EP70: Unicorn Myth: The Hidden Cost of Being a Multi-Talented Service Provider

Ever wondered why the myth of the "unicorn" employee is not just unrealistic but downright exploitative? Join me as I unravel my journey from being a Virtual Assistant to a Director of Operations in the online business world, only to find my expertise undervalued and ignored. 

This week's episode exposes the hidden costs of demanding multi-talented team members to do it all, often at the expense of real strategic insights.

Listen in as I share raw, unfiltered stories about being hired for my skills but repeatedly sidelined, a frustration that ultimately drove me to speak my truth. 

On the flip side, we confront a pervasive issue that many women, especially women of color, face — the appropriation of ideas and contributions without due credit. Drawing from my own experiences across various industries, I address the importance of stepping into thought leadership and reclaiming our narratives.

Learn how to craft a strategic plan and build genuine confidence to amplify your unique voice. 

As we wrap up, I extend an invitation to join the "Ignite Your Inner Dragon" program, a transformative journey designed to help women own their stories, gain visibility, and drive meaningful change. This episode promises to be an empowering and thought-provoking conversation you won't want to miss.

Check out Ignite Your Inner Dragon here: https://getcorporaterehab.com/innerdragon

Want to talk it through first? Let's chat: https://getcorporaterehab.com/meetwithsarah

Chapters

• 0:03 Questioning Unicorns and Corporate Theft
• 10:47 Empowerment Through Thought Leadership Program

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

Welcome to the Business Blasphemy Podcast, where we question the sacred truths of the online business space and the reverence with which they're held. I'm your host, sarah Khan speaker, strategic consultant and BS busting badass. Join me each week as we challenge the norms, trends and overall bullshit status quo of entrepreneurship to uncover what it really takes to build the business that you want to build in a way that honors you, your life and your vision for what's possible, and maybe piss off a few gurus along the way. So if you're ready to commit business blasphemy, let's do it. Hello, hello blasphemers.

Speaker 1: 0:39

If you've been following me for a while, you will know that my content has kind of pivoted a little bit. It's changed a little bit. I haven't made a huge pivot. I'm not doing something completely different, but I've kind of adjusted the trajectory that my business is going on and you'll start to hear more about it on the podcast as we go. But today I wanted to share a story about how I kind of got to this space, and what I really want to talk about is unicorns. Now you'll have heard me say in the past I fucking hate unicorns. I think that when people are hiring team members and they're asking for unicorns, it's really problematic, and here's why. So when I first came into the online business space despite having like a very long and rich history in corporate and in the private education sector I started as a VA because that was the easiest sort of gateway to coming into online business. I could offer what people wanted. It was really easy, very low setup no, you know, overhead costs, that kind of thing and so I started as a VA and that's the first time I heard the term unicorn, even though I'd experienced it and come across unicorns in my career.

Speaker 1: 1:50

But the idea of a unicorn is basically a team member who can do all of the things right. So not only can they do the job that you want them to do they were hired for but they can do a whole bunch of other things. So I'll give you my example as an example. They were hired for, but they can do a whole bunch of other things. So I'll give you my example as an example being able to, yes, come in and organize files like so do data management, but on top of that, I can also do project management, because I had a project management career. I can also come in and do some graphic design, because I can do graphic design. I have an eye for that. I can also write copy, because I'm an English major. I can also do editing. I can also do client-facing stuff, because I did client-facing stuff in my work.

Speaker 1: 2:30

And you can do all of these different things, play all these different roles, wear all these different hats, and it's prized in the online business space because then business owners don't have to hire separate team members to fill every function, so you don't have to hire a marketing manager and you don't have to hire separate team members to fill every function. So you don't have to hire a marketing manager and you don't have to hire someone to do social media and you don't have to hire someone to do launching. You don't have to hire someone to do graphic design. You don't have to hire an operations person. You can hire one person and they can cover all of those bases. That makes sense from a financial perspective, but it doesn't actually work in the long term. It doesn't actually work in the long term.

Speaker 1: 3:10

And here's the thing. I was a unicorn because I can do pretty much all of the things, so maybe it cut deep and I took it personally. I don't know. But when you think about the traditional workspace. That's what we're told, right? We've always been told that the more you can do, the more valuable you are. But it also opens the door to exploitation that too many of us remain complicit in, because hi capitalism, hi patriarchy, right? I'm not going to sit here and explain it. If you've been paying attention at all to anything, you know exactly what I'm talking about. The problem with unicorns is we're all very highly prized for what we can do and not necessarily what we think, which is stupid when you think about it. Because we have such a rich, well-rounded and unique perspective and unique insights.

Speaker 1: 4:04

And as I transitioned from VA to OBM like I took a certification, got my OBM certification, became an OBM and then transitioned to director of operations. Because I got my certification, I did my training, became a DOO. You know thinking the title would give credence to my strategic insights, because that's the one thing nobody wanted at that time. I found myself more and more frustrated when business owners that I worked with wouldn't listen to me. So I'm now no longer a VA, I'm not an OBM. I've transitioned to director of operations and people are hiring me for my strategic insight and, if I'm honest, also the fact that I can do all the other things and I'm thinking I'm being hired because they want to hear what I have to say. They want to hear how I can improve their business or what direction they should be taking their business in to realize their vision. But people are not listening to me and call it what you want, call it ego, call it whatever. But I also do have a long list of evidence that I can pull where it really would have worked out better if they did listen to me.

Speaker 1: 5:05

So my frustration started to bubble over into my content because nobody else wanted to hear it right. So, speaking it out into the void, and I let loose, right. I uncaged the dragon that I'd kept locked up for so long because my life experiences told me that my rage served nobody. In fact, my rage was counterproductive, but I continued to share because it was the only real outlet that I had at the time and, to my surprise, people listened. People listened and they loved it what the heck right? And they wanted more. And that was shocking Like.

Speaker 1: 5:44

If you go back far enough, you'll see the transition of when that happened in my content. And that's actually how Corporate Rehab, the brand, was born. I had fans, I had followers, I was getting respect, I was getting recognition. People were asking me to come and speak in their spaces. They were asking for more. In fact, that's how the podcast was born. People wanted one space where they could come and hear my insights and this was like eye-opening and life-changing for me. It really, really was.

Speaker 1: 6:13

And then something else happened. People started copying my content Like copying my content, not just sharing my content but suddenly things that I had been talking about six months ago, eight months ago, a year ago, people are talking about it in very much the same way and tone that I'd been talking about it, but passing it off as their own sort of aha moment. And maybe it was. Maybe I'm just being oversensitive, but also I'm going to stop gaslighting myself and embrace the possibility that maybe, you know, they did actually take it from me and for a long time I did actually gaslight myself and think, well, maybe you're just being oversensitive, maybe they did come to this realization on their own, until people started legit mirroring my content, like copying it word for word.

Speaker 1: 7:06

I had the experience of somebody actually taking a very personal story that I shared a little while ago maybe two or three years ago now and they took this story and it was again a very personal story, using very personal anecdotes and experiences that I had, and they basically copied it word for word and passed it off as their own. Now they had blocked me, so I didn't know that this was happening, but a mutual friend of ours saw this happen, took a screenshot, sent it to me, and most of the time I don't care, but this was a very personal story, a very personal experience, and so I did reach out to them and I did tell them. Can you please not Feel free to share the story or the example, but please don't try to pass off a very challenging personal situation that I've been through as your own struggle, and we see this happen so often, particularly with women of color right, and so I don't know if she did or didn't because, again, I don't follow her. So I don't know if she did or didn't because, again, I don't follow her, I can't see her, she has me blocked. But it was really, really upsetting and it was a very weird feeling of like violation, to be completely honest with you. But my mentor said to me this kind of thing is going to start happening because your content is obviously resonating with people.

Speaker 1: 8:19

And then something weird happened Somebody actually copied my entire brand, right down to my red hair, right down to the word corporate, in their business title. It was and I'm sort of treading lightly here because I don't want to actually call people out but it was a very surreal experience because all of a sudden this person had red hair too and it was just like, oh interesting, talking about what I'm talking about. And then there was another experience where I'd had a clubhouse room that I'd hosted, that it was called a specific thing and this person had actually been a guest in my clubhouse room. And then fast forward a year and a half maybe later, I don't know how long. Clubhouse has really been not cool anymore, but they took the name of my Clubhouse room, trademarked it and now it's the name of their business. So you can kind of see where I'm going with this right.

Speaker 1: 9:07

I finally took the step to uncage who I was and what I wanted to say and what I thought and my insights and my perspectives. And all of a sudden people are copying me, they're taking my shit, they're talking about it as if it's their own. This is a really, really hard realization, a hard experience a hard lesson, and my mentor helped me realize something that I had never considered before. She said Sarah, have you ever thought about the fact that maybe you're a thought leader? And that's why this is happening? Thought leaders are people who are listened to, they are imitated, they are quoted.

Speaker 1: 9:46

And I'll be honest with you, I resisted calling myself a thought leader for a very, very long time, and thought leadership is not something you bestow upon yourself, right? You have to be a special kind of sociopath to do that. I never thought of myself as a thought leader, but more and more I started to embrace the possibility that maybe some people saw me that way, and it added a layer of responsibility to my integrity, to my ethics, to how I show up, and so I'm very conscious of that now, because the reality is she's kind of right. I resisted calling myself that, but the evidence is there and it may be bold for me to say that, but actually no. Why the fuck is it bold for me to say that? Because, at the end of the day, a man would never apologize for stepping into their greatness, to their awesomeness and calling it out, but women are generally looked down upon for doing that. We're told to take a seat. We're told that we're getting too big, like whatever. So no, I'm not going to say that it's too bold. The evidence is there.

Speaker 1: 10:47

One of the really great things that happened as a result of this realization is I started putting myself in spaces that were new. I started putting myself out there a little bit more. I started talking about my experiences and my story, and a couple of really interesting things happened. Number one I realized it wasn't just in the online space that this experience of being copied, imitated, having my ideas taken. The online space is not where that started. People have been taking credit for my ideas and for my shit for decades. Have been taking credit for my ideas and for my shit for decades.

Speaker 1: 11:25

The number of times I went for an interview with a corporation and you know when they ask you to like create a presentation where you talk about how you would solve this problem. I didn't get the job, but nine out of 10 times they implemented my idea. The number of pitches I have sent, particularly when I was in event management, event planning. The number of pitches I would send to a client that they would reject but then we'd turn around and find another company executing our project pitch for a lower cost and you can look at me and say, sarah, that happens in business, that's not unusual. No, it's not. That's kind of the problem, right? The number of work, projects I had initiated and other people had taken credit for them Fuck.

Speaker 1: 12:13

I remember an example of a private organization I worked for way back in the early 2000s where I had helped spearhead the development of an entire new business division that grossed over 2 million British pounds sterling in the first two years, and when they finally started to notice the division and give accolades, I was completely excluded from the narrative. So, yeah, that was a realization. This shit did not just start in the online business space. This has been happening for fucking ever. That's the first realization I had in putting myself in these new spaces. The second realization I had is that, unfortunately, this experience is not unique to me.

Speaker 1: 12:50

So many women have been undercut and gaslit and gatekept and sidelined, especially women of color. That's not news, y'all know that. But what bugs me is how many voices are out there not sure how to be heard, how to fight for the injustice of being copied without credit. I see so many incredibly brilliant women on TikTok and on Instagram and in other platforms like LinkedIn and other places where, if we just took a moment to listen, to hear them, we would be blown away. But they're just shouting into the void, because what else are they going to do? You need to step into your thought leadership era, because that is what you fucking are. And how do you do that? You come up with a plan. You need a plan to truly become a thought leader, and that is what I am dedicating my business to now helping you develop that plan finding the right strategy for how to clearly articulate your message, your idea, get visible, write your book, get on stages, get in publications, because social media isn't enough and because it is not enough to wait for someone to notice you.

Speaker 1: 14:04

The number of women who are brilliant but are far too fucking humble for their own good. And then I see their brilliance being taken by other people who are happy to step up to the plate, who are happy to get in front and shout loud and pass off other people's shit as their own. It's not doing you any service. It's not giving you any kind of benefit to stay small, play small, stay humble, because I see your brilliance, I see your genius and I see how frustrated you are, wishing that other people would just stop and listen, because I know what you have to say is so important and it is so necessary.

Speaker 1: 14:43

But here's the thing you have those perspectives because you are a fucking unicorn. You can see and do and understand the intersections of so many different things. You see the potential, you see the possibility, you see what can be, but you're waiting for someone to notice. You think that just working harder, hustling harder, is going to get you. That platform is going to get you noticed, is going to get you seen by the right people. Has it worked out for you yet?

Speaker 1: 15:14

Dragons do not wait to be noticed. They show the fuck up and people can't help but take notice. So it is time for you to put a plan of action together notice. So it is time for you to put a plan of action together. And you know what? It's not just the plan of action. You need mindset, support to build your confidence and fight the years, decades maybe, of conditioning that is going to show up at every turn to tell you that you aren't this. Who do you think you are? How dare you? And mindset around confidence building. It's not about building up your bluster right. This isn't some fake it till you make it bullshit. I'm talking the actual, quiet confidence that is rooted, anchored in truth, because that shit is louder than any bluster. And so that is why I am inviting you to come join my program Ignite your Inner Dragon, because it is time to step into your thought leadership era.

Speaker 1: 16:22

What do you get when you're a thought leader? Bigger stages, publications, people come to you. You don't have to pitch people to listen to you. You become in demand, paid more, you get increased recognition and respect, which means you are taken more seriously, which is what we need. You stop begging. You stop regurgitating content and messages and hustling harder, thinking that you know, if you just burn yourself out a little bit more, that chance will come, that opportunity that you've been waiting for will come. We need thought leaders, women's voices, particularly women of color. We need those different perspectives. We need insights that are different from what we've been hearing for fucking generations, and I've built this program and I've launched it to empower women to own their stories and their struggle to help others be seen and heard, so we can start to collectively make change.

Speaker 1: 17:16

This program is going to help you with your pillar messaging. So, like what is your thought leadership? What is your idea? How do I know that it's good enough? We're going to put a framework around that so you can talk about it and you can articulate it easily. We're going to talk about your language, your lexicon, the words and phrases that are unique to you, but, most importantly, I'm going to hold you and squeeze you and push you until you become so fucking confident that nothing is going to shake you. And that's where the dragon part comes in.

Speaker 1: 17:47

I've developed a framework called the FIRE Framework, and it's four steps, and the first step is focus and clarity. We're going to work on developing your message, refining your communication, and we'll even bring in coaches to help you with your presentation techniques, if that's what you need. The second step is the mindset igniting the mindset. We're going to look at making you more confident, more resilient, to the level that you need to put yourself out there. We're going to talk about why imposter syndrome is absolute bullshit it does not exist, okay and we're going to start fostering that growth mindset that encourages you to embrace your challenges and sometimes welcome them, because that's what thought leaders do.

Speaker 1: 18:24

We're going to put together a plan for your reach and your visibility. So strategic content planning, media strategy and identifying thought leadership opportunities like stages, collaborations, you name it and the final step is empowerment and elevation, where we look at goal setting and we set clear milestones so you know exactly what you're working for. It's not just shooting out into the wind and hoping something sticks. I'm going to be here regularly for support, for check-ins, to keep you motivated and on track with your plan and help you pivot if things change. I'll be your safe space and your sounding board to help you and provide feedback as and when needed. The whole framework is set up not just to give you the action steps and the actual plan that you can use to make progress, but it emphasizes the importance of focusing on message clarity, mindset, reaching a wider audience and helping you really embrace the mantle of thought leadership are on that journey.

Speaker 1: 19:28

Ignite, your Inner Dragon, has three possible tiers you can choose from. One is a really focused six-week program where we're just going to get your messaging on point, and then there are two 12-week options that are a little bit more in-depth and provide higher levels of one-on-one access, if that is what you need. So you get to tailor this experience to what you need right now and where you are most comfortable. So if you are interested there's a link in the show notes Go to it. And if you want to talk about it first to see if this is actually the right fit for you, there's a link to book a chat with me.

Speaker 1: 19:54

No pressure, it's not a sales pitch. We're going to talk about why you feel like this is the right next step for you. I'm going to help you figure that out and if it's not, I'll tell you what you need to do so that you can be ready the next time we talk, because you know what. Enough is enough. You need to be heard. You need to own your shit. It's time to stop being the fucking magical unicorn and step out as the fucking powerful red dragon that you are. I'll talk to you next week. That's it for this week. Thanks for listening to the Business Blasphemy Podcast. We'll be back next week with a new episode, but in the meantime, help a sister out by subscribing and if you're feeling extra sassy rating this podcast, and don't forget to share the podcast with others Head over to businessblasphemypodcastcom to connect with us and learn more. Thanks for listening and remember you can have success without the BS.