00:00:01:05 - 00:00:33:11
Announcer
Podcasting from Sacramento, California, The Big Tomato. This is the iron mine code show. A weekly podcast about peak performers and the secrets they use to create success in business and their personal lives. Here, interviews with special guests, top performers from around the world. And now here's your host, coach, author and Iron Mind performance expert, Rich Green.
00:00:33:14 - 00:00:59:10
Rich Greene
Hey, we are ready for another episode of the Iron Coach Show. And today I've got a really exciting guest. Her name is more secure. Listen, I met about a year ago, and I heard her story, and I was just absolutely so fascinated by her as a as an individual. And and a mom and a businesswoman. And I was even more amazed when I found out what she does.
00:00:59:10 - 00:01:20:14
Rich Greene
And I'm not going to spoil it. We're going to get into it in the show here. And just like every show at the end, I'm going to ask what her code is. And, you know, the code is the success formula that that people use to overcome the hurdles that they have in life. And so we'll be asking Melissa about that.
00:01:20:15 - 00:01:22:00
Rich Greene
Melissa, welcome to the show.
00:01:22:15 - 00:01:25:23
Melissa Hughes
Thanks so much. Super honored and happy to be here.
00:01:26:17 - 00:01:51:08
Rich Greene
Well, we're glad to have you here as well. And, you know, I could tell the story, but I'd love to hear about how you got started in your business. But first, before we do that, I heard you speak in front of a very large audience, and it was extremely moving. And I'd love it if you wouldn't mind sharing your personal story.
00:01:51:17 - 00:01:53:24
Melissa Hughes
Yeah. No, I'd love to hear that, because it is.
00:01:54:00 - 00:02:07:23
Rich Greene
Because I think it's there's there is a real message of strength there. And so I see the code definitely in your story. So yeah. If you don't mind burying yourself a little bit. Yeah, that'd be great.
00:02:08:11 - 00:02:38:09
Melissa Hughes
Yeah. It was about well it was in 2015, my husband and I had the opportunity to move to the UK and it was really like a dream of mine. I just so happened I married a British person and we had the opportunity to move to the UK to start a church over there. Which was just something that we were both so excited about and felt like it was the right thing to do.
00:02:38:10 - 00:03:09:09
Melissa Hughes
We sold our house, our car, our jobs, all of it. And then we went over to the UK and my husband was looking for work. We had just settled. Just like by settled I mean we just landed. Okay. And I got a phone call one morning and I was sitting in my such a beautiful city in the UK having a scone, drinking a cup of tea, just like feeling like this was the dream.
00:03:09:19 - 00:03:39:12
Melissa Hughes
And my husband called me and he was like, Hey, I've been in a bit of a car accident. And he sounded so calm and like, I was obviously concerned, but I was like, ah, know he seems okay. So I ended up going to the hospital, walked in the door and my heart just absolutely sank. My husband was laid in bed with tubes everywhere and nurses were screaming about.
00:03:39:12 - 00:04:04:13
Melissa Hughes
He was totally like drugged up. And I realized, like, it was way worse than, like, what he had portrayed on the phone. And the next couple days were really surreal as we found out he was going to be bedridden for a year. He had, like, severely damp, like shattered his leg and some other bones in his body. He's been buried for a year.
00:04:04:17 - 00:04:21:09
Melissa Hughes
At that point, we had no house, no car, no job away from family. Obviously, living in a new country, we were there to, like, start a church. Now suddenly we've become people that are, like in desperate need. And I was pregnant.
00:04:22:05 - 00:04:23:16
Rich Greene
Wow. Yeah.
00:04:24:18 - 00:04:39:05
Melissa Hughes
Yeah. So we. The only place when, like, during that time, we were generally to, like, find a place to live. The only place I would rent to us was a funeral home in a valley in the heart of Wales.
00:04:40:04 - 00:04:41:20
Rich Greene
It was part of a funeral home.
00:04:42:11 - 00:04:46:02
Melissa Hughes
Yeah, that was like where we could. Yeah, it was a funeral.
00:04:46:08 - 00:04:46:24
Rich Greene
So, you know.
00:04:47:00 - 00:05:09:24
Melissa Hughes
So, yeah, it was. I didn't think about it at the time, but it was just so, like, depressing. And so for for like at the time, I was like, oh, you know, things are going to get better, you know? But like, God called us here, and so it's going to turn around. But as time went on, it didn't get better.
00:05:10:06 - 00:05:32:20
Melissa Hughes
His health conditions kind of like worsened. I now had two kids under two and was like struggling with a lot of insomnia, post-partum stuff, anxiety. The people that we were leading the church with left. It was like just one thing after another after another. And a friend of mine called me from back home and it was about a year and a half into our journey.
00:05:33:03 - 00:06:00:17
Melissa Hughes
And she was like, Melissa, how are you doing? And I was like, You know, it's going to be okay. Things are going to get better. Like, we've had some challenges, but God's good. Blah, blah, blah. And she was like, okay, you know, it's okay to just say that things are really hard right now. And to be honest with you, which I couldn't really get those words out of my mouth because I was really going to have to address a question that I wasn't really prepared to answer, which was.
00:06:00:24 - 00:06:23:03
Melissa Hughes
But then if things aren't okay, then why would God call us into something that seems so bad if he says that he's a good God? So I was like, it was really addressing a core value that I had had, which was my faith and really feeling like I'm going through a faith crisis as you're over here, you know, trying to, like, encourage people to have faith.
00:06:24:15 - 00:06:30:02
Rich Greene
So your friend must have known you pretty well to have detected that you weren't quite being honest with her.
00:06:30:13 - 00:06:30:24
Melissa Hughes
Right.
00:06:31:12 - 00:06:31:17
Rich Greene
Yeah.
00:06:32:01 - 00:06:57:23
Melissa Hughes
That's right. Yeah. But it was just like it really unraveled. Like, I feel like you can go through hard things, right? But if you have your your core values, what you believe in. Right. You can lean on that. But when you're going through something hard and then the thing that you believe in is also being shaken, that's when like you're really struggling because it's like, well, what do you believe about life and your perspective?
00:06:57:23 - 00:07:19:10
Melissa Hughes
And, you know, what are you holding on to? So it really kind of like shattered. Some areas in myself felt like really broken. And I really wrestle with that question, you know, like, is God good when things are bad? And I just didn't have an answer. And then it was several months, maybe even like a year or so later.
00:07:19:10 - 00:07:50:03
Melissa Hughes
I remember walking around this park by our house and like really in that space of, like, wrestling. And I really felt God, like, really whisper into, like, such a tender, tender chamber in my heart. And he just said, You know, Melissa, mountaintop experiences are for sites and inspiration, but the fruit grows in the valleys of life and where I really wanted like I was expecting, I should have this, like, pain free life.
00:07:50:13 - 00:08:12:11
Melissa Hughes
I felt like God was really calling me to live a more profound life where you have the mountaintop and the valley because you can't have like a triumph without a tragedy or, you know, really loves someone deeply without experiencing hurt or heartache. You have to have both. Like life is meant to be lived in contrast. Yeah.
00:08:13:05 - 00:08:22:22
Rich Greene
Yeah, right. You know. Yeah. You can't have one without the other. But could you say that phrase again? Because I love that the mountaintop in the valley must.
00:08:22:23 - 00:08:27:16
Melissa Hughes
Have experiences for sites and inspiration. But the fruit grows in the valleys. Yeah.
00:08:28:11 - 00:08:29:24
Rich Greene
Oh, heavy.
00:08:30:00 - 00:08:49:19
Melissa Hughes
Yeah. It was just such like. It just helped me to value the season that I was in and know that it was just a season. And that, like, for me, it validated the sense of, like, I think for a long time I thought as like, I'm obviously a faith person, but I felt like God was good when life was good.
00:08:49:19 - 00:09:13:00
Melissa Hughes
But like, there's so much to learn and the times of our lives when things don't go our way or questioning or wondering. It's like a lot of that stuff internally gets built on the inside of our life that we would never develop or go through had we not gone through what we went through, really. And so I just really started to see the value of, I guess, the Valley season.
00:09:13:00 - 00:09:23:07
Melissa Hughes
So it's like not that I want to go through them, but they really make you the person that you're meant to be. And, and it teaches, it teaches you a lot in those seasons.
00:09:23:07 - 00:09:46:22
Rich Greene
So you think about many of the things I've heard in, in personal growth and business that, you know, all of the growth, all of the good stuff happens in the uncovered too zone. Yeah. Not red zones, not where all the growth happens. It's not where you get the wealth of learning. It's the uncomfortable. But man, it sounds painful.
00:09:47:13 - 00:09:49:17
Melissa Hughes
Oh, I love the comfort zone.
00:09:50:10 - 00:09:52:09
Rich Greene
Well, it doesn't. Yeah.
00:09:52:16 - 00:10:14:02
Melissa Hughes
Like, I'm like, give me all that comfort, but. Oh, it's so crazy. Was after that time and after really like kind of like valuing that we moved home and shortly after that back to the U.S.. Yeah. And moved back to the US. And gods are speaking to me about going on social media and posting videos. It was so random, so out of left field.
00:10:14:02 - 00:10:22:02
Melissa Hughes
But I randomly posted this video on Tik Tok and it got 22 million views and I ended up on the Kelly Clarkson show.
00:10:22:14 - 00:10:23:12
Rich Greene
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
00:10:23:16 - 00:10:25:24
Melissa Hughes
And so that leads into what I do now.
00:10:26:04 - 00:10:31:04
Rich Greene
I knew you posted a video and you got to start a Twitter wanting 2 million views.
00:10:31:14 - 00:10:32:16
Melissa Hughes
Uh huh, yeah.
00:10:32:23 - 00:10:33:21
Rich Greene
What was the video of?
00:10:34:05 - 00:10:51:18
Melissa Hughes
It was a video of my kids sledding it like I didn't post it to go viral. I was just trying to figure out how to, like, add text and like, how do you use the app? But people just thought it was really funny. It was kind of a mom fail my kids like I pushed them down this like hill.
00:10:51:23 - 00:11:01:12
Melissa Hughes
They picked up speed, hit a jump, the sled turned. You can hear my daughter going like mommy. It was like 7 seconds. But yeah, but it was chuckles.
00:11:01:14 - 00:11:09:17
Rich Greene
22 million views. Yeah. And and I heard you and you got on a show you got on the Kelly Clarkson show.
00:11:09:17 - 00:11:37:22
Melissa Hughes
I got on the Kelly Clarkson show. Yeah. So now I'm on the mountaintop in other ways because now it opened up doors. I was able to start my own business. I do consulting for women and how to share their message and their story. Using short video, working with podcasters, entrepreneurs. I ended up having a kids book made out of one of my TikTok videos.
00:11:38:04 - 00:11:39:03
Rich Greene
Really?
00:11:39:03 - 00:11:43:11
Melissa Hughes
Yeah. A publishing company reached out. It's called Mommy Loves You When?
00:11:44:04 - 00:11:44:17
Rich Greene
Okay.
00:11:45:03 - 00:11:45:15
Melissa Hughes
Uh huh.
00:11:45:24 - 00:11:46:13
Rich Greene
What's it about?
00:11:47:05 - 00:12:07:07
Melissa Hughes
It's a I did a tik tok basically. Just like looking at the camera saying what I would want my kids to know about how I feel about them. So it's this whole video about how I love them on their good days and their bad days when they're happy and when they're sad and that I don't just love them, but I like them.
00:12:07:16 - 00:12:14:22
Melissa Hughes
And so was like this kind of monologue that a lot of moms resonated with that ended up getting turned into a kid's book.
00:12:15:11 - 00:12:23:07
Rich Greene
That's cool. That's cool. So so you've taken, you know, the the mom side of you. Uh huh. Been to a business?
00:12:23:19 - 00:12:24:10
Melissa Hughes
Yes.
00:12:25:00 - 00:12:26:07
Rich Greene
And you're helping other women?
00:12:27:00 - 00:12:28:19
Melissa Hughes
Yes. Yeah, I'm helping other.
00:12:29:00 - 00:12:29:15
Rich Greene
Guys do it.
00:12:30:13 - 00:12:44:17
Melissa Hughes
I do. I do. I think. Well, you know, in the business world, they say, well, it's decide who you love working with and work with those people. So since I'm an entrepreneur and I get to create it, I'm like, I love working with women.
00:12:44:22 - 00:13:04:00
Rich Greene
So that's great. So tell me a little bit, tell us a little bit more about the video side of things, because I, I heard you say this. It was this your first TikTok video that you were playing with and you were trying to get the words and everything else, and then somehow you got 22 million views.
00:13:04:13 - 00:13:26:16
Melissa Hughes
Literally, it was an accident. Yes, I did not intend like I didn't know anything about video or the platform. The only reason I uploaded it was just because I was feeling like this is something God is putting on my heart to do. And I thought that it was just so random. So I was like, okay, like I'll just I guess I'll just like, see how you even upload.
00:13:26:16 - 00:13:28:11
Melissa Hughes
And then it just took off.
00:13:28:20 - 00:13:43:08
Rich Greene
Wow. So yeah. So God, you know, God was with you the whole way. He was. And, and it this turned into a business that I guess is supporting your family. And and how is your husband doing now?
00:13:43:20 - 00:14:04:10
Melissa Hughes
Yeah, I he's doing good. He's doing really good. He not this summer, but the last summer he actually the surgery, he had to get like a rod put through his leg and he eventually just a couple summers ago got it taken out. So his recovery is complete. He's great. Yeah.
00:14:04:20 - 00:14:20:22
Rich Greene
And so I want to go back to if I can, I want to go back to the video thing because I'm fascinated by the videos really seem like the way and from a business perspective really seem like the way that a lot of companies and a lot of people are going.
00:14:21:15 - 00:14:49:23
Melissa Hughes
Yeah, they are right now. I mean, in 2020, Tik Tok just became a social media disruptor because everybody was posting pictures and then because of the popularity of that app and suddenly right, Instagram, Facebook, they're getting nervous because so much craze around Tik Tok. So now every single social media platform is mirroring what that platform is doing to try to keep up with the popularity of short video.
00:14:50:01 - 00:15:09:12
Rich Greene
I've seen that I've seen on Instagram with the short videos and Facebook is, you know, I've done it for a while, but I don't think it's as good as Tik Tok as in. Do you think this is just a when I ask the question because you know, I'm a I'm a boomer. Yeah, I think it's a generational thing.
00:15:11:07 - 00:15:27:05
Rich Greene
I think all that you see. Tik Tok let's talk about Tik Tok specifically use that as more of a generational thing that maybe younger people are using it or what what are what do you see?
00:15:27:16 - 00:15:51:21
Melissa Hughes
I see like if you I think if you look at the trends, like all the young people have hopped on a platform that the older generation of them like, you know, like when YouTube first started, it was like the double rainbow guy, right? It was like if people businesses that hopped on YouTube when that was happening, think of all the money that they're making now.
00:15:52:03 - 00:16:05:04
Melissa Hughes
Same with Instagram. It was a young person's platform that people were just taking funny pictures and now it's a place of business. And I see that happening at a much faster rate with Tik Tok.
00:16:06:02 - 00:16:30:00
Rich Greene
Yeah, I, I will tell you that I did look at Tik Tok for a long time just because of that aspect of it. And then when I got into it I realized it was more than entertainment. It came as great buzz, more than entertainment. And I probably in the last year, maybe a dozen maybe does purchases, right. Merchandise purchases.
00:16:31:12 - 00:16:35:01
Rich Greene
So I saw on Tik Tok. Yeah. So it was pretty amazing.
00:16:35:21 - 00:16:57:03
Melissa Hughes
Yeah, it is amazing. And the, the boom like the growth on Tik Tok has like superseded the growth on any other platform right now. So I don't think it's going away. It'll be interesting. I mean, the platform has even changed a lot since I've been on it in the last year and a half, so it'll be interesting to see how it develops.
00:16:58:14 - 00:17:12:19
Rich Greene
So what are you working with? So you're working with solopreneur as and entrepreneurs, women entrepreneurs. Yeah. And I heard you say you're working on video. Is it Tik Tok specifically or are you working on other social media platforms?
00:17:13:05 - 00:17:40:02
Melissa Hughes
Right. So really it's learning how to use video and I teach people to repurpose that video to all platform. So great I my special like where I've grown my largest following is on tik tok but every platform needs short video and I grew my account by posting videos in my car on my lunch break because I was so I was working.
00:17:40:02 - 00:18:05:01
Melissa Hughes
So like I teach people really to like use their voice. I know a lot of people do like trends and they do the funny videos, but I see so much value in helping people develop their message and like speaking to the camera and adding value by growing an audience that way. So that type of video can be used on every platform.
00:18:05:12 - 00:18:09:09
Melissa Hughes
And I just think it's a great way to get people to know, like and trust you.
00:18:09:09 - 00:18:25:02
Rich Greene
You're are you do you do an I am a follower. So I see you and and many of them are very funny. Do you do you do you mix that personal side with the business side? How does that work?
00:18:25:19 - 00:18:56:14
Melissa Hughes
Yeah. So I think something like my account is mainly motherhood and that's kind of like where I've grown my followers. But now because of what I'm doing with social media and really wanting to help people grow on the platform, I've actually started a second account called She Can Share where I'll be sharing more about like social media, my journey, tips and tricks, that type of thing.
00:18:56:14 - 00:19:05:22
Melissa Hughes
Just because I feel like it's two separate, two separate things. And I think like the moms sometimes just want the mom right?
00:19:05:22 - 00:19:38:03
Rich Greene
Yeah. No, I was curious about that because, you know, obviously the branding is you, right? You use it. So people want to know who you are. So you've got this personal side, this this great mom side, you know, great kids, great mom side. But that I was just curious about how that brand spills over into the business side of what you do so you're you've actually separated accounts you've done it's under she can share yeah is that where the social media tips in business side be.
00:19:38:04 - 00:20:06:17
Melissa Hughes
Yeah. And I think you start out yeah. I think if you start out as a business sometimes it can be easier to show some of the personal but to go from personal to business. Now, I don't think that everybody wants that content. So I think I will be kind of like mixing content a little bit because I think in order to have more of a holistic picture of who you are, it's good to show that you do both.
00:20:06:24 - 00:20:18:15
Melissa Hughes
But I think like kind of what you lead with, like the one account will lead more with like the business, the social media and the other account will lead more towards like the mom type of encouragement.
00:20:19:01 - 00:20:27:20
Rich Greene
Got it. Any tips for for entrepreneurs, women entrepreneurs or entrepreneurs in general that that want to use Tik Tok.
00:20:28:17 - 00:20:29:04
Melissa Hughes
Yes.
00:20:29:04 - 00:20:35:07
Rich Greene
Start on the show here. You know, and I know this is what you do, but you know what some of the good stuff here.
00:20:35:14 - 00:20:55:02
Melissa Hughes
Yeah, I can give you a lot of tips. Number one, it would be to, like, start creating the content and you have to start messy if you plan to just continue posting static images to promote like or to market what you do, you're just going to you're going to be left behind. It's going to it's becoming irrelevant.
00:20:55:13 - 00:20:56:04
Rich Greene
Boring, right?
00:20:57:00 - 00:20:57:16
Melissa Hughes
What's that?
00:20:58:00 - 00:20:59:02
Rich Greene
Kind of boring, isn't it?
00:20:59:21 - 00:21:23:16
Melissa Hughes
Yeah, because. Right. And, you know, it's hard. I feel like a lot of people struggle with this. Like, how do you show up on camera? What do you say? How do you do it and not feel cheesy? People struggle to hear their own voice, see themselves on camera. So a lot of those things are things that I talk with my clients, but also, you know, how do you.
00:21:24:02 - 00:21:29:07
Melissa Hughes
Okay, so you go on video, but what do you say? Right. So I think in every single video.
00:21:29:15 - 00:21:33:04
Rich Greene
I heard you say the first step. First step is just do it.
00:21:34:09 - 00:21:35:10
Melissa Hughes
Yeah. Start message.
00:21:35:17 - 00:21:43:10
Rich Greene
By the way, I'm a step sky. I love stuff. I can survive. So there's the first step is you just got to get on. I heard you say, just do it.
00:21:43:23 - 00:22:18:16
Melissa Hughes
Just do it. You need to start because you can take all the courses. You could do all the things. But clarity comes with movement. And unless you start doing it, you're just going to be feel very stuck. And I have experienced that like should I say this? Should I not? And then you just go around the mountain, but if you can just like start and even if it's even if that, you know, the video doesn't perform or even if you thought you looked stupid, just post it because number one, you never know what will.
00:22:18:16 - 00:22:20:22
Melissa Hughes
I never thought that that video would go viral.
00:22:21:05 - 00:22:22:10
Rich Greene
22 million.
00:22:22:10 - 00:22:44:08
Melissa Hughes
122 million. Never thought that that would go viral. So many things videos that I like cringe that the one that my kids book got turned into. I took that video down because I was like, it wasn't getting traction. And I felt like I was being very vulnerable and I was like, I'm so cringing and ended up going mega viral and a kid's book got made out of it.
00:22:44:08 - 00:22:44:20
Melissa Hughes
So.
00:22:45:09 - 00:22:55:03
Rich Greene
So you never know. You never know what you know. And I heard you. I just heard a magic word in there. Vulnerable. Mm hmm. Where does that play? Into doing videos.
00:22:55:21 - 00:23:22:05
Melissa Hughes
That plays into making a video where it goes right past your comfort zone very hard and you post it. You know, it's like being able to share something on that is comfortable, is great. You know, in those how to videos are awesome, but sometimes it is good to share those things where you're like, I just don't really know if I should open up about this or share it.
00:23:22:17 - 00:23:49:21
Melissa Hughes
That's really where a lot of people end up connecting with you and being fully transparent, which I find that difficult. Like that is something like I want to grow in because it's hard. You can it's hard to show up vulnerable and share something that is hard to say because you are open to getting rejected or getting more comments and whatever.
00:23:50:05 - 00:23:53:00
Melissa Hughes
Being vulnerable is where people really connect with you.
00:23:53:16 - 00:24:10:24
Rich Greene
I, I think and just my own, my own personal experience, I think that's also one of the hardest things besides getting out there and just doing it and not feeling like you look like an idiot or I don't want to work or I or I heard you say, you know, the sound of your voice. That's surprising to a lot of people.
00:24:12:02 - 00:24:31:17
Rich Greene
Voices like that's not our sound. How we hear it is in the air. And, you know, when they hear themselves on a video, it's like, wow. But I think the vulnerability thing at least, you know, that really resonates with me just because it's hard. You're right. People will say things or you're afraid of what people will think.
00:24:32:06 - 00:24:32:24
Melissa Hughes
Oh, yeah.
00:24:33:06 - 00:24:51:21
Rich Greene
That's a good one. That's a huge one. And and I think you're right. That's where people really connect. Mm hmm. Because we're not. We're humans. We're not perfect. And so when someone shows that vulnerability and. And you have something that's similar to somebody else, they're like, Wow.
00:24:52:16 - 00:24:53:01
Melissa Hughes
Yeah.
00:24:53:21 - 00:24:54:24
Rich Greene
They get that connection.
00:24:55:17 - 00:25:17:11
Melissa Hughes
Yeah. And for a lot of people, it's almost like there are stages of vulnerability. Like for some, I had a woman that started crying because for her to even go on social media, it feels vulnerable for her because she might be seeing posts of other people that are doing things that she wishes she could do, but she can't or she doesn't feel like she can.
00:25:17:11 - 00:25:34:19
Melissa Hughes
So it's vulnerable for her to even open herself up to that space. Now, that stage of vulnerability is actually turning the camera on and posting a video. Yeah, that's super vulnerable for people, right? You know what I mean? So there are like stages of vulnerability that people can go through.
00:25:36:09 - 00:25:55:00
Rich Greene
And thought about that. But yeah, I guess you're right. And as maybe as you get more comfortable going through those days is that, you know, the vulnerability or the feeling of, I don't want to do it, lessons lessens, diminishes over time. I suppose it never goes away, but completely.
00:25:55:00 - 00:26:01:09
Melissa Hughes
No, it doesn't. But yeah, I haven't thought about that either. That just kind of came to me. I might do a video about that. Yeah.
00:26:02:05 - 00:26:27:12
Rich Greene
I think that's great. I mean, I hadn't thought about stages. I just thought about being vulnerable, but yeah, like anything, any kind of gross thing, you know, the more you do it, the better you feel. Yeah. The more comfortable you are. You still have things inside that maybe you don't want to share because of the level of personal, you know, the personal issues and, and yeah, maybe you never will.
00:26:27:12 - 00:26:31:11
Rich Greene
But that's yeah, I love I'd love to see a video. Let me see you do a video on that.
00:26:31:16 - 00:26:37:06
Melissa Hughes
Yeah, I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it and I'll tag you rich stages of ability. Go check out Rich's podcast.
00:26:37:22 - 00:26:42:05
Rich Greene
That's awesome. So do it. Get vulnerable. What else?
00:26:43:18 - 00:27:11:12
Melissa Hughes
And then the second thing is, you know, in every video you need to think, how is this video adding value to my audience and the way that you communicate it is very important. So you can't just like a so many people that are trying to create short video, try to do it in long format. What I mean by that is they do this, they grab their phone, they go, Hey guys, happy Tuesday.
00:27:11:12 - 00:27:18:17
Melissa Hughes
I hope you're doing good. I just wanted to come on here. Look, that took 7 seconds, and you've lost the person.
00:27:19:00 - 00:27:19:11
Rich Greene
Yeah.
00:27:20:06 - 00:27:44:10
Melissa Hughes
You need to open the camera and immediately give a hook for what you're going to say in your video. How it's enticing somebody to come in and then you lead them through the video by drawing them into the story or drawing them into the point. So there is the most important sorry, the most important metric with TikTok or video right now is watch time.
00:27:44:21 - 00:28:07:09
Melissa Hughes
Oh, why? That's why Tik Tok has been genius at their algorithm because it's based on watch time if you know it's you go on tik tok and you're sucked in for 3 hours because they keep sending you videos of content that you like. So that's how videos go viral is they've your watch, time is up.
00:28:07:23 - 00:28:18:00
Rich Greene
Oh okay. So if you do a good job, first of all with drawing them in and secondly with keeping them with valuable content.
00:28:18:12 - 00:28:18:21
Melissa Hughes
Yeah.
00:28:19:13 - 00:28:24:21
Rich Greene
So if you have a video will keep getting shown to other people that are looking for similar things. So yeah.
00:28:25:06 - 00:28:47:03
Melissa Hughes
Okay. Yeah. So TikTok pushes your video out to like a pool of people. If your watch time is high then they like tik tok is like, oh like we want to keep people on the app, we're going to push it out to more people and it pushes out to people that would be interested in your content. So it's an amazing marketing tool for a business owner because it's going to people that you want to see your content.
00:28:47:11 - 00:28:57:15
Melissa Hughes
So you're being like Blast. And also Tik Tok is getting more people on their app because they everybody's just staying and watching videos that they like.
00:28:58:10 - 00:29:28:23
Rich Greene
That you know that's so from an ad from the perspective of advertising, your brand is pretty interesting because a lot of other places or other ways that you might advertise or other venues, you have to select the people that you want to reach. Yeah. And this is this is this algorithm. What I hear you saying, this algorithm naturally finds them for you based upon the other common things that that they look at, that, you know, they're they're watching you for it.
00:29:29:05 - 00:29:33:05
Melissa Hughes
It literally markets your content for you.
00:29:33:05 - 00:29:41:23
Rich Greene
Well, you think to talk to one of the most powerful social media platforms out there today as far as advertising and branding.
00:29:42:11 - 00:30:09:18
Melissa Hughes
I do. And that's why every other platform is trying to change the model, because they've realized what Tik Tok is doing in the success of it and how it benefits both. It benefits the business owner, the content creator, but also benefits the app. Because look at the popularity, people love it because they're constantly being shown videos that will interest them, that will like them, that they're just like sucked into it hours and hours and hours.
00:30:10:05 - 00:30:34:14
Rich Greene
I know it's sometimes it's it's in between. Yeah I have time getting sucked in also was like I didn't intend to spend an hour, you know, doing this. I just wanted a little bit of entertainment and that's how it happens. You get a lot of tainment. And then now I understand how I start getting other things that I hadn't seen before that it's like, Yeah, I'm interested in that.
00:30:35:01 - 00:30:42:03
Rich Greene
And then the ads come and the products come and it's like, you know, I never thought about that before. I'm going to check that out.
00:30:43:02 - 00:30:43:12
Melissa Hughes
Yeah.
00:30:43:20 - 00:31:05:04
Rich Greene
I'm very cool. Very cool. So the is there a step three? Is there a final step in here or is there how do you how do you take that? Keeping them interested to and maybe the call to action like do something with me or buy something from me or yeah, does that even go into that into that video?
00:31:06:12 - 00:31:31:23
Melissa Hughes
Yeah. So with Tic TAC, you know, one of the things that I think people love about it is the vibe of authenticity. So I think for a long time Instagram became such a business hub and so curated and so professional that part of the reason why people started to hop on Tik Tok was because it felt like it wasn't.
00:31:32:03 - 00:31:58:17
Melissa Hughes
It was like people have fun on Tik Tok, you know, people aren't you're not trying to be sold to on Instagram. Everything is with ads but with Tik Tok. So when you're selling stuff or if your, you know, your business owner and you're on there trying to like get people to buy into who you are, you don't actually want to, you know, show up and be like, hi, we have an event on Thursday, March 25th, right?
00:31:59:13 - 00:32:25:11
Melissa Hughes
That's not going to do well. You want to also create a video that seems like we're just hanging out. You know, we're just talking. I'm just sharing from my heart. I'm sharing from my car. Here I am. I'm eating my apples and peanut butter and we're just going to chat literally. But you're strategic about it because you make it seem like it's it's casual and then you're you're seeding people with like, yeah.
00:32:25:11 - 00:32:50:12
Melissa Hughes
So like when I work with my clients right now, people are like, oh, she was like, Oh, maybe she has a business. So you're like subtly seeding people with who you are, what you do, and you can make an offer at the end of the video or put it in there or like show what you do. But I think being strategic about it right now is doing it in a way that doesn't seem like you are selling them.
00:32:51:11 - 00:32:53:17
Melissa Hughes
Oh, you are?
00:32:53:17 - 00:33:05:17
Rich Greene
Yeah. Because nobody likes to be sold. So no, it totally makes sense. And it is very different to the other social media platforms as far as that's concerned. And, and I notice that as well.
00:33:06:09 - 00:33:27:03
Melissa Hughes
Yeah, it's like you need to I think what's really important is you show up on social media to serve first, right? It's like, how can I? It's thinking of the other person. It's like, how can I help you? And a lot of people might struggle with that. It's like, Oh, I'm giving it away for free. But it's like, well, whatever you so you're going to reap.
00:33:27:17 - 00:33:45:00
Melissa Hughes
So like I think part of the like success for me personally is like I showed up really being like, I like want to just help moms. My account grew and now I've got a business out of it. But for a lot I'm like, I'm making money and I've had opportunity. This and all of that came for a long time.
00:33:45:00 - 00:33:52:01
Melissa Hughes
I was just sowing seed into moms without getting anything in return.
00:33:52:01 - 00:34:13:04
Rich Greene
That's a good story. The story of ripping inside. Yeah, I love that story. And it's a great sales story to it, really. I heard you say I love what you said. Show up to serve. Mm. To serve. Don't Show up to sell. Show up to serve.
00:34:13:16 - 00:34:22:07
Melissa Hughes
That's right. And I think a lot of people, you know, they have a hard time. I know. You know, I know.
00:34:23:02 - 00:34:26:13
Rich Greene
I'm using that phrase. I just I think there's.
00:34:26:13 - 00:34:27:22
Melissa Hughes
Oh, you coined that phrase.
00:34:28:23 - 00:34:36:09
Rich Greene
It's a great now it's a great lesson. No, I mean, you and I United came up with it together here. I don't don't show up to sell. Shop to serve.
00:34:36:23 - 00:34:37:13
Melissa Hughes
Yes.
00:34:38:03 - 00:34:38:17
Rich Greene
Yeah.
00:34:39:19 - 00:34:54:14
Melissa Hughes
And it's like, you know that book. I know Jen. Jen Castle, who's amazing business coach, by the way. Well, Jen Loving, she just changed your name, but she does. She shared that book with me being a go giver member.
00:34:54:14 - 00:34:54:22
Rich Greene
Yeah.
00:34:55:13 - 00:35:06:12
Melissa Hughes
Yeah. And being like, not being a go getter. Like, what can I get? It's like, what can I give? And so I think for business like, that is a principle that I think makes people successful, especially with social media.
00:35:07:00 - 00:35:27:15
Rich Greene
And he's got such great books, go give her a go getter. So folks that are also known as if you want to be showing up to serve and not to sell and you know, the you will reap what you so yeah you're good server I mean it's going to come back at you. That's a good book. So I also I'm glad you brought that up.
00:35:27:15 - 00:35:29:18
Rich Greene
I recommend that it's a great book.
00:35:29:18 - 00:36:03:00
Melissa Hughes
Yeah. Mm hmm. I think. Yeah. Showing up, too. And this is another one, too, that I say to a lot of my clients because they're like, Oh, you know, I don't know, like, should I do it like this? Should I do it like that? And how many times do I post? Like, we get so caught up in the metrics of what like our strategy and I'm like, you know, first of all, you should show up to affirm rather than get affirmation because a lot of times we let what like the feedback that we get, which is get in a way dictate our message.
00:36:04:06 - 00:36:25:09
Melissa Hughes
But if you can decide in yourself, this is my message and let me just tell you a quick story exactly like this hits it home. But I learned this when I was actually working in child care. And I was I was posting Tic Tacs, right? I was I was working in child care. And that video took off and I was trying to figure out the platform.
00:36:25:19 - 00:36:48:12
Melissa Hughes
And I was like, I just don't know, just don't want to post, just don't know, like what my message is. I was like really getting stuck in my head and I was pulling, I was working in the toddler class and I was pulling this wagon with these kids in it, and they were like messing about. And I hit this, like, little bump in the in the sidewalk, and the wagon got stuck.
00:36:48:12 - 00:37:08:20
Melissa Hughes
And I was like, guys, just just follow me. And I said it. And as those words came out of my mouth, I felt like, God, I'd boomerang that phrase back to me. And he was like, Melissa, that is how you need to show up on social media. Like, I'm going in this direction. This is what I'm saying. This is my message.
00:37:08:23 - 00:37:30:00
Melissa Hughes
Follow me rather than old me to people. Like when I'm saying all my views are down, I hope like maybe I should change. It's like, no, you know what your message is? You know what you're meant to say. Stop letting other people dictate what's inside of you. You know it. Go in that direction and people will follow you.
00:37:30:09 - 00:37:52:03
Rich Greene
I love that, you know, and people don't, you know, back to sales because, you know, that's been my profession for over 30 years. People don't buy from people that are needy, that that are that are begging or that are needy, that that's not what they do. Right. That actually pushes them away. So being authentic with your message and saying, come along with me if you want to.
00:37:52:03 - 00:38:07:11
Rich Greene
Come on, if you like what you see. Yeah, come along with me. If you like what you see. Yeah. And, and you know it's going to be good. And I think that's, that's a that's a great approach. So I, I've heard you say a bunch of times you were seeding you were seeding this podcast about the people you know.
00:38:08:19 - 00:38:22:05
Rich Greene
So yeah, well, you know, I'll let's let's open it up, let I'd love for you to tell people how they can work with you. Yeah. And so. Yeah, go ahead.
00:38:22:22 - 00:38:57:23
Melissa Hughes
Well, I can offer a free gift because I'm going to show up to serve and not to sell. Rich All right, your website. I have a tick tock content blueprint where I you can just like go to my website. It's at Melissa Lee Hughes a Hughes dot com and you can download a video that will tell you exactly how I structure my videos to go viral and there's a PDF with it and it took me a long time to figure it out, but I'm just going to give that away for free.
00:38:57:23 - 00:39:05:13
Melissa Hughes
So if it's something that, you know, your followers are interested in, you can get that on my website and then I.
00:39:05:13 - 00:39:08:01
Rich Greene
Am going to amount to 2 million followers if I.
00:39:08:20 - 00:39:09:22
Melissa Hughes
If you do it right.
00:39:11:07 - 00:39:18:21
Rich Greene
That's that way. That's really generous. I'll make sure in the notes section, I'll make sure that we put that at that link so everybody can take a picture.
00:39:18:21 - 00:39:50:22
Melissa Hughes
Okay. Thank you. Yeah, I think it will really help people kind of figure out what to say and how to say it. It's important. And then I offer a coaching program right now that I'm super excited about for women. And there's two tracks, but it's it's called She Can Share. And it's a program that women come into my community, I support them in discovering like what their core genius is with their messaging, how they are set apart.
00:39:51:06 - 00:40:04:16
Melissa Hughes
We do coaching. We have a I have a course and it's very supportive and I yeah, I really love supporting women, especially, you know, women of faith. I definitely lead with that also.
00:40:04:21 - 00:40:30:03
Rich Greene
So I'm assuming they can get information on that on your website as well. Yeah. Okay. Well, I'll make sure that's all I know. It's it's very, very nice, very generous of you. Take advantage of that, folks. If you if you want to do videos on Tik-Tok or any other social media, if you want to do them right, if you want to be able to get the kind of views that Melissa does, go ahead and take advantage of that.
00:40:30:03 - 00:40:56:22
Rich Greene
A generous free gift really appreciate that. You know, you know, I think you're probably going to be ready for it. But, you know, I always ask this at the end of our time together, which is I want to know what the code is. I want to know what your code is, what you know, what what's the thing that allows you to be successful, allows you to overcome those difficult things, but put a story that's difficult, things that we face in life.
00:40:56:22 - 00:41:02:04
Rich Greene
And then I'd love to hear what that what you think that is in your life.
00:41:02:04 - 00:41:37:10
Melissa Hughes
Rich I have love to share it. She can share it would 100% be trusting God and you know, like that is such a part of my story. But I think that is the question that humanity really asks is like, can I put my trust in God? And I would I would say 100%. And if you if I think about how, you know, for me, I'm a person of faith, I totally believe that Jesus came, that he overcame, and that through him we can become over comers.
00:41:37:18 - 00:42:01:15
Melissa Hughes
But he absolutely is good, trustworthy, and he is he's everything. And he's definitely like, you can put your trust in him, even when it seems dark and scary and like it's not going to work out. He has a way of taking the negative and turning it into a positive. And he does that internally, spiritually, but in every aspect of our life.
00:42:01:23 - 00:42:06:18
Melissa Hughes
And so if it's not good yet, he's not done. And he's got an amazing plan for people's lives.
00:42:07:05 - 00:42:26:16
Rich Greene
Wow. Really powerful. Thank you so much. That's and that and that. That is a great message and and a great code as well. Melissa, thank you so much for joining us today. I really enjoyed really enjoyed the conversation really enjoyed learning about your business and and and your code and how you know, how you apply that to your life.
00:42:27:00 - 00:42:27:23
Rich Greene
So thanks so much.
00:42:28:12 - 00:42:32:13
Melissa Hughes
Thank you. Such an honor being here and love what you do. Thank you for having me.
00:42:32:22 - 00:42:39:01
Rich Greene
All right, folks. That's it for today. Until the next time. Know your code.
00:42:40:18 - 00:43:00:03
Announcer
Thanks for listening to the Iron Mind Code show with Rich Green. Make sure to visit our Web site. Join us next time for another edition of the Iron Mine Code Show.
