Last week, Facebook shut down my account.

No warning, no clear explanation, and just like that, years of contacts, groups, pages, conversations, and resources….gone.

I felt frustrated. And after a day or two when it all sank in, I felt so angry. Can they just do that? Yep, appearantly they can.

But then I started feeling something different…

Relief.

Social media has played an important role in growing my business over the last decade, but it was never the foundation.

From the very beginning, I made a decision that turned out to be one of the smartest business decisions I’ve ever made.

I didn’t just build on social platforms.

I built my own.

  • My podcasts.
  • My network of guests.
  • My community.
  • My websites.
  • My email lists.

Places where I could connect directly with the people I wanted to serve. Platforms I actually own.

Losing my Facebook account reminded me how easy it is to confuse visibility with success.

We spend so much time trying to be seen on our socials. Trying to get in front of more people.

We are posting, commenting, creating, connecting. On the LinkedIns and Instagrams. Keeping up with trends that change faster than we can.

And yes, visibility matters. It’s one of the main reasons people come to me for support.

They’re building a business, a coaching practice, a personal brand, a social impact venture.

They want more people to know they exist.

So they ask:

“How can I get more visibility?”

When the more important question actually is:

“What is my visibility built on?”

Because visibility built entirely on borrowed platforms can disappear overnight. Visibility built on assets you own grows over time.

Over the past week, I’ve reflected a lot on where I’ve been investing my attention lately. And if I’m honest, it was invested on platforms I don’t control.

LinkedIn included.

I genuinely value the conversations, relationships, and opportunities that happen here. Social media can be a wonderful bridge. But it shouldn’t be the destination.

So I’ll be more mindful, investing in the platforms I actually own, where deeper conversations can happen and where my work isn’t dependent on someone else’s rules.

And yes, I will still be checking in here and my ego will probably be hurt a little if nobody sees or likes this post. I’ve had a few of those recently. You probably did too. Ouch, right?!

But maybe some of you will read this and think:

“She has a point.”

And maybe you’ll decide it’s time to shift your attention on building something you own, too.

Yours,

Regina

P.S. You can listen to the full on audio rant on when the Facebook shut down happened on my podcast HERE.