Message is the beating heart of your business.
It’s how people connect with you, before they connect with you.
Calming the chaos of your message, content, and outreach
Message and editorial pro Barbara Govednik built 4.23 Communication to be a calm little island focused on your message, content, and outreach.
If you just want to
tell your story
connect with your people
thrive in your work
You’ve found a refuge from the chaotic sea of marketing
“shoulds”
“have tos”
social noise
and other time-wasters that were never built for off-the-beaten-track coaches, creators and consultants.
Key to the Calm:
Make Message the beating heart of your business.
Meet Barbara Govednik
4.23’s Founder & Content Strategist
Briefly, I am a
Message Strategist and Editor
Former corporate communications drone turned founder of 4.23 Communication
Creator and host of The (anti-chaos) Content Cohort membership — Coming Soon!
Chief Haikuist of 575by423, the official haiku division of 4.23 Communication
My clients call me an
Intuitive wordsmith who helps them turn squishy ideas into a solid message
Advocate of their “creageous” – the ability to creatively and courageously use their authentic voice
Editor who will kindly nudge them to stay true to their core message
I’m also a reader, writer, traveler, gin enthusiast, Midwesterner transplanted to the PNW, friend, wife and the type of person who has a favorite pen (Pilot G2 07 retractable gel ink rollerball).
And, I have a Message Manifesto.
423 Words on the Game-Changing Power of Authentic Expression
We are wired to devote our time and attention to the things that we love and are good at.
And to ignore the stuff we’re not.
Most of us do not identify as “word people.”
Our genius work lies somewhere else entirely.
And yet, our businesses demand words. Every day.
Spoken. Written. Filmed. Posted.
Words. Content. Outreach.
Message.
That stuff that we want to ignore or leave to someone else comes knocking every day.
Every day.
It's the worst – but not for the reasons you think.
You are not "bad at words."
The algorithms and deliverability aren't screwing with you.
You aren’t actually more afraid of public speaking than death.
It’s this:
You’ve been educated and “influenced” away from trusting your own voice, your true and authentic expression.
That's why some weird inner robot voice or a late-night TV ad voice or corporate drone voice takes over and types up a smokescreen of “appropriate” but inauthentic content.
Plus, you're human.
You will get that stomach-pit, turning red, sweaty armpits thing when you're about to step up, speak up and be seen.
That’s why you get skittish, wobbly and completely disconnected from your deep and valuable skills.
Your confidence gets overtaken by the falsehood that you have nothing to say.
Not true.
You have many somethings to say.
In fact, your genius work is demanding that you show up, be seen and be well said.
Because success isn’t fictional. But it’s not magical either.
You have to show up, be seen and be well said.
But…
You also get to show up, be seen and be well said as you.
In all your square peg-ness. Without sanding down any edges.
Because we square pegs, we don’t actually need the round holes or “appropriate" messages.
Our people connect with the authenticity of square pegs. Because they’re square pegs, too.
So call in the creageous - your creative and courageous self - take a deep breath and show them who you are.
Because this is the entrepreneurial truth:
You don’t get to do your genius work (and get paid for it) if nobody knows about or understands your genius work.
So you owe it to your genius work to be well said about what you do.
It doesn’t have to be brassy and loud.
It doesn’t have to make you crazy or make you feel like an imposter in your own world.
But it has to be something. An authentic expression of you.
Embody your message as the beating heart of your business.
Your people will hear it.