Most solopreneurs are taught that storytelling is a marketing tactic, something you do so people will know, like, and trust you. According to copywriter and author Kendall Cherry, that’s only part of the picture. On this episode of the Life-First Solopreneur podcast, Kendall explains why the right stories actually do the work of selling, often before a potential client ever books a call.
Kendall is the author of Here to Sell, releasing November 10, 2026. Fun fact: she didn’t realize she was writing a sales book until two years into the process. She noticed she was closing clients through her newsletter and inquiry forms without ever having traditional sales conversations, and when she dug into why, the answer was her storytelling.
Storytelling is a sales skill. Kendall’s take is that stories should help a buyer gather information, get their questions answered, and decide whether you’re the right fit. That means sharing what your process looks like, how it differs from others, and what results your clients actually get.
This matters most for solopreneurs who offer consulting, coaching, or done-for-you services. Buyers want to know what you’re about to have them do before they invest. And because experts are often so good at what they do that it feels like breathing, they forget to explain the “hidden magic” that makes their work valuable.
Every business has stories, even a CPA’s. Kendall walks through examples from her Fundamentals of Organic Sales framework, including these two.
Value stories. Instead of listing words like integrity or authenticity, tell a story that shows the value in action. Kendall’s example is creative integrity. She’ll occasionally deliver something a day or two late because she refuses to send work at 80 percent when she knows it can be better.
Pain point stories. Rather than “poking the pain,” show clients you understand their world. A CPA might describe a client waking up dreading the pile of receipts, three quarters behind, and unable to make decisions without a clear profit and loss statement. These stories also give clients the vocabulary for problems they couldn’t name before, and show them a solution exists.
Social media platforms reward volume because volume benefits the platform. Add AI-generated content to the mix and feeds are flooded with high-level posts that all sound the same. Kendall predicts a shift toward less content with far more heart, posts that clearly came from a real person, typos and all.
She points to the wave of nostalgia and sequels in movie theaters as evidence that consumers are craving things that feel real and lasting. Her advice is to look outside your industry and watch where big companies with research budgets are placing their bets.
Hustle culture sales tactics like “always be closing” and “don’t take no for an answer” feel aggressive, and for many women, people of color, and LGBTQ entrepreneurs, they replicate the exact experiences that made them uncomfortable being sold to. That’s why Here to Sell intentionally draws from a wide range of voices, including a Punjabi folktale, pioneering Black astronomers, and feminist activists.
But the single most damaging belief Kendall sees, at every revenue level, is that selling yourself is bad. In her words, sales is really a crash course in self-worth. If you don’t believe you deserve your rates, it will show up in how you sell.
Kendall was diagnosed late with inattentive ADHD, partly because she’d already built coping systems without realizing it. Her biggest lesson is that structure creates more room for creativity. A few things that help her are
Turn off your phone and read a book, ideally one that’s not in the business section. If your only source of ideas is other people in your industry, everyone ends up recycling the same content. Fiction, art, and real-life conversations give your brain the “vegetables” it needs to create better ideas.
Why do solopreneurs need storytelling to sell?
Stories answer buyers’ questions about your process, values, and results, which helps them feel confident investing without needing a long sales conversation.
What kinds of stories should solopreneurs tell?
Kendall Cherry recommends a framework of stories, including value stories, pain point stories, and stories that show your process and client outcomes.
Is posting more content the best way to grow?
Not anymore. Kendall believes fewer, higher-quality posts that feel genuinely human will build more trust than high-volume or AI-generated content.
When does Here to Sell come out?
Here to Sell by Kendall Cherry releases November 10, 2026, and is available on Amazon. Learn more at heretosellbook.com.
Visit kendallcherry.com for her copywriting services, podcast, and email newsletter.
Catch every episode of the Life-First Solopreneur on your favorite podcast platform and YouTube. If you enjoyed this one, leave a five-star review and share it with a fellow solopreneur. And for a complete guide to building a business around your life, pick up Solopreneur Business for Dummies by Carly Ries and Joe Rando.
Episode Transcript
Carly Ries: What if your next client is hiding inside a story you haven't told yet? Joe was off preparing for our big launch during this episode, so it is girl talk on the show with Kendall Cherry and I this week. She's a copywriter and author of the upcoming book, Here to Sell, and we get into why storytelling is actually a sales skill and not just a marketing nice to have. How even a CPA has stories worth sharing, the hustle bros sales advice you need to toss out today, and how Kendall built sales systems that work with her ADHD brain instead of against it. Plus, she shares the one simple habit she swears will make your content better.
Spoiler, it involves turning off that phone of yours. So let's dive in. You're listening to the Life First Solopreneur, the podcast for those in pursuit of a life first business. I'm Carly Ries, and my cohost, Joe Rando, and I spend every episode with solopreneurs who are proving there's a better way to run a one person business and experts who are helping make it happen. We like to say life first, then business.
So let's get right to it. So, Kendall, unfortunately, Joe couldn't make it today because we're in the middle of this big launch right now. So we had to kinda zone in and focus on that. But it's kind of like when the cats away, the mice will play moment because we were like, well, let's just have girl talk on the show today, and we could talk about anything. Do you even want to talk about sales or do just want to talk about Austin and...
Kendall Cherry: I mean...
Carly Ries: Fun things to do there.
Kendall Cherry: I will. I mean the funny thing about me, and If you're ever on my email newsletter, you'll understand. I make it a goal in every single like touch point that I have to always be selling but not make it feel like I'm selling. So I will somehow subliminally talk about sales in some way even if you're like, oh, she's talking about Austin or she's talking about the book she's reading.
No. I'm still selling you on something. It's kind of my personal challenge to myself. So yeah, I mean, literally, you could drop me down on any topic and I could get us back.
Carly Ries: Well, I think that's what makes you so good at selling because I mean, we've been talking about oh, let's grab coffee when we're in the same city and we've known each other for five minutes. You're clearly good at sales. So My icebreaker question for you is, was there a moment in your life when you realized, oh, I am actually really good at this sales thing?
Kendall Cherry: Yeah. Ironically, despite writing a sales book, the sales book was actually a marketing book at first. And I actually did not realize it, and it was about a three and a half year process. We're closing in on the end of it. I didn't know that I was writing a sales book until year two of the content.
Like I genuinely thought I was doing marketing because I was ghostwriting for people and I didn't realize that it's kind of the way that sales and marketing have shifted with kind of this more online marketplace that we have now. I just always assumed marketing and content were kind of in one hat. And what I've noticed and a lot of what I kind of center the book around is sales is more of a storytelling piece. So I would say probably around year two of the book, I started really cluing into like what am I actually doing when I'm writing content? What is making what I'm doing so different than everyone else?
And it's a huge section of this book. It's pretty much the entire second part of Here To Sell. But I think there are seven stories that everyone should be telling. And instead of putting it under a marketing layer, I actually put it over a sales layer. And so every story that you're telling is actually contributing to helping someone gather more information, get an answer, a question answered so that the content that you're putting out is actually doing a sales mechanism, not a marketing mechanism.
And so it wasn't until I like deeply started dissecting how am I closing clients without getting on sales calls? Like people are reading my newsletter, they're booking inquiry forms. I'm not even directly discussing with them essentially. How is that happening? And I kind of clued in, okay, it's the content.
But then when I started digging into like, what am I actually doing? What is the process here? That's when I realized, the writing that was doing so well and that was actually converting was performing some type of sales mechanism, not the traditional marketing side of things.
Carly Ries: Interesting. Well, And you're talking about writing content. You mentioned storytelling a few times, and you actually think that solopreneurs need stories to make more money. So I mean, you kind of already gave an example, but why is storytelling a sales skill?
And like you're saying, not just a nice to have marketing tactic.
Kendall Cherry: Yeah. I think the thing in general, any business owner, I've seen this kind of take place inside their brains. But especially with solopreneurs, I think we think that storytelling, and it's kind of the way it's taught to us when we're first starting a business, it is very much taught in this marketing lens. You tell a story to tell someone about who you are.
I think the most common thing people hear is, so they'll know, like, and trust you. Which is part of it, and that's more of a marketing lens, but that doesn't actually tell somebody what is your offer about? What are they gonna get? What does your process look like as compared to somebody else's? And even more importantly, social proof and actually proving what your methodology looks like.
What do the results look like for your clients when they, get through your process? Like what are those outcomes looking like so that your reader, your audience member, if they are discerning, if they want to invest, they're able to really look and see are the outcomes that Kendall is creating the kind of outcomes that I want to be creating? Or is there maybe a different flavor that would be a better fit for me? And that could be, are the outcomes what I'm wanting? That could be, is Kendall's process too rigorous for me?
Or is it not exactly what I would want to be working in? Maybe there's a different person that would be a good fit for them. And so it's all of this kind of how the sausage gets made, what's happening behind the curtain. It's all of those big questions especially if you're doing any kind of one to one work as a solopreneur, consulting, done for you work, coaching, anything like that, people want to know what is the process you're about to make me do and is that something I want to be doing? so for the longest time, we haven't talked about those things.
We might have a sales page, but there aren't actually any stories or content explaining all of that kind of hidden magic that takes place behind closed doors and also the magic that's happening inside of your brain. Most of us when you get to kind of expert solopreneur level, we are so good at what we do that we don't have the words for what's happening and you honestly, you can't even see the magic and the skill that you have and the expertise that you've acquired because for you it just feels like breathing and you think everyone can do it. And it turns out that it's extremely niche and not everyone can. And so these stories allow us to share kind of more of that nuanced piece of the puzzle that a lot of buyers want to see to feel safe before investing, especially in a market like this one.
But that traditionally we haven't necessarily been sharing or been taught to share in our content.
Carly Ries: So what do you say? Because you're talking about showing behind the scenes, peeling back the curtain and everything. But a lot of solopreneurs are like, for my business, that's not interesting. I don't have any interesting stories to tell. So what do I do?
Where should they look for stories in their own business and experience? You talked about behind the scenes, but They're like, well, I'm a CPA. So do they want to see me do taxes? I don't think anybody wants to see me taxes.
Kendall Cherry: No. But... What do they do? Yeah. So let's use the accounting as a perfect example.
And each of these that I'll kind of go through, I'm gonna do it on the fly. This entire framework is what I call the fundamentals of organic sales. It is quite literally the framework in the second part of the book. But we'll use a CPA for example because that's kind of a hard one. So one of the examples and frameworks is around your values.
So what are your values as a CPA? A lot of times when people think, oh, I need to tell someone what my values are. They list authenticity, integrity, something inclusion. Like there are these big blanket words and we haven't actually defined them through our own filter. The way that I define integrity might look different than how you define integrity.
So instead of just rattling off a list of words, what we can do is use a story that demonstrates a time when you had to actually show that word or that value in practice. So one that I use in my business is I am like ruthless about getting an idea to be the clearest that it can. And that comes from creative integrity. I believe that we need to be sharing the most, like clearest extensions of who we are.
My clients don't see this, but I will rework something in my brain and I won't send it out until I think it's perfect. Even if it means I miss a deadline. So that's a huge, values piece there. In my brain, some people are like, I just care about the deadline and speed to get me my stuff on time and that's that. But for me, I care more about quality and creative clarity.
And so I might not send the deliverable but a day later or two days later, but it's because I really care about making it the absolute best product and I'm not gonna deliver something at 80% when I know it can be a 100 to 110%. I just need a little bit more time to marinate. So that's one example that I could use for my business. For a CPA, one that's really popular and that's in the framework as well is talking about your pain points. And I think people typically were told, you know, poke the pain points, agitate the pains, whatever.
I don't necessarily think we need to be extorting anyone's like shitty experience. I think what we're actually supposed to be doing is giving someone an the opportunity to see that you actually understand what their world looks like outside of, and I'll use the CPA example, outside of you know, being so good at finances. Most of the time, if a CPA's client is probably not gonna be as financially savvy as they are. Who knows what, they could have a backlog of taxes they haven't filed. They could have their bookkeeping still needing to be caught up.
People could be coming in at any stage of the process. And a CPA, when it talks to, you know, when they're talking to their pain points, they can tell a story about an ideal client. It can be an avatar. But you can actually put someone in kind of a day in the life of explaining what your customer's probably going through. So for example, for a CPA it's, I know you wake up every morning dreading the fact that there are more and more receipts you have to file and you're still three quarters behind.
I know it probably feels like you don't know what your profit and loss statement looks like and you can't make a clear business decision until you get those answers. There's these ways that we can put the customer in kind of a way of showing them, kind of putting the mirror up and saying, hey, first off, I understand what you're going through. And also a lot of times people, especially when they get into like consulting, coaching, these areas, even done for you work, a lot of times too, people actually, like they know something is wrong, but they don't have the vocabulary to describe it. So they don't have the language. They don't know like, oh, this thing that I think is just happening to me is actually a very repeatable process.
It's very much something that has been so repeated that someone has multiple clients and an entire business around solving this thing that I'm dealing with. And so a lot of times too for people, it can feel really messy or complex. And a lot of times even telling stories that share the pain points that someone could be going through and likely is going through, that's a way of showing that you understand them but then also, there is a solution out there. They don't have to just be floating around thinking, okay, well I guess this is as good as it gets and that's gonna be that. Like there's a way to actually show someone and nurture them through their kind of discovery process and show them, here are some ways you could solve the problem that you have.
Carly Ries: I'm so glad you've pivoted this way too, and talking about it. Because I think it really helps you build trust with your audience. Like, even though you're now a writer, and even though you talk about storytelling and content and all that, you actually, correct me if I'm wrong, but you say that, focus on less content and more trust. So how did all of us end up believing that more content was the answer? How do you think that evolved?
Kendall Cherry: Yeah. I mean, I think the thing here is, I mean, I think the nature of social media and like hot take conspiracy theory. Right? We're giving our content to these companies that are capitalizing off of the content we're giving them for free.
And so of course, they're gonna change things so it requires more volume so you can give content that drives traffic and drives ads and everything else for those corporations. I think part of it is just the nature of social media and how it's evolved with algorithms and what that means, especially for small business owners, solopreneurs, what that actually looks like in practice for us from a content perspective. The content, I mean, I just think of it as every piece of content you push publish on is feeding the machine. Whether you're the one that's profiting or somebody else. Most of the time, if no one's looking at your stuff, unfortunately, you're probably not the one profiting.
And so I think that's part of the dynamic. And I think there's also this really interesting. They're very, very crafty when they understand human psychology and they create these things. Because then we also get a whiff of somebody who was the exception to the norm. You hear about that one person that went micro, you know, mega viral.
And now all of a sudden they're a huge, you know, TikTok star. They're going to these big conferences or they've got brand partnerships or whatever else. So there's just enough bait on the hook to make you think that you could be the next person
Carly Ries: Yes.
Kendall Cherry: All it takes is one post to take off. And so there's just enough to keep you hooked. But if we take a step back, a lot of the times all we're doing is creating more volume of content and then because we needed more content, I would say especially over the last year and I would say near the end of the year, we're really picking up and kind of, I'm noticing a shift back to the old way quote unquote. But I really think this year in particular, people were like, okay, the name of the game is volume. Let me have AI create more content for me because that's what's gonna get me seen.
And then all of a sudden, I know this is true for me. I'm, you know, end of the year I'm like, LinkedIn, I used to love you and now I just deeply dislike you. Like I can't tell what's real. Everything just is so high level. And my writing, I don't want my writing to be seen as that, you know, in that way.
I write everything myself and I want it to feel like you're actually talking to me and it's an authentic connection. I think we saw a lot of people switching to, okay, the answer is volume. And then now I think we'll see near the end of this year and going into 2027, I really look for us to kind of take almost like a a measured step back and like, that was maybe too far to the other end. But now I really think we'll start seeing maybe less content getting pushed out as far as volume goes. But the quality is gonna be a lot higher quality.
It's gonna feel like a real person actually wrote it. Gonna have some heart. It might have some typos, God forbid. But I think people are really craving things that feel real. Things that feel like they can hold onto them. There's a reason why, if you go to the movie theaters, for example, this year, there is a reason why there are an abnormally high number of sequels. Practical Magic two, for example.
You've seen, you know, another Spider Man movie. Like there are all of these big franchises. Wuthering Heights. Like we've got all of this nostalgia coming in because we're craving something, I'll call it the old world.
People are really craving, consumers are craving something that feels real. Things that feel tangible and that are gonna outlast whatever is happening in the kind of collective consciousness. And I really think we'll see people kinda switch back to maybe it's not as much content, but it is a lot clearer. It is a lot more connecting. And I think also it's gonna make it feel like we are actually contributing something positive, not just more fluff.
So that's kind of what I've noticed as more of like a storyteller and within my clients and my own business as well. I always try to watch outside of my industry. I think a lot of people get so caught up in what's the online space doing? And for me, I'm like, look to people who have more budget than I do to run research, frankly. Like what are the big movie studios doing?
They've got the budget to go run these these huge experiments. Look at what they're doing. Where are they saying the money change hands or the money change what's valuable? Really look to those those things, and I think we can uncover a bigger picture of what's going on and also what we expect to change, especially getting into 2027 and beyond.
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Well, I like hearing you talking about old school tactics or old school advice and everything. I mean, in a good and bad way, like, you're also talking about oh, we like the nostalgia and everything.
But speaking of old school tactics, when people think of sales, they think hustle culture. Like, always be closing
Kendall Cherry: It's the sale... It's the classic, the sales bro. Like, always be closing, manage their objections, get to yes, don't take no for an answer, follow-up, follow-up, follow-up. Like, it's very aggressive. It's also very masculine of a take.
And what I'm also noticing, and this is kind of what makes the book I've written about storytelling and sales so unique. Even for me, I don't read many business books, but of the ones that I have, I guarantee you, and if you go to a bookstore, go to the business section and just turn the cover over. And look at who is writing the books and writing the expertise and the curriculum around these topics. I think in the past, it's been largely white cisgendered men. And that's just kind of where things have happened.
And I think more of the people who were in business at the time. But as our economy is changing, our job and labor market is changing, there are more and more minorities coming into entrepreneurship. Many women, people of color, LGBTQ, some combination. And those traditional ways that we were taught how to sell, those fundamentally don't feel very good for the people who were marginalized because of them. And so something I noticed a lot in the research for this book in particular and within my clients of all levels, all stages.
This is true for somebody who's still trying to make their first 6 figures to founders who've exited with 8 figures in an exit. The thing with these kind of minority entrepreneurs is they're so conscious of not recreating the same way that they felt being sold to. They're so conscious and sensitive to not replicating and recreating that, that it makes the kind of selling piece a little bit harder or those tactics. It's like, that isn't working for me, but there's not really an alternative to what I can do.
So I guess maybe I just don't sell at all or I try to do the other things, but it feels bad. So then I, you know, hot and cold, start and stop doing those kinds of sales tactics. And so when I wrote this book specifically, I made it very intentionally written for a different type of audience. And you can notice that not just in the way it feels and the types of sales practices, but even very intentionally we have different quotes that I've pulled from all kinds of sources.
We have quotes from people who are not the same people who we've seen quotes from before. We've got a Punjabi folktale in there as one of the kind of teaching lessons. We've got examples from first black astronomers. We've got people from feminist activists. We've got quotes from people that are not the typical same type of people that you typically hear from.
So that hopefully if you're not in, I'll say the majority as it was in the past, my goal is really to make sure that you can feel yourself in the text whether that's reflected in a quote or reflected in a story. It's very outside of the box because traditionally, it's kinda like I mentioned, we had this one way of being taught. Also, we didn't have the internet at the time when a lot of these tactics were being brought on board. And there really hasn't been a slowdown and kind of a reassessment of like, does this actually fit? Like does this actually feel good?
And so that I think has been a huge part of even my discovery as a business owner of what matters to me with selling? What do I want to take with me from this old school way of selling? And what do I want to change that feels really authentic and aligned for me? And then because I'm a writer and because I wanted to write a book about it, what is also gonna feel good for the kinds of people who are reading my book, who may not traditionally jive with the more kind of sales bro hustle culture that we've seen in the past.
Carly Ries: After doing all this research from all these different groups and walks of life and everything, what do you now think is the most detrimental piece of sales advice from the hustle bro culture? Ability to just get out of their minds.
Kendall Cherry: I think the one that people get tripped up on that is absolutely fascinating, it's the one I see at all levels. And if I had to put it down to one thing, again, somebody barely crossing 6 figures, they're new to business to people who have exited with billions of dollars in revenue have the same thing. It's fascinating. And it's this fundamental belief, and especially when it comes to you as a solopreneur because you have to sell your skills, your gifts, your talents. It is the fundamental belief that it is bad to sell and that it is bad to sell yourself.
I've had people sit across from me in interviews who say, you know, I used to work in sales. So why is it so hard to sell what I'm about and what I'm doing? And that most people would be like, oh, it's a sales thing.
You just need to learn the objections. Sales is actually a crash course in self worth. And so if you don't believe that you're worthy and deserving of whatever you'd like to charge or the work that you're doing is as impactful as it is for your clients, all of that is gonna be reflected in how you sell. I think a lot of people, they understand the first part of the question which is about serving others. Like when you close a sale, you are serving someone else.
And I think we want to be of service. That's kind of the biggest thing that I see across the board is that desire to help other people is so strong. But then the moment you have to put a price tag on it and compensate yourself for for the work, it starts to feel really weird and feel really bad. And I think there's a lot underneath that that is tied to self worth. And whether you believe you're worthy and deserving of the life you want, the kind of income you want, kind of things you'll buy with that income, the things you'll fund, etcetera. It's like all deeply, deeply connected.
Carly Ries: Yeah. It's so funny when you're talking about promoting yourself. I love when there's a salesperson that can't figure out how to do their LinkedIn page. For whatever reason, that's a big hang up for people.
Kendall Cherry: Yes.
Carly Ries: And doing it for your own company. Okay. I wanna pivot for a second from sales because we've actually had... and I think you're okay talking about this because I think you talk about it pretty openly.
Let me know if I'm overstepping. But we've had quite a few guests on recently that have ADHD. And you are one of them who is running a successful business. How has that shaped the way you design your sales systems to compare to how you would have otherwise done so?
Kendall Cherry: Yeah. The thing that was really interesting about my kind of diagnosis, I got diagnosed really late. And it's because I had already all of these kinds of systems in place to where I have inattentive ADHD. Sometimes they call it quiet ADHD. So in general, it's hard to spot.
But I remember my psychiatrist being like here are some resources. Here are some ideas of what you can do. And she was talking to me and I was kinda like, I already do it. I already do it. I already do it.
So I'd already crafted my business, my daily rhythms around this without having any idea that I had ADHD, which then made it harder to diagnose for the longest time. So I'm like, okay, well I have it, but I'm managing it quote unquote until I'm not, and then the rails fall off.
And so the things for me that I think have really helped, and it's so hard for me as a creative because I love to just be like in it, classic visionary, classic visionary with, you know, ADHD, big idea, let's just go all in down the rabbit hole, we're committing. And the thing that has been the hardest for me to accept as a creative business owner and an ADHD kind of person is the structure is the thing that allows you to have more creativity. Still hard for me to accept sometimes, but I think for me, I'm like, oh, I can be creative in this way, and this way, and this way. And in reality, it's better if we have some kind of guardrails as far as what that looks like. So for me, I kinda stick to the same one to two types of things for breakfast.
And I love to cook. So I'm like, oh, I would love some variety. But I would rather have variety in what I'm writing about, not spending the brain space on what I'm eating for breakfast. You know, I'll do it at dinner time, but that's utility. So that's a really big one. I would say the other thing, sometimes for me, I'll go down the rabbit hole and be like, okay, well, we're gonna plan our content and we're gonna do it for the next three months. So we're gonna sit and do one big planning session, three months, and you're gonna also write all of that content for three months. Well, guess what?
Eventually, my executive functioning crashes after about ninety minutes, and what once sounded like a great idea now feels like hell on earth. And so when that happens, I try to do things a little bit more in chunks, which is not, I would say my preferred. I would prefer to kinda just be in it and you know, being in the flow or whatever. But for me, it really looks like a weekly cycle or biweekly cycle of okay, this is the content that's coming out. It still feels real time and inevitably, anytime I create a quarter was worth of a content schedule, something happens in the moment that completely changes what I want to talk about.
And I think for me, I got tired of myself and my ADHD being like, okay, we're gonna have this massive architectural session, and you're only gonna tear it down anyway. So is that even an effective way of kind of setting things up? And those for me, I would say like kind of a biweekly cadence when it comes to content. And also as a solopreneur as well, I'm a big advocate of people owning their individual gifts and what you're good at. But also don't underestimate, especially for ADHD people, like you can also have support.
You can have an assistant do, for me, for example, all of the admin stuff, I don't enjoy doing it. Sending client invoices. There are certain support systems you can outsource that might feel a little weird at first, but that actually create more structure so that when you are showing up, you're doing the things that you're naturally very good at and not trying to make your brain do something that for anybody wouldn't work very well or wouldn't feel very natural. But I think for an ADHD person, there's this need to figure it out or like, I can do it. I can just amp up the energy.
But I think your energy is so much better spent working on the things that you're really good at and that the clients pay really good money for and letting some of that more admin, again, like inbox management, managing your calendar, that kind of thing. Kind of letting that and getting support in other places I think is important.
Carly Ries: Yeah. Absolutely. Well, okay. Here to Sell, your book comes out in 11/10/2026. For listeners you should go get it, what is the one action step you'd want them to take away from it and apply this week?
Kendall Cherry: Oh, man. The thing about this book, I've written it with so many little nuggets to take with you. It's so crafted in a way for these kind of transformations.
I think the thing for me that would be the most, like, if someone walked away and was like, if I only got one thing from this book, it was this. I think having someone understand that the stories that you're telling, They shouldn't be random. They shouldn't be like, you know, I had cereal for breakfast and then I found $5 and now hire me. Like, you can have some sales objectives in there.
But I think understanding that the stories that all work together in a framework and what those actually look like, I think is, I'll say one with a sub bullet of, and also you have way more stories floating around in your business than you think. You just don't know what is considered a story and what that looks like. I think my biggest would be for people to see and understand like, oh my gosh, there are endless ideas, endless angles for you to be talking about different ways of talking about the same topic. And that's really my goal with this, is to have people not feel so, what is it when you go, you're in a diamond mind and you're kinda just trying to mine for like the best story and understand there are hundreds and hundreds of stories.
And it's just what is the best story for this moment in time, for this specific offer, for these specific types of clients that I would like to work with.
Carly Ries: Yeah. Oh, well, great advice. I cannot wait to read it. But I can't have you on the Life First Solopreneur podcast without asking you what your favorite life first piece of advice is. That piece of advice that people can take to not forget their life and to include it as part of their everyday work life harmony.
Kendall Cherry: Okay. Hot take. And it's because I'm a writer, but I still think it's true. Turn your phone off and read a book. Period.
Turn your phone off, And read a book. I think we're all looking for more ideas, more inspiration, especially for business content. And I think a lot of us think, okay, let me then go and look at what other people in my industry are writing about.
And then let me use that as my source material. But the thing is, if that's your only way of sourcing ideas, inspiration, eventually, you're all kind of talking in the same bubble. Everything gets recycled and nothing's actually that fresh or original. All of my best ideas. And when you read the book, you will understand how, The Princess Diaries can match next to a conversation I had with a priest, can match with all of these different things that happened in my very real life when I turned the phone off.
And especially within different forms of art. I think that's what it's really here to do, is help us see and understand parts of ourselves and be a mirror. And you're not giving that a chance to really open us up to other ideas, better ideas, different types of audiences, etcetera. So I would say, put the phone down, read a book, get a Kindle. If you're an audio book person, that still counts.
We can put an asterisk. But read a book that's not in the business section. Like, give yourself permission to read a book of fiction. There are literally so many to choose from. But that to me is like, if I could put one thing into a business owner's head, it's like your brain needs rest.
And it's kind of like when you get a shower thought, if you give your brain different, good, basically vegetables for your brain, eventually it's gonna start outputting deeper and better content, better ideas, and better engagements with clients ultimately too.
Carly Ries: And then after you read the book that is not related to your business, then go to the business section and get Here To Sell, and get Solopreneur Business For Dummies that I wrote, and Joe wrote on that. So then you can go to our business section, but just clear your words.
Kendall Cherry: Yes.
Carly Ries: Kendall, where can people buy the book? Where can people find out more about you? Give us all the links.
Kendall Cherry: Yeah. So you can grab the book on Amazon. Or if you're curious and kinda wanna see more about what the book is about, how we've crafted it and illustrated it and, really kind of created this whole world for it, you can go to heretosellbook.com. And then if you'd like to learn more about me, my copywriting services or any of the other things that I've got going on, I have a podcast and an email newsletter, best place to go is kendallcherry.com.
Carly Ries: And it's spelled cherry like the fruit.
Kendall Cherry: Cherry like the fruit, baby. And That is my favorite way when I'm checking in at a doctor's office. I'm like cherry like the fruit every time. They're like, oh my god, that's so cute.
I'm like, I'm never changing my name.
Carly Ries: Never changing it.
Kendall Cherry: It's stupid.
Carly Ries: Oh, I love it. Well, Kendall, thank you so so much for coming on the show today. This is fun girl talk, but also very beneficial and educational.
And, I just so appreciate your time.
Kendall Cherry: Yeah. Thank you so much. Grateful to be here.
Carly Ries: And listeners, I so appreciate your time as well. As always, please leave us that five star review. It helps us spread the word to other life first solopreneurs. Subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast platform including YouTube, and share this episode with a friend, and go buy her book. And we'll see you next week on the Life First Solopreneur.