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This blog post is a detailed account of our recent podcast episode featuring human behavior and performance coach Brian Bogert, who shared groundbreaking insights on how internal "trash" from our past creates invisible barriers to business success.
If you're a fractional executive constantly battling imposter syndrome, struggling to price your services appropriately, or feeling like you need to prove your worth through endless hustle, this conversation will hit you like a lightning bolt.
Brian Bogert doesn't sugarcoat it. After being run over by a truck at age seven and having his arm completely torn from his body, he learned early that love, validation, and connection came through performance. Sound familiar? By 27, he had built a $10 million business, but was on the verge of losing everything that mattered because he was operating from what he calls "trash" – the unconscious patterns and beliefs that drive our behavior.
The brutal truth? Most fractional executives are trapped in the same performance cycle, and it's costing them clients, revenue, and their sanity.
The Hidden Waste That's Killing Your Business
Before you roll your eyes and think this is too "woo-woo" for serious business advice, consider this: Brian helped one client go from never making over $50K annually (despite having over a million real followers and facilitating multi-million dollar deals for others) to $250K in nine months and on track for seven figures the following year.
The waste shows up everywhere:
In your communication: Fragmented messaging, inability to clearly articulate your value proposition, or defensive responses when clients question your approach.
In your pricing: Constantly undercharging because selling feels like "an inconvenience and a burden to other people" instead of delivering massive value.
In your relationships: Reacting to a client's tone or expression because it triggers something from your past, not because of what's actually happening in the moment.
In your time: Spending months perfecting proposals that never get sent, or constantly retooling your systems instead of actually selling.
As Brian puts it: "The second you protect, the second you disconnect from emotion, human connection without emotion is not human connection."
Why "Just Get Better at Sales" Doesn't Work
Here's where most business advice falls short. You've probably been told to get better at sales tactics, improve your marketing copy, or find a new strategy. But if you're operating from a place of proving your worth rather than knowing your worth, no amount of tactical training will fix the real problem.
The biggest failure point for businesses of one? The inability to sell themselves. And this roots back to self-worth, not sales technique.
Brian worked with another client – a business owner with 17 months of liquidity left who had taken seven years to reach $2 million. Within three months of unpacking how childhood trauma with his father and brother was causing him to react defensively to male authority figures (blocking him from investors, partnerships, and delegation), they doubled the business within 12 months.
The pattern is always the same: external business problems have internal roots.
The Three Questions That Will Transform Your Productivity
While the inner work is crucial, Brian also provides immediately actionable advice. Before doing anything in your business, ask yourself these three questions:
1. Is this something that only I can do? This is your unique area of brilliance – things you can't teach, train, or systematize. For most solopreneurs, this is 10% or less of business activities, but we convince ourselves it's much bigger.
2. Is this something that someone else could do or would do better? Whether it's a VA, AI, or bringing on another team member, what essential activities fall outside your genius zone?
3. If I'm really being honest with myself, is this even something that needs to be done? The hardest question, because we often create busy work that makes us feel productive but doesn't move the needle.
Common time-wasters Brian sees constantly:
- Endless research on prospects without ever launching
- Constantly retooling products or systems without generating revenue
- Checking email every five minutes instead of setting boundaries
- Creating beautiful business models that never get used (guilty as charged)
The AI Revolution for Fractional Executives
Brian initially resisted AI for two years, fearing it would dilute authenticity. But he's discovered something powerful: AI isn't about replacing human connection – it's about freeing you to focus on what only you can do.
His business now automates 90% of non-human essential tasks. From one hour of transcript, his system generates seven assets in seven minutes: meeting summaries, blog articles, LinkedIn posts, promotional emails – all in his authentic voice.
The key insight: Use AI for compression and consistency, not to make you sound smarter. Build workflows that free your time so you can live in your 10-15% zone of genius.
Simple example: Set up automatic follow-up email drafts from your meeting transcripts. You'll never dread writing those summaries again, and your clients will appreciate the professionalism.
The OG AI: Awareness and Intentionality
Brian's final piece of advice ties everything together. The greatest investment any business owner can make isn't in artificial intelligence – it's in the original AI: Awareness and Intentionality.
Awareness of the patterns that show up when you're triggered, the emotions that drive your decisions, and the unconscious beliefs that limit your potential.
Intentionality in the words you speak, actions you take, strategies you implement, and systems you build.
Most people don't ask enough questions to create enough options and opportunities to make the changes they desire. But when you combine awareness and intentionality with practical business systems, the results are exponential.
Your Next Move
The trash from your past isn't your fault – but it becomes your responsibility once you're aware of it. You can choose the change you want, or you can choose to change when you don't want change.
Which path are you going to take?
If you're tired of the performance trap and ready to build a business from authentic worth rather than desperate proving, the work starts with looking inward. Not because it's comfortable, but because everything you need is already there – you're just blocking it from yourself.
And remember: moved people, move people. If something in this resonates, share it, implement it, or take action on what matters. The ripple effect of authentic change extends far beyond your business.
Mylance
This value-added article was written by Mylance. Mylance takes your marketing completely off your hands. We build the marketing machine that your Fractional Business needs, but you don't have time to run. So it operates daily, growing your brand, completely done for you.Instead of dangling numbers in front of you, our approach focuses on precise and thoughtful input: targeted outreach to the right decision makers, compelling messaging that resonates, and content creation that establishes trust and legitimacy.To apply for access, submit an application and we'll evaluate your fit for the service. If you’re not ready for lead generation, we also have a free, vetted community for top fractional talent that includes workshops, a rates database, networking, and a lot of free resources to support your fractional business.
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From Uber to Fractional COO to Mylance founder, I've run my own $25k / mo consulting business, and now put my business development strategy into a service that takes it all off your plate, and powers your business
