I’m Deleting Instagram for 30 Days. Will it Hurt My Business?

Hey girl!

I’m so super excited to take you on a SOCIAL EXPERIMENT! I am personally deleting Instagram for 30 days. I want to prove once and for all that NOT having a social presence doesn’t hurt your business or bottom line. Am I right?

This experiment will look at my weekly revenue growth, my podcast downloads, and my overall mental health. I will also be looking for miracles in the new space deleting the app will create.

I will be posting updates every week to bring you along on my journey. I can’t wait to see how God moves through this time. He doesn’t ask us to give something up without giving us something better.

Yes and AMEN!

See ya soon,

Listen in to the rest of Stefanie’s IG detox!

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTION:

0:00 

What’s up friends Happy Monday! I am super excited to share with you something cool and a little scary that I am personally embarking on. It is a 30 day Instagram detox, and why Instagram? Because that’s the addiction for me. And I am laying it down so that I can prove to you and to myself once and for all, that we do not need social media to continue to grow, scale, and make money in our businesses.

0:34 

So over the course of 30 days, I will be testing and tracking different metrics. I’m going to be completely off the grid, my team will not be on Instagram either. And we’re going to see what really happens to the revenue, to the bottom line, and to the downloads of this show without an Instagram presence. Are you here for it? Let’s detox, baby.

1:52 

Okay, before we dig into this juicy episode, the social experiment, I want to let you know how we can work together, you and me. If you’re new around here, and you’re like I don’t even know what my thing is, I need to get clarity on my calling so that I can create a profitable online business, the very first thing you’re going to do is go to stefaniegass.com and sign up for my free workshop.

2:15 

This is a 45 minute training that’s going to take you through how to get that ultimate clarity on what you were created to do. So that you can create a business that doesn’t feel like work. I’m telling you when you do what you were created to do not only is your soul on fire, but so is your bank account because you’re lit up to do this work and you’re created for it. And there’s already a group of people who God has created that’s waiting for you to step into your purpose. So again, that is at stefaniegass.com and sign up for that free workshop.

2:47 

Number two, you’ve been hanging out with me for a hot minute and you know that I’m the coach for you. You’ve been looking for a Christian coach who’s going to infuse faith and help you partner with God so that he can be the CEO of your future online business or ramping up and scaling your business without using social.

3:03 

Hi, I’m Stef Gass, I can’t wait to be your coach and mentor through this process. There are three steps to building my exact business model. One, get clarity on your calling, which you can go join that course at clarifyyourcallingcourse.com.

3:18 

Number two, we are going to start and launch a podcast for you so that you can grow an audience without having to show up on video without having to do social media 24/7. It’s you behind the microphone. Easy. And it’s one to many. it’s scalable. It’s so amazing. This is the biggest catalyst to my success has been the show. To do that if you’re at step two, you’re going to go to podcastprouniversity.com.

3:43 

And last but not least you already have a podcast and you’re ready to monetize using courses coaching or programs, this is going to be for you. It’s called Podcast to Profit and it’s a 90 day immersion mastermind program me, live, 12 weeks, 20 women all in you are ready to draw your line in the sand and leap and say yes and amen to the potential of growing into a six figure and beyond online business using podcasting and courses. To register for our next Podcast to Profit go to podcasttoprofitmastermind.com.

4:17 

All right, let’s shift gears. Today we are talking about my crazy, audacious decision to do a social media detox. Now, why am I doing this? Okay, let’s just have some real talk. I have been detoxing the apps for probably three years every single weekend. Okay, I delete Instagram, often 99% of the time unless I’m launching something or I’m on a vacation. I want to share pics with you guys. Period End of story.

4:48 

Facebook? Facebook is not a big deal for me. I don’t even care about it. I rarely get on there. I’ve outsourced my group management, my student communities are managed by my team now. So I really have no need to even hang out over there, and it doesn’t really bother me. But for some reason, Instagram is just this constant addiction.

5:05 

It’s constantly, I’m constantly clicking it. And there’s nothing to even see in there. Like, I don’t have new messages. Someone else’s managing my comments, you know, like, there’s really no reason for me to be in that app. However, I’m in there. 24/7. And it’s just ridiculous. And so I have felt this tug to continue to detox on the weekends. And I tell my community about it, and they don’t really do it.

5:34 

And I’m like, why aren’t you doing it? And the answer is, well, we have to share about our podcast stuff like we can’t, we have to be there, we have to use it to build the business. And I haven’t really proven you right or wrong. So my goal is to prove to you and to myself once and for all, that Instagram, or whatever your social media addiction is, is not directly impacting your business.

6:01 

My theory is that Instagram specifically for me, because that’s my issue app, okay? It is pay to play. It is the algorithm is in control. So it’s stuffing me down. The stories are only shown to the people who are already following me. They’re already super fans. Unless I’m spending multiple hours making a real – no, thank you, or IGTV – no, thank you, I’m not getting shown in the explore bar, which means it’s a lose lose game.

6:29 

Now, if I’m going to go over there, and I’m gonna spend 20 minutes crafting a post with a stellar caption, who has it being shown to? The people who are already following me. So this is not how you grow and scale a business guys is absolutely a lie to say that we need it to grow a business now. Is it valuable? As far as engaging with people who are already following you? Yeah, of course, the same 200 people who hang out with stuff on Instagram, hang out with stuff on Instagram.

6:56 

Their trust is growing, and they’re connecting with me. And it’s great, but they’re not buying from me, because they’ve already bought from me, right? So, I believe my theory is that my business will hold, there will not be a dip in revenue, there will not be a dip in podcast downloads, and there will not be a dip in my profitability in the next 30 days. That’s my analysis. That’s my theory.

7:22 

And I want to prove it to you because I want you to have the permission slip to delete these apps once and for all completely and take your life back. I want you to have permission to do 30 day detoxes twice a year, I want you to have permission and feel good about deleting it on that on the weekends, I want you to take your freedom back, I want you to walk, to break free from the invisible prison that your phone has you in the spell that it has you in.

7:48 

I have a client who told me today she is she’s getting rid of her iPhone, and she’s going back to a flip phone and I was like, Oh girl, yes and amen. Like to not have to think of a thought. And because your phone is in your hand, and why is it in our hand and go directly to the internet to search for that answer would be so liberating. Just to sit with an unanswered thought, oh, like I’m craving it. I’m craving, not putting the app back on Monday. I’m craving, peace and quiet and simplicity. And I’m craving it.

8:22 

So that’s why I’m doing this one for you. I want to prove that our businesses will still grow without it. So I’m going to bring you along on my journey. Over the next four weeks, I will do a quick update each week for you here on the podcast. And you can follow along with me. And then the second part of this for me is I’ve just been through so much this year. I’m just in this season of being in the middle in so many areas of my life. And I know we’re constantly in a season of being in the middle, we’re always going to be on the journey.

8:56 

There is no end goal, there is no sunny bright side 24/7, but it’s just been a lot. And I feel that when we get quiet that’s when we really hear from God the most and part of obedience is getting quiet. Part of obedience is laying down our idols and hopefully getting rid of them forever. You know, repenting for those idols that we’ve placed in our lives and allowing God to come close, right, we come close to him and he can come close to us.

And so you know, I lost my dad in May of this year. And that was a really hard experience. He had cancer for seven, eight years. So it was a really slow progress. But the last two months of it were just extraordinarily fast. And I didn’t talk about it just because you know, you don’t want to talk about it when you’re in it.

9:49 

But even now still like it’s a healing process. And I just haven’t taken that full time to just sit with emotion and I’ve, you know, of course I felt into this, but I think that we sometimes need to sit with our pain. Sometimes we have to sit with our pain, sometimes we have to sit with grief, sometimes we have to sit with loss, instead of busying our way through it. So that’s one thing.

My doggy, my Hugo, he’s 13 years old, his little legs are giving out, he’s got really bad arthritis, some stuff going on with his spine, you know, and it’s a matter of time. And that’s really hard, because I’m sitting in this grief and loss already with my dad, and now my dog, you know, is going to start reaching the end of his life. And that feels like a lot.

10:46 

You know, we’ve been sitting in a season of craziness with all the things going on in the world, and our state is just on another level. And so we’ve considered like, should we move even though we love where we live, and like that’s been on my shoulders. And you know, our kids and things that are happening with them at school and trying to decide, you know, what the right choice of action is, for us, in our health based on like, without getting political guys, it’s just a lot, right?

Like, no matter what side you’re on, and we’re all on the same side, because we’re all daughters of the king, it still feels like you’re up against the world. I don’t care which side you’re on, you’re feel like you’re fighting this battle. It’s not even your battle. And it’s heavy. And then you get on social media, and everybody’s fighting with everyone.

11:38 

You know, it’s like, it’s just such a… I think it’s what the enemy wants, he wants us to be distracted. He wants us to spiral. I call it spiraling, you may call it the rabbit hole. He wants us to be so in our thoughts that we stopped listening to God. And what I know for sure is that God is in control. And I need to stay grounded in the Lord.

And I had this revelation a couple of weeks ago, as I was like, spiraling out of control on some other thing that I’m afraid of some other thing I can’t control. And that revelation was, you need to stop asking God to do things for you and to give you answers. You need to just be with God, like, stop looking to him for direction, and just sit with him. And let him be with you and love you. You know, it’s like, in my life, I’m a doer and achiever.

12:35 

And so when I think about my relationship with God, it’s like, why do you want me to do God? Pray? Like, how can I achieve for you? When in reality, I think the lesson here that God’s so desperately is trying to teach me is, he doesn’t want me to do anything for Him. He wants me to sit so he can love me. And just sitting and being loved without doing it’s one of the most uncomfortable, unnatural things for me to comprehend, let alone do and accept. So that’s exactly why I know I have to do it. When we think about the things we don’t want to do.

Those are often the things we’re being called to do, right? You know, my whole life like, oh, man, I don’t know if I should quit working in corporate while I was being called to do it. Oh, man, I don’t know if I can delete the apps for the first time. I mean, I have a business. I was being called to do it. Oh, man. I don’t know if I could give up dieting forever. Like, it’s just part of who I am. I was being called to do it. Right. So these hard things that we don’t want to do, we need to do.

13:39 

The first time I wanted to do a fast, you know, a spiritual food fast for spiritual reasons. I’m like, Oh, I don’t know. I mean, we just kind of tiptoe in, I just won’t give up coffee, like I was being called to do and give up the things I didn’t want to give up so that I could truly prove to myself, I could live without anything, except for the love of God and His presence. And I’ve gotten through all of them so far. And so this is no different. So here I go. Today is the very first day. I am giving up Instagram for 30 full days. It’s been deleted from my phone. I will not be logging back in until Monday, September 13th.

14:24 

That’s will be when I am back here and I again continue, I think unless I’m like this is so fun, I’m not going to put it back. Hey, no promises. And then I’ll continue my weekend detoxes from that point forward. Now Facebook for me, not an issue. I do not plan to go on Facebook except twice a week because I’m running Podcast to Profit, right now. We have to grade our students homework, it’s all in the Facebook group.

And of course our student community where we have to answer homework, answer questions. I do have a team helping me there but it’s still part of my job. So I will be on Facebook for those reasons, we will be posting in Facebook, in our in our free community but that’s Lydia, not me so that’s awesome. And I really, really, really hope that through this experience, I can just be able to get quiet.

15:14 

There’s something about getting rid of all expectation that allows you to fully be. And expectation is what social media does to us, right? If we are expecting, I’m expecting likes, I’m expecting a DM, I’m expecting, I’m expected to put an Instagram story up, I’m expected to sell something, I’m expected to share about my podcast, I’m just tired of expectancy, I just want when I want to promote something or push something out there that I can do it one to many.

And then I can do it on my own accord without feeling like I’m addicted to a platform. And the truth is, when I share something on this podcast, I feel no pressure whatsoever. I record, I publish, and I leave it, I let it go. There’s no back and forth. There’s no expectancy, there’s no communication with you guys, honestly, it’s me putting it out there. I hope it blesses you and I’m able to move on with my life. You know, same thing with an email, I can write my email, send it out, let you know there’s a new episode and we’re done.

16:19 

It just doesn’t have that addictive quality that social media has. Now the real test is going to be if my business declines, because then you’ll have some hard decisions to make, which is why I want to be really honest with you through this journey. Did my revenue go down? Did my podcast downloads go down? What actually happened if I keep everything else completely status quo, except sharing publicly on Facebook and Instagram? That’s the question. And I’m here to prove it. I’m here to answer it. We are doing the social experiment.

16:56 

The other thing I’m going to be reporting back to you each week when I share is what other miracles have happened. What is happening because I am being obedient to this call to lay down Instagram for this long period of time, the longest period time I’ve ever done it. Because God, we don’t lay something down without Him replacing it. That’s the greatest news.

And here’s the cool part. Like we’re laying down something we have a love hate relationship with anyway. So guaranteed, I will guarantee you right now I would put money, where my mouth is that some incredible revelations, answers miracles, some provision, fruitfulness is going to happen in these next 30 days.

17:39 

And I can’t wait to take you on that journey. I can’t wait to share it with you. I can’t wait to give it to you. Now, the last thing I want to say is, don’t be sad. If you’re feeling like where am I going to hang out with you, if you’re one of my Instagram besties you can hang out with us in the Facebook community, my team is still gonna be there, I’m still going to be popping in there two times a week because it’s our community.

It’s not publicity, it’s not promotion of any kind, it’s literally our community. So you guys can come hang out throughout this social experiment at Bitly.com/successsupportgroup. And you can still get in touch with me and my team through email for any reason, support@stefaniegass.com.

18:26 

And then last but not least, my website, that has every single thing you need to know about anything. If you have any questions about stuff like coaching or courses, just email us, we will be fully available to you. So now last but not least, I would just ask that you lift up a prayer for me on this journey that I would find strength without social, that I would find freedom from this idol, that I would find revelation, transformation.

That I would hear from God and new exciting in different ways, that I would be me and my family would be closer, that our communication would have breakthroughs, that me and my kids would have just relationship growth, and that my entire life would be bettered by this experiment.

19:09 

And I also pray over each of you that if you’ve been feeling the tug, to lay down social media, that you join me on this journey that you listen to what happens for me and my business, and that you lay it down if you feel the call, feel free to do this with me if you’d like start today, there’s no better time than the present to say no to the things that are not serving us and find boundaries in our lives so that we can find the breakthrough. Boundaries equal breakthrough. I know this to be true.

19:39 

And I just pray over you that if you have been feeling overwhelmed, addictive, like you can’t control yourself when it comes to your phone, if you have no boundaries and you have a such a hard time laying it down that God would give you a newfound strength and belief that you don’t need anything of this world in order to find His success for your life, His freedom for you, His path for you. That it’s already there without any tools from this world, that the enemy, any of his plans over your life would be broken right now in the name of Jesus, that you would find clarity over what is not from God.

20:22 

And that you’d be able to let go of each and every one of those things so that God can replace it with exactly what you are supposed to have instead. I believe in you, I know that you can courageously do hard things. And I know that God’s going to give you strength. I will meet you back here next week for an update on how my social experiment is going. Love you guys. Thanks for your support. Thanks for your encouragement through this season. God bless you. I’ll see you soon.