Episode 003 | Your Yeses Are An Expensive Business Asset
Episode 003 Transcript - October 3, 2026
00:01
Welcome to episode three of the Luxury Hour podcast. I'm your host, Sarah Auda, and I'm the very proud founder of theluxuryhour.com and that whole platform. The work that we do here is really, we talk about the intersection of premium brands, mostly from the world of hospitality, the principles that they function in, and how the modality of service can really be a framework that small businesses implement in their own business models. So we're looking today at this idea and that true luxury brands who don't make apology for who they are, what their pricings are, how they're presented, they have nothing to prove. So just put that in your mind, a picture of that. Not the kind of fake luxury that I've talked a bit about here and on the blog.
00:48
We're not looking for manufactured luxury, which means premium prices without a result that really matches that expectation. What I'm talking about is a product that is so unique, so exceptional, and so confident in who they are and what they're presenting that they don't make apologies for who they are. Right. And I see a lot of small business owners really getting small when it comes to how they use their time, their energy, their yeses and their nos. And I want anyone who's listening to this to really take into consideration how valuable how expensive your presence is, which really means your yeses. Your yeses are where you're showing up. Right? And so I, I am seeing right now an epidemic of business owners who are truly not taking control of their time. And by that I don't mean that like the Tim Ferriss maximizing efficiency model.
01:41
What I mean is we need more leaders who are attuned to their own personal core values, whatever those are. I like to invite people into at least naming two or three. Mine are simplicity, quality, intentionality. So you will see that in my present personal life, you will see that in my businesses. Simplicity, quality, intentionality. Everything I say yes to has to tick those boxes. Everything that I do, design wise in my home or design wise in my scheduling or vacation with my family and my daughter, I am thinking about simplicity, quality, and intentionality. Now, I'm very fortunate because of the way that I've been brought up and the way that my life has kind of unfolded, that I have chosen to work with master practitioners and coaches and mentors and leaders who've helped me mine down into what those values are.
02:34
And once I identified what they were, it was so much easier to create my life and my businesses in ways that worked for me. And I see so many people who are just reaching out and being very reactionary in their businesses and in their lives. So I gotta do outreach, I gotta do posts, I gotta make content, I gotta follow up, I gotta create. And what I'm finding is that it actually, when we are in a reactionary place in our businesses suffer because it's reactionary. It's not intentional, it's not targeted, it's not pointed. So when we're looking at more precision planning, really what we need to keep in mind as we're doing precision planning are what those core values are, because that's the infrastructure and the foundation for what is created. Beyond that.
03:25
So if you haven't considered your two to three core values personally and professionally, I encourage you to do that. You can work with a professional like myself or someone else and really mine down into those, because that is where you're going to find your own gold mine and that's where you're going to find the ability to scale. So especially within small businesses, I see a great deal of franticness of wanting to get consultations and scarcity mentality of there aren't enough people, right? Where are the clients? And so what I want to share is the more specific you get about the value of your time, who's allowed to have it, who you're willing to extend it to, the conditions in which you say yes, right? For every yes that you make, what are those boxes you need to tick before you actually deliver that? Yes.
04:14
And what I would say, and this is what I tell my clients all the time, make your nose fast and your yeses slow because your yeses are the most expensive thing you will ever have in your life. So as we think about this, if we think about a luxury brand, right, it's like they are working on their timetable. They're here to serve, they're here to show up for their patrons or their clients or their buyers, whoever that might, there are certain guidelines, right? You, you can't just treat staff any way that you want. You can't just call maybe at 3am and reach someone directly. Unless, you know that's part of the agreement that you've set up on the onset of the contract together.
04:53
So when we think about the fact that there are boundaries and barriers, right, even with luxury brands who are so confident about what they create and the value of their minutes, how can you apply that in your own life? So I'm going to give you some examples. And this is from my world, this is from my client' I'm Finding that with even calendar links, right, where anyone can go on and just book with you. What that automatically does, even though it can be efficient, is it starts to break down that barrier and that boundary of value. Because whatever you do, whatever industry you're in, whatever product you're serving up or delivering, we want you to have an enriched experience and presence, a value.
05:40
And so the things that start to minimize the value are when it's accessible to everyone, when it's at someone else's convenience, when they're outside of a contract with you and you don't have, right, any sort of relationship with them, where there could be a demand or a deservedness, right. In that dynamic. So I'll give you an example. I get reached out to all the time. Hey, Sarah, would love to catch up, would love to pick your brain. Okay, so the first thing I would do, depending on the person, is look at what they shared, right? Have they looked me up? Is there a direct question here? Who are they? Where do I know them from? Right. Do I need more information before I, you know, say yes or no to their request?
06:22
So I'm looking and I'm starting to consider, right, who is deserving of my time, what am I willing to say yes to? And is there. Right. Is there a way that I could actually help them without giving more time? I mean, there's all sorts of different ways that you can think about this. But then I might write back and say, I appreciate reaching out. I'm curious, before we put down times, what would you like to talk about? Right, so I'm starting to hone in on what is it that the person's really trying to get at? Because that's going to allow me to know, is this person a potential client? Is this person a potential referral partner for me or for them? Is this right. Someone that I'm interested in deepening and getting to know better.
07:00
What we're looking at here is what is the quality of the connection and how can we enrich that. And so for someone I did a consultation with last week, you know, she has started her business, you know, she's a couple years in and it's going well. And one of the things that she doesn't know how to do yet is how to convert interest into consultations. How do you move someone from, hey, I would love to pick your brain curiosity to a paying client. And so conversion like that is particularly an area of expertise that myself and my company, Three Beats Consulting, really assists our clients with. But what the Bigger theme here is I want each of you to consider the value of your yeses and your nos.
07:47
Is there room for you to be more confident in saying, I'm willing to give time, but here's what I'd require. There are so many ways that you can create value beyond a monetary exchange. And the thing that I'm seeing killing businesses is they don't know their values. The founders themselves, the employees. Right, whoever that is. There's a lack of clarity on the values, which means there's a lack of clarity on the way that time is really played out. And so, again, as we're thinking about how we can create more premium human frameworks, when everyone who is present at a meeting or a session or a zoom or a consultation knows exactly what's going on, that's when you know that you have accomplished something pretty extraordinary in terms of your communication and agreements previous to getting onto the call. That, to me, honors everyone's time.
08:44
It honors their psyche, it honors their presence, it honors the relationship. Because when things are clear and there's no ambiguity, it's like, are you looking for services or are you not? Are you wanting to pick my brain because you're interested in this, or are you interested because of something else? It's okay to put things in black and white when people can talk about things as though it's furniture in a room. Right. The red chair, the black couch, whatever terminology you want to bring into this, whatever ideas. The point that I'm trying to make is really that you have to set the stage to honor the people involved. And ambiguity is one of the worst ways to. To nurture relationships.
09:24
And so the more clear and upfront we can be on our yeses, our values, our nos, what we're willing to do, what we're not willing to do, and setting those parameters, I guarantee you will start to see an uptick in your revenue, because you will start to see that the more you value your time and the more you set context in advance, creating deeper value for whoever that other person or entity might be like, this is one of the ways that my clients scale consistently to. To multiple six and multiple seven figures. And so I want that for you. And this is something we're going to continue to go deeper into.
09:57
If you are interested in a consultation or in having me come and speak to you or your team about this subject matter, you can click the contact button below or email sarah at Three Beats Consulting.com and we can talk more from there. All right, until next time I look forward to having you back on the luxury hour.