will get into “niching” in a future episode. Ultimately, everyone and their doggos will have an opinion on what you’re building, especially the customers you serve. While I’d advocate always listening to them above others, check in with yourself about whether your current customers are still your f* yes customers. I do this now every half year.

Remember: everything you’re saying yes to right now is a no you’re saying to something else, including possibilities for f* yes.

🚢 build for f* yes first, then consider lower barrier offers

In keshty’s early days, I thought about low-touch, low-cost offers because I thought that’s what people wanted. Having done the opposite now, I’m in a much better position to consider how my experience can add value at different price points than I was at the start.

PS: let’s not beat around the bush either - being cash flow positive helps us think more creatively and objectively about new product lines. Revenue generation is crucial to a successful business, but hyper-fixating on chasing cash takes us away from solving real problems for others.

🎁 from my ops toolbox

Staying on brand: how can one create snazzy, digital workflows on a budget?

🧰 In my toolbox: Miro

Okay y’all, I’m going to let you in on a little secret: I don’t LOVE Miro as a solo business owner. I enjoyed it when interacting with product teams in the past, but its free version is incredibly limited. The starter pack is $8 a month, but has much more functionality than I personally need.

Two things to take away from this:

1. I’m v much in the market for a better, free alternative (RIP Jamboard, my forever OG). If you love another one, let the misfits know!!!

2. You can still enjoy the free version as I do: you get a maximum of 3 workspaces to edit at one time. I either create multiple workflows on one board, or download and delete boards as I go along (if they’re just for me and not core to business processes). A little manual, a little inconvenient - but for now, gets the job done.

👑 misfit wisdom nuggets

✍🏼 Lauren Dawson, neuro-affirming coach, trainer and speaker at Curious Coaching, writes:

“I’d tell my younger self to trust my instincts and prioritise the work that interests me the most.

I waited 6 months to pivot to neurodivergent coaching because of a serious case of imposter syndrome. But the moment I made the switch things started to flow.

I’d also tell myself that whilst it’s great to get advice and research how other people run their businesses, ultimately it has to work for me and be at a pace that’s sustainable. I work best when I can stay playful and curious.”

📣 HEY MISFIT! If you’d like to be featured in an upcoming issue, email me with your answer to this question and LinkedIn profile. Let’s learn together 🫶🏼

Thanks for joining episode 9, misfits! I hope you’ve enjoyed the mix of shorter, more targeted emails with fuller deep-dive episodes. I’d love to hear how you’ve been finding the cadence - as ever, I’m just an email away.

Before you go, let me know what you thought of this issue with the pulse check below! Good intent feedback is always welcome ⬇️

xo, Neds