Your Math Teacher Lied: The Science of Business Growth (Test, Optimize, Repeat!) with Jess O’Connell
Episode 936: Show Notes
Real success comes from experimentation, not perfection. If you’ve ever wondered why your business isn’t working even when you’ve done everything right, then this episode is for you! Hear why A plus B does not equal C in business and how learning to think like a scientist will help you stop overthinking, start testing, and finally scale with confidence! Today, I am joined by Jess O’Connell, otherwise known as the Launch Scientist, to discuss the science behind business growth. Jess is a course creation and launch strategist who helps experts package their brilliance with binge-worthy, revenue-generating courses. With a background in science, she approaches business as if it’s a science experiment. She’s here today to help you make data-driven decisions that will actually move the needle!
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How the Education System Creates Overthinkers
Jess was diagnosed with ADHD when she was ten years old and has a very different viewpoint of the education system and all the ways it made her feel stupid and wrong. School is set up to create compliance more so than free thinking and almost punishes kids who think differently. The system really sets us up to think that A plus B equals C, and then we go through life believing that there is only one way to achieve success. Especially in business, A plus B rarely equals C! Jess had a really hard time at school, and yet she also studied to be a teacher and focused on learning how other people learn and now she is passionate about helping business owners recognize that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ in business.
She particularly gravitates towards science because it is the only subject where failure is celebrated as something that’s inevitable! Failure isn’t a personal flaw, it is just getting an unexpected outcome. When you accept that, you can start to figure out what needs to change so that you can get a different outcome. Jess wants you to know that you’re either going to get the outcome that you need or the lesson you need to learn to get that outcome, and either is valuable! She also wants you to recognize that not everyone is working with the same ingredients and therefore every version of success will look different.
Detaching from the Outcome
Often, when you don’t get the outcome that you want, you tie your self-worth and ability to achieve success to that one thing. So how do you detach from that outcome and look at it a little more neutrally? We are emotional creatures and emotions are like children – the more you ignore them, the louder they get and the more persistent and annoying they are. Your emotions are just data. They can’t be removed entirely because they are there, and when you completely bypass your emotions, they’re just going to keep coming up! Feelings demand to be felt! Having unrealistic expectations that don’t take statistical probability into consideration and then attaching meaning to a miracle not happening (usually something negative about yourself) creates a downward spiral. Whereas, if you look at your emotions as data and analyze them just as you would marketing data, they pass faster, and it doesn’t make ‘failure’ personal.
Practical Tips for Experimenting in Business
It’s so difficult to tune out all the noise in the business world of what is working for everyone else. It can get so overwhelming and Jess wants you to ask yourself what you actually want to do, what your goal is, what you ultimately want, what your values are, and what you want your life to look like. When you become clear on those things, they become the lens through which you look through everything you’re considering testing and adding to your business. Jess also wants you to make sure you’re being intentional with testing things out, following through, and analyzing the results. You need to look at what the parameters of the experiment are. Ask yourself what needs to be done, what procedure needs to happen, and what data tells you about the result. Jess wants you to have a metric in mind to measure success because, without a clear metric, you will never know if it even worked!
How to Stay Focused on What’s Worthwhile
Jess truly believes that you can do anything, you just can’t do everything at the same time! That’s why she wants you to decide what season you’re in and what your intention is so that you aren’t just chasing the next cool thing or the thing everyone says is working in business. Jess also wants you to know that it’s okay to move the goalpost when it’s necessary and based on the data! All of this comes down to expectations (the thing that rules almost every emotion you have). Jess wants you to realign your expectations with what is in the realistic realm of probability. Realigning your launch goals with your launch reality on day one will completely change your energy and attachment to goals and it will rewire your nervous system for success!
Jess wants you to make sure that you approach all of your business decisions with a little more separation from the outcome and ask yourself what you learned instead of asking why you failed. Even if that isn’t possible at the beginning of your journey, she wants you to, at the very least, start to see your emotions as data! If you take anything away from this episode, let it be that adjusting your expectations will adjust your attachment to the outcome!
Quote This
“Slowing down will always make you go faster.”
—Jess O’Connell
Highlights
How the Education System Creates Overthinkers [0:07:03]
Detaching from the Outcome [0:22:50]
Practical Tips for Experimenting in Business [0:34:53]
How to Stay Focused on What’s Worthwhile [0:42:22]
Today’s Guest:
Jess O’Connell
LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook
Jess O’Connell is the founder of The Launch Scientist. Jess is a Course Creation and Launch Strategist who helps thought leaders, coaches, and service providers package their expertise into a high-converting digital course—without the guesswork or overwhelm. With a background in science and education, Jess brings a refreshingly logical approach to course creation, making it as simple and structured as a 7th-grade science experiment (minus the awkward group projects).
OUR HOST:
Abagail Pumphrey
Boss Project on Instagram | Facebook
Abagail hosts the twice-weekly podcast, The Strategy Hour, which is recognized by INC and Forbes as one of the best podcasts for entrepreneurs.
Key Topics:
Launching, Business Planning, Experimentation, Goal Setting, Measuring Success
