Plan Like A Boss | Planning, Productivity, and Strategy for Entrepreneurs

What Happens When You Disappear from Instagram for Three Months?

• Tonya • Episode 4

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I disappeared from Instagram for three months during breast cancer treatment, and nobody even noticed. This unexpected experience taught me valuable lessons about building a sustainable business that doesn't require constant visibility to remain profitable.

• Social media is a tool, not a comprehensive business strategy
• My business continued running because of searchable content and established systems
• During chemotherapy, my capacity dropped to zero, forcing me to simply stop posting
• Content kept getting found because it was searchable and optimized
• Offers continued to sell through automated systems I had built
• YouTube videos performed well because they were evergreen
• Email list growth continued because it wasn't solely dependent on Instagram

Your worth isn't tied to how often you show up on social media. You can build a business that gives you margin and freedom to step away when needed without everything falling apart. If you want help making your Instagram content searchable so it shows up when you can't, check out my Instagram SEO swipe file with ChatGPT prompts for just $7.


Speaker 1:

Welcome back to Plan Like a Boss. In today's episode, I'm getting vulnerable and sharing a personal story that, honestly, I never thought I'd share in such a public way, but I want this podcast to show the reality behind being an entrepreneur, instead of making it an Instagrammable highlight reel. I want to share all the ups and the downs the ups and the downs. So today I'm going to talk about what happened when I disappeared from Instagram for three full months and the fact that nobody even noticed and, more importantly, why that's not a bad thing. So if you've ever felt stuck on the content hamster wheel, if you've ever wondered whether your business would crumble if you weren't showing up every single day, or if you're secretly exhausted from trying to keep up with everyone else's highlight reels, this episode is for you. So let's start with the obvious question why did I step away from Instagram for three months? The hard truth is, I didn't plan to. It was not a strategy, it wasn't a break that I had pre-scheduled. It was life. I was diagnosed with breast cancer and was looking at three long months of chemotherapy, and let me be honest with you here During those three months, my capacity was zero, not low, not limited zero. There were days when I could barely get out of bed, let alone post stories or schedule reels or come up with clever captions. So I just stopped. No farewell post, no taking a break announcement. I simply stopped showing up. And here's the wild part no one noticed, at least not in the way I feared they would. Now, behind the scenes, I did have my YouTube video editor scheduling out the shorts that I put on YouTube, on my Instagram, but as far as stories and DMs, I disappeared completely. Now, when this happened, I was pretty down. I thought my engagement was going to tank, I thought my audience would forget I existed, I thought sales would dry up and I thought I'd lose momentum that I would never be able to get back. But what actually happened was my content kept getting found because it was searchable, my offers continued to sell because I had built out systems, my YouTube videos kept working because they were evergreen and my email list continued to grow because I wasn't relying solely on Instagram for my visibility.

Speaker 1:

And here's what that time away taught me Instagram is a tool, not a strategy. So many solopreneurs build their entire business around social media, and I get it. It's free, it's easy to use, it feels like the place to be. Plus, everybody on Instagram is telling you you need to be on Instagram. Half of them have courses showing you how to show up on Instagram and how to go viral.

Speaker 1:

But here's the problem If your marketing strategy disappears the moment you do, then what you have isn't a business. It's a hamster wheel, meaning you're constantly having to show up and be there if you want to exist in your business, and that's just no way to function. Say that to make you feel bad. I say it because I've been there, and here's what I realized. I don't need to be everywhere. I need to be intentional. I need content that keeps working for me, even when I'm not, and that means showing up in searchable platforms like YouTube and Google. I need to make sure my Instagram is optimized with SEO because spoiler alert that platform is searchable too and, as of last month, it's showing up in Google searches as well. I need to have an SEO optimized website with blog posts, evergreen emails and sales funnels and, yes, strategic content on Instagram and TikTok, but not dependent on it. Social media is only one small part of my visibility strategy.

Speaker 1:

Now, before you think this was just luck, let me break it down for you. I was able to step away from Instagram because I had a content plan that included long form searchable pieces, aka my YouTube channel, with lots of searchable pieces providing educational content on SEO and on planning. I had pre-scheduled YouTube videos going out weekly. I had SEO set up on my website to drive organic traffic and make passive sales. I had email sequences in place to nurture anyone new to my audience and, honestly, I had a mindset shift that told me you know what? It's okay if things slow down while I heal, it's okay if I don't make as much money. I'm just grateful that I am able to have some money coming in Now. None of that happened overnight. I have spent years building out these systems, but the payoff of doing it Freedom Not just time freedom, but peace of mind. Freedom just time freedom, but peace of mind. Freedom, peace of mind that I can take time to heal, I can step away from my business and it's going to keep running, even though I am a solopreneur.

Speaker 1:

Now here's what I want you to know from this story If you have ever been afraid to step back you do not have to be constantly online to be relevant, no matter what any coach tells you. You do not have to be constantly online to be relevant, no matter what any coach tells you. You do not have to be constantly online to be relevant. You can build a business that gives you margin, not just money, that provides you the freedom to be able to take some time off because your child has the flu, to be able to take some time off because your child has the flu, to be able to take some time off because you're dealing with a medical situation yourself, or to take some time off because you're on the brink of burnout. And your worth is not tied to how often you show up on social media, no matter what anybody says. You do not have to show up on social media every single day to make sales and have a successful business. Social media is simply one small tool in your arsenal.

Speaker 1:

If you want real sustainability, you need to build a strategy that lives beyond the scroll. So today, here's your permission slip You're allowed to step back from social media. You're allowed to build out a smarter business that works for you. You're allowed to rest without your entire business falling apart. And if you're ready to build a business that doesn't rely on hustle, here's what you can do right now, today.

Speaker 1:

First of all, audit your content. What is working for you, even when you're not? Are people coming to your website if you're not sending them there? If not, you need an SEO strategy. What Instagram content are people finding? That's older. Look at that and remember with Instagram content, we're talking about the content that brings you in leads, not likes. If you have a YouTube channel, look at your analytics and see what is performing well.

Speaker 1:

Next, I want you to identify one platform or system that could give you more freedom. Is there a platform that you could dive into to start bringing in regular, organic traffic? Or is there a system you could build out that will give you more freedom? Is there something you can do on the back end? Build out some nurturing email sequences or set up auto replies in your DMs? Is there something you can do to give you more freedom?

Speaker 1:

And then I want you to start planning your content intentionally, not just for engagement, but for longevity, and that means that you need to make sure that all of your Instagram posts are SEO optimized, because that is what is going to help your post show up in search and show up on page one of Google. And if you want help making sure your Instagram content is searchable so that it will show up when you can't. I have an Instagram SEO swipe file complete with chat GPT prompts and, because I want it to be as accessible to as many people as possible, it's only $7, literally less than I spent at Starbucks this morning I'll be sure to put a link in the description if that's something you're interested in. And, hey, if this episode spoke to you, I would love it if you would leave me a review. Your review helps this podcast reach so many more people.

Speaker 1:

So let's normalize building businesses that don't require us to burn out just to be visible, and make sure you hit subscribe, because next week I'm going to be walking you through the planning method that keeps me focused on my big goals one quarter at a time. So, until then, take care of yourself. Your business will still be there tomorrow, and so will I.